Happy Birthday Jane!

We were afraid she would forget us when we moved away...but she has not.  She knows our names and points us out in pictures to Nona daily.  She is the first one to come up and give us loves.  What a sweetheart, we love you Jane!

 

All photos by Stacy at Three Winks Studio.

Hanging with Max and Ben

Drew's arrival gave us some special time with Max and Ben.  We spent lots of time watching movies and playing with cars.  We also made a gingerbread house.  We got it almost all the way decorated when the roof fell off.  Seth stepped in to save the day and secured the roof in place.  Max and Ben put most of the candy on the house but quite a bit also ended up in their little mouths.

We also took a little trip to Costco.  These too talk about Costco like it is Disneyland. 

They did get a cart ride from Nona.  Who knew that Costco could be the Happiest place on Earth.

Newest Nephew

Max and Ben welcomed a little brother on Saturday, December 18th.  They are delighted to both be big brothers.  Here they are waiting outside the nursery to see Andrew Rockwell's first bath. 

Once Drew warmed up after the bath he was brought to Mary's room in a Christmas stocking.

Pennies for Christmas

Seth came up with a use for the pennies he has collected during our South Carolina travels.  He pulled out his toolbox and created this ornament.  I love the idea of being reminded of our all of our travels as we decorate the Christmas tree each year.

Christmas at Ashtabula

Seth is officially done with his first semester.  That is right...we are 1/4 of the way through our time in the South.  We celebrated his accomplishment by going on a date.  We went to a little Mexican restaurant on the town square in Pendleton called Vacqueros.  Then we went to the Ashtabula Plantation to see how Christmas was celebrated before and during the Civil War.   

Here are a few things we learned...

1. Ashtabula is considered to be in the Upstate of South Carolina.  Which means that we live in the Upstate...doesn't that sound classy.  Columbia is considered to be the Midlands and Charleston is considered to be the Lowlands.  
2. Most plantation owners had plantations in the Upstate or Midlands but spent most of their time in the Lowlands where crops were exported to Great Britain and beyond.
3. Charleston was dependent on the Upstate and the Midlands for production of crops, yet Charleston is where the money and wealth was located.
4. Thomas Green Clemson, founder of Clemson University is the son-in-law of John C. Calhoun.
5. John C. Calhoun was a Senator for South Carolina and served as the 7th Vice President of the United States.
6. South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union (December 24, 1860). 

It has finally turned cold here.  Here are a few pictures of us trying to stay warm on the beautiful wrap around porch at Ashtabula.  We are hoping to go back when it is a little warmer for a full tour.

Popsicles

We replaced our blender before Thanksgiving.  After looking at multiple reviews we decided to get a Kitchen Aid.  It doesn't match all of our appliances which I take as evidence that I did not break the last one on purpose.  So far we have been impressed with it.  Seth has used it make peach and sour orange popsicles.  Seth squeezed some fresh oranges then added cream and lemon juice...yum.

SCOUTING FOR COOKIES

Seth volunteered to go camping with the Boy Scouts on Friday Night.  They went to Unicoi State Park in Georgia.  They stayed in the Squirrel's nest campground as shown below...except all of the leaves were on the ground rather than up in the trees.  This site contains 16 hillside platforms that sleep 4 people each.  We would love to take visitors back for a night of camping here.  

The next day after packing up camp they stopped  in Helen, Georgia.  Seth showed me a few postcards and told me I would love the place.  I think I would, one website described Helen as a " re-creation of an alpine village complete with cobblestone alleys and old-world towers."  During the Summer visitors come to float the river and enjoy the quaint atmosphere.  It looks like it has pretty sweet Christmas decorations too.  Sorry all of these pictures are pulled from the internet...Seth left his camera battery charging on the counter.

 

While Seth was away I decided to get started on gifts for our neighbors co-workers.  I dipped 140 Oreos in mint chocolate.  Then I made my first ever attempt at Gingerbread Man Cookies.  I pulled out my America's Test Kitchen cookbook and found a recipe that claimed to make the perfect soft and chewy cookies.  I can know vouch that those claims are true.  As I took my first bite I was reminded of Nana's gingersnaps cookies.  The recipe recommended mixing the dough up in the food processor rather than the mixer.  I was a little skeptical but am know a believer.  Then I rolled out the dough, popped it into the fridge to chill for 20 minutes and then cut out my gingerbread men.  I may or may not have used a gingerbread cookie cutter ornament of Seth's.  Don't worry it is back up on the tree.

 

The next day I mixed up some frosting and decorated the little guys.  Seth was greeted by more than one smiling face when he got home.

 

Seth also made chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels and chocolate covered walnuts to add to our gifts.

Turkey Leftovers

We just finished our Turkey...yes two weeks later.  I had to get a little creative in how to use it all up.  

I made homemade turkey soup.  My mom described this recipe over the phone...she seriously has every recipe stored up in her head.  First I boiled down the turkey carcass in a few inches of water with 3-4 bouillon cubes for about an hour.  Then I removed the carcass and let it cool so I could remove all the meat and I strained the remaining chicken broth.  I sauteed an onion and then added about 1/4 of a cup of flour.  Then I added back in the broth, celery, carrots, and potatos.  Next year we are planning to add Jacque's homemade noodles to the mix.

I also made turkey pot pie.  This was by far my favorite leftover recipe.  I used the recipe on the Pioneer Woman website.  Her crust was so flaky and tender...I recommend using butter flavored Crisco.  After taking a few bites I realized that I forgot to put the cream in but I think it still turned out beautifully.

Finally...we had a mountain of stuffing leftover.  So I called my mom again and had her tell me how to make a stuffing casserole.  This one is super easy.  Spread out the stuffing in the bottom of the dish.  Then put leftover turkey on top of that.  Finally pour 2 cups of gravy on top and pop in the oven until warm.  Seth and I decided to add cheese...because cheese always makes things better.

So that is the story of our turkey...I kind of want to get another one just so I can test out more recipes.  My friend Amy sent me this yummy one for Baked Turkey Croquettes that I'm dying to test.

Happy Birthday Ashton!

We hope you have a good one.  We loved playing "I spy" and talking about Venus Fly traps with you a couple of weeks ago.  There were so many great pictures of you from our wedding day...we have taken the liberty to add a few captions for what we thought you might have been thinking. 

"Do I really have to wear pink."

"I wonder if I could jump onto the trampoline from up here."

Photos taken by Stacy at Three Winks Studio

Capture it

Dear Shutterfly,

This year can be summarized in one word "change" and you have been there to document all of them. We made our wedding sign in book using your photo books service.  This beautiful leather bound book sits on our end table and every time we pick it up we are reminded of our wedding day and of all of our family and friends.  

We are approaching our first Christmas as a married couple and had a hard time choosing from all of the Christmas Photo Cards that you have available.  After a few trial runs we decided on the Most Wonderful Time Christmas Card pictured to the right.  We have already picked out the photos we will use.  This card will be a wonderful way for us to remember our first Christmas together.   

We may also need to add a few other items to our order...Birthday Cards to celebrate all of our family members birthdays, Canvas Wall Art to spruce up some of our bare walls, or Photo magnets to liven up our fridge. 

Thank you for helping us "capture" the moments in our ever changing lives.

Love,
Suz & Seth

P.S. Thank you for the 50 Free Cards for blogging about all of your SPECTACULAR services.

Happy Birthday Benny!

We can't believe how much you have grown in the four months we have been away.  We officially request a "date" during the holidays.  We miss you and wish we could be there to see you blow out the candles. 

 

Photos by Stacy at Three Winks Studio

Our First Thanksgiving

Seth and I decided to make a Thanksgiving Feast to celebrate our first Thanksgiving together.

We started out Wednesday making pies.  I made the pecan pie pictured above.  Seth made the banana creme pie pictured below.  It was my first attempt at pecan and Seth's first attempt at a meringue.  The banana creme turned out a little too sweet...Seth has vowed to try again.  The pecan pie was heavenly, I found the recipe one of my favorite sites.  

The Christensen's host a Thanksgiving pie for breakfast party.  Everyone brings a pie and eats pie for breakfast.  There were many delicious pies to choose from...I think this is a tradition we may have to continue even when we move away from Clemson. 

Here is Seth carving our turkey.  It took a little longer to cook then we expected but it turned out perfectly juicy.

Here is a picture of our complete Thanksgiving Feast.  We know have a fridge full of yummy leftovers.

I made homemade stuffing.  I also found this recipe on the Pioneer Woman site.  It is made from cornbread and french bread.  I had to pull out a huge washing tub to mix it up in because we don't have any big bowls.  It was a bit of a pain to make but was worth it in the end.

We also made Candied Yams/Candied Sweet Potatoes.  This dish is a Southern Tradition but strangely we got the recipe and ingredients as a wedding present in Utah.  I have decided to share it...so that if I ever lose it I can find it again.

Best Ever Candied Yams

2 #2/2 can yams/sweet potatoes

2/3 cup butter   

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cup syrup from yams and from pinapple

1 8oz can crushed pinapple, drained

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 taspoon cinnamon

1 package minature marshmallows

Remove yams from can, leaving syrum.  Mash well until smooth.

Combine drained pinapple juice with the yam syrum (bring the measure to 1 1/2 cup).  Place in small saucepan and bring to bnoil.  At the boil, turn off heat and add brown sugar and butter.  Stir to mix; add the yams.  Then add crushed pinapple, nutmeg, and cinnamon and mix all together.  Put mixture in large glass baking dish.  Bake uncovered for at least one hour at 350 degrees, until mixture is firm.  just before serving, top with marshmallows and broil for about 2 minutes until the marshmallows are browned.

I also made my mom's home-made rolls.  This may be the first time I have made them since I lived in Provo.  They turned out beautifully and we had tons of leftovers for turkey sandwiches.

Seth made strawberry-banana Jello.  He said his last few attempts at Jello have not been successful...luckily this attempt was successful.  He topped it off with blueberry yogurt since we were low on Cool-Whip.

Seth also made mashed potatoes and gravy...yum.

It was a wonderful first Thanksgiving for us.  Here we are after eating entirely too much.  Next year we plan to share our gigantic meal with others...anyone want to come and visit?

2 Weddings, 4 Flights and 44 hours in Utah

Last weekend we returned to Utah for two weddings.  Seth's sisters Beth (Philip) and Audrey (Bret) were married up in Logan.   The night before Seth was busy finishing a project for school.  He even enlisted my help in coloring his site plan.  We were up a little late and celebrated the project completion by going out for a shake.

We were up quite early for our journey back to Utah.  We drove two hours to the airport, parked in long term parking, and caught the shuttle to the terminal.  We had booked the tickets at separate times and Seth's flight was scheduled to get in 4 hours later than mine.  We were able to finagle our way onto the same earlier flight.  First stop was Chicago.  The plan was tiny.  Seth literally had to duck his head even when he was standing up.  Once we arrived in Chicago we took the tram to our terminal and waited to our next flight.  The next plane was bigger but there was no in-flight movie :(  By 4 pm we had touched down in Salt Lake.  We were quickly reminded how cold Utah is.  We had come from 60-70 degree South Carolina weather.  It is still Fall here...not Winter.  My dad picked us up and after a quick drive downtown to check on the Downtown Rising project we arrived at my parents.

The whole family had come over for dinner.  JB had smoked a beef brisket and my mom had made my favorite wheat rolls...I can't even describe how much I have missed those rolls...I may or may not have stolen all of the left overs.  Emily, Jane, Max, and Ben were very happy to have their playmates back.  Here Emily and Jane are tackling Seth. 

Here is Max enjoying some mint chocolate chip ice cream.  He was a little shy when we first walked in the door but managed to warm up.  He even recited his part for his upcoming primary program.

Here is little Benny he was shy when we first arrived too...he still wasn't quite sure what to think in this picture.  This little guy has grown up so much since we left.  He is talking so much more.

The weddings were both up in Logan.  Here are Seth's nieces and nephews enjoying breakfast after the first wedding.

Here Seth is with his sister Beth.  For her wedding all the girls wore wreaths on their heads.  I didn't manage to get a picture of just Philip and Beth.

Here Seth is playing ring-a-round-the-rosies with a few of his nieces. 

Group hug...

Bigger group hug...Mark is under their somewhere.

Audrey and Bret.

 

Seth and Anara...she sat on his lap for the entire dinner.

Maddie, Ayrith Eden, and Anara.

Beth had always wanted a May-pole at her wedding.  Here Seth is setting it up.

Here little Ava is playing in the May-pole strings.

The kids and adults loved the May-Pole dance.

After the May-pole dance there was more dancing...let me tell you this family definitely knows how to cut a rug. 

 

Ashton turned into a ninja with a piece from the May-pole.  Let me tell you this ninja can dance.

We spent the night in Logan at Jill and Peters and then drove back to Salt Lake Sunday morning for our flight out.  We had a wonderful trip but it was entirely too short...we can't wait until we can come back and spend more time with friends and family.