It's a...

BOY!

Oh Christmas Tree

We might not have hot water or even be sleeping here, but we have our Christmas Tree!

I just had to get it up, so Haws and I went and picked out a fresh tree, had it chopped down and took it home. I love real Christmas Tree's. I know they can be a hassle, but I love the smell. I don't think I can ever own a fake one. Just my personal preference.

Why I Haven't been blogging

The weekend after Thanksgiving we started our move from our cozy little apartment into our new house!
It has been a crazy few weeks, but we finally got everything out of the apt today and handed over the keys. That felt good. Now we are just waiting until we can actually sleep at our new place! Our water heater hasn't been working, so we have been trying to figure out the problem and get someone out to fix it. This is harder than one would think... but I think we may actually be able to be staying there next week :) Thank goodness my parents have been kind enough to have us stay with them while we wait for hot water.

This is the apt as we were moving... what a mess!

Thank you guys for coming and helping out! We couldn't have done it with out your help.

This was just one of many trips. How did we fit so much into that 2 bedroom apt???

The new place... still trying to get settled in.

And another reason I haven't been blogging is because of this little one!

It is crazy how such a small thing can make such a huge impact on how you feel. I have just not felt like myself... tired, sick and eating things I thought I would never touch! I never thought I would be so grateful for Del Taco :)
So I am 11 1/2 weeks pregnant. We couldn't be more excited! This has been something we have been trying for for a long time and we are so happy everything is going so well. I had a miscarriage right before this, so I was a little nervous at first, but now I am just excited! The best part is seeing the ultrasounds and seeing the baby move around. It's crazy to think that is inside of me! Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us and being so positive. It really helped.
Baby Hexberg is coming near the end of June.

TATER TOT CASSEROLE

Taeler and Dana welcomed their baby girl Raegan Elarie into the world on Nov 14th.
She was 7lbs 4oz and 20 inches and beautiful!

I wish I had a picture of the fam, but Taeler would have killed me.

Once they all got home, me and the girls took dinner over. I made my mom's tater tot casserole and I promised to give everyone the recipe. So here it is!
I made it again for us, with out the corn. So the pictures are minus the corn.

TATER TOT CASSEROLE

1lb extra lean ground beef
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 cans cream of mushroom (or celery) soup
1 (10-12oz) frozen bag of corn
1 bag of tater tots
1 c. grated cheese

Brown beef and drain. Add in soup mix, soups and corn. Stir until warm. Layer half of tater tots into a 9x13 pan. Pour in meat mixture and cover with the rest of tater tots. Sprinkle cheese over the top and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbling and tater tots are crispy.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
I hope your night is full of ghouls and goblins!

Here is a little treat for those gluten free peps out there.
Everyone will love this as well! Haws didn't even know the difference between the gluten and non-gluten version!

This makes 2 loaves. When I made it, I just cut everything in half to make one loaf and it turned out great!

Light Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

1 (15oz) can of pumpkin puree
1/4 c oil
3/4 c applesauce
4 eggs
2/3 c water
3 c sugar

3 1/3 c gluten free all purpose baking mix
1/2 tsp xathan gum
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cloves
1 1/2 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9x5x3 in loaf pans.
In mixer, mix pumpkin, oil, applesauce, eggs, water and sugar until well blended. In separate bowl, combine baking mix, baking soda and powder, salt and all the spices. Stir dry ingredients and chocolate chips into the wet mixture until blended. Pour into pans.

Bake for about 40 mins or until toothpick comes out clean.

Robin and Cody

My very dear friend Robin got married last weekend to the wonderful Cody.
I was honored to be one of her bridesmaids and had so much fun being a part of their big day.
Aren't they a great looking couple? They are even better once you get to know them. Cody really is the perfect guy for Robin and I am so happy that she found him and gave him a chance :)
Who knew a Christmas scarf would lead to a marriage... you just never know.
Love you guys!

Coming out from the Temple.

The Wedding Party

Outside the Santa Ana Country Club where they had their reception. It was beautiful!

The Girls

Cody proposed to Robin inside a photo booth at the fair to capture the moment. So it only seemed right to have a photo booth at the wedding to capture those moments with all of their guest.

Here are just a few.

These are all the girls who get electrolysis from Tracey. She is awesome and Robin has been a great marketing person for her. These girls are nice and smooth :)

Dinner in a Pumpkin

Ever since one of my clients told me about cooking a stew in a pumpkin, I have been wanting to try this.
It was super easy and turned out delicious!
There are a lot of different things you can put inside the pumpkin. Any type of stew would probably work. Perfect for fall weather... if we ever get it!

Here is what I did:

One small pumpkin
1 can organic red beans
1 can organic diced tomatoes
1/2 med onion, chopped
1 zucchini, cut lengthwise and chopped
1 tsp cumin, curry, garlic salt, italian seasonings
1/2 tsp nutmeg, cinnamon, red pepper


Preheat oven to 325. Cut off top of pumpkin and spoon out all the seeds. Combine the rest of the ingredients and place in the pumpkin. If you have left over filling, you can place it in a separate baking dish and cook along side the pumpkin.
Cover the pumpkin in foil in case it spills and place in a baking dish. Cook with the top off for about 2 hours. When serving, scrap the insides of the pumpkin and mix the flesh with the stew. Yummy!