HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Dear Sisters,

This Thanksgiving was significant in so many different ways. First off, this was my very first major holiday away from home and second, this was my very first Thanksgiving I'd be cooking all by myself. Don't get me wrong, it was very nice and enjoyable, but it just was not the same without you guys there :0(

I am so proud of myself. I really think I deserve a pat on the back and a medal for the dinner I put together :0) Preparing a holiday dinner is very labor intensive and I can't believe I was able to pull it off! I'm hoping one day I will be able to master the art of Mass Cooking for 45+ people just like Mom. Cooking this dinner is just a precursor for me! So anyways, this is what I made for the special occasion:

1. Brined Roasted Turkey
2. Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
3. Broccoli Casserole
4. Baked Mac N Cheese
5. Sweet Potato Casserole
6. Sugar Glazed Carrots
7. Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Stuff I did not make from scratch:
1. The dinner rolls
2. The ham which Bryan brought over
3. Stove Top Cornbread Stuffing
4. Brown Gravy (which came in a package)
Please note: I will attempt to make the stuffing and gravy from scratch next year :0P

Other stuff I made that I did not take pics of:
1. Spinach Garlic Dip served w/ crackers
2. Cheesecake Cups
3. No Bake Oreo Sheet Cake
4. Pumpkin Pie
**I have to stress that the frozen oreo cake was phenomenal! It tasted just like an ice cream cake (and is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay cheaper, too) and I will be making this for Archie's birthday next year!

The one thing I ran out of time to make:
1. Apple Crumb Pie (which I will be making tomorrow)

The turkey was out of this world! The white meat was so juicy after bathing in a brine bath (salt and sugar solution) for 24 hours. I soaked the bottom side for the first 12 hours and then flipped it over to soak the breast for another 12 hours. Once you try this method, you'll never cook your turkey any other way!

Mmmmmm, check out our dinner and please click on the pic for a closer look :0) I think Mom would be so proud of me if she was here!

Here are the fellas enjoying their dinner :0)

Here are the rugrats always goofin' around.

Here is our "Happy Family" pic. I have no clue why lil pumpkin is making that face :0P

The kids love Bryan. Archie and I have nick named him B-ryan or B-roni after the show "The Family Guy "

Here's my poor lil girl eating lollipops for dessert because all the ones I made are milk based and because I was unable to make her apple pie :0(

We have PLENTY of leftovers and you know what that means..... I don't have to cook until Monday, YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!! I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving!

Love you guys sooooooooooo much,

Joy :0)

P.S- Arlene, please thank Matt for his lil pep talk about cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I think he really calmed my nerves down :0)

PERDIDO KID'S PARK

Dear Sisters,

I have discovered another neat place to take you guys whenever you all come down to visit. Perdido Kid's Park is by far THE best park I have EVER been to! I can't wait for you guys to see this place because it is gianormous! It is literally a small wooden village for kids!

You see, few weeks ago the kids and I went to this park for Mar's end of the year soccer party and when we arrived there, I took one look at the entrance and I was like, "Fudge!!! I didn't bring any money for admissions!!!" So, we headed towards the gates and I come to find out this freakin' place is FREE! Holy cow, I wish I knew about this place when we first moved down here! It is a bit out of the way though..... approx. 10 miles away from our house, but it is worth the trip. Since our first visit to the park, the kids have been back 3 other times (thanks to their uncle :0P).

This is the front entrance that almost made me crap myself!

My lil pumpkin is so funny! I told her to pose for me and this is what she did :0)

The pics I took does no justification for this park! You have to see it with you very own eyes to believe how grand this place is! There is sooooo much to this park too that is not pictured in this blog: a picnic area for bday parties, tons of slides and swings, a special designated area for toddlers, public restrooms and a small nature trail across the way. I am absolutely in LOVE with this place and I can't wait to bring you and the rest of the rugrats here!

Miss you guys so much,

Joy :0)

OUR FIRST HALLOWEEN AWAY FROM HOME

Dear Sisters,

Yes, it is almost December and I am just now posting Halloween pics. I guess I am just plain ole' lazy :0P. So finally here are my pics for our first Halloween in Florida.

Before we adventured out to go trick or treating, we stopped by Archie's work and the kids were able to go cubicle to cubicle for candy. It was imperative that I bring the kids to his office because a lot of his coworkers are like, "You have kids??? Yeah right!" So here are the kids @ daddy's work. I don't have to explain what they are because as you can see their costumes are pretty much self explanatory.

Here we are posing w/ Archie's coworkers. Check out Bryan w/ the melting face! You can click on the pic for a closer look! The kids were too scared to approach the poor guy :0P

After our field trip to Archie's work. I had to cook dinner so Archie and the kids headed out in the van in search for a neighborhood to trick or treat in. I wish the kids could've stuck around the neighborhood but there was not one kid in sight! So anyways, the kids came back 35 minutes later w/ an almost empty bag and I was like, "WTF happened Archie??? Why don't they have candy in their bags?!?!?" I guess Halloween is not a big holiday over hear because they went to like 4 different neighborhoods and no one was passing out candy :0( I felt soooo bad for the kids because they came home so disappointed, so I reloaded the whole fam into the van and drove to a neighborhood (which is on the other side of the city) that I knew was passing out candy.

Man, I miss the old neighborhood. Adam Shore is THE best place to go trick or treating no doubt. I hope next year I'll be able to find a neighborhood closer to home where the kids can go treak or treating.

Hope all is well and miss you all,

Joy :0)