New Year's Eve Traditions

Sorry I have no pictures for this post!  I was too busy partying!

I know it's too late for this year, maybe I'll re-post this next December, but I just had to share with you our super fun New Year's Eve (NYE) Traditions!

First off we make a lot of Chinese food including our own homemade Egg Rolls!!!  The whole Menu is HERE on my recipe blog.

Jason and I both grew up with BIG NYE traditions!  

Jason's dad's birthday was on NYE, and he was the bishop of their ward (leader of their congregation at church) for several years.  They lived in a big old farmhouse, and every year the whole ward would basically show up for the "Bob Ritz annual surprise birthday party."  They had a pool table in the attic game room, and everyone would bring food, shoot pool, play board games, sit and visit, and count down at midnight!  Even after Jason's dad passed away the "Annual Bob Ritz Surprise Birthday Party" took place for several more years.  Jason's mom had moved away, so he and I made an appearance one year at it.  It was great fun!

My family lived away from extended family most of the time I was growing up.  My parents didn't want to leave us kids to go hang out, and let's face it.  We were way more fun than any friends they might have had.  One year for Christmas, when I was very young, my dad gave my mom a wok and a Chinese food cook book.  That's when the Chinese food tradition started.  

Over time my mom added more and more activities that became part of our annual NYE.  Something we do often, but not every year, is a family talent show.  I have many home movies to prove the success of these talent shows!

Have you seen the movie Dan in Real Life?  Our NYE looks a lot like that movie.  HAHA Lots of crazy family fun traditions.

Of course, lots of board games were played, but the best #1 activity was Predictions. 

My mom would write predictions down on square pieces of paper, and we would vote one them.  Here are some examples, "Will Isaac pass his driving test?"  "Who will win the Presidential Election?"  "Will Mom still be Relief Society President?"  "Will Corinne be engaged?"  "Where will Jackson be called to on his mission?"  "Will there be another Terrorist attack on US soil?"

So you see a wide variety of  predictions.  We would sit in a big circle, pass them around, write our name, and our best guess.  As we go around people start calling out prediction to add.  My mom always had a stack of blanks ready to go.  Then, my mom would tuck them away in a safe spot till the next NYE.  

Each year before the new predictions are made, we read through the previous years predictions.  This is SO much fun!  It is a hilarious blast to read what people predicted a year before.  We have evolved to the point where we just don't write yes or no.  We add comments as to why we think yes or no.  These are hilarious to read a year later!  Some years my mom would have her act together, and there would be a prize for the winner!  

This year is the first year that we, Jason and I, have done predictions just us and our kids.  What a blast!

A Titanic Dining Experience

Check out the post that I just finished for the Gourmet Club blog!

Way back when at our Italian feast Corinne and Alyssa handed out our invitations to the next dinner.

These adorable "boarding passes" were sealed in a doilie wrapped envelope.  We were so excited to be "granted permission to board the Titanic"!  

When we arrived we entered through the "First Class Entrance" into the first class dining room.

This sign was made by Alyssa with a wood burning tool she bought online.  It is made to look like the exact sign on the entrance to the actual first class dining room on the actual Titanic!  Wow!

The table was set in very formal attire, with creams, whites, red roses and red candlesticks.

They had curtains draped all around the dining room to create more intimacy, and to separate it from the staging area.  Believe me, they had a lot of "staging" to do for this dinner.  (That is Kevin behind the black curtain, Alyssa's husband, who was also dressed as a waiter.  He did an excellent job of serving us!)  On the wall under the family picture they had framed a replica of the original menu that was served to first class passengers on the Titanic, on the last night.  That was a fun reference!

They were fortunate to be able to borrow many things, including this silver tea set, from Alyssa's Mom and Aunt.

They displayed this book that they used a lot in planning the dinner.  It included first hand accounts from the guests on the Titanic describing the dining room, the menus and recipes cooked on board, biographies of the guests and even ideas on how to decorate and prepare for a Titanic themed dinner party.

The music that was playing was actually played on the Titanic.  It helped set the mood perfectly.

Corinne and Alyssa - Our waiters and chefs.

On the Titanic there was a different wine or champagne served with each course.  Since our group does not drink alcohol they served "mock cocktails" and sparkling cider types of beverages.  In order to accommodate all those drinks, each place setting had several beautiful goblets.  Corinne bought the silver ones from the antique shop owned by Tori and Holly's brother.  (They had borrowed them from him for the Downton Abbey Christmas Party.)  They were perfect, and added a lot of beauty to the table.

On the mantel they had framed photographs of the Titanic, the musician's who played till the end, and bowls of fruit.  The guests on board described "large cut glass bowls of fruit placed all around the dining room."

A couple of things they learned from the book they used were that "American Red Roses" were all over the dining room, and that the candles were covered with little lamp shades.  Corinne and Alyssa made these adorable little candle shades out of vellum.

Each place setting had a picture and bio of one of the first class female passengers placed in a cork.  Luckily we all survived the sinking.  The napkins were folded like little boats, and the place cards were simple and formal.  (The cut glass formal goblets came from the Dollar Store - so if you are in need of some nice goblets check out your local Dollar Store!)

The original menu from the last night on the titanic was much longer than this, but we are not as glutinous in our modern culture.   Dinner is not the same event that it used to be.  They were kind to our belt lines and condensed the down to eight courses from ten.  

 For example they combined the "wine and cheese" course with the hor d'oeuvres course and did a cranberry mocktail with a Brie Crostini Trio.  Strawberry basil crostini, roasted grape & brie crostini with honey and sea salt, grilled pear, honey and brie crostini.  These were so delicious with the perfect balance of sweet and savory.  

 

The Mushroom Barley Soup was very flavorful and hearty.

They even made labels to put on the bottles for the sparkling cider.  They are a mimic of what the pictures they found of the personal label that the Titanic had for its wine.  They also had a photograph of our Captain.

In order to match the custom and culture of the time, they had every course come out on huge silver platters, and let each diner serve themselves the portion they desired.  Their platters with the garnish and artistry was amazing!  We were excited to see how each course was going to come out.

For the Fish Course they did a shrimp stuffed salmon.  It was not what was served on the Titanic.  This is Corinne's mother in law's recipe, and it is much better than the steamed salmon they served on the Titanic.  It was SO good!!!

The honey glazed balsamic roasted carrots went deliciously with the salmon.

For the poultry course they served the exact recipe from the Titanic.  It is described as the most famous and delicious dish served on the first class menu.  The chefs on the Titanic were all French, and this dish, Chicken Lyonnaise, derives from the south of France.  The vegetable marrow farci is basically a stuffed zucchini.  It is also the exact recipe from the Titanic.  The flavors of this course were so perfectly blended.

For the palette cleanser between meat courses, the Titanic served "Punch Romaine" which was sorbet with a little champagne poured over it.  Corinne and Alyssa made a virgin punch romaine, with a strawberry peach sorbet, that Corinne made from scratch, and some sparkling cider. 

For the main event they plated the filet mignon with bernaise sauce on mashed potatoes piped on with a star tip (in honor of the White Star Line) with a garnish of water cress.  The plates were brought out on a silver platter, and each diner chose their plate.  The flavors of this dish were so sophisticated.  I loved trying all the classic French sauces on this menu.  

For the salad course they deserted the actual Titanic menu, and went for this Nectarine Caprese.   The real menu served a cold asparagus salad at this point.  It was custom to serve a cold vegetable or fruit salad with a simple composition of flavors after the main course, which was always complex and flavorful.  

I am so glad they did this!  These not only looked so amazing, but were truly delicious and satisfying.  Who knew that a stack of nectarine slices with fresh mozzarella and drizzle of balsamic reduction could be so heavenly?  (They also plated these for us to make the process of transferring them more smooth.)

Dessert was fancy and exciting!  Creme Brulee, French Painted Eclairs and Waldorf Pudding with candied walnuts.  They warned us that the Waldorf Pudding might not be a favorite, but that they wanted to serve it to give a taste of authenticity.  It was good, but once you had a bite of the creme brulee it was too hard to go back to the pudding. And of course, the eclair was perfection!

Our beautiful group.  We were sad to miss Holly, who was on vacation, but thrilled to have Tara there as a substitute. 

Top row - Brittany, Alyssa, Corinne, Tara, GG, Katie, Brenda, Carrie, Mandy, Emily

Sitting - Alisha, Tanya, Tori

For take homes we were each given a White Star Line Angel Food Cake on these cute little cake stands that they made.  On the back of the tags it said, "till we meet again..."  Angel food cake because they are all angels now, get it?  And they covered the cakes in Italian Meringue using a large star tip, and then toasted with a kitchen torch.  They were beautiful!

We were also given this hand written segment of the song "Nearer My God to Thee", which was the last song that the band played on the deck that night as the ship was sinking.

"Still all my songs shall be, Nearer my God to thee..."

Glimpses into September 2012

I love September.  It's a lot like New Year's for me.  I feel renewed, and like I want to try harder and do better.  I'm always just so relieved to make it through another Summer.  

This year we had a jam packed September.

Glenn received a rank advancement for Boy Scouts. 

We ate lots of yummy Apple Crisp.

Me and most of my cute boys eating apple crisp.

Max reading to Harry and Bennett.

This was staged for a video used in a Relief Society Lesson.  I actually really like it.  

I am reading a story from The Friend magazine to the kids. 

One day I was up in my bedroom and heard a loud BOOM!  I came running down the stairs, and saw Jason out on the deck surveying the damage.  Our glass table top had shattered when the umbrella was lifted by the wind and crashed down.

I am sad to not have a table out on the deck anymore.

Glenn and Jason went on a scout camp trip on the Oregon Coast.  They went crabbing and had tons of fun!

While they were camping, the younger kids had a primary activity at the temple.  They had a special tour around the grounds and the new visitors center.  They learned a lot about the symbolism in the building of the temple.  It was a really fun activity.

Lily was almost 12, and really not excited about going to a primary activity.  I made her go.  Mostly because I needed her help!  She got in the shower as we were supposed to be getting the van!  I was MAD!  Luckily I had the time wrong.  It was a half hour later than I thought.  I never told her that.  I wanted her to keep on thinking that she was making us late.  

She came out to the car with a towel on her head, and she did her makeup on the way there.  I was silently laughing at her the whole time.  This made her really mad.  Oh well.  I'm an annoying mom, just like my mom was.  I was mostly just enjoying the moment, and feeling kind of sad that she is growing up into a teenager.  I had to take a picture to help me remember this forever.

By the time we arrived at the temple Lily was back to her happy self.  The peaceful spirit there is not just inside, but all around it too.  I love going there.  My children really loved doing this.

Max and Harrison loved doing the tour of the grounds.

The new visitors center is awesome!  The kids loved it, especially the interactive games.  If you live in the Portland area you should go!  You don't have to be a member of our church.  It is a really neat and educational thing to do with your family.

 

 This was Bennett's favorite part.  He kept saying, "Jesus!"  He was so excited to find Jesus there.  It was so sweet!

I knew that the activity was going to be getting done right about lunch time.  I also knew that my kids would be starving and want me to buy them fast food.  I thought ahead (very unusual for me) and packed a picnic.  One of the sister missionaries told me where to find a park about 1 mile away.  It was GORGEOUS!  One of the best parks we've ever been to.  We can't wait to play there next Summer!

The whole play area was covered in this water proof tarp thing.  It was perfectly designed for Oregon weather.

We ate lunch, and they played for close to two hours!

We got home right before Jason and Glenn did from camping.

One day I really needed help with Theo, who was upset and crying.  Max wanted to take him for a walk.  Harrison and Bennett were excited to go too.  They walked around our culdesac several times.  

When they got home Theo was sound asleep.   Bennett and Harrison tried to lift him out to take him to bed.

Earlier, before the walk, I had Theo in the other room while I was trying to make dinner.  He was fussing.  At one point I realized that he was quiet.  I came in to check on him and found Bennett playing with him, and entertaining him really well.  At first I kinda freaked out because he had Theo's face covered up with the burp cloth.  Then, Bennett yanked it off and Theo squealed.  It was adorable!  Bennett even got some laughs out of him. 

My house always becomes more clean in September once the kids go back to school.  I still have to stop sometimes and ignore the mountain of laundry that needs to be folded so I can snuggle with Theo.

Costco has their Christmas stuff already???  Well, Bennett was thrilled!  He had a blast with this Rudolph.

Bennett, still refusing to take naps after the crazy, fast paced, loud Summer.  Occasionally he falls asleep in the van.  It's so sweet, and when it happens I drive around a little longer so I can enjoy the peace.

After Labor Day I realized that Lily needed some new black shoes for church.  She picked out her first heels.  I don't know how I feel about this.  She is growing up too fast.

Harrison and Bennett LOVE all the quiet playtime they have without all the older kids bugging them.

One of their favorite toys is this Arctic set that Max got for Christmas when he was 3.

Theo turned 5 months old!

This is what happens when I am holding Theo in one arm, and making PB&J with with other arm.  He got a handful of PB.  I have to say that I rather enjoyed sucking that PB off of his fat little hand.

I was really excited to have my next Gourmet Club dinner to go to.  Check out the link HERE

to get all the details from it.  It was a beautiful night.  The theme was "A Night in the South."  We were asked to dress like Southern Belle's.  It was an awesome night!

Theo had a well child check and got shots. 

 Bennett LOVES sneaking off to Lily's room.  Mostly she is very nice to him.  On this day he disappeared down the stairs to her room.  He came back 30 minutes later looking like this.  Maybe Lily was trying to teach him a lesson, but instead she just made him want to hang out with her even more!

 Theo usually smiles constantly at Bennett, but not in this get up! 

Lately Bennett has been wearing any fun hat he can find.  I usually don't notice it, or have time to take a picture til he's sitting still and eating.

And then, other times he just prefers to sit back and chill in Theo's rocker.

Theo loves watching all the kids and craziness around him.  Greta Phair has started to notice, and like him too.  She loves to give kisses.

And one more thing for September.  I helped the other girls in my Gourmet club make the dinner for our church dinner.  It was a special dinner for all the women in 7 congregations.  They expected about 200 women to come eat dinner before a special broadcast from Salt Lake City to all the women in our church world wide.  For all the details on this dinner that we put on, check it out HERE.