Snow Much Fun!

We've been having a pretty mild winter up here in the great white north.

That means fun times outside with the kids!

It started way back at Thanksgiving when we chopped down our own Christmas tree for the first time ever. 
It was awesome and we're totally doing it again next year. 

We hauled it home from Long Prairie on top of our car -

In true Griswold fashion

 It was worth it though. 

I loved having a real tree in the house!

 

While at the tree farm, we stopped in and saw Santa.

These two were happy to see him -

 Little Emily, not so much!

Ha ha!

 To be fair,

she was not okay with Santa at Rheult Farm this year either.

But she has very much enjoyed playing outside this winter.

Even getting ready is fun!

H

We've been sledding a few times at Mickelson Park in Fargo.

All the cousins came out with us on New Year's Day and the kids had a blast.

 They were little daredevils out there,

sledding down this track with a jump!

  Of course the weekend it was brutally cold we were at the condo in DL.

The kids braved their first ice fishing tournament -

  But it was below zero with some serious windchill,

so Ruby wasn't having too much fun -

Especially knowing she could be in the hot tub! 

  She was much happier after a trip to the pool!

 It's warmed up again now.

It was so nice this weekend that the kids were out in the backyard.
Throwing snowballs -

And playing on the play set.

 They even went on a bike ride around the block!

 We topped the weekend off with a trip to the new downtown ice skating rink.

Grandma came to watch 

and help keep Emily entertained in the warming house. 

The kids had such a great time!

Hope you're enjoying winter!

I'm excited that it's already February tomorrow.

This nice weather has had me prematurely dreaming about spring,

but it will be here before we know it.

So get outside and enjoy some winter activities while you can!

Chicken Sausage Bog

We tried this pin over Christmas break and were so pleasantly surprised!

It was delicious.

Great reheated. 

Flavorful.

And the kids liked it too!

Here are the ingredients -

Please note:

there is a rotisserie chicken tucked in behind the sausage and onion soup mix!

Dice half a large onion -

And then toss it in a stock pot along with a tablespoon or so of olive oil.

Fry those onions up a little bit, stirring regularly, to tenderize them.

While that is happening, get some brown rice boiling.

Back in the stock pot, add some chicken stock - 

and a package of onion soup mix.

Salt and pepper to taste and allow to simmer.

Next, slice up some sausage -

And throw it in a frying pan with a little butter.

Fry those babies up to your liking. I prefer them crisp!

In the meantime,

I hope you've found a second to cut up the rotisserie chicken,

And add it to the stock pot.

I know you've got a lot going on!

Bring the stock pot to a boil

After the liquid is reduced by half, add in the sausage -

And then the rice. 

Mix everything together so it looks something like this -

 And then serve it up in a bowl.

It's a good, hearty winter dish that the whole family enjoyed!

Chicken Sausage Bog

1 rotisserie chicken, chopped
1 14.5 oz. can chicken stock 
1 package Lipton Onion Soup mix
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced
1 box brown rice, cooked to package directions
1 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 Tbsp butter
salt & pepper to taste

In a large stockpot, saute onions in olive oil. Add chicken broth, onion soup mix, and salt and pepper to taste. In a small saucepan, prepare one box of brown rice as directed. Slice sausage. In a frying pan, fry sliced smoked sausage in butter until desired crispness. Remove rotisserie chicken from bone and chop. Add chopped rotisserie chicken to stock pot. Bring to a boil. Once liquid is reduced by half in chicken pot, remove from heat and add cooked rice and sausage, stirring gently to combine.

A Hockey Mom in the Making

About twice a week these days you can find me at the rink.

Walter is in the middle of his first season of hockey 

and it's been quite the experience. 

It's confusing and chaotic to parents who have never played the sport.

Terms like "dibs" and "jamboree" mean nothing to me.

But we're slowly learning and finding our way, and so is Walt.

When he started this season he could barely skate. 

He looked uncomfortable under all that gear and he fell down so often that he'd come out of practice complaining that his butt hurt. 

I didn't know if he'd want to keep playing.

But now two months later - he's jockeying to be the first player on the ice at every practice. He's gained so much confidence and what is most fun to watch

is how motivated he is to get better. 

He tries so hard out there.

He still falls down, but he's quick to get back up and get after the puck.

He appears to have a strong competitive streak that comes from his father.

Adam and I had to quit playing Scrabble years ago 

or we would have gotten divorced - but that's another story.

Today, I'll head to the rink for the third time this weekend 

and I'll tell you what, I'll be genuinely happy to be there. 

I love watching Walter do something he enjoys.