Christmas 2012 Dinner

Christmas 2012 Well it has been a wild year, the icing on the cake was Christmas dinner. We cooked a British, Downton Abbey, themed meal for Candice's family. It was great. I got some of the recipes from the First Class menu on the Titanic. Here is the menu I printed up.

Canapes a l'amiral (Titanic recipe)

Butternut Squash Bisque

Salad, obviously

Poached Salmon in Mousseline Sauce (Titanic recipe)

Beef Wellington, Roasted Winter Veg., Duchess Potatoes, Yorkshire Pudding

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Bread Pudding

Marshmallow Tray, inspired by the horrible Andy Williams Christmas Holiday song

Busy is one word for it...

Can you tell I've been procrastinating and neglecting this little blog-o-mine??? Well, I'll try to do better! Quick summary of the last few months: Keith was in training for 6 weeks in Louisiana. Sold two vehicles, bought another. Most of us get a nasty summer cold and sore throat. Lasts for over a week. Brother-in-law got hitched. Little Lily was born. Candice's recovery from a 3rd c-section was a little less than smooth. 4 out of 5 Sanos got violently, violently, violently ill with a nasty stomach bug. We tend a lovely and productive garden with tomatoes, peas, eggplant, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and peppers, all while fighting grasshoppers, powdery mildew and savage toddlers. Candice gets even more violently ill with an infection. Keith gets dive-bombed by bats while playing the bagpipes. Been refining our house plans. Keith escapes Hurricane Isaac. Candice whines to herself and her mom and sister. Lily smiles. Remi plays trains, watches "Wii shows" and hits his brother. Marshall plays ipad, shrieks, screams, giggles, sings, and talks and talks and talks!!! It's been a fun summer! But we look forward to a cool and beautiful fall with our new family of five!

On Top of the World

Just a short tram ride from Snowbird to Hidden Peak and you really feel like you are on top of the world.

The Many(?) Moods of Marshall

Poor Marshall. He has such a hard life. He's dressed and bathed by someone else everyday. His every chocolate milk desire is met. He is supplied with a steady stream of Swedish Fish. But for some reason...

Big boy can't catch a break!

Lily day 3

This baby is a keeper! She slept most of the night and is very sweet and quiet. I love the look she is giving candice..."friend or foe?"....

Sleeping like a ....like a....baby?

Remington was so happy to get to hold her. He was so soft and gave her a sweet little kiss.

Marshall inspected her thoroughly. Here he is counting fingers. He's such a good boy.

The boys have been behaving wonderfully and are spending a lot of fun time with Candice's family. Katie has been super helpful by sleeping over and watching the boys at night. I have been putting them to bed and then getting them ready for the day in the morning. We hope by doing this they don't feel neglected. So far life has been good. Perhaps a little too good.....hmmmm.

Lily day 2

Lily is doing great, she is such a sweet little girl. She has been sleeping often and eating well, basically being a perfect baby. Candice was able to walk around a bit today and is in good spirits. Lily had her first bath today. Starting last month, U of U hospital started recommending not bathing newborns for at least 12-24 hours. They cite studies that show babies eat and rest better without the stress of a bath right away. Lily cried at first but relaxed once the warm water was flowing over her head.

Peek-a-boo, I see you.

Bathed and beautiful.

More updates to come...

Lovely Lily

Welcome Lily Beth Sano. Our baby girl was born at 10:39 on June 29, 2012. She weighs 7 lbs 10oz and is as healthy as can be. She has a full head of dark hair, is a good eater and a total snuggle bug. Candice is recovering from her C-section. She is doing very well. We will be posting more pics in the near future.

Pinterest Success!

Pinterest
Need I say more? I have found so many great ideas that I'm sure I'll never get around to, but that doesn't stop me from pinning by little heart out! Here are some of the pins that I actually have tried, the ones that turned out, anyway!

Key Lime Pie Sandwiches via Hungry-Girl

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. lime juice (key lime, if available)
2 sheets (8 crackers) low-fat cinnamon graham crackers, broken into 4 squares
Directions:
To make the filling, combine yogurt, sugar, and lime juice in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Cover and place in the freezer for 25 - 30 minutes, until it reaches a soft-serve-like consistency (very thick but soft enough to stir). Place two graham cracker squares on a plate with the cinnamon-covered sides down. Give filling a stir and evenly distribute between the two graham cracker squares, about 1/4 cup each. Gently place another graham cracker square over each filling-topped square, cinnamon-covered sides up. Place in the freezer until filling is firm, at least 1 hour. Enjoy!  

These were refreshing, delicious, and perfect for that afternoon pick-me-up or late night sweet tooth. Remi and Marshall both liked them, always a plus around here! I might suggest using a liquid sweetener because the suger stayed too gritty when mixed in.

M&M, Pretzel and Chocolate Chip Bars via Grin and Bake It

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup mini M&Ms
1 cup pretzels, crushed

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray.In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Using a mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about one minute. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. On low speed, beat in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chip, mini M&Ms, and crushed pretzels. Spread the batter evenly in the pan, pressing down with a spatula. Sprinkle a few M&Ms on top, if desired. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and allow to cool completely.  

These were so tasty, but I couldn't find my 13x9 so I used something slightly smaller. It didn't worked out in my favor. The bars cooked on the outside, but were a little too gooey inside. Lesson learned. Use the right size pan.

  Peanut Butter Nutella Cookie Cups via Delightful Bitefuls

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup smooth peanut butter
Turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw), optional
Chopped peanuts, optional
 Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the peanut butter and continue beating on low speed. Add the sifted dry ingredients and beat until just blended. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Form dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll balls in turbinado sugar (I used granulated sugar). Place each ball in a cup of a greased mini muffin tin. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until edges are browned and crackled, the centers will not be completely set. Remove the cookies from the oven and use the end of a thick-handled wooden spoon make a small, deep well in the center of each cookie and fill with your Nutella. Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top of Nutella. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely.
How I love Nutella and peanut butter combined! These are a bit labor intensive but so worth the effort!

 Halloween Quesadillas via Monster Mama

You can find more of my successes HERE. If you haven't had a chance to check out Pinterest, what are you waiting for? Be inspired!

School Boy

Today was Remi's last day of preschool. His teachers had the kids sing all of the songs they had learned during the school year, and this kid totally owned it. I'm so proud of how far he's come and somehow we are already looking forward to next year. What a kid!

A New Love?

Keith here. Just a little update on my goings on. With great reluctance, I gave up my 407 in Galveston, TX to upgrade aircraft. I am still with the same company, I didn't quit PHI. I just gave up the Galveston job. I am in training for a month at Flight Safety in Louisiana. So far, I am most impressed. I am training in the S76 C++ for all you aviation nerds. It is a pretty sexy, sleek twin engine, IFR bird with lots of bells and whistles. It can hold 12 passengers and 2 pilots.

The only hard part is learning what all the buttons do.

So far, the training has been great. The instructors at Flight Safety are top notch and the full motion simulator is fantastic. It allows us to do a lot of training that would be impossible in the real aircraft, especially with emergency procedures. I googled some pics of the simulator. Sim External

Internal

Happy Mothers Day

Keith here. Just want to take a minute to thank the Mothers in my life. Shelly, i.e. Sugar or Sug., I cant thank you enough for all the love and support. You have been a fantastic M.I.L. and a great friend as well. You have been a wonderful Mother to my darling wife and a phenomenal Gran... Oops, almost called you the G-word, a phenomenal Mama SheShe to my kiddos. I love ya.

Mom, it's been a wild year. I am so grateful for your recovery and health. When faced with such unthinkable events, it makes you realize, more than ever, how important people are in your life. I am so glad I was born to you. You have always been my advocate, my cheerleader, my friend and my role model. Thank you so much for all you have done and continue to do. I love you Mumsey!

Who am I forgetting.... OH YA... Candice, my beautiful bride. You have been all I could have hoped for and so much more. I am truly honored to have you at my side. You have been such a loving, fun Momma to our boys. I am forever in your debt. I love you for your strength, I love you for your love, I love you for your sense of humor, I love you for everything that you are and will become. Thank you for being my wife. I adore you.

Zoo Time

Hogle Zoo is starting to come alive this spring! They've started up their bird show, one of my favorite attractions. I find myself giggling at the bird's antics like a little kid. After the show, you can drop a dollar in the donation box, with the help of a smart cockatoo. Both boys bravely donated. I can't wait to get birds once we move to the country!

Easter Beagles

Ran the little Easter Beagles to Main St. in Bountiful to snap a few springtime photos. They were their usual uncooperative little selves, but I think we captured their essence. I love these boys!

Sad Sanos

Today has been an emotionally trying one in our little Sano world. We had to say goodbye to our puppy children, the fine gentleman, Baxter and Niles. We held onto them for as long as we could after moving back to Utah, but our timeline for future plans hasn't matched up with our hopes and our situation.
Keith and I left the human kids in the capable hands of Aunt Katie while we drove them down to the Humane Society of Utah. While it's not ideal to take them to a shelter, we tried listing them privately and only weirdos replied. The Humane Society requires pages of paperwork asking about medical history, behavior, food and toy preferences, what kind of people and dogs they like, how they do with children, etc.
The pups were perfect for the ride down, alternating between my lap and Keith's, almost giving us equal attention so we could pet them and give them itchy-scratchies one last time. Niles kept looking over his shoulder and starting at me, doing his usual look into my soul eyes. Even though I was bawling like a baby, when we arrived I really wanted to go in with Keith so we could finish what we started together. The clerk was very kind and treated us well, being gentle and kind as she took the dogs from us.
We hope someone finds them to give them the home they really deserve. As Keith pointed out this morning, we really are their worst case scenario.
End of an era. Heartsick. 5 years, 3 states and lots of fun together. I'm grateful for my little companions, the source of much joy and laughter.

Let's go fly.

It was warm. It was sunny. It was windy. It was the last day of Keith's break.
The perfect evening for flying a kite and playing a little soccer. Remi got a Red Baron kite for his birthday, a clever little reference to one of his favorite cartoon characters, Snoopy.
Marsh was feeling particularly defensive of his ball, making it extremely difficult to kick it around.
Remi was very goofy and gave me this grimace smile in about 20 different pictures.
Now that's love.
The wind made him bold enough to screech to his heart's content.
Once Marshall relinquished control of the ball, the boys started playing one of their favorite games: Baa Bah Hoop (basketball.)
Finally, they get the whole soccer concept and run off into the sunset.
Cool dude wanted shades to enjoy the sunset.
During all of these shananigans, Keith got the kite assembled and airborne.
A stunning backdrop for some fun family time.