Why I love Christmas

I was cleaning my house today and thinking about why I love the Christmas season so much.

Here's why:

*You can simmer cloves, cinnamon sticks, and orange peels on the stove and it smells up the whole house for a very low price

* It's OK to eat Christmas cookies for breakfast

* There are a lot of shiny things everywhere

* It reminds me of what Jesus chose to do for me

* I get to use a lot of heavy blankets because it's cold

* I get to wear scarves

* My cheeks get rosy

* It's a time for carrying out old traditions and starting new ones

* It's acceptable to make multiple dessert items in one week just because of the season

* The stores have great sales

* I get in the mood for finding new recipes

* There is mail almost everyday with updates on the year and pictures from friends

* You want to have people over more often because your house looks cute

* Christmas music is on for a whole month

* You get to see family

* Mike gets time off of work

* Grocery stores have peppermint mocha creamer

I'm sure there are more, but that's it for now!

Spicy Sausage Soup

Last night I made some really yummy, easy soup. It tasted especially good since it was cold and rainy yesterday. I made a few changes to the recipe because I can never seem to just follow them verbatim. It should feed about 8 or more people. Try it and tell me what you think!

Spicy Sausage Soup with Cilantro

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds hot Italian sausage links, casings removed, and sliced (turkey sausage worked great)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth (I added a little more water to thin it a bit)
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes (I used diced tomatoes and added Italian seasoning)
1 (15.5 ounce) can white hominy
1 cup sliced carrots
1 (14.5 ounce) can great Northern beans, undrained
2 small zucchini, cubed (I used 4 stalks celery since Mike still thinks he doesn't like zucchini)
2 cups chopped fresh cilantro (I used about 1 cup cilantro and 1 cup fresh basil)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt


DIRECTIONS:
1.In a large skillet over medium heat, combine Italian sausage and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until sausage is evenly browned. Drain cooked sausage in a strainer to remove grease.
2.In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, combine the beef broth, hominy, stewed tomatoes, carrots, beans, and zucchini. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and add sausage and cilantro; simmer for 15 minutes, or until carrots and zucchini are tender. Season with salt and pepper and top with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Trip to Julian

This past weekend was really cold and rainy, but we decided to head up to Julian. We tried to get others to go with us, but I don't think they wanted to brave the weather. People don't know what to do in San Diego when it rains.

Julian is a small little town about 40 miles from us. On the way up we stopped at Dudley's Bakery and got a chocolate croissant and some rosemary/olive oil bread.

Once we got to Julian, we dodged in and out of stores in order to stay dry and warm. We picked up a few gifts for friends and then headed into the Julian Pie Company for a piece of pie, coffee, and a round of cards.

It was a really fun day and the weather made me finally feel like it is winter.


Dudley's Bakery


I'm a happy card winner


Mike is a sad card looser


Lunch in the car

Heartbeat 20 Weeks

Here is our 20 week check-up. My parents got to join us since it was the day after Thanksgiving. It's not the most flattering video of me, but that's all part of pregnancy! She's sounding good!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was rainy this year which made it excellent weather for eating a lot of food! My parents came into town for a few days and we all went to celebrate Thanksgiving at my cousins house in La Jolla. There was a lot of laughter, food, and relaxation. It was a great day!


The Tompkins' Clan



Mike's mom, Mike and Me



Kisses by the beach

Mom and Dad

My cute cousins

20 Weeks

I am now 20 weeks along and feeling pretty good. As of now her name will be Sophia unless "she" ends up surprising us and being a "he." The ultrasound was pretty clear, though.

She has been moving a lot lately. Mike finally got to see her kick which was so cool for him. I love the feeling of her moving because it makes me feel like I'm on a roller coaster without the nausea.

One of the best inventions made for pregnant women are maternity jeans. They are so comfortable and if I ever get overweight, I'm just going to continue wearing them. This Thanksgiving was one of my most comfortable physically because of the pants I wore.

Below are pictures of baby things. We got a free crib and I am enjoying looking at all the little baby things available.

Setting up the crib

2o weeks

If you look really hard, you can see a little foot. I still haven't

scanned the ultrasound pictures.

San Francisco

This past Friday we left, with some friends, for a quick 3 day trip to San Francisco. The weather was beautiful, so we got to spend all of Saturday walking around the city. My favorite part was getting a yummy clam chowder bread bowl at Boudin and ice cream at Ghirardelli. It was a bit much to drive there and back in a 3 day period, but it made for good memories.