Christmas '22 and a Blizzard

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family who are taking the time to read this! I hope 2023 brings blessings and peace to your life.

We are closing out this year with happiness and serenity here in our little corner of the world. We look forward to what next year will bring!

In a recap of this busy month here are some pics of life in general as well as our quiet holiday at home. This was one of the complimentary meals my hospital provided employees during the holiday week. It wasn't too bad! Stuffed chicken breast, ham, pasta, green beans, mashed potatoes, and cheesecake.

Nature gave us a blizzard for Christmas here in Western NY! You may have seen national coverage of the snow in Buffalo--thankfully we escaped THAT craziness and got maybe 6-8" here in Albion. We did get to enjoy the blizzarding (my new word) for 2 days warm in our house and were so blessed to not lose power as I know many did!

All of our grocery and present shopping was already done so we had no where to go during the storm. For Christmas Eve dinner we enjoyed our traditional "Arbys" roast beef and cheddar sandwiches with curly fries while watching "A Christmas Story". The boys each opened one small present that evening.

We woke up Christmas morning to blue skies! It was still too cold for the boys to go outside but Nick and I did brave the temps to clear off the driveway while we could. After presents and dinner I went in to work for a few hours to help my fellow nurses out in the ICU.

The boys had fun opening their presents and stockings, then we had our traditional morning breakfast of homemade biscuits and sausage gravy. Yum!

For our Christmas dinner I kept it simple and made chicken enchiladas, homemade refried beans and guacamole, and a sopapilla cheesecake that was delicious! We have been working on the leftovers since then and I think we are almost enchilada'd out, haha!

As I get older I am definitely trying to work hard on inner peace and learning to say 'no' and distance myself from people or things that cause undue stress. It's a daily battle but one that is necessary and will hopefully become easier with time.

Cheers to 2023, and all that lies beyond

Holiday Fun

Christmas is almost here, so I thought I'd share some photos of our crazy December with my friends and family who read this.

We had fun decorating for the holidays as always. The boys enjoy fighting for dominance with the ornament placement.

I try to get the fam out for at least a couple Christmas events during the month. Our town library had Santa visit so the boys got to see him and tell him what they want for Christmas!

The elementary school hosted a cookie and game night where the boys got to decorate a cookie while we drank hot cocoa. Then they played a few games and Jacob made a couple crafts to take home.

 

The colder weather means lots of hot comfort food! This was stew and cornbread. Yum!

My village gets put on the mantle every December!

Nick and I like to sneak away for errands while the kids are in school, and sometimes he treats me to a date lunch!

Our town had a big parade, and Bradley was on one of the floats with his Honor Society for caroling. Me and Jacob watched as they all went by.

Of course Cuddles like to nap under the Christmas tree. Thankfully he's a good boy and has never bothered the ornaments!

Christmas fudge!

And Christmas nails!

We sported out matching shirts for our final errands and shopping before the holiday.

Right now we are enjoying tons of snow and a blizzard this weekend, and thankfully we have no where to go so we will stay inside and watch it snow. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New year! Cheers to 2023 🎉🎊

Delicious and Hearty Stew with Leftover Roast

There's nothing better than a bowl of hearty stew on a cold night! Well maybe some cornbread with lots of butter to go with it!

This is a simple and budget friendly way to make a large pot of stew for your family, and of course you can substitute any ingredients to make it how you like!

Ingredients:

48oz tomato juice

Leftover roast chunks OR 1lb cooked ground beef/turkey

1 large onion, diced

1/2lb baby carrots, chopped

1 bag frozen peas

4 small or 2 large potatoes, diced

2 beef bouillon cubes

Garlic powder

Salt/pepper

2 bay leaves

Saute onions and carrots in a little oil over medium high heat in a large pot. Add potatoes and saute for about 10min. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 45min-1.5hr, or until carrots and potatoes are tender. Salt to taste before serving.

So delicious! Let me know if you make this and like it.