November 27, 2009

We had our Thanksgiving dinner in Portland at Cindy's house on Friday because Nathan had basketball games all morning, which we went to with them. Nathan's team did real good and won 3 out of 4 games. Kent and I had the stuffing all made so all we had to do was stuff the big bird and put the bird in the oven as soon as we got home from the games and Cindy had great hordevor's to snack on while our Thanksgiving dinner cooked. Kent's other daughter Dee Dee and her family joined us for dinner also. It was different having Thanksgiving dinner in Portland and not at the beach house, but as the kids grow, thing sometimes change. Kent and I do the turkey, stuffing and gravy and out big breakfast, so we are all cooked out at the end of the holiday from the two meals, but happy to be blessed with our kids so close by to enjoy.

November 26, 27, 2009

Thursday 26~~~~~Kent and I were up pretty early this morning to prepare the food for our Thanksgiving Breakfast. Each year Tress and I scan all my cook books and new magazines for new breakfast idea for our breakfast and in the end, I fix about the same thing because the grand kids like the basic simple breakfast foods and if I leave one of the items out, they notice it is not there. Kent fries the bacon (this is a real big job, using 2 grills) while I make the sausage gravy and get the eggs all cracked and ready to scramble at the last minute. I use my big electric roaster oven to keep everything nice and warm as we cook. We have half of the French toast made before the gang arrives. Pammy and Jean Marie set up the bar making mimosa's (orange juice and champagne) in my old kitchen Hoosier in the pantry to drink before we eat. There are a lot of people lifting the lid on the roaster sneaking pieces of bacon to nibble on so that is why we have to practically cook a whole pig! My kitchen is the favorite gathering place for all of us and everyone takes a turn at the griddle making the rest of the French toast and scrambling the eggs or putting the biscuits on a baking sheet to bake. Bodie brought his center piece and it was sure cute. He had a turkey candle and he used his army men with their guns surrounding the turkey on a board with foliage around it. It was very unique and he did a great job with his theme. (picture) After we ate, we enjoyed a couple more pots of coffee with the Carmel rolls and mimosa's and the girls planned their shopping for the big sales tomorrow from the ads in the papers they brought over. Kent and I had a quiet evening after everyone left as we didn't go to the beach house this year for the Mosher Thanksgiving dinner, we are going there tomorrow because Nathan has ball games and they have to be in Portland for them. That is OK, as change is sometimes nice.

November 23 through 25, 2009

Monday 23~~~~~Thanksgiving day is sneaking up on us, we have two dinners to prepare for, so I am starting my baking early, as the kids stop in and sample the Carmel rolls I serve with my breakfast, so I am baking a pan today for sampling, and I will bake more on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tress, Bodie, Blaize and Billy stopped my for coffee and fresh cinnamon rolls after work. Tuesday 24~~~~Another day of baking, I don't know how I did all this baking and preparing for my big breakfast when I worked those long hard days at the salon. It sure takes me a long time to do anything anymore it seems like but I enjoy it so much now; before it was just another job I had to get done before the holiday. I think I am just a putz er like my mom used to be in her older years, I remember it drove me crazy how long it took her to do anything. Wednesday 25~~~~ Today I baked one more pan of Carmel rolls and my mom's recipe for pumpkin rolls filled with cream cheese, I made two of them, one with nuts and one plain. Lisa, her son Ray and Pammy came over this evening and ate dinner with us and they set the tables for our breakfast in the morning. Lisa likes to scramble the place cards so you have to sit by someone different every year. Bodie got the ugly candle in his stocking last Christmas, so he will be bringing the centerpiece for the table. It is always fun to see what they create with just an UGLY candle!!!!! We had coffee and sweet rolls when we finished our work tonight before the girls went home. They sure are a big help for me by getting the tables set and all the serving bowls set aside. It is a lot of work setting the tables for this many people. I have posted a picture of Pepsi sitting in the pantry window watching the neighbors kitty kat that we feed and have a nice warm bed we keep on our patio for him. We all (Pepsi, Kent & Sharon ) are all attached to this cat and we have named him Whitey.

November 12, 2009

Wednesday 11~~~~~Thresa stopped by this morning and had coffee with me and helped me frost sugar cookies for my dinner party tonight for my girl friends at the beauty shop I used to work at. We have been trying to get together at my house for a long time and we finally did it. The girls came over around 5 PM, we had a lime daiquiri before dinner and looked at Helen's pictures of her recent trip to England. I made a dish that Kent likes to eat at the Olive Garden, rottelli pasta with "Italian" sausage, peppers, onions and mushrooms, a garden salad and french bread. Nancy brought the dressing for the salad, as she makes it the "best". We had vanilla bean ice cream with my special sugar cookies for dessert. My daughter Pammy joined us for dinner, as we planned to play cards and we needed an extra player. After dinner we started playing "hand and foot" card game, two of the girls were new to the game, so Pammy was kept busy helping them get started. We ate more cookies and drank coffee as we played and we sure had fun. We decided to do it again before Kent and I hit the road again. Pammy, Pat and Nancy had to work the next day, so we didn't play too long. Kent went to the movies and he showed up just in time to tell everyone goodbye.
Thursday 12~~~~I babysat for Thresa while she attended a cooking class tonight. She had a roast with carrots and potatoes all ready in the crock pot and all I had to do was make the gravy. I love to make roast beef gravy, as we made a lot of it growing up on the farm and I make a pretty good gravy if I say so myself. After dinner and dishes, Bodie and Blaize read some books and we played the monkey game before they had to go to bed. It really rained hard tonight, I am so glad Kent and I got the gutters cleaned the other day when it was so nice outside.

October 30 and 31, 2009

Friday 30~~~~ I am having a Halloween slumber party here for all my kids tomorrow night like we did 7 years ago when it was on a Sat. night and last year when Kent flew me home from Arizona to surprise the kids because it was on Friday night. By the time it is on a weekend again, (7 years from now ) we will probably have some great grand babies (maybe) who knows!! So this will be the last one for several years with us traveling and it falling on week nights. We wanted to have a lot of fun getting together this year as it might be our last year to do this as the kids are grown and go to more adult parties. I spent today baking 2 1/2 dozen Carmel rolls for breakfast in the morning, a double batch of frosted sugar cookies, a large batch of marshmallow popcorn balls and a batch of frosted chocolate marshmallow cookies. (Carol Heaths recipe) Kalie (Bills girl) and Shelby (Pammy's girl) came over and helped me with some of the baking. We are a family who love to work and be together in the kitchen. My son Bill and Tress came over this evening to hang outside lights for me. They don't show up in the picture, but they were sure pretty after dark. Saturday 31~~~~The kids brought all kinds of food and snacks to eat all night, I made chille dogs, we had plenty of food for a great party. We all brought candy to hand out to our "trick or treaters", we give them lots of small candy bars as we are about the only house on our street who open the doors for the kids and we want to make it worth while for them to stop every year. William and Kalli spent a lot of time painting their faces for the evening (pictures ) Joel was a pirate, He stopped here for a visit before he headed to his friends party. Shelby was a prisoner and Breanna ???? They went to some of the houses in the neighborhood trick or treating and some of the adults went with Bodie and Blaize as they are 4 and 8 years old and really have knocking on the doors. Kim got sick and had to cancel at the last minute and we sure missed her but we had fun and while the kids watched scary movies down stairs, we adults played cards upstairs. What fun we had and the breakfast the next morning was great with all of us in our PJ's drinking lots of hot coffee & Kent's apple cider while eating the Carmel rolls I baked, maple bars and cake donuts (Kent always buys) and of course the sugar cookies we all love so much. (picture) I think more families should try this some time, it is really a lot of fun.