Pinterest Reviews #3

It's time for me to share again about some of the recipes and projects I've seen on Pinterest and then attempted to recreate. These have been done over the past year, so don't go thinking I've been amazingly productive recently.

Project: Homemade Pretzel Dough
Link: http://smells-like-home.com/2012/01/soft-pretzel-bites-with-cheese-sauce/
Verdict: Yummy! I took them to an Oscars watching party last year and they were a big hit with the fondue.
Best Part: They were soft and golden brown and just the perfect mix of buttery/salty.
Advice: When the recipe calls for parchment paper, don't ignore the labels and use wax paper instead. There is actually quite a difference between the two.
Next Time: I will use parchment paper so that I don't have to cut the bottom off every pretzel bite that has burned to the wax paper.

Project: Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix
Link: http://cincyshopper.com/homemade-taco-seasoning/
Verdict: Easy and tasty!
Best Part: You get delicious taco taste without the added junk you find in a pre-made packet.
Advice: Make a large mix while you have all of the ingredients out and are measuring everything.
Next Time: I will add a little more chili powder and red pepper to give it more of a kick. It tastes good, but I would like it to have a little more of a kick.

Project: Crochet Headband with Flower
Link: The one I used is now blocked...sorry. I can't find it again.
Verdict: Very cute!
Best Part: It's a pretty simple stitch so you can easily create the whole thing in one sitting.
Advice: Try the headband on several times as you go to make sure it's still going to fit your head comfortably.
Next Time: I will make one for myself. I keep making them for other people and really want one for me to wear!

Project: Lasagna Roll-ups
Link: http://www.cookingclassy.com/2012/02/lasagna-roll-ups/
Verdict: So much better than Stouffer's! (And I love Stouffer's!)
Best Part: Single servings make for great and easy left-over storage.
Advice: Follow the recipe writer's advice and grind the beef/onion mixture for better texture.
Next Time: I will get some help so we can assemble these quicker. It took me a long time because there are several steps and I had a hard time juggling the noodles and sauce and meat/cheese to get them all assembled and cooked.

Project: Easter Egg Wreath
Link: http://momandwife.com/2011/03/diy-easter-egg-wreath/
Verdict: I really love it!
Best Part: I got my plastic eggs from Walmart and they were super cheap and had fun designs.
Advice: I left the grass off my wreath, mainly because I thought it would be messy. I think it actually looks cuter without it, so I'd advise you to go with just the eggs also.
Next Time: I really don't know that I'd ever make another one. How many Easter wreaths does one need? One seems plenty for me. If I did, I would roughly plan out the egg placement before getting started.

Project: Date Night Jar
Link: http://theraysofsunshine.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/date-night-in-a-jar/
Verdict: Great in theory...
Best Part: I already had the jar and markers, so I only had to purchase the popsicle sticks.
Advice: Well, I hardly have room to give advice since I made this over one year ago and we have not used it once. I had the best of intentions...
Next Time: I'm sure there won't be a next time since we never use the one I already made.

Project: Valentine's Snack Mix
Link: http://www.glorioustreats.com/2013/01/valentines-snack-mix.html
Verdict: Delicious! Two thumbs up!
Best Part: Melted white chocolate covering everything.
Advice: Use the Ghirardelli white melting wafers you can find in the baking section. They are especially decadent.
Next Time: I will not pour the popcorn out of my paper bag directly into the mix because then the un-popped kernels fall in there and you have to pick them out individually by hand.

Christmas 2013 (The Reactions & Following Week)

So the BIG moment had finally arrived and we were sneaking into Kory's grandparents house to surprise everyone on Christmas morning. One minor problem: the door was locked! I had to trim the video so it would post on here, but all you're missing is me trying the door, finding it was locked, having a minor freak out and then Kory deciding we should ring the door bell. So, Kory rings the door bell and this is what happens next...

I love so many things about this video. First, that it was Grandpa who answered the door as he was the perfect one to not make too big of a fuss so we could still sneak in. Secondly, seeing Kory's older brother, Kent, fist-pumping as we walk in the door reminds me how genuinely excited everyone was that we had arrived. And finally, as predicted, as soon as we hit the dining room where Mom/Grandma/Aunt was, the tears started flowing immediately. 

We spent so long planning this trip and every little detail related to it and this was the perfect way to see it all come together! Our 2 year old niece, Lucy, was pretty scared by all the commotion, but she came around before long when she realized that "Manny and Tory" actually came, just like she'd been telling everyone for weeks! 

All of our presents had been mailed to us previously, and we actually opened them all on the Saturday before (this is now Wednesday), but we had to keep that a secret also. We'd told Kory's family that it looked like their presents wouldn't arrive before Christmas, and so they finally understood when we explained that our plane tickets were our gifts to everyone. When we arrived, we found out that they had only opened stockings and hadn't even got to the actual Christmas presents yet. This turned out to be perfect timing, because it meant that I got to help Lucy open all of her gifts while everyone else opened their own. 

The toughest part of it was that she opened a baby doll about 2 or 3 presents in and then all she wanted to do was play with that doll. I had to bribe/force her to keep opening presents because all she wanted to do was play with her baby. She was so funny because she would open a present and toss it to the side immediately and go for the doll. Looking back, I kind of wonder why I didn't just let her play with the doll, but I think it was because everyone got her all these fun presents and wanted her to enjoy them too. You can see her with the doll below, amidst all the wreckage. 

Speaking of wreckage, let me take this moment to say that a Christmas with the Mereness' is truly unlike any Christmas I've had before. To say there were a TON of presents would be the understatement of the year. The picture below was taken by Kory's oldest brother, Kevin, and I love that you can see the after-math of all the presents. 

We finally got a chance to meet the twins, Molly and Jude, and it was just as wonderful as we had imagined. They were much smaller than I anticipated, but it only made them that much cuddlier! 

Christmas day was filled with delicious food, relaxing, playing with presents and family time, which is exactly how I think it should be spent. After lunch, most people took naps, but I felt sure that a nap for me would mean I wouldn't sleep well that night. So, I pushed through and stayed awake all day after getting just a couple hours of sleep the night before. Adrenaline and excitement can really take you far!

Aunt Johnette asked me to decorate a gingerbread house with her while everyone else napped, so I agreed and it was a great, although trying experience. The icing/glue was not very sticky, so it was pretty difficult, but it was fun getting to spend some one-on-one time with Johnette as I don't get that very often.

The next week was just one of those dream weeks where we didn't set alarm clocks, stayed in our pajamas most of the day, enjoyed the Texas food we miss the most, and spent lots of time with family that we only see a couple times a year. Here are a few highlights:

Sunshine!! It's a big deal when you live in the rainy NW.

Lots of Lucy time! This girl and I were attached at the hip and it was awesome!

Coloring with Lucy and doing the other "everyday" things we don't usually get to do with family.

Lots of baby holding bliss.

Palo Duro Canyon with my parents and little brother, Andy.

We got to do a little hiking and enjoy warmer weather. 

It's been so fun to work on these posts and remember the magic of Christmas 2013. It was better than I could have ever imagined.

The trip home, however, was not quite so perfect. Part 4 of this never-ending saga will detail our long and difficult journey back to Oregon.

Christmas 2013 (The Surprise)

If you missed Part 1 of the story of planning our Christmas surprise, check it out here!

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking for this part of the story. We started our journey on Christmas Eve, but first we attended the 2:00 service at Redeemer's. I love that we got the best of both worlds this year as we attended a Christmas Eve service here and then got to be with family for Christmas Day.

When the service was over, we drove to Eugene to catch the first of our 3 flights. We have always flown out of Portland, but decided to fly out of Eugene this time since we were on a time crunch with me working part of the day on Christmas Eve. Plus, this was the only way we would be able to catch a red-eye and arrive in TX on Christmas morning. 

As we waited in the Eugene airport, I began documenting our trip. Kory was already tired of photos, which I knew wasn't going to work since we had many hours ahead of us. I couldn't text any family about the progress of our trip, so pictures were my main entertainment throughout the night.

Who needs Kory to be looking to take a picture together? I can do this on my own!

Much better! This was on our flight from Eugene to Seattle. The flight attendants did an awesome "Night Before Christmas" poem/safety demonstration and then passed out chocolate to all the passengers. We were so excited at this point that it was hard to believe we had to wait over 13 hours before we got to complete the surprise. 

I was really glad Kory gave me this book for Christmas so I had something to read on this trip. I spent about 3 hours in the Seattle airport with Dan Brown and my Reese's pieces. 

There is something that really bonds people together when you're waiting in an airport for hours, especially on a holiday. We watched a lot of little kids play with and admire these Christmas trees while we waited for our next flight. 

Hey, I got a picture with the Super Bowl champions lounge! I didn't know what good luck I was :)

Our flight from Seattle to Dallas arrived about 3:00 a.m. Oregon time, and this picture was as we were landing in Dallas. The plane was SO cold (and the lights were so bright) that I barely slept at all, and I was feeling pretty miserable at this point. This was the one and only time I started to regret this plan and I just wanted to be back in my own bed where it was warm and dark.

The next 3 hours of the trip were spent in the DFW airport. It was pretty deserted, so I thought we might actually get some rest while we waited. 

I think the nerves/adrenaline kicked in for me at this point though, because I wasn't tired at all and was just anxious to get our next flight over with and be in Amarillo. 

Just as Kory started to get comfortable and fall asleep, a woman came up to us and began to vent/complain about United Airlines for the next hour and a half. Granted, she had been stranded in Dallas for the past two days and wasn't getting to be with her son for Christmas like she had planned, but she went on and on and on and we got to hear ALL about it. The only redeeming quality of the conversation was that we got to tell her about our surprise and she was so excited with and for us, that she got us even more pumped for what was about to happen.

We finally got on our flight from Dallas to Amarillo and there were a total of 7 of us on the whole flight! It was a small plane, but that was still a lot of empty seats! We arrived in Amarillo and only had checked luggage, so we went straight to the Enterprise rental counter to pick up our car. The lady at another of the rental car companies let us know there had been a change and Enterprise wouldn't be open until noon. It was now about 10:00 a.m. and there was no way we were going to wait two hours to get a car. We stepped over to the Avis counter and they helped us right away. I asked for the cheapest car they had, which was our only requirement. The result: a convertible Mustang! :) Kory was quite pleased as he had been joking earlier that we needed a really fast sports car to get us to family quicker. It worked!

Even as I type these words, I can feel butterflies in my stomach and can remember so clearly the excitement we felt as we drove to Kory's grandparents house in Panhandle. Kory's mom and dad had each texted us during our flights and we were just flat out ignoring them at this point so we didn't have to lie about where we were or what we were doing. I was so excited to finally have the truth out and no longer hide our plans. 

We arrived in Panhandle and Kory drove through the alley to the back side of the house. We talked quite a bit about the best way to surprise them, and we decided walking into the house would be the best way so we could see their reactions. I'll let the videos walk you through what happened next:

For some reason, Blogger will not upload my second video. Bummer! Maybe it's just adding to the suspense! I'll try to upload it in the final installment of this 3 part series where I detail the reactions to the surprise as well as our week spent in Texas. Oh, and we get to meet our twin niece and nephew for the first time!