Santa Party!!

Today was the 5th annual Santa Party, where Santa makes an early stop at Grandma and Grandpa's house to spread some holiday cheer, encourage the kids to continue with their best behavior and, of course, give them each a little present.  Most of those in attendance are Liv and Joe's cousins, along with their parents and grandparents and some friends from church and Liv's former school.

By now, everyone knows the routine: get to the party house, play, eat, sing Christmas songs and wait for the big guy to show up.  Everyone was SO excited. Except Joe, who opted to stay on the sun porch playing with his toys while the rest gathered in the living room for Santa's arrival.  (Gotta give the boy credit, there was no competition for toys, so maybe HE was on to something.)

Finally Santa arrived with bells jingling and carrying overflowing bags of presents.  He spent some time with each child , led everyone in a Christmas song and then got down to business.  It is amazing how for Joe Sung Min has come in the past year.  Check out his picture with Santa last year - and how much better he was this year (granted, he didn't get as close, but hey, baby steps.)

One by one, each child was called up as Santa's assistant, Camille, picked their present out of the bag. Liv enjoyed her time with Santa, although I was surprised how nervous she was around him. He assured her that he knew where our new house in the country was and that he couldn't wait to see all of her animals.  That put her mind at ease.  

The kids were all SO good, waiting patiently until everyone received their presents from Santa before ripping them open to see what was inside - and then excitedly playing with each others new treasures.  It was another wonderful evening thanks to Grandma, Grandpa and, of course Santa.  We can't wait until next year's!

Grandma was happy to have all her grandkids at the party this year. :)

An Unusual Holiday Tradition

'KETCHUP WITH US' - PROMPT #8

In 57 words or less, tell about one of your family's holiday traditions.

 (NOTE: I didn't say you had to LIKE the tradition.)

My 6 year old and I were talking about the different holiday traditions we share as a family.  Some are passed down from my family, some from her Papa's and an ever growing number that our little family has started over the past years.  Liv asked if she could be the writer this week and I was happy to oblige.  While it may not answer the prompt completely, it does reflect her uniqueness (and is 57 words or less.)  (And I would like to add that this is a tradition she and her dad share.)  Without any further ado:

I have lots of Christmas traditions.  I love to make cookies with my Mama and decorate the tree.  On Christmas morning we open presents, eat Monkey Bread and go to church.  My new favorite tradition is waking up early the week before Christmas to help Papa butcher Christmas dinner.  This year, it is our turkey, KnitKnots.

****************************************************************************

At Thanksgiving, Liv composed a song that I have since titled "An Ode to Mr. Puff('s Butchering)" which, as you may have guessed, is about the first turkey we (and by "we" I mean my husband and Liv) butchered.  It became an instant classic in our home and many around the country.  It *is* a little graphic at times but as long as you don't mind hearing about intestines, I think you'll get a kick out of this little ditty.

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

Candy, Candy and More Candy - Ketchup With Us #7

'KETCHUP WITH US' - PROMPT #7

SHARE A FAVORITE HOLIDAY RECIPE. THERE IS NO WORD LIMIT.

(WELL, LET'S NOT GET CRAZY. HOW ABOUT NOTHING OVER 1000 WORDS?)

Some of my favorite Christmas memories are times spent with my mom in the kitchen (no surprise there) baking cookies and making different types of candies.  We would spend hours trying different recipes and perfecting family favorites.  I will always cherish those times we spent together in the kitchen talking, laughing, making a huge mess and, of course, testing everything. Sometimes twice.  We wouldn't want to put out something that was sub-par now, would we?  

My mom has been gone 10 years now and I still make as many of "our" recipes as I can.  I love that my girl, now 6 1/2, is old enough to take part in the fun and we are creating wonderful memories of our own.  She loves helping me in the kitchen and hasn't met a candy that she didn't like.  When I told her about this prompt, she immediately suggested these two.  The girl has great taste.  If I were home, I would have also included my mom's Bourbon (Burpin') Balls recipe - but I can't find it - so these will have to do.  I hope you have as much fun making these recipes as we do!

Merry Christmas!

Angel Food Candy

1 cup white sugar

1 cup dark karo syrup

1 T vinegar

1 T baking soda (sifted)

1 bag of chocolate chips (your choice)

Thoroughly butter a 9x9 baking dish.  You don't want to skimp here.  Trust me.  

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, corn syrup and vinegar.  Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Heat, WITHOUT stirring, until the mixture reaches 295 - 300 degrees.  (Yes, you will need a candy thermometer but it is totally worth it.  Again, trust me on this.) 

Immediately remove from heat and stir in baking soda.  WARNING. The mixture will rise. You may scream.  This is totally normal. At this point, the recipe is like some kind of science experiment. Whee!!  Stir it until the color is even throughout with no streaks.

Quickly pour into the prepared pan. Resist the urge the spread it out or smooth out the top.  This will happen all by itself. Set the pan aside and let it cool.

Once cooled, flip the pan over onto a large cutting board.  The candy will should slide right out.  Here is the cathartic part - breaking the candy up into chunks.  You can put it in a ziploc bag and smash it with a rolling pin or just jab it with a knife to create a variety of irregular shapes and sizes.  That is part of the charm of this candy.

Melt the chocolate chips with a tablespoon or two of shortening and dip the candy into the chocolate.  The Hendricks family ALWAYS enrobed the entire piece in chocolate and that is what I still do.  Some people choose to just dip part of the candy in chocolate so you can see the texture.  (It IS easier to dip this way and is much less messy. So the choice is up to you.

NOTE: For those of you who don't want to mess with a candy thermometer, here is another of my favorite candy recipes.  We often give this away as gifts at Christmas or I bring it to a cookie exchange.  This never lasts long so I recommend hiding a stash in the back corner of your refrigerator just for you.  I won't tell.

Winter Bark

8 ounces white chocolate, chopped

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

7 ounces (2 1/2 cups) salted cocktail peanuts

Melt white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of boiling water, simmering occasionally, until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat.

Melt bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of boiling water, simmering occasionally, until chocolate is melted. Stir in peanuts.  

Spread on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, spreading peanuts in a single layer.  Drop spoonfuls of white chocolate on top and swirl chocolates with a skewer.  Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.  Break bark into large pieces. Bark will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.

Enjoy!

Fall Recap

I know, I know... the blog has really fallen by the wayside lately and I'm really trying to be more diligent about keeping up with things.  I'm going to make up for lost time and will try to catch everyone up with what has been happening as well as keep up with things from here on out.  Thanks for your patience!

Fall 2012 was crazy for us.  I was traveling almost every weekend for 6 weeks hitting a Buddy Walk in a different part of the country while Brian was handling things on the homestead. I would be home for 4 days, gone for 3 and I was exhausted.  In the midst of this, we (surprisingly) got an offer on our house in Elyria - yay!!, Liv traveled to Tulsa with me for a long weekend (we love our girl's time), the kids had fun playing in the leaves at Grandma and Grandpa's, Hurricane Sandy hit, Halloween was postponed and Liv showed off her amazing cowgirl dance moves at Miss Emily's wedding.

Joe Sung Min continues to amaze us, picking up new words constantly and getting into everything.  The boy is in constant motion and keeps us busy.  Enough words... enjoy the pictures!

Pre-Halloween Festivities at Grandma's

Fun With Leaves

Awwwww.....

The Dancing Cowgirl

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Joe Sung Min!

One year ago, on August 25, 2011, Amy and I landed in Korea, Liv started kindergarten and it was Joe Sung Min's 1st birthday.  What an eventful day.  This year, we were excited to be able to celebrate his actual birthday at home with the family.

We had a small, low-key get together on his actual birthday: Grandma, Grandpa, Liv, Joe and myself.  There was chocolate cake (none for the boy, he doesn't have much of a sweet tooth) and presents.  His favorite? The card from Grandma and Grandpa with a monkey on it that plays the chorus of Tarzan Boy by Baltimora. He LOVES it and his big sis was happy to help show him how to make the card play the music. Grandma and Grandpa gave him a sound puzzle with different vehicles that makes their different sounds.  We gave him one of Liv's barely used toys - a Fisher Price Alphabet Zoo. He loves his letters and hearing the different sounds the animals make.  He doesn't really get the concept of a birthday this year and I know next year will be very different. :)

On Sunday, we had his "official" party at Grandma and Grandpa's with his great-aunts and uncles, some of Brian's cousins, and some friends of ours from St. Mary's, the school Liv attended the past few years.  There was lots of good food, great company and, as an added bonus ALL the kids had a great time playing together. *phew*  As usual, Joe had to be in the middle of everything - he even sat at a little table and had some lunch with his new buds Edgar and Guillermo.

 

Me & Joe with his Godmother, another Becky :) 

Liv with her BFFs Lauren (L) and Emily (C)

Liv with  her AG doll, "Sofia"

To read about Joe Sung Min's 1st birthday (doljabee) in Korea, click here.

We are constantly amazed at how far he has come in the past year. He handled the party with all the people, the noise, the kids without batting an eye. We are proud of our little man and look forward to what lies ahead.  (And we hope the terrible twos will be short lived) :)

Stay tuned.

According to Bexx...Happy Birthday to a Wonderful Friend

Mags: "Hey Miss Becky. You know what? I just love birthdays. I love the cake, the ice cream, the decorations and the presents. I just l-o-o-o-o-o-o-v-e presents."
Me: "Birthdays ARE a lot of fun, Mags. I love 'em too."
Mags: "I'll bet you've had a LOT of birthdays, Miss Becky."
Me:  (changing the subject) "Let's go sneak some icing off the side of those cupcakes while no one is looking!"
Mags: "Good idea. Watch my back."

Not long ago, Liv and I took a much needed vacation to visit my good friend Mel and her family. My girl was super-cited to finally meet Tuck, Mags, Miss Mel and Mr. Chris (and hopefully see Mr. Chris' toe jam collection.)  I could not wait to finally meet Mel, who had become one of my closest friends over the past few years.  From the instant we met, it was as if we had known each other all of our lives.  Hanging out with her and her family seemed like something we did all the time.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your friendship, for being there for me not only during the good times, but for encouraging and supporting me in those times when things looked bleak.  (And of course talking me down off of more than a few ledges when work and life got a little too overwhelming.)  

You possess the hallmarks of an amazing friend: honesty, compassion, loyalty, selflessness, humor and, as an added bonus, a quick wit.  You have made my life, and countless more, a better and brighter place.  Thank you for giving of yourself so freely to others.  And thank you for sharing your beer with me. :)

Happy Birthday Mel!

In honor of our rides down the mountain making up songs about the man with the worst parking spot and the questionable dating habits, I give you:

A Birthday Ode to Mel (to the tune of "Escape" - aka "the Pina Colada Song")

Happy birthday to you, Mel
you're an amazing friend,
I am so glad that we met,
Our fun it has no end
You always have the right words to say
To make your friends feel better
You are truly Wonder Woman  
right down to the yellow letters.

I'm a little embarrassed to post my other birthday song below.   Apparently, my mouth was full of chocolate chips or something when I was talking to the guy about creating this and he mistook "Mel B." for "Shelby."  Whatever. I guess it is an honest mistake, but I think "Mel B." would have been the more obvious choice.  At any rate, I hope you enjoy this little ditty and think of your own little minion.  I think he got her personality perfectly!

And now I leave you with some birthday greetings from:

The boy:

The girl:

The rooster (You know him as "Rambo")

Berry says you don't look a day over 20...

But wait ... there is more! Click below for birthday wishes from some of your favorite people 

AND a chance to win a set of ginsu knives and a snuggie:

Michele

El Guapo

Kari (with special guests Donna and Sofia)

Amy, Sandra and Wyman 

TLanceB

We hope you have a fantastic day! Mwah!

One Year Later...

It is hard to believe that one year ago I was in Korea, frantically making sure everything was packed, doing last minute shopping and trying to keep busy until it was time to catch the bus for the airport.  My travel companion Amy and I were trying to keep busy - and sane, while knowing in a few hours our kids would literally be handed over to us at the airport and we'd be with them for 24 hours on a plane. With 6 other little ones who had also been taken away from what they had come to know as their family.  Want to catch up? You can read about my experience my last day in Seoul and the journey home.

Flash forward a year. Joe Sung Min seems like he has always been a part of our lives, that he has always been with us.  And it amazing to think about all that has happened in the past year, how far he has progressed - and how he has brought so much joy to our lives.

Over the past year Joe Sung Min:

• Started walking (and hasn't stopped since): 

• Gradually overcame his grass aversion:

  

• Experienced some new holidays:

 

• Went on his first vacation to NY, CT, NJ and PA, where he rode his first merry-go-round, experienced his first amusement park, went to the ocean and slept through his first (and second) concerts:

• And became infatuated with the alphabet and the "Itsy Bitsy Spider":

It has been an amazing journey so far and we look forward to seeing what happens next.  To our friends and family (and Omma and Appa) who have been with us from the start, thank you for your continued support and encouragement.  To those we've met along the way, we're glad you've joined us.