Barntsen Christmas

After being in Omaha for a few days, we headed to Council Bluffs to the in-laws. Grant and Brooke kept us on our toes, and we all enjoyed hearing their stories and seeing their latest tricks ("skipping" being one of them.) Grant just knew that Santa was going to bring him a guitar and after Mimi made a special phone call to Santa's elves (literally), Grant got his wish!

Brooke loved her baby.Lots of snow = fun sledding!

Although, going down the hill is a lot more fun than coming up it.

Our little ISU cheerleader. Go State!

Playing bad guys in "the forest."
Wouldn't be a Barntsen Christmas without a girl's photo shoot and matching clothes *smile.
Yes, we were freezing. But so worth it for cute snow pics!
Well look at that, matching zip-ups and scarves...
Beautiful Brooke showing us her new outfits.
"So big!"
And so sweet!

Once again, we were lavished with fabulous food and quality family time. With Greg and Natalie living in Ohio, we cherish our time with them and their two adorable children. It's always wonderful to all be together in one place for a couple days.

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We got home late Tuesday night to feet of snow and ice in our driveway and sidewalk. Thankfully we live in a town home and don't have a ton to shovel, but it still took us about an hour to make a path. The gifts are not all unpacked, the house is a mess with boxes and things sprung here and there, there is laundry to do and thank yous to write, the dishwasher has yet to be unloaded and I didn't make my husband dinner BUT I got pictures uploaded, edited and two posts done and that makes me happy. I hope you had a blessed Christmas as well....

Sinclair Christmas

It was definitely a white Christmas in Omaha this year. We left for my sister's house two days early to beat the blizzard, and it's a good thing we did. We bunked in Ames Tuesday night and did the rest of the drive Wednesday morning. The long drive was worth every minute to be able to spend 3 days with this guy. Like the rest of our niece and nephews clan, he just melts my heart! I could hug and kiss him constantly. I love it when he puts his arms up for me and says my name. Ok, maybe he's a bit young for that, but I'm sure that "Auntie Sarah" is right around the corner.Games...you'll never believe who won! (Tom)
A baby photo shoot, of course.Robert bought enough king crab legs to feed the block...(he tends to go all out *smile.) They were delish.
Uncle Brent and Aunt Sara with Weston.
We missed having our other nephew, Jacob, in this picture on Christmas morning. Scott and Nikki couldn't make it because of the weather. Boo weather.
Presents!
Reading time. With friends.
And a last minute decision to try an all natural hair mask. It made my hair super shiny and soft and smelling like vinegar.

We received a food dehydrator and an ISU sweatshirt in the $30 adult exchange. The boys made out with some pretty sweet books, toys, movies and trains. We missed Scott, Nikki and Jacob, but tried to make the most of the time the rest of us had together. I am constantly gently reminded to be thankful for what I have been blessed with, and a loving, giving, fun family is high on that list.

Multitude Monday

#61...Fabulous holiday food.

#62...Seeing family, at least most of them.

#63...Crazy, happy, adorable nieces and nephews.

#64...Braving the storm and making it to Omaha.

#65...The blessing of gifts, gifts, and more gifts.

#66...Discussing life with the hubby on car rides.

#67...Family game time.

#68...Peaceful rest even when sick.

#69...A few days off from work.

#70...Remembering the birth of Jesus.

For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given. And the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

White Chicken Chili Soup

Question: What do you get when you take all of these ingredients and cook them in a pot?Answer: One super yummy soup.
Leave it to my sis-in-law Natalie, once again, to provide me with a delicious soup recipe. Not lying - she won "best chili" with this recipe in a cook-off a few years ago. It almost exactly filled a 3 quart pot, so it makes a ton and she says it freezes extremely well. I'm taking it to our family Christmas *smile. As Natalie says in the article, "The secret to making a good chili is not being afraid to experiment." Well said.
- Ingredients -
4-5 cans great northern beans (drained and rinsed)
2 large onions, chopped
2 sticks unsalted butter plus 2 T
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 cups chicken broth
2.5 cups fat-free half-and-half (I substituted one of the cups with milk)
3 teaspoons Tabasco, or to taste
4 teaspoons chili powder
3 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
3 4-oz cans mild green chilies, drained and chopped
7 cups chicken, cooked and cut into 1/2" pieces (2-3 rotisserie chickens)

Garnish with Colby Jack shredded cheese and sour cream

- Preparations -
In a skillet, cook onions in 2 T butter over moderate heat until softened.

In a large pot, melt 2 sticks butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking constantly for 3 minutes. Stir in onion and gradually add broth and half-and-half, whisking constantly. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in Tabasco, chili powder, cumin and pepper. Add beans, chilies and chicken and cook mixture over moderately low heat, stirring 20 minutes. Makes a ton of soup! Garnish with cheese and sour cream.

Multitude Monday

#51...Sweet nephews to babysit and enjoy.

#52...One exciting Survivor finale.

#53...Anticipation of celebrating Christmas with family.

#54...Five more presents wrapped. Three to go...

#55...Getting errands done.

#56...Random adventures with my friend Erin.

#57...Relaxing with the hubby.

#58...A bed so comfy, I don't want to leave it.

#59...The blessing of protection.

#60...Lessons that teach us things we need to know.

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

I think Santa would like these...

Ingredients

• 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup finely chopped hazelnuts, toasted (I skipped those)
• 1/3 cup hazelnut-chocolate spread (such as Nutella)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt; stir with a whisk. Place butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Stir egg yolks with a whisk, adding espresso, if desired. Add the yolk mixture and vanilla to butter; beat well. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat at low speed just until combined.

3. Turn dough out onto a sheet of wax paper; knead 6 times or until smooth and shiny. Shape dough into 28 (1-inch) balls. Roll sides of balls in nuts, pressing gently. Arrange balls 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Press thumb into center of each cookie, leaving an indentation. Bake, 1 batch at a time, at 350° for 10 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks. Spoon hazelnut-chocolate spread into center of each cookie.

4. Enjoy with a glass of milk!

I wish...

...Smarties didn't make a crackling noise when you opened them so then my cube neighbors wouldn't be able to count how many I eat in one day. (I have a new addiction.) I may or may not have eaten over 250 calories in Smarties alone today. That's just an estimation b/c I have honestly lost track of how many little, itty bitty rolls I've had. It's odd how that happens. I also wish Shannon was alive to celebrate his birthday today. I can only imagine the party he's having in Heaven, but I know a lot of people miss him desperately here on earth.

Just two small wishes...

Chocolate Chunk Hot Cocoa Mix

I found this recipe in my Real Simple magazine and decided to make hot chocolate for my girlfriends this past weekend. If you're looking for a thoughtful, homemade gift, I would suggest giving these a try. Aside from being a bit messy to assemble, they're pretty easy and festive.

Chocolate Chunk Hot Cocoa Mix

You Need:

• 2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¾ cup sugar
• 8 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate (I used chocolate chips to simplify my life.)
• Airtight jars of your choice

What To Do: In a bowl, combine the cocoa, sugar, and chocolate. Hand write or download the following instructions on a gift tag or label to include with your gift: “In a small saucepan, whisk ¼ cup cocoa mix with ¾ cup milk. Bring to a bare simmer. Serves 1.”

Makes: 1 gift

Super cute!

Multitude Monday

#41...Sunshine on cold winter afternoons.

#42....A warm house.

#43...A refrigerator full of leftovers for lunches this week.

#44...Christmas cards arriving in the mail!

#45...A helpful husband who pitches in without being asked.

#46...Lazy Saturday afternoons with girlfriends.

#47....Healing for sick family members.

#48...Coworkers I actually enjoy spending time with.

#49...A car with AWD to get me through the snow this week.

#50...Wine.

Be joyful in hope, patient in afflication and faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

Christmas Parties!

I love opportunities to thank my friends for being in my life, and one way to do that that has kind of become a tradition is having them over for a little Christmas brunch. There's food and music and fun and laughter and gifts and movies and it's always a special time. I look forward to all being together, if only for a few hours, and yesterdays get together was no exception.

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Wonder what is in those packages?!....

It's always tough deciding which gift to open....Kirsten had the difficult task of going first.There was some gift stealing...and stealing again...but with purses and earrings and puffer vests and nail polish and martini glasses and lotions being opened left and right, that is to be expected. Overall I think everyone walked away quite pleased. My Andes mint cookies are already gone. The cookie monster must have come over night. So odd.Then we all snuggled up on the couch to watch Four Christmases. It was cute!Saturday night was also my work holiday party at The Bank restaurant in the Westin hotel.

I work with a great group of people! We ended up staying later than I had expected - it was just that fun *smile.

Then today we hosted 14 people for lunch and small group. I love busy weekends filled with lots of fun, but I think I will go to bed a liiiiittle earlier tonight *smile. I hope you had a nice weekend as well.

Kate

A couple weeks ago, I did a photo shoot with my coworker's baby as part of our company's United Way campaign. I thought I would share a few of my favorites...




Kate was the perfect baby model! It was great to meet her - they are blessed with a beautiful little girl *smile.