honest scrap award

I just received my very first blog award!!! Thanks to Monica over at Monica's Blog, I'm now a pround owner of the Honest Scrap Award. So, apparently I need to find 7 unsuspecting souls to inflict this on present this to. 

Honest Scrap Award Rules

When accepting this auspicious award, you must write a post bragging about it, including the name of the misguided soul who thinks you deserve such acclaim, and link back to said person so everyone knows he or she is real. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Or improvise by including bloggers who have no idea who you are because you don’t have 7 friends. Show the 7 random victims’ names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them that they were prized with “Honest Weblog.” Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon. List at least ten honest things about yourself. Then, pass it on!

Okay, so 10 things about me... hmm... seems like I've done this before!

1. I don't like eating messy things, like ribs

2. I like very mild weather, none of this -30 stuff 

3. I always loved kids, and now that I have 2, I have no desire for more

4. I hate to exercise

5. I would rather tour a historic city than lie on a beach

6. I love to read, but hardly do anymore

7. I love organizing my house, but hate to clean

8. I think breakfast should be outlawed

9. Ditto with mornings

10. I wish life were simpler...

Now for those 7 bloggers:

We are THAT Family

so fawned

Eat Your Veggies!

Bundles of Beginnings

My life with boys

sara's art* house

Christian homemaking

so blessed

We have just come through a rich holiday season... rich in friends, family, food and a warm place to live.  And yes, I have to admit, I totally took it for granted. Life is good, and it is hard to remember those who are suffering a little more... Today I found out about a mother and her teenage daughter who are currently homeless. The daughter has started a blog where you can read all about the daily struggle of having nowhere to go each night.  Please pray for them that they can soon find a place to live, and a more peaceful home than their previous one...

about me

I was born in September of 1981, the youngest of 10 kids in a Mennonite family near Grande Prairie, Alberta.  As a kid I loved playing by myself; my favorite pastimes were playing 'teacher' with all my teddy bears and dolls as the 'students' and playing 'house' in an old homemade pickup box topper-turned-playhouse. I had a huge imagination, due partly to the fact that I was the youngest child, with 3 years separating me and my next brother. Three years that I stayed at home after he started school. My siblings will all tell you I'm spoiled; I say how can I be spoiled when I had 11 parents?! I have good memories of growing up; although we were poor, it didn't seem to stand in our way of making up fun stuff to do!  

When I was 11, we moved to Saskatchewan, just 30 minutes north of Saskatoon. It was a cold, cold day... the thermometers showed near -50 degrees... and the heater quit on the moving truck. A feeling I will not quickly forget! My mom homeschooled me and my brother the remainder of that school term, then we settled into a small private school nearby. I made friends quickly and easily, never missing my old friends too badly. One of the biggest highlights of every summer was the one week of Vacation Bible School, held in a large red hip-roof barn. With close to 80 kids that I'd never met, but at the end of the week we were fast friends!

At age 13, I gave my life to God, even though I didn't understand a lot at the time. He has stuck with me through thick and thin, although at times I'm quite sure I didn't deserve it. After all, salvation isn't about what we deserve, it's about mercy and grace. It's about being humble enough to give it all up, and then receiving far more than you ever had before...

Meanwhile our family continued to grow.  By the time I was a year old I already was an auntie, and with my siblings rapidly getting married, the numbers rose quickly.  At age 12, I had 8 nieces and nephews and by age 18, there were 14. 

Also at age 18, my life changed forever. October 1999 I went on a road trip with 3 girlfriends to my cousin's wedding back in Alberta. There I met a tall, blonde-haired, grey-eyed boy... Tech Guy... all of 20 years old. And I lost a little part of my heart. Life had a lot of ups and downs for both of us at that time, but God so clearly showed us his will and we were married 9 months later, on a hot July day. Our 6-day honeymoon was spent in Banff and Jasper, and I was so excited to set up my little house and decorate it, make it 'us'.

July 2003 brought another change... a little boy joined our family. He was due right on our anniversary, but thankfully high blood pressure intervened and he arrived 6 days early, induced, and then, in distress, Caesarean. He is our little Buster, our sensitive, perfectionist, electronics whiz. Blonde hair and hazel eyes, he is a mini Tech Guy.

Noodle arrived in September of 2005, by scheduled Caesarean. He had red-blonde hair and a temper to match, and we quickly caught on to the meaning of 'colic'. 7 months of it! The screaming and pacing, the endless rocking and tears that wanted to spill... Our Noodle, who's still a strawberry blonde with a hair-trigger temper and wild nature; who loves to tinker with tools and 'fix' things, and snuggle endlessly. Our Snuggle-Bug...

I started blogging in April 2007, using the title "Pitters and Patters of Not-So-Little Feet". My original idea was to keep in touch with friends and family who didn't live nearby, but in the course of the journey, I found new friends... and found it was a great place to go for creative outlet and a place to store my recipes so I could access them anywhere. As well as tracking my kids' wonderful and terrifying accomplishments.

I am somewhat of a girly girl, I like dressing up and I hate getting dirty. I love getting gifts and good surprises and shopping. I hate having my routine interrupted. I love coffee and home decor and organizing... I like being around people, whether it's meeting new people or hanging out with friends, but I definitely need alone time. Big time. I would love to travel and see the world... Italy would be at the top of the list, followed quickly by Greece, New Zealand and Australia. I would love to be one of those women who effortlessly has 6+ kids and is still sane, but I've come to realize that probably will never be me. I think it's more important to be a great mom to 2, than a frazzled mom of 6.

That is the story of me.

simple and yummy

I rarely make dessert when it's just us, although Tech Guy and I both grew up on rich Mennonite cooking. I made the decision to cook a little more healthy, a little less unnecessary sugar.  But last night was one of the rare exceptions.  I made this Crunch Topping and served it over ice cream. Really very yummy and very simple. Healthy? Not so much, but the splurge once in awhile won't kill you!

Crunch Topping for Ice Cream

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup water

4 cups corn flakes

Combine brown sugar, butter and water in heavy saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally, to hard ball stage, about 5 minutes. Pour over corn flakes; stir well. Spread on a buttered cookie sheet to cool. 

christmas in a nutshell

Back to normal life again... so much time, effort and money goes into Christmas and then, poof! it's done. This year the Christmas story and what it means for me personally, as a sinner, was so impressive and it feels like Christmas can go on forever in my heart. It's not nearly as deflating when the holiday is over!

Christmas Eve was the day we spent here at our home with Tech Guy's family. I made cinnamon rolls the night before, stuck them in the fridge and baked them fresh in the morning. Everyone rolled in around 10 a.m. for cinnamon rolls and coffee, then we opened presents. Usually we draw names and each person only has to give a gift to that person, but this year we decided just to buy everyone something. I got a HUGE turkey roaster (given to me the night before so I could use it yet!), a pair of leather driving gloves and a beautiful wind chime for outside. Plus some Starbucks stuff (Score!): my favorite coffee beans and 4 huge beautiful mugs. Tech Guy got his large tool chest and a Chapters gift card, the boys got little old-fashioned sleds and flying saucers and a Magnetix iCoaster, which is perfect for them!

For dinner, I brined and roasted the turkey, made stuffing, potatoes & gravy, grilled asparagus, roasted carrots, Honey Wheat Bushman Bread, and a cranberry pecan salad for starters. Then this cheesecake for dessert, rather than traditional pumpkin pie. It was a lovely meal, pulled off without a hitch and very low stress because I had done quite a bit of the work ahead.

The daddies and Grandpa took the 3 little boys out sledding afterwards with their new snow gear and they loved it! It was such a great day together, I think the best Christmas so far...

And then for supper I used up some leftover turkey, using a recipe from Pampered Chef called Turkey Cranberry Wreath. Very yummy and festive and everyone loved it! Except Tech Guy had to pick out the cranberries. He's like that. =)

Turkey Cranberry Wreath

1/2 c. mayo

2 Tbsp. honey Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. course black pepper

2 cups cooked chopped turkey (or chicken)

1/2 c. thinly sliced celery

3 Tbsp. snipped fresh parsley

1/2 c. dried cranberries (Craisins work great)

4 oz. grated Swiss cheese

1/4 c. chopped walnuts

1 egg separated

Combine all ingredients except the crescent rolls, and the egg.

Separate crescent roll dough into triangles, With wide ends facing toward the center, arrange 8 triangles in a circle on a round baking stone or a pizza baking sheet. Corners of wide ends should touch, it will look like a flower. Take remaining 8 triangles and match wide end to wide ends with points facing the center of the baking stone or baking sheet. Scoop mixture onto the wide ends of the dough, making a circle. Weave dough, outside piece, inside piece, alternating all the way around to make a wreath. Take separated egg, discard or save (for later use) the egg yolk. Beat egg white lightly and brush over wreath. Bake at 350- 375°F depending on your oven for 25-30 minutes.

cuppy cake love

Is this not the cutest thing you've ever heard?!

new traditions

This probably sounds a little weird, since our boys are now 5 and 3, but we've never really developed our own special Christmas traditions. Most years we're so busy shuttling between Grandma's house and Grammy's (on icy roads) that we don't take the time for our own little family. So last night was our little Christmas and we made a few traditions... maybe they'll stick for the next 20 years!!  I ordered in pizza for supper; since I'm doing the big turkey meal on Wednesday, I thought I could have the evening off.  Then we sat around in the living room and Tech Guy read the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible. We sang Away in a Manger and our favorite family song, Here I Am to Worship.  That one's so much fun already because Buster and Noodle can hold the soprano on their own, so we can manage a trio!  Next... Presents!!  We gave the boys add-ons to their train tracks, Noodle a Read & Write LeapPad with two books, Buster a board game called Gulo Gulo and Nintendogs (we'd swapped his PSP for a Nintendo DS, more age-appropriate!) and each of them a Calgary Flames jersey.  And I gave Tech Guy a Flames jersey as well, and a collage of vintage looking photos from the Fire Department, together with a decorative Captain fire helmet. Last of all... I got exactly what I asked for on Wishpot: a bluetooth headset (for the geeky side) and a bottle of Givenchy Hot Couture (for the girly side).

When the gifts were done, we sat around the table and played Gulo Gulo with the boys (which they both thoroughly understood and enjoyed) and then sent them to bath while Tech Guy and I played Agricola.  You have to understand that my hubby is a huge board gamer... and not just the simple games you find at Toys R Us, either!  Agricola is actually one I really enjoyed, but you have to dedicate your entire brain to playing, so it doesn't really work if you're a mommy surrounded by your little charges!

1 Corinthians 13 (Christmas Version)

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I’m just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I’m just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir’s cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband. Love is kind, though harried and tired. Love doesn’t envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way. Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can’t.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.

I found this over at Deanna's Corner and thought it was so fitting for me this week.  Merry Christmas to all my faithful readers... I probably won't be posting a lot this week since I'm doing a lot of cooking and entertaining, and hanging out with family and friends!

sighing

Life has its seasons... right now I'm fighting a personal battle that feels pretty big. I know my God is bigger than anything evil that comes my way, but it's a bit of a low time for me and I'd like to ask you for prayers. I so much want a peaceful Christmas but my heart is sighing...

thankful

This Christmas, I'm thankful for my two healthy boys... that were born when they were supposed to be born... thankful that I never had to make that heart-wrenching journey of life with a preemie. Today I found the story of Kayleigh Anne Freeman, who was born on June 23, 2008, weighing 1 lb. And so far, has stayed alive, fighting for her life at times. Watch the video, wipe some tears, say a prayer... and then, if you can, make a donation.  Kayleigh has been in the hospital for 6 months and her parents will be facing some huge hospital bills.  I don't know this family, and they did not ask me to ask for donations.  I am a mother, and the story of this brave little girl has definitely touched my heart. 

the circle of life

There has just been so much going on around here this week - my posting has been rather erratic, I'd say!  I looked over my week at the beginning and thought it would be a quiet calm before the storm of Christmas... but alas, I'm glad I couldn't see what was ahead.  I took each day as it came and that's the only way it works for this woman!  

This week in review: 

Sunday we made a trek (3 hours round trip) to a family memorial service of a beloved uncle, in -35* weather.  Yeah.  Cold.  And had overnight guests, a brother of mine with his wife and 5 year old son.  Also out were my parents and 4 brothers.  That night my mom slipped and fell as she was getting out of the bathtub and ending up with a lumbar compression fracture.  She spent a couple of days in the hospital for pain control, nearly beside herself the whole time.

Monday and Tuesday I had to made trips to a neighboring town (40 minutes round trip) for appointments and such.  Tuesday was Tech Guy's 29th birthday and we had a small crowd down for the evening, complete with games, visiting, appetizers, punch and birthday cake.

Thursday night I had to make a late-night run into Calgary to pick up my sister N from the airport.  She flew out from Saskatoon to drive my Mom and Dad back home.  Dad's still recovering from triple bypass and not up to 100% strength yet.  Got home at 1 am.  Tech Guy had been a lifesaver and put the boys to bed early.  Overnight guest again. =)

Friday we all got up early... The boys and I made the 3 hour trip again, bringing N to meet up with my parents and returning mid-afternoon.  Buster had a puking episode on the way, but managed to contain it in a Baggie, which we threw out.  And it didn't happen again, mercifully! Met a friend for coffee yet and came home exhausted... again...  Tonight was the Christmas concert for the private school where our friends' kids go... but we opted to stay home. Sometimes everyone's happier that way... next year when Buster's enrolled, we'll definitely go though!  Sunday night we have a Christmas Contata by our church's youth group and lunch after in the fellowship hall.

Hopefully this weekend we'll relax... and then Christmas can happen...  I'm looking forward to it! 

why do i blog?

I've been asking myself this question lately.  Why is it, exactly, that I sit down each day and type up a little blurb to post to the vast internet?  I've had times when I thought, Hang it, this is a waste of time, and nothing good is coming out of it anyway.  But then I made the decision to keep on and dedicate myself to the project.  Part of it is, I don't keep a journal so this is the only record of my little life.  Another reason I decided to stick with it, is that I wanted to generate a little income.  Unfortunately I've since discovered that unless you have 1000's of readers a day, you don't make any money.  And I'm okay with that.  Because first I wanted to have 1000's of readers a day like, say, Pioneer Woman (whose blog was the first one I followed regularly).  But then I realized that PW's readers aren't that important to her.  Don't get me wrong, I still love her dearly, but there's no way you can personally read and answer each of your 500+ comments each day.  And I really wanted to know that I was touching the lives of people, personally, each day.  So for now?  I'm happy with my small following and the ones who comment regularly feel like old friends already.  I guess a small part of me likes the fact that I'm "published" even in the smallest sense.  I loved writing in school and I still do... this is a learning experience for me... the more I blog and read others' blogs, the more I learn.  About myself and about the art of writing. And that is why I blog.

white christmas

Some eye candy from The White Company. Enjoy!

why Jesus is better than santa claus

Santa lives at the North Pole ...
JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh ...
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year.
JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies ...
JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited ...
JESUS stands at your door and knocks, and enters your heart.

You have to wait in line to see Santa ...
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap ...
JESUS lets you rest in His Arms.

Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is
"Hi little boy or girl, what's your name?" ...
JESUS knew our name before we did.
Not only does He know our name,
He knows our history and future, and
He even knows our hearts & how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly ...
JESUS has a heart full of love, grace, mercy & forgiveness.

All Santa can offer is HO HO HO ...
JESUS says "Cast your cares on me for I care for you."

Santa's little helpers make toys ...
JESUS makes a new life, mends wounded hearts,
repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but ...
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree ...
JESUS became our gift and died on the tree,
For you & for me.

It's obvious there is really no comparison.
We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.
We need to put CHRIST back in Christmas,
Jesus is still the reason for the season.

Yes, JESUS is better,
He is even better than Santa Claus.

author unknown

what is the point

10 days until Christmas... what's on your to-do list yet? Me - I have a menu to plan, a few simple goodies to try, a few Christmas cards to fill out... And yet I want to keep it simple this year. The plan is working so far...

1. We are not travelling anywhere for Christmas!
2. I am not sending out 100+ Christmas cards
3. My Christmas shopping was done by December 1st
4. My gifts are all wrapped and displayed as part of my decor already

And I'm finding that I can enjoy the season a whole lot more when I do stuff ahead. I'm making the big turkey dinner for Tech Guy's family (only 7 adults and 3 kids!), which is a first for me, and I've decided to do as much ahead as I can. Pioneer Woman has great ideas from her Thanksgiving posts, so I'm going to try those... and my mom- and sister-in-law will bring the goodies!

Christmas can be a hectic and stressful time, if you let it... but we've decided to teach our boys, besides the obvious Christian reason behind Christmas, that this is a time to appreciate family, to learn a little more about giving, and a little less about being stressed out. This morning we put together a gingerbread house, and I have to admit I lost my cool a little. But really? It's not worth it. So what if Noodle ate all the candy he was supposed to put on the house. So what if Buster spilled all the really tiny little candies all over the dining room. So what if the gingerbread house didn't hold together well. The point is, we did something together, created something beautiful that no one can take away from me... a mom's precious time with her swiftly growing boys. And that... is what Christmas is about.

font

You may notice my new font... It is one I have craved for weeks, and I have tried and tried to figure out how to change fonts in Blogger, without much luck.  I guess I'm just not that techy.  But, after taking a few courses on html and bumbling around on my own, I figured out how to change the code.  And so I have my font.  And I realize that if you don't have this particular font on your computer, my blog will look pretty weird to you... just let me know if that happens, okay?  Cuz I really don't want my blog to look,  you know, "weird".  Thank you.

clean and free

Today, I cleaned my home.  And while most people clean their home on a daily basis and don't feel the need to blog about it... I actually hate cleaning (love to tidy/organize, but hate to actually clean), don't do it unless I absolutely have to, and then suffer the consequences of coming in contact with harsh chemicals.  Today, for example, I sneezed and sniffled all day while applying lotion continually... then suddenly caught on that my "cold" was actually from the cleaning supplies. And no, I'm not over-reacting, because that same "cold" was gone a couple hours after I finished. Now, I'm not a "green" freak, or "crunchy" or so very "back to the earth"... but I do know a good thing when I see it.  And that, to me, is Method.  I've been using their foaming hand wash for awhile, and Tech Guy has commented that he really likes it (wow) and the boys do really well with it. I buy the Sea Minerals and  Green Tea & Aloe (lightly scented but not overpowering) because they match our bathrooms and they smell good... and the foaming part is fabulous because it's not nearly as goopy and messy (I live in a house of males). Recently our small-town grocery store starting stocking the Method line and I bought the high efficiency laundry detergent. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm definitely looking forward to it.  It was the same price as Tide, but more condensed, so a much smaller bottle... and I'm always looking to free up some more storage space!

Now, I just need to get some more cleaning products...

fab toys

I am a toy snob.  I wasn't always.  No, back when Buster was born, I bought into the baby commercialism just like everyone else... he was outfitted with a Graco jogging travel system, a baby swing (which he never used), a bouncer, Diaper Genie (disgusting!), an ExerSaucer and all manner of un-nameable, unneeded baby props... just because we thought they were all necessary... and so did our acquaintances, most of whom were becoming parents for the first time themselves.  And the toys.  I could go on about this subject forever... Buster had more singing, flashing, talking (in other words, "irritating") toys than I had ever know existed.  

And it drove me Crazy.  

For one thing, we lived in a mobile home at the time, and you have to understand that the only place for the toys to go was in the living room.  The living room also was the main walkway through the house and if the toys weren't painstakingly turned off, they would all light up when you walked across the floor.  Just great if you were carrying a just-sleeping newborn to his crib. Not.  And, there is no possible way you can make such a cacophony of toys blend in or enhance your interior decor.  Believe me.

By the time Noodle came around, I was getting desperate and even put in a plea to family and friends, "Please don't give our boys any more noisy toys!"  And I figured, there has to be a way to not let annoying toys overrun your life.  And, couldn't they be a little more educational?  A little more hands-on?  A little less mindless "push the button and it sings"?  Around that time, I started discovering wooden toys by brands like Melissa & Doug and Plan Toys.   Could anything be cuter than this?  Or this kitchen?  And this train set?

yesterday

After a grueling day of stomach flu (me!), I'm trying to get back into the swing of things around here.  Tech Guy was sweet enough to call "Grandma Kathy" and brought the boys there for the day, because I was not in mother mode at all.  It struck hard, but didn't last more than 24 hours... still feels like I'm way behind!  I told Tech Guy on Sunday that this week I just wanted to hibernate, all week, and not leave the house... well, it looks like that's coming true for me.  TG is the only one who hasn't had the sickness yet, so I'm wondering if I'll have to play nurse to him yet!

on dryness

Forgotten amidst all the holiday bustle and sickness we have going on here... is another very important milestone, this time for Buster.  Here's the story: Buster is a bed-wetter.  Now I do realize that he's only 5, and that the statistics show 20% of 5-year-olds are still wetting the bed. But!  When it's your kid, it is just a big deal.  You think of the sleepovers and questions from friends... what are they gonna have to face in life because of it?  Genetically from both sides there's been huge bedwetting issues, as well as the fact that Buster doesn't just sleep at night, he goes completely unconscious.  Weak bladder + inability to wake up = bedwetting.  Awhile back I posted (here and here) that we'd promised Buster a Game Boy (we later decided on a PSP) if he could stay dry for 7 nights.  Well, that hasn't been happening, so I decided we'd go ahead and give him the PSP we'd bought for Christmas instead.  But, my friends, Buster has been staying dry!!!  In the last 2 weeks, he has only had one wet night and that was completely my fault; I didn't check that he'd gone to the bathroom before he went to bed.  So, officially he hasn't gone the full 7 nights but he is so excited and so am I.  If he can pull this off for 2 more nights he gets his prize... and I think we might just quit on the Pull-ups!

seasons greetings

Tis the season... for colds and flu, snow and ice. And some days? We get hit with all four. That was my yesterday.  I've had a nasty cold for a few days already, even losing my voice completely at one point & yesterday morning I knew I wasn't going anywhere.  So Tech Guy bundled up the kiddos and headed to church... only to step inside the door and have Noodle puke on the foyer floor. Needless to say, they turned around and came back home!  The roads were pretty bad as well... it snowed through the night and day and with the freezing rain from 2 days earlier underneath that? Yeah, pretty bad.  We live on the side of a hill and we actually had to back all the way down the hill before we could get any forward motion!  Then Tech Guy's department was called to an MVI (motor vehicle incident) where they had to do a total extrication so he was gone for most of the afternoon.  It happens every year, the first major snow of the year, the Fire Department is pretty busy.  Praying for the safety of those out on the roads...

bless our family

All praise to You, Lord Jesus,
Lover of children:
Bless our family,
And help us to lead our children to You.

Give us light and strength,
And courage when our task is difficult.
Let Your Spirit fill us with love and peace,
So that we may help our children to love You.

All glory and praise are Yours, Lord Jesus,
For ever and ever.

Amen.

blogging is a family affair

random christmas meme

If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? For Christmas, it's gotta be wrapping paper... the gifts end up as part of my decor, so I like to invest in about 3 co-ordinating papers!

2. Real tree or Artificial? no tree

3. When do you put up the tree? see question #2, but the other decor gradually appears around the end of November

4. When do you take the tree down? see #2

5. Do you like eggnog? yes... in spite of the fact that I canNOT stand eggs... I do, in fact, love egg nog

6. Favorite gift received as a child? my first perfume at age 9... good ole Baby Soft

7. Hardest person to buy for? My husband, hands down!  He's the techy guy who doesn't really need anything... and when he does, he generally buys it himself... grr...

8. Easiest person to buy for? My kids, who have been drooling over the Sears Wish Book since it came out in August!!

9. Do you have a nativity scene? No, but I really want this Willow Tree one... or even this one

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? some things should just not even be considered as an option... emailing Christmas cards would be one of those things

11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? a bomb.  ya, well actually some not-so-wealthy family members decided to give us their child's science experiment, which included some fairly explosive ingredients... 

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? not sure on that one, but we always like to read Skipping Christmas by John Grisham around Christmas time... good for a laugh and way too realistic!!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? usually? December 24... this year?  I was done before December 1st - did a lot online, so much easier!!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I'm all about recycling... :)

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? turkey & gravy, sweet potato puff, my Mom's sage dressing

16. Favorite Christmas songs? Mary Did you Know, O Come O Come Emmanuel, Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We usually have no choice since all our family lives at least 3 hours away... this year we're staying home and I'm so glad!!

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? with many family ordeals to work around we end up with gifts anywhere from beginning of December to beginning of January!

19. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? traffic

20. Favorite ornament theme or color? I love the funky new fuschia, purple, green and teal!

21. What do you want for Christmas this year? I would like, among other things... Hot Couture by Givenchy... or anything else on my Wishpot!

lego mosaic

Yes, I do realize that I've recently posted about Lego recently but I forgot to mention Lego Mosaic.  When you have a child who not only loves to play with Lego, but also to draw and make pictures... Lego Mosaic is absolutely a must!  Buster got one from his beloved Grammy (MIL) last year for Christmas and he was duly impressed.  It has had a lot of use since then, and it's simple enough that Noodle can do it by himself as well.  The kit comes with a clear Lego plate that you set over the pattern, then place the matching Lego pieces over the pattern to make a picture.  It's ingenious, yet crazily simple... and fun enough for a 3-year-old and a 30-year-old!

getting in the holiday spirit

We're back and anticipating a really busy week. The company Christmas supper was great fun... and of course Mom-in-law didn't disappoint with her feast of baked ham, Honey Lemon Chicken, Gourmet Potatoes, carrot coins, Crunchy Lettuce Salad, fresh tropical fruit salad, fresh baked bread with homemade strawberry jam. Very delicious! Not to mention my sister-in-law's contributions in the form of the appetizers: cocktail sausages (baked in a sauce consisting of grape jelly and brown sugar), hot ham dip in a bread bowl... and the dessert: Pioneer Woman's Caramel Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake to top it all off... mmm!

I've been really getting in the spirit of Christmas around here - the garlands are up, as well as mini evergreens in my planters in front of the house. Candles are lit, and homemade potpourri has been simmering... Christmas songs are being sung, stories of Jesus' birth retold... I've been dreaming of the turkey and trimmings and drooling over Pioneer Woman's Thanksgiving recipes... for this year is the first year I'm doing the Big Dinner with my in-laws!

If you're wondering how to make your own potpourri for the holidays... just dump the following into a saucepan half full of water: orange slices, cinnamon sticks, whole allspice and whole cloves. Simmer as long as you want, refilling with water when needed.

I've never been as into the whole seasonal thing like I am this year - am I showing my age? My housewifely-ness? Stay tuned for more Christmas-y, cinnamon-y, holiday-y recipes... :)