Christmas 2014

Picking out our tree.

Two visits to Santa both resulting in this...

 Cookie decorating party at a friend's.

Our tree once it was decorated.

Waaaay too many presents.

The exterior of our house.

We hosted one of the family dinners that week.

And then we hosted Christmas morning breakfast.  

Blake and my grandma MiMi.

Taking a break in her car seat wearing her new boots and hanging with her new Elmo.

Me having a little rest after the chaos before the next family function.

Christmas night.

Checking out lights on Kyle's aunt's amazing street.  It was freezing so we got really bundled up.

Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

I found this pin the other day that looked too delicious not to try.  I don't normally even really like teriyaki but it just looked so good.  Luckily it turned out really great...

 because not all Pinterest recipes do.  

Here is the link to the pin.  I thought my picture looked pretty good until I went back and looked at the pin again and saw how great their picture made it look.  Oh well, all that matters is how good it tasted :)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup soy sauce (use low-sodium if desired)
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• (optional toppings: sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds)

DIRECTIONS:

Add the chicken breasts to the bottom of your slow cooker in a single layer.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the garlic, onion, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and black pepper until combined. Pour the mixture on top of the chicken breasts. Cover slow cooker, and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with a fork. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl and shred it using two forks. Transfer the remaining teriyaki sauce from the slow cooker to a medium saucepan.

Meanwhile in a separate bowl, whisk together the cold water and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved and no longer lumpy. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the teriyaki sauce mixture, and whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, and let it boil for about 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat, and pour the sauce on top of the shredded chicken. Toss to combine.

Serve topped with scallions (green onions) and toasted sesame seeds if desired.

Halloween 2014

Blake picking out the perfect pumpkin ;)

Our obligatory family pumpkin patch photo.

Us getting our "real" pumpkins at Pavillions after visiting the pumpkin patch.  Seriously, they were way cheaper and a lot better looking.

Blake's costume #1.  She was a doctor, in her official hospital scrubs and a head mirror that I whipped up, for the Main Street daytime trick or treating.

Then in the evening, both of us were bumble bees.  We passed out candy and waved to all the neighborhood kiddos.

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds

• 1 tbs butter
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Toss pumpkin seeds in mixture and spread out on baking sheet.  Bake in 300 degree oven for about 50 minutes.

The Bear Rug

Naked pics on a bear skin rug are a family tradition on my side.  

I should have done this when she was a little bit younger (and less mobile) because she was a total pill during this photo shoot :) She was 9 months and I think I will do it at about 6 months for the next kiddo. 

Looking at these, I can't believe how much she has changed in just a few months.

Here's me ;)

and here's my sister

Blake's Nursery

I finally feel like the nursery in the new house is complete.  I really wanted a full polka dot wall and intended to do that when I bought the decals online.  I waaayyyy underestimated how many I would need so I ended up with this triangle which actually turned out looking pretty good.  So I'm keeping it....for now.

Here was my inspiration for that wall.  It looks awesome, doesn't it?

Here's how it turned out.