Celebrating St. Patrick's Day

We celebrated our St. Patrick's Day a bit early this year.  A family get together on Sunday was a great way to share my love of the traditional holiday meal of Corned Beef & Cabbage.  Below you will find my recipe for Corned Beef, which is something that is made year round in our home.  And, a new recipe that I developed this year, for a green punch.


Corned Beef with Potatoes & Cabbage
4 lbs Corned Beef Brisket
8-10 C Water*
Seasoning packet  (packaged seperately from the corned beef)
6 Beef Bouillion Cubes
4 Whole Cloves
2 Tbsp. Worchestershire Sauce
8-10 Medium Potatoes, cut in half  (Reds, & Golden Yukons work best)
1 Lg Head of Green Cabbage, cut into 8th's

In large pot, place brisket in bottom, & cover with at least 8 C water.  Bring the water up to a boil, skim the surface removing any foam.  Add in seasoning packet, bouillion cubes, cloves, & worchestershire.  Turn heat to medium, cover with a lid, & let simmer 2 - 2 1/2 hours. 
Add in potatoes, cover with lid, & let boil 20 minutes, check for doneness. Continue to boil if potatoes are still under cooked, but don't exceed 30 minutes. 
Remove potatoes & corned beef from pot, & place on a platter, keeping everything warm in a 200 degree oven. 
Add cabbage wedges to boiled water, cover with lid, & let cook 5-8 minutes. 
Slice brisket against the grain & serve everything piping hot!

*If your cooking corned beef that is over 4 lbs, use more water when boiling*



Green Punch
2, 2 Liters Sprite, or 7up (Diet also works well)
4 Cans Frozen Limeade
1 Liter Mountain Dew
5-6 Drops Green Food Dye
Lime Slices

Combine sprite, limeade, mt. dew, & green food dye in a large pot.  Keep chilled.  When ready to serve, pour into glasses with some ice & a couple of lime slices.

Our platter of Corned beef, potatoes, & cabbage.   And a nice big glass of green punch!

Around the house

So, what have I been up to, you ask?!?

Making ribbon heart streamers for my dining room chandelier.  My inspiration for this decoration can be found HERE. 

I also made a batch of Valentine's Day themed sugar cookies, the recipe will be posted tomorrow, 2-14!

Making more homemade butter, yummy!  You can find my tutorial/recipe HERE.
 

Valentine's Decorations

I made these cute hearts to decorate our fireplace for Valentine's Day.  I  purchased the foam hearts in various sizes, along with the cute love phrases, at Jo-Ann's.  Then added some colorful buttons, & hot glued everything onto some red ribbon.  Finally, a couple of red heart candles added to the mantle, & voila, all decorated!

I convinced Kyle to help me decorate them  :-)
A more detailed look of the hearts, aren't they cute!!!

*I took my inspiration from these felt hearts at the Little Birdie Secrets.

Bring it on!

Flying by to wish everyone a Happy New Year's Eve & Day!!

Don't forget to make a resolution for the New Year.  Looking forward to seeing you in 2010, with more adventures to come  :-)

Welcome!

Here's some Holiday Scenes from around our home. 

Close up of the door swag complete with red jingle bells.  And our fireplace Mantle. 

Full view of the fireplace complete with stockings & Christmas Tree reflection.  Counting down the days with our Advent Calendar.

Our most precious gifts underneath the Christmas Tree.

Christmas Party

Kyle & I enjoyed attending our company Christmas party on Saturday.  It was a great excuse to get dressed up & it always surprises me at how your co-workers look outside of the daily grind.  I knew weeks ago that I wanted a sparkly black dress & a Magnolia for my hair.  The red nail polish, lipstick, & jewelry was my festive holiday color added in, I would have also had a pair of red heels if I could have found some!  The hair took 1 1/2 hours to style & was worth every minute  :-)

                                

I already have next years outfit picked out; a pinstriped suit with a pair of stilletos & red satin shirt!

*on a side note, I'm waayyy behind on my christmas happenings and with the party done, now I have more time to focus on the final gift touches.  I'll start posting some holiday baking recipes this week.  Are you ready for christmas?

Counting Blessings

This last year has been a rollercoaster of sorts for me. 

I've been struggling to come to terms with the fact that this will be my last year in my 20's, & I haven't yet embraced the notion of turning 30.  It only seems like yesterday that I was taking hunters ed & learning how to drive, can it really be 12 years since I graduated high school?!?, it only seems like yesterday.   Just this week I even spotted a grey hair, yikes!  It was only a short little thing, but it's still a blantant indication that everyday I am/ we are all getting older.  It's a reminder for me to not forget the many blessings that have been bestowed upon me, & to embrace them all.

     Our heavenly father, even when all seems lost, you strengthen my faith & never lead me wrong.    

     My loving devoted husband, you are my rock, my shelter, my love...you were right on time.

     My family, near & far, I love you all.

     My sweet furry little dogs, my life would be very different without you.

     My health.

     My friends; whether we talk every day or just swap emails every once in a while, I am blessed to know each & everyone of you.  

     My job; without it I wouldn't be able to sleep in my big warm bed, always having something to eat, indulge in a movie night out every once in a while, & being able to donate money, time, & goods, when the need arises.


**I want to wish everyone a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!   And don't forget to count your blessings  :-) 

End of November madness

My household has been a bit crazy this week, with Thanksgiving just a day away, & black Friday shopping thereafter, my blog posts are getting a bit backed up. 

Upcoming posts will include a series on holiday baking, & a roundup of my favorite moments of the year.  We've had quit the active year, from Mt. Augustine's eruption, to watching the start of the Iditarod, & several trips in-state as well as to Washington & California. 

On a side note, if your looking to do some black Friday shopping, I would strongly recommend checking out the store's online website as some of them already have deals available for purchase.  Here's some online website resources for checking out great deals.
Gotta Deal
Deal News
Bizrate  (price comparing)

We'll be hitting up Target, Best Buy, Costco, & Walmart early in the morning then follow up with a nice breakfast, & then home to take an afternoon nap!

Counting down

Did you know that it's;

     6 Weeks  til the New Year

     5 Weeks  til Christmas

     4 Weeks  til Postal shipping deadline

     1 Week   til Thanksgiving

     1 Day     til the Weekend


Are you ready?  :-)

Just around the corner

Fall is upon us!  Which means that the holidays and all the yummy baked goods are just around the corner.   As you've probably figured out, I LOVE to bake  :-)   Nestle carnation is giving away free recipe guides, just go HERE. 

July

I can't believe that its already July, where has the summer gone?

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Kyle and I will be spending the weekend in Homer. Our favorite fish & chips restaurant is located out on the spit which we'll follow up with a bowl of ice cream & a nice stroll on the beach, while I look for seashells of course.

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Have a safe & happy 4th of July everyone! See you back in a couple of days.

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Wildcat Blue & Chocolate Lillies

Wild Geranium & Canary bird vine
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Off to Valdez

Kyle and I will be spending the next couple days in Valdez with our furry little dogs. Here's to hoping that you have a great Memorial Weekend! For the history of Memorial Day, also known as Decoration Day, click HERE. As usual, I'll be taking lots of pics to share our trip.

Outta here....

For Mom

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Happy Mother's Day to a wonderful mother, from your *little* pumpkin!

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Happy Easter!

Aren't these little guys cute !
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Even though the true meaning of Easter is lost in the commercialization of the holiday, I hope that you'll take a moment to remember why we celebrate today.
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I know that some people don't celebrate this holiday, so in that case, I hope you have a great day. Nuf said, see you chickees a :-)
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Wearing of the Green

Wishing you a

aaaaaaaaBeannachtam na Feile Padraig!

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aaaaaaaaHappy St.Patrick's Day!

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Happy Valentine's Day!

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Have a great holiday everyone. I'll be spending the day with my sweetheart and my 3 love pugs!
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Greetings from the New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVERYONE!!!!

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I hope you enjoyed the last of 2008, I know I did as I was able to spend the time with my family. I can't believe 2009 is already here! I have some fun stuff to share with you as to the happenings in my home the last 2 weeks.

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Did you make a New Year's Resolution?

Every year I try to stick to my resolutions, some years are better than others. I’ve thought about what I want to accomplish in 2009 and I’ve decided on two resolutions. My first resolution is to live healthier, maybe I won’t accomplish losing that 30lbs excess weight (would be better for my already shot knees) but try to eat healthier. I’ve come to the conclusion that if it was something my grandmother would have eaten than it is ok for me too (think dairy and fruits and veggies, and no prepared items or tv dinner type products, although I’m not sure where I stand on the cereal issue).
My second resolution would be to be happier. I know it is simple, but I sometimes forget how blessed I am and that I have a great life, a loving husband, three furry dogs that love me with all there little hearts, a warm home, good food to eat, a reliable job, and good health.

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Here's to 2009, lets make the best of it!

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See you in the New Year!

I'll be spending the next 10 days with family and thus will be on a short break from blogging. I'll see you in the new year where there will be more to see and to share. Here is a final 2008 picture from my home.

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The holidays are a time to remember those gifts that matter most, the love of our family and of our friends. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone, and God Bless! See you in the new year :-)

Holiday Scenes from my home

aaCome on in!
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aaReindeer guarding the fireplace
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aaMy favorite ornament
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aaKyle leaves me a message, what a sweet guy!
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Joys of Thanksgiving

I hope that everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving Day! Overall, we had a great day, a bit of drama in the morning but all was well by evening.

We started our day when we wanted to, no alarms! Thought to ourselves, "Hey, let's go on a small ride to start off the day." So a quick stop for some hot cocoa and a cinnamon roll to share, with the dogs excited in the back seat as they love to go for rides, and the radio set to Christmas music. We decided to stay in town, however this area of town is remote and on the side of the Chugach Mountain Range so a bit of terrain to deal with, but not a big deal for a 4 wheel SUV, right?

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3 Wheels stuck in the shoulder, it was 2 wheels but with all the attempts to get out we got stuck even more! Totally my fault as I was the one trying to drive out and Kyle was pushing. We were a bit distracted looking for Moose and didn't pay attention to the curve in the road. You can see the marks in front of the vehicle where we tried for over an hour to get out. Ended up calling for help, Kyle's brother came out and helped pull us out. As we were heading home, crossing the road in front of us, a Moose!

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Once home, decided now was a good time to start a nice fire. Changed into some dry clothes as we were up to our knees in wet pants and soaking socks and shoes. The dogs were happy to be home, and Frank promptly went to the fireplace and found a nice spot to warm himself!

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Kyle ended up bruising his shoulder pretty bad, so I covered him in a blanket and he took a small nap as I got the table set for our Thanksgiving Feast.

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A table set for 2, don't forget the punch!
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