making fruitcake

We spent part of last weekend visiting with my grandmother, so we could learn her tricks to making her Christmas fruitcakes. As it turned out, we wound up making two different fruitcakes with two different recipes, and both were pretty awesome.

So, here's her traditional cake...
We start with her recipe that has a date from 1964. I'm guessing if it's still around after that long, it must be pretty good.

 Grandmother and I getting started with the cooking...

 There's mixing of the candied fruits, the nuts, and the dates...

 There's mixing of the actual cake mix...

 And then the combination of the two...

 Then of course we pack it tightly in the bundt pan...

 And bake that bad boy. It took us almost 3hrs to bake this one, but it was quite worth the wait...

 Afterwards, we found the secret ingredient - bourbon. The cake hadn't been out of the oven more than a couple of minutes before she started pouring the bourbon on it. She then informs me that when it cools, it'll get a little more added to it too.

The second fruitcake was just a simple no-bake cake. She mixed everything together and added it all into a glass pan. After a couple days in the fridge, it's good to serve. Oh, and of course, there was bourbon in that one too...

It was definitely a good day!

Another training run

Great run. Based on this a sub 2hour half marathon should be in the cards.

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Baby Boil

Add water, salt, pepper, and other seasoning. Boil on low until done. Serve with sides of potatoes and veggies.

Enjoy. :)

(No babies were harmed in the making of this photo)

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SPROUTS by Heather

A quick thank you to SPROUTS by Heather - a Birmingham area family photographer.

A good friend of ours, Heather, agreed to help us with some photos of the family, by putting on a little photo shoot of the three of us. We met at Linn Park, in downtown Birmingham, where she did her magic, shot tons of photos, and helped keep the little one entertained long enough too.

It was fun.

A preview of what she did for us can be found here: Harris Family.

So, if you're in the area, looking for some photos, and want to get some great shots, check out SPROUTS by Heather.

Thanks Heather!

Red nose trial

A little red nose run time trial. Not too bad.

33* at 0600, shorts and it felt great.

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Unhappy face

This is the "I'm sick and don't feel good" look.

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Roll tide

Lets go bama

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yummy goodness

Inside is nothing but yummy goodness. Two peach cobblers, and I'd have to say, they were pretty great! Just a little desert to go with our pre-thanksgiving Thanksgiving.

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Iron bowl week

Who's it going to be?

I don't think she's really sure just yet...

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somebody's tired

She fell asleep swinging. This lasted maybe 15-20minutes before she decided she'd be more comfortable on the couch.

Coming soon... Team RWB

It'll be coming soon, hopefully by year end.



Once the final work is done, it looks like there may be some support heading toward Team Red, White & Blue (Team RWB). If you haven't heard of them, you should check them out.

Just to give you a little insight:

Team Red, White & Blue is a non-profit organization that brings athletes together. We are a veteran support organization whose mission is to enrich the lives of wounded veterans and their families. Ultimately, we aim to transform the way wounded veterans are reintegrated into society when they return from combat and exit their position in the Active Duty force or National Guard.

...
That’s why we at Team Red, White & Blue (Team RWB) feel it’s our time – our turn – to give back. We propose a different kind of veteran support, one that is rooted in a deep understanding and willingness to listen to veterans and their families, and aid in their reintegration into the society they fought so honorably to defend and protect. Our special community of athletes, advocates and concerned citizens (corporate, non-profit and individual) are all committed to serving those who have served our great nation. Together with wounded veterans and their families and friends, we will develop meaningful, one-on-one relationships that transcend traditional short-term fundraising efforts.


I've been in some communication with them, and it looks like the racing 2011 may have a different perspective put on it.

Stay tuned and don't forget to check out Team RWB.

Morning

Good morning everyone...

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Halloween 2010

I remember Halloween being a fun holiday when I was little, but I think it is soo much more fun now that we have our own little one to dress up. We started out our Halloween evening by going to our church's fall festival. Annalise was the cutest little duck.

While we were there, she was fascinated with my cup, so I figured I'd let her have a little taste of my water. She got so excited every time she saw the cup :) She's still not quite ready to drink out of it though...she kept trying to suck the water in.

Then we came home to a ton of trick or treaters...we ran out of candy in about 2 1/2 hours and we had a TON of candy. Annalise managed to hang out for a little while before she'd had enough.

And what would Halloween be without carved pumpkins?!

4 Month Stats and Dress Up Week

Annalise had her 4 month appointment last week and she is still growing right on schedule :)

   Weight: 11 lbs 14.8 oz  25%
   Head: 16 inches  25%
   Height: 25 inches 50%

Last week was dress up week at daycare and we had fun playing right along :). Annalise didn't protest too much about it either and all of her teachers wondered what she'd be in everyday...

  Day 1: Silly day.....we weren't quite sure what to do for this, so she just wore two different colored socks and a hairbow that didn't match.

  Day 2: Camo day

  Day 3: Country Western Day

Day 4: Character Day--Little Red Riding Hood

 Day 5: Team Spirit Day--Annalise wore her Auburn onesie (Robert was at his test, so I got to dress her in what I wanted. She did wear Alabama socks though :) )

And that's been our week in a nutshell..

From the pumpkin patch

How's about a few quick photos from the pumpkin patch? We had a great time at Old Baker Farm again this year--and Annalise thought it was pretty neat too. Next year I think we'll go when there isn't a festival weekend.....the lines to get on the hay ride were pretty long :)