Turkey Day

And I really mean Turkey Day people. Juan, my husband, took over making the turkey this year. You see, we weren't traveling for Thanksgiving and it was my first time away from family. We were getting together with a few friends (9 total adults) and I wanted a real turkey. So I volunteered to do it. Next thing I know, Juan is doing the turkey. He is watching videos on the Food Network website, he is taking notes, he is making lists, he is doing the grocery shopping. Me, I wasn't even bossy or nagging. I left it all up to him, and put my trust in his skills. And it paid off big time! I did take pictures along the way so let me continue telling you all about his awesomeness:

Raw, thawed turkey.

Turkey sitting in brine. That's right, he was fancy like that and soaked it in a brine. The brine is  a broth mixture with spices, those are the all spice berries you see. You put it in a bucket so the turkey can soak. And the ice to keep the turkey at a safe temp. That's the turkey you see peaking through.

Prepping the turkey for the oven, stuffing it with apples, onions, and herbs. 

Fresh out of the oven! Looking delish.

 Seriously folks, his turkey was juicy and melt in your mouth yumminess. Everyone loved it. My heart grew 3 sizes that day for Juan. Haha.

Our thanksgiving plate. You can tell I was at a friend's and being conservative. I definitely went back for seconds and maybe thirds.

Our family. Amelia opting for the distant stare.

  We hung out at Blakely and Lindsey's all day, just lounging and chatting. The pies were all delicious. It was a perfect Thanksgiving.

We decorated for Christmas a few days before Thanksgiving. I like to have the holiday weekend to soak in the Christmas decorations. Here is our cute apartment all decorated:

Amelia loves these snowmen. She kisses them goodnight and says good bye every time we leave the apartment. We even have a snowman ornament on the tree that she says is their baby. She fed it some milk. Adorable.

My mom sent this toy Nativity for Amelia and I squealed with joy as I opened the package. I LOVE it, and I love that Amelia loves it and she has the Angel fly all around and is learning Hee Haw for donkey and how to spit for the camel. She is learning all about Baby Jesus too, and Mary and Joseph. I loved playing with the Nativity when I was young.

Our tree. This is a $16 tree. Making it's 5th year appearance. I love how it's crooked and  uneven. I love all the ornaments we've collected. Amelia has also learned Ho Ho Ho, it sounds very similar to her Uh-Oh.

 

I am truly grateful for our Thanksgiving experience. I was texting my sisters all day long and although it was hard to be away from Utah, we still had the best time with our little family and our close friends. We have plenty to be thankful for over here.

Six Years!

Juan and I celebrated 6 Years on Saturday. We dropped Amelia off at 1 pm and set off on our extended date of celebration! Thanks to Kasee and Steph for babysitting, it was so nice to know Amelia was happy and comfortable with her babysitters. But first, we started off the day with a morning at home:

 I drew this cute picture on the mirror of our family and I wrote, "I'm so happy to have you by my side each day!" Juan's face is blank because then as he's looking in the mirror, his face would fill in the drawing. Clever? Haha yeah, I'm a nerd.

Next we took Amelia to the park so she could show daddy her awesome slide skills.

After we dropped Amelia off, we went to lunch at Juan's pick, Juarez Bakery. It is a cute mexican restaurant with delicious quesadillas, home-made tortillas and thick and yum. Then we headed out shopping to Lakeline Mall. It was lovely to walk around just the two of us, and I miraculously didn't buy anything to Juan's delight. We then saw Breaking Dawn.

 Here we are in the theater. Juan is such a trooper, seeing the twilight movies with me each anniversary weekend the past 3 years. We both enjoyed the movie, although the honeymoon scenes were super awkward. I'm not a super fan, so don't attack me for the critique.

 Next we headed to Bess Bistro. It is in Austin and owned by Sandra Bullock. You know me and my celeb obsessions. Sadly we did not see her there that night. But the atmosphere and food were really good, and the prices weren't terrible either!

 Fried Green Tomatoes. We had to try this southern classic. They served them with a crab salad and hot sauce, Juan and I both loved.

 I got Jambalaya. It was vegetarian served over steam rice. It was light and very well seasoned. I enjoyed it, and am glad I tried another fun southern dish. But I wouldn't order this again.

 Juan ordered Shrimp and Grits. I loved ordering such new things that we wouldn't normally try. Juan's honey sauce was so so good. 

 And we got an order of fries in case we both hated our meals, haha. Always a back-up plan. The fries were actually very delicious.

 Overall we loved the restaurant. The atmosphere was quaint and welcoming.

 Oops let's not forget dessert. Best Creme Brulee possible. It was creamy and flavorful. Juan got bread pudding, which he liked. I'm not a fan.

Next up we headed to The Domain for an outdoor shopping experience. It is like the Gateway but at least twice the size, and a good mix of super fancy and regular people stores. I love outdoor malls. We went there with the purpose of seeing the Big Christmas Tree. I am so excited for Christmas!

 Juan and I in front of the tree. Juan is needing to work on an actual smile, right? Or maybe he should start with looking like he's having a pleasant time, rather than looking like he's in pain. Love you.

And one more picture of Amelia, her first shiner!

I do not delight in her pain, but look how tough she looks! She was playing at a friend's and pulled down their bar stool on top of her. We were there, just couldn't get to her fast enough. She cried for maybe 1 minute. That's my girl.

11*11*11

This is what we were up to at 11:11 on 11.11.11:

My cute mom called me and reminded me to be sure to document this moment. That only happens once in a LIFETIME. We were at the park, sunny and in the 60s. Nothing to complain about there. Amelia did not like being stopped to take a picture with mom, as you can tell. She is getting so good at parks, going up and down slides all by herself.

Another cute thing about Amelia, she has to sleep with her baby and her blanket. Those are the two mandatory items. But often times the other baby joins her, and the glow worm, and Minnie Mouse. And they don't just stay in the crib, she hands me all of them before I can pick her up and get her out after nap. Today she was begging me for nap, and in her delirium grabbed the glow worm to put in the crib with her. I quickly changed her diaper and she peeks into her crib and says, uh-oh. Wrong baby in the crib. And she ran out to get the right baby. She cracks me up.

One last note about Baby #2. Notice that I am no longer referring to her as Lucy. The name is subject to change! Lucy is still toward the top of the list, but Juan was getting cold feet about it and now another name has emerged as a front-runner. I love it! I love looking at names and so I'm excited for the possible change. We do still have 2 months-from today actually!

Another Quilt

First off, I had a few requests for the Caramel Apple Cheesecake recipe, so I thought I'd just post it here. I got it from http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/09/caramel-apple-cheesecake-bars.html. It is delicious. And I have a history of messing up with desserts, but I have made this twice successfully. There are a lot of steps and it takes work, but well worth it!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cheesecake Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Apples:

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel topping, recipe follows

1/2 cup caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy!

Streusel Topping:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. I like to really combine it by using my clean hands to thoroughly combine the butter into the mixture.

I have finally started the quilt for baby #2. With Amelia, I had her quilt done by this time in my pregnancy. So I'm getting a bit of a late start. I thought I'd be a professional sewer by now, but actually no, I haven't done 1 sewing project since! The above picture IS NOT the finished product of a quilt I made, but instead my inspiration. I love the aqua/dark pink combo. But please do not expect my quilt to be that beautiful.

I loved making Amelia's quilt and I am excited to get started again! I have the fabric and have already cut out a few squares. I'll get a picture of my fabric once the squares are all cut. 

See you next time!