Monday, December 22, 2014

Weekend Wrap-Up: I'm on Vacation Edition!

Happy Monday, friends!  And Happy CHRISTMAS WEEK!!! WOO HOO!!!!!

I'm making a concerted effort to soak up every single possible moment this week.  You can expect a lot of oversharing on Instagram and WAY too many pictures of my kids ;)  You're welcome.

Friday morning the boys found a BUNCH of balloons next to our bed... the balloons were supposed to be on the floor of their bedroom, but Buddy must have gotten tired after blowing up two dozen balloons at 1:00 a.m. ;)


Friday was super hectic - our babysitter left for vacation Thursday night - so Dave stayed home with the littles in the morning while I gave two exams.  He had to be at work before lunchtime, so Mason and Griffin went to Kids Club (drop-in daycare at the Country Club) and then I dropped Luke off there with them after our early release and before our staff luncheon.  Told you.  Nuts.  

When I went to pick them up, Mason was wearing ONLY an adult XL golf tournament t-shirt.  Apparently my fully potty-trained almost-four-year-old decided he was afraid of the bathrooms there.  Awesome.  He seems really torn up about the situation, right??? :)

Once we were all home, we immediately started the snuggle sesh...

Griffin took a nap and then this kid passed out, too.  It was awesome.

Luke and I played some games and after G woke up we attempted to wake the beast.

We were unsuccessful at stirring Mason (he is the HEAVIEST and HARDEST sleeper of all time), so instead we put in some piggies, brushed our teeth and worked on our selfie faces :) hahaha


Mason finally decided to get up, but only if he wore my hat over his entire face and could chase us around with his "grabber".

After dinner I dug out this music box from my "memory box" full of stuff from when I was a kid.  Also in the box was a pair of wooden shoes that I wore ALL THE TIME (my grandparents are Dutch), when I was Mason's age. Yes... still in his t-shirt, but now with wooden shoes.  Fabulous.

We watched a movie and then this happened....

Saturday morning we found Buddy disguised as a Lego Minifigure version of himself...

In case you're curious, I just cut it out of scrapbook paper and taped it on...

Saturday morning we hit the library and grocery store and spent some time browsing through Christmas cards :)

... and checking on the tree :)


We played a rousing game of London Bridge...


And then my Griffin took a nap, my mom invited the boys to come play at their house and I got busy in the kitchen.

It was rainy and cold and quiet in my house - so chicken pot pie it was.

It's a taste of home recipe, but first I diced and boiled 2 cups of potatoes and 1 3/4 cups of carrots until they were crisp/tender.

After they were cooked, I melted 2 sticks of margarine and cooked 2/3 cups of chopped onion until they were soft.



After the onions were soft I added in 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 cups milk and 3 cups of chicken broth along with a few shakes of salt and pepper.  I stirred it constantly until it bubbled/boiled and then cooked it for about 2 minutes - it was thick and creamy and delicious.


Once it was thick and bubbly, I put in 1 cup of frozen peas, 1 cup of frozen corn, the potato/carrot mixture, and 4 cups of chicken (I used rotisserie chicken).
 

I used store bought crusts, and poured half of the mixture into two of them.

I topped them off with the remaining two crusts, cut slits in the top and popped one in the oven (350 for about 35 minutes).

The other one I wrapped in foil and put in a freezer bag.  When I'm ready to cook it, I'll take it out of the freezer 30 minutes before I bake it (do not thaw!), cover the edges loosely with foil and bake it at 425 degrees for 30 minutes and then reduce it to 350 degrees and bake another 70-80 minutes until it's golden brown.



I let it sit for 15 minutes before I cut into it...

... and when I did it was PERFECTION!!!

Everyone was a fan ;)

Before dinner, I snapped this picture of Luke and GG and I'm obsessed with it.  Her smirk and squishy baby legs.  The way Luke is looking at her.  Everything.

After dinner this was my view for about 42 readings of this book :)


Then I set about my weirdest Elf antic yet :)


Last night, after the boys went to bed, I blew up another yellow balloon and replaced the one with Buddy in it with the empty one - so it looked like he disappeared out of there without popping it :)  I have hopes it blows their little minds. hahaha

Sunday morning G and I sported some Christmas colors (ignore the mud - we're having our fence repaired/replaced and it's kind of a wreck right now).

Church wiped this boy OUT!! Which is surprising, since he fell asleep at 5:00 p.m. Saturday night and didn't wake up until 8 am!!!  I think he's going through a growth spurt because he's been exhausted and starving all the time!


After church Luke "painted" his face with my eyeliner (he was dressed up as a fighter pilot and apparently that required smudges on his cheeks), so Mason wanted a cat nose and whiskers.  I was walking out the door to go run some errands and I snapped this pic on my way out...

He's a hot, adorable mess.


And speaking of hot, adorable, pantless messes...



the rest of the night I spent playing around with a few new finds from Home Goods and getting some appetizers ready for Christmas with Dave's parents and brother (we're celebrating tonight!).

I hope y'all had a fun and festive weekend and are ready for the most fun week of the year!  We're heading to The Gaylord this morning and doing Christmas with Dave's family tonight.  I'm meeting up with a childhood girlfriend on Tuesday (road trip!) and Tuesday night is Jammie Cocoa Christmas and lights. Wednesday my grandma (Oma!) is coming in to town and then Christmas Eve at Dave's grannys house, presents with Mark and Diana after church and then CHRISTMAS!!!  Lots of food, lots of fun and lots of family.  Can't wait!!!

12 comments :

  1. What a fun weekend! Yay for being on vacation!!!! Have the best week

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  2. I love, love, love all of the Christmas pics of your sweet family! I can't wait to see the over-sharing on Instagram this week ;). Calling you later today to discuss so much friend....love you!

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  3. There's so much to say...G in those piggies, G pointing at the tree, Mason in the big long shirt and wooden shoes, the chicken pot pie!! Loved it all!!!

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  4. Your kids are cute...but that chicken pot pie is GORGEOUS.

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  5. I love your Mason pictures and stories! Enjoy your time at home with your cuties.

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  6. Merry Christmas Andrea! I love that you OVER SHARE on IG....as a mama of 2 grown kiddos, its these times that make me the most sad because they are living their own lives and super busy and no grand babies yet (which is fine..they are 22 and 25!) So I get to live vicariously thru all of you! Shay, Narci, Erica and YOU! Thank you for making THIS mama happy with all your fun pictures and posts!

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  7. Reading your blog has become one of my favorite morning activities :) that elf on the shelf idea is seriously GOLD! And that chicken pot pie is going on my must try recipe list.

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  8. That picture of Mason in the country club shirt is hilarious. So funny.

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  9. LOVE the pic of Mason in the shirt and wooden shoes! And also glad to know my boys aren't the only ones who walk around the house in my shoes AND with no pants on!!
    Have an amazing Christmas Andrea!!

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  10. I loveeeee your blog! I'm about to make the chicken pot pie and was wondering if your pie crusts are frozen. If so, did you defrost or cook them before filling them and baking?

    Thank you!!!!!
    Lauren

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    1. Hey, girl! They're frozen and I do let them thaw. I don't bake them before. hope that helps!!!

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  11. Hi Andrea! Just thought I'd let you know how much I love this recipe - I have had it bookmarked since you first posted. This year, while most people pass out cinnamon rolls, candy, and/or Christmas cookies, I made a double batch of your chicken pot pies and passed them out to my neighbors. LOL! They were a hit! :) Have a Merry Christmas!

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