Beautiful Babies

Just a few pics of some of the cutest babies out there! Jack, Delanie, Emmerson, Anna and Grayson...we love you!

P.S. Kylie and Jairus, if you're looking at this, we need some pics of you to add to this group of photos!

Camera Found

In the unpacking from the holidays, we lost our camera...until we realized that it was just on the shelf by the back door where we left it! Anway, I thought I'd still put up our pics from the holidays even though it's almost February!

Resolutions

I have never really been one to make new year's resloutions...well at least not keep them anyway. But, I have a list this year that I'm going to try really hard to follow through on. A few of them are become super organized at home, read more books and volunteer my time. We already started organizing every drawer and closet and it feels great. We're going to check out the Elfa organizers (on sale now at The Container Store). I'm reading Water for Elephants and I recently jointed the Junior League of Chicago (women's philanthropic organization). So, I feel like I'm off to a good start. However, my real challenge will be trying to give up pop. I'm not sure if it's possible yet! What are your new year's resolutions???

Happy New Year!

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are happy and healthy to start off 2008. We had a great time over the past few weeks with family and friends. We were able to see most Duke's family and take a trip to Pittsburgh to see my family. As soon as I can locate my camera (lost in the unpacking from Pittsburgh) I will post some pics from our trip.

The Ultimate Holiday Entertaining Giveaway

One of my favorite design/entertaining blogs is hostessblog.com and they do a lot of giveaways that I have never entered...but this one is too big to pass up. It's a huge giveaway with more than $7,000 worth of entertaining prizes from vendors like Jonathan Adler, West Elm, Red Envelope and more. It starts today and ends December 10. Go to this page to see how you can enter your name. Since all you have to do is answer a short quiz, it's worth a shot.

Grand Prize - worth over $5000!
Second Prize - worthe over $1500!
Third Prize - worth over $700!

Good Luck!

We didn't Blow Up our Kitchen!

We hope you all had a wonderful Turkey Day! Duke and I made two turkeys with all the fixings for the Cranleys. We had a great time and best of all, our turkeys didn't turn out like the turkey in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation! We also made the winning stuffing from Good Morning America's Stuffing contest and it was the best stuffing ever! I posted the recipe below for anyone who may be interested in trying it next year. Also, here's a pic of our neice and nephew, Conor & Julia.

Good Morning America Stuffing Contest - Winning Recipe
1½ pounds sweet Italian sausage cooked and drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 extra-large yellow onion, chopped
7 large celery ribs, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 ounces pancetta, diced
6 cups day-old, finely diced French bread
3 cups crumbled unsweetened cornbread
½ cup butter, cubed, cold
1 tablespoon ground sage
1½ tablespoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup toasted pine nuts
4-5 cups chicken or turkey broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
large Parmesan shavings

Directions:
Get Stuffed: Emeril's Stuffing Recipes Heat oil in large skillet on medium. Sauté pancetta for 2 minutes. Add onion and celery and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook another 3 minutes. Mix together breads and ¾ cup toasted pine nuts in a large mixing bowl. Add cheeses and cooked sausage to the breads. Mix together with the dried seasonings. Add sautéed veggies with any pan drippings. Slowly add broth and stir until mixed thoroughly. The consistency should not be soupy, but very moist. If not, add more broth. Test for saltiness and add a dash more if needed.
Place in an extra deep 9-inch-by-13-inch greased pan. Dot the top with the cubed butter and cover with foil. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or until slightly crusted on the edges. Top with remaining toasted pine nuts and chopped fresh sage. Add shaved cheese just before serving.

Happy Turkey Day

Just wanting to wish everyone an early Happy Thanksgiving! This weekend we'll be getting ready to host Thanksgiving for Duke's family next week. It's our first time cooking a turkey, so I'm sure that will provide some entertainment for the crowd. We hope everyone is able to be with family and friends this Thanksgiving. Gobble Gobble!