family love

You guyyyyysssssss!!! Christmas barfed allllll over my house this weekend!!! This is how I feel about the holidays!!!

If you ask me at any given time what song I’m singing in my head…no matter the time of year it is…”It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”. I love everything about this time of year…the decorations…the smell of the tree…picking out the tree…looking at all my ornaments…shopping…wrapping…the surprises…making candy with family…Christmas parties…ugly sweaters…sleepovers…Santa…Elf the movie…the music…Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You” (but only the first three times)…LITERALLY EVERYTHING.

You will find no happier girl in this world than me in a tree lot…

My partner in crime for the important selection (and help getting it home and up)…JB from DC.

The intoxicating scent took over! #smellismyfavoritesense

We found a winner right off the bat…my tree requirements are tall and fat!!!

Time to get busy!

And then Santa Anna (my adorable mom) met us a the house. She is the ultimate light stringer and Christmases number 1 fan!!!

I love this treeeeeee!!!

Time to get her lit!

And get this house in the spirit!!!

The world makes sense again…my house was MADE for Christmas as evidenced by this photo taken BEFORE I decorated!!!

Thanks mom and dad!!! #lifesavers #everythingismorefuntogether #codependant

Now that the house is ready…what’s a girl to do!? Ohhhh I know, a time honored Apple family tradition…making Christmas Candy!!!!!!! Grandma Apple has been making a combination of Hay Stacks, Ritz Delights, Bullseyes, Chocolate Covered Peanuts and Brickle Bits since me, Kristina and Kelly were little girls…even then I didn’t know when to say no! Bahahaha…

#imliterallygoingtobarf Haystacks are my skittle farting favorites!!! When we got older, the three of us would go to Grandma’s house and help! What a cute team…

Grandma has since retired from the arduous candy makin biz…

but Team Apple as Kelly, Kristina and myself call ourselves (Thanks Nichole LuMaye) decided to revive the tradition and teach a new generation the joy that is…a family cooking segment! Before we get started lets stroll down memory lame…If you are new to the blog or living under a rock, my family is soooo important to me and Kelly and Kristina are 2 of three of the K’s!

And the best for last…

On to the candy making…chanting Team Apple…Team Apple…Team Apple…

I offered to host the cooking segment… one bc I just got all new appliances and two…since we are making the most unpaleo candy, I can make a super healthy and filling paleo lunch for everyone! Before Kristina, Harper and Trace arrived this is how Kelly was sitting and talking to me #whataweirdo #hellofacore

And this was my reaction…

And this is how I feel when I write the blog…

#focussssssss #adultadddddddddddddd But here they are…

#reunitedanditfeelssogood

And the next generation shows up to learn the tricks of the trade…but first the hellos!

Time to get serious…we decided to keep it simple and make haystacks and ritz delights!!! Since they are the least paleo thing on earth I’m going to skip the recipe, but if you’re interested just message me! Time to get cookin good lookin…

bahahahahaha…focus!

First up…Haystacks!!!!

Let the fun begin!!!

So many distractions!!!

Back to biz…

Onto the Ritz Delights…

Yay!!!!

Now it’s time to cool down…

Time to package our little gifts for the Apple Family Christmas Party!

I survived candy making without even one little taste! Time for lunch!!! What’s on the menu?! Roast Pork Tenderloin, Potatoes, Lime Siricha Cabbage…yum!!! My house could not smell better. I got up at 6am to start the slow cooker pork…

Lay a1 1/2lb pork tenderloin on the bottom of the crock pot, add 1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar, 2/3 cup coconut aminos, 1 TBSP each of garlic powder, dry mustard, and rosemary on top of the pork! Cook on low for 6 hours!!! Next Roasted Potatoes…

Ingredients:

2Lbs New Potatoes…I used fingerling

3 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

4 cloves garlic minced

3 Tbsp butter (you can use ghee)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Ok so take the potatoes, cut them in half lengthwise and put them in a microwave safe container, take a paper towel and wet and wring it out, place on top of potatoes in bowl, put in microwave with a mug of water inside and cook for 2 minutes to “steam” them! Then lay potatoes out on a foil, rimmed baking sheet and put the oven on 400. Mix all the wet and herby ingredients together and coat the potatoes…cook for 2o minutes. I simultaneously roasted this delish cabbage…

Ingredients:

1 firm head of cabbage

2 tbsp of olive oil

2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice

2tsp Sriacha

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

2 tsp sesame sauce (i totally forgot about these…sorry kris!)

Cut the cabbage in rounds and then half them (cut the core out of each section instead of initially or you have nothing to hold on to!) 1 inch thick half moons…place onto a rimmed cookie sheet. Mix together all wet ingredients and coat both sides of the cabbage. Place the oven on 450…cook for 15 minutes, take out turn cabbage over and cook for an additional 15 minutes. I mean look at this yummy plate!!!

I love cooking for my family!!!

Ok now lets see how it turned out!

Everything was delish to death…but the cabbage def won my vote for yummiest! Time to clean!

Besssst day ever!!! Grandma Apple it wasn’t the same without you!!! But I have to say Team Apple did you proud girl. Best day of life! Love you guyyyyys to death!!! Dear Christmas, You’re my favorite! Love, Sara

#vintageteamapple #ogcandymakers

I talk a lot about my friends and family…they are my life! But my cousin Kristina was mos def my first built in friend. I had the greatest childhood and Kristina is a huge contributing factor to that happiness !!! Look how sweet we were!?!? And Uncle Marty…those shorts…hellllo!

We are only 2 1/2 years apart and we spent soooo much time together that she was always another sister to me…

Another sister that would actually play with me! (yeah I’m talking to you Kelly! xo)

This is us on Christmas morning at our Grandma Apple’s…we spent a ton of time together with our grandparents splashing in puddles during storms, spending countless hours at the library and in the cemeteries, sitting outside of haunted houses, playing in the camper, playing Old Maid and Chutes and Ladders on repeat, going to the Piggly Wiggly and playing at the park across the street. They even took us to Disney World where we spent more time in the motel pool than in Disney and we created our own language to fit in with the international fans of the park! Look at those fanny packs! #toocoolforschool #shegotgumstuckinhersantradedwithme #peopledontforget #sneakysnake #sushihead

We also went to Sea World…we didn’t know back then…no judgement!

We put on little plays for our family…

But mostly we just played…for hours on end…

We even Trick or Treated together…

And around this age there was just tons of driving around in her car, smoking Newport Mediums…woof and singing Fiona Apple, No Doubt and the Dixie Chicks…and being completely inseparable! We went to 100,000 movies, the zoo, watched Miss America while eating chocolate chip mug cookies (which Kristina invented), forced ourselves to watch every scary movie ever made, had one bazillion sleepovers, beach vacations, riding on the nose of Uncle Al’s boat singing Walking on Sunshine, getting whelps from sitting in Jellyfish poison, rv-ing in the mountains, seeing outdoor plays, played Family Feud non stop on our ancient computer, she would call me sushi head and I would cry(this was on the way to Disney so I was much younger but it still stings! haha), playing on our bicycle built for two and our super cool crutches, we played every game and put together every puzzle known to man and sooo much more! Like any family relationship/friendship there were def rocky times and lots of games where we hit each other violently but the good times always outweighed the bad and I always knew she had my back and I knew I always had hers.

We just remained really close and eventually our circles of friends all merged into one. Kelly and Katie, Kristina and myself were together most weekends….we celebrated recitals, birthdays, graduations, weddings, babies and just generally enjoyed spending time together.

Then the most amazing thing happened…we both became hairstylists and ended up both working at Samuel Cole Salon…for the past nine years! Who is this lucky to get to work with their best friend cousin sister Kri Kri K-Dog X-Tina five days a week…every week!?!? Working together has afforded us so many opportunities that we got to share together. We have trapesed all over NYC together taking the best classes at the House of Bumble, going to Broadway shows, MOMA, eating at some of the best restaurants, performed Thai Chi in Times Square, created a living art instillation, almost got murdered at the Hotel Chelsea #rapeportal #theshiningmeetscsi, and stalking…I mean bumping into Rihanna at the W #thereisnophotobcwereidiots!

We’ve been through promotions and title changes, countless Bobbies, Grand Re-openings, salon moves and newer Grand Openings, awards, she was even my model for an editorial submission…but most importantly we just got to spend time together! When Kris first came to work at Samuel Cole, I was so excited I found myself hugging her everyday…no shocker for me right Melinda, but for those who don’t know my cuz that well…hugging is not her jam. She had to impose a once a week hug mandate on me…bahahahahahaha! I tried but failed!

Kristina has the most contagious laugh…she literally cries she laughs so hard, she has unbridled joy for cookies, she so fucking smart and I believe she could perform surgery just through sheer will and determination, she is the best mom and an awesome sounding board with great advice. Those are the things I’ll miss the most…because my sweet friend after having her third child has decided to stay home with her kids. I love hate this decision soooo much. But I couldn’t be happier for her and I will just have to trek it out to Wake Forest a little more often…to see her…and her fun kids…and her husband Tim whom I adore #winwinwin!!! So, to Kristina…I have cried at least three times writing this. I feel so lucky that we are sooo close and have all this amazing history together. I love you to the moon and back and then back to the moon again. So many of my fondest memories involve you and I wouldn’t want it any other way. You are the reason I went to hair school and I just couldn’t thank you enough. I’m so glad that we get to be a part of each others lives forever. Love you cuzzy wuzzy.

Ps if you are wondering about the title…Our Grandma Apple made up her own pig latin and that is how you say Kristina…Krilfistilfina…Mine is Sarlfara. Get it..nope we don’t either but we can all speak it fluently somehow! I LOVE YOU KRIS! #bffffffffffffffs #bestcousins #luckytimesinfinity

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