Merry Christmas!

I had good intentions to check in with you all this week, but in the run up to Christmas, it just didn't happen. Here it is Christmas Eve, however, and I couldn't let you think I haven't been thinking of you all. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

I started this blog at Christmas time last year, when we were basically snowed in with 80 inches of snow, I was suffering from cabin fever, and wondered if anyone would read anything I wrote. It turns out this blog has helped to keep me sane through a year of ups and downs. This blog has helped me stay connected to friends and family far away and some of the bloggers I've met this year have become treasured friends themselves. I truly feel blessed by all that has come my way through blogging and, though I've been a bit absent this week, I want you all to know I appreciate your comments, your emails, and your visits.

To my friends in real life who use this blog to keep us connected, I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment on my posts and staying part of my life and allowing me to stay part of yours, even though we're separated by so many miles.

To my bloggy friends, every single comment you make encourages me. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. Some of you have become friends who've helped me through some challenging times and I'll always be grateful that you opened your hearts to me.

So, my dearest wish for you all:


I wish you the merriest of Christmases, filled with all that is sacred and special about this time of year.

P.S. I'll be back on the 29th...

Making Your Home Sing Monday (Christmas Is Coming Edition)

Can you believe Christmas is Friday?! I can't believe it! Of course, I have so much that is coming down to the wire, despite my best efforts. So much is going on and so much is yet to be done, but ready or not, Christmas will be here on Friday.

Making Your Home Sing Monday?! Seriously? Oh, yeah. This is the kind of week where attitude is everything. With the amount of pressure moms feel to make the holidays bright, with the hectic social calendar, and the adrenaline-filled behavior of our children, joyful and busy and can easily turn into overwhelmed and cranky. Throw in the normal concerns like getting your house ready for guests, keeping to your budget, and getting your regular chores done and this week can be daunting. For me, this week can easily spin out of control.

Keeping that in mind, I will be doing everything I can to keep the reason for the season in mind: LOVE. At its purist, most simplest interpretation, this season is about love. I will keep this message in the forefront of our minds by filling our house with signs of love: Christmas carols filling the air and the sweet smell of baked goods tickling our senses. Chores will get done, but silliness will be part of the schedule. I will be mindful of my children's growing excitement as the week progresses and remember how much of what I do is designed to feed that excitement and create those feelings of anticipation in them. My children are excited because I've worked so hard to make them aware of just how special this time of year is. They are excited to give to each other and beyond. They are excited to spread that love beyond our family and do random acts of kindness. I will not let my tiredness bring them down...I will lead by example and not forget why I do what I do: LOVE

So, this week is a love song, from start to finish. From the giving to the baking to the cleaning...it is all a love song.

Super Cute Snow Men - Corrected Flour Amount

The shopping and baking continue. I thought I'd pause to share another gratifying recipe before I head back to the trenches (okay, the kitchen!). This recipe is a family favorite. It is quick, easy, and super cute. Who can resist these adorable snow men?

Snowmen Butter Cookies
Makes - 12

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon water

Red and green liquid or paste food coloring
Black/brown jimmies and red hot candies (cinnamon candies) (eyes and noses)

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla extra together.

Gradually beat in flour and water.

Place 1/2 cup of dough in each of two bowls, reserving balance in separate bowl. Add red food coloring to one bowl and mix thoroughly. Add green food coloring to one bowl and mix thoroughly. Shape the uncolored dough into twelve 1-inch balls and twelve 1 1/2-inch balls.

Place one smaller ball above one larger ball to form the snowman body and head. For each snowman, then form the hat and the scarf. For hat, roll 1-inch ball and a flat disk for brim. Place on head. For scarf, shape 1/4 teaspoon of each color of dough into a 3 inch rope and twist together. Place scarf around snowman's neck. Insert jimmies for eyes and press the red hot in for the nose.

Bake at 350 F for 15-18 minutes until set. Cool on baking sheet.

Come on! You have to admit that these are super cute!

One Week Left! Christmas Baking Time

Can you believer it? There is only one week left to get ready for Christmas. In the last day and a half, I've done my very best to get the Nagle family Christmas celebration on track. I've been doing some last minute shopping and I'm looking forward to a weekend of sewing and baking.

It has become our tradition give our friends and neighbors platters filled with yummy baked goods right before Christmas. I'll be sharing our recipes with you all weekend, so you can add anything you fancy to your own celebrations.

Tomorrow morning (Friday), I'm going to be making Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls...I remember my mom making these 35 years ago, so this recipe is definitely a keep. Be prepared to fall in love, because these are more like a home-made Reese's Peanut Butter Cups than anything else. As soon as I get them made, I'll share some pictures with you, but if you want a head start, here is the recipe.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
from Erin's mom - makes about 100 balls

1 cup butter - softened
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup angel flake coconut
1 lb powdered sugar (approx 3 1/2 cups)
1 cup chunky peanut butter (you can use creamy with no problem)

12 ozs chocolate chips
1/4 cake of paraffin wax

Directions:

1. Beat butter until creamy. Add in graham cracker crumbs, vanilla extra, coconut, and powdered sugar. Mix well.

2. Stir in peanut butter with wooden spoon (or upright mixer...this will be too stiff for a hand mixer).

3. Shape into 1" balls and place on cookie sheet. (Note: If you take the time to insert toothpicks into each ball at this point, it will make dipping them in chocolate much easier.) Chill for at least an hour.

4. When balls are chilled, melt chocolate chips together with paraffin and mix well.

5. Swirl peanut butter ball in chocolate and set on waxed paper to cool. Store in freezer or refrigerator.

As I said, I've been making these for years and year and my mother before me made them for years. They are always a big hit and repeat favorite.

30 Day Shred - Day 30 ( The "We Did It" Edition )

Finally...it is here! Day 30 of our 30 Day Shred Challenge and Valiant and I saw it through to the end! I can't believe we did it. We didn't skip a day, we didn't shirk an exercise...we did the whole thing! I feel amazing. I'm so glad I did this challenge for myself. I am super proud of Valiant for sticking with me the entire way...I know it wasn't easy.

I'm sorry it made my blog so boring, but don't worry...I'm done posting about exercise for a while. (Okay, not quite done...I have some closing reflections about the challenge, but that will be it!)

For now, however, I'm doing a Happy Dance and going to frost Superman's birthday cake! Yes, you read that correctly. Today is Superman's birthday! Happy Birthday, Superman...thanks for all the support!

30 Day Shred - Days 28 and 29 (Craft Party Edition)

Well, it took me until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday to do Day 28, but I did it.

Day 29 had to be finished early today, as the kids and I were excited to be invited to a craft party this afternoon. Valiant and I did our 25 minutes of cardio plus our 29th Day of the 30 Day Shred before 9:00 a.m. this morning. We spent the afternoon at a friend's house painting Christmas ornaments...it was so fun!

Anyway, do you know what this means? It means tomorrow is our last day of the 30 Day Shred Challenge! Seriously...we're already there...it has already been 30 days! Where did the time go? 30 days will have passed already and it occurs to me that it easily could have been another 30 day period where I talked about getting up off my rear end and ended up doing nothing about the state of said rear. It wasn't a resolution...it was a commitment to myself and it feels really good.

It is never too late. And to those of you who have emailed me letting me know I've inspired you to make your own commitment? I think you so rock! You make sharing the journey worthwhile. Thank you!

Food For Thought

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~Melody Beattie

Jamie@ Beach Family Updates is posting an inspirational quote every day for a year. This one touched me so much that I thought I'd share it with you.

30 Day Shred - Days 27 and 28 (Church Supper for the Family Edition)

Day 27 of the 30 Day Shred Challenge has come and gone. Given that yesterday was Saturday, we were more in the mood to lounge around. Fortunately for me, things were on the schedule: a friend was stopping by at noon to drop something off and Buttercup had to be ready to go to a birthday party at 12:15 p.m. and, finally, our family was invited to a wonderful Christmas supper at a the church of some friends of ours. What did that all mean? It meant I couldn't procrastinate all day. Nope, I got the Shred done by 11:00. Admittedly, that was all the exercise I did yesterday, but still, I got it done.

The Christmas dinner? Fabulous! Valiant's Boy Scout pack sang some songs, Buttercup's youth group did a song, the program was inspiring and the food was wonderful. We were made to feel very welcome and, as always, a church program is just the ticket to get me fully in the spirit of the season.

Today? Well, today I'm paying the price for eating too much junk food yesterday and not getting in enough exercise. I woke up with a stomach ache that I totally earned. Jumped out of bed and got my workout clothes on. I've already done 24 minutes on the Life Cycle and run a mile in under 10 minutes. I haven't actually done my 30 Day Shred, but I will (I'm waiting for Valiant to wake up).

It is Sunday, so I'm turning off the computer after I finish posting. I'll see you tomorrow.