Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is one of my favorite days of the year. I love the excitement and anticipation with the kids and we have lots of fun family traditions as well. (Shocking, I know!) This year we headed to Texas Roadhouse for an early dinner. We love that place and have gone there for Christmas Eve for quite a few years. After coming home, we had an early surprise on our front doorstep. "Santa" had left 3 packages for the kids. Porcelain dolls for the girls and a woodburning kit for Cayden. We were all very surprised and grateful for this mysterious "Santa". The kids also received their letters from Santa reminding them to go right to sleep or he would have to go to a different house. After that, we made our cookies for Santa, reindeer food for the reindeer, and egg nog for Santa as well. We then put the final piece on the advent calendar and hang up stockings. We pulled up the "Santa Tracker" on the laptop so we could show the kids where Santa currently was. That was SO much fun for them to see, especially because they have learned about so many of the countries in school already. Rob read the kids "Twas the Night Before Christmas" followed by a stirring musical rendition from Cayden and me of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" as well. Cayden learned it last year in school and it is hilarious to listen to. Right before bed we read the Christmas story from the bible, sang "Silent Night" and said our prayers. Then we tucked the children all snug in their beds and Rob and I started wrapping presents. Another tradition that we're not sure if we like or not, but every year it happens that we are up way into the night wrapping gifts. We had the added "help" of Sadie this year who has decided to plant her little behind on everything that resembles something she could sit on...including every present that we wrapped. It was another fun Christmas Eve at the Peacock Home.

Sadie thought it was more fun to throw her stocking on the ground and laugh
Ashlee and McKell hanging up their stockings

Cayden and his stocking

The whole crazy crew on Christmas Eve. Pretty darn cute aren't they!?

Daddy reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Gifts from Secret Santa

Making our magic reindeer food!

Our Christmas Angel Ballerina

Tonight was a proud Mama moment for sure! It was McKell's first ever dance recital and it was SO wonderful. She started taking dance in the fall from Tiffany Dance Co. here in Herriman and they do a great job! McKell has always been a natural dancer and has begged me to get into dance for years. I was so happy to finally find someone so close and so good. McKell is in the ballet/tap class and she really loves the ballet. Her class did their dance to "Silver Bells". They were all dressed in white and silver and looked beautiful. McKell did such a great job and I was SO proud of her. She was so graceful and beautiful. She was very excited to get flowers from Rob and me for good luck. It was a very special evening for sure!Our sweet McKell with her flowers from Mom and Dad
They were all so cute!

"Ring a ling....hear them ring..."

McKell's closing pose.

Girls' Night Out for the Holidays

For the past 2 years I have hosted a girls' night out for the holidays. It is SO much fun and definitely what we women need during the hectic holiday season. Everyone brought such yummy food and we just sat around and ate, laughed, and had an overall great time. We joked that it was refreshing to actually just have to fix one plate at a holiday party, not 3 or 4 extra for the kids, who then in the end don't eat it anyway. It is a must-have break for sure! At the end, we do a white elephant style ornament exchange which is always a highlight. I think we had about 30+ ladies here this year. This is a tradition I will always continue, not just for myself, but for the wonderful women that come and have a great time with me!

Some of the yummy food everyone brought

Janene, Stacie, Caroline & Erin

Stacey, Dorey, and Tricia

Lisa, Rebecca, Jade, Adrienne, Amy & Josie

Audrey, Beth, Adrian, Lisa, & Rebecca

Amy's hot ornament earrings!

Leanne, Amy, Jailyn, Hailey, Lise, and Janene

Christmas Piano Recital

Cayden and McKell both had their first Christmas piano recital. Cayden did one recital in the spring but it was McKell's first. They both did such a wonderful job. I don't know where they get their nerves from, but it certainly isn't from me. They were both very calm and sure of themselves. They have a great piano teacher, Wendy Gillette, who does a wonderful job with them. They really enjoy piano lessons. Cayden definitely enjoys the practicing more than McKell, but I guess that is to be expected with their age difference. We were so proud of them and their great work at their recital!

Cayden and McKell with their piano teacher, Wendy.

Our 2 little pianists

McKell played "Santa's Workshop"

Cayden played "We Wish you a Merry Christmas"

New Blog

Okay, so I have decided to do another blog totally dedicated to recipes. Let me preface this with the fact that I do not think I am the world's best cook...by any means. But I do enjoy cooking and love making new things. At the same time, I love EASY things to make. I'm way too busy to go for gourmet right now. Cooking is something in my genes. My mother spends countless hours in the kitchen, as did her mother. Cooking and baking are skills they have mastered and a skill I am working on. I'll add new recipes that I try, family favorites, etc. and hope you'll give me feedback. If you have any recipes to submit, let me know. I'd love to try them out. Here's the link:
http://marcisfavoriterecipes.blogspot.com/
Enjoy!

Holiday Baking and Delivering

So this past weekend we continued our fun holiday tradition of holiday baking day. We started this a few years ago and as the kids have gotten older, it has become more and more fun. We spent all day on Saturday baking a ton of different things. My poor kitchen was a wreck! McKell was by far my biggest helper, but they all helped along the way. I was exhausted by the end of the day, but all of the 45+ neighbor gift plates were assembled and ready to go. On Sunday evening, we hooked up the little trailer, grabbed a ton of blankets, bundled everyone up and off we went. Rob drove the car with Sadie inside with him. The older kids and I sat in the back of the trailer and had a blast! It was freezing cold, but so much fun to have the kids jump in and out of the trailer running plates of goodies to people. It is truly one of the highlights of our Christmas season. Afterwards, as tradition would have it, we had hot cocoa and watched the First Presidency Christmas devotional on TV in our pajamas by the fire. It really doesn't get any better! Here are a few pics and recipes from our baking day:

YUMMY Caramel Popcorn

This is such a fun and easy recipe:

Pop 2 batched of air popped popcorn and set aside in a large bowl.

In a pan, combine 1 square butter, 1/2 C light corn syrup, and 2 C Brown Sugar. Bring this to a boil and let boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp vanilla. Poor over popcorn and mix well. Spread out on a baking sheet or form into popcorn balls. YUM!

Peppermint Marshmallows

I actually saw these in a magazine and decided to try them. You just make a glaze of water and powdered sugar and crush up some candy canes. Dip one end of the marshmallow in the glaze and then into the crushed candy cane. Put on parchment paper while they dry. These are SO yummy in hot cocoa. Next year I think I am going to dip them in melted chocolate and then candy cane. YUM! Peppermint Brownies

These are from a recipe I got from Kneaders Bakery. They are so yummy!

Ingredients: Brownie 1 cup butter 4 oz unsweetened chocolate 2 cups sugar 1 teaspoons vanilla 4 eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips Melt the chocolate and butter in a 2 quart bowl in the microwave on high for 3 minutes, stirring every 20 – 30 seconds until the chocolate is melted. Cool slightly. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix well with a spatula. Add the flour and stir to combine. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread into a buttered 13-inch x 9-inch x 2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Do not overcook. Cool. Ingredients: Filling ½ cup softened butter, margarine, or shortening 2 cups confectioners’ sugar 2 drops mint flavoring or to taste 1 drop pink food coloring In a small bowl, beat the confectioners’ sugar, butter and mint flavoring until smooth. Add food coloring to make a light pink. Spread evenly over cooled brownies and then chill. Ingredients: Chocolate Ganache ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips ¼ cup heavy cream crushed peppermint ( red and white) Put the chocolate chips and cream into a small bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute stirring every 20 – 30 seconds until chocolate is melted. Do not over heat. Immediately pour over the brownies. Decorate with crushed peppermint. Do not refrigerate. Mixture will set up on brownies in about 15 – 20 minutes.
My 2 little helpers licking the brownie bowl

We made a ton of gingerbread men using my mom's old fashioned gingerbread man recipe

My helpers loved cutting out the gingerbread men

The gingerbread men all decorated and ready to go!

All bundled up in the back of the trailer. Off we go to deliver plates!
PS I almost forgot to mention that there were some people not home that night so we left their plates on the front doorstep. We later found out that the Herriman deer population had a very happy evening and at least one of our sweet friends found an empty plate with the tag still attached with nothing in it! Who knows how many people this happened to...hopefully not many! Dang those deer!!

Thanksgiving Weekend

I know I'm a bit behind, but here are a few highlights from last weekend. I went down on Wednesday night to help my Mom get ready for Thanksgiving. I do this every year, but this year was extra fun because I took McKell with me. It really was a special generational moment with me, my mom, and my daughter all in the kitchen together preparing for Thanksgiving. Something I think we will do from now on for sure. The next day was spent getting pies made, rolls made, etc. I am always in charge of making the "Grandma Steedman Rolls". They weren't as good as I would have liked, but they seemed to get eaten. We had a wonderful meal at my parents' home with 31 of us there. The food was amazing...especially ALL those pies! On Saturday we did the annual Christmas tree hunt out in Eureka. We have gone out to Eureka for Christmas trees ever since I was a child. My mom's family is from this small mining town and we LOVE going out in the mountains every year and actually chopping down our Christmas tree. Afterwards, we came to our house for the traditional sloppy joe dinner, wassail, hot chocolate, and a warm fire. It was a great weekend!

Just some of the huge crew at Thanksgiving dinner!

Sadie and my nephew, Justin. She was fascinated with him when he would chomp the celery sticks. She was so proud of herself when she figured out how to do it too!

Look at ALL of those yummy pies!

Some of my handsome (and apparently hairy) nephews!

My "Grandma Steedman" rolls

Sadie is ready to EAT!!
The Peacocks have found their Christmas Tree! (Sadie's face cracks me up!)

Sweet little Sadie was in heaven being outside all day! She is our little outdoors girl!

The kids thought it was great to get to ride in the trailer.

Sadie pretty much summing it up...after a long and fun day she fell sound asleep on my brother's 4 wheeler when we took her for a ride and didn't wake up until we got home.