Sunday, December 18, 2011

Santa's Workshop

 I apologize for taking so long to post again, but things have been rather hectic around here! As Mitchell starts UPT tomorrow, I thought now was as good a time as any to update everyone on what's been happening in the Etheridge household.

Over the past few weeks, Mitchell has been building a lovely buffet table for our home! He had been wanting to build something for a rather long time now and I just happened to stumble upon this amazing wood working website through Pintrest! This site has TONS of free plans for all kinds of different wood working projects ranging from beginner to advanced builders. I casually mentioned that I liked this particular table and within 24 hours we were on our way to Home Depot! Here are some photos of the building process...

Before!

The first cut! Nice BCGs huh ;)
Getting there.

Almost done!
After the stain and paint! 
All done!!!

For our first project, it turned out pretty well I think! We are still working on the drawers, as you can see they are a little lopsided. If you've ever built anything, you know that making your own drawers is a very tricky process (or at least it has been for us). And we also need to paint the feet ;)  I'm also planning on "antiquing" it after the paint has about a week to dry. I'll post a completed photo once the table is completely done! It's fits perfectly in our little home and I'm so proud of my sweet husband who built this as my Christmas present! It was certainly a learning process for us both, but it was a ton of fun making it.

Other than spending the past few weeks making this little beauty, we have been busy this holiday season! Mitchell has been working and getting ready to begin UPT tomorrow (Yipee) and I too have been working a good deal at the store. We are both so so very excited that we are going home in less than a week and look forward to spending the holidays with our friends and family back in Georgia! Any and all prayers and thoughts would be greatly appreciated as Mitchell and I both prepare for what is sure to be a crazy, fun, ands stressful year as he begins pilot training in less than 24 hours. Happy Holidays to all! 

Love,

The Etheridges

P.S. A HUGE Congratulations to the Emerys who just found out they are having a sweet little addition to their family! So happy for you both ;)



Monday, December 12, 2011

First Christmas In Heaven

A dear friend of my mother's sent this to Mitchell and I today. It brought tears of joy to my eyes and made me think of how happy she must be celebrating her first Christmas in heaven. Some of you may find this a little corny, but it touched me so much I wanted to share it with you all....


First Christmas In Heaven
I've had my first Christmas in Heaven
A glorious wonderful day!
I stood with saints of the ages
Who found Christ, the Truth, and the Way

I sang the glad songs of redemption,
How Jesus to Bethlehem came,
And how they had called His name Jesus,
That all might be saved through His name.

We sang once again with the angels,
The song that they sang that blest morn,
When shepherds first heard the glad story
That Jesus, the Saviour, was born.

O, dear one, I wish you had been here:
No Christmas on earth could compare
With all the rapture and glory
We witness in Heaven so fair.



You know how I always loved Christmas;
It seemed such a wonderful day,
With all of my loved ones around me,
The children so happy and gay.


Yes, now I can see why I loved it,
And, Oh, what a joy it will be,
When all of my loved ones are with me,
To share in the glories I see.

So dear ones on earth, here's my greeting:
Look up till the day dawn appears,
And, Oh, what a Christmas awaits us,
Beyond all our partings and tears.
~Author Unknown~

Last Christmas with my sweet mother! 

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Casserole Galore

As promised here is my post about the delicious green bean casserole that Mitchell and I made for Thanksgiving! It was very easy and scrumptious, if I do say so myself ;) If there is one thing that I love about Paula Deen's recipes it's that they are very exact. Meaning, we never even have to change a single thing when following them, so we followed this one to a tee as usual! My only suggestion is that you eat it while the day you make it, it doesn't keep well and doesn't heat up well as a leftover....I found that out the hard way. Anyways, here are some photos and the recipe...


Ingredients:
1   2.8-ounce can French-fried onion rings
1   10 3/4-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups sliced green beans
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup diced onions
1/3   stick butter
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Melt the butter in a large skillet.  Saute the onions and mushrooms in the butter. Boil green beans in chicken broth for 10 minutes and drain. Add the green beans, mushroom soup, onion rings, and House Seasoning to taste.  Stir well.  Pour into a greased 1 1/2-quart baking dish.  Bake for 20 minutes, then top the casserole with the Cheddar and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until the casserole is hot and cheese is melted.

I spy a Winston!

The green beans in the chicken broth!

The sautéing onions (we also added a little garlic) 

All mixed together to cook!

A big thank you to my sweet mother-in-law who gave us the beautiful casserole serving dish as a shower gift you see above! This was the first time we have used it since we got married and it was perfect! I hope everyone is enjoying the first day of December! Only 24 more days till Christmas, yippee!!

Oh, and P.S. Mitchell and I ARE going home for the holidays!! We are so so so excited to spend time with family and friends before all the UPT craziness really begins. Thanks so much to Mitchell's parents and my dad for helping us make this happen, can't wait to see you all :)

Love,
The Etheridges