KRISTEN IN THE RAW.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Monthly Dinner - Nontraditional Thanksgiving

Our monthly dinner has resumed, thanks to the safe arrival of our newest member. Such a sweetie pie. Nontraditional Thanksgiving was the theme.

Deep-fried Cornish game hens

Candied mandarins with cranberries

Smoked Gouda mashed potatoes

Green bean casserole

Wild rice with apricot, cranberry, and pecans

Vegetable tarte tatin. (This contributed to me burning and blistering two of my fingers. Caramel is hot. Very, very hot.)

Roasted brussell sprouts with hazelnuts and pomegranate molasses

The newest member of the house - sweet Josephine

Mr. Host looking his fiercest.

Stay tuned for German food next month...
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Thursday, January 19, 2012

Happenings

Hello, all. Here's some of the latest and greatest happenings. I debated for five whole minutes on whether 'happenings' was spelled happenings or happennings. I will not let google win. I'm sticking with happenings.

Cozy evenings by the fireside...
 

Bowling with friends. The sad thing about this picture - that is not even my score. I got there so late that my friends went ahead and bowled for me. And I am glad because I don't think I have ever even gotten that score, even when I try. I'm quite a pathetic bowler.

Babysitting some of my favorite little people, Leighton and Harper...

... and making silly faces with Carter...

...and being with one of my favorite big people, photo credits to Carter, an aspiring photographer as you can tell...

Wandering around the Stock Show, I met THESE cowboys...

... and another favorite big people...
 

I seriously think the calf scramble is my favorite part. All these poor teenagers with dreams of tying up a calf and getting a scholarship, who stop running after twenty seconds because they are out of breath. Ten points to the calves for outsmarting them. Bye-bye scholarship.
 
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Thursday, January 5, 2012

Happenings and Resolutions

Hello friends, near and far. So, belive it or not, I DID make a New Year's Resolution. Actually, I'm not really fond of the word 'resolution'. Because, really, how many people have kept their "resolution" by the end of the year? Yeah, that's what I thought. So I'm just going to say GOAL. Yes, a new goal. A picture a day. I would like to take at least one picture a day. That doesn't mean I'm going to post them all, but I still want to do it. So - the following pictures are a few of my pictures of the day pictures. Except the first one. That was in December.


A wedding in Oklahoma. I felt a TAD nervous with an airplane hanging over my head.


Bowling with friends...


Having friends stay at my house...


My first ever (and hopefully only) flat tire. At six o'clock in the morning. On the way to transporting friends to the airport. In the freezing cold. Far from my house. A tire hobbit jumped out at me with a knife and slashed my tire.


This event deserves more than one picture. How many people does it take to change a tire? I don't know the official number, but I did have to call for backup. And then I had to hobble over to my sister's house and make her husband go with me to the tire shop. It was truly a humbling experience.


My sweet niece painted me this picture. She knows I like butterflies. Quite a bit. She said that she is the little butterfly at the top and I am the big butterfly. I'm wondering if that was a hint that I should be making another New Year's... goal... to lose weight, because that butterfly is quite plump. Food for thought. NO! NO FOOD!

Anyways, she really is a sweetie. I conked out on her bed (changing a tire is exhausting) and she put the picture right next to the bed so that I would see it first thing when I woke up. I love you, Caitlin!

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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

California Trip

I had a dandy time in California...










"Make new friends but keep the old, some are silver, the others are gold"

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Monday, January 2, 2012

Welcome to Life, 2012!

For our New Year's Eve we had a night of pizza, homemade candy, and games.


Kristina and I celebrating in style. Don't mind the bathroom.


Two of the main pizza makers - Jenni and Jean. Oh, don't worry, I did my part - throwing cheese and vegetables on top, nibbling here and there, making sure nothing was too poisonous for public consumption. And such.


Who knows what a year may bring forth? Whoooo knows.


Here we have photo-bombing 101.


And more photo-bombing. Let me repeat - who knows what a year may bring forth?

I am so glad that all of ya'll are my family and friends and that no one would even dream of being offended by my minor commentation.


I tried to convince little Lee to celebrate in style. He was having none of it.

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