Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity-Jog!

"East or West, Home is best."

The wedding was wonderful, my sister was beautiful, and the reception was a lot of fun...but it feels so nice to be sitting in my own bed in front of my with a fire in my own fireplace. There will be some wedding posts later, but not tonight. I'm too tired and there are 583 pictures to look through.

I took these two pictures this morning at Fuddruckers where the families met for one last early lunch. Carrie and Shane joined us because they decided not to go on an actual honeymoon until this summer when my sister is not teaching and Shane has more vacation time. They thought about going somewhere just for a few days, but then decided that relaxing at home would be even better...I am very jealous! :)

Aren't they precious?!


Apparently Phoebe loves Fuddruckers...and Uncle Ben's hat.


Okay, just one last picture. Carrie and Shane doning the Chicken Dance. He he.

Portrait Of A Hissy Fit

My darling daughter was not in the best of moods on Thanksgiving Day. I took these series of pictures and thought I'd share them with you.











She was mad because I wouldn't let her do this:


I know, I should have put her in time-out instead of taking multiple pictures, but it was Thanksgiving and now I have these lovely pictures forever. Someday, her children will thank me.

In Wedding World we went to decorate the chapel today and let me tell you it is going to be beautiful! Eli and Grandaddy stopped at Sonic on the way to the church and had the following conversation:
Eli: Grandaddy, kids can't help decorate for weddings.
GD: Why's that?
E: Because they don't know where to put all the stuff.
GD: We could tell them.
E: Even if they know where to put the stuff, they wouldn't put it up right.
GD: Well, what are they going to be doing while we decorate the church?
E: They just have to play.
GD: But there aren't any toys at the church.
E: I can just play the games in my head.
GD: What kind of games are those?
E: I can run and do zig-zags and jumping jacks, but not all at the same time because that would be impossible!

Needless to say, Eli was not much help at the chapel this afternoon.

Growing Pains

Everyday, in more and more ways, I realize just how big Eli really is.

Just today I had just another one of those experiences. We went to lunch today with my sister-in-law at Corner Bakery. Yummy. When it was time to leave Eli needed to go to the bathroom. He's entered a more modest stage where he doesn't really run around the house naked and won't try on clothes in the aisles at Target...he also doesn't want to go to the bathroom in the women's restroom. It kills me. I'm worried about the sweet, little, innocent boy that wants to act so big and grown-up. I worry that there's a bad man lurking in the men's restroom. Brad thinks I'm crazy and has been letting him go the restroom by himself for quite awhile. Today wasn't any different. He wanted to go by himself and no amount of cajoling or threatening or promising his own stall would sway him. So, I let him go by himself. My mom offered to stand outside the restroom door until he was finished and I let her because I was trying to clean tomato basil soup off the coat of the man sitting behind us due to Phoebe's exuberant enjoyment of said soup. She said that he went into the restroom growling and she could hear him growling through the door the entire time. Maybe that scared off all the bad men in the bathroom or maybe everyone in there just thought he was crazy! Either way he survived and I can only hope he washed his hands.

Do you think it will be weird when I'm standing outside the door when he's fourteen?

Happy (VERY Belated) Thanksgiving!

I am posting from my parents house this week. My sister's wedding is next Saturday and it seemed a little silly (crazy, actually) to drive my children back and forth two round-trips in a week and half so we're just staying through. Brad is back home (he has that whole "job" thing) and we'll see him later in the week. All this is to say that there will be no Thanksgiving pictures just yet. My parents have a Mac and I have absolutely no idea how to download my pictures from my camera to the computer. I'm headed to Wal-Mart this afternoon so I'll put them all on a CD and then they can be moved to the computer. I had intended to post the actual day of Thanksgiving, but there was way too much cooking, visiting, eating, and playing to be done that I just didn't get it done. Then on Friday we avoided the Black Friday crowds and headed to First Monday in Canton. Not too much junk-finding due to the fact that it rained most of the day and we were in the pavilions. I found a cool, vintage-y necklace made of an old Christmas ornament, though. I was also distracted by the fact that in true holiday fashion, Eli tried to get bronchitis. When his allergies act up (as they do when we are around mold...there isn't any in Amarillo), they go straight to his lungs and he gets a terrible cough that turns into an infection FAST! Luckily, we rented a breathing machine and gave him Motrin for the fever and he seems to be much better. He's still coughing, but there's no wheezing or shallow-breathing involved. Thank heavens for a friendly, hometown pharmacy that my mom has used for years! They were exceptionally helpful and accommodating to this out-of-town patient. Thanks Red Oak Drug!

Today is a little more normal...in that I'm posting a blog instead of folding laundry! My parents both went to work today so we're just hanging out and doing "stuff." I decided to help my mom get her playroom organized so I spent most of morning doing that. Just another reason we need to get my camera ready. I took pictures of what was in each basket and they need to be laminated and attached to each one. I'm pretty much finished and now I just have to fold all the laundry I've been cycling through. Seriously, folding laundry is no fun...even in another town! I think the rest of the week is slated for "wedding stuff" and I'm the designated errand girl. That's what I'm here for, but maybe we'll sneak in some time to do some fun things too! :)

As requested, here is my recipe for mashed potatoes and green beans. Sorry it took so long. (But I think the wait is worth it, Lori, because Sarah tells me you can eat everything in it!)

Eli's Favorite Green Beans
Take 1 can green beans OR roughly the same amount of fresh green beans and cover them with water. If using canned green beans, drain the "can juice" and use fresh water. If using fresh, then trim the ends and cut into the size pieces that you prefer. (I NEVER use frozen green beans because they are waaayyy too squeaky...no matter how long you boil them.) We prefer fresh, but sometimes we are in a hurry and it takes too long to chop all the ends off. Add one chicken bouillon cube and some salt and pepper to the water. Sometimes I also add some minced garlic or garlic powder. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. If I'm making green beans for dinner I just put them on first and then get to the rest of the meal. They'll be done when everything else is.

The Best Mashed Potatoes EVER!
Peel and cut 5 lbs. of potatoes into a big pot of water. Boil until fork-tender. Drain in a colander and then return to the same pan. Turn the burner down to low and mash with a potato masher over the warm burner. This helps evaporate all the water still left in the potatoes and your potatoes won't be "mealy". If you don't like lumps in your potatoes (and I don't) just keep mashing. A few times I've moved them to a mixer at this stage because I was making more than 5 lbs, my mom's masher fell apart, or my MIL didn't have a potato masher and it was okay, but the consistency is just not the same. When your potatoes are good and mashed, add 8oz of softened cream cheese. Use the masher to mix well. Add 1 1/2 stick of real butter. Use the masher to mix these in well. Add salt and pepper. Add way more salt than you think necessary because under seasoned potatoes are a travesty. Pour in some half-and-half and incorporate with the masher until creamy. Taste. Get someone to taste and give their opinion (but not my mom because she likes under seasoned mashed potatoes). Add more salt and butter if needed. You can also make these potatoes ahead of time and put in a 9x13 inch pan. Dot with butter and cover with foil. To re-heat, let them sit on the cabinet for 30 minutes or so and then bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until very warm. Lukewarm mashed potatoes are gross.

Note: I don't make this many for just the four of us. Usually I just use about four potatoes, 4 oz. cream cheese, and 1/2-3/4 stick of butter. Sometimes I add roasted garlic (homemade is the best, but store-bought can be used) and they are yummy!

Be sure and let me know what you think if you make my recipes! :)

Mashed Potatoes Are For Everyone To Have Enough

Brad and I are not huge fans of the Thanksgiving Day meal. Neither of us really likes turkey and Brad wonders why an entire holiday built around food doesn't consist of a better menu. If turkey was sooo good, why don't we eat it any other time of the year? Don't get us wrong, we love getting together with family, cooking, watching football, playing games, being thankful...we just don't like the meal. I really don't like dressing, either. It doesn't matter if you make from great-grandma's secret family recipe or from a box, it's just soggy bread with vegetables in it. I don't like soggy bread. My family always makes cornbread dressing and it's a labor of love, but it's still soggy cornbread. My sister-in-law is famous for her sourdough-cranberry dressing and everyone in Brad's family raves about it, but I feel it's a waste of really good sourdough bread. The greenbean casserole is full of squeaky, under seasoned green beans and don't get me started on sweet potatoes!

The only dish we truly enjoy is mashed potatoes. I'm making the mashed potatoes this year and I make a mean mashed potato. Seriously. I'm not boasting and I'll be happy to share the secrets with anyone who asks, but my mashed potatoes are really something to write home about. Just ask Phoebe, who's entire Thanksgiving Day meal will consist of mashed potatoes. That girl loves her some mashed potatoes! Sarah, Carrie, and I are also making all the appetizers...my other favorite part of the meal. I think I could survive solely on snacks my entire life and be completely satisfied. I never go anywhere without a good snack. And just in case you were wondering, we are making cranberry salsa (sooo utterly divine that I took the recipe from a friend and made it a part of my own holiday tradition), homemade pico de gallo and chips, sausage balls, and some kind of yummy cheese ball that Sarah is whipping up. Yum. I can't wait.

If asked, Brad would tell you that he would like to have a really good steak and his mom's homemade chile rellenos for Thanksgiving. I'm a little more traditional. I'd love to have a honey-glazed ham...with mashed potatoes, of course, and "Eli's Favorite Green Beans." I make them for him and they are scrumptious. He tells everyone that his mom makes the best green beans so that's how they became known as "Eli's Favorite Green Beans." Everything else is a bit nebulous, but there would also be piping hot, yeast rolls. They don't have to be scratch rolls (Rhodes rolls are fine by me), but they do have to be warm and brushed with butter.

I think I'd better go have breakfast and sweep my floors before I wind up waxing eloquent on all my other favorite foods! Happy (Early) Thanksgiving! I hope it's filled with all your favorite foods.

When Bad Things Happen To Good People

Nobody panic...there aren't too many bad things happening around here. Just two and they aren't life threatening. Well, one of them is not...my mom might kill me over the other one. :)


Phoebe threw up all night. Since I don't hear my children wake up and call for me in the middle of the night (I know, it makes me feel pretty guilty) Brad was actually there for the first three incidents. Then he came downstairs and woke me up for reinforcements. She threw up three more times in the next hour or so and then slept the rest of the night. This morning she seems better. I don't think she feels great, but she did drink a little water and has kept it down. I gave her a bath after Eli left for school and then she was crying, "Ni-Ni! Ni-Ni!" (Night-Night, Night-Night for those of you who might need a translation) so I just put her back in bed. Eli was bummed that I would be missing his pajama day at KU, but I promised him a pillow fight when he gets home and he was okay with it after that. I even let him wear his Spiderman pajamas, Spiderman slippers, and carry his Spiderman pillowcase pillow...in years past, I've made him wear some cute pajamas that he has absolutely no interest in. See, I'm loosening up a little! :)


I have lost the tie that Eli is supposed to wear at my sister's wedding. (This is what my mom is going to kill me over.) I thought it was at my mom's house and she said she sent it with me when I came home last time. She's looked at her house, I've looked at mine and it's nowhere to be found. Now, by nature, I am a pretty careless person. I would probably lose my head if it wasn't attached and because of this I'm pretty uptight about where I put stuff. It's a sanity-saving strategy. It drives me crazy when I can't find stuff so I've become a place-for-everything-and-everything-in-its-place Nazi. I have special spots for keys, phones, money, pens, cameras, shoes, socks, contact cases, mittens, receipts, manuals, phone books, post-it notes, rings, CDs, hammers, nail-clippers...the list could literally go on and on. One of my pet peeves about Brad is that he doesn't have a place for everything. When he come in after work, sometimes he puts his keys in one place and his wallet in another. Another day he'll put them somewhere completely different. It drives me crazy because his stuff doesn't have a "spot." We've gone round and round about this, but I can't imagine it will ever change and really it doesn't bother too much unless he moves something that I need or have a designated place for...like the step stool or the TV remote. But, I digress. Sometimes something important slips through my stuff-radar and I cannot think of where I put it or where it might be because it's not in any of the places that make sense in my head. This tends to happen when I get stressed. You know, like after a move. So I decided to buy another tie. If we find another one, great, if not, we have a backup. Great plan, right? Well, Gymboree has already put it's Christmas dressy line on sale and I can't find the tie. It's not at the Amarillo store and it's not online. I'm waiting until 10am to call four Gymboree's in the Dallas area to track down the red tie with grey polk-dots and if they don't have them, then I'm calling the customer service number on the website. Who knew this tie was so popular? I know there is another tie out there somewhere. I know it will show up in Gymboree outlets stores next year. I just have to find it, purchase it, and then get it mailed ASAP to my mom's house before the wedding or she decides to kill me.


I guess I just needed a few more things on my plate before Thanksgiving! :)

I Threw My "To-Do" List Out The Window

And this is why:


Well, it's not the only reason why my to-do list for today keeps changing. It all started this morning when my alarm went off at 6am. It was waaaayyyy to cold to get out of bed so I just turned it off and got up when Brad's alarm went off at 6:45am. It was still really, really cold, but one just can't stay in bed all day when the weather is frigid no matter how much one wants to! :) Then while I was cleaning up breakfast, the children had a free moment and they started to play with the Little People. How could I interrupt such engaged, cooperative play? So I just sat down with them (camera in hand) and played too. With the move we haven't done that much lately so it felt good. I'm kind of "schedule gal" and we don't deviate too much in the mornings, but today seemed like a good day to let it all go. The laundry and sheet-changing and sweeping and mopping and office-paper-sorting and grocery shopping (the things previously on my list to do) can always be done later, but good play just has to happen when it happens.


Oh, in case anyone is paying attention to things to things like this, they were playing in Phoebe's room. The lighting makes it look a lot more yellow than it really is...it's more of a soft, creamy yellow. And yes, there are still boxes in the corner. It's one room we haven't really focused on.

I'm Finished!

I meant to post a little more often on this trip. Really. I mean it. But you know what the road to hell is paved with and I just didn't get it done.

We've had a pretty good time. I feel an utter sense of completion due to the fact that I have finished all my Christmas shopping! Some of you out there, like Brad, do not understand why this is such a great accomplishment and why it gives me such a feeling of peace. Then there are others, like my mom, who understand are incredibly jealous. Now, let me say that there are three gifts left to buy that can only be bought in Amarillo so I guess I can't say I'm completely finished. But I have ordered my online stuff and I literally only have three more to buy...and I know exactly what and where I am getting them. It's amazing what you can accomplish without your children.

As for the conference, I'm not sure how great it really was, but the Gaylord was beautiful. All their holiday decorations are up and sparkly! Our balcony looked out over the main atrium and the big, giant Christmas tree. We enjoyed some time just sitting out there and watching the people.

But I do miss them and now it's time to go home. We fly out this afternoon and it's none too soon because I miss my babies.

I'm Exhausted!

Literally.

I'm not sure I can think of one more place to put something...and yet I lie awake at night thinking of all the things I still need/want to do. Go figure.

The house is getting there. Most of the rooms are at least 75% unpacked. We still have nothing on the walls, but I am so nervous about making a nail hole! We're just going to wait on that a bit. The office is still a wreck! It seems we need to do a lot of organizing and since it's mostly Brad's stuff, I've been having a tough time getting it done. Clutter and disorganization doesn't drive him crazy the way it drives me crazy. He can sit and enjoy the new fireplace when the everything is "higgeldy-piggeldy askew" (I borrowed that phrase from my sister-in-law, Sarah, who was talking about her Starbucks holder and cup being perfectly aligned...apparently she can't stand it the other way!) while I find myself making labels for the utility room at 11:00 at night or finding a new, better spot for the phone books and directories we seem to accumulate. I think it has something to do with the way we view the "home." It's his retreat and it's my career. I keep telling myself that we will survive...we really will. We might even make it through Christmas! :)

Luckily, we are off to a conference with Brad's work the next few days. I'm so very, very excited. I actually have nothing to do at the conference, so I've decided to get all my Christmas shopping finished. I'll also throw in a trip to The container Store...it'll be heavenly. Brad's mom came to stay with the children so they will have lots of fun being spoiled completely rotten.

At least I'm getting a lot of help from my little "helper-girl." I got a bee in my bonnet about the dust all over the floors and set about to scrubbing the tile and grout in the utility room and pantry. The difference didn't amount to a hill of beans so I might not be doing it again for awhile...or at least until the dust keeps me up at night again.


Okay, that took an extremely long time to upload so no more pictures for tonight.

Next post from the Big-D!

A Few Of My (New) Favorite Things

I know, I know, it's been awhile, but I'm still having to borrow Brad's work laptop to blog and that leaves me very little time to blog. Hopefully the glass that is going on Brad's new office desktop will arrive today and then he will set up my computer to use at home.

I've taken some pictures of my new favorite things around my house.

These are my new bath towels in the master bath. Aren't they lovely? So lovely, in fact, that my sister registered for the same ones at Target! I guess good taste runs in the family. :)


These are my cookbooks all lined up in alphabetical order in my pantry. I cannot describe to you how happy this makes me.


And finally, this is a package of whole wheat bowtie pasta. I have been looking and looking for whole wheat bowtie pasta. We are trying to eat a little healthier here in the McCall household and so we use whole wheat pasta more and more. Bowties are our favorite shape, but I couldn't find them anywhere! It only took a trip to a great big Target in Dallas to find them. That Target...they always come through for me! I was going to buy three for four packages, but they only had two and my mom wanted one so only one package made it back to Amarillo. My mom said she was going to keep checking for me so maybe some more will make the long trek back to the middle of nowhere...or at least the middle of no-whole-wheat-bowtie-pasta.


Happy Tuesday!