Christmas 2024

Oh my goodness. I can't believe I haven't published Christmas yet. It was so good. What a sweet, perfect season. And this picture says it all. These girls (especially Emily) love their elf so much! I can't think of anything more pure than this elf and them talking to Starry and sending messages and gifts back and forth to santa. It's so special. Love the elf or hate the elf, it's Christmas magic. 

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Fall Things

Just a post of some fall things I love that I didn't really have a place for anywhere else. Like our porch, which I really loved this year. We had big giant pumpkins and they reminded me of my Nonno. 

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Avgolemono Rice Soup

I loved this! Actually found it on instagram from Ralston rice. Which I love and have finally found in Fresh Market. I hear that Kroger has it as well. It was delish and perfect for a cold evening at home. 

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Bakery Sweet Shoppe

The long awaited bakery sweet shoppe! I bought this cute little cardboard house for the girls last Christmas to color. It took forever! They kept it set up downstairs for the longest time. And right before Christmas they wanted to have a bakery in front-- like a lemonade stand and make cookies, etc. So they made invites for the entire street and handed them out. Then it rained. And then the holidays were over. So we took the house apart and kept it in OK condition for an entire year!

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Lemon and Garlic Gnocchi with Crispy Sage

My mouth is watering just looking at this picture again. This gnocchi was so delicious and the crispy sage really set it over the top. It was fantastic and I'm ready to make it again. Also, super simple! 

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Random Holiday Things

This is my random collection of holiday things that don't really fit with another post but I still want to remember! Like this cute little cocktail at some underground bar in Bentonville. I forget the name but it was so fun! 

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The Very Best Chicken

Can't adequately explain how yummy this chicken was. It was a 10++ and so easy for a quick weeknight meal! The spice on it was perfect and then a hint of sweet = delicious! 

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Christmas Decor at BVT

While we're on Christmas... I realized I never take pictures of our decor. And this year wasn't that much different. But I did get a couple so posting them for memories later. I really do love our tree so much! 

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Holidays in the Heights 2024

One of our favorite holiday traditions! Each year we head to Holidays in the Heights! This year we were basically celebrating Christmas during summer. It was so hot! But the girls still had a blast and love kicking off the holiday season. There are only so few where they will want to sit on Santa's lap. Soaking in all of the memories! 

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Christmas Tree Shopping 24

Always love the day we go get our Christmas tree. We stalk the lot and I really think we're always one of the very first to show up and buy. We always get a picture of the girls with the tree on top. Not sure why Emmy refused to participate this year. Could have been a million different reasons. 

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Kate and Emily School Parties

I swear these kids had the best lead up until Christmas! They partied nonstop at school and had so much fun doing it. They were so ready for Santa :) 

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Chicken and Rice Soup With Ginger and Turmeric

This was wonderful!!! But be prepared for anything that comes in contact to be stained yellow from the turmeric. I got some on my sock and it's permanently yellow now. This soup was so good. Again, great leftover the next day. And I feel like would be really great with a good winter cold. It was so easy too! 

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Snow Daze

I don't know about you but one snow a year is perfect for me. And this one was pretty good. We got a ton of snow, didn't lose power, had plenty of food and it melted in enough time before everyone got stir crazy! Plus the kids had a blast and it's really fun having so many friends and family close by to hang out with. That helped too :) 

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Creamy Spinach-Artichoke Chicken Stew

Stew is such a weird word and feels too old fashioned for this meal. This was seven-hundred kinds of delicious! I will make this again sometime so soon. It was full of flavor and perfect for the cold winter. AND it was (I think) even better leftover the next day! 

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Christmas Choir Concert 2024

Gearing up for the holidays! This year the girls had their Christmas choir concert the first Sunday in December. They always have so much fun doing this and I'm so glad our church allows them this opportunity. I also love seeing the first Christmas outfits of the season :) 

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Heavenly Gochujang Pasta

When we went to Trio's over Thanksgiving, I ordered this delicious gochujang pasta with big huge shrimp and poached radishes. It was fantastic. Every single bite! Flash forward to one day on my NYT cooking app, and they had this recipe. I knew I had to try it. It was divine! Try it. It's easy and so delish. You can adjust your heat as well. It's wonderful!! 

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Eldo Christmas 2024

There is an El Dorado Christmas jingle that is all I can think about as I write and title this blog. It's catchy and I should write it out but I don't think I know all of the lyrics and I'm making up my own :) Anyway, we took a trip to El Dorado for Hale Christmas the weekend before Christmas. The kids had a blast and we always enjoy hitting the square--- and train! 

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Johnston Thanksgiving 24

Thanksgiving with the Johnson family in reverse order! I don't know how I always get my pictures mixed up. This year the girls went up to NWA a little early and enjoyed going to Branson and Silver Dollar City with their nana, papaw and cousins! 

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Cucumber salad

This was wonderful! I am always trying to make Brian love cucumbers so when I get the chance, they are on the menu! This recipe did not disappoint. And I actually didn't grab a picture the first time we made this, only the second and I'm missing the cheese! 

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Cousin Band!

I don't know how blog worthy this is but since this is my blog and my memories-- here we are! Last week, we had to go to my sisters house for a bit while the cleaning people were at our house. These girls got so busy jamming. I feel like we could really have a future. 

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Cocktail Recipe: BlackBerry Bramble

I've been a big blackberry bramble fan for a long time! I blogged this version a while back-- HERE. I've now found a really wonderful version that I cannot take credit for. Christian and Molly have the best!! I finally got the right blackberry liquor and I'm in business :) 

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Buttermilk Chess Pie

This pie so amazingly fantastic, you will want it all the time. My friend Renee made us one and delivered it after the tornado. We could not decide what it was and we also couldn't stop eating. I finally asked and she was gracious enough to give me her recipe. This is not what comes up when you google so make sure you save this one! 

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