It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas..

 

Black Friday

At 2:48 am I was awaken by our very loud visitors (Sarah and Sandra) getting up and motivated. It was time for the elbow throwing, tripping, slapping and all of the other wonders of Black Friday to begin. (Side Note – for all of you out there that think I’m crazy for going shopping on Black Friday this has been a mother daughter tradition for 5+ years and we LOVE it.) The three of us made our way to Colorado Springs to pick up my mom at four hundred hours (Side Note – 4:00am). We headed to the mall where we were met with no lines and front row parking. (Side Note – due to our competitive nature I’m not allowed to give out specific information of our Black Friday strategy.) We hit some amazing sales and were able to pick up some really good deals. We shopped and shopped and shopped and finally ended our day at 4:30pm. If you do the math we left my house at 3:30 am and arrived back home at 4:30 pm that’s 13 hours of shopping. Let the Holidays begin!

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y

We started off the morning at 7:00am when we placed both turkeys in their cooking contraptions for the day. The guests began to arrive promptly at 10:00am when the relish tray and bloody mary’s were served. Ads were looked through during the morning while off and on football games were being watched. The side dishes were made by me, my mother and Pam and The Great White Hunter and Scott took care of the turkeys. (Side Note –Scott did mash the potatoes and they did turn out amazing.) Charley, mom, Pam and I made the turkey gravy that really turned out to be the best gravy I’ve ever attempted.

At approximately 1:15 dinner was served………..(Side Note – holding out for the drama affect.)

All of the food tasted amazing! Even the grilled turkey was amazing and actually much juicier then the bird that roasted all morning. After tasting the results I would recommend grilling a turkey to anyone. Plus, the bird doesn’t have to cook on as high of heat and it takes just as long as it takes in a roaster or oven. AMAZING – I give props to The Great White Hunter on that little cooking find.

We finished up the afternoon with more ad surveying, naps of course and some home movies. My sister contributed the pies and they were awesome; pumpkin cream, mocha silk and caramel apple. We had a few guests come and go but everyone finally left around 9:00 that evening.

Ladies and gentlemen I can’t believe it but these two former single people pulled off killing two firsts with one turkey.

Our 1st Thanksgiving

We are hosting Thanksgiving at our home this year, so killing two firsts with one turkey. (Side note – referencing killing two birds with one stone.) Our 1^st Thanksgiving together and hosting our 1^st family holiday meal. We are planning on around (10) people at our home tomorrow and we are both so excited or maybe that’s nausea we’re feeling. Anyways, I wanted to pass along my definitions of each letter of the word Thanksgiving as The Great White Hunter and I prepare for tomorrow's event. Here it goes;   

T – is for Turkey which The Great White Hunter plans to grill, so weird

H – is for Home where we are blessed to host our first Thanksgiving

A – is for Amen what we’ll say after the prayer

N – is for No one will be leaving the table hungry

K – is for Katie because well that’s my name

S – is for the Savory pies that my sister and Charley are making

G – is for the Gigantic mess that will be made in our kitchen

I – is for the Incredible people that will be visiting

V – is for Victory the word we plan to shout if we pull this off

I – is for Intoxicated which some of us may end up being J

N – is for Noon one hour and counting before dinner is served

G – is for Giving and that’s really what the day is all about

Wish us luck as these two former single people try to pull off their 1^st Thanksgiving dinner.

Our 1st Adult Purchase

This past week The Great White Hunter surprised me with a fabulous catalog full of all kinds of goodies that we could purchase using his credit card points that he has stacked up over the years. Like a good newly married couple we sat down to discuss our big purchase. Should we buy the big TV to add to the other (5) TVs we own, including one that isn’t even plugged in and (2) that are sitting out in the barn. Or a new kitchen appliance that counter top mixer wouldn’t be a bad addition. Jewelry, yes ladies there was jewelry in this catalog, big blingy jewelry. Well, after discussing it we decided on a new vacuum. Yes, everyone a vacuum. If you read my previous blog or talk to me at all you know that over this past weekend our current vacuum died on me. So, like good adults we decided that a vacuum is just what we needed and just like our child like maturity we needed to find the coolest vacuum possible. So, we decided on the LG Luv300B. Amazing! It looks really cool and apparently it works pretty well to, but I’ll give my review once I have used it for a while.  

Recipe Update!

Both items have officially been tasted. J The cookies received a so-so rating. They look like they would be really rich and crunchy, well their exactly the opposite.

The pie on the other hand got an OMG rating. Apparently, if you need a pie for the upcoming holiday season it should be the triple-layer mud pie. Oh, did I mention it’s super easy to make.

My 1st Weekend Alone…

This weekend was the opening of pheasant season along with the opening weekend of white tail bow hunting out in Kansas. So, needless to say the Great White Hunter was headed east before Friday’s work day was even over. But, what this meant for me was my first weekend home alone. Some may think this wouldn’t be that big of a deal but the reality is I’m a scaredy cat. That’s right people you heard it here 1^st I’m a nervous, horror movie thinking big sissy la la when it comes to being home by myself. And to top it all off it was the 1^st time alone at The Great White Hunter’s, I mean our house. Plus my whole family, mom, dad, sister, everyone, was in Florida which really equals a million bigillion miles away. (Side note – I’m making up a lot of my own words today please don’t judge.)

The 1^st night alone wasn’t a big deal, just every little noise I heard I rose up in bed ready to take on the bad guy that had quietly snuck in the double locked front door. Let me tell you thought I’m pretty sure I could have kicked some major butt with all the adrenalin that was shooting through my veins.  Well, when the sun rose on Saturday morning it was time to get to work. When most wives are left alone by their husbands to go hunting they hit them where it really hurts, the pocket book. This would give most wives the perfect opportunity to go shopping shopping shopping. Well, being the new wife that I am and ignorant to most wifely things I cleaned. That’s right I did the laundry, including the Great White Hunter’s, and I cleaned the house. Well, that’s until the vacuum officially died on me and my fabulous sister-in-law Tanya reminded me that maybe shopping was a better idea. So, Saturday afternoon was spent shopping. The shopping was not just for fun stuff but also baking goodies. On my weekend home alone I experimented with a few recipes that I would like to share with you. Let me warn you though the only individual that has currently tried either recipe is me and let me just say I wouldn’t tell if you my cooking was really bad or not.  Cmon’ you guys know me better then that.  And, actually while we are being honest here I haven’t tried the pie yet. Ok ok, I’ve tried all the layers of the pie I just haven’t officially tried them all together. I will update everyone once someone other than me has tried both items. So, here goes nothing…

Chocolate Raspberry Thumb-Prints

What You Need

2 cups flour

1 tsp.  baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

4 squares  BAKER'S Unsweetened Chocolate

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 pkg.  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed, softened

1-1/4 cups sugar, divided

1   egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup red raspberry jam

HEAT oven to 375°F.

MIX flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min.; stir until chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in cream cheese. Add 1 cup sugar, egg and vanilla; mix well. Stir in flour mixture. Refrigerate 15 min.

ROLL dough into 1-inch balls; coat with remaining sugar. Place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets. Press your thumb into center of each ball; fill each indentation with about 1/4 tsp. jam.

 

BAKE 8 to 10 min. or until lightly browned. Cool 1 min. on baking sheets; transfer to wire racks. Cool completely.



Delicious! Well, at least I think so...



Triple Layer Mud Pie

What You Need

3 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

1/4 cup  canned sweetened condensed milk

1 OREO Pie Crust (6 oz.)

1/2 cup  chopped PLANTERS Pecans, toasted

2 pkg. (3.9 oz. each) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

2 cups  cold 2% milk

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

Side Story – Being the new domesticated person that I am I bought a graham cracker crust for my Mud Pie. I read the directions on the inside of the pie crust lid where a little elf told me that before filling the pie crust I must put it on a cookie sheet. A little confused but trying to be a domesticated diva I took the little elf’s advice. I placed the crust opening side down on a cookie sheet………..and I watched it completely break into pieces. This is where the cussing began. I really didn’t want to have to go buy another crust but I need a crust to make a pie. When ding for once in my domesticated life I had a solution. I crumbled up the rest of the once was a KEEBLER crust, melted butter, mixed the two together and walah a “homemade” crust. I did get a snap shot of the “homemade” crust but realized I didn’t get a picture of the crumbled pre-crust.

MIX chocolate and condensed milk; pour into crust. Sprinkle with nuts.

BEAT pudding mixes and 2% milk with whisk 2 min.; spoon 1-1/2 cups over nuts. Stir half the COOL WHIP into remaining pudding; spread over pudding layer in crust.

TOP with remaining COOL WHIP. Refrigerate 3 hours.

All of the layers were amazing, so I'm hoping all of them together are even better.

Ok, I really can’t take the credit for this so THANK YOU Kraft Foods for your fabulous Holiday dessert  website that has amazing, yet super easy, recipes that can make even this former single girl look domesticated.

Our 1st Valley...

The Great White Hunter and I have been married for total of (76) days and for the 1^st time we had to look to each other for support and comfort. Will’s grandmother Jean Sewald suffered a stroke last Tuesday. Wednesday morning I placed a phone call to my marriage extraordinaire, my sister Sarah. (Side note – this is the person I call when I have the question “As a wife what should I do?” and she usually has pretty decent advice for me.) (Side story – she called me the other day for wife advice, should I reiterate The Great White Hunter and I have only been married (76) days.) Ok, I placed a call to my sister to see what a wife is supposed to do in this situation and she replied “Ask him.” Well, this is the 1^st time in a long time I’ve had to be there for anyone, especially a guy. The Great White Hunter called me later that morning and said he was headed north to visit his grandma and like a good new wife I asked if he would like me to go along. Of course, he responded if you want to. (Side note – does anyone really want to go hang out at a hospital I mean really.) So, Will and I headed north to visit grandma. We were met at the hospital by numerous family members and that’s when the severity of the situation hit. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place and it was clearly my 1^st test of staying strong. Will said hello to his grandpa and by the time they began to hug both men were showing their emotion. You don’t realize how hard it is to watch your husband suffer and know that really the only thing you can do is be there for him. Will went in to see his grandmother and she recognized and actually gave him a hard time for not showing up at the families Halloween party that took place the past weekend. (Side note – the Sewald’s celebrate every holiday with a party.) Will was unable to respond to his grandmother as he was taken aback by the emotions he was feeling at the time. Will and I visited the hospital the next evening and again Will went into visit his grandma. This time she was not awake and did not respond as he was chatting with her.

Sadly, Jean Sewald went home to the lord on Saturday the 6^th. We learned of her passing as me, The Great White Hunter, my father-in-law, sister-in-law and niece were headed to Holly for Allie’s, The Great White Hunter’s niece, 1^st birthday. See, we all believe that grandma passed away just in time to make it to the 1^st birthday party, heaven forbid she miss it.

We took part in a family dinner this last Wednesday evening and the funeral yesterday. It was amazing to see the family together. I realized this past week how lucky I am to marry into such an amazing clan.  I also learned what it meant to be a wife and to be there for your husband. For the 1^st time I had to be the rock the one that could stand next to a very emotional man and be there when he needed your shoulder to cry on or your hand to hold. I felt pretty useless at times, but really he just wanted to know that I was there for him.

One of my good friends told me that in life there are mountains and valleys and sometimes you get stuck in those valleys but you just have to rely on the big guy upstairs to get you through it. And, this past week was the 1^st time these two former single people had to rely on each other and trust in the lord during a big valley.  But, luckily we survived and are on our way back up.  



Grandpa Frank, Me, The Great White Hunter & Grandma Jean

My favorite Grandma Story

The Great White Hunter would tell me about the amazing chocolate chip cookies he use to eat at his grandma's house. Well, during one of my bridal showers I receive a mixer from grandma Jean so I thought it was a perfect time to ask her about her secret to making The Great White Hunters favorite cookies. I went over and I began to tell her how I've heard all about her cookies and then asked what's her secret. She responded without hesitation "Well, I just baked the frozen cookie dough you buy at the store."

Yes, she was a woman of many different hats and she was able to wear all of them very well.

Turbo What?

I’ve started a new workout this past week called Turbo Fire. When I first saw Turbo Fire on-line I thought if those ladies can do it so can I, no problem. Well, let me tell you it’s AWESOME but one of the hardest workouts I have ever done! I have been working out based on a plan by Jillian Michaels, from The Biggest Loser, a woman who I would despise for at least 45 minutes a day. Well I officially have a new woman to despise, Chalene Johnson, actually it’s not just her it’s more of a whole room of people I want to hurt by the end of the workout. This workout is INTENSE, I mean for the first time in a long time I’m dripping sweat by the 1^st fire drill. It’s definitely not easy, well at least not for me J, it has a lot of choreography that you have to catch on to. One nice feature is the “New to Class” tabs that really go through each move before putting it all together. But once you put it together and the music starts hold on because your in for a wild ride of arm pumping, leg jumping, booty shaking, pelvis thrusting chaos. That’s right and it’s not considered cheating on your husband, your just working out. J This former single girl loves it absolutely loves it and I know the fabulous women around me would love it to.

Turbo Fire try it, it’s AMAZING!  

Our First Overnight Guests...

The Great White Hunter and I were very blessed to have my bestie Emily and my adopted niece Tressie come and stay with us this past weekend. But, let me tell you getting ready for our very first overnight guests was no walk in the park. I immediately informed The Great White Hunter that pictures must be hung before Friday, my stool must be painted, new sheets on the guest bed and of course all random piles of stuff must be put in their place. The chaos officially started Wednesday night when The Great White Hunter randomly decided that the office must be finished tonight. So, being the very amazing husband he is he worked on getting himself organized in the office. Thursday, thank gosh I was off, was cleaning day. The house had to be perfect every piece of dust gone and every pillow must be fluffed. Friday rolled around and the race was on. It was errand day! Random frames needed to be bought, bath mats, pictures developed, groceries bought and of course the white wine chilled. I prepared dinner, made dessert and was lighting the candles when The Great White Hunter came home from work. We were ready! Side note - Thank you Deanna and Bonnie for writing such a easy to follow cookbook. I would recommend the lasagna recipe in the 1st edition of Kitchen Keepsakes to any cook. It tasted amazing and was easy to make! My dad was even impressed.

It was great to finally have Emily at my place. (Really so she can understand what I'm talking about when we are trying to decide on accessories to buy on-line.)The babes first reaction to my new home was not good. She was a little taken back  by all of The Great White Hunter's elk mounts on the wall. But, by the end of their trip she was laughing in the elks faces, acting quite fearless.

We spent the evening at home catching up and watching Sex and the City 2, after the babe was in bed of course. On Saturday morning we headed up to Denver to do a little shopping and happened upon a fabulous little hideaway the Shops at Rustic Ranch .  It's an old farm house that has over (18) rooms of amazing country/western items from art to clothing to holiday gear and of course some fabulous jewelry. I was lucky enough to find some new signs for my kitchen and an amazing necklace. It was a fabulous Saturday with two very lovely ladies.



The Great White Hunter and the kid & Me and the kid

 



Oh Deer It's Our 1st Halloween...

The Great White Hunter and I attended our 1^st Halloween party as a married couple on Saturday night. Thanks to the Ashmore’s for hosting a killer Halloween party!

Olivia Newton John (my sister) in her workout days and a deer (me)

The Great White Hunter and his Deer Wife