A Beautiful Morn - December 27, 2013 -

I love waking up to mornings like these!

Christmas 2013

Christmas morning everyone is usually up bright and early.  Not this Christmas morning!  Some slept until 9:30 a.m.!  I am quite the kid at heart so patiently waiting until everyone was awake was not something I was very good at!

Santa came!

Ready to rip!

What's in the box Hannah?

 

Funny how Santa always knows just what you need.

 

Who isn't all smiles on Christmas morning?  Especially when you unwrap something you asked Santa for.

The next set of pictures make me laugh.  Each of the kids taking turns and having fun playing a new wii game Jack-jack got.  No fighting.  No arguing.  Sharing nicely and just having a good time.

 

Then along comes the biggest kid of them all wants a turn.  Not only does he take his turn, but he ends up overtaking the wii leaving the kids watching him play.  The expressions on their faces are priceless!  

Gee Dad, this sure is fun!

A very very Merry Christmas it is!!!

Not Just Cookies And Milk At This Place!

Every Christmas Eve Jack-jack is sure to set out cookies and milk for Santa.  This year it was thought that maybe Santa would like something different when he stopped at our house.  Jack-jack thought maybe a choice for the big guy in the red suit would be nice.  Before we even realized what Jack-jack was doing, a glass with ice, whiskey, and squirt was poured.  Jack-jack set it right next to the plate of cookies and glass of milk  He even had a little note for Santa telling him to choose--either the mix drink or milk.  There was also a note on the chair labeled "thinking spot".

The plate of cookies, the whiskey sour, and glass of milk along with the notes and arrows that read "You Choose".

The chair labeled as "thinking spot" for Santa to sit while he decides as to which drink he should have.  But really.....is that even a decision to ponder???

As we tracked Santa on the radar we got things set out just in the Nick of time.  We were able to get in bed before we heard any noises on the roof.  Wheeeew!

In the morning we were left with one of the glasses empty on the table and a note that read "Thank You!".  As for which glass Santa decided to drink......as you can see, the glass of milk is still full!  

Christmas Eve 2013

Christmas Eve.  We spend the day chillin' out at home.  After evening chores we make our way over to Mom and Dad's for our little family celebration.

Hannah (15 years old), Jack-jack (10 years old), and Cheyenne (12 years old).

  

Everybody home means family picture.

A little bit of shaving cream, and a little bit of a lap, and we have ourselves a Santa!

The whole family Christmas Eve by Mom and Dad's.

Striking a pose with Auntie Sara.

Adam & Crystal.

Grandma & Grandpa and the kiddos.

Taking it all in.

Say cheese!

The aftermath.  Looks as though a tornado went through.

A special time to once again remind us how much we have to be thankful for.  Family and Friends being at the very top! 

Christmas Tree 2013

Last year we celebrated Christmas with only a little twig.  This year we upgraded and got ourselves a tree (Cheyenne and Jack picked it out).  When we brought the tree in the house, not only did we bring the tree in, but we also brought in a bird.  We were able to get it out fairly easily, but it definitely did cause a commotion and made for some good laughs.  Disclaimer:  the animal was not hurt in any way.

This year our tree has all of the ornaments we collected and the kids have made throughout the years.  It also has Jack-jack's train that runs around the the bottom which has become a little tradition of ours.  And of course, what is a train running around the Christmas tree without little cowboy and Indian and army men figurines?  Yeup!  That's how Christmas rolls around here!

The boys getting the train set up.

Putting little army men, cowboys, and Indians around the tree.

-The Krell's Christmas tree 2013-

Today we celebrate the eve of Christmas Eve.  Counting down those days with much excitement and anticipation!  

Christmas Card Pictures 2013.

This year I got Christmas cards out a little later than usual.  They still went out before Christmas so I was very happy.  I don't get the name Last Minute Lori for nothing!  But we had fun on our little photo shoot and was happy how they turned out.

Cheyenne striking her pose.

Little Jack and his smile.

And our Hannah.

I wish the halo and wings would've shown up better on the cards, but I sure do like this picture.  Totally has personality.  Maybe I should say personalities!  Three very different personalities, but love each and every single one of them (on most days!).

I also included a family picture this year.  We don't have many of those, so when I get the chance I take one.  It goes pretty quick now that we got the timer figured out!

Christmas At The Schools.

The month of December seem to just fly by.

We've been keeping busy with after school activities and of course having fun with the schools' festivities.

Jack-jack's Christmas program was during school on Thursday.  They sang, did a little dancing, and kept the crowd entertained for about and hour.  All of the little kiddos looked so cute singing their little hearts out.

 

Jack-jack in top row.  There is a silver thing hanging on the wall.  He is just to the left of that.

Here is hammin' it up for the camera.

Cheyenne's school wrapped up the evening with a band, orchestra, and choir concert.  Definitely got us in the Christmas spirit!

Cheyenne singing with her 7th grade choir.  She is in the middle row on the way right hand side.  She has a black little cardigan, white shirt, and gray pants.

 

Here she is playing her violin.  She is in the back row, second one over.  Not a very clear picture, but did get one (a picture).

On Friday Cheyenne's school had ugly sweater day.  We found a fun one to wear.  She even grew antlers for the occasion!

 
And so we enjoy our first day of our winter break from school.  The kids love being able to sleep in.  We also have lots of snow on the ground for the kids to play in.  We do have a few more cookies to bake and then let the partying begin!

Who knew?

An abundance of beets in the garden sparked some internet surfing.

The kids love beets, but will not eat them pickled.  Besides pureeing them for smoothies and other concoctions, I found a red velvet (beet) cake recipe with raspberry cream cheese frosting.  It is delicious!  Kid approved and agreed (that it is delicious).

Who knew you could eat beets for your main course and dessert?!?

The Recipe:

Red Velvet Beet Cake with Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Print

Hands-on time

45 mins

Cook time

2 hours

Total time

2 hours 45 mins

This red velvet cake has a secret ingredient: beets! Topped with raspberry cream cheese frosting, it is bright pink from tip to toe.

Author: Erica

Yields: 1 cake, serves about 16

Ingredients

For the red velvet beet cake:

• 3 medium-sized beets
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature, divided
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 3 oz. dark chocolate (I used Ghirardelli’s 60%)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg

For the raspberry cream cheese frosting:

• 12 oz frozen raspberries
• juice of ½ a lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
• 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar

For garnish (optional):

• fresh raspberries

Instructions

1. First, roast and peel the beets. This is my preferred method. Then roughly chop the beets and puree them in a food processor until smooth. You should have about 1 cup of beet puree. Set aside. (This can also be done ahead of time.)
2. Preheat oven to 375. Grease and flour a bundt pan (or any cake pan of your choice).
3. In a large bowl, beat together 3/4 cup of the butter with the brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Melt the chocolate with the remaining butter in the microwave in 30-second increments. Beat the melted chocolate mixture, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and beet puree into the butter/sugar/egg mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flours, baking soda, salt, and spices. Dump into the wet ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. This took me about 40 minutes, but the original recipe says 60-70. The baking time will vary depending on which type of pan you use, so I would suggest starting to check at 40 minutes.
5. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. After cooling, you can frost the cake immediately or wrap it in plastic and refrigerate it for up to 2 days before continuing.
6. While cake cools, make the raspberry cream cheese frosting. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the frozen raspberries and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the raspberries have broken down. Pour through a mesh strainer into a small bowl and cool completely. This should yield between 3/4 and 1 cup raspberry sauce.
7. Cream together the cream cheese and butter. Sift in the powdered sugar and beat until incorporated. Beat in the raspberry sauce. You can choose to use as much of the sauce as you want for a frosting anywhere from subtle to shocking pink!
8. Pour frosting over cooled cake and garnish with fresh raspberries.
9. The cake will keep covered for several days in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Notes

Taken from Coffee & Quinoa blog - posted by Erica - February 4, 2013

Adapted from Straight from the Farm and Verve & Sass.

Centerpiece Maker Jack

Why should the centerpiece on the table be the same every day?  Today it needed a smile and a mustache!

The Birthday Girl.

On Sunday, November 10th, our little girl celebrated her 15th birthday.

She spent the day with her grandma and Aunt Pam at the Packer game.  Even though the Packer's lost, she still came home with a smile on her face.  She knew there was a cheesecake waiting for her.

Happy Birthday to you!

 

Three happy smiles.

Daddy and his "little" girl.

At the Packer game.

 

Hannah's first Packer game in 2005.

All smiles even though the Packers are losing.

Aunt Pam, Hannah, and Grandma day at the game.

Happy Birthday Hannah!  I hope your day was a good day for you.  I also hope that all your wishes come true!