Happy New Year!! (Yeah I know it's February)

I wish I could say the Holiday Season in our house was extra Merry - but our entire household has been going through rotating cases of the plague since before Christmas (starting Xmas Eve, all 4 of us were diagnosed with Strep Throat so it was a bit sad to have to spend those days in quarantine).  I also wish I could say that we made it through with flying colors, but right now I am on the mend from my 2nd case of Strep, and Blake is just getting over some unknown variety of overall runny nose/coughing/fever.  Antibiotics for all!!!!

In the midst of all of this, we did manage to have some good times.  I decided to put some of my favorite memories (and meals) into this one post and then hope for nothing but good things for the rest of 2015 - or at least no more Strep Throat!!

TOP ROW
1. Christmas Parties at the boys school - Mimi and Pappy joined us for the festivities
2. Addie's Xmas Show - her snowman costume was the cutest thing I have ever seen...although the "Here Comes Santa" song is still perpetually in my head
3. New Year's Eve at Sesame Place - despite it being a bit chilly, this was a great way to spend a family New Year's together
4. Getting some house updates done btw. sicknesses - the under the sink drawer is one of my new favorite things
5. Lots of new tools underneath the Christmas Tree

BOTTOM ROW
6. Xmas day with my boys - we missed Daddy who was home in bed, but at least I had my monsters to keep me company
7. Luckily Blake and I were well enough to still get to see FROZEN on Ice
8. Pre-Christmas trip to Hershey....poor Blake was absolutely miserable for most of the time, but he was a little trooper
9. Sledding!!!!  We found the perfect hill right across the street....I get a little teary thinking that this will be the hill that I watch my boys sled on for years to come
10. Both boys feeling MUCH better by the New Year....nothing worse then seeing your kids sick


And in case anyone missed it - this video of GOB falling out of the sled is probably my FAVORITE THING EVER...he was completely fine and went down the hill plenty of times afterwards

I actually thought I had taken more pictures of our yummy winter fare - but I guess that was a bit too much for me to remember to do.   But I did grab pics my absolute favorite new recipes that I tried out

First - Chicken Milanese with Cherry Tomato and Fennel Sauce....honestly this is the BOMB!!!  I cannot wait to make it again

  
Second - For 2015, Food Network Magazine came up with one chocolate dessert for each month of the year and my New Year's Resolution is to make them ALL.  I posted a pic of the February one in my Valentines Day Post...but here is a pick of the January recipe that I made for Superbowl Sunday - Chocolate Blackout Crunch cake.  It was so good that even my husband, not the world's biggest chocolate fan, went back for seconds

Third - Homemade Marshmallows that Blake and I made.  I always wanted to try making marshmallows, and it was super easy.  GOB was obsessed and pointed to them at every single meal....so we will be breaking varieties of these out again come birthday party time

So Happy Late New Year Everyone...here's to our first full year in our New House and to exploring all that our new area has to offer