Holiday on ice

I can't remember the last time I went to a Thunder Hockey game, but Saturday night I joined my family to see the home team take on Amarillo. The Thunder played like crap, but it was a fun way for us to spend time together. We saw a fistfight two seconds into the game, had fun people-watching ... and I even ran into a high school friend of mine whom I haven't seen in years.

A few photos from the night:


Brian & me

The gang, from left: me, Brian, Andrew, Karla, Christopher, Jen, Shawn & Dad (Ryan was the photographer.)

Our out-of-town visitors hit the road this morning. I will miss them but had a wonderful Thanksgiving with them.

Salty!

While our visiting family members were in town for Thanksgiving, we took a day trip Saturday to nearby Hutchinson, where we visited the Kansas Underground Salt Museum. We learned about the history of the mine, took a tram tour (do not miss this if you go -- definitely worth the extra few bucks) and explored the underground.

Dad in the main hallway when visitors first arrive 650 feet below ground.

No surprise, there was lots of salt. Much of it was in beautiful, sparkly formation. Our tour guide told us it wasn't fit for human consumption. My nephews are brave souls:

Andrew

Christopher


One of the things that interested me the most about the salt mine is what's stored there, including this copy of The New York Herald newspaper from April 10, 1865, the day after President Lincoln was assassinated. It was fascinating to read its front page:


The salt mine also is a big storage center for Hollywood films and artifacts, including another item that appealed to the journalist in me: a model of The Daily Planet building from "Superman":


Then there was the tabloid from "Men in Black 2":


Other pictures from the trip:

Amanda, Dad (who we didn't know was in the picture until afterwards ... goofball) & me


Amanda taking a photo of a giant brick of salt

Amanda, Jen & Mom with a Dorothy device from the movie "Twister"

The whole gang, from left: Jen, Mom, Dad, Ryan, me, Christopher, Shawn, Karla, Amanda & Andrew

After the museum, we went to Yoder, a quaint Amish town nearby to lunch at Yoder Meats, where we also did a little Christmas shopping.

Then Karla, Mom, Amanda & I visited a few more places to shop: Country Traditions, Mercantile Shoppe and Yoder Hardware. It was a fun afternoon that allowed me to spend some time with a few of my favorite ladies and get in the Christmas mood.

Hamming it up on Turkey Day

Since we got married in '01, Brian & I have alternated whose family we spend Thanksgiving with. This year, we celebrated with my parents. (See photos from our last Turkey Day together in '07.) Last year, we traveled to Leavenworth to feast with my father-in-law's family.

We were blessed to have 13 people together this year: my parents; my brother Shawn & his family (Karla, Andrew & Christopher); my sister Jen & her family (Ryan & Kaden); and my sister Amanda & Kurtis.

We had to split into two tables. Instead of the little table being the kids' table, we dubbed it the "grand" table. My three nephews and their grandparents (my parents) ate here together ...


... while my siblings, their families and Brian & I sat here:


Some pre-feast photos:

Jen helped a lot with the meal this year.

Dad carving the turkey. (We also had ham this year. Yum!)

Christopher checking in on the chefs.

Kaden sporting a very weird post-nap hairdo.

Amanda's poodle Toby really loved Kaden this year. Toby got lots of treats by sitting underneath my nephew's high chair during the big dinner.

Jen & Kaden

Chow time!



After dinner, most of us met up to watch "The Blind Side." It was a much better movie than I expected, and I'd recommend it. There was enough humor to allow you to appreciate its inspirational side without feeling like it was too cheesy. Seeing a movie on Thanksgiving Day is a long-time tradition for my family. It began nearly 25 years ago when my family moved from Iowa to Illinois, where we were far away from extended family. So seeing a movie was a special treat the immediate family could enjoy together.

After the movie, we went back to Mom & Dad's for snacks, pie & games. I loved playing Rummikub. It's a family favorite, and we have my grandmother's game, which four generations have now played. What a special way to wrap up a blessed holiday.

Birdie buffet

Brian & I have kept the bird feeder and bird bath filled this fall and have enjoyed the many birds that have been flocking to our backyard cafe. Brian snapped this gorgeous photo:


On Thanksgiving morning, I sat on the deck and enjoyed the sun and the feeding frenzy underway. I guess our feathered friends had quite a feast, too.

Big thanksgiving for the tiniest blessing

This Thanksgiving, my heart overflows with gratitude for the incredible blessing God has placed in our lives. Above is the image of our baby's heartbeat, captured during our first sonogram on Sept. 22nd, seven weeks into our pregnancy.

Today marks day 117 of my pregnancy, and this is today's entry from my "Your Pregnancy Day by Day" book:

"Your baby's eyes remain closed, but underneath his eyelids his eyes have grown larger. He has eyebrows and eyelashes."

Amazing to think that in a couple of days I will reach the 17-week mark, meaning I'll be 42.5 percent of the way through my pregnancy. Wow. It's moments like this that have had me thinking a lot lately of the lyrics from my favorite song from the musical Godspell:

"All good gifts around us
Are sent from Heaven above
Then thank the Lord, thank the Lord for all his love ... "

A few of the many additional blessings I'm counting on this special holiday:

• Pets who remind me how simple and sweet life really is.

• My silly nephenewsers, the youngest member of our growing extended family who never ceases to make me smile.

• A smart & handsome hubby who is my best friend, my biggest cheerleader and my No. 1 sidekick through thick and thin (and we've seen both in 2009).

• Celebrating the start of my third decade, certain to be my best yet.

• A mother who has made a dramatic and remarkable recovery after a health scare in 2008.

• Family & friends who helped me through a very difficult obstacle I faced earlier this year ... and the faith and strength that saw me through it.

• My many travels this year, including to a long golfing/shopping weekend in Dallas, a family reunion in the Ozarks, a work conference in L.A. (my first trip to California), a dear friend's wedding in Iowa, a cousin's wedding in Kansas City and a September vacation to Petit Jean State Park. And all of that's on top of several weekend camping trips and football excursions to the Kansas City area. Whew!

The most precious and cherished blessings in my life are the ones I can hug (and especially the one I'm carrying). May your blessings be as plentiful and your heart as full today. Enjoy, savor & celebrate!

Here's one reason to prefer tofurkey

A co-worker of mine (who happens to be a Missouri grad) shared with me this e-mail. Very funny.

Should I tell him we're serving up tiger stuffing for dinner tomorrow?

Whatcha got cookin?

Brian & I have been cooking up a storm lately, and I wanted to share some of the new recipes we've discovered. (The irony in this is that we got takeout from Pei Wei for dinner tonight. Word to the wise: Do NOT get in the way of a pregnant woman craving Dan Dan Noodles!)

First up: A salad Brian & I threw together. We were craving something of the Italian variety to bring to a pizza party. I've since not been able to get enough of this combination: spinach, radicchio, flat-leaf parsley, red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, pepperoncini, parmesan cheese, whole wheat croutons and homemade Italian dressing (I use the recipe printed on my Pampered Chef Measure, Mix & Pour.)

Next up: a super simple fruit cobbler I made for a recent football watch party we attended. It received positive praise and requests for more, so this one's a keeper. (I figured it's fairly healthy stuff considering I made it with organic fruit and oats ... right???)

Eating for two, I am on a natural foods kick, so I've been doing my best to avoid high fructose corn syrup and sugar substitutes. Brian & I tried and were blown away by Turkey Hill Dairy's vanilla ice cream. If you haven't tried it, I'd suggest you do.


Deep Dish Berry Cobbler
1 package Krusteaz Crumb Cake Mix
4 cups frozen mixed berries (I used a combination of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries & raspberries.)
1 pouch Cinnamon Topping (included in cake mix)
6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 tablespoon water
* * *
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, gently toss together berries and 1/2 cup cake mix. (If you accidentally misread the directions and add half of the cake mix, no worries. It comes out just fine.) Spoon berry mixture into an ungreased 10-inch deep-dish pie pan.

In a separate bowl, place remaining cake mix, full pouch cinnamon topping, butter, oats and water. Using an electric mixer, mix on medium speed until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle topping over berry mixture.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until filling is bubbly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if desired. Makes 8 servings.

Source: Krusteaz


This weekend, Brian tried his hand at a culinary feat he's always wanted to attempt: making homemade stocks. These are Brian's recipes, and we haven't actually cooked with them yet. We're currently freezing a total of about four gallons of stock divided into two-cup portions using Solo cups. I used a flashlight to help me illuminate the picture above. Brian encouraged me to share his recipes and to ask for feedback. Have you ever made homemade stock? Do you have a recipe to share? How might you tweak his recipes below?

Chicken stock
8 pounds whole chicken, cut up (remove breasts) and browned in hot oil
2 medium onions, skin on, quartered
3/4 to 1 head chopped celery
3 chopped carrots
4 cloves garlic, skin on, smashed
1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 to 4 sprigs fresh majoram
2 sprigs fresh savory
3 to 4 fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh sage
1 large sprig fresh lavender (We got this from our garden. Let me know if you need some!)
3-4 basil leaves (Ditto ... but our crop has gone into hibernation for the winter.)
48 cups water
* * *
Simmer covered for at least 4 hours. Remove chicken, veggies & herbs. Strain. Cool. Skim fat. Parcel into ice cube trays or plastic cups for later use. Freeze.

Source: Chef Brian Buselt

Beef stock
6 pounds bone-in beef stew meat, browned and seared in hot oil
1 medium onion, skin on, quartered
1/2 to 3/4 head chopped celery
2 chopped carrots
1/2 chopped leek
1/2 head chopped fennel
6 cloves garlic, skin on, smashed
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 to 4 sprigs fresh majoram
3 sprigs fresh savory
3 sprigs fresh rosemary (From our garden. Hopefully we'll have some to share next year after our new plants take root.)
3 to 4 fresh bay leaves
3-4 basil leaves
Handful fresh flat-leaf parsley
24 cups water
* * *
Simmer covered for at least 4 hours. Remove beef, veggies & herbs. Strain. Cool. Skim fat. Parcel into ice cube trays or plastic cups for later use. Freeze.

Source: Chef Brian Buselt

Vacation days

My Thursday & Friday off work this week provided a healthy balance of work & play.

Brian showed Dakota a little puppy love before heading off to work on Thursday ...


... while I went to play. I met Mom that afternoon at her rehab at Via Christi. Mom has been going to physical therapy twice a week for more than a year now. She does cardio, resistance bands and weights. It's kept her healthy and keeps her on her toes. I think she looks fabulous:


We did a bit of Christmas shopping and went to a few of our favorite places, as well as some new ones. Our stops included Bella Luz and Lucinda's in Old Town Plaza, where I snapped this pic of Mom "snapping" a pic of me with a cute little camera key chain. (Clever, isn't she?)


I also introduced Mom to The Spice Merchant and Monica's Bundt Cake on East Douglas. We ended the day by meeting up with Brian & Dad for dinner at Jason's Deli. (A few tips regarding their Pollo Mexicano potato: order when hungry, ask for a box and prepare to have enough leftovers for lunch the next day.)

On Friday morning, I caught Meow Meow enjoying the sunlight:


Brian also took the day off so we could get underway with an exciting project: cleaning out our guest bedroom, which will be home to a very special guest in 5.5 months. We reorganized, sorted, moved out furniture and planned donations. For five years, the room has been known as the Lion's Den. As a kid (and, really, even now) I love lions. So the room was filled with stuffed lions, lion artwork and trinkets, a gorgeous pencil sketch of a lion Brian gave me as a Christmas gift when we were teens and more. I parted ways with most of it to make room for our little one. Brian & I had to borrow his parents' minivan to haul all of our discards from the room and around the house (we've been nesting, can't you tell?) to Goodwill this afternoon. What a sense of accomplishment!


After we cleared out the room and our garage, we headed out for a special birthday party and saw a gorgeous sunset along the way:


We made another trip to Monica's Bundt Cake (Notice a vacation trend here?) to pick out some surprise sweets.


Then we joined our friend Tony's parents Mario & Madeline. Mario recently came home after suffering a heart attack last week. He underwent open heart surgery and had six bypasses. (Please keep him in your prayers!) Meanwhile, Madeline celebrated her birthday today. Tony is in Arizona to ref the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association soccer tournament. But Nicole and our friend Rob stepped in to mark the birthday. It was a fun evening with friends who seem more like family to us.


Not too shabby for two weekdays! It was time well-spent. Now on to the weekend!

Pillow talk

I'm burning a couple of vacation days this week, and I spent the morning making breakfast for Brian & me and finishing up a pillow project I started months ago.

This summer, I sewed pillows for friends' birthdays, for my hubby (just because) and for Mom and my mother-in-law as thank-you gifts for watching our pets while we were on vacation in Petit Jean in September. I started one for me, too, but left it unfinished until today.

I consider the fabric for my pillow perfect for a journalist and cat lover. (And it will be perfect for all of the cat naps I'm taking lately!) It features kitty newsprint for The Kitty Chronicle. I honestly didn't pose Meow Meow for this photo. (You may already know that she's a sucker for my projects.)


I love her in this photo because she looks like she's catching up on the latest kitty headlines:


One of the fun things about this pattern is choosing the four fabrics, including one for the internal pillowcase, for each project:


I made Brian's pillow to coordinate with the Chiefs quilt I made him for Christmas when we were first married. It's the first quilt I ever made and was quite the Christmas morning surprise for him. The quilt has been much-loved and already is in need of repair where seams have split due to so much use.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I will reveal that I did pose Dakota in his giant puppy basket for this photo.)


And I had to get a shot of Lilly so she wouldn't feel excluded.

Patches & paws

After work tonight, I stopped by Mom's house to await a special delivery: our latest professionally quilted projects. My quilt is the pattern "Lucky Stars" by Terry Atkinson, one of my favorite quilt designers.


Mom & I always hire a local quilter named Kristie for our work. I think she does a beautiful job. For this project, she helped me to use variegated thread, which means it changes shades or colors as it meanders through the quilt. It can be a lovely detail:


This pattern is for a fat quarter quilt, and I selected the cotton fabrics based on color rather than a specific theme, such as bees or Great Depression reproduction. It's a fun way to mix things up, which is why I have some fabrics that show the galaxy ...


a vineyard ...


... and flowers.


Mom got back three gorgeous quilts:


A Christmas quilt that will go on her bed. It has gorgeous holly berry quilting on it.


A quilt using a pattern she tested for friend and local pattern designer Deb Johnson, owner of In the Doghouse Designs. The pattern is called Garden Tiles, and Mom made hers using all scraps.


And, with this quilt, Mom finally has the blue & white quilt she's always wanted. Recognize the pattern? I used the same one for a quilt I made for my mother-in-law Janice for Christmas 2007.

While I was at Mom's, her cat Lucy insisted on playing with the quilts and also climbed inside the bag the quilts came in, which made for a rather adorable photo opportunity:



Truth is, cats just love quilts. When I got home and spread out my quilt to show Brian, Meow Meow was convinced I brought home a fort for her. Maybe we should rename her Patches!