The Bean Pot

Today I'm going to make baked beans.  Exciting stuff, I know.  I've never made baked beans before, so it will be a first for me.

 

But there is a special story behind today's beans.  It starts with a painting.  This painting, that hangs on my kitchen wall. 

 

We went to the Western Art Show in Toppenish a couple of years ago to see my Aunt Maizie's pictures and she had one of this bean pot.  She told me it was my great grandmother's bean pot that sits in her kitchen.  She had gone grocery shopping one day, brought her groceries home and set them on the table.  Then she thought they looked pretty sitting there so she painted the picture.

 

Well, we brought the painting home and hung it on the wall in my kitchen:

 

A few weeks later Aunt Maizie went to see my dad, and she had the bean pot with her.  She told him she wanted me to have the bean pot.  She wrote me a letter about the bean pot and gave me the recipe for my Great Aunt's baked beans.

So now I have a paining of the bean pot, the bean pot, a wonderful letter from my Great Aunt, and the family recipe for baked beans!

The bean pot sits on the upper cabinets in my kitchen along with some other special things.

The other day my parents came over for J's birthday.  We were enjoying steaks for dinner that J had just cooked on his new Traeger that he got for Christmas.  My dad said, "What if you tried to make baked beans on the Traeger?"

So today I'm going to give it a try!  The family recipe for baked beans on J's new Christmas present!

Happy Birthday, J!

J's birthday was the 26th of December, but we celebrated it a few days later.  B had a wrestling tournament on Vashon Island and we didn't want to leave 3/4 of a birthday cake home to dry out. ;)

 

J always requests a German chocolate cake with a double batch of homemade frosting for his birthday.

 

Happy 44th birthday, sweetie!  Love you!

Christmas Morning

I love Christmas morning at our house.  Hot cup of coffee while snuggled in blankets, sticky buns in the oven, and watching my kiddos open their gifts.

 

Santa brought Cara a Kindle Fire:

 And B a tablet:

This was my favorite gift to give this year.  It's super hard to shop for B.  He doesn't give you any ideas.  When I saw this wrestler made of wrought iron I knew I had to get it for him.  He loves it!

Cara loves Hello Kitty.  B saw this at a store while I was waiting in line with Cara to see Santa in Spokane.  He already had a gift for Cara, but bought this so A would have a present for Cara this year.  So considerate of B and Cara loves it!

A received a pair of moccasins she has been dying to get from her brother and sister:

And silky camo pj's.  Now when she sleeps in and we go to wake her up we won't be able to see her!  Haha ;)

Another wonderful Christmas morning in the books.  I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, too!

Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa's House

We have the same traditions each year for the holidays.  Christmas Eve we all go to church together as a family, then we go over to Grandma and Grandpa's house for dinner and unwrapping gifts.  Cara unwrapped her gifts with Grandma this year.  She was thrilled to receive a crayon maker.

 

And a Hello Kitty make up set:

A received a Vera Bradley bag.  See B photobombing on the side?  I couldn't get any pictures of him opening anything.

It was a fun time and I think everyone was really happy with the reactions to the gifts they gave and truly appreciated the gifts they received.

Santa Visit

Cara went to see Santa at Riverpark Square in Spokane this year.  The wait was a little over an hour, but by the time she made it to the front of the line she was ready!

 

She told Santa she wants a tablet this year.

Her visit with Santa was short and sweet.  J said he blinked and missed it!  Good thing I got pictures.

Christmas in Spokane

We had our Christmas in Spokane on Sunday out at the farm where J grew up.  His sister and brother-in-law live there now.  I love this picture because Cara saw the box and actually though she got a t.v. for Christmas...silly girl!

 

It was a great, big coloring book.  She also got a caddy with 152 crayons in it.  The perfect gift for Cara because she loves to lay on her tummy in the middle of the living room and color.  She does it for hours on end.

B got money and huge peanut butter cups.  Great gift, but also painful because it's wrestling season and he has to stay at 120 lbs.  He weighs himself constantly!  He will save the Reese's until after wrestling season. ;)

He also got a "Stay Until The Last Play" WSU sweatshirt.  It's something he's been wanting for a while.

A also got money and huge peanut butter cups.  She's lucky, she can eat hers now!

It was a nice, relaxing Christmas.  I think everyone was really happy with their gifts and it was nice to see everyone.

Cara's Christmas Program

Cara's Christmas program was on the 17th.  I had to include this picture because this is Cara's "nervous face."  Whenever she gets nervous, she presses her lips together as hard as she can.  I wish she didn't get so nervous to perform, she does a great job.

 

There are 4 first grades at Cara's school.  They perform in groups of two so all the parents can fit in the multipurpose room.  I told Cara they put her in the front row because she's so cute! ;)

She started to get into it as the program progressed.

She was so excited to get to be a hula girl.  She said lots of kids wanted to be hula girls, but the teachers only chose 3.

It was a really cute program!

A's 19th Birthday

December 15th was A's 19th birthday.  I'm behind with my posts due to a busy last week of work, wrestling season for B, birthdays, Christmas, and such.  A likes a simple birthday; cupcakes, candy cane ice cream, and family.

 

Here is the pillow she got from her brother and sister.  We will get the insert for it after Christmas.

Cara loves to assist her sister with presents:

Blowing out her "A" candle with cousin Jake:

She has a wonderful, relaxing birthday. :)

Christmas Tour 2013 {Sunday Snapshot}

I can now breathe a huge sigh of relaxation.  The bulk of my Christmas decorating is done.  I took 15 pictures to post here for two reasons:  one, I LOVE Christmas and love to see other people's decorations, so it's only right if I post mine, too, right?  Reason number two?  My pictures help me remember next year so I can keep the things I love the same, but change it up a little so it's new and fresh.

 

My new lighted manger this year.  Love it!

 



This is actually A's demijohn jar.  I had Cara fill the bottom of it with clear marbles.  Then I stuffed it full of white lights and put a little ribbon on it.  I think it's pretty :)

Advent calendar I cross-stitched in college:

Cara's pink Christmas tree.  We put one of her tutu's around the bottom of it for a tree skirt and set her sister's pointe shoes by it.  I made the pink Christmas trees by wrapping pink yarn around cones.  I saw a large tree like the yarn-wrapped trees in a boutique for $47.00!  I bought a skein of yarn and 3 cones and did them myself for around $7.00.

B's WSU Cougar tree.  He decorated it himself!

Here is my wrought iron Christmas card holder.  Only two cards so far.  The table was made by my grandpa.  We have a copy of The Polar Express and a jingle bell on the table next to a pointsettia.

Our Christmas tree.  It's mainly decorated in white and silver.  I love, love, love the sled I found in an antique shop this year!

Mantle:

An urn by the front door:

Buffet in the kitchen:

Front door:

Snow Village that takes up my entire dining room table with the extra leaves in the table.  And the china hutch behind it.  And the vintage stereo not pictured.  I get a new house every year for Christmas.  It takes the better part of a day and all family members to get it put up.

And last but not least, my new little antique pitcher with paperwhites sprouting up on the kitchen island.  Love it!

If you made it this far, thanks for looking.  Merry Christmas!

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Christmas Card Photo {Sunday Snapshot}



Well, it's done.  Almost.  I found the perfect card template on Costco.  Fifty cards for $34.50.  I bought the matching sweaters for A and B and the shirtdress for Cara.  Ordered the custom headband from Sophia Jane Boutique.

 

We had to wait for haircuts, highlights, and A's wisdom teeth removal.

 



Got the shots taken and edited super quick.  Everyone cooperated.  It was unbelievable!  Then to Costco's website.  Let's just say I started the upload 3 hours ago.  It's still loading for final card approval.  Hopefully it will be done, soon!

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