A Little Christmas Quiz

Found HERE

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?  egg nog.  reminds me of being a child and my dad.  we were the only two who liked it.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?  not wrap presents?  that just seems wrong.  of course Santa wraps.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? white lights on the tree.  I used to like white lights outside too but since Jane who loves lights, we are colored all the way! (anyone see the Christmas episode of Up All Night?)

4. Do you hang mistletoe? we did as a kid.  but no one ever kissed....

5. When do you put your decorations up?  the first weekend in December.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? we never have the same thing.  well, I guess I should say Bubble Bread, or Monkey Bread.  It's not a dinner dish but we have this for breakfast almost every year and it is so yummy.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? oh my, so many!  my sister and I waking up at 5am at my dads house Christmas morning and waking him and my stepmom up to open presents.  the next Christmas they told us not to come out of our room until the clock said 7, haha. 

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?  second grade in the girls bathroom!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? my husband and I exchange gifts Christmas eve

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? my mom gave us ornaments as kids every year.  so now I have tons.  we use them.  they are just a random mix.  mostly glass, kinda vintage style.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? mostly love it, especially in the beginning.  but if it means Brian has to make up soooo many school days at the end of the school year and it's going to start messing with our plans then I start to not like it so much!

12. Can you ice skate? sorta.  no tricks.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? no, not really.  nothing really stands out.  maybe my American Doll that I got in third grade.

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? making it special for my girls.  I want Jane and Molly to look back at Christmas as children and have warm and fuzzy memories.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? well dessert is my favorite part of the meal!  but we never have anything the same.  whoopie pies stick out in my mind though!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? well we are just starting our family traditions.  Brian and I have hosted Christmas dinner for the past 5 years and that is pretty special.  and then after dinner everyone opens gifts.  my mom's cousins come for dessert and then we play games.  it's a lot of fun and a pretty good tradition we've started!

17. What tops your tree? this is the first year we actually have something!  it's a start.  we've search everywhere and they are all sooo tacky!  finally this year Brian bought a star that lights up.  (which again reminds me of that episode of the crazy things we do so our kids eyes light up on Up All Night!)

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving.  Especially to the girls!

19. Candy canes: yuck or yummy? yuck

20. Favorite Christmas show?  A Christmas Story

21. Saddest Christmas song? I don't know what it is called but it's that song where the guy runs into his old gf and they go to the car and enjoy some type of alcoholic beverage and catch up.  I guess he wonders what his life would have been like with her.  i forget exactly what happens but I do remember actually crying when I listened to the words before.

22. What is your favorite Christmas song?  anything by the Trans Siberian Orchestra

Ho Ho Hum

Today was just one of those off days.  It was kind of drizzly, kind of mild for four days before Christmas, and a lot of blahhh.

I had to finish my Christmas shopping so once I dropped Jane off at school I was able to get to the store and finish that just in time to get home, feed Molly, and leave again to pick Jane up and run her to her therapy session at Theraplay (more about this to come). By the time we got home I had two tired and miserable little girls and I just hoped they would take a nap so I could have some peace and quiet!

After two days of no naps and being ridiculously miserable, Jane finally napped and I was relieved.  Molly on the other hand, who had two car naps already today, was not having it.  So I brought her downstairs so she wouldn't wake up Jane and then ended up falling asleep in my arms on the couch.  And there was my excuse to not finish the laundry. I enjoyed the break, and cuddle time, and actually got to watch dvr'ed Teen Mom 2 (yes I'm almost 30 and still watch).

Brian, my husband, came home early enough that I could get dinner together and make Molly a batch of applesauce (I got some organic Cortland apples this week that were awesome for this).  He was a saint and and took Jane for a ride to look at Christmas lights after dinner so I could bathe Molly and have a few minutes to put some laundry away.

Still just feeling drained, I took a shower and then realized I had left my hair straightener on all day, but even worse, I had thrown my pajamas on it before I took a shower.  So after almost burning down the house, I plopped myself here on the couch ready to start over fresh tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

Gooey Chocolate Butter Cookie Recipe

Who doesn't love a cookie swap?  We had ours this morning, and there is nothing better than trying out each other's cookies and then being able to take home the ones you loved!

I decided to make these chocolate butter cookies (not sure why these are exactly called a butter cookie but yummy all the same).  

They are really easy, here's what you need:

Ingredients
1 stick of butter room temperature
1 8oz block of cream cheese room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 box chocolate moist cake mix
white powdered sugar for rolling

No need to preheat the oven just yet, this batter needs to chill for 2 hours.

Directions:
1.  Cream the butter and cream cheese.
2.  Mix in egg.
3.  Mix in vanilla.
4.  Mix in cake mix.

5.  Chill for 2 hours so dough hardens.
6.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7.  Roll into teaspoon size balls.
8.  Roll ball in powdered sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheet.

 

 9.  Bake for 12 minutes.  Let cool for 2 minutes before moving to cooling rack.
10.  Sprinkle with extra powdered sugar.

Easy-peasy right?   

 ENJOY!!

Ho Ho Ho

Molly: "Ok, I'll sit here."

Jane: "No, no,noooooo."

Molly: "If she doesn't have to sit here then I don't want to either!"

9 Days and Counting

It's always on the busiest of mornings that chaos breaks out.

Jane was in the worst of moods.  I finally finished getting her and Molly fed and dressed with barely an hour to spare to bake a coffee cake, clean up the house, and make myself presentable for a playdate we were having.

Now, you'd think after yesterday's near disaster with finger paint that I'd have had the sense to put any and all possible carpet destroyers away where Jane can't find them.  And I did think about it.  But they're in the basement.  And she mostly hates arts and crafts...except, it seems, when I'm not watching.

First she covered herself and the carpet in the basement in black stamp pad ink.  I changed her clothes and finished cleaning the carpet when the doorbell rang.  I went up ahead of Jane to answer the door.  When Jane finally came up, she had face painted herself with green watercolor.

By the afternoon, toys were covering every inch of the living room and Jane was still in a cranky mood.  I was dying to get out of the house.  So I had Jane open her advent calendar.  I had drawn some pieces of candy underneath Christmas ball 9.  And just like that, we were off to the candy factory.

Walking in the door, all we could smell was chocolate.  And it was heavenly!  We went to the observation deck first to check out what was being made.  And on the ramp Jane fell in love with Frosty.

She introduced herself to him, and continued to have a full out conversation with him for almost three minutes.  And then she told him to "come on".  And when he didn't I felt bad.  Maybe we listened to "Frosty the Snowman" too many times.  I was sure she thought he was supposed to come alive and follow her.

So I convinced her to come pick out a piece of candy.

And all was good....until we got into the car.

And cranky Jane was back!

Ten Day COUNTDOWN is Here!

I doubt we will ever forget our first Christmas with Jane.  She was in the pleasant habit of waking up at 4am.  Our day was going to be super busy with us visiting at my dad's house in the morning and then coming home to host ten more guests for dinner.  So I had the brilliant idea to open presents when Jane woke up, bright (or should we say DARK) and early!  It was a sleepy but wonderful morning as we helped her unwrap gifts and took a zillion photos of her eating paper. 

Now at 2, Christmas is even more magical because she understands Santa!  Everyday we're signing, and talking, and reading about him.  And I remember my own memories of Santa.  Sitting in church wondering if Santa was already flying overhead.  Then later that night laying in bed, listening, pinching myself to stay awake so that just maybe I could get a glimpse of him.

I love the feeling of Christmas, and I wanted to capture it for Jane, for her to hold until she has children of her own and begins her own traditions with her family.  And so as part of our own new traditions we've started our Christmas advent.  A ten day countdown!

I made this tree with ornaments that lift up.  Underneath are special Christmas activities that I have hopes will bring Christmas alive for Jane.  Today's special activity was to set up and decorate Jane's very own tree in her room.  I thought this would be very exciting, as she LOVES our big tree.  But when I shared what we were about to do she couldn't have been less interested!
Oh the disappointment!
But I carried on anyway, taking Molly upstairs to Jane's bedroom where I began to set up the tree.

Before too long I heard Jane on the steps.  Moments before she appeared, I called, "Hi Jane!  Come see your tree!"
"Hi mama!"
And then I gasped and lost my breath for a moment.  She was carrying two open containers of dollar store finger paint whose washability is questionable and a paintbrush that looked as though it had been busy!  Somehow I calmly whisked the paint away and went to check on my relatively new carpet that I treat like it's my third baby.  I inspected each stair and every inch of the living room.  There on the kitchen floor were the two paint lids.  But no paint that my eyes could see.  I went back to stairs and as I headed up I checked the walls.  She surely had to touch them as she came up.  Hmmm, no paint.

At this point, Jane was interested in her tree now that it was up and glowing, and she helped me decorate it as we sang Jingle Bells.

I envisioned her laying in bed at night, enjoying her little tree lighting up her room.  A tradition we'd keep.  A memory she'd have forever of this little tree glittering in the corner.

After we finally got dressed and made our way back to the kitchen for breakfast, I stood at the sink doing something I can't recall when something caught my eye.

 And I said, "Jane, you painted the tree I see."
"It sure is."  (Her favorite response this past week.)

Have a DOLLY Christmas!

Molly is 6 Months Old!

Such a happy baby she is!  She's truly an angel and a blessing.  So curious, so loving.  And becoming quite a mama's girl!  She adores her sister, watching and smiling at every move she makes.  A good little eater.  Pears are by far her favorite making it a great source to sneak her reflux medicine in.  (She and Jane both have horrendous silent reflux.)  She's getting around the kitchen and knicking up all my woodwork and furniture in her walker.  She made the ninetieth percentile in height and almost the fiftieth in weight at her check-up today!

Just one month ago to the day we were bringing Molly home from the hospital after spending the night for a virus that spiked a fever so quick it caused a seizure.  It was the scariest moment of my life, and everyday since I've thanked God for her and her health. 

Happy half-Birthday spunky little girl!!

Keeping it Local

We live in the perfect town for shopping locally.  We have the "townie" type mom and pop shops and then on the outskirts of town we have the farms.  In the summer there is no shortage of fresh, right from the field, produce!  Here are my favorite reasons to shop locally.

1.  You can't get any fresher!  Fruits, veggies, milk, eggs, meat, bread, coffee.   Who needs a big old grocery store!  All grown, baked, and raised right here.  I love that I get Jane's fresh organic milk down the street and that it came from a farm only minutes away!  Our eggs were gathered this week, and our produce (seasonal) picked the same day! 

2.  I'm supporting our town.  This was something I tried to commit to when we moved here.  It's not always easy because it's not always the cheaper way to go.  But I'm trying to do our share in supporting our local economy.

3.  The people!  We get to know the shop owners and farmers who are our neighbors.

4.  One of my favorite reasons- hardly any drive!  I HATE driving far to shop.  It is awful with two little kids.  Our nearest mall is a half our away with lots of traffic.  Like I mentioned before, we don't have any fancy stores, but we do have a small children's consignment shop that I get many of Jane's clothes from.  Check this out, I got it all for under fifty dollars last week!

5.  The products are awesome and unique!

Here Comes Suzy Snowflake

We've been playing the song in our car for weeks now.  Sometimes I find myself singing it when I'm alone!  There's no real snow in sight but I thought a simple snowflake ornament would make the perfect homemade Christmas present from Jane.  Now that she's two and a half she's quite capable of helping to make presents for her teachers and family. Unfortunately, she does not have one iota of interest in arts and crafts!  And that is why I thought this would be a simple project.  Paint and glue.  Can't get much easier, right?  Ohhhh, but it is like pulling teeth to get her to sit for three minutes to quick glue on 3 more sequence.  At this pace, it will be New Years when we finish!

Hometown Christmas

There's something extraordinarily special about celebrating the holidays in a small town.  Our suburban town center is quaint and humble.  There's no Gap or Starbucks.  It's not fancy, nor big.  But at Christmas time it feels magical.  Wreath's hang from the lampposts, neighbors light up their lawns.  The first weekend in December we welcome Santa to town with a huge parade.  Jane had a ball as she collected candy canes and peppermints and waved to floats decked out in green and red.

Finally the firetrucks started to come and every child knew that Santa was to follow.   But it was the moment right before, as one of the trucks played "Here Comes Santa Claus", that got me choked up.  Maybe it was the excitement on Jane's face, maybe it was the lost feeling of the joy of Santa that came rushing back at that moment.

Friday night I took Jane into town for the lighting of the Christmas tree.  The choir sang, the mayor wished everyone a Merry Christmas, and Santa arrived via firetruck in time to light up the tree.  We enjoyed Christmas cookies and watched the children visit with Santa.  (We're still in the, "I'll look at Santa but from a safe distance" stage!) 

The night gave a true meaning to the song verse, "In the air, there's a feeling of Christmas!"

In the beginning...

It's hard to believe this was just six short months ago...

Seems like just yesterday Molly was born, a week late and weighing in at a measly 6lbs 8oz.  Her big sister, Jane, just about to turn 2.


And this was today...

These two push me to be a better person, a better mother, a better wife everyday.  This blog is the beginning of a journey.   I can't wait to see where Jane and Molly take me next!