Countdown to Thanksgiving!!!

Ahhh..one of my favorite holidays is almost here...THANKSGIVING!  This year is special, because it's our 1st Thanksgiving with our Lil' Peanut AND she'll be 7 months on Thanksgiving!  Like everyone says, where did the time go???

I am finalizing our menu as we speak.  Something that I do that is rather silly, is that I buy a HUGE turkey, no matter how many guests we are having.  This year's bird weighs a whopping 23 pounds!!! 

Over the past week, I have seen many "turkey tips" on different websites and today I am going to share one of my best tips for a delicious turkey.  Tomorrow I will post the whole turkey cooking procedure that I use, along with a couple of recipes. 

My best tip, you ask?  Stuff the turkey, NOT with stuffing/dressing, but with these simple items:

1 apple, any kind, quartered
1 onion, any kind, peeled and quartered
Whatever seasoning you will use on the outside, use a generous portion on the apple and onion
(Rosemary, sage, etc.)

Usually, I take these items and insert them raw.  This year, I will try Alton Brown's suggestion and place the apple, onion, seasoning and 1 cup of water in a bowl and microwave on high for 5 minutes before inserting them into the turkey's cavity.  I will let you know if this extra step makes a difference, but usually Mr. Brown is pretty darn helpful with his suggestions.  (Explains why he has a Food Network Show, right?)

Speaking of shows, who doesn't love Charlie Brown?  I am so excited to watch Ol' Chuck with our family this year!

Thanksgiving food is great, but what is the real reason why this is one of my favorite holidays?  It gives me a day to reflect just how lucky and THANKFUL I am.  It's a reminder that we should all give thanks EVERY DAY.

To kick off the holiday, I would like to tell you what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for my beautiful children, Dylan and Braelyn.  (I finally have my boy and girl!)
I am thankful for the wonderful man who loves us all so much, Chris.
I am thankful for both sets of our parents (Grandmas and Grandpas!)
I am thankful for my siblings, even during the times we argue.
I am thankful for my nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and friends.
I am thankful for my family's good health.
I am thankful for the big, warm home that we live in.
I am thankful for my new friends, my blog followers and readers.

Now, obviously, I am thankful for a lot of other things, some quite trivial...but I will list those in a separate "fun" post tomorrow. 

What are you thankful for?

Have a great day...some of us are enjoying our first snow flurries!

Jaime "Peanut's Mom"

Christmas Tree? Already?

Happy Friday Everyone!

It is with great excitement that I announce...WE HAVE OUR CHRISTMAS TREE!!!  You say, it's only November 19th?  We know.  Let me explain...

Peanut's Daddy is the Executive Director of a local Chamber of Commerce.  They hold social gatherings once per month called, "Business After 5."  On Wednesday, they had their November Business After 5.  One of their Chamber Members (Hilliker Tree Farm...way cool place) donated a beautiful (real) tree with lights, stand and all.  Well, Peanut's Daddy purchased a raffle ticket AND WON!!!  He brought it home last night and it's really a gorgeous tree.

We are not planning to decorate it until Saturday, November 27th to keep up with our family tradition, decorating (and baking cookies) the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  However, we were very excited and had to take pictures of Peanut with her Very 1st Christmas Tree (yes, I capitalized it like it's a movie...I do that a lot.)  We had an issue with the lights/focus, etc., but here are a couple of pictures.  Enjoy the cuteness overload of Peanut and her Big Brother.

We could not get her to smile...I think she was wondering what in the world was going on...

Brother, why are we sitting in front of this tree???

Poor Baby, she was so tired...

We will definitely post more pictures of the finished product, AND a SMILING Lil' Peanut!!!

Have a great weekend!!!

Jaime "Peanut's Mom"

Patty-Cake, Patty-Cake

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Yesterday, Lil' Peanut decided she wanted to bake Daddy a cake.  We play "Patty-Cake" all the time and she knows how much Daddy loves cake.

Just a few days shy of 7 months old, she "made" her very first cake.  Well, it wasn't from scratch, it was from a box...but give her a break!  She's just a baby! 

We had a great time!  In fact, we had so much fun whipping up this cake, that we decided we would have "the guys" help us start a brand new tradition for the holidays:  The 1st Annual Hanson/Schultz Family Christmas Cookie Bake-Off!  We plan to do this on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, when we get our Christmas Tree! 

Oh...and speaking of "Patty-Cake", did you know how many variations of this little rhyme there are???  The version that we use is as follows:

Patty-Cake, Patty-Cake, Baker's Man!

Bake me a cake as fast as you can!

Roll it, roll it, mark it with a B!

Throw it in the oven for Baby and me!

(The most adorable baker on the planet, Lil' Miss Peanut)

Have an awesome day!

Jaime "Peanut's Mom"

WAY TO GO, DYLAN!!!

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all had a really great weekend.  We sure did!  We didn't even do that much, but it was nice to spend some time at home.  Dylan ("Peanut's Brother") was with his Dad for the whole weekend.  He seemed to have a good time, but we sure do miss him when he's gone.

Today's post is about Dylan, actually.  In today's mail?  Dylan's very 1st Middle School REPORT CARD!  Always a bright student and well-behaved boy, he brings home good grades.  This time was no different; he got 5 A's and 3 B's!  I'm so proud of him!!!

Middle School is a lot different...even for parents.  He really has a lot more homework and responsibility.  Did I mention what a great big brother he is???

GREAT JOB TO THE BEST SON IN THE WORLD!!!  I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

(Seems every recent picture I have of Dylan and Braelyn...Peanut has her fist in her mouth...C'MON TEETH!!!)

Have a great day everyone!

Jaime "Peanut's Mom"

Family Game Night

Happy Friday Everyone!!!

Before Peanut was born, we used to set aside one night per week to spend some quality family time together and play a good old fashioned board game.  We all have different interests and thought this was a great way that we can all "play" together nicely.

After Baby was born, we all got caught up with our own schedules and have not had a game night in over six months.

We decided it was important to start this tradition again.

Ladies and Gentleman, Peanut's 1st Game Night!!!

As you can see, we played "LIFE" and I was the banker.  I guess that made Peanut the bank teller.  She was pretty tired after about 30 minutes, so she went right to sleep.  Crunching numbers is hard work!!!

What does YOUR family do for fun???

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jaime "Peanut's Mom"

P.S. I'M WORKING ON THAT NEXT GIVEAWAY...STAY TUNED...AND PLEASE VOTE FOR ME BY CLICKING THE LINK ON THE UPPER RIGHTHAND SIDE OF MY BLOG...THANKS SO MUCH!!!

Perfect Guacamole Recipe

Good Morning Everyone!

As mentioned yesterday, I made a batch of "Perfect Guacamole."  I promised the recipe in today's post, so here it is:

Ingredients:

4-5 Ripe Avocados
2-3 Roma Tomatoes (diced)
1/2 Onion (red, yellow or white, diced)
1 Lime
Handful of fresh chopped Cilantro
Dash of black pepper

Directions:

Cut avocados in half, remove seed.  Scoop avocado from peel and place in medium mixing bowl.

Mash avocado with a fork or spoon.

Add chopped onion, tomatoes, cilantro, pepper and juice from lime to avocado.  Mix together.

(Remember that much of this is done to taste because of the variability in the fresh ingredients. Start with this recipe and adjust to your taste.)

Chill for 1-2 hours and serve with tortilla chips, crackers or fresh veggies.

Serves Approximately 4.  A good way to measure how many people your guac will feed is to assume 1 avocado per person.  ENJOY!!!

Have a great day, and please remember to show your appreciation to all our past, present and future Veterans.  Tomorrow is Veterans Day!  Peanut's Dad is a Veteran.  Happy Veterans Day, Daddy!!!  We love you!!!

Jaime "Peanut's Mom"

Toes and Taco Tuesday

Good Afternoon and Happy "Taco Tuesday"!
I know, what a goofy title, huh?  Toes and tacos? 

Lil' Peanut is doing the funniest thing right now.  She likes to grab her toes and it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to get her dressed!  I never knew a 6-month-old baby could have such strength!  It's really funny and she'll even hold onto her toes while you pick her up.  I know babies love their feet, but she REALLY loves hers! 

Wonder if she'll love shoes like her Mama...

As I mentioned above, it is "Taco Tuesday" in the Peanut Household...AND I'm making a batch of "Perfect Guacamole."  It's almost like a holiday around here...

"Perfect Guac" recipe will be posted tomorrow!

Have a great day...enjoy the sunshine!!!

Jaime "Peanut's Mom"

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