Cole & Claire Bear Report

This last week has been crazy with thanksgiving, black Friday, and our 1st snow! Being that both mark and I are in retail, the Christmas season is more working and less playing! It was nice having the snow and both of us not being able to go to work and enjoying the day as a family. Cole got to play in the snow for the first time! I took him out the Monday night that it just dumped snow, and again on that Tuesday! Here's some pictures!

It was so nice to get to have a day off together as a family yesterday! We got to spend time together, run errands, and actually have dinner together! It was a very enjoyable day! Cole has started saying baby and doggie, adding to the list of other words he says. It's so cute when he says thesde two though, cause he sounds like a little frnach man the way he says them ;-) Mark helped me make beef stew last night for dinner, along with red lobster cheese biscuits! They were both very good!! Here are the recipes we made last night!! Beef Stew Ingredients 2 pounds stew beef 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 cups water 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 clove garlic, peeled 1 or 2 bay leaves 1 medium onion, sliced 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon paprika Dash ground allspice or ground cloves 3 large carrots, sliced 3 ribs celery, chopped 2 tablespoons cornstarch Directions Brown meat in hot oil. Add water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, s...

Well yesterday was a busy day! 1st Cole and I went to little gym, and I finally brought my camera! As my luck would have it the battery died, but I did get a few pics of Cole. Then we went with Stephanie and Hunter and had some smoothies at Jamba juice! It was a very fun morning! Then ran errands and had lunch with my mom, then came home to make my recipes for the week ;-) For my dinner this week, I mad Alton Brown's meat loaf, Paula Dean's mac and cheese, and lemon cheesecake bars! Yummy!! I loved all three!! Here's some pics and the recipes! Good Eats Meatloaf Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown Prep Time: 25 min Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time: 45 min Level: -- Serves: 6 to 8 servings Ingredients 6 ounces garlic-flavored croutons 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 onion, roughly chopped 1 carrot, peeled and broken 3 whole cloves garlic 1/2 red bell pepper 18 ounces ground chuck 18 ounces ground sir...

Well I successfully made my first pot roast! I am so enjoying making all these new things! At the ripe age of 28, I am really getting into cooking! ;-) I made my first pot roast last night for dinner! There were a a few things I changed about the recipie, which I noted below. It was a big hit with Mark, who I think is going to be my best critic! Ingredients 1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast 1 1/2 teaspoons House seasoning, recipe follows 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 onion, thinly sliced 3 bay leaves 3 or 4 beef bouillon cubes, crushed 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup 1/2 cup Chardonnay ( I used merlot instead) Directions Sprinkle roast on all sides with house seasoning. Using a skillet over high heat, sear roast until brown in oil. Place roast in a slow cooker, and layer onions, bay leaves, crushed bouillon cubes, garlic, and cream of mushroom soup. Add the Chardonnay and cover with enough water to cover all of the ingredients. Cook on the low s...

On Wednesday, I wanted to make the best of my day off. Mark, Cole and I had a scary day the day before so I decided that we need some time to just enjoy every bit of each other's company. Mark had to work that day, so we enjoyed him company that morning before he had to leave for work. We snuggled and played all morning. Including episodes of Oso and baby genius, and many games of peek a boo and chase! We took a long nap together, then started our day out. We went to my mom and dad's house while they were at work, and played outside. It was such a gorgeous day, We wanted to take advantage before that goes away! Cole even had his first smoothie at jamba juice!! Then grocery shopping, then dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Klie. This was such a fun day off, just enjoying my baby boy's smile all day ;-)

As I was getting to know my new assistant at work, I realized wow... I really don't have a hobby! While I would love to get into sewing, and something crafty I feel like I don't have the patience to begin to start big hobbies like that! When Mark and I got married I wanted to become more of a cook. In fact I was so excited to start and wanted to use our kitchen aid mixer any chance I got. We have not used it much in our 4 1/2 years of marriage... that will soon change! As some of you may know, I grew up having a gourmet chef of a father. Instead of learning how to cook from him, I lounged back and let him cook for me! I enjoy cooking, have just been afraid for so long because I don't know very much. So new hobby... learning how to cook! Well more than something out of a box :-) hopefully now that I am wanting to learn, he can share some much needed tips ;-) I have been dabbling in it recently, but have now decided to try to cook 1-2 new recipes a week! I have enjoyed cookin...