Christmas Happenings

So, as it is for everyone this time of year, it has been busy! The blog has been neglected...so here is an overview of some Christmas happenings with the Selin family!

1. A couple weekends ago we went to Santa Landing at Jordan Landing. They had Santa come in on a firetruck, balloon animals, face painting, hot chocolate, and visits with Santa- all for free! It was chilly but a lot of fun. Dawson has been seeing Santa on TV, in pictures, from a far at the mall; and everytime he sees him he shouts Santa! Santa! all excited. The minute we got into Santa's cottage and I put Dawson on his laps it was hysterics! I couldn't help but laugh. What did he do that night when he saw Santa on tv again? Santa! Santa! I guess it's good he still likes the guy at least, right?


2. That weekend we also headed downtown to look at the lights at Temple Square. They were beautiful as always and we had a ton of fun hanging out with Missy, Jen, Jeremy, Heather, and Tyler.


3. The following Wednesday we went to the library for a Christmas Storytime. They read some stories, sang some songs, then the big guy in red made his appearance. Dawson was very excited when Santa walked in, took a candy cane from him, gave him a high five, and even played with his hat, but would not go anywhere near the guy's knee. At least there were no tears this time!


4. This past Saturday we went out to dinner with Tammy, Rob, Brandy, Dave, Cassidy, and Jared to eat and swap gifts. We had a lot of fun eating and chatting it up with these great people who have become like a family to us. Afterwards, we headed home and Christopher, Dawson, and I made a Gingerbread House. Dawson enjoyed putting candy on the house as much as he enjoyed putting it in his mouth. When we weren't looking he would at lightening speed shove a bunch of candy in his mouth or swipe some frosting off the house and eat it. Such a sugar-holic.



What a wonderful time of year it is, and we are so grateful for the birth of our Savior, our wonderful families, friends, and loved ones. We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with good health and lots of love!

Tasty Tuesday

On cold, snowy days like today, I feel constantly chilled and all I want is something to warm me up. One thing that always does is this Wassil recipe I got from my good friend Tammy. She makes it all winter long; brewing up a big pot of it then putting it in a pitcher in her fridge so she can daily pour a mug of this yummy drink and warm it up in the microwave. I just had to have the recipe so I could do the same! Added bonus? It has citrus juices in it which means lots of vitamin C to help boost your immune system during the cold, sick months.

Wassil
Tammy Olsen

2 1/4 c sugar
4 c water
2 cinnamon sticks
8 allspice berries
10 whole cloves
sprinkle of ginger powder
4 c oj
2 c lemon juice
2 quarts apple juice

Boil sugar and water until dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and simmer. *Note The longer you simmer it the more "spicer" it gets, enhancing the drink with the cinnamon, cloves etc. If you like something mild, simmer maybe only 10 minutes; if you like those spices, simmer longer, like 30 minutes. After you are done simmering make sure you remove the cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, and cloves.

Week in Review

It has been about a week since I have last blogged, so I thought I would do a week in review to cover the happenings of the Selin household.

1. Last Wednesday Chris and I celebrated our 6th anniversary! We kept it low key this year, deciding that we would rather keep it low key on misc. years and do something big on milestones like 5, 10, etc. Christopher brought me home some very beautiful long stem red roses, 6 actually....one for each year! We had a easy, lazy, hang out day then went out to dinner at Joe's Crab Shack that night...yum!


2. Last Saturday I went to The Festival of Trees with my friends Summer and Stacy. This is the first year in 5 years that I have not actually been on a committee for it; but instead I took Dawson and we looked at all the trees, bought yummy goodies, and went home with a very loved elf wand! It was fun to be on the other side and participate that way....but I missed working there and probably will again next year. (I apologize, I brought my camera and didn't take a single picture...it was crazy busy and I was just trying to make my way around the place!!)

3. Dawson's Hat. This past week or two Dawson has been obsessed with his "hat." This is not a normal baseball hat, a winter hat, or even a Santa hat. This is a little oval stacking box that I have as a decoration in my bedroom. It fits his head just perfectly and he will wear it for hours. We even had a day where he didn't want to take it off when we went to the store and we walked around as other mothers commented on how cute his green, flowery, boxy hat was as they gave me a knowing smile of been there done that when your child decides to take fashion in their own hands. Christopher calls him "Africa" when he wears it because he looks like he is wearing one of those round, tall native African hats that men wear. I am not sure what Dawson will do when he out grows it, because the next box up that I have is even too big for Christopher's head.


4. Tasty Tuesday- here is yesterday's installment of Tasty Tuesday. This recipe is my favorite Christmas cookie recipe and I actually made it this past week. My grandma has made these every Christmas since I can remember.

Crescent Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 t. vanilla
1 c confectioners' sugar
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl on med. speed, beat butter, vanilla, and 1/2 c sugar until smooth. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in flour until blended, scraping the bowl as needed. Stir in pecans with a spoon. Take about a tablespoon of dough and shape into a crescent shape with hands, place on ungreased cookie sheet. (These cookies don't rise much so they don't need too much room.) Bake about 10-15 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and put on tray to cool, sprinkling cookies with remaining sugar while still warm. (I like a lot of powder sugar so I roll mine in the sugar when the are still warm but ok to handle.)

5. Last but not least, I would just like to say that last night I got all my Christmas gifts wrapped and ready to go. I am done buying them all and they are nestled under my tree...yay! We watched Dark Knight as we wrapped and I loved it, Christopher had seen in but it was my first time...thumbs up!

Tasty Tuesday

Here is another great recipe I found in Paper Crafts Gourmet. I LOVE this White Chili so much, I can eat a big ol' bowl full of it! Yum-Yum!

Janice’s White Chili

6 Fifteen oz cans of Gr. White Northern Beans
6 Cups diced or shredded cooked Chicken Breasts
2 teaspoons Cumin
5 Cups Chicken broth
2 Medium onions - diced
2 Four oz cans chopped green chilies
1 1/2 teaspoons ground Oregano
1/2 teaspoon red or Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon pepper
24 oz tub Sour Cream

Boil onions in broth for 15 minutes

Add all ingredients (except sour cream) - simmer one hour
Fold in sour cream
Recipe by Janice Marriott