Handmade Gifts

My Summer Resolution is not to BUY gifts for the rest of the year...Sorry for those of you who are used to my store-boughtbirthday and holiday gifts and giftcards, as I am not very crafty...yet. However, I am committed to figuring out a way to make some amazing and creative and memorable gifts for my loved ones and friends this year.

I have recently learned how to knit. So, Michael is the lucky one to receive my firt handmade present. For his 43rd birthday (July 20th), my loving husband was blessed with a pastel washcloth. I just loved the yarn fabric and wasn't sure what would come of it - until I started my first project for this gift-giving endeavor. So, how appropriate that the most important person in my life would receive such a heartfelt present (at least this is what I am trying to convince him of)...

Back to School for Mommy

I have decided to go back to school. I'm very excited about this new endeavor. I have become a "foodie." I am using this term loosely - as I love food, and I am trying to love preparing food. I have truly embraced the Weston A. Price philosophy on food and nutrition. So, there is a certification program that focuses specifically on this subject. I just finished my first class and am waiting for my grade...It's so much more fun doing the college thing when I actually have a purpose in mind. I am thoroughly enjoying the content and cannot wait to begin the classes on biochemistry and fats & cholesterol. It's been a great way for me to use my mind as well. And, the recipes I have tried are fabulous!!! The kids are eating everything now...swordfish, lambchops, haddock, chicken livers, scallops, millet, sauerkraut, beets, etc. We haven't had a meal all summer that they haven't finished, and the newest, most favorite dessert for those who eat their dinner is homemade icecream (made with real raw cream and local berries). The ice cream can be made in the Cuisinart 5 minutes before eating (I'll post the recipe, for those of you who have an ice cream maker and rarely use it...you can get healthy ice cream going again without any planning!).

Recipes for the Summer

I have really enjoyed my Nourishing Traditions cookbook. And, I have spent a good deal of time trying to add variety and nutrition to our daily lives. Here is a sampling of the latest attempts (Each one of these recipes is so simple to follow. The children "helped" make these with Lovey and myself this morning. All was completed within an hour.) Take a look:

Homemade Mayonnaise
- 1 whole egg (room temp)
- 1 egg yolk (room temp)
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon whey (optional - if you want it to last more than a few days)
- 1 cup EVOO (or half cup EVOO and half cup Sunflower Oil)
- generous pinch of salt
* Blend everything together except the oil. Add oil slowly while blending.

I have decided to keep this on-hand for all "condiment" requests from my children. Luckily, I have broken all of the kids (especially Kells) from putting ranch and ketchup on every thing! However, he still asks "Is this a ketchup meal?" Most of the time it's not, but the homemade mayo allows the kids to "dip" into something a little healthier for them than any of the over-the-counter condiments. They love it, and it's great mixed with leftover chicken for a chicken salad sandwich or put on a salad as dressing. ENJOY!

Coconut-Date Rolls
- 2 cups pitted dates
- 1 cup shredded, unsweetened organic coconut
- 1/2 stick butter (optional)
- 1 cup nuts (eg walnuts, pecans) (optional)
* Mix all ingredients (except coconut) in food processor (may require a little warm water to start the blending process. Roll date mixture into a ball or small bite-sized log. Roll ball of date mixture into the coconut until completely covered. Refrigerate.

This recipe requires no cooking. The kids can help without much fuss. It takes about 10 minutes to make a huge batch, and then you have a homemade dessert that is extremely healthy and filling. This is great for lunchboxes and company. ENJOY!

Sauerkraut
- 1 medium cabbage, cored and shredded
- 1 TBSP caraway seeds
- 1 TBSP sea salt
- 4 TBSP whey (if not available, an extra TBSP of sea salt)
* Add all ingredients to a large mason jar. Push down cabbage to let all excess air escape. Make sure cabbage fills the jar less one inch from the top. Cover and keep at room temperature for 3 days. Transfer to refrigerator. Ready to eat. Improves with age.

This recipe is great for a side for lunch or dinner. It is full of enzymes that support digestion. I am going to try carrots next!

Whole Wheat Bread
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
2 TBSP EVOO
2 TBSP Maple Syrup
1 cup bread flour or ap flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp bread yeast
* Add ingredients to bread machine in written order. Bake on Whole Wheat setting with a light toasting finish.

This recipe is the ONLY bread recipe I have been able to do in a bread machine that is not as hard as a rock. It's great for sandwiches or for breakfast toast.

Detox Body Cleanse

Michael and I decided things were a bit too quiet on the homefront last month, so we decided to change things up. So, we spent June following a 3 week food routine consisting of mostly raw fruits and veggies. No dairy, No alcohol, No sugar, No caffeine. The results were quite amazing. We both lost a little weight, but, more importantly, we slept better; our skin looked better; we had more energy; we saved tons of money. We became suddenly aware of all the wrong foods we were eating and drinking (my diet coke habit had crept back up) and Michael's Starbucks habit was OUT OF CONTROL!!! So, back to basics. I am still off Diet drinks and caffeine. And, alcohol is so much tastier, as we aren't drinking as much or as often.

We Bought A New House

We found the PERFECT house! I have been talking about what I hope our new home will look like, how large it will be, how much land we'll have, where it will be located...FOREVER (it seems that way anyway). So, exactly 1 1/2 years after selling our home in Northern Virginia and moving to South Carolina. We've been narrowing down the location in and around Charleston for months. And, we finally realized we want to live at/on the beach. This past year on Isle of Palms has been so amazing. I have to say we are all so much more relaxed, laid back, more in-tune with one another, etc. Our move to the beach has allowed us to re-invent ourselves, our family, our lives. We are truly making the most of each moment now...

So, the house is perfect - perfectly small, perfectly adorable. It is 2,200 square feet on a half acre (a block and a half from the ocean). It is a one story,arts and craft style home with a very open floor-plan. We are in the process of making the most of every square foot (re-doing closets, building double bunkbeds in the boys' room, creating a customized workspace for each family member in the sunroom, etc. Michael's office is off the kitchen, so he will continue to work from home. The boys will share a room/bath, and the girls will do the same.

I am looking forward to having each space in the house be multi-purpose, to be more eco-friendly, to live more simply, to spend time truly together, to spend more time outside, to spend less time decorating, cleaning, etc.

Friends and family members are extremely skeptical. Can we do it with 4 kids? Can we scale down as much as we think? There are bets across the country as to how long we will last before we bulldoze the place and start over. Time will tell. I hope we can make it work...Stay tuned! BTW, even with all the downsizing, we still have a lovely guest bedroom with private bath and extra beds for children. So, please keep us on your calendars :).

My Not-So-Secret Garden

I have always wanted a garden. When we lived in Old Town Alexandria, VA, there was no room and no time. We had difficulty keeping our 3 window boxes watered. We finally just took them down, because I was so embarrassed at how many trips to Home Depot I made in the Spring to replace the poor flowers we planted and forgot about. Then, we bought this amazing home in South Riding, VA. I wasn't working; I had plenty of space; plenty of time; a new Home Depot; a new start. Didn't happen. I ended up paying Eduardo to plant my flowers, weed my gardens, and buy and replace the flowers and plants I forgot about again! But, those days are gone...

I am totally into my garden now! Not sure what happened. But, the garden is amazing and I am beginning to understand the importance of water, good soil, sunlight, etc. My neighbor, Ms. Kay, is a master gardener and took some time this month working with me on plants, flowers, and herbs that "work" together in the Charleston climate.

I have basil, thyme, marjoram, parsley, cilantro, mint, stevia (Talula's favorite), bay leaf, dill, etc. I also have cucumbers, pole beans, cherry tomatoes, jalepenos, banana peppers, and a ton of gorgeous, colorful flowers.

The kids love to pick the ripe fruit, wear the flowers in their hair, and water the pots each evening.

The entire experience seems so simple, so basic. But, it has been a learning experience for all. I am so proud of the garden! It is a true family affair. Michael just laughs. It took me 14 years of marriage to finally be in a space to truly "do" a garden. Now I know. The problem was not lack of trying. It was lack of watering.

No More Packaged/Processed Foods

Slowly but surely...Baby Steps...Tami's has another bright idea...We stopped buying pre-packaged and processed foods. I cleaned out our pantry and refrigerator. No more goldfish. No more pretzels. No more fig newtons. No more cereal (of ANY KIND). No more diet drinks. No more fruit rollups. No more instant oatmeal.

So, what are we eating? What are our snacks? What are our vices?

What do I put in my shoppping cart?
- all natural, organic peanut butter and almond butter
- dried fruits (organic and unsweetened)
- raw, unsalted nuts (sunflower seeds, cashews, almonds, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, etc.)
- "Seven Cows" plain, whole milk yogurt (unless I make myself)
- Whole, Raw Milk
- Whole, Raw Cheese
- Butter
- Real Raw Cream (for homemade ice-cream and whipped cream)
- Steel Cut Oats
- Farm Fresh Eggs
- All kinds of Organic Fruits and Raw Veggies (with homemade mayo for veggie dip)
- All kinds of Organic Frozen Fruits
- Homemade granola (Aunt CCs recipe)
- Homemade pita chips and hummus (bake sliced whole wheat tortillas w salt)
- "Ezekial" Sprouted Bread (sometimes homemade)
- Whole Chickens (make soups and stock afterwards)
- Grassfed beef
- etc.

It sounds a bit extreme when you tell someone you aren't buying breakfast cereal, juices, or goldfish b/c they are "silent killers." So, I just don't say it. And, I don't have to. The kids are full, satisfied, happy, well-behaved children who don't whine or cry for snacks any longer. I remember the days when the floor of my Yukon XL (yes, I am still driving the white whale) had crushed Cheerios and goldfish on the floor and in the carseats...Those days are long gone. And, we are all better off for it.

If anyone would like to know the rationale behind the ban on center-aisle grocery shopping, I would be happy to share!

Creativity is happening all around me...

I am sooo NOT the most creative person on this planet (not even in my household). Bowen and Kells are constantly creating games, costumes, story plots, books, crafts, weapons, etc. It's very fun to be a member of this family, as there is hardly a dull moment. So, here are a few snapshots of the Enright's March Madness/Creative Moments:

Bowen has been looking for materials to make the perfect, most realistic eye-glasswear that allows Arthur Spiderwick from the Spiderwick Chronicles (book and movie) to see the goblins. Please see the final product below.


Kelly decided that a quilt (made out of painted paper) would be the perfect gift for Lovey's birthday. She is a master quilter, and he wanted to show her he has talents as well...Unfortunately, this required my oversight. It actually was an amazing project and turned out beautifully. My fear is this craft experiment will set a precedent for future grandparent birthday gifts :). See a few photos below of the gift in the making.




Bowen made his own costume (using a sewing machine, glitter, and a glue gun) for the Children Around The World expedition. This was a festival that was put on by all the local Montessori schools. He adopted a Kazakhstan name, Birket, and played Red Rover on stage. He has a taste of the stage - we are heading over to the Isle of Palms rec center tomorrow for him to try out for a part in Charlotte's Web!



I am attempting a bit of creativity in the kitchen myself. I have been cooking dinner for the family for the last few weeks (THIS IS HUGE!). The evenings can be a little hectic and we never really know how the food will turn out, but so far we haven't had any huge catastrophes. Take a look at my attempting to make spaghetti carbonara (not such a great cook, but a master at multi-tasking in the kitchen).


Good times.

My birthday Present

Most women would put a day at the spa or a spa treatment at the top of their favorites list. Logic follows that a gift certificate would be the perfect birthday gift. However, there are three truths I have come to realize over my few years of parenthood regarding this so-called "perfect gift": (1) I rarely find the time to use the gift certificate, (2) I lose the gift certificate before I get the chance to use it, or (3) I hesitate to pay a babysitter $100, so that I can use the gift certificate to get my nails done.

With that said...I don't think I'll have to worry about gift certificate consumption this year. Aunt CC (in conjunction with my man) has organized a weekend getaway to downtown Charleston for my birthday. She and Uncle B will watch the kiddos all day Saturday and Sunday, so that Michael and I can spend some QT away from home. We're going to stay at The Planter's Inn, have dinner at Tristan's, and have brunch on Sunday at the Peninsula Grill. My only concern is we rely so heavily on Bowen, Kells, Talula and Wilhelmina for entertainment that I'm not sure we will know what to do without them under-foot for 48 hours; Michael assures me we will figure out a way to pass the time :).

NOTE: Don't get me wrong - I would never turn down a gift certificate for a facial or a pedicure, however, there is simply no price one can put on time away with your man! THANKS Aunt Corinne!

Raspberry Bars

So, I am the first to admit that I am not the greatest cook in town. I actually wouldn't even be comfortable saying the word "cook" and "Tami" in the same sentence. However, I have mastered the recipe for Raspberry Bars in the At Home, At Sea cookbook that I received from Lovey last year. This cookbook was written by the owners of Maine's very own J. & E. Riggin windjammer sailboat. The book is amazing and the recipes look amazing; however, I can only attest to the Raspberry Bars recipe. I am still getting up my courage to venture on to the next culinary attempt.

For those of you who want a simple recipe to make as a treat for the kiddos, here goes:

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup raspberry preserves

- preheat oven to 350
- butter 9x12 pan
- cream together butter and sugar
- stir in the egg until mixed well
- press half of the dough in prepared pan
- spread jam evenly on top
- crumble remaining dough on top of jam as best you can
- bake about 30 minutes until top is golden brown
- cool in pan and cut

These make an excellent addition to a Valentine's Day dinner!

Montessori Update

Well, I am pleased to report that I didn't uproot my family from Daniel Island and move to Charleston County (Isle of Palms) for nothing! The move was so exciting on one hand: we could see the beach from our back porch, have a shorter drive to Sundrops Montessori, be closer to Uncle B and Aunt CC, and MOST IMPORTANTLY put our names in the lottery for the FREE Charter Montessori school in Charleston County. However, the idea of moving again after only one short year in Charleston was a bit overwhelming - not to mention the fact that we were moving farther away from our Daniel Island friends and neighbors whom we had grown to love dearly!

Well, there were 170 children enrolled in the lottery for 1st grade, and 11 were picked (by a fireman out of a hat)...Bowen was one of eleven. So, this news is so huge for our family. We get to benefit from the Montessori schooling that we have grown to love and support and believe in, and we don't have to pay for it! All siblings get first preference, now that Bowen is in. So, once each child reaches first grade...No more private school tuition. Of course, Michael has an excel spreadsheet to share with anyone interested in knowing how much dinero this seemingly small event will save us over the next 12 years (that's when Mina finally reaches 8th grade!).

So, if anyone is interested in playing the lottery, betting at the tracks, or going to Vegas, please give us a call. Bowen is willing to share some of his good luck with y'all!

Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenge

So, the 30 day challenge went a bit by the way-side, but all in all was a huge success. I had a few sick children, a traveling husband, a sinus infection, a trip to the emergency room, and a weekend out of town to deal with. But, I was able to get enough yoga inside my 30 day window to keep the sanity! And, that's why I have chosen this form of exercise. It is something just for me. Like most moms, I found that I was not putting myself or my own needs on the calendar. We pickup fresh eggs and raw milk from the farm on Mondays; we do a Montessori playdate on Tuesdays after school; we do art lessons on Thursdays; Michael does Jiu-Jitsu on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays; and I wonder why my backside gets bigger and bigger all the while. So, I finally said I'm ready to take on something for me (and, more importantly, for my backside)...

So, Bikram Yoga (hot yoga) is my choice of exercise. I go Monday - Friday every week. It's a 90 minute workout/meditation, and I am a different person (a better person) for taking the time and making the effort. I couldn't function my first week; I would go to sleep at 7pm with the kids. I was exhausted! But, if I am to be honest, I really haven't done any sort of strenuous exercise since being pregnant with Kells - and he'll be 5 next week! So, it makes sense my body would be a bit in shock.

The net of it is I am happier, healthier, stronger, leaner, more together, etc. I would highly recommend Bikram Yoga to anyone who is looking for a workout routine that does more than just get you in-shape. It is life altering...I haven't had any aches and pains since I started (I also gave my chiropractor the boot, and I feel better now than I did when I was seeing him twice weekly).

The golden rule in Bikram is "just stay in the room." No matter how you feel - just lie down, kneel on one knee, throw up, etc. Just don't break the seal (i.e. don't open the door to the outside). It is 105 degrees in the room, and it takes a bit of getting used to. But, once you learn "how to breathe through the heat," then it becomes addictive. I'm definitely hooked (and am not so terrified of bikini season now - still a bit queazy, but not afraid!) LOL!

For those of you who know how anti-bumper sticker I am...I now have a Bikram Yoga sticker underneath the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu sticker that my man put on the white whale years ago!!! I have to stick with it now.

What am I reading these days?

I don't even know where to start. I have been in a book club since moving to Charleston last year, but I recently dropped out. I have sooo many books and articles that I want to read (that no one else probably does) that I found I was putting the book club on the back burner. So, here is a core dump of my reading list for Q1 2010:

The Vegetarian Myth
The Real Story of Milk
Autobiography of a Yogi
Living Downstream
Omnivore's Dilemma
The No Grain Diet
The End of Overeating
The Weston Price Quarterly Magazine
The Mothering Quarterly Magazine
The YES! Magazine

If anyone wants a recommendation or condensed review, please let me know. I have taken golden nuggets from each of these readings! Looking for the next read to help me continue my journey in "Making the most of this life". Would love suggestions!

Wilhelmina's Trip to Emergency Room

It's official: Each of my children has been to the Emergency Room now. Kelly started this trend when he was 2 years old - a broken arm (jumping on and off couch); Bowen then followed suit with two broken front teeth (running on hardwood floors in socks); Talula then dislocated her elbow (temper tantrum at school); and now Baby Mina closes the loop of first-timers with a gash on her nose (running and tripping on the edge of the raised garden bed).

We are putting Mederna ointment on her nose daily, but there will likely be a scar from the fall. The cut healed nicely; the stitches and open wound are gone; but she is still scarred emotionally - she points to her nose daily and says "boo boo." So, we now know without a doubt she is my daughter (milking this for all it's worth)...

You can see her in the photo getting lots of TLC from big brother Kells.

Angel Oak Tree

As one can imagine, it can be difficult at times to answer the question each Saturday morning, "What should we do today?" when you have 4 small children and 2 exhausted parents. We are grateful to be in a place where there is always something "to do."


We decided to drive to John's Island - about 30 minutes from where we live - to see the famous Angel Oak Tree. As you can see from the photos, the kids had a blast (and so did we). The Tree (as locals have come to call it) stands 65 feet tall and is approximately 1,500 years old. Experts say it is the oldest living thing East of the Mississippi.


There is pretty much just this one tree on a large piece of land with picnic tables. You are kinda out in the middle of nowhere. So, if you decide to add this to your list of to-dos, pack a picnic lunch and a soccer ball. Or do what we did - stop by the Stono Market for lunch on your way home. They have only organic meals that leverage the local farms on John's Island. Quite an experience!

Where's the beef?

Last weekend, we drove 1 1/2 hours to visit The Oliver's at River Run Farms. This is the farm where we have been getting our grass fed beef for the last year in Charleston. In the past, we simply pickup our beef each Saturday morning at the Farmer's Market; however, the market closes for the winter. So, we were craving the grass fed beef, and Mr. Oliver was kind enough to allow us to drive to Eutawville, SC to see the cows and chickens, to show the children where their food comes from, and to restock the freezer with all sorts of goodies.

The Oliver's live in an old farm house right on Lake Marion. They have their own sandy beach access point and a dock that would be awesome for fishing. We allowed the kids to ride in the back of the pickup truck with Dixie (the spaniel they have to help corral the cows) and us, of course. There is also a huge kiwi orchard down the road that the Oliver's own, so we were able to feed the black angus cows tons of over-ripened kiwi.

Of course with the 6 Enrights (and Uncle B makes 7), there was a bit of drama. Kells and Bowen stepped in a red ant bed and got eaten up by those suckers. It was high steppin' craziness for about 10 minutes. Ms. Oliver took us back to the farm house and slathered roll-on deodorant all over the bites. No itching or redness afterwards! Who knew?

So, we came home with garlic and beef sausages, ground sirloin, filet mignon, and a roast. Oh, and I can't forget the bags of kiwi that we got (I think we filled at least two Piggly Wiggly bags full)...

Michael is Named Top Salesman at Pitney Bowes

Well, I have to brag for a moment...Michael received an award for one of two top salespersons for all of Pitney Bowes Software for 2009. This was a huge accomplishment that he was able to celebrate and basque in all of the glory that comes with this honor for one full day. January 1st he was back to square one - working on hitting his number for 2010. Ahhh, the beauty of sales...

Special Moments

We knew Christmas was nearing when our Amaryllis bloomed two weeks before December 25. Lovey gave us the amaryllis bulb while they were here over Thanksgiving. The kids woke up each morning and ran into the sunroom watching it grow - and one beautiful morning at 6am (before the sunrise), Talula woke us up yelling "it's here, it's here!" It was beautiful to see: the kids seeing first-hand all of their hard work finally paid off.

That's when the joy left me and stress began to creep in. Christmas is approaching. The kids will be home full-time. I haven't done any shopping. We don't even know where our Christmas tree is. The kids are politely demanding extensive holiday decorations inside and outside this year. Michael and I are trying to get our arms around what Christmas means to our family, so we can begin to answer questions like "How will Santa get into our house when there is no chimney?" and "Will Santa bring us anything we ask for?" We just finished getting the house in order after extensive cooking and festivities for Thanksgiving. And, here we are - 2 weeks out!

So, how do you eat the elephant? One bite at a time.

I called Uncle Joey and pleaded for him to come over and put up the Christmas tree and lights (I failed to mention he also had to find the tree). This turned out to be a very fun day (for Michael and me anyway). We sat in the kitchen drinking wine (the kids hot chocolate) and watched Joey put together this 12 foot tall artificial tree that had more color coded and letter coded wires than any of us could count! And then, when he finally got the tree together...he found there were entire strings of lights that were not working. Once he was successful, we were able to look back on this "family fun project" and laugh. Not sure what unsuspecting soul we can get to help out next year???

The children decorated the entire tree on their own - with the help of a ladder for the high points. This is the first year we actually put ornaments on the lower branches, as the kids are much older and won't bother them. In fact, we put 90% of the ornaments on the lower branches, as that's where they could reach! The end result was a tree that the kids took pride in. They were all very pleased with their work.

Uncle Trey visited at the beginning of his college break - and brought home his girlfriend from school, Brittany. She is at Clemson as well (and is from Charleston). So, I have a feeling we'll see more of Trey now that he has extra incentive to visit down this way! Michael cooked a beef tenderloin from Whole Foods and both of my brothers spent the night with us. This is probably one of the first times in years we were all together. And, this caused HUGE confusion for the children. They had never seen Uncle Trey and Uncle Joey simultaneously. It took a bit of time for them to understand that I have TWO brothers. Very funny?!?!

So, school ended for the kids on December 21. There was a very nice holiday party at the Montessori school and all the kids made presents for Michael and me. They insisted we open them that night. Wilhelmina made dough ornaments for our Christmas tree; Talula made a handmade, handpainted dough angel; Kells made a popsicle stick candle holder with glitter and paint; and Bowen made a gingerbread house from scratch (he later told me he spent 4 days at school making it)...Just as a side, Uncle Joey has never made a gingerbread house. So, he volunteered to do one of the kits with the kids while I ran errands. This was one of the holiday highlights. After the very chaotic and messy event, we all realized how special Bowen's house was! At one point, I overheard Bowen tell Uncle Joey that this event has been a total nightmare...

Well, who knew one of my personal nightmares was going to come true two days later. We lost Tazzy on December 23. It was a very sad day for everyone. He has been struggling for the last few weeks, and we all knew this day would come. We had time to say our goodbyes. We are managing the loss well, but it is very strange not having him around. He was 15 1/2 years old. We had him cremated and will hold a memorial service for him at the beach next week to allow all of us to have one last opportunity to say goodbye.

On a more positive note, we made a point of making gifts for family and friends this year - in hopes that the children would appreciate the importance of giving during this time (instead of simply receiving)...So, we took many walks on the beach in search of sand dollars and starfish and clams for ornaments; we painted dough ornaments for the Christmas tree; we made jewelry and bookmarks out of yarn; we had photos of each of the kids made for parents and grandparents; we drew pictures of Christmas for our cousins; I made apple chutney and organic trail mix for teachers and friends; we gave to our favorite charities and will adopt a family for 2010 through the Montessori school; and we had a number of amazing meals and glasses of wine with so many of our loved ones! All in all, the children had a pretty awesome holiday and never once focused on "what they got" (and more importantly "what they didn't get"); although I must admit that the Hulk Smash glow-in-the-dark masks from Uncle Pancakes took the "favorite gift" award by far and got much attention! Baby steps :)

Christmas Eve was a pretty extensive day. I spent the morning shopping at Whole Foods - Mental note: DO NOT go to Whole Foods on Christmas Eve morning EVER AGAIN! We were in charge of the ham for Christmas Eve at Aunt Allison and Uncle Van's house. So, we baked 2 hams that afternoon. Aunt Corinne spent the morning baking Monster Cookies (oatmeal, M&Ms, and chocolate chips) with the 4 children. Michael drank coffee and cleaned up after the bakers :). We dressed up the kids in red sweaters for the Christmas play, and we drove out to the suburbs for a lovely party. The food was awesome; Aunt Madeleine and Mr. Chris won the Obama commemorative plate for the best dish and best presentation (butternut squash soup) - this was a pretty funny site (as they are both the MOST anti-Obama folks I know). The play was interesting, to say the least - just imagine a play put on by 5 children (the oldest one being 6 years old). Thanks to Aunt Sheryl, we had a fully decorated set, complete with elves, reindeer, the baby Jesus, Mrs. Claus, and costumes for all the little cousins (actors). The highlight was when Aunt Sheryl panicked because Santa's beard kept falling off (Bowen played Santa), and she sprayed glue on his face to just help it stick a bit (one week later, we are still peeling off cotton and glue)...Santa has forgiven the temporarily possessed Aunt Sheryl, and everyone has moved on. Sheryl is back on the babysitting list :).

We were all a little unsure if Santa would visit our house this year, as we just moved and weren't sure he could find us, we don't have a chimney, and the kiddos were a little hyped up on sugar and extremely tired after the party on Christmas Eve - apparently an elf visited daddy and told him the stop was iffy on Santa's list. But, we were all happy to see that Santa was watching and saw how quickly everyone pottied and brushed teeth and went to sleep. Uncle B, Aunt CC, Uncle Joey and all 6 Enrights were up before the sun in order to see how good Santa was to everyone. Needless to say, the morning was so much fun! We made homemade buttermilk waffles, played all morning, and then headed off for more festivities at Mrs. Camille and Mr. Eric's Christmas Day Brunch. We all played with the Labarca kiddos (Ben and Lukey - they were our neighbors on Daniel Island), and everyone was in bliss! We miss them tons and were so happy to reunite with old pals. Once we wore out our welcome, we headed home for another amazing meal - roasted duck! This has become one of Michael's specialties!

We received a surprise call from Mimi and Papa John (my mom and dad) on Christmas night announcing their plans to spend the night the following evening on their way to Florida. This was a very nice and unexpected treat - as we haven't seen them in a while. So, we had a nice meal (fresh mallard, courtesy of Eric Labarca - Michael cleaned and de-feathered them); who would have expected to have duck two nights in a row??? But, we just couldn't freeze these duck breasts - only 1 day old and beautifully cleaned and ready for eating. So, we were able to compare the Whole Foods whole duck with the fresh, wild duck breasts from Santee, SC. All I can say is they were worlds apart!

Fast Forward less than 24 hours and in comes another crew: My first cousins, Scott and Julie and their girls, Ansley and Ella. They were on their way home to Florida and stopped by for the night. We had soooo much fun hanging out with them. The kids LOVE their cousins, and we were all sad to see them leave. So, another nice meal and a late night of conversation...

It's hard to believe, but we are now without company - and have none on the docket for weeks to come. No one in this quiet beach house. Nothing to do. No one to talk to. No one to cook for. No one to clean up after. Except our crew of 6 - LOL!

It has been a joyous season. We have been so blessed to be with family and friends, to be in this amazing house at the beach, to have such decadent meals each evening, to spend each day with our beautiful children, and to have each other to snuggle up with on these cold Charleston nights.

To close 2009, on New Year's Eve Michael cooked cornish hens stuffed with fig and rosemary cornbread, roasted root vegetables from our local farmer and a bottle of Veuve Cliquot champagne. We all did sparklers at the beach - and invited our new neighbors who were around for the holiday. And, then finished up the night with a movie rental. What a sight to see - all 6 of us, worn out from the parties from the last days of 2009, eating popcorn and ready to begin another year together! Midnight came and went - we panicked, tucked everyone in, and got some sleep. 2010 would begin early - in about 6 hours!