Christmas [Celebrate Christ!]

While you all are stuffing your faces and playing with your new toys [grown up toys included] Eric is napping, my gifts are charging [ever noticed once you get older your toys have to be plugged in more - they don't come ready to use?] So I am sitting here with puppy and lap top watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas and enjoying the day Christ was born. 

Now I've already posted my feelings about the commercialization of Christmas so I'll spare you that today and just suffice to write that today is about Christ and I'm grateful for His Sacrifice and Birth! [I'll put my soap box away today]

While my last post was all about me [my birthday fair enough] today I wanna hear from you! What did you get? How did you spend the day? Can you say it was a successful Christmas? [I'm serious talk to me - no sarcasm at all!]

Well for me it was a success [both materialistic & spiritually] Eric and I enjoyed our first Christmas together [it really was just sit tight I'll explain] So last year was our first Christmas married; however we spent it house hopping to insure that we saw all of our family members [it was nice seeing them but I could have done with out the house hopping] So this year as my parents live in Georgia and Eric's parents live 8 1/2 hours away from us and I work the day before AND the day after Christmas [yes feel bad for me] Eric and I were with out house hopping this year. We got to enjoy Christmas just him & I today [blissful!] 

Not Our Best But Worth It [we are Darling!]

So as our first Christmas together I wanted us to be happy and comfortable [we were lacking in family so why not have comfort] Comfort being food! I cooked our very first holiday meal! And I was not dumb I snapped photos of it ALL for proof [despite that I never lie some of you still don't believe- it's like not believing in Santa] I remembered half of the recipe's from growing up and helping mom with Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner and the other half of the recipe's I spent the week gathering them from my Mommy. Eric and I thankfully share most of our favorite holiday comfort foods so I made stuffing, broccoli salad, ambrosia salad, green bean casserole, rolls, gravy, mashed potatoes and turkey. [I wont lie it wasn't a whole turkey it was to turkey breast tenderloins - it's not like we would've eaten a whole turkey even with left overs]

Not as Exciting [It's cause it isn't homemade]

So now we know I'm officially domestic [what a Holly Homemaker! - No Molly Mormon Here!] So for the food I can't just tell you what we ate you must see everything; it took a great deal of my time and efforts [time is money; is it not?] So I'll start with the easiest: The mashed potatoes and gravy. I wont lie after it was all said and done and it was time to do the mashed potatoes and gravy I was exhausted and starving so they got down and done the easy way [next year I'll make them legit] Thank you Idahoan Potatoes for helping me make my Home-style mashed potatoes and McCormick for helping me make turkey gravy [yes it's easy but we didn't have a whole turkey to make it from scratch]

Perfect: They Look Homemade [looks count sometimes!]

Next were the rolls [I can't take credit for these either] Becky [shout out] introduced my Facer family to these about 3 years ago one Thanksgiving and they taste as if I'd baked them myself. So I figured why make them from scratch which will take hours [no lie have you ever made them it's a long process!] when I can just take them out of a frozen bag bake them for 10 minutes and voila! So my beautiful rolls aren't homemade but they tasted homemade and isn't that what counts [of course it is]

There's only half a pan left [it's my fav & Eric Loved it! Win]

On to the good stuff the stuff that took time: stuffing! I am quite the homemaker. [don't deny it - you agree] So the stuff inside the stuffing was Stove Tops box and then the rest was from scratch! I sauteed onions, celery, garlic and pine nuts in butter [I'm giving you a family secret to the best stuffing here so listen up and take notes] then I threw in diced up granny smith apple [I diced everything my self - it was all fresh] as well as craisin's and some chicken broth to finish the sauteing. In another pan I did the stove top box of stuffing then combined all of the fixins into one dish and popped it in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes to finish it all up. And  might I say it was delectably delicious! It even looked pretty! 

I figured if you didn't see the pan you wouldn't believe I made it! [I did]

Then the green bean casserole this one was quite simple really. Despite the ease of the dish it was made slightly difficult do to the lack of French's onions. So I improvised taking half the can and mixing it in the casserole and the other half I sprinkled on top. I also did not use 4 cans of green beans just 3 and it was perfection. [I doubled the recipe] It tasted nearly as good as the homemade stuffing!

Yum [that's all it needs, one word!]

Ambrosia salad which I only ever ate a little bit of growing up [it's got sour cream in it - yuck!] However this year with out my Mommy around I couldn't live with out it. So half way through this I couldn't believe that the dish actually mixes sour cream and cool whip together. I don't doubt my mom's skills [but I did doubt my note taking skills] So I called all the family last night [forgot the three hour time difference] With no luck from the family I Googled it of course to make sure I had it right, sour cream and cool whip. It was right [don't doubt your mother] Surprisingly the two mixed together with pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges, mini marshmallow's and coconut it is a sweet treat and was a nice touch with all the warm dishes [ I didn't have to make pie either] 

It tastes better than it Looks! [that's what he said - I'm on a roll!]

Broccoli salad is not something I had every year growing up it became a family dish one year during my early teens and it stuck. Now it's not Thanksgiving or Christmas with out it. So I had to add it to the dishes we made. I take it all back I didn't do dinner all by myself Eric helped [he cooked and shopped the bacon] What I learned during this dinner making process is I actually have more than baking skills. I have cooking skills. The salad requires that you don't measure things. It's more or less that it's all about the taste. You measure things with pinches and hand fulls of shredded cheese, broccoli, bacon, red onion, and a homemade dressing [I'll give you that recipe if you ask for it] I thought I'd suck at this but I pretty much rocked it! Eric even thought the dish was a nice add to our usual Holiday dishes.

It Looks Good [until you get inside - that's what she said!]

And last to add is the turkey breast tenderloins. Now I grew up with Thanksgiving and Christmas you have Turkey [New Year's & Easter you have Ham] However there is no way in Sam hell that Eric and I could eat an entire turkey even if we lived on left over's for a week [that's with him eating every two-three hours like normal] So I figured good compromise is turkey breast tenderloins. Should be easy just cook it like Chicken ya know. [nope not the case] I called mom for help and no go she'd never done anything like this...ever so I was flying solo on this one. I threw some salt and pepper and butter on these two puppies and then filled the bottom of the pan with some chicken broth [what there was no turkey broth and it was better than beef broth - they're both birds at least] I threw it in the oven checked it after 30 minutes. Then again after another 30 minutes. And kept it in for another 20 minutes. Surely it was done I cut down the thickest part and all the juices ran clear [I did this right!?] So I pulled them out of the oven. Well let's just say they were okay, great, then terrible! So the first layer of turkey or so was a bit dry [it happens] then you get beneath that and it's moist and succulent and yummy then you get down half way in the very very center of the Turkey and.....it's not completely cooked. I really thought I wouldn't give this info up let you think the dinner went off with out a hitch but then it wouldn't be like most first dinners something has to go wrong. And well this is what went wrong! Oh well they still smelled good! 

Here it is Our First Dinner Together [I'm a Pro]

Now what am I forgetting. Apparently nothing. The only other thing to add was the Welch's Sparkling White and Red Grape Juice. We had quite the feast! Eric agrees he has the best wife! [don't even try and argue it] What else to add to the feast? Nothing really just that we stuffed our faces and then sat at the table and reflected on the year. [it's been the best roughest funnest greatest year] Then Eric retired to nap. 

Normally this is where I'd bid adieu and wish you all great eating but I'm not done yet [it's still Christmas]

Expression,Gypsy, Shield, Mats, Studio, & Cartridges [be Jealous!]

While the season is about Christ my Honey made it a little bit about me. He spoiled me [again not rotten just spoiled!] Now don't turn green with envy [its okay I would if I weren't me - I'm so lucky ;)] Eric was an awesome man and got me the Cricut Expression and the Gypsy!! I promise I'll give you a whole post explaining how AMAZING a gift this is and why you should be jealous! [if you are already hold on to your pants there's more] For my Gypsy he got me an ZAGG invisi-shield [a protective life time guarantee screen cover] He also got me the big vinyl mats for the Expression. [ok I give] I wont post a whole new blog post as to why this is so cool - I'll explain now. The Cricut Expression is a cutting machine. Not just any cutting machine but the machine of all machine's for scrapbooker's and vinyler's [yep I made that word up but what else am I to call them] Anyways I never have to purchase scrapbook cut outs again or buy a block of painted wood that has some adorable homey saying on it [what we all know we like them] Now the purpose of the Gypsy? Is so that I can create on the go and then come home hook it up to my Expression and the Expression cuts it out. It's awesome [don't deny it] So what else did my love get me [oh wait I better continue explaining] The mats are what you put the vinyl or scrapbook paper you want cut on so the machine can cut it. Okay now on to the next thing. [are you keeping up?] Eric also got me Cricut Design Studios. This is an aid to my Expression [literally! - I'm creative!]but on the computer. You can only link one cartridge to the Expression at a time [the cartridge has the fonts or displays that are to be cut] So the design studio lets me access all my cartridges in one spot and design from multiple cartridges then link computer to Expression and viola more than one cartridge linked to my Expression. Now tell me I didn't make out like a bandit! [or that you aren't just jealous;)] Yep he spoiled me again this year. 

His Awesome Razor [You Don't see the Deodorant!]

Despite how much he spoiled me I spoiled him too. [I can finally tell you with out him worrying he'll find out his presents before Christmas] In his stocking he had an invisi-shield for his iPhone 4 [great minds think alike] Bluetooth wrap around earphones for his iPhone 4 music and talk time as well as the Mophi Juice Pack for the iPhone 4. The Juice Pack is essentially an extra battery pack for the iPhone. He uses his so much at work it was both something he wanted and functional [he always gets what he wants - he got me!] For his main presents he got a video game he wanted [what guy doesn't want video games - told you I'm the best wife] And because Eric's face is easily irritated and he usually cuts his neck when shaving he really [I mean really] wanted an electric razor. Now he has the top of the line electric razor. Why? Because I love him, I'm awesome, and he deserves the best! [I got a steal on that razor] And last was the smallest thing I got him but the most sentimental thing!

His & Her's Crystals[? I think Not] Beautiful [?Yes!]

Eric, when he and I were dating gave me a crystal Ametrine [Amethyst and Citrine] it's in the shape of a tower and it's absolutely beautiful. Ametrine because it is two crystals in one it is meant for love, luck, success, and optimism [one I needed] He gave it to me after explaining crystals and what people believe about them and on the night that I finally gave up the we're just friends act and agreed to be what we really were meant to be [I had no idea that would lead to husband and wife] Anyways he's never asked for the crystal back [I mean we are married] That being said he is always taking it from My night stand and putting it back with the rest of his crystals so I thought he needed to have his own [I like mine] Since the stone has actual meaning to us I thought it was time that I give him a stone [I also gave him one last year (another type) and so I think I have started a tradition] The stone is a sphere and it's beautiful. Eric loved it and I think was as excited about that itty bitty crystal as he was the razor! As I said previously he has a pretty Gnarly wife! [You want me - it's truth don't deny it]

So there you have it from me to you Our [Real] First Christmas together! Now the day is past, dinner has been had, presents have been opened, so sit down open the scriptures and read of Christ's birth. It's truly a Christmas story. From the Baumgartner Household to yours Merry Christmas, may it have been everything you hoped for! 

Merry Christmas Wishes!

All My Love,

Adrianna

P.S. Check back soon this week for an update on how our trip to South Idaho went and what happened to our dishwasher after dinner clean up today! It's pretty macho [shout out Cody!]