A Christmas Treat

A (potentially) healthy lunch idea! (That's fruit, yogurt, and breakfast cereal.)

Oh, Christmas Tree

Yesterday (before the ICE STORM) we made our traditional visit to Lenderink Tree Farms. Much fun! Probably the most fun we've had since our pre-kid visits. It is so nice to have two of the three largely independent. No frantic, "Stay near us!" as one disappears into the back 40 of the farm (or rather, no worries if they disappear because the oldest is now old enough to come back); no balancing baby and toddler and Christmas tree all at once. That was the year before last when Mud Pie wasn't walking (6 months old), Fish wasn't walking well (reeeely bunchy snowsuit) and my parents were chasing St. Nick through the back 40!



The farm is such a fun place! They have free greens, lots of them, so many they need a forklift!



And a sledding hill! With sleds! But below is a rare shot of Mud Pie walking.



Usually this is what she wanted to do:



Grandma got a good workout! Pie isn't as light as she used to be. Grandma also got a little surprise ...



"Hey! How'd that snow get in my hood!?!"



I have no idea, Grandma! ::flaps angel wings::

Of course, we DID get a tree.



There's proof! But the highlight? The bonfire with roasted ...



Oooey gooey stickiness! Oh, and the lunch with Grandma and Grandpa at Arby's. The perfect end to a busy morning.



This is why I love the holidays (it's also why I'm tired today!). Merry First Sunday of Advent! Here are the rest of the Tree Farm photos.

Holiday Surprises

#1 Stuffed Pumpkins!

I tried this recipe on a whim a few weeks ago and it immediately became a favorite. Adapted (as always) from Taste of Home, this brought oooohs and aaaaahhhhs from everyone around the table - and more - once all had been served and were tasting the delightful sausage-rice stuffing within, they were ooooohing even more! There's nothing I love more than to share something I find absolutely delectable with others (who are appreciative, i.e., not my kids, unless the pumpkin is stuffed with SUGAR)!

Here is the recipe:
Prep: 50 minutes (really true)
Bake: 1 1/4 hours (true there too)
Yield: 8 servings (as a side); 4 servings (as a main dish)

2 cups water
1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 teaspoons bullion (I use beef)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder

Mix spices into water with rice and boil for 40-50 minutes or until the water is absorbed.

1 pound bulk Italian sausage
2 cups chopped celery
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons dried currants
1/4 cup vegetable broth (or water)
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram

In a large skillet (VERY large) cook sausage until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In the same skillet, sauté the celery, onion, garlic until tender (3 mins). Reduce heat and add currants, broth, and seasonings. Return sausage and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the rice.

2 medium pie pumpkins (2 - 2 1/2 pounds each)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Wash pumpkins and cut opening in the top, reserving the tops (for lids). Remove and discard the loose fibers (save the seeds for roasting, if desired). Prick inside of each pumpkin with a fork and sprinkle with garlic powder and salt. Stuff with rice mixture, pressing down firmly; replace tops. Tip: use a small and very sharp knife for the pumpkins!

Place in a 13x9 inch baking dish and add about 1/2 inch of water. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil and bake another 50 minutes longer or until tender. Cut each pumpkin into four wedges to serve.

I'm so glad the only pie pumpkins I could find were unusually small. I have half a bowl full of stuffing left and two acorn squash just begging to be stuffed!

#2 A Wonderful Time of Fellowship

I am truly blessed that all in my family are walking in faith.

#3 Fellowship even for the kids!

They had a blast! Mud Pie wore herself out and slept for an hour of the ride home (blissful silence!), and the boys both slept late this morning (more bliss!). They adore their new cousin and already planning misdeeds for our gathering at Christmas.

#4 A New Thanksgiving Tradition

I'd read of having a holiday tablecloth, with fabric markers for guests to sign, but that always sounded ... like a bad prescient. I really don't want to encourage the kids to write on anything but paper (for good reason! I now know how to get marker off sofa, wall, window, rug, woodwork, skin, and hard wood flooring. Thank you, Mud Pie!). But my sister-in-law began a Thanksgiving journal for themselves and guests. What a great idea!

#5 No Post-Holiday Aftermath

I didn't have the same "morning after" sensation - tired, dishes left from the previous night, spots on the rug, piles of linens needing to be laundered. The festivities were at my brother's house, despite my sister-in-law just having had surgery last week. It was her choice - she'd rather bake a ham than ride in the car for six hours in one day. I can see her point, though I have to say, though I love hostessing, this time around I was very thankful that I got to ride in the car!

Ahhhh, so nice coming home.

How We've Felt This Week!

And it's only Wednesday ...

We Actually DID Something!

I often feel like the laziest of all homeschooling moms. We're a one-vehicle family, so I don't go anywhere during the day. And if I do drive Dr. D to work, the wildest adventure is the library. But then I forget that we do go places on the weekends. And sometimes the places we go are actually interesting! Or educational! Or both! Most interesting of late was a trip to Bowen's Mills (I'd link to the website but the layout is so horribly terrible that I'll spare you) on the weekend of a Civil War Reenactment. Never mind that we're not studying the Civil War right now. It was incredible! Below, some visual highlights.



Union soldiers. Mud Pie did NOT like the noise. At all.



Confederate soldiers.



The cider mill - with lots of bees. Again, Mud Pie was not impressed by the noisy machines. In fact, I'm trying to think what did impress Mud Pie and I'm drawing a blank. She has a fear of anything loud, dark, smelly ... garages, trucks, cars, animals (but not her brothers! Though they do meet the requirements).



Oh, the apples! She did like the apples. In fact, about all she did was clutch her apple and cry.



We all (with one exception) thought the covered bridge was cool.



And I love the costumes. Actually, I do think Mud commented on the "pwety dwess" once or twice.





But the warfare was the big hit for the boys. Not that I'm surprised ...



Hi, St. Nick!



Caption: "Should we take 'im out or shoot 'im in the stocks?"



"Time to clean up your act!" (Groan - that's soap, by the way. In case it wasn't obvious.)

My impression of the event was awe. I walked around googly-eyed, in love with everything. "This is SO COOL!" I remember saying a few times. St. Nick got bored (we discovered later that he had a nasty cold coming on), Little Fish was his usual along-for-the-ride self, and I already mentioned Mud Pie's reaction. I am certainly going to look for more of these events, and eventually, wouldn't it be awesome to participate? Talk about Living History!