once every HALF a decade

Abooooooout once every HALF a decade you'll find me at the lights 🎄 on temple square 🙌🏻😍 #lighttheworld ❗️it usually takes me about 5 more years to decide to #brave the crowds again after that 😂😂😂. Also to thaw from it ❄️🔥🙌🏻. Here's what I want to know though. Can we not figure out a way to have a hot chocolate 🍫☕️ truck 🚛 parked somewhere INSIDE of temple square 😂? Like one that doesn't have lines, and maybe they just pass them out to everyone while you're moving. I'm not necessarily talking free here. I'll be a paying customer! My #vision is like a moving sidewalk with thousands of people passing out hot chocolates. I'd settle for a McDonald's walk up window too. Mostly bc I'll buy just about anything for $1 😂. And their hot chocolate is never too hot. Or maybe it was just really cold tonight. Even after a 45 min train 🚂 ride home. No? 😂😂😂 too much to ask 😂⁉️ I HAVE always been a dreamer 😜👏🏻 #IMAGINE . I hope my fingers are thawed sometime tomorrow. My thighs too. Until then, I'll be huddled under my blanket and basking in the #cute little hugs and kisses my little kiddos gave me tonight under the lights all aglow 😍😍😍. Favorite line of the entire night: "I can't wait to just hug you and be together on #Christmas Day." -Brennan 🎄 So much like his daddy 💙💙💙 #motherhood

because we can do anything for one week

'Cause we can do ANYTHING for one week 😂😂😂🎄🚂🎅🏻. 7 more sleeps, and we can't hardly wait over here in this house 🏡 full of believers! #pleasesanta #dearsanta#christmasiscoming#santapacksarecoming 😂 #choochoo And Dean keeps yelling " #HOHOHO " 🎅🏻 every time the train goes by. In heaven over here in little kid 🎄🎅🏻🚂🍭🍫🍬 #CHRISTMAS DREAMLAND!!! .

WHIP in your NOGgins {good things utah}

Good Morning Sunshine!

If you're tuning in from 

Good Things Utah,

WELCOME!

We're so glad you're here.

Whether you love egg nog or hate it,

this recipe is for you.

Please note: 

i don't love egg nog.

but this,

I LOVE!

and it's just not New Year's Eve without it.

My friend Tammy is the one who I give ownership to it,

and one day I hope to grow up just like her.

...

THE

WHIPPING CREAM

EGG NOG

{once mixed, CHILL--in other words,

make in the morning before party time}

Ingredients:

1 pint Whipping Cream {heavy cream}

Powdered Sugar to taste {this is what makes more fluffy whipping cream}

4 eggs

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tbls vanilla

1 quart half and half

3 quarts 2% or whole milk

Vanilla Ice Cream

Directions:

Whip 1 pint whipping cream, sweeten with powered sugar and set aside.

Combine 4 eggs and 1 can sweetened condensed milk.

Add:

1/2 tsp salt

1tbls vanilla

1 quart half and half

3 quarts 2% or whole milk

Fold in whipping cream and top with nutmeg.

Add small balls of ice cream before serving, and top with more nutmeg.

...

Click here for the Grandma Max's Gingerbread Men recipe.

They're also hanging out on the 

Good Morning America 

{yep, you read that right}

website 

for their 15 minutes {errr 26 seconds} 

of fame!

way to go champs.

you're making mama proud ;)

in case you were under the impression that this was the greatest thanksgiving ever.

things i asked out loud 

while cooking my first 

thanksgiving dinner by myself

{like without sean bc the 

black plague hit him}:

1. how long does it take? the turkey. {max said "ask siri"}
   
2. where’s the tie thing for the bag? i don’t see it in the box. 
3. where’s the baby? {found him in the flour bag in the pantry}
   
   
   
     he offends easily. of course i told him it was all my fault, and cuddled him while he gasped for breathe for the next 15 minutes sobbing on my shoulder. this baby makes me melt. we are doomed.
   
   
   
      
4. how do i get the wings under the turkey? {watched a youtube video. way overthought that one.}
5. when does the stuffing go in the bird? am i supposed to cook it with it? {called mom}.
6. does the neck come out? boy…that looks like a...turkey neck.
   
7. am i supposed to follow the recipe online, the oven bag one, or the stove top stuffing one? i’m doing all three, and i don’t know which one to follow. i feel like there should be one with everyone combining themselves together for the big day. 
   
8. where are the giblets? i don’t think my turkey has any? are they supposed to be with the neck? they’re not with the neck.
9. i found the giblets.
10. they were in the butt. i texted my mom to let her know.

 

{let's be honest. 

i show up for thanksgiving mostly for the baked brie. 

everything else plays second fiddle.}

 in case you were under the impression that this was the greatest thanksgiving ever,

i thought i'd let you know that sean was sick the entire day, and rallied for dinner to help carve.

dean barfed in the beginning, and maybe that night again too?

i can't really remember anymore.

i was exhausted from being sick the entire two days before.

oceans of puke like you've never witnessed before from this gibson house of chaos.

me included.

and then my sweet mother who came to help us all messaged me today saying she's now barfing and is achy all over too.

stay away everyone!

STAY AWAY!
please note: at least one gibson has barfed every single day in this house for the last 15 days.
that's got to be some kind of record somewhere.
just when you think someone is in the clear,
they have a mystery puke pop up!
or a poop. it's not pretty.

also chase broke a wine glass INTO my sweet potato dish i had just finished and had ready to go into the oven, so i had to dump them all and start again bc heaven knows we didn't need to add glass cutting our intestines from the inside out to this week.

nevertheless, the turkey was amazing, and the gravy was like nothing i'd ever tasted before.

must have been the double salts.

P.S.

i stretched the skin bc dad's text came too late before my hands got to rubbing.

it was probably my favorite part of stuffing that bird.

OH THE STUFFING.

it was soooo good.

and we really are very very blessed.

THE END.

he looked like he had a rash coming on anyway;)

so giving away the binky on christmas eve was pretty much a disaster.

and by disaster i mean that he wouldn't leave the binky with the cookies.

brennan and max were so supportive.

told him what santa left them when they left their binkies.

brennan even put his hand on chase's shoulder.

it was pretty precious.

even when chase threw brennan's hand off of his shoulder and screamed 

"GET AWAAAAAAY FROM MEEEE!!!!"

i laughed inside a little.

and maybe smiled at brennan.

maybe;)

so sean put dean to bed,

read stories to max and brennan,

and i stayed in front of the christmas tree with crying chase,

trying to get him to leave his binkies for santa for 30 minutes.

then finally, after he had screamed in horror that he wanted to keep his binkies,

and me feeling like i was ruining chase's christmas magic,

we all agreed he could go to sleep with it,

and santa would come in and take the binky out of his bed.

and that is just what we did.

i may or may not be using benedryl to help him fall asleep this week without?

he looked like he had a rash coming on anyway;)