FYI- In case there is anyone who is still following me from this Typepad blog, I have permanently moved to http://www.sweetsauer.com
Please update your links and feed readers!!
FYI- In case there is anyone who is still following me from this Typepad blog, I have permanently moved to http://www.sweetsauer.com
Please update your links and feed readers!!
Hello to everyone out there who reads my little blog here at www.sweetsauer.com. I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that this site is going through some major changes this weekend and it is is extremely important that you resubscribe using this feed. If you fail to do so, I am 99% sure that you will no longer receive my feed when I update. Make the switch now & resubscribe with this feed!!! Otherwise you'll have to go to http://www.sweetsauer.com directly to visit me.
Have a great weekend!
I had an interesting conversation last night with some of the neighbor-girls about what we dream about. Dreams are so fleeting..... they are to me anyway, with bits and pieces that sometimes flashback at random times. Most of the time I do not remember my dreams at all, other times I can recall them vividly. I have had some recurring dreams, even some that go all the way back to my childhood that I still remember. For the past few years I have dreamt of a unknown city. In this dream I drive all over the city, taking different routes. I have had it so many times that I swear I could navigate through that city if I ever happened to be there in real life. What do you think that is supposed to mean? I think I am a suggestive dreamer in the regard that I often dream about things that are on my mind before going to bed. Other times I have dreams that are so bizarre, I wonder where they came from?! I am not the type to analyze my dreams normally, but I sure have had some C.R.A.Z.Y. dreams! (I will have to write a post just about some of them just for the record!)
Just curious if you remember your dreams or not? Which dreams do you tend to remember the most? Scary? Happy? Bizarre? Do your dreams center around things in your real life or that you were thinking about before bed or are they totally random?? Do you ever dream about strangers that you don't recall ever meeting in real life??
Go ahead and share your thoughts of dreams with me! Or even share a dream you've had if you'd like ;)
PS On an unrelated note..... sweetsauer.com will be moving to a new server and platform this weekend so make sure you subscribe using this feed otherwise you will not continue to receive my blog updates!
Some mornings I leave for work long before the sun makes his appearance, other days I can catch a spectacular sunrise over White Bear Lake while enroute. Today was one of those days! (Thanks to a super-sweet loaner bag (Coach!) from a friend, I am able to conveniently carry my camera around in style- camera bag problem temporarily solved)
PS On an unrelated note..... www.sweetsauer.com will be moving to a new server and platform this weekend so make sure you subscribe using this feed otherwise you will not continue to receive my blog updates!
My niece Bianca turned three years old last week so we had a little family birthday party for her at Brian & Michelle's house.
I took plenty of photos while practicing with my camera, you ready for them all??!!
The birthday girl
Bianca posing with Uncle Jeff and Grandpa Jim in their new "Chile" t-shirts......( Jeff and my dad literally got home from South America the night before the party)
One of Bianca's big presents was a new bike! Big sister Annika helping with helmet
Uncle Jeff is so silly....
I can't forget the little dude! (who at this moment was in the mood for a photo apparently because he made this face and got all up in my camera!!
Last but not least, some pics of the cakes!!
Michelle has more photos from the party on her blog so go check them out :)
PS On an unrelated note..... sweetsauer.com will be moving to a new server and platform this weekend so make sure you subscribe using this feed otherwise you will not continue to receive my blog updates!
and I am very very sad. Boo Hoo.
The end.
Most of you know I have been a life-long Prince Fan. I am not the biggest fan of this "Purple and Gold" song but I still had to post it!
Here are the complete “Purple and Gold” lyrics:
the veil of the sky draws open
the roar of the chariots touch down
we r the ones who have now come again
and walk upon water like solid ground
as we approach the throne we won’t bow down
this time we won’t b denied
raise every voice and let it b known
in the name of the purple and gold
we come in the name of the purple and gold
all of the odds r in r favor
no prediction 2 bold
we r the truth if the truth can b told
long reign the purple and gold
the eyes say ready 4 battle
no need 4 sword in hand
we r all amped up like a rock n roll band
ready 2 celebrate every score
ready 2 fight the elegant war
ready 2 hear the crowd roar
that’s what we came 4
and so much more
in the name of the purple and gold
r spirits may b tired
r bodies may b worn
but since this day is r destiny
r history – that’s y we must b
4ever strong as the wind that blows the Vikings’ horn
in the name of the purple and gold
CHORUS
One.
GO VIKINGS!!!!!!! Having some major Purple Pride this week after the Vikes kicked Dallas' butt last Sunday (there is no doubt that Favre is THE MAN and Sidney Rice can catch just about anything)....we are now headed to the NFC Championship against The Saints. If we win this game we are headed to the Superbowl!!!! C'mon Vikes, don't let us down again.
PS Had some chili dogs for dinner after the game (and you know I always take pics of food!)
Two.
Our Teacher Union voted on a new contract last week and it passed. Due to millions and millions of dollars in budget cuts and the State of MN delaying payment to schools for two years, we were expecting a pay freeze for the next two years. Instead they are giving us each a raise of $1,000 a year, which takes effect this pay period. That probably averages $70 more a pay check after taxes. I'll take it- Better than nothing!
Three.
Today is my niece Bianca's 3rd Birthday. Wow, did that 3 years go fast since she was first born! I am so glad that I have been blogging as long as I have, it is fun to call up old posts like that one. Here is Bianca a few days ago, Photo taken by her talented mother Michelle. (Check out Michelle's Photography!) Bianca's big sister Annika has her half-birthday today as well (born 7-20-05)
Four.
Happy Birthday to Dana Leigh tomorrow! Hope you have a good one :)
PS Dana is a Vikings season ticket holder and got to go to the game last Sunday vs the Cowboys. Lucky girl!
Five.
Sad news in my neighborhood community yesterday.... there was a murder/suicide of a couple my age who lived just a few blocks from my house. I didn't know them at all but it is very sad. They had a 4-year-old son who was found wandering around at the crime scene.
Six.
Apparently I am really out of the loop because I just heard about the Conan O'Brien situation last night. Is it true that NBC is paying $30 million to walk away from the Tonight Show? Craziness. I think Conan is sooo funny!
Seven.
My dad, brother and uncles are still in South America. I have seen some of their photos on Facebook and it looks like they've been having a very nice time in Chile and Argentina (they even watched the Vikes game last Sunday somewhere in Argentina!). Hopefully Jeff blogs about it soon so that I can link to some of his posts. I am somewhat anxious for them to get home because I need Jeff's expertise with moving my domain name and blog to a different platform. (because I know the first thing he'll want to do after traveling abroad is come to my rescue. Yeah right!!)
Eight.
I have now taken around 500 photos with the Nikon and have maybe ten good ones out of the lot. Most of them are just trial shots. I. am.going.to.get.this. SLR.figured out! Planning to take an online photography course in February so hopefully it helps!
That's about it, Folks. Happy Hump Day!
I think I have introduced you to my shadow before, Dusty the Russian Blue.
I tried to catch him sleeping but of course he woke up when I started to take the photos. The blue is very pronounced in these pics..... I had my camera set for Tungsten lighting and this is what I got??
f/5.6 1/20 ISO 800 Tungsten
I kept my aperture and shutter speed settings exactly the same but switched the light source to flash mode (but did not use flash) and this is what I got:
What would be a better light source setting to use inside with low lighting when you don't want to use flash??
My friend Shannon (who I went to HS with and who also happens to live just a couple houses down from me) had a jewelry party at her house the other night with some friends from high school. I haven't seen many of these girls since I took a break from scrapbooking, so it was nice to catch up a little bit.
Thanks for getting everyone together for a night of fun, Shannon!
For the past few weeks I had been wanting to go to the Como Conservatory to see the Holiday flower show (and to test out my new camera) and finally had the chance yesterday over my lunch break. I took quite a few photos but I am not happy with how most of them turned out. Playing around until you get the settings right is much harder than the good photographers make it look! lol. Seriously, it is frustrating! I know I need to practice, practice practice and I will eventually get it. There are just so many things that can effect the photo: Lighting, shutter speed, focal length, aperture, ISO, white balance and metering?? I don't know much about metering, that is something I better read up on some more :)
I am posting my settings along with the photos
Photo Settings: 34mm f/14 1/40 ISO 200
Photo Settings: 46mm f/14 1/8 ISO 200
Photo Settings: 36mm f/14 1/40 ISO 200
Photo Settings: 34mm f/14 1/40 ISO 200
Photo Settings : 18mm f/5.6 1/320 ISO 200
Photo Settings: 18mm f/5.6 1/160 ISO 200
Any advice on what settings would work better for taking photos in a conservatory, I'd love to hear it....
Last weekend was my long-time amiga Cassie Rae's birthday so a small group of us went out to celebrate at Pizza Luce and then we went back to Cassie's place where we stayed up late catching up (and eating popcorn and drinking Chai Tea!)
I made Cassie pose for a couple of pics....
Cass took a couple of pics of me too! I don't like them because I look like crap but here they are anyway (proof that my hair is in total chaos-yuck)
Cassie has all sorts of cool stuff around her place to take photos of so I took advantage! I loved the shadows that this awesome crystal chandelier creates
Photo Settings: 26mm F/5.6 1/125 (Totally Rad Action- "Pross Crossessed")
Photo Settings 55mm f/5.6 1/125
Photo Settings: 38mm f/5.0 1/8 ISO 1600
This was a light at Pizza Luce that I thought was pretty cool
Photo Settings: 40mm f/5.3 1/8 ISO 1600
Glad we got to hang out Cassie, thanks for inviting us!
Delurking: Entering an online discussion after a time spent lurking, especially if suddenly prompted to do so.
Basically it means you’ve been hanging out, reading this blog for a while, but you haven’t felt the need to leave a comment or reveal that you are out there reading my blog...... today is the day that you should finally come out & leave a comment to let me know you’re here :)
Thanks for reading, I hope I hear from a lot of you!
One.
It is supposed to get up to 39' today! What a warm up that is from the near 0' it has been for the past month. I am sick of freezing.
Two.
My dad, brother Jeff, and two of my uncles left for Chile yesterday. Wish I was going somewhere exotic!! I hope Jeff blogs about his adventure! After this trip he just needs to visit Australia and Antarctica and he will have visited all the continents. I think his goal is to visit them all by age 30 but we'll see!
Three.
As soon as Jeff comes home I am having him help me move this blog/domain (and the Twin Cities Restaurant Blog) over to Word Press. Word Press installed blogs are amazing with all that you can do. Wish I would've started that route but glad I learned about web design and html in the meantime!
Four.
I have yet to really start using my new camera. I've taken maybe only 200 photos so far, mostly just of nothing. The frigid cold has prevented me from doing any outdoor shoots and there is only so many things I can take photos of around my house. Thank you to everyone who gave their input last week about lenses and camera bags. I am debating between the 35mm and 50mm. I discovered that since my Nikon D5000 is NOT a full-frame camera, the actual focal length is multiplied by 1.6. So a 35mm looks more like a 50mm and 50mm looks more like 85mm. Eventually I will have both but I just don't know which one to get first!
Five.
I need a good book to read. I have not read a book in like 3 months and it has been much longer than that since I read anything that was actually really good. I need to put more time into reading again, it is truly one of my lifelong all-time favorite hobbies. Any recommendations? Anyone want to swap a book with me??? Here are the books I am willing to swap on paperbackswap.com. I will add more later :)
Six.
Photo Hunt #5 was completed at the end of December and I am now starting to post my favorites. Head over to Photo Hunt Challenges, check out the photos and start voting! More favorites will be added throughout the next week until I get them all up!
Seven.
I never feel like I have enough time to do everything I need to do. Don't ya hate that? I feel like this every. single. day.
Eight.
My hair is beyond ridiculously long. It is looking pretty bad these days. One of my bff's even threatened to cut it off and a colleague has been telling me about haircut specials around town. Another friend wants to bring me in to her stylist. OKAY, I get the hint!! I know its bad, I am just the worst about making appointments. I promise I will get my hair cut sometime in 2010 ;)
Nine.
Speaking of my bff's (and other friends!), I really miss them. I haven't really seen or talked to anyone other than Lanee and Denise lately. One of my resolutions for 2010 is to be a better friend and to make a better effort to see my friends.
Ten.
Thanks to everyone who commented on the Bleu Cheese Meatloaf Recipe. To everyone who said they're going to make it, I hope everyone likes it as much as we did. As I mentioned yesterday, I plan to make a new recipe every week which I will post here along with photos of the food.
Eleven.
Looking forward to a three day weekend! Hope everyone has a good one!
I don't typically make New Years Resolutions but this year I did resolve that I was going to step out of my boring making-dinner-routine and start cooking at least one new recipe a week. Since I work so late many nights a week, Tuesday seems to be one of the days that work best for me to cook and we often collaborate these meals with our neighbors. Last night I decided to bake a Blue Cheese Meatloaf for a group of 9 (at the neighbors house) and it was a huge hit. I was even told by at least one that "it was the best meatloaf I ever had". It had great texture and packed with flavor. The bleu cheese melts into the meatloaf so you don't get an overpowering taste yet it still dresses up the meat in the most wonderful way.
I forgot my camera at home so no photos!! Next time, I promise.
This recipe makes enough for 6 people, I made 2.5x the recipe into two loaves.
1/2 Lg Onion Diced
2+ lbs lean ground beef leanPreheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion. Fry until the onion is translucent (15 minutes).
In a large bowl, mix together fried onions, beef, pepper, salt, dry mustard, bread crumbs, mustard, and light sour cream.After you have mixed the ingredients very well (use your hands if you have to). Add the blue cheese and mix in gently. Pat the mixture down into a 9 x 13inch baking pan or 9 x 9 for a thicker loaf.
Bake the meatloaf in the oven until it is no longer pink in the center (1 hour and 5 minutes).
I made mashed potatoes and green beans with almonds as my side dishes. Yummy!!
It has been a few weeks at least since I posted a Top 10 (or in many case, Top 12!). Couldn't think of anything ingenious off the top of my head so I'll go with something that comes easy for me to think of ........ desserts!
1. Ice Cream (sundae, malt, etc)
2. White Chocolate Chip Macademia Nut Cookies
3. Carrot Cake
4. Cheesecake
5. Apple Crisp or Apple Turnovers
6. German Chocolate Cake
7. Peanut Butter Blossoms
8. Pumpkin Bars
9. Chocolate Chip Cookies
10. Turtle Bars (my Gram's recipe)
11. Flan
12. Tres Leches Cake
What are your favorite desserts? Make your own list and post to your blog!
Last week a couple of my friends, Ang and Dana, both awarded me with a "Lemonade Stand" blogger award which is passed on to "bloggers who demonstrate great attitude and gratitude". Part of the honor of winning this award is to turn around and recognize other bloggers so without further ado, here are the Lemonade Stand awards that I am handing out this week. (Hard to choose because I have so many faves!)
First up is my brother Brian's wife Michelle at Curls, Spunk and Monkey Chunk. Michelle is an amazing photographer and I love reading her blog because it is how I stay up to date with my darling little nieces and nephew when I otherwise see them just a few times a month. She is very honest about motherhood and life in general, which I am cure we can all appreciate.
Next I would like to return the award back to Ang at Football, Sushi and the Pursuit of Happiness. Ang and I met through a mutual friend six or seven years ago and have a lot in common, especially our love of photography. Ang is also a Nikon user and she is my new go-to girl for Nikon questions. We have a tradition of going to Fuddruckers for Valentines Day every year :)
I would also like to give the award back to Dana at My Everyday Life. Dana and I have known each other since HS but became friends several years ago through a group of mutual friends. I love reading Dana's blog to see what she has been up to.... she is very active and busy and always posts a lot of pictures about all the fun she has....we also have a lot in common!
Next up I have to give a shout-out to one of the most amazing photographers I know, Chriselda at Chriselda Photography. Chriselda and I became online buds back in 2004-2005 when we took part in a Circle Journal together. Since that time Chriselda has built up her photography business full-time and her photography is simply amazing!! This blog is a photography blog.
Another of my favorite bloggers is Denise at Lipstick and Red High Heels. Denise is so stinkin funny! She loves to tell stories about the mischief she would get into when she was younger with her three sisters. Denise had to make her blog private this year but I am lucky enough to have the password :) Denise is also one amazing photographer and I adore looking at all of her work. Check out her photography blog! Beautiful!
I also must give an award to Ms. Samara at Link Adventures. Sam and I have been blogging buddies for awhile now, we "met" through Lindsay Teague who is one of Sam's best buddies and another of my favorite bloggers. Sam and I are the same age and she is also from the midwest but transplanted in AZ. Samara just graduated from college with a degree in Communications/Journalism (or something like that!) This past semester Sam spent hundreds of hours in the newsroom and on location shooting pieces for the local news and she shared many of the pieces she created on her blog. Check them out, they were so much fun to watch, I would always forget it was Sam I was hearing until she would show up on camera..... so professional!! Sam also leaves me the nicest, most thoughtful comments on my blog. I can't wait until I get to go back to AZ again soon so that we can meet in real life :)
Another of my most-favorite blogs to read because of the entertainment factor is Lindy at Gringa N Mexico. Lindy moved to Mexico a couple of years ago to be with her husband and loves to write about her experiences as a barely-spanish-speaking-white-woman-who-lives-in-Mexico-but works in a border town in the US. This girl is freaking HILARIOUS. Lots of sex talk and foul language.... I love the shock factor! Lindy just gave birth to her very first baby and I can't wait to read all about her new adventure into Motherhood, which bound to be entertaining the way Lindy writes about it :)
The last award I am giving out today is to my Belgium blogging buddy, Jientje at Heaven is in Belgium. I first found Jientje (pronounced gene-chu) through the Photo Hunts that I started hosting last Spring and I absolutely adore her photography!! Jientje likes to take photos of objects and landscapes as I do and she has such a talented eye! She is also just learning how to use a D-SLR camera and I am so inspired by her work!
To the many others whose blogs I read...... thank you for sharing what you do :)
As a brand-new inexperienced D-SLR camera owner, I have a few questions for those of you who more experienced using cameras!
I am looking into various lenses. Reading this article about choosing lenses really explained a LOT. My Nikon D5000 came with a 18-55mm kit lens and I also bought a 55-200mm zoom lens. Both are nice for now but I really feel like I also need a Prime Lens. I have gotten great advice from photographers Michelle, Chriselda and Jen who all say I really should get a 50mm f/1.8 or 1.4 (if I could afford the upgrade!). I am also interested in a lens for Macro photography. What would I want to use for that? If you own a D-SLR camera, please tell me what lenses you own, which is your favorite and what you use it for??
When I bought my camera last week with the two lenses, I felt it was necessary to get a camera bag that would hold it all. The bag is huge, much bigger than my purse! I am actually in need of a new purse too, so I don't know if I should get a smaller camera bag for just the camera (and one smaller lens) or if I should get a bigger bag that could dual as both camera bag and purse. Is there such a thing that is both stylish, protective and functional? I am used to always carrying a camera with me but right now that just isn't happening until I figure out a better solution. What do you use for a camera bag? Any ideas on where to look?
I bought a tripod with the camera and I would also like to get a remote control. Are there any other necessities that I should look into???
Thanks for any advice and for answering my questions!
Twenty three years ago is when the very first Sauer Family Foosball Tourney was established and it is a BFD in my family! A little history about the tourney: My dad's side of the family had always gotten together the first weekend in January to celebrate the famous birthday of my dad, his sister and his brother and it just so happens that in 1987 the annual birthday party took place at our house. My brothers Brian, Jeff and I had gotten a rinky-dink little foosball table for Christmas that year so a few people started playing foosball. I am not sure who I can credit for the idea of creating a bracket system tournament, but I am pretty sure it is my dad. He became the Commissioner of Foosball and has kept records of who has won over the years. Partners are paired up by a random drawing and each year one person from the winning team gets to take home the coveted Toilet Bowl Trophy. Every year the reigning Champs must re-paint the trophy for the new winners. This trophy has 23 layers of paint and history! See recaps of Foosball 2006 2008 2009
Here is 2010 Trophy:
Here are some photos of this year's action. At the very end I have a video of the Championship game. Proof that things can get a little crazy and wild when you have a Toilet Bowl Trophy at stake!
We start them young in the Sauer family! Players are eligible once they are tall enough to see over the table. Bennett has a few years yet!
My aunt Mary who is NO DOUBT the most enthusiastic player in the family (see video at bottom) Watch out when the sweat band comes on! LOL
The full moon on December 31st, 2009 was the 2nd full moon in December, making it a BLUE MOON. It was FREEZING cold outside but I braved it anyway (for a few minutes!) to take my new camera and tripod outside to try to capture the special blue moon.
Have you ever tried to shoot the moon??!! It is hard! Every time I try (here is another good pic of the moon I took with the Canon G10 back in September) it takes a lot of playing around with the settings before I get it right (otherwise it looks like a blurry white orb). This was taken with my 55-200mm Lens at f/5.6 1/320
New Years Eve was pretty laid back again this year. We had a very nice (but early!) steak dinner at the Lakeside Club, which has become a New Year's Eve tradition over the past five years. We had planned to go to a party later at our friends Miles & Becky's pace but opted not to drive all the way to NE Mpls. Too many cops and drunk drivers on the road made me feel safer at home!! I hung out with my neighbors for awhile and played a few games of darts
Noemy also stopped over for a little bit and since we were both wearing hats, I made her pose for a pic with me :) Now honest truth.....do I look like Elmer Fudd in that Hat??!! I thought I saw a wabbit!
Whether you went out or stayed home, I hope everyone else had a nice New Year's Eve too!
My dad's birthday was on Dec 30th and if you have been reading this blog over the years, you may remember that my dad has a very unique and special (almost famous) birthday. Every year we celebrate together (usually more than once!) and we usually have pizza. This year we met at Davanni's Pizza (after my bros took our dad to see Avatar earlier in the afternoon) for a quick dinner (review to come soon). I had just gotten my new camera so I brought it with to test it out.
My niece Bianca
My nephew Bennett. I know this isn't the greatest picture (sorry Michelle!) but I just LOVE that with the SLR only part of the photo is in focus with a blurred background. Kick ass!!! This is with the 18-55mm kit lens, using flash.
And there ya have it, my first pics with my new camera :)
My little kitty, Pharaoh (aka Baby Boy), is such a little stinker. Of course he is the sweetest, most affectionate little turkey I know. He is also a freeze baby (Abyssinians are native to Africa) and loves to sun himself every chance he gets. The other day I caught him sunning himself in the window and snapped a few pics (with the Canon G10)
PS I think I need to blog about my kitties more often, it has been awhile!
New year, new banner. These are just a few photos I took in 2009 that I really like (there were many!). Looking forward to an even better year of photography in 2010 with my new Nikon!
Notice anything different (or shall I say NEW!!???)
I am pretty excited to start playing with my new toy! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to me!!
And a very happy New Year to all of you too :)
Photo Hunt #5 is complete and here are my pictures from the month of December. Thank you to my dad for letting me use his camera! The Canon G10 has been a great camera to use. Make sure you check out all the participant entries at Photo Hunt Challenges and vote in the polls that will be open starting next week.
1. Holiday Lights
2. Holiday Spirit
3. A Holiday Treat
4. An Ornament
5. A Gift-Wrapped Package
6. A Window Display
7. A Winter/Holiday Icon
8. A Tree
9. A Tradition
10.Something that says Noel
11. Something Precious
12. Something Peaceful
13. Something Hot
14. Something Cold
16. Something Green
17. Motion blur
18. Black & White Photo (with selective coloring)
19. Any photo using an Infrared Photography Technique (in-camera OR post-process)
20. A Macro Shot (coming asap!)I spent Christmas morning baking a few different cookies to take along to my in-laws for dinner and to a party at my neighbors' house later in the evening.
Peanut Butter Blossoms- The best!!! I had never made them before but they turned out amazing. Looking at this photo makes me want to make more right now just so I can have some again. I got only two out of this batch because they disappeared so quick!
White chocolate chip macadamia nut (with coconut). Another fave of mine :)
The weather was slushy and snowy on Christmas Day this year so I am glad we didn't have far to travel to get to my in-laws'. We had the traditional turkey/stuffing/mashed potatoes/ham/creamed corn meal and it was delicious!!
After a few hours we headed home, relaxed for a little while and then headed next door to a birthday party for Darrell who shares his birthday with Baby Jesus. Every year Darrell and Denise throw a Christmas/Bday party for friends and neighbors. It is so much fun! This year we had smoked pork carnitas with fresh pico and rice. Fabulous. If I haven't mentioned before how lucky I am to have D & D as neighbors and for Denise to be such a wonderful cook (especially authentic Mexican food), they are the best!!
Christmas Eve fondue is one of my family's favorite traditions....
This is our set-up
Marinated Meats (and its hard not to notice all the other traditional fryer-foods like mozzarella sticks, tater tots, jalapeno poppers, etc that my brothers have incorporated into the dinner over the years)
Spear meats with fondue fork and place in hot oil! (The kids sit at a separate table and it will be a few years yet before they are able to fondue their own foods)
The process is lengthy and the kids were impatient waiting for the adults to finish so they could open presents! Here are a few other photos from the night
The kids had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed all the gifts they got. We got the kids each two sets of nice warm, soft Carter's PJs and I think they really liked them... they wore them home that night :)
They even enjoyed Chocolate fondue in their Pjs!
PS I wasn't sure if our Christmas Eve get together was even going to happen this year since local meteorologists were predicting the "Storm of the Century" with 30 inches or so to fall over Christmas. We ended up getting only 8" and the roads were fairly clear and drivable (although slippery)on Christmas Eve but still bad on Christmas Day. I hope weather didn't postpone Christmas for others, I know weather was bad all over this year!
Last week some friends and I got a couple of rooms on the 17th floor of a nice hotel overlooking the Mississippi River and had ourselves a stay-cation. Great views from the rooms which is great because it was freezing out!
Daytime:
We ventured out a little and had dinner at American Burger Bar (which has awesome burgers!) and then looked at some nearby lights
The city is so pretty during the holidays!!
It was so much fun to be able to take wedding photos of Noemy & Traves but it was even more fun at the actual wedding/reception! You may have read that Noemy & Traves needed a last-minute change in venue due to a booking error and fortunately they found a place in time. Although the new venue was far from ideal, the important thing is that these two special people were able to make their vows to each other in front of their loved ones.
The reception followed immediately after the ceremony < Puerto Rican Style Fun!!>
I took many photos at the reception but I am only going to post this one of me with Denise and Noemy. These two have been BFFs since Jr. high and I was lucky enough to meet Noemy a few years ago through Denise (who is not only my next door neighbor but also one of my besties). I love these girls!!
Fun times celebrating with ya'll!
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