December festivities

December has always been a fun time of year filled with birthdays, Santa, hours of baking in the kitchen and ending with the joyous birth of Jesus. This year seems to be crammed with more than years past but still fun and just as enjoyable.

I just have to say that I'm so glad I wasn't hard-wired like others I know or come across at this time of year when they get so stressed out during busy times, it's saved me in the teaching world and now in parenthood! Enjoy every moment, busy or not, life is to be lived happily in all you do and say so your joy will spread to others. Wish I had the guts to say to people when at the bank or a store to just keep their frustrations, attitudes, bad language, and grumpy faces to yourself please; but I'm sure that'll make matters worse so I'm just thankful it doesn't bother me and I can use it as an example of what not to do for the kids!

That vented, just wanted to share the best birthday present I could have ever gotten from my boys, a smiling picture with Santa! For my birthday I wanted a day spent with the boys and decided to take them to the Bass Pro shop where they're supposed to have a winter wonderland set up with different tables of fun for the kids to play with along with a free photo with Santa. It was awesome! There was no line, nothing like the mall where at 6pm on any given day of the week it'd be at least a half and hour wait. They had a train display to watch, RC cars to drive, Red Ryder laser guns to shoot at a wall, and others we just never got to.

I've been prepping them for weeks about sitting on Santa's lap and just as I thought Mr. Outgoing went right up with no problem, sat on Santa's lap and answered every question he asked, especially the one about what toy he wanted, "a bicycle and dump truck helmet with a horn!" Santa was impressed and I just beamed, that's all the boys have been talking about, Santa bringing them a bike under the tree!

Gavin got extremely shy and held on to Mike with a death grip so as usual we didn't push it and used re-direction and went off to play some of the free games they had set up. Then Gavin realized that Carter got a candy cane after seeing Santa and he wanted one too, then there it was, all on his own he had the biggest smile and said "Me go see Santa too!" and was actually happy about it! I took him up, he gave Santa a high-five then actually sat on his lap and was talking to Santa like he's known him forever- stroking his soft suit collar, feeling his real beard all while answering Santa's questions of how old he was, what he wanted and if he's been a good boy! After he got down with a big smile I totally welled up with tears as this was a milestone for him and I was so glad he could actually enjoy the season with Santa instead of being so anxious! I am so glad to have such good photos of them this year to remember that day! Don't know if it'll be the same next year but it was such a nice ending to a great birthday for this year at least!

Gavin has cried his little eyes out every year, and the anxiety he's had since being 1yr old never helped, but time and maturity have done him well and I am impressed at the little man he is becoming! Just last night at Pop-Pop Thompson's 40th Retirement party he sat at the dinner table with the adults for a very long time eating and socializing like he was in Elementary school already! But Carter, as advanced as he is, made it known he doesn't want to grow up too fast just yet and refused to sit for dinner and cried when it was time to blow out Pop-Pop's candle, which is fine by me- stay young as long as you can both of you, tears and tantrums don't bother me any!

So glad I was able to re-use this cake pan from Gavin's 1st birthday dump truck theme! Gotta love Wilton pans, they're so versatile!

Mom-Mom only found one sippy cup firetruck, I knew there would be a fight for which boy got it so had to make it useful another way! But now that the party is over I'll have to hide this one until I hunt another one down!

Happy 40 yrs with the Baltimore City Fire Dept Pop-Pop! Actual retirement starts next fall when his sick and vacation leave expire, but we look forward to spending more time with him now that he's guaranteed to be home for holidays! He's already been to Gavin's pre-school for the Thanksgiving feast and now is able to go on Wednesday for the Christmas show too; here's to making up for lost time!

So amidst the yr. anniversary of my brothers passing, with all the cookie making, present wrapping and parties these next few weeks, it's made me even more thankful that I'm here on earth and know I'm enjoying every moment and trying my best to spread joy at every turn!

Thanksgiving place card holder

Thank you Pottery Barn Kids for being out of your Thanksgiving Sailboat Treat Holder... no, really, thank you. I now am going to start the wonderful tradition of the boys helping me make our own place setting boats each year!


Here's the photo of the original felt sailboat treat holder ($6, not too bad seeing you can re-use them each year) in the PB catalog, along with the super pricey Centerpiece boat (which they still have in stock BTW if it strikes your fancy).




I was actually bummed they didn't have the sailboats online or in store when I went to order them this week, they were actually super cute. So now with my heart still set on using that idea for the upcoming holiday I had to look up how to make a felt boat but then decided it would probably cost me more than $6 in the long run for the felt and materials to do it on my own. So I opted to look up how to make paper boats and found this easy tutorial.




And wa-la, still super cute, and will be even better with colored cardstock and filled with goodies! This is definatly something I will enjoy preparing for our feast, along with the yummy food too of course!

My sweeties

Well, finally finished the Halloween costumes and they turned out good for my first time! I stumbled onto the idea of the ice cream cone earlier in the year when searching Google for something and saw this Mom made her daughters costume out of panty hose, looked super easy!
This was perfect because Carter was totally into ice cream, I mean really into ice cream for a 2yr old...asking for it at the dinner table almost every night when he finished his meal and even for snack; though he never got it for snack b/c of mean old Mommy saying he needed something healthy instead.

Then it didn't take long to come up with a costume idea for Gavin, he's totally into donuts! He'd consume a whole box of munchkins if I let him, eating the chocolate ones first of course (Did I mention how much I love these boys, they sooo take after me in the sweets department and I'm loving it!)

I then headed to a nearby one-stop-shop, Walmart, for fabric for both costumes, polyfil, multi-colored straws, and white pantyhose for the ice cream part; I would have loved nothing more than to make Carter's favorite chocolate ice cream but I could only find mocha- and it didn't look like chocolate if you know what I mean. It was awesome spending only $4 for all the fabric too, gotta love clearance racks even in the fabric section!

I was able to use things around the house to help me with a layout as the pattern was in my head for both of these.

Oh, and be careful using hot glue on stuffed animals! I used Pooh as a model to glue the ice-cream topper together and it got stuck to his head. He'll have battle scars, but then again everytime I see them it'll just remind me of when I made my first costume!

So with the help of my mom's sewing maching for the donut part and lots of hot glue and straws for the sprinkles, both costumes were finished!

They took a few weeks to create only because as any parent I could only scrape a few minutes here and there to work on them, but they were worth every second when seeing how excited the boys were to wear them!

They're only little once so thought I'd go for the 'sweet' costumes this year, as when they get older I'm sure they'll want a store bought 'something or other' from TV or movies. And the wagon ride from house to house is always wonderful as we all live too far away for the little ones to walk that distance.

Now, hopefully the costumes will hold up until actual Halloween so we can go trick-or-treating at the Grandparents! Who-hoo, more candy... not really a good thing, just more temptation for me and extra dentist visits for them!

Halloween treats

I saw super cute Halloween Peeps at Target a few weeks ago and went online to get some ideas on how to use them. I found one that I had to make it for the trick-or-treaters coming over, super easy and super cute!

It took a couple hrs to complete them all, from melting the chocolate, decorating, waiting for the chocolate to set and then wrapping them up, but sooo worth it!

(Didn't want to set the creations chocolate side down overnight b/c I was sure the chocolate would rub off onto the bag and be a royal mess for the next day)

Can't wait to hand them out tonight (along with some fall magnet crafts from Oriental Trading) for the neighborhood hayride! I'm not worried about being 'that' house that always does homemade stuff and crafts each year, the kids are young enough to appreciate it. But in a few years I'll have to resolved to candy bars I'm sure :)

Halloween fun

A flower's appeal is in its contradictions - so delicate in form yet strong in fragrance, so small in size yet big in beauty, so short in life yet long on effect. ~Adabella Radici


Well, it's almost here, the holiday that fills kids (and adults) with candy and has a spooky undertone. In yrs to come the boys will learn of the scarry part of halloween but for now I'll stick to all the cutsie halloween ideas out there for kids!


We did make a few halloween cards for family and friends, they did a great job sitting long enough to paint hands and feet enough for 8 cards, maybe I can try my luck and make more next year to send to more people... it could happen :)








Beware of imposters this weekend too!

I found this great orange carving idea last year online and couldn't wait to give it a try myself!

Cut off top and scoop out insides, just like a pumpkin- though stickier!
The kids enjoyed using them as fruit bowls too!

Apple-icious!

"The best thing that can come out of a garden are gifts for other people."...Jamie Jobb

Well, here it comes, my favorite time of year, and I am excited for the things to come in this cooler weather! Mainly apple season! I am so thankful for Natures gift of fruit, but even more thankful when I can share the abundance with others, making pies and cakes for celebrations and church functions!

I also came across this great little tool I can't wait to put to good use! Makes perfect bite-size, or kid size, pies!

I have to say, the official start of the season started for me last week when I tried one of the new Tastefully Simple fall products I'm selling, Cinnamon Apple Syrup. The blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, apple and all spice is out of this world! All together it reminded me of something from the olden days of plopping those ingredients in an a cast iron skillet and letting them simmer all day, very rustic and gourmet at the same time! Move over Smuckers and even good old maple syrup, our household has a new favorite!

My hubby and I talked last month about looking into getting a fruit bearing tree, though I had to remind him of the memories I had of the ones my babysitter had in her backyard. Though she was able to make plenty of pies, applesauce and other yummy concoctions, it was inevitable that some, okay most of her, apples fell when too ripe and if you were away or too busy for more than a few days time, the tree would leave you with a sour smelling mushy pile of ripe apples that the bees couldn't get enough of, being real pain to clean up too!

So I had to mention the fruits that have skins, I remember my Grandparents orange trees in Florida and sure they had their messy moments too, but nothing like the thin skinned apples! And just last month I read on our local Homestead Gardens website that you can grow lemon trees in Maryland, now that would be up my alley for sure! And even easier, put them in containers, sooo have to try this next year! Homemade lemon meringue pies, here I come!!!

All that tree talking got me thinking of apple picking and I am looking forward to going each year to the farm my parents took my brother and I when we were growing up. It will have to be a new family tradition to go near my brothers birthday, what a special way to keep his memory alive for the boys each year!

So looking up their website to re-familiarize myself with their festivities, homemade apple cider and fritters- yummm, I came across some apple recipes I'll have to try out with the abundance we're sure to collect early next month. Can't wait to share the goodness of the garden with others!


GLAZED APPLE PORK CHOPS

4 (3/4 inch thick) center cut pork chops
Salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups (1/2 inch thick) peeled, sliced cooking apples
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons maple-flavored syrup

Sprinkle pork chops lightly with salt; dredge in flour.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet; brown chops on both sides. Remove chops from skillet; drain off drippings, reserving 1 tablespoon in skillet. Return chops to skillet, and tip with apples, brown sugar, and syrup. Cover and simmer 35 to 40 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings



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SWEET POTATO-APPLE BAKE

1 large cooking apple, peeled and quartered
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
2 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vegetable cooking spray
1 1/2 teaspoons reduced-calorie margarine
Apple slices (optional)
Lemon juice (optional)

Place apple quarters in a saucepan; cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 to 8 minutes or until apples are tender. Drain.

Position knife blade in food processor bowl; add apples. Top with cover, and process until smooth. Combine apples, sweet potatoes, egg yolks, and vanilla; stir well, and set aside. Beat egg whites (at room temperature) until peaks are stiff but not dry. Fold into sweet potato mixture. Pour mixture into a 1 quart casserole coated with cooking spray; dot with margarine. Bake at 350F for 40 to 45 minutes or until browned. Garnish with apple slices dipped in lemon juice, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings (about 121 calories per 1/2 cup serving)


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APPLE PIE CAKE

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups peeled, diced cooking apples
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Rum Butter Sauce
Whipped cream (optional)

Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed of an electric mixer. Add egg; beat until blended. Combine flour, salt, and cinnamon; mix well. Add to creamed mixture; beat on low speed of an electric mixer until smooth. Stir in water and vanilla. Fold in apples and pecans; spoon into a greased and floured 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm or cold with rum butter Sauce and whipped cream if desired.

Yield: one 9-inch pie.


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RUM-BUTTER SAUCE

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon rum

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan; mix well. Bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute. Stir in rum.

Yield: about 1 1/4 cups.

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CHEESY APPLE SALAD

3 medium apples, unpeeled and cut into thin wedges
2 cups sliced celery
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks drained
1 (8 ounce) package sharp Cheddar Cheese, cubed
3/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 cup commercial sour cream
1/2 mayonnaise
Leaf Lettuce (optional)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a mixing bowl; set aside.

Combine sour cream and mayonnaise; mix well. Pour over apple mixture; toss gently to mix. Chill 1 to 2 hours; serve on lettuce-lined plates, if desired.

Yield: about 10 servings


Then there's the candles out that fill the home with the scents of autumn, I am ready, so Mother Nature bring it on!

Remember

Searching numerous blogs I came across this.
It is a MUST READ!

I haven't been to the 9-11 site to see the memorial, but this blogger has and is sharing what she experinced.

Truly moving!