Luminaries

We love our new neighborhood. Last night, we were able to join in the neighborhood Christmas luminary tradition. On the appointed evening, people put out candles in white paper bags and line their yards near the streets with glowing luminaries. Some also line their front walk with the bags to invite friends and neighbors to join them for visiting and treats. The previous owner of the home had left her sand (to weight the bags) and paper bags, so armed with 32 candles, I filled them with Lucy and Reuben while Mom and Ruthy slept. Then, we fed the sister missionaries, who helped us light our candles. Then following dinner, we joined our friendly new neighbors down the street for some visiting. We ended the evening by driving around and looking at the candles and Christmas lights. Many homes had participated, and it was a lot of fun. One home has put up 101 wooden dalmations in their yard, including a couple with cut-out faces for kids to take their own dog-eared photo. Sadly, the dark didn't lend itself to good photos, so you'll just have to come visit and experience our Southern hospitality firsthand. We're told the other time Kenilworth invites the community in for the big Fourth of July parade that starts across the street from our house. We can hardly wait!

Christmas

The Carrs will be opening presents for Family Night tonight. Daniel and I have fun surprises ready for the kids!

Update:  We had a great Christmas FHE.

 

Stockings were filled by the chimney with care.

Ruth was not excited with the new bottle.

Reuben loves his Snoopy. Thanks Grammy and Grandpa. It arrived just in time.

We got a piano!

Reuben's favorite present was bigger than him. It was stuffed with blankets and the beginning of a scavenger hunt!

A new bike!

Lucy also received a big box.

(It took her a little while to find her first clue.)

A cooking set! Our little chef is all set!

3 months old

Ruth Louise is three months old today. She is a solid 15-1/2 lbs of smiles and giggles. We love having her in our family!

Thanksgiving

Daniel, Ruthy and I went to Natchez, MS to kick off December and Christmas. Natchez is a charming town along the banks of the Mississippi River, with more Antebellum homes than anywhere else in America. We had a very nice time.

Ruth is so strong. Here she is for the first time in the carrier for a mile hike. She loved it.

We wondered around the grounds of old abandoned college dormitories at Historic Jefferson College.

We ate lunch in a magical courtyard discovered via recommendation of our driver during a horse drawn carriage tour of the city.

Very large Indian mounds.

Dinner in a pumpkin

We had the most delicious dinner tonight thanks to my wonderful sister Chrissy and her recipe. Yum!

Here is Chrissy's recipe:

DINNER IN A PUMPKIN

Ingredients:

Hamburger

Chopped onion

Cream of mushroom soup

Dash of soy sauce

1-2 C cooked rice

Mushrooms

Frozen veggies to liking

1 medium pumpkin

Directions:

Clean out pumpkin like you're making a jack-o-lantern. 

Brown hamburger and chopped onion, then mix in a can of cream of mushroom soup, a dash of soy sauce, 1-2 cups cooked rice and whatever else you have around (i.e. mushrooms, frozen veggies, etc...)

Once you've got that mixture tasting good, fill the pumpkin with it, put on the lid and back it at 350 deg for at least one hour (or until the pumpkin is soft enough to scoop out with the filling). Bake on a baking sheet to avoid a mess in the oven.

We accidentally added a little too much soy sauce (about 2 Tbs) and decided to compensate with a little brown sugar (2 Tbs), making it slightly teriyaki flavored... and therefore very sweet and delicious. Our mixed veggies had lima beans, red peppers, green beans and corn. We also snuck in some very yummy sausage. Wow. Make sure to scoop out some of the pumpkin when you serve it up on your plate and don't worry if you didn't get all the stringy insides out. 

Weekend visitors

Here are a few shots from this weekend:  Rosedown plantation and home. Thank you Carrs, Thompsons and Rigbys for coming to Ruth's blessing.