Visiting Savannah, Georgia

On our way back from Daytona Beach, Florida, Richie surprised me and got off the freeway. He began to type something in to our lovely GPS navigator and off we went again on our merry little way. I was wondering if in fact was taking us through Savannah, which is a place I had always wanted to go. I also knew what island was right past Savannah and that the first Lighthouse I ever collected happened to be on that particular island. Well come to find out, yes my husband was indeed surprising me and he was taking me to that little city nestled along the coastline of Georgia. What a man, what a man, what a mighty man! ;) He got big brownie points that day and trust me he's still hearing from me what a awesome time I had and how glad I was that he pulled off the highway. I finally got to see the first lighthouse I ever collected, which was Tybee Island, and I also got to see the streets of downtown Savannah. Though it was for only a few hours it was the best few hours spent in a city I had never been to. While we were in Savannah, Georgia, Richie and I got to top the day off by eating dinner at the famous restaurant owned by Paula Deen, Lady & Sons. It was a fantastic dinner and it offered a very relaxed atmosphere as well. I had a great time and we certainly enjoyed our brief visit to Savannah, Georgia. I would love to go back someday and spend a little bit more time there. If you are ever out on the East Coast you should take some time out to visit Savannah, GA. You will be glad you did! Here are some of our pictures that we took of our time in Savannah, we hope you enjoy!!

~The Fenders

Our trip to Daytona Beach, FL

On January 9 Richie & I headed for sunny Daytona Beach, FL for a few days. I was definitely ready for some sunshine and a trip to Daytona Beach was just what the Doctor ordered. We stayed at our Oceanwalk Resort there that is right on the beach. The views were outstanding and this resort definitely offered everything our hearts could desire! We had an absolutely fabulous time but the drive there and back seemed to take a good amount of our time. Even though we were on the road quite a bit we were able to make the most of our time and wound up getting some much needed R&R in. We just wished we had a whole week to bathe in the beautiful Florida sunshine! We were able to see yet another gorgeous lighthouse, take a boat cruise, walk along the harbor, drive on the beach, which we had both never done, and even got to take in a Carolina Panthers game at a really nice sports bar in Daytona Beach. All in all this was a great little getaway and we thoroughly enjoyed our time! Here are some pictures for you to enjoy of our Daytona Beach FL trip.

We hope you all are doing well and that this year is off to a great start for you! All our love and best wishes!!

~The Fenders

Look at the winter storm that we got hit with......

Richie and I woke up this past Tuesday morning (Jan 20th) to find a pretty think blanket of white snow covering our entire city. We had been hit with one of the worst winter storms to hit this area in quite some time and it was cold!! This was what Richie and I had wanted for Christmas, our first white Christmas together ever. Well although it was a little late it was welcomed and we enjoyed it. I didn't make any snow angels but I sure took a few pictures and just admired the beauty of all the different seasons that God creates. It was certainly a pretty picture!!

Our dogs sure weren't sure about this white cold stuff at all! I knew it wasn't going away and I had to take them out to go potty but I was wondering how they would take it. This would be their first encounter with snow in their first 2 1/2 years of life and they are low-riders! Well as I expected they about freaked out and were not sure how they were supposed to do their deed in the midst of all that snow. Poor things....they kept looking up at me like Momma fix it please!! LOL! I just laughed because they looked so cute standing there in the snow trying to figure out how to get around. Once Richie got home he used the snow shovel that he borrowed from his Mom's to clear a path for them so they could go potty without having to walk through the snow. Now that's spoiled!! Here's some pics of them........

Though the snow is already melting we have enjoyed this winter storm! Richie missed a whole week of school, as well as other appointments that he had, and I have got to enjoy having him home more. Though it's been a lazier week it was a much needed break from the every day hustle and bustle if I must say so myself. It was also nice to get to experience a taste of the season! May you and your family enjoy all of the seasons and may God bless you!!

Blessings,

~LF

Crockpot tamales, a must have recipe

Recently Richie and I tried a new recipe for our New Year's Eve dinner. It was a tradition in my family growing up to buy tamales for our dinner on New Year's Eve. I always loved and looked forward to that meal every year. I had always wanted to make tamales but heard how much time they took so I had always been a bit hesitant. Then I came across this recipe that told how you could could make tamales in the crock pot. Ah ha, crock pot! Now we're talking. I love using my crock pot and anytime I can find a good recipe using it I get excited. Anyhow without further ado here is the recipe and some pictures of the final product. This is a wonderful recipe and I would definitely make them again for my family. The only thing is you do have to plan ahead as they do take some time but are well worth it!!

Filling:
1 (3.5-pound) store-bought rotisserie chicken or 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp cumin

1/2 yellow onion

diced 1 clove garlic

minced 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies, mild

1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Tamale Dough:
4 cups masa harina

2 1/2 cups beef broth

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1 1/3 cup lard or vegetable shortening (I used Crisco)

1 (6-ounce) package dried corn husks (I needed to go to a Mexican grocer)

The Directions:
There are a few parts here. I "cheated" and used a fully-cooked chicken as the meat in my tamale filling. If you'd like, you can cook a hunk of beef or pork overnight with spices and chili pods in your crock pot. The meat should shred easily with forks before it is ready to go inside the tamales.

If you're going to use the rotisserie chicken, combine the meat with the onion, garlic, can of green chilies, cumin, salt, and drained corn in a 4 quart (or so) crock pot and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6. The onions need to be translucent before going into the tamales. If you don't have time for this step, skip the garlic and onion, and combine the chicken with the chilies, cumin, salt, and drained corn in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Soften the corn husks by soaking them in very hot water until they are quite pliable.

To make the masa, combine all dough ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and beat on medium-to-high speed until everything is mixed well and the dough is spongy. Check the dough by dropping a little ball of it into a glass of water. It should float. If it doesn't float, this source says to continue to beat the dough. This particular step totally did not work for me. It was very frustrating and discouraging. My dough never did float completely. My dough was well mixed and the tamales did come out perfect! So just be careful on this step!

Take a bit larger than a golf-ball size piece of masa dough, and spread it into a wet corn husk. The dough should be about 1/4 inch thick--you do not want to see the corn husk through the dough. Add a bit of filling, and some cheese. Fold the corn husk over to join the edges of the masa. If you need to add more dough, do so---no filling should peek through. Fold all corn husk edges into the center and place into the bottom of an empty crock pot, seam side down (I used a 6.5 quart, and fit 19 inside).

Repeat. Many, many, many times. It took me about 2 hours to make all of the tamales. If you find that your corn husks are unraveling, you can add another the other way to secure it, and tear off a long piece to tie around. I had to do this a few times. I also needed to add more hot water to the soaking husks to keep them pliable. If you need to step away from the tamale-making-process for a bit, put the lid on your crock pot to keep moisture inside.

When the crock pot is full, put the lid on and cook on high for 4-6 hours, or until a tester tamale looks and tastes done. The tamales on the edges will cook a bit faster. Once your tester looks good (I used the same one, and kept re-wrapping it and adding it back when it wasn't ready), unplug the crock pot and keep the lid off. Don't unwrap any others until they've set for about 15 minutes. My tamales were cooked at 6 hours, but I began checking every 45 minutes at 4 hours.

The Verdict:
I was thrilled that these worked so well! They are definitely labor-intensive, but pack such an impressive presentation. Now that I know how to do them, I'll make them again----but not for a while.

Even our little dogs enjoyed the smell of these tamales and when it came time to dish them up on our plates they about went crazy! And yes I saved a bite of tamale for them once we were done, soooo spoiled!!

I hope you get a chance to try this recipe. My family certainly enjoyed it!

Christmas at the Fender's in 2008

I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas this year and that you were able to make some wonderful memories as you spent time with your loved ones. Richie and I had a good Christmas even though we missed my Mom in Southern California very very much!! It was definitely NOT the same without her but we enjoyed getting to talk to her on the phone and we also began talking about our Christmas plans for next year so that kept us all smiling and got us through the day just fine. We are planning on traveling to Southern California next year and spending the holidays with my Mom. Yay! :)

Richie and I celebrated Christmas morning at our house in North Carolina as it was our first Christmas married all by ourselves in our own home. It wound up turning out just fine even though it was a little different. We had our traditional Christmas breakfast and then we opened our gifts from our family near and far as well as our gifts from each other. Hoagie and Harmony even got some gifts.....they of course loved the food ones but weren't so sure about something else that they got from their CA Grandma. LOL! Look below......our mini Dachshunds were turned into little Reindeer's. They just weren't sure about this and knew that Santa played some kind of practical joke on them. I of course just couldn't contain myself and laughed until I cried. It was a lot of fun and our babies say thanks Grandma....... ;)



After we were done with the gifts and laughs we got ready and headed over to Richie's Mom's house. We exchanged gifts with them and then we had a wonderful Christmas dinner. We had a blast with our 7 month old nephew Jackson and thoroughly enjoyed watching him open his gifts. He is always such a joy to be around and he is growing so big. He loves everybody and as long as your paying him some attention he is pretty content. Next year he will be ready to take part in all of the festivities and get to enjoy Christmas a little more.

All in all it was a pretty good day. I was feeling pretty down at first but then I began to think about the homeless, the ones in the military who are serving our country far away from their families, and the ones who work serving the public such as policemen, firemen, and Doctors. That helped put things in perspective for me and reminded me how much I have to be grateful for. Once again I hope that you had a terrific holiday and that you were blessed as I was. I hope as you begin 2009 you will take the time to make new memories and reach for your dreams. I have learned and seen that God truly is in control if we surrender our lives to Him. May you have a wonderful year ahead and may you cherish the ones you love. God bless!

In His Grip

~Lori Fender

First day of the new year and focused

I hope everyone has a wonderful first day of the New Year in 2009. I myself look forward to new faces, new places, and hope that many of my goals and dreams come true. I would love to meet new people, travel to see new interesting places, and achieve many of the goals that I have set before me. One of my goals is to loose weight and become healthier overall. Another one of my goals is to make exercise a daily part of my life where I hate the way that I feel without exercise and that pushes me to want to do it more. I also want to pay off some bills and get our finances in order so that we are more ready to move from here sometime after Richie graduates in December of 2009. Last but definitely my most important goal in my life is to make Christ the center of my life and to live fully and completely for Him. I want to focus my eyes on Him in all circumstances and allow Him to be the Lord of my life. I want to rest in His arms and allow Him to work in my life, which means worrying less. This is something that I have a difficult time with. It has always been easy for me to just take things on and worry about it. I don't want to do that anymore as it is not good for my health. I need to let go and surrender completely to Him and I am going to accomplish this in 2009. In Phil 1:20 The apostle Paul wrote, “To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain”. Lord help me to die to my self so that I am may live for you and glorify you. I am available and want to be a vessel that you work through.

With this new year comes new challenges as well. I will begin my graduate studies Monday January 5th. I am looking forward to it but have those little butterflies that are lingering around. I want to do this and I feel that I am very ready but at the same time I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I was an excellent student during my undergraduate studies but I've been told that my graduate studies will be a whole different ballgame. I personally think that I will like my graduate studies much better because they will be in my chosen field of study. We'll see! Please remember me in your prayers as I begin my studies. I will keep you all updated!

God bless you all and may this year be filled with many blessings!!! May you achieve your goals, always reach for your dreams, and live fully for Him!

In His Grip,

~Lori Fender