Mocktail Monday on a Tuesday: Holiday Punch

I started writing this post last night, but then my computer died and I was super sleepy and didn't feel like plugging it in, so I went to bed instead. I'm sure you understand.  Anyway, Christmas is here, which for me this year means parties, parties, parties! Sometimes it's not feasible to bring a homemade mocktail to the festivities, but if it's in someone's home it's definitely doable. My go-to Christmas punch is so good even the drinkers will want some.

I made this Sunday night to watch my church's Christmas Devotional. I started making it earlier in the day and I was so excited for my first taste of Christmas punch of the season. On another note, the Christmas Devotional broadcast is one of my most favorite things of the season. If you have an hour to spare, you can watch it here. It is WORTH IT.

I found this recipe several years ago on All Recipes here and I'm obsessed with it. The almond extract is key, but I use less of it than the original recipe calls for.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup white sugar

1 quart cranberry cocktail

2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice

2 tablespoons almond extract

One 2-liter bottle ginger ale

Instructions:

1. Combine sugar, cranberry cocktail, pineapple juice, and almond extract.

2. Refrigerate for up to one day so flavors can combine and sugar can fully dissolve.

3. Add ginger ale when you're ready to serve. I also like to freeze some of the sugar/juice/extract mixture into ice cubes to keep the punch cold and not water it down.

I am a big fan of  drink dispensers (like the one above) as opposed to punch bowls, and this looks especially pretty in the dispenser. Sure, I get that some punches have fruit in them that can clog a spout on a dispenser, but my dislike of punch bowls was confirmed this weekend at a party when the ladle disappeared into the punch bowl and we had to fish it out. I am so NOT a germ phobe but it was seriously gross.

Merry Christmas!

For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases. And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary. And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him. And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men.

--Mosiah 3:5, 8-10

Mocktail Monday: Meatloaf

I don't have a mocktail for you today. Between back to back meetings this morning, clogged plumbing, and sewage that kept coming up into my bathtub, I didn't have time for a mocktail today. 

But I did have time for this:

That is the Pioneer Woman's meatloaf, which we made tonight (this is PW's picture -- mine wasn't so pretty). Do yourself a favor and go make it right now. Except instead of just ground beef, do a mixture of ground beef and ground pork (3 parts ground beef to 1 part pork). It is the best meatloaf I've ever had (sorry Mom). And it's the only meatloaf I'm ever eating ever again.

And yes, we did grind our own beef and pork, thanks for asking. 

What's in a Name?

Family pictures one year ago

People always ask me how we came up with the name Scarlett. When I introduce her, I generally get a very surprised "oohhh!" It catches people off guard, and I'm never sure if it's a good or bad reaction. I kind of expected this would be how people reacted when we chose the name, but I honestly felt like I wasn't the one making the choice. I liked the name, and loved the idea of it, but I wasn't sure if we were bold enough to have a kid named Scarlett. Ultimately, naming Scarlett was a very spiritual experience for me. Her little spirit knew exactly what she wanted to be called, and she let me know it. 

About a year before I got pregnant with Scarlett, my friend (who is incredibly spiritual and just KNOWS things) randomly said to me, "what do you think about the name Scarlett? I could see you with a daughter named Scarlett." I liked it but I thought Todd would never go for it. So imagine my surprise when I mentioned it to him and he said he really liked it. But then we thought that a first name ending with a "t" and a last name starting with a "t" would be hard to say, so we nixed it.

When it came down to actually choosing a name, the process was horrendous. I never thought I would marry someone as opinionated as I am. So we decided to look up the Social Security Administration's top 500 names from the previous year and each highlight the names we liked separately. We would then combine the lists, and whichever names were on both lists would comprise our final list. Why the top 500 names? Because 100 names is too narrow a pool, and 1000 is way too many. The names that are ranked 101-500 are generally common enough that you've heard them, but you don't know 10 people with that name. Names 501-1000 include the freaky names that you've never heard of, can't spell, and your kid will hate you for. 

So we had a solid list of 10-15 names, including some of my most favorite names that I've loved for years and years and years, like Clara and Anna. Scarlett was not on our list. We would try out different names for days or weeks at a time, and nothing felt right. I was so sad when I just couldn't call the baby Clara, it just didn't fit.

One day old

I was determined to have a name sooner rather than later -- I'll admit it, so I could get everything in her room monogrammed -- but I was also just so impatient and was ready to start calling her by her name. One night Todd said he didn't think the name we would choose was even on our list, and I about had an emotional breakdown. How was that even possible? We had combed every book and internet name website imaginable. 

Then one night we had some friends over for dinner and we were talking about how they named their kids. They asked what we were thinking. We told them all about our naming saga, and --there is some confusion as to who brought this up, whether it was Todd or one of our friends -- somebody mentioned the name Scarlett. We said we liked that name but it didn't really go with our last name. They were both like, no it sounds normal. And we looked at each other and we both just knew, that was her name. 

Roasting marshmallows on Veterans Day

Later that night I looked up the meaning of Scarlett on some baby name website, and the definition was "a vivacious woman." BAM. I got goose bumps. I knew it. It was exactly what I was looking for. I didn't want some name that meant something like, "loves the wind" or something absurd. I wanted something real and spunky and fun. 

Even then, when I would think about it later, I would think well maybe it wasn't quite right. I would think maybe we should keep looking. And then I would tell somebody what we were thinking -- hesitantly -- and I would get the biggest case of goosebumps you've ever seen. I knew I wasn't choosing her name, she was choosing her name. 

There is a lot of debate over the best way to name a kid -- some people choose a name before the baby is born, and some people don't believe they can name a kid until they meet it. All I know is that my girl is curious, incredibly determined, full of energy, and has a hot little temper. If that's not vivacious, I don't know what is.

What Makes a Boy Strong? What Makes a Girl Pretty?

I am so excited to say that one of my dearest friends just published her first book!

What Makes a Boy Strong? What Makes a Girl Pretty? is a 2-in-1 flip book teaching kids how to build confidence in themselves and love themselves for who they are. 

It's only available for sale from the publisher right now, but it will be available on Amazon on January 21, 2014. I just bought Scarlett her very own copy (hopefully to be autographed by the author very soon), and I'll do a review here. I can't wait!

Mocktail Monday

Mocktails don't have to be about fancy mixed drinks. Our standard go-to drink for celebratory occasions is, of course, the sparkling juice in a variety of fruit flavors.

Yesterday was the sixth anniversary of this:

We usually go with a sparkling grape juice or apple cider for special occasions. I particularly like a sparkling pear juice, but those are a little more difficult to find. But last night we tried something new and it did not disappoint.

Welch's Sparkling Blueberry Grape Juice may be our new bubbly of choice. I don't usually care for blueberry flavored things. I like blueberries themselves, but I find a blueberry flavoring to be too delicate to really taste that good.

That was not the case in my bottle of sparkling grape juice though. Not in the least. So delicious and I kept drinking it during the course of clean up and blogging last night.

Happy anniversary to us! 

Happy Veterans Day to my husband! 

There's lots to celebrate around here!  

One Year

One year ago today we arrived in Altus as its newest residents. In some ways I still feel like the new kid, but there are other days where I can't remember what life was like before we lived here.

The one thing I have learned about moving in the military is that not all moves are created equal. All bases are different, all towns are different, and even though I generally know a handful of people wherever we go, all communities are different.

I thought I had it all down to a science -- how to unpack and organize all our belongings,  how to navigate a new base, how to make friends. But this move proved to me that I don't know anything and I have to reinvent the wheel again.

There are things about Altus that have grown on us. I'm still trying to find my niche here. When we lived in Grand Forks I had a full time job across the river in Minnesota,  so I put most of my energy into that. I worked on and off in Illinois, but my main outlet was my church responsibilities. And I've gotten more involved on base here than I did anywhere else. We actually eat dinner at the club on occasion! Who knew we'd ever do that?!? My interests are changing and growing and I'm figuring out how to deal with that.

Here's to another two-ish years here in Altus! May they be deployment-free! (I think I just jinxed myself).

5 on Friday

--ONE--

Remember Halloween when we were kids? Maybe you had a party at school to dress up for, but really Halloween night was the big event.

Halloween afternoon and 50 cent corn dogs at Sonic

Not anymore. The festivities started almost two weeks before Halloween at a friend's Halloween party. The week of Halloween was out of control. We went to two trunk or treats, the fall festival at MDO, had some friends over for pumpkin carving, went to the squadron adult Halloween party, and don't forget Halloween night itself. That doesn't count the squadron's kids Halloween party or the two Halloween-themed play groups we missed that week. I was so exhausted by Halloween night I couldn't even muster the energy to get into costume. I trick or treated in my sweats and a tshirt.

Nifty Fifties Fall Festival at MDO

Ward Trunk or Treat

Todd had to fly on Halloween night so I took Scarlett to two houses and then called it quits. She had just figured out that it was candy they were dropping into her bucket so she insisted on sitting in the middle of the road and eating it right there. She refused to walk to the next house and I was not in the mood for a fight, so we went home to watch Monsters, Inc. and pass out candy. It was actually pretty fun.

Off to trick or treat!

Adult squadron party

--TWO--

Scarlett hated her bows for the longest time. She could never leave them on for longer than 2 minutes. So imagine my surprise last week when she started asking for bows after she got dressed in the morning. 

She not only asks for her bows, but she insists on picking them out. 

And sometimes she needs more than one bow. Such a diva.

--THREE--

Last week we got Chinese food and this was Scarlett's fortune. I think it's a pretty good life lesson.

Be bold, brave and forthright and the bold, the brave and forthright will gather round you.

Perhaps proper punctuation was lost in the translation.

--FOUR--

I love these. A lot. I could eat the giant Costco bag in one sitting. There was safety in the fact that I couldn't get them anywhere in Altus. Then I happened upon them one day in the commissary. 

The temptation is just too much.

--FIVE--

I am in desperate need of a new camera, preferably point and shoot. My camera broke so I'm taking all my pictures on my phone. I've been reading reviews but let's be honest, I have no idea what any of the mumbo jumbo means. If you have a suggestion for a good point and shoot that takes decent movies and has wi-fi capability, let me know!