I took a little break for the holiday, but I am coming at you this week.. with a GIVEAWAY! In the mean time,…
will be having a new addition around the 23rd of May… he will be arriving a little earlier then his actual due date due to make sure that all is good to go!
… SURPRISE!!
Merry Christmas!!
d
I have been checking out different blogs as of late, and thought that while I saw this as part of a giveaway that these are some fun questions just to ponder… so, while I am actually answering them, drop me a line, or post about your holiday wish list for this year.
1. What is your holiday wish for your family?
To enjoy each others company, and be full of gratitude for all the blessings we have. For the great opportunities we have received as we have lived in Germany- the fun places we have visited, the culture that we have adopted, such blessings!
2. What is one of your Christmas or Chanukah nightly tradition?
On Christmas Eve we always gather up around the tree and read from the Scriptures about the birth of Christ. It is important for our children (and us to remember) the meaning of Christmas is far from that of giving & receiving presents. The gifts are just an added bonus! After we have read, we each get to open up one present that may be already under the tree! Before we send the kids off to bed, we check to see where Santa is flying to see if he is close by!!
3. If you could ask Santa for one wish for yourself, what would it be?
I would ask Santa for enough money to be debt free, as cliché as it sounds, it would help alleviate a tremendous amount of stress in my life!
4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?
We speak of the meaning of christmas, and enjoy nightly games and hot chocolate! When it gets cold enough for snow, we go out and have family nights playing and enjoying the beautiful winters in Germany!
5. What games did you play with your family growing up?
Growing up we played Scrabble, Monopoly, and Sorry! Sorry is now one of our oldest daughters favorite games to play!!
6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?
The opening of one gift on Christmas Eve!
7. If price wasn’t an option and you could go away for the holidays where would you go?
On a fun family cruise away from the stress and daily grind of everyday life!
Hope that everyone is having a good Holiday Season so far… only 12 days left ‘til Christmas! May your holiday be full of love and laughter!
I will be hosting my very first giveaway for one of my favorite companies in the next few weeks! Be on the look out, you won’t want to miss this!
In the mean time…
I have to be honest, I am not that big on Christmas, it is a fun holiday for my children and my husband absolutely loves it, but… I can’t wait for December to be over with! I am our families Grinch!! Year after year I try to find ways to get in the mood, its not that I don’t like giving, because I do, it’s just the fact that Christmas is much more about giving out expensive presents- its about the Spirit of Christ! At least for me anyway!
One way to cheer myself up over the fact that I am the “Grinch” is listening to Celine Dion’s Christmas CD“ These are the Special Times” She has the most amazing voice, I end up listening to “Oh Holy Night” over and over for the entire month of December…it drives my husband CRAZY!~
What are you doing to get yourself into the Holiday season?? Whatever it is, I sure hope you are enjoying yourself!
Tis the season to be Jolly…
-The Grinch
Our first snow of the year! What do you see when you look out your window?
I have to say that having grown up in southern California, I never experienced a “true” winter. I saw snow when we drove over an hour to see it, and having frost on our cars in the winter months doesn’t count as a white winter. But now, living in Germany we get to experience all 4 seasons. Being the SoCal girl that I am, I really thrive in the HEAT…I NEED sunlight. That is the one downside to living in such a snowy place for the winter. If it isn’t snowing it is either raining or its just overcast.
My two girls love the snow, and now its finally here… its probably going to last a while! What is the weather like in your neck of the woods? Are you receiving an abundance of snow like Idaho and Utah? Or is it just chilly but sunny like San Diego? Whatever the case maybe, I hope you are enjoying it!!
Thanksgiving was a fun day in our house, we had 4 friends over; one of which is a dear friend who was celebrating Thanksgiving for the first time! It was a long day of cooking, but having a helper in the kitchen sure does make the day go by nicely. I could get used to having an extra set of hands during dinner time! Only if they would help with the dishes! 
If you haven’t enjoyed a Cyber Monday well.. boy are you in luck because you can find some GREAT deals not just at your favorite stores, but also on some great blogs!
Here are a list of some of my favorite blogs that are having a “blog hop” Cyber Monday Event:
Check them out, follow them, subscribe.. etc. before the event starts to receive extra entries for the giveaways that will be going on for the 24 hour Cyber Monday event!!
… I guess its about that time to start getting in the Christmas spirit! Birthdays, exciting announcements, St. Nikolaustag (for us here in Germany)… Christmas! Its going to be busy December!
I love to cook, better yet, I love to bake! So, in light of the holidays coming up I decided that I would give a new recipe a try and make a “practice” apple pie if you will. I have made some yummy apple pies in the past, but what makes this one so special is that it’s a Rosette Apple Pie! What is a Rosette Apple Pie you say? It is an apple pie that looks like a rose! Totally clever!
I got this saweet recipe from Household 6 Diva and had to try it..
Totally simple recipe, with a beautiful outcome, anyone could do it!
Now, you can either make a pie crust from scratch, which apparently is really easy, I however have never made one so, I am gonna go with its really easy.
Should you want to make your own Pie Crust these are what you are going to need:
*courtesy of allrecipes.com*
BUT, for you folks out there who like to do it the “lazy” way, go get yourself some premade pie crust, I happen to love Pillsbury’s unroll and fill pie crust.
Now, on to the rest of the pie:
5-6 apples (I would recommend Granny Smith or Pippin apples)
-slice them on the stem axis
-thinly slice them again
-boil them in water until flexible (2-3min) *DO NOT over boil*
-blot them dry on paper towels
-place them in the crust, saving the most flexible pieces for the center
-use broken pieces for the center
*apples boiling, remember do not over boil them, or else they get very very mushy.*
In a skillet over medium heat add 4Tbs butter, 1c. brown sugar, and 1/2tsp. cinnamon. Once the ingredients have mixed nicely poor over the apple pieces.
and after baking at 425*f for 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is a nice golden color,… TA DA!!!!
Ok, my pie crust design isn’t the greatest, but the Rosette looks beautiful doesn’t it!?
Enjoy it warm with some vanilla ice cream, or just by itself!
Amazon
