Legoland

We spent Friday in Legoland. Lane had a great time. The things built out of Legos where really cool. Lane's is at a great age for it. He could go on all the rides and he is fascinated with the Legos.

Thanksgiving

We had a nice Thanksgiving. We ate around 4:00 pm and then decorated for Christmas afterward. Still eating leftovers. The next day we headed over to Legoland. It was a great day to go! Not many people there, we went through the whole park and went on a lot of rides.

Improvising...

Now that we don't have a mantel anymore, I was brainstorming where we could hang our stockings and this is what I came up with. It's just a wooden plaque from Michaels that I painted, put hooks on and a little vinyl and whalaa! A stocking hanger! Now I just need to find a place to hang it. Stay tuned for my Christmas decorations. We will have out annual decorating day the day after Thanksgiving. No black Friday for me, I don't do well in crowds!

Talkin' Turkey

One "perk" about living away from family is having my nice little cozy Thanksgiving dinner here all by our lonesome. That probably sounds weird. I loved having Thanksgiving with our family the last few years and I have such great memories of Thanksgiving as a child going to my Grandparents houses on both sides. But I do love to make my own Thanksgiving dinner, decorate for Christmas the next day and eat all the YUMMY turkey leftovers! I think I cooked my first turkey when I was 19??? I could be wrong but I think that's the first Thanksgiving Reese and I were off on our own. It was that or when I was 21. I take pride in my turkey and Reese and I like to do it together, a little joint effort. That all being said I am VERY excited to go "up north" for Christmas this year. I don't want both holidays all by our lonesome!

This year it will just be us three, so we will have a little turkey leftover :) Yippee! That means I get to transform the leftovers into more yummy things! So I thought I'd share some ideas for transforming turkey leftovers.

Good Ole' Cold Turkey

When we were little my sisters and brothers and I would eat cold leftover turkey dipped in mayo and mustard mixed together. You can bet I will be enjoying a little of that this coming weekend!

Hot Turkey Sandwiches

Classic! I am sure for lunch one day we will have some hot turkey sandwiches. I always save some gravy, heat it and some turkey in a sauce pan and serve it over toast. A little leftover mashed potatoes always makes its way in too.

Turkey Wild Rice Soup

This soup has all my favorites in it. I found this recipe last year and it's a keeper!

3/4 cup chopped onion

3 Tbsp butter

2 cups diced turkey

1 (6 oz) package long grain wild rice mix

5 cups water

1 chicken bouillon cube

1 cup broccoli flowerets

1/2 cup coarsely shredded carrots

1 cup half and half

salt and pepper to taste

In Dutch oven saute onion in butter until crisp tender. Add turkey, both packets from rice mix, water and bouillon. Bring to a boil; stir, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Add broccoli and carrot. Cover and simmer 5 minutes more. Stir in half and half. Heat to serving temperature; do not boil. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 6 servings

Spanish Rice Turkey Casserole

Here is a new one that I am going to try this year. I'll let you know how it turns out.

2 pkgs Spanish Rice mix

1/4 cup butter, cubed

4 cups water

1 can(14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained

3 ccups cubed cooked turkey or chicken

1 can whole kernal corn, drained

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup (4 oz) shredded Mexican Cheese blend, divided

In large skillet, saute rice in butter until golden brown, gradually stir in water, tomatoes and contents of rice seasoning packets and bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine turkey, corn, sour cream, and 1/2 cup cheese. Stir in rice mixture. Transfer to a greased 3 qt baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Serves 8

What do you make with your turkey leftovers??

Fun With Our Visitors

Lindsey and Gracie came to visit this week. We had a great time with them! Lane loved having a little baby in the house. Lindsey, Gracie and I went for a walk one day in town. First we stopped by Starbucks and then we walked around town and along the beach. We had great weather too, it was in the high 70's most of the time. Remember, you all are welcome to come visit! Thanks for coming Lindsey and Gracie!

Our Little Smarty Pants

I had Lane write his name on a bunch of thank you cards for his birthday. I love that he is interested in learning. I hope it lasts! The other day he copied a whole bunch of his cousins and aunts and uncles names that I wrote down for him. He did a great job. I am surprised at how he can look at a letter and copy it down right. I also wanted to share the top picture because I can't believe how much he looks like Reese in it!

A "Quick" Girls Day Out

On Sunday Lane and I headed off to The Hansen's house. Elaina and I planned to go to a winery that she had been to and do a little Christmas shopping while Jason was kind enough to watch all the kids. It was a fun day and my first time wine tasting. Temecula is a very neat town and wine country is just a little ways away.

It's Like Paperdolls for Stampers!

When I was a little girl I loved paper dolls. I had a big box of them and loved to put the outfits on them. Well the Close to my Heart November Stamp of the Month, All Decked Out is kinda like paper dolls for grown ups! The stamp is like a build your own snow man with 3 different hats, 3 different scarves, arms, different noses. It's really fun. Here are some fun things I did with it.

Tagged

My sister Michele did a cool thing on her blog a little while ago. The directions were to post the 4th picture from your 4th folder on your computer. Much to my surprise and delight, the picture happened to be of my dear, much missed mom. Can't believe that it's been almost 8 years since she passed away. She was so cute, so stylish, so fun. We all miss her so much and my sisters and I so wish she could have seen all our kids. She would have been such a great grandma! This picture Michele had scanned and sent to me of a shopping trip we had taken. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful memories of her, and so blessed to know exactly where she is and that we will see her again one day!

What picture is your 4th picture in your 4th folder? Check it out and post it on your blog!

Halloween Happenings

Lane was a Nascar driver for Halloween. Dale Earnhart Jr. to be exact. He decided that on his own after looking at all of his options at Target. We are not a "Nascar family" if you know what I mean, but his cousin Merit got him "hooked" on it. Merit's family is not a "Nascar family" either, just to clear that up :) Not that being a "Nascar family" is bad, I'm just saying. Did I use enough quotation marks there? Anyway, onto Halloween...


Here is Lane getting prepared to go outside for some reason
he felt the need to where a Medal that he had gotten at school that day.
Lane and his friend Paige trick or treating by the spooky house.
Showing off his loot.