MERRY CHRISTMAS

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I love the word Roux

One of my favorite cooking terms is ROUX (ROO). I just love the way is sounds and I have watched many cooks on Food Network start sauces and soups with this technique. I decided it was time to tackle making a sauce starting with a roux. I saw Rachael Ray make Mac and Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli and thought it looked like a good place to start. Last night I made my first roux and it was really easy and the Mac and Cheese was super delicious.

If you like Mac and Cheese as much as I do then I would recommend this recipe. Mac and Cheese is definitely one of my comfort foods, especially on a cold winter day. I usually make box Mac and Cheese because it is quick and easy, but this recipe was definitely better. I was surprised at how quick and easy it was. The only problem was it generated a lot of dirty dishes, but that's what kids and husbands are for...Right??

Click here to check out this recipe on my recipe blog.

Christmas Cookies

This cookbook is a reproduction of the one my mom used to make my favorite Christmas Cookies.

I love cookies!! I remember as a child my mom always making a variety of cookies during the holiday season. I had my favorites and now I make them in my home. Tonight I started the holiday cookie bonanza. Each year I make 3-4 different kinds of cookies, but every year I have to make chocolate crinkles...it is tradition.

The first cookie of the season: Cranberry, Walnut, Chip Cookies (CLICK for recipe).

My two favorite childhood Christmas cookies were chocolate crinkles and spritz cookies. My mom still makes me spritz cookies and they are so addicting.

Weekend with the Boys

This past weekend we had a sleepover with our two nephews, Nathan and Kobie. They had been wanting to have a sleepover for a while, so we thought we better do it now before January rolls around. The boys came to our house on Saturday and we took them home on Sunday. We played Wii, Legos, and watched Scooby Doo (original cartoon movie with Batman).

Rich called his brother, Doug, in Oregon, so they could play Wii Mario Kart online. Rich and Nathan played from California, while Doug and his two kids, Ian and Marlee, played from Oregon. Rich put them on speaker phone so they could talk during the racing.

During the Wii racing Kobie and I made an Apple-Pear Pie. This was Kobie's first time making a pie. He helped me with the dough and peeling the apples/pears. His favorite thing was using my apple peeler/slicer.

More Baby Stuff

We got these four outfits during our Midnight shopping spree at the Folsom outlets. The top 2 are from Carter's and the bottom 2 are from Baby Gap. The white suit is super soft and has cute bear paws on the feet and ears on the hood.

I Love Green.I bought these pink w/ white stripe overalls several years ago as a gift, but they were too cute to part with.
Rich bought these hair barrettes at a baby boutique near his work when the ultrasound showed Ava had hair. We are hoping she will still have the hair when she is born.

Kim bought this bib for me for my birthday.

We bought these baby Vans when Kim was visiting in November. Kim and I share a love for shoes...especially baby shoes.

Luca is smelling the baby shoes and checking everything out. We have been letting him smell and see all the new stuff, so it won't be as hard of an adjustment when Ava arrives.

We made Monica the Monkey with Kim at Build-a-Bear.

One of Rich's Patients made this blanket for him to give to Ava.

Nursery and Baby Stuff

Rich and I are so excited to be parents and we're preparing for the arrival of Ava on Jan. 26th (+ or - a few days). We have been preparing to be parents for many years now, but just recently we have started to get the nursery put together. When we thought we were having a baby in June some of our family and friends bought us some nice things. We put them together and have been looking at them ever since. Now that January is getting closer we can't wait to fill the bassinet, stroller, and car seat with a beautiful little baby girl.

At the end of May my parents came to help us prepare for the baby. We went shopping for baby items and they bought us a rocking chair. After shopping they helped us put some of the items together. My mom and I read the directions and the men put it together.

Rich is a big kid! He had fun playing in the rocking chair box and hiding from Luca. He is going to be a great dad!

In October Rich's parents bought us a crib and we put it together. It took us a month to complete because the first box had many damaged pieces and we had to wait for new pieces to be shipped to us. It was a pain to put together, but now that is is done we are happy with the way it looks.

A New Nephew

Ezra with his parents Bob (Rich's brother) and EmmaLee.

On Dec. 4th our nephew, Ezra Robert Bowling, was born in Boston. He weighed 8lbs. and was 20in. long. Ezra was born with a cleft palate and will have to undergo several surgeries in the first year of his life. He spent his first night in the NICU, but was eating and breathing well, so the next night he spent with his parents. Ezra is now at home and doing well.

Ezra has the cutest chubby cheeks and fuzzy hair.

Drumroll...And the name is...

Ava Kathryn Bowling

We have been talking about names ever since we found out we were having a girl. It has been hard to decide. Kim asked if we would use Kathryn as a middle name after her mom. We were happy to because we like the name and is something she is passing on to her daughter. After a long time of discussing names we settled on Ava. We really like it and it is the one name that stuck with us. We think Ava Kathryn is a beautiful and classic name. Now that we picked a name it seems even more real and we have started using her name when talking or praying about her. We are so excited to be parents and can't believe it's about 7 weeks away.

Happy Birthday Bella...Your a Big Girl Now!

On Friday, Nov. 28th our niece Bella celebrated her 3rd birthday. We went up to Gridley to be with her on her special day. Bella decided she wanted to eat pizza for her birthday dinner, so we met at Round Table. After dinner the family gathered at Bella's house for presents, cake, and a little Guitar Hero.

Bella has a cute pouty face. I tried to get her to smile, but she refused.

Bella got a lot of great gifts for her birthday. She got a lot of cute clothes and will be a stylin' 3 year old. She also got some Disney princess stuff. Bella's big gift of the night was an art easel/desk with art supplies. We didn't know this, but Bella loves to color, draw, and paint. We also learned she is really good at it. She is young budding artist, so be on the lookout for her work.

Bella opening a present.

Dave and Jessica (Bella's parents & Rich's brother) playing Guitar Hero.

Holiday Shopping

This year we decided to take advantage of some of the holiday shopping madness. On Wednesday we went to the Arden Fair Mall for some of the pre-Thanksgiving sales. We got there in the evening so it wasn't too crowded and we actually got some great deals. JCPenny was open until 10pm and around 9-9:30pm the employees were putting up the doorbuster signs for early Friday morning. I saw a sweater I liked, but didn't know the price because the doorbuster price was listed. When I asked how much it was the lady told me we could get anything for the day after Thanksgiving sale price...YA WHOO!! We bought a few things and were happy to get the Friday @ 4am deal without getting up early or fighting the crowds.On Thursday night/Friday morning we went to Midnight Madness sale at the Folsom outlets. We have never gone before, but decided to check it out for fun. It was CRAZY!! Fortunately we went early and beat the crowds. The Gap opened at 11pm, so we got there at 11pm and walked right in. We also went to most of the baby clothes outlets and Wilson Leathers. The most crowded stores we went into were Carter's and Baby Gap, but even then it was only 10-15 minutes wait to purchase our items. As we left around 1:30am the lines just to get into a few stores were insane. The line to the Gap and Pac Sun were at least 1 hour, but the worst was for the Coach store which looked like it was a 2 hour wait...CRAZY, CRAZY, CRAZY people.

Thanksgiving Day

We continued our at home Thanksgiving tradition this year. It was just the two of us plus Luca. It was a nice, relaxing, and quiet day. We love being with our family, but sometimes it is just nice to stay in your P.J.'s and do whatever you want.

We enjoyed our traditional Thanksgiving feast: Chicken w/ stuffing, canned shaped cranberry sauce (Rich says it has to be shaped like the can), mashed potatoes, peas, bread, and homemade spaghetti with meatballs. For dessert Rich made a chocolate cheesecake pie. Since it was just the 2 of us I plan on making an apricot tart a little later, so we can spread out the sweets.

The activities of the day were watching videos and playing video games (mostly guitar hero world tour). We also enjoyed sleeping in and playing with Luca.

For fun and entertainment we gave Luca a stuffed turkey on a rope fork. He loves to chew and destroy sqeaky toys and it is always fun to watch. As soon as Rich made the turkey squeak Luca went crazy. The picture below is the crazed look Luca had in his eye as he jumped up to get the toy...He is so funny!

FREE Christmas Music

I turned on the Oprah show today and she was talking about Christmas music. She then said for the next 48 hours anyone could go to her website and download the Holiday Hits 2008 CD for free. I don't usually watch Oprah, but I was glad I did today. I just finished downloading the songs...YEAH FREE MUSIC!! Thanks Oprah!

If you want to take advantage of this offer go to: http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20081118_tows_holiday/2

Holiday Hits 2008 Playlist:
Faith Hill, "Joy to the World" from the album Joy to the World
Tony Bennett, "I'll be Home for Christmas" from the album A Swingin' Christmas
Il Divo, "O Holy Night" from the album The Christmas Collection
Josh Groban, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" from the album Noel
Brian McKnight, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" from the album I'll Be Home for Christmas
Amy Grant, "O Come All Ye Faithful" from the album The Christmas Collection
Harry Connick Jr., "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" from the album What a Night! A Christmas Album
Aretha Franklin, "Silent Night" from the album This Christmas

Winter Recipe Contest

My friend April is having a Winter Recipe Contest. Her family has some special dietary needs, so it was a bit of a challenge trying to come up with something. I entered a modified version of my Grandma's Sweet-n-Sour Chicken recipe. I posted the recipe on my food blog, so if you are interested click here for a delicious recipe.

1 Year Anniversary

Today we celebrated our one year anniversary with Luca. We got him last year the day after Thanksgiving. We adopted him from the rescue organization Second Chance Cocker Spaniel. I had wanted a dog for a while, but it took sometime to convince Rich we were ready. Once I saw the photo of Luca (then Snowball) I knew he was the dog for us. Rich still wasn't convinced, but as soon as he met him Luca won him over.

Luca is the best dog and a great companion. He is so cute especially when he is clean and a little fluffy. He also is very funny and has a great personality. When we have a bad day Luca always makes us laugh and cheers us up. Sometimes he can be a little stubborn, but that is just part of his charm. We try not to spoil him too much, but when Luca looks up with his big eyes it is sometimes hard to say no.

During the past year we have had some rough times, but Luca has made it easier. Luca is a great addition to our family and we are both grateful to have him in our home. I know he will get a little crazy in January when we have a baby, but I also know he will love and protect the baby...that's just the kind of dog he is.

Luca ripping open his new Blue Kong. Luca loves Kong toys.

Luca is ready to play with Rich and his blue Kong. We gave Luca some doggie cookies to celebrate his special day. Don't worry we only gave him a couple and saved the rest for later.Luca tried to open the cookies by himself. He is a smart dog and can usually get into things, but this plastic tub was too tricky for him.
Lisa helped Luca out and gave him a cookie. Luca was really excited and chomped down his treat in no time flat. He is a little piggy.

Elder's Quorum Rocks!

Kyle on lead guitar, Jeremy on bass, and Cory on vocals

Yesterday Rich and some of the guys from the Rossmoor Ward Elder's Quorum had a video game night. They started at 3pm and some of them lasted until 11:30pm. Rich came home around 9pm because he was tired.

The guys enjoyed playing several games on the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. The crowd favorites were Rock Band 2 and Mario Kart. For a while they had a full four person band going on Rock Band 2.

Rich said the activity was a success and several of the guys were talking about making it a monthly activity. I think maybe an every other month activity sounds a little better.

Kim Comes To California

This past weekend Kim and her mom came to California for a visit. We were excited to see them and to see how cute Kim's pregnant belly is. She is small and tall, so her belly isn't very big, but oh so cute. After seeing the 3-D ultrasound it was great to see Kim and know our beautiful baby girl is growing.

On Saturday we took them to our favorite restaurant, Il Forno Classico, for lunch. We then went to Build-a-Bear and made Monica the Monkey to give to our baby. Kim and I also picked out some cute baby Vans because we both love baby shoes. Before leaving the mall we went to Big Spoon for some delicious frozen yogurt. Then it was back home and to the hotel to rest a little before dinner.

Kim and I putting hearts in Monica the Monkey. Monica is special because she has 3 hearts (one from each of her two mommies and one from her daddy).

We stopped for a frozen treat at Big Spoon.

For dinner both of our parents came to Rancho, so Kim and her mom could meet the soon-to-be grandparents. We met at Cattleman's to enjoyed steak and good conversation. It was nice to get some family together and I think everyone had a good time.

On Sunday they came to church with us and then we went back to our house to hang out. Rich had Kim make Mii's (personal characters) on our Wii because we have a Mii for every family member. Then they played a few Wii sports while I prepared my grandma's sweet-n-sour chicken for dinner.

That evening we just relaxed and talked. It was good to see Kim and let her see our house, the nursery, and meet Luca. It was a great weekend.

Luca crashing on Monday after the weekend of vistors. Luca enjoyed having Kim and her mom visit and he went a little crazy while they were here.

GO KINGS!

Last night Rich and I went to the Sacramento Kings game. One of his friends gave us tickets to the season's home opener...THANKS Gwen!! They played the Grizzlies and won (100 to 95)...Whoo Hoo!! We had a lot of fun and I am excited for this season.

The last couple of seasons I have not enjoyed King's basketball. First, I was upset when they traded Bobby Jackson because he is my favorite player. He might not be the best player, but he always gives it 110% and just seems like a good guy. I was then upset when they traded for Ron Artest. He is a good player, but brings a lot of drama and is not someone I am proud to support. I don't mind if the Kings lose, but I want to be proud of the players I support and to know they are giving it all they got.

This year Bobby is back...YEAH! I know he is older and probably won't get a lot of playing time, but he is still my favorite and I proudly wore my Bobby Jackson shirt last night. I also am impressed with Spencer Hawes and some of the other young players. I think the next couple of years will be exciting to watch as the team grows and improves.