Now that the gifts have been opened!!

I can stop wondering what I got for Christmas! And let's just say that my hubby did a great job. I told him that I didn't want anything scrapbook related. Which was kinda hard for him because I have always wanted scrapbooking items so he really had to think outside the box.

And what he came up with is 2 awesome gifts that I have been wanting forever. I have wanted an Epson printer since forever for printing photos at home. I hated that our old printer could do everything under the sun but print a great photo. So now I can do that...and the second gift was Adobe photoshop elements 7....I have wanted Adobe forever. But I was so intimidated by all the things that you have to learn just for the downloads that I always talked myself out of getting it, but that won't be the case anymore. It is mine!! All mine... now only if I can get an new computer and wireless internet. I don't think I would ever leave my scrapbooking space...ok maybe I would. I haven't been down there in weeks.

But I did get down there before Christmas just so that I could make some cards...and here it is...

What's for dinner?

This is always a question at our house (and also on twopeas nsbr threads). I usually have planned what I am going to cook for a week or should I say what type of meat I am planning on using for the day. And today was that whole chicken that has been sitting in the refrigerator for a week. One of the best things about having such an awesome new refrigerator is that meat can't really go bad. I was just a little worried because it had been in there for a week and then I pulled it out...it was still partially frozen. So it had to sit in cold water for a little while.

I originally wanted to make chicken caesar wraps but remembered that I should not eat caesar dressing because it has raw egg in it! Darn pregnancy!! I luuuvvv caesar dressing. I think it will be ok to eat when I am closer to my due date (or that is what I am telling myself) l0l!

But the winning recipe was chicken chili. I have never made it before and it seems like something that would taste great. The only problem was that I had been grocery shopping already and I hadn't gotten white beans, mostly because I hate them, but also because I couldn't find canned ones anywhere. And it would take way to long to cook some. So I decided to use kidney beans and black beans instead. And here is the end result. I taste tested it and it is amazing. But what has happened during this pregnancy is that I can taste food while cooking but can't eat it when it's time for dinner. I just hope that my stomach will let me eat some of it when it's actually dinner time.

So what's for dinner at your house?? What new recipes are you trying out.

Also I have been searching for Christmas music that I can play for the kids while driving them to school. We usually listen to KTIS during the Christmas season but not that we are MP3 player users the kids want me to get music. So I have been looking high and low for some fun, energetic not so slow Christmas music.

Just a little updating...Some quick photos I forgot to add!

I am so excited because I just found another feature to add to the blog. And I can't wait to load it up with websites/blogs that I checkout frequently. I am falling in love with so many blogs, and yes it is an addiction! Truly it is. My little recipe box is filling to the brim with tons of recipes that I just gotta try out. Today while checking out flickr.com I found a scrapbooker that I thought had some awesome pics of food...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/taraanderson/

And I will be on the look out for other awesome food recipes. I am still putting together my seafood menu for Christmas. And I hope my van will be fixed (please Lord) before I miss the local sales on Lobster tails!

I volunteered at kidos school and because of that I got to get free pics of them. I was excited because I was able to get the photos on cd for 2 or the 3 kiddos. But I just had to show off LeiLani's pics...she was so cute on that day!! Although right at this moment she is yelling Mommie at the top of her lungs!

And just one other quick photo of LeiLani outside walking in for the first time in fall/winter. It snowed a few hours later so I was glad to get out when we did, especially because she cried because she had to walk in the snow. She didn't want it on her boots and she surely didn't like when I picked it up and tried to put it in her gloves. She wasn't happy at all. And one quick one from this last weekend. The kids were on their way outside to play in the snow with Dad. As I look at the photo I can really see how much LeiLani's hair has grown just in the last month.

So now family can see the most current pics of the kiddos. The school one will be coming in the mail within the week with Christmas cards.

Challenges...Free Gifts and Completed pages...

I am excited to be finishing an entire year of challenges on twopeasinabucket.com. I don't know if I will continue the challenges but they surely have been tons of fun. So if you want an end of the year push to get pages done here is the link to the challenge http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/mb.asp?cmd=display&thread_id=2700421

I have been looking up all kinds of recipes this week. We have decided after the great soul food Thanksgiving feast we had, that we aren't going to do a traditional Christmas dinner this year. Instead it will most likely be seafood/fish and pasta. I know it doesn't sound normal at all, but I can't wait! I have been looking for tons of recipes for lobster, and shrimp and debating on what I want to do. One of our favorite recipes is lobster pizza http://www.recipezaar.com/Lobster-Pizza-130845 but it won't make the cut for Christmas. I was thinking of making it an appetizer but hubby suggested just making it on Fridays as we normally do. But if you make the lobster pizza recipe, I suggest that you use plain butter and add fresh garlic to it...it tastes so good! I have never used the Land of Lakes roasted garlic spread!

But I have been looking forever for a lemon meringue pie that I would love. I think I am going to maybe stop the search for that and look for a square instead. I hope to find one that everyone in our family will love to eat. It is hard to have sweets when you have a couple of kiddos that have allergies to everything that goes into them. And although this is the case for lemon meringue pie/squares...Shoot I am prego and have been craving it!

Let's see what else is going on? Not a lot, my van didn't work this morning. I was so frustrated because I need to be able to get around and of course it had to die the one day that I had planned to go shopping for diapers and washing powder. I thought that was funny, so no laundry for me today!! LOL!!

We still don't have our tree up! We are so bad, company came over on Thanksgiving and so we didn't eat and then put up the tree as we usually do. So hopefully we will get it up real soon. Kentrel's birthday is this week and I don't want to have to do it this weekend before his party but that might be the only time we truly can get it done. I can't believe that we will have a 12yr old.

Oh my personal goal for this month is to complete all the pages of pics that I have developed for 2008...that is about 20 plus layouts....this normally wouldn't be that difficult of a goal, but considering the fact that I still have all day sickness, I am going to be amazed if I get into the basement to scrap. But I am going to try.