Friday Five

1. So, there was an election this week. And, enough about that!

2. We had a hurricane a few weeks ago, and boy, were we lucky. Our area didn't end up getting hit very hard by it, and we only lost power for two hours.

3. Moving on to something fun... Gus! I meant to have a special post when Gus had been with us for one year...but was caught up in my overly busy life and didn't get around to it. Work was so busy for a few months that I barely managed to do anything at home except for the bare essentials. Since I'm sure your curious minds want to know, August 5th marked one full year of our amazing kitty, Gus, joining our little family. He really is a great cat. I'm so thankful that my dog-loving husband actually loves our cat. A lot. Woot!

4. I can't believe its November already. How did that happen? It seems like last week was only July. I guess time flies when you are super busy. At least that means the holidays are around the corner. Love Thanksgiving. Love Christmas. Sure, it can be stressful, but I love time with family, friends, and food.

5. Speaking of things that are just around the corner...our 10th wedding anniversary is less than two months away. Wow. It somehow feels longer than that and not that long all at the same time. Ten years. Amazing stuff!

Memorial Day

Although no sculptured marble should rise to their memory, nor engraved stone bear record of their deeds, yet will their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored.

~ Daniel Webster

Friday Five

1. I got a new iPhone this week. I ordered it online and Verizon said it would ship on December 9th. It shipped on Monday! Yay! I love it. It rocks my socks. And is very fast. And I love it already. A friend at work forwarded me an article on the 50 Best iPhone Apps 2011...and I've already downloaded a bunch of them.

2. I hope to be about 95% done with my Christmas shopping today. There are a few things I have to wait on, but I'm looking forward to being mostly done.

3. I meant to do some decorating last weekend, but just didn't have the energy when I had the time (story of my life). I need to just do it this weekend so we have plenty of time to enjoy all the prettiness.

4. We aren't getting a real tree this year since we will not be in town for Christmas. I bought a decorative wrought iron tree last year that I will try out. I hope I like the results! I'll post pictures later.

5. I am a little leery about how excited Gus will be by the decorations...specifically the tree and ornaments. LOL! I may put a few things out at a time...and I guess I need to make sure he has a chance to sniff things thoroughly.

Give thanks to the Lord

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!
     His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
     His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
     His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles.
     His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully.
     His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who placed the earth among the waters.
     His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights –
     His faithful love endures forever.
the sun to rule the day,
     His faithful love endures forever.
and the moon and stars to rule the night.
     His faithful love endures forever.

~ Psalm 136: 1-9

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends!

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I love the light pumpkin flavor and delicious cream cheese frosting. I make this at least one around Thanksgiving or Christmas. This recipe does not use pumpkin spice seasoning but instructs you to use ginger, cinnamon, and allspice to give the cake a subtle spiciness. It’s simply fantastic. Recipe from Cook's Country.

Ingredients:
Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree

Frosting:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces and softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in bowl. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat eggs, oil, and granulated sugar until thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add pumpkin, and mix until incorporated. Slowly add flour mixture and mix until only a few small lumps of flour remain, about 1 minute. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and cool completely.

2. For the frosting: With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and confectioners' sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese 1 piece at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla and mix until smooth. Turn cooled cake out onto wire rack, then invert onto serving platter. Frost cake and serve. (Cake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

Friday Five

1. You are looking at my department’s newest employee of the month! Yep. That’s me. The best part about it is getting a reserved parking spot. That’s a hot commodity here, people. HOT!

2. Seeing how today is Veteran’s Day, I need to pause and say a big thank you to the men and women that have served and currently serve in our military. Freedom is not free and I have each of you to thank for the freedom that I enjoy. Thank you!

3. We have some friends coming into town this weekend. Today the guys are all hanging out. I don’t know what they will end up doing. Us girls will be cooking a Thanksgiving feast to be enjoyed at dinner. Yummy! I am supplying the Green Bean Casserole (recipe to be shared later), Pumpkin Cake (also to be share later), and some other odds and ends.

4. Tomorrow the guys will be going to the Maryland vs Notre Dame football game. It’s a night game so they won’t be getting home until late. Very late.

5. And while the guys are doing manly football things, the girls will be going shopping! I really need to get cracking on my Christmas shopping.

Friday Five

1. I picked up a small vacuum last Saturday since we have to vacuum up kitty litter every few days due to an enthusiastic kitty. I got it home and excitedly took it out and put it together. It wasn't until I had everything out that I noticed that it was missing the charger. Great. A small cordless vacuum doesn't work well without being charged. Good news though - I was able to exchange the vacuum last night. And yes, I did check to make sure this one had a charger.

2. I am going to help my BFF tomorrow with a crafty project for her oldest daughter. We are decorating a paper turkey. Should be fun.

3. Have you started Christmas shopping yet? I have some things, and should probably pull it all out to make sure I remember everything I have. Shhhh, what I already have is classified TOP SECRET!

4. Rusty and I are going to a church barn bash tonight. Should be a great time - pig roast, desserts, bonfire, wheelbarrow joust, games, entertainment, and more! It's going to be in the 40s this evening, so I am going to be sure to bundle up. Brrr!

5. If you have a few moments, can you pray for my friend and founder of Hannah's Prayer Ministries, Jenni? She had a stroke on Tuesday which caused a seizure and left her unresponsive for a number of hours. She is still in ICU but hopes to be moved to a regular room in a few days. She is having some double vision in her left eye and a little paralysis on the left side of her face, but she is able to talk.

Friday Five

And now for the picture version of our trip to Virginia Beach:

The view from our room at dusk.

Gorgeous, right?

And now for a daylight shot.

Veal Parmesan - a HUGE piece of meat.

Just the two of us.

What I Learned on My Summer Vacation

1. Don’t sprain your ankle three days before vacation. If you do, however, be extra careful with it and baby it like crazy. You may be able to enjoy your vacation and be only slightly limited in what you can do. Also, avoid wearing flip flops that have no arch support even if your ankle is feeling better.

2. Don’t let your husband speed on your way to the beach. There will be speed traps – especially on a holiday weekend.

3. Watch the beach pros stick umbrellas in the sand. It is, in fact, an art form and you can learn from the guys that get paid to do it all day long. If you don’t, you may find your umbrella hurtling precariously end over end towards an unsuspecting and innocent bystander. Not cool, folks.

4. There is not much you can do if you have extremely loud hotel neighbors …even if they are screaming at the top of their lungs at midnight. Not even if they are wrastlin’ and/or moving furniture around at the same time as the screaming. It is true that they are totally inconsiderate and ridonk, but aside from calling the front desk, you are out of luck.

5. If the mini fridge in your suite has ice that has formed along the back, you can’t find the temperature control, and ice starts forming in your drinks…beware! Things can explode. The only good part is that cleaning up frozen diet Coke is a lot easier than cleaning up liquid diet Coke.

6. Thoroughly and frequently applying sunblock to a bald head prevents burning and whining from one’s husband.

7. When a thunderstorm slowly rolls by on the evening of July 4th, don’t hold out any hope that there will be fireworks shot off from the barge in the ocean. It ain’t gonna happen. That barge will leave and not come back. The only fireworks you will see will be the lightening from the thunderstorm, so grab your chair and enjoy. Do NOT get all excited and have your little camera set to the fireworks setting and attached to your mini tripod hours early. It will only serve to let you down even more.

Happy New Year!

Chinese New Year, that is. 

Red envelopes (lai see) filled with money are given to children.



This is the year of the Rabbit.



Undone

I cannot stand undecorating. Such a let down. Such a bummer.

Last night I needed to take all the decorations off our Christmas tree. I like to leave it all up longer, but we are going away for a long weekend and I did not want to let it wait until we came home.

I am, however, leaving the rest of the Christmas decorations out. I want to enjoy those for a little while longer.

How soon do you put everything away?

Joy!

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Friday Five

1.  Merry Christmas Eve! We are going to my in-laws tonight for dinner and presents. There is always way too much food and lots of laughter. Good times.

2.  Rusty took me camera shopping this morning. ♥ I have wanted a new digital camera for a few years but was trying to keep my camera for as long as possible. Rusty agreed that it was time for a new one this year. Joy! Merry Christmas to me. Of course, the camera I wanted was out of stock. *rolleyes* Had to order it online.

3.  At work this week my team had a very nice soup and salad lunch. I brought my Lentil Soup with Fennel Sausage and a coworker brought a yummy potato soup. It turned out so nice, maybe we will do this again next year.

4.  We will be on a snow watch this weekend. When will it start? How much will we get?

5.  This is the time of year to struggle with food in epic ways. Epic. *sigh* I guess I will be back on the bandwagon after Christmas. Or maybe New Year's.

Christmas Favorites

Christmas Lasagna

This lasagna has become a Christmas day tradition for Rusty and me. This recipe is a little different as it uses a bechamel sauce instead of ricotta cheese. I make sure to use plenty of the sauces.....we love sauce!


Ingredients:
10-12 lasagna noodles
Kosher salt 
Ragu, recipe follows 
Bechamel Sauce, recipe follows 
3 cups freshly grated Parmesan  


Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until just tender, drain and refresh in ice water.
2.  Put a thin layer of bechamel in the bottom of a shallow baking dish or a jelly-roll pan. Cover the bechamel with a thin layer of ragu and a little cheese. Top the sauces and cheese with a layer of lasagna noodles. Repeat until all noodles are gone ending with a layer of bechamel, ragu and cheese.
3.  Bake the lasagna until it is warm at the center and the cheese topping golden brown, about 45 minutes (cover with some aluminum foil if the lasagna browns before it is fully heated).

Ragu:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped 
1 large carrot, finely chopped 
3 ribs celery, finely chopped 
2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth
2 (28 ounce) cans tomato puree
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 

1.  Heat olive oil over medium in a large skillet. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
2.  Add beef and brown, breaking up any big chunks of meat.
3.  Add wine, increase the heat and simmer until the pan is once again dry, about 10 minutes.
4.  Add the tomatoes and enough water to cover. Bring the sauce to a simmer then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is deeply flavored and no longer watery, about 4 hours.
5.  Season the ragu with salt and pepper to taste.

Bechamel Sauce:
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 quart milk
Freshly ground nutmeg (optional)
Kosher salt 

1.  In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook until the mixture is creamy and no longer smells floury. Set the flour mixture (a roux) aside and rinse the pan.
2.  Place the milk in the saucepan, add the grated nutmeg and bring to boil over medium-high.
3.  Whisk the flour mixture into the milk. Whisk constantly as the sauce returns to a boil and simmer until the sauce thickens sufficiently to coat the back of a spoon.
4.  Season the bechamel with salt and reserve it until ready to use.  

Advent

MESSIAH

For a child is born to us,

a son is given to us.

The government will rest on his shoulders.

And he will be called:

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

His government and its peace

will never end.

He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne

of his ancestor David for all eternity.

The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies

will make this happen!

~ Isaiah 9: 6-7 ~

Friday Five

1.  This week is a blur, yet it seemed to last forever. Have you had a week like that? I am exhausted and am having a hard time finding something to talk about. Let's see...

2.  I finally got my house and tree decorated. Woot!

3.  I had two holiday parties at work with gift exchanges. I ended up with a coffee/spice grinder and chocolates. The best gift by far at these luncheons was a sock monkey hat. ROTFL! Added a picture just for Esther - I'm not sure if this is the exact one but it is at least close.

4.  It snowed Thursday afternoon and evening. We got 2-3 inches. That is not really that much snow, but it was just enough of the right kind of snow to make the roads extrememly slick. It is ironic to think that the roads were almost more dangerous with this snow than the feet we received last year.

5.  I finished up my Christmas shopping today. Wheh! Now I just need to wrap it all.

Christmas Favorites

Ornaments

Here are some of my favorite ornaments! ♥

I love the smore ornaments!

Rock 'em sock 'em, anyone?

I received a bunch of cute snowmen ornaments like this adorable little guy for our wedding.

My brother and sister-in-law gave me this ornament this year.

Lightbulb Santa. :) I have a snowman too.

Plumber Santa - a thing of awesomeness!

And another smore guy for you...playing football, of course.

Advent

HOPE

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

~ Romans 15:13 ~

Friday Five

1.  This has been a very busy week. My coworker and I had to pack up our office for paint and new furniture. We had a couple different holiday events to coordinate. We also have a couple holiday events next week plus a retirement function. Yikes! I am exhausted.

2.  I am not a mind-reader. Did you know that? It is true. I think some of my coworkers believe that I can in fact read their minds. Sigh.

3.  My first week of the new WW PointsPlus program has been ok. I am still trying to get back into the habit of writing everything down. That might take me another week. I have been much better at planning and prepartion though.

4.  I have a hair appointment on Saturday. It is about time! My bangs have been driving me crazy for weeks.

5.  We are going out to dinner Saturday and then to find our tree. I am so excited to have a date night, including tree shopping. ♥

Christmas Favorites

Nativity

I bought my full nativity a few years ago and I love it! I really love a lot of Jim Shore figurines. ♥ I adore how the story of Jesus' birth is told in different scenes on the figurines bellies.

Here is the full nativity set (please ignore the small speaker in the background).

Do you want to see some close-ups? Yes? I thought so.

Joseph, Mary, and Jesus

 

Shepherd, lamb, and donkey



Wise men