Happy Birthday, Matt!

Matt's birthday has come and gone! We had a fun few days too!  The weekend before was his company Christmas Party on Hamilton Island.  I think we might have enjoyed the ferry ride as much as the island itself.

Hamilton Island is a popular tourist trap, but there's a reason for that.  It's gorgeous!  Unfortunately we didn't get to spend much more than a few hours exploring.  We did learn that there's plenty reason for a repeat visit: scuba, snorkeling, paddle boarding, helicopter tours, jet skis, sailing and fishing.  Oh!  And everyone drives golf carts!  We can't wait to go back and spend some time.  That is, when we have more time to spend!

Grandmas have no fear!  Matt and I are eating well!  I made a cherry pie for his birthday, a black cherry pie to be specific because that's all they had in a can.  It was delicious!

Turns out the reason they don't have canned cherries is because no one has ever heard of cherry pie!!!  Matt took a piece in his lunch and ended up sharing the whole pie because they'd never tasted it before.   What a nice guy!  He earned another pie!  Lucky for him, my baking skills are improving!

Enjoy the slide show!

Thanks for a Thanksgiving Success

I guess my math skills are still up to par. I somehow managed to successfully convert all standard measurements to metrics, at least close enough not to burn or destroy any of the dishes.

Grandparents, don't you worry, we ate like kings. The turkey came out perfect, Matt's gravy was divine. I added paprika and poultry seasoning to Gma's Dressing recipe and I'll never go back.

It was a lot of work, everything was made from scratch. Including the fried onions for the green bean casserole. My only cheat was using frozen veggies and a packet for the dressing mix. I didn't even burn the corn bread! Just look at this smile!

The pumpkin pies came out good too, but I forgot to take pictures. I've been worrying about my pumpkin pies for two days since the last time they came out a bit more savory than sweet. No complaints this time though!

That's it for now. Our first holiday abroad has come to a close. Love you and miss you all!