Holiday Updates

We had a great Thanksgiving! Mostly because Erick had a few days off work and it was so nice to relax and not have to do any hard work. Last Wednesday night we took the kids to the movie Wreck-It Ralph. It was pretty cute. It was all about video games, which is a big deal at our house, so it was right up our alley. This game has been a family favorite for weeks now. We all like playing. I may have blogged about Halo before. I started playing in order to find a way to connect with Jed's interests. It has actually been a great way for he and I to spend time together and gives us something to talk about as well. He's a tender kid, and his skills for this type of game are kinda nuts for his age. So we have been playing a lot of Halo in our free time.

Last Thursday we went to the inlaws for Thanksgiving. We had a nice meal and a good time. It was nice to only have to cook a couple of things, and then let someone else worry about hosting and cleaning. Here is a super simple recipe that is sure to crowd please:

Pumpkin Spice Muffins:
15oz can of pumpkin puree
1 box of Duncan Hines Spice Cake mix

Mix together and scoop into muffin pans. Bake at 350* for about 15-20 minutes.

Can you believe that? Super simple! 2 ingredients! Here is what I do to make them extra special: Mix in just a handful of the mini chocolate chips into the batter. Later, sprinkle powdered sugar over the tops after they have cooled a little. I found the recipe on Pinterest, and have seen it on several blogs. Super easy! I have made them 3 times, and never have leftovers!!

Late Thursday night Erick went to some Black Friday early shopping, and then I went out after him with a friend. We have actually got most of our holiday shopping complete!

Today has been a day of clean-up triage. Tons of laundry, lots of vacuuming and straightening. But we are back in a groove so that is always important after these long stretches of family time. The kids are still home this week, so if we survive one more week all will be good. :)

We might put up our Christmas Tree tonight, which would be fun. I am a little pouty because its the 2nd year we have not had our treasured belongings from Indiana. Hopefully this is the last year we have to worry about that and we can get a rental truck loaded and out here with our stuff before too much longer. sigh....

Looking forward to a great holiday season!