Christmas Tidbits

Hot Chocolate upgraded with Christmas colored sprinkles and extra whipped cream.

A brand new addition to our stocking line up.

Pillows that are as uncomfortable as they look.

A favorite picture of Caeden's first Christmas. His shirt says, "Rudolph." His playgroup of boys (well, my playgroup of friends - the boys were pawns) were all different reindeer. We even had antlers to match. What a fun day that was!!

Tradition ... Flipbook of December Photos

A December Project

Last year I started making photo books to document the 31 days of December. There is always so much going on this time of year that I decided to make the book in November, then all I have to do is adhere the pictures in December. I made one again this year but thought I would post last year's since the photos are already in it. Days 1-5 are posted today because I am playing catch-up. :)
I got the idea here.

Basically, the book just stands up on end. When you flip to the new page, there is a corresponding photo to look at. You can click on any of the pictures for a larger view...

Front Cover

Page One - Caeden and his beloved wheelbarrow at Grandpa and Grandma's House

Page 2 - Making Tracks in the Snow


Page Three - Playing with Daddy in the Snow


Tongue in Cheek Page 4 : The Divide as our 'sledding hill'


Day 5 (which I still need to write on).

Day 6 coming tomorrow!

Cherry Almond Bread

Here you go, J!

This is the yummiest stuff ever. In fact, I might get to baking some right now ...
{and if I do, I'll post a picture. I don't know about you, but I never trust a recipe without a picture}

Cherry Almond Bread

1 C Butter
1 1/2 C Sugar
4 Eggs
1 C Milk
1 C Sour Cream
3 tsp. Almond Extract
4 C Flour
1 TBSP. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 C (I use 2 C) Halved Maraschino Cherries
1 C Chopped Almonds (toast first)

Glaze

2 C Powdered Sugar
2 tsp. Almond Extract
2 TBSP. Milk (or enough to make glaze drizzly)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 6-cup capacity bread loaf pans.

Cream butter & sugar for 3 minutes.

Add eggs (one at a time), add almond extract, milk, and sour cream.

Whisk flour, powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to cherries and almonds and incorporate into wet ingredients. Do not over-mix!

Bake 70 minutes. (Start checking bread at 55 minutes - your oven is probably different than mine...)

*Edited to Add:
I made the bread today. I had a chunk and couldn't help but think it was missing something ... the glaze, duh! I forgot to make the glaze.
Also, I don't have the gigantic loaf pans that this recipe calls for, so I used 3 normal sized loaf pans and baked them for 40 minutes.

Truck Mania (some pics for the grandparents)

This is what Caeden does all day. His monster trucks jump over cars.

Gotta make sure the man is sitting in the seat before he goes flying through the air.
SAFETY FIRST, people.

(That is a candy cane stain on his face. He "sampled" one from the tree. Thank goodness he knew enough to unwrap it first.)

Ourdoor Wonderland

Okay, the title is a bit dramatized, but I love our Christmas tree in the front yard. We keep the lights on all day and night just so I can catch a glimpse of them sparkling under the snow (we got snow yesterday and today - finally!)

I still need to get some pictures of our vintage - old school - colored lights on the house. They make me so happy!

What we do at 5 a.m. (this was supposed to be yesterday's post)

"E" and "D"

We practice our letters, of course.


Caeden's body clock is all out of whack. He wakes up at 5 a.m. and turns on all the lights in the house and *waits* for us to notice. How do I notice? The sound of Claire crying on the baby monitor tells me he has turned on her hall light, too. Usually his timing is perfect, as I have usually just gotten Claire back to sleep.

My eyes feel like sandpaper all day and I would give anything for some sleep. Yet, when the kids are both asleep at night, instead of heading for bed, I stay up. The peace and quiet is almost better than sleep (I feel like I am wasting time if I sleep when I could be reading, scrapbooking, talking to Wayne, etc.) Last night I went to bed right after Claire, but she got up twice before 10 p.m., at 12 a.m., 3:00 a.m, and then ... the lights are on at 5.

I don't say this to whine, just filling you in on why getting to the gym still hasn't happened. How in the world does a person lose weight without working out (puking is out of the question, thank you very much)?? Must. Get. Sleep. My favorite pair of jeans is still waiting for me in the closet. Ugh!
(Let's not bring up my baking marathon post from Tuesday, yes?)

An Ode to Martha

It's not the Christmas season without a massive baking day (or two). I make my Mom's Almond Cherry Bread, Sugar Cookies with Almond Frosting, Chocolate Crinkles, and Oatmeal-Walnut-Maple Cookies are always baked. I also mix it up with 4 or 5 other new kinds. So, in search of new holiday cookies, I went to Martha's website, of course. Look at that pretty picture!

Then, I wandered over to handmade crafts, and found the recipe for body scrubs. It will be hard to ever spend the big bucks on sugar scrubs at the department store now that I know how easy and inexpensive it is to make your own (which, lets be honest, I will never find the time to do).



Then, I found this example of classic chic. These jars are old jelly and other food jars. The lids were spray painted to match. How clever is that???

Lastly, because as inspiring and amazing as Martha is, I found nothing on her site sweeter than my Claire and Caeden, a picture of them...

Card

I have already ordered Christmas cards, but these clever ones from Urban Outfitters sure caught my eye!

A Thought

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. "

~Dr. Seuss

Today ...

I went shopping for ornaments to add to the tree to represent our 2008.

Baby Time

Wall E

Night Before Christmas Tradition

Caeden and Wayne are at the movies ...

Claire is sleeping ...

I am off to scrapbook ...

Yesterday ...

I stayed away from the hustle & bustle of shopping. Instead, I got our Christmas cards ordered ... sat by the fire ... watched the snow fall onto our awesome, old-school, outdoor lights (big, colored lights this year).

I watched Claire roll from her stomach to back to stomach again (the combo is a first), and laughed at just about everything Caeden said. When did he become so funny??? ... Or, old enough to have a sense of humor like that?

I listened to Christmas music (as now, Britney Spears' jingle is playing in the back ground! :)).

Surfed the web for clothing for Claire: Ruffle Butts

Ate leftovers.

That was about it.

Our Thanksgiving ...

...Was full of yumm-yumm-yumminess, laughter, LOVE, feel-good phototaking, and the spirit of thankfulness was overflowing in my heart. Everyday I am thankful and so grateful for my children and my husband. For my siblings, parents, my in-laws. For the simple (but important) fact that we have everything we need, that we are together (if only in spirit and cell phone calls), and thankful that we all have our health (so much more real and in the fore-front of my thoughts after my pregnancy with Claire).

Thankful. Happy. Content. Blessed.

My step-dad, Ken, made the most amazing turkey ever. Super moist and delicious! Look at those carving skills.

A friendly game of Candyland with Caeden.
(Have you watched "The Grinch" yet? We watched Ron Howard's version (it has edged out the traditional one in our house) and I can't help but remember what the Grinch said to the children after he won the potato sack race in Whoville. "I beat you! I beat you!"
{Of course, Caeden won. These are just thoughts in my head, people.}

Linz, Mom, Val

The Family.

We made the best cockail, too! Winter Sangria with apples, pears, and pomagranite seeds soaked in apple brandy. We will be serving this all winter long. If you are lucky enough to be invited to our house, you can try it. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Let's Make a Deal (& in other news, Chili)

As much as I dislike waiting for things to arrive in the mail, I am going to shop cyber monday instead of braving the mall. I remember one year my sister in law and I braved the crowds on the Friday after Thanksgiving (years ago ... 5?) and it totally ruined me. People were so rude! I decided saving some money was not worth it because I came home grumpy, jaded, and exhausted.

I really admire all you brave souls that can handle it and score the good deals. You'll have to stop lurking and actually post a comment about what you found (anyone can post a comment - just do it under annonymous and post your name). Deal?

In other news, Wayne and I are trying very hard to eat healthy (this time of year is no big deal for him - he actually loses weight during the holidays because he doesn't like any of the food -- and it is the time of year that I have the hardest time. It's all my favorites!). I made this chili last night (which I found originally here) and it was delicious. I mean, really fabulous!


My friend Melissa turned me on to the tortilla strips (found in the fresh herb/produce section of the grocery store -- 35 calories for 2 TBSP.) that you garnish on top. I also added a scant bit of jack cheese and cilantro to the top. So pretty and yummy!

Thanksgiving Feast at Caeden's School

Caeden was chasing his friend (dark hair) for a hug when this other sweetie offered to hug Caeden ... not realizing it was all for fun. How cute is that?

Claire & I

Jordan (my sister's boyfriend), Papa, Caeden, Wayne

Caeden and his friend, T.

Papa and Caeden

Us.

This is the best. Caeden created a place mat and his teacher wrote what he was most thankful for. Click on picture for a closer view. It says, "Monster Trucks!"

Trying to make Claire smile for the camera...

Where was Wayne for this picture? Where was I?

My sweet boy. The chair says it all.

Aunt Lindsay and Claire Bear.

Today was so fun. We (Us, Papa, Lindsay and Jordan) all met at Caeden's school for a Thanksgiving lunch. The festivities started with us looking for a table for 11 (our family plus our friends). After some chair stealing and table rearranging, we sat down for prayer. The prayer reminded us all how much we have to be thankful for - how blessed we are - how fortunate. Caeden kept his hands together and eyes closed for most of it (I peeked). I was so proud of him.

We had turkey and all the fixings (apparently I am the only one in a 100 mile radius that likes sweet potatoes. What is wrong with all you people??). Caeden ate a ton of turkey and his entire cornbread muffin. He didn't like mashed potatoes (at which point I questioned whether he really was my son), corn (it was cold by the time he ate it), or sweet potatoes. He ate a piece of cake with his hands, and carefully wiped his hands on a napkin between each bite (...and a fork was too much to bother with, Caeden?).

I took pictures, only to realize I had no flash. I think I need to start bringing my camera bag with me (for the flash, and other lenses), as Claire, her diaper bag, and my purse are not nearly enough. My goal is to keep piling it on until I get another neck sprain. Push it to the limit, that's my motto.

Anyway, the pictures are dark and some a bit fuzzy (again, no flash with me), but the subjects are so adorable ...

I am truly thankful for everyone coming today. Caeden was on cloud nine - and it was a terrific way to kick start the holidays.

Claire

There have been some requests for more Claire (I'm not going to name names, Grandpa and Grandma!) So here are some random pictures of her yesterday. She was "sitting" on the sofa while I decorated the Christmas tree.

Still no teeth. Thought this toy-ma-jig would help her poor little gums. It's the only thing I can think of why she was up ALL NIGHT last night. We both got some sleep from 6am-7:30 am...and she is just the sweetest, most non-cranky baby ever - just not a sleeper, so I should count my blessings (since I am not counting sheep) that she is such a joy. And I do.

Friday by the Fire

Friday went by in a blur ... Wayne and Caeden were supposed to go to Rapid, but Wayne's flight (from Seattle) was late and the connection (to RC) would have been missed. So, they stayed home and played outside instead. The only thing missing was marshmallows. Oops. Gotta get that on the grocery list.

Late Night (8 pm ....)

Sooo...

Just got home from having a wonderful night over at our friends' house. Good food, great conversation, and both of us leaving their house saying, "There IS life outside of our 4 walls ..."
It was wonderful! The kids played together really well (Caeden wanted to know when we were going back. "Tonight?" "Tomorrow???") and Claire and B. (their son) were angels all night while we had as close to an adult night as possible with 4 children under the age of 4 can. It was great.
{Do I use italics too much?}

Anyway, just wanted to post a fun stocking stuffer for the kids. Bath and Body Works has a new shapeable foam that comes in 3 scents/colors. I got some for Caeden and just thought I would share since they are 5 for 25 bucks.

See you Monday!