week fifty one.

 

 

Mabel: her favorite part of the holidays and celebrations is making cookies. I use my grandmothers famous recipe and she loves hearing about how I used to make cookies with her. She's getting quite good at decorating them as well.

Gus: He got a super-hero costume for Christmas and I love how proud he looks when he has it on. I think he really thinks he has super powers.

 

week fifty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week I've been so busy with Christmas preparations and fun I didn't get a lot of individual pictures of the kids. I post a lot of our out-and-about pictures on Instagram. These pictures were so cute I had to share. We ended up using the last one for this years Christmas Card. 

Both kids are really into the holidays this year which makes it a million times more fun. They love telling random people at the grocery store, "Merry Christmas" or "It's almost Christmas!" We've been singing a lot of Christmas carols, drinking hot cocoa, watching Elf and finding Buddy Chachski, our newly adopted Elf on the Shelf, every morning. We visited Santa, decorated the tree, hung the stockings, and made the cookies. I think it's going to be our best Christmas yet.

Mabel: Every night at bedtime she says, "I wonder what Buddy Chachski will be up to in the morning?" And I say "I don't know, we'll see" Her response is always, "I bet he's gonna be up to no good!"

Gus: When we ask him what he wants for Christmas he rambles off a bunch of different things and it's always changing. He'll make his squinty-thinking face and his response goes something like this "Ummm, a fire engine, super hero things, and a dinosaur and a rescue machine and a monster truck...."

week forty nine.

 

  

Mabel: I'm getting excited to have her home over Christmas break, we have lots planned and I miss her!

Gus: The terrible threes are in the near future for this boy but it's so hard not to laugh when he's naughty! He is just so cute.

Only a few more weeks and my 52 portrait project is complete. I will for sure being doing this again in 2015. It's not over yet but 2014 was an AWESOME year for us and these pictures are proof. We have two healthy happy children and each other. In my opinion, you really can't ask for more.

week forty eight.

 

 

Mabel: She changes clothes at least 17 times a day, I have to bargain with her to stay dressed.

Gus: Post-nap sweetness. That face is my favorite of his.

week forty seven.

 

 

Mabel: She turned four years old today! Each year she becomes more AMAZING! I love her spirit, her crazy imagination and her love for chocolate.

Gus: He is loving being in North Dakota. He saw a "real live snowman!"

week forty six.

 

 

Mabel: Ready for school and waiting for Daddy. We were out shopping for a birthday present for someone and she saw this hat. She really wanted it and was so persuasive in explaining why. "Mama, its black-and-white, my coat is black-and-white, so it matches. And I'm really cold everyday so can I please get that hat?!"  I couldnt help but laugh and we bought the hat. Her birthday is coming up so we called it an early present,  I can't believe she'll be four years old!

Gus: He's such an easy going guy and finds enjoyment in anything. The other day we had to wait at the car wash for quite awhile. He just sat and ate his popcorn while watching the cars drive into the wash and chatting with the other customers waiting. A few days later we drove by and he said, "I know Mama! We can go to the car wash and get some popcorn and watch cars today!"

a little soccer player.

 

 

 

 

 

An awesome Mom in Sedona started a soccer co-op for little ones and we've been taking Gus Friday mornings. He has so much fun and can't stop talking about it for days! It's so cute to see the little ones running around the field together, I couldn't help but take a million pictures!

week forty five.

 

 

With Sam's schedule and Mabel in school we haven't had a whole day together as a family in awhile. Everyone was home for Vetrans Day so we decided to take the kids into the canyon and hike West Fork. It's truly one of the most beautiful places in the Sedona area especially this time of year with the leaves turning and falling. We are so lucky to live in such a place. We packed a picnic and took our sweet time. It was such a lovely day. 

Mabel: A couple of times on the hike you have to cross the creek. Each time she insisted on doing it on her own. It was so cute to watch her hopping from rock to rock or balancing on a fallen log. 

Gus: He had a blast exploring the old chicken coop and whats left of the historic houses in the area.

week forty four. best friends.

 

 

 

 

  

 

These two. The other morning Sam was feeding the kids breakfast and I was upstairs picking out clothes, making beds and organizing everybody for the day. I heard loud and energetic voices and lots of laughter so of course I had to come down and see what my happy little kids were up to. I found them hamming it up over waffles and eggs and had to take a few photos. Please excuse the messy Maple syrup faces!

I'm so proud of how well they get along. Without being forced, they are actually best friends. Other than their wicked senses of humor, they have completely different personalities. I think they compliment each other nicely. They'll play for hours on end and are constantly making one another laugh. Most importantly they look out for one another in every situation. Whether it be on the playground or in trouble with Mama, they've got each others backs. 

I just love them so much!

 

 

week forty three. happy halloween.

 

Mabel: She has known she was going to be Elsa since January. I loved that she stuck to it for so long. Even when I tried to steer her in other directions she was determined. 

Gus: He changed his mind every day for weeks. Eventually (the day of Halloween) was satisfied going as Jon Lennon most likely because of Yellow Submarine. 

week forty two.

 

   

 

A busy week calls for a lazy Sunday. A busy week also means I didn't get any good pictures. Until today. While couch-surfing this morning I asked Mabel if she could get breakfast for everyone and sure enough, she did! They looked so cute rustling around in the kitchen together I had to snap a few pictures.

coconut curry carrot soup.

 

I love the idea of carrot soup but it can be a little boring. The other night I made this quick and EASY, not to mention healthy, carrot soup on a whim and it turned out delicious. We've been eating it for days. You have to give it a try.

What you'll need:

2 lbs carrots

1 yellow onion

1 can of unsweetened coconut milk

curry powder

48 oz chicken or vegetable broth

scallions and lime for garnishing

naan bread for dipping if you prefer. 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash and roughly chop the carrots. Peel and roughly chop the onion. It doesn't matter what they look like because it will all be pureed in the end so don't worry about your knife skills here. 

Place carrots and onion in a sheet pan and season generously with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a GOOD AMOUNT of curry powder. I can't emphasize that enough! If you go easy on the curry I promise your soup will be bland. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until everything looks caramelized. 

About 10 minutes prior to removing carrots and onion,  In a large stock pot, bring your broth to a boil. Put caramelized carrots and onion into broth making sure to scrape the goodness from the pan along with it with a rubber spatula (you'll want that flavor we talked about) and let simmer for about 5 minutes.

At this point you're ready to puree your soup. You can use an immersion blender and do it right in the pot or transfer to a blender which you'll have to do it in two batches for safety. If you use a blender, transfer your soup back into your pot and continue to simmer. 

Add your coconut milk and some more salt and pepper (taste your soup and season to your liking) Simmer for 10 more minutes until flavors really meld together. 

While it's simmering, slice some limes and chop some scallions for the garnish. We toasted naan bread for dipping. You can even set the table or cue up homeland. Serve and enjoy!

Roasting the carrots, onion and curry make you feel like your indulging while it's rich and creamy because of the coconut and the lime gives it just enough zing.

Let me know what you think!

week forty one.

  

 

Mabel: She got her hair cut this week which is one of her favorite things to do. I love it! I also love getting little works of art from my girl specifically made for me.

Gus: Hanging out in his underwear reading his favorite book right now, Things That Go. I love watching him go through the pages, naming each piece of machinery - what it does and what type of noise it makes. He could do this all day long.

week forty.

 

 

Mabel: We went to Flagstaff for the day and ended up at Buffalo Park, a huge park set in the mountains with wide open space to run wild and free. She was in her element.

Gus: A little help from Daddy while we were out for a hike in Sedona.

week thirty nine.

  

 

Mabel: She brought home a rigatoni necklace she made at school and has not taken it off. This is the first of many little projects we will see over the years and I absolutely love it.

Gus: As I was cleaning up the breakfast table I turned around to see he had come back to drink his left-over milk from his bowl of cereal. 

Grilled Caprese Sandwich with Basil Pestou and Balsamic Reduction

Heirloom tomatoes. The last of the summer crop are still available but wont be for long as we transition in to fall. We have to use them as much as we can while we have them. Tonight I decided to make something quick, easy and fresh with a couple extra levels of flavor that the kids would enjoy as well as Sam and I. Who doesn't love a good grilled sandwich?

Grilled Capresse Sandwich with Basil Pestou and a Balsamic Reduction

 

I made sweet potato wedges for our side but trust me this sandwich stands alone. We make sweet potatoes a lot because they are fiber rich therefor filling and super easy. Get your Sweetpotatoes going first because they take the most time.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
With the skin on slice lengthwise into wedges. We used 2 giant SP's but your family may need more or less.
Arrange on a foil lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and I sprinkled with Paprika for fun.
After 25 minutes, check them. They should be sizzling hot and cooked through. At this point turn on your broiler and place pan back in the oven under broiler for about 10 minutes to crisp them up.  Voila!

While your potatoes are cooking you'll have plenty of time to make the Pestou, reduction and sandwiches.

 

 

 

Easy Balsamic Reduction. 

In a small saucepan over medium high heat add one cup of Balsamic Vinegar and 1 1/2 Tablespoons raw organic cane sugar. Give it a whisk and bring it to a high simmer. Turn down slightly to Medium heat and let it simmer for about 12 minutes until it is reduced down to about a 1/4 of a cup. It should be thick like syrup, look rich and taste amazing.

Basil Pestou 

Prounounced \ PEE - stu \ It's different from Pesto because it doesn't contain nuts as traditional pestos do. I spread this on the inside of the bread and my kids ate it up. It's a great way to sneak in flavors for the littles that they really don't see because the melted cheese and tomato meld everything together.

Here is what you'll need.

A handful of fresh basil

2 cloves of fresh peeled garlic

1/4 cup of olive oil

A good squeeze of lemon about a 1/4 to a 1/2 of one. 

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

 

 

Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until desired consistency. Make sure you taste it and add more of whatever you think it needs. 

Now on to the Caprese Sandwiches.

Here's what you'll need.

A good rustic loaf of bread.

heirloom tomatoes

whole milk mozzarella cheese. 

Turn your pan on medium heat and brush with olive oil. I assemble them in layers while they cook.
Start with cheese side down then when cheese starts to melt, add tomato slices.

Spread Pestou on top slice of bread and cap it off.

Brush the top of sandwich with olive oil and flip when your ready.

Slice and serve. I drizzle the balsamic reduction right on the sandwich but Mabel prefers to dip. It was even good to swipe the SP wedges in it. If you're feeling not so ambitious and want to leave out the reduction. Just drizzle on regular balsamic vinegar. 

Let me know what you think!