Happy New Year

Hi All,

We hope everyone had a nice Holiday. I can't believe 2008 is almost here. Before I forget, I wanted to post the Macaroon recipe. They are seriously delicious and so easy. I made them for my friends at work and they were a big hit!

Coconut Macaroons
14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large egg whites at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.
Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.

Once the cookies cool off, I melt chocolate in a microwave safe dish (like Baker's semi-sweet) and dip half the cookies in the chocolate. Make sure you then put the cookies on wax paper b/c the chocolate will stick to the plate.

We had a really nice Christmas. We are now having a low key weekend. I was sick on Friday and didn't start feeling better until this afternoon. We are just planning to do chores around the condo and get organized for our big meeting on Monday. We have the Social Worker coming to our home on Monday 12/31 to start the adoption home study. We've both been working on our autobiographies which need to be 4-8 pages. I'm having a harder time with it than I thought I would. I guess it is the childhood stuff that I'm finding hard. I know it will all come together though.

We hope everyone has a happy and fun New Years and we'll keep everyone posted on our adoption Journey!

Happy 1st Blogiversary

Hello All,

Kyle thinks it is too early to do a new post since I only did the most recent one two days ago. However, my hubby just reminded me that it has been one year since we've started this blog. I figured I'd say hi and post the promised picture of this year's Christmas tree and Rosie with her cute Christmas bandanna from her biggest fan Jeanette, my former co-worker.

We are having a major snow storm. So far it is the biggest one this winter. It has been snowing since I left work @ 12:30. I had to pick Kyle up at the train station around 2:30 and it took us 1 hour and 15 minutes to drive from the train station to our condo, which is 3.5 miles. Needless to say I was soooooooooo annoyed.

Luckily I'm working at home tomorrow (Friday) so I don't need to deal with the snow. That is one good thing about my job-they are very accommodating. Right now we are organizing the condo because we have our niece and nephew sleeping over tomorrow night. We plan to make sugar cookies with them. Right now I am making chocolate crinkles (anyone heard of them?), which I've never made before. My sister Megan is having a Xmas party on Saturday night and I am planning to bring my new favorite cookie recipe (Macaroons half dipped in chocolate.) They are soooooooooo delicious. If the crinkles come out good, I'll bring those too.

Above is what the Macaroons look like before they get dipped. I've decidedthey are my FAVORITE cookie and they are so easy to make! If anyone wants the recipe, let me know :)

Here is a good shot of our tree. Kyle wanted me to clarify that our tree is 7 feet, not 8 ft as I previously stated. It is so pretty. I went shopping today for Kyle's stocking and he saw one of his presents that I got him, so I decided to let him have it early. It is an ornament of the abdominal snowman from Rudolph. I thought I was buying Burl Ives but I was wrong. I really need to learn my Christmas characters better since I am married to "Mr. Christmas."

Anyway, I gotta go check on my cookies. Hope to hear from more readers soon :)

Happy December

Hi All,

Sorry it has been almost a month since we've posted. Things have been busy. This past weekend we went to NYC for Kyle's work Christmas party in Staten Island. We left MA at 9am on Saturday morning after dropping Rosie off at my mother's house. Our plan was to meet up with my sister Maura in Brooklyn. We arrived in Brooklyn around 1:30 thanks to my fantastic GPS. We hit a little traffic in RI and on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, but overall we did pretty well. Having the GPS gave me such a sense of security because I knew we would not be lost. Last time I went to NYC, this past March, with my mom and sister Megan, we got really lost in the Bronx and I did not want a repeat of that. The GPS may not always give you the most direct route, but it does get you where you need to be. I just switched the voice to a woman with a British accent.

We went to lunch with Maura at a delicious Thai place. Then we went to an awesome cafe called the "Tea Lounge" where I had the best latte. http://tealoungeny.com/

It was so awesome to spend time with Maura. She will be in Australia for Christmas with her new partner. We are REALLY going to miss her! I love my sister :)

I was really impressed at how clean Brooklyn is. There was no trash anywhere. What a difference from Boston. It was neat to see the Christmas trees for sale on the sidewalks.

At around 5 pm ,we headed to Staten Island and checked in at our hotel. The party was located at a really neat place called "The Old Bermuda Inn,"which is apparently haunted. Tami-did you hear that? Below is what I found online about it:

This period restaurant is located in house that dates back to 1814. Allegedly, the house is haunted by a young female apparition. It is said that woman is occasionally seen walking through the dining air and ascending the main staircase. Diners have reported getting a momentary chill or feeling a hand stroking their arm or hair.

Everyone was super nice that Kyle works with and it was so nice to meet everyone. We left the hotel the following morning around 9 and got to my mom's house a little before 2pm. Rosie was SO happy to see us. We missed her so much!

Kyle & I at the Xmas party

A few other minor updates:

1. We have a front loader washing machine. Yahoo!!! Thanks to Dad & Barbara (They moved and were going to leave the washer and dryer until they heard we were about to buy one.) I love being able to do laundry so easily.


2. We sent in the $ to start the home study and the Social Worker is supposed to call me at work today.


3. Our Christmas tree has been decorated for over a week. We'll take pictures soon. It is the tallest tree we've ever had. I think it is almost 8 feet.


4. I have only 2 more Christmas cards to write. Overall, we are in really good shape with our shopping.
5. I've gained close to 15 pounds since the last time I was weighed-hence the double chin in the photo-I'm so upset!

Can't wait to hear from you all.