Advent Present...for Sam?

Each year, my sister sends the kids Advent presents...one present to be opened each day leading up to Christmas.  She has come up with so many clever things over the past few years, but I'm just so surprised by her thoughtfulness this year...

You can't see me, but I can see you!

She even sent a box for Sam.

Using the closet door to keep an eye on the room...bwaaahaha!

He really loves it...so, I offered to help him send a thank-you to her.

Dear Aunt Katie,

Thank you for sending me a Christmas box.  I really appreciate your thoughtfulness.  I didn't know you cared! 

Love,

Sam-I-Am

P.S.  Say "Hi" to Random Kitty for me!

Still, Sam can be a little bit selfish, don't you think?

Sam, May I have a turn?

 Not sharing with Cajun...

Come on, Sam, give me a turn...pleeease!

Not sharing with Beans...

Not sharing with anyone!

Superman Tracker Update:  After being booked on a flight to Seattle leaving LAX at 3:15 p.m. this afternoon, Superman was able to fly stand-by on a flight that left at 12:30 p.m....he's working his way home...step by step!

Lollipop, Lollipop!

Front yard lollipops!

Lollipop, lollipop!

I love putting lollipops up for Christmas decorations.   Why?  Because they look so festive without needing lights...they just feel very Santa's workshop to me.  This year, I took advantage our last day of woodshop by using the bandsaw to cut out eighteen 12-inch circles out of 5mm underlayment.

12" circles of 5mm underlayment...painted white...

Then I painted them all white and attached dowels to them.   Each lollipop was then wrapped in colored cellophane and tied off with ribbon.   Finally, we pounded (okay, Charming pounded because I took too long) PVC into the ground and inserted the lollipop into the PVC.  

See the PVC sticking up from the ground?

Why pound the pvc into the ground?  Experience has taught me that frozen ground and frozen dowels will be stuck together until March or April.  I'm hoping that sticking the dowels into pvc will allow me to pull them up after New Year.  (Fingers crossed any.)

I even put them in the pots in front of the garage (with my faux poinsettia)...so festive!

I think they turned out so well and I love rounding the corner and seeing them as I drive up the street.  It is just so cheerful.

Look at that view...isn't it fun?

 Superman-Tracker (kind of like the Santa Tracker, but better!):  Superman is stuck at LAX after his flight from Dubai was late arriving, meaning he missed his connection; but he'll still be here before Christmas...the wonderful people at Alaska Airlines helped us rebook him on flights that will do the trick.  Its all good!

An Early Christmas Gift

After growing up in a house with pets, it was only a matter of time before Charming became lonely for the companionship a pet provides.  When he moved out on his own, we told him that when the time was right, according to him, we'd buy him a cat for his apartment.  Well, last month, the time was right.  We headed over to PetSmart's rescue center and found a companion for Charming.  That evening, Aimee came to live with him as an early Christmas gift.

She's a unique little kitty.  She's a two-year old Manx, which means she doesn't have a traditional long tail.  Nope, she was born with that stubby little thing.  Funny, isn't it

She and Charming seem to be getting along just fine, don't you think?

I think she finally got tired of Buttercup taking her picture, though...doesn't it look as if she's saying "no more pictures!"?

Ready for Christmas

Can you believe that we only have four more days until Christmas? The past month has flown by, hasn't it? Life in the Nagle5 household has been so busy this past month...broken bones just seemed par for the course. Still, as Christmas fast approaches, I find myself in the unfamiliary position of actually being ready. Really! Can you believe it?   Let me repeat this for you:  I am ready for Christmas.

Our Halloween spider became a Christmas spider...doesn't every home need one?

The last of my Christmas cards were mailed off today and one last present made it into the mail, as well. The presents are wrapped and waiting to be placed under the tree Christmas Eve. The food for Christmas has already been planned and purchased. Even our dress-up clothes are selected and ready for Christmas Day. All we have to do is clean the house and we're good to go.

Weird, isn't it?

The pumpkins on the cabinets were replaced with Christmas trees.

I must confess, this never happens to me. We're the family that wraps presents Christmas Eve and sends out a New Year's letter because I never quite got my Christmas cards out. Will this happen again next year? I doubt it...lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice very often, now does it.

The Fall-themed decor gave way to beloved Christmas decorations.

Superman is on his way home to us as I type this. Yes, my hero will be home for the holidays this year. The whole family is so excited, we can barely contain ourselves. 

Christmas cards get hung on the door as they arrive...
mistletoe can trap the unwary guest, too!

So, with two days to wait before he gets here, I decided to share a little of what we've been up to this last month.

I even used the Silhouette machine to make gingerbread men...too fun!

The Santa-fication process is definitely complete...there isn't a room in the house that has been left untouched.  Now, if  Christmas would just hurry up and get here!!!

It is that time of year again!

Last year I told you about the early Christmas prep that goes on in the Nagle5 household as a result of Superman's overseas work.  In order to get the goodies to the troops well in time for the holiday season (not just in time for Christmas day), we start in early November.  To that end, the first batch of goodies was mailed on Tuesday.  With the way the mail has been to the base lately, Superman will be able to share these right about Thanksgiving.

This first package had the pretzel treats and the peppermint bark that were most requested.  (Who knew that these simple treats would be so popular?)  Since they were so popular, I thought I'd give you some quick guidelines and you can whip up a batch yourself, if you're so inclined.  Seriously, everyone seems to love these...the kids were a bit pouty that I mailed this entire batch off!

Pretzel Treats

1 bag Rolled Gold pretzel sticks
1 bag mini marshmallows
Roughly 4 cups of Merckens milk chocolate buttons*
Mini muffin tin liners

Directions:
Take the time to break all the pretzel sticks into halves or thirds and set them in a bowl.

Using the microwave on roughly 2/3 power, melt the chocolate buttons in a glass measuring cup.  About 5 minutes at 2/3 power...stirring once halfway through.  Just don't scorch the chocolate.  (Yes, you can use a double boiler, but why?)

In a large bowl, use a spatula to combine the pretzels and the melted chocolate.  Add the pretzels a handful at a time.  (Don't just pour the broken pretzels in from the smaller bowl...you'll get all the salt that collected at the bottom of the bowl in your treats and that won't be good!)  Keep stirring and stirring until the pretzels are well-coated with chocolate and then pour in the bag of mini marshmallows and coat them with the melted chocolate.

Once it is all combined and everything is well-coated, scoop out spoonfuls and allow to cool.  (This year I skipped the waxed paper and just scooped straight onto the counter...it was simpler.)  Once they've cooled off, place each goodie in a mini muffin liner and you're done...ready to share them.

Really, you can do this with anything...I'm going to make a batch with dark chocolate, raisins, and unsweetened coconut...not primal, but still, a good compromise, don't you think? 

Tomorrow, I'll share with you just how easy it is to make peppermint bark!

I Love Christmas, but I'm so ready for "Organizing Season"

No, really, I do.  I love everything about the holidays and, yet, when we're done with them, I heave a sigh of relief.  When it is all said and done, I'm ready for the chaos of the holidays to give way to the sanity of the post-Christmas calm.   I'm the lady who would take the Christmas tree down on the 26th if my family wouldn't mutiny.  Seriously...the Christmas decorations begin to disappear right after the Christmas dinner dishes are done.  With Superman away for the holidays this year, the chaos that is part and parcel of the holidays seemed magnified this year.   Don't get me wrong...it was still fun and Santa was very good to my family, but...I was ready to be done and my fingers itched to put the holiday decorations once the kids had retreated to their Christmas corners to play with their new belongings.  It turns out, though, that this year was one of my "better" years because the "de-Santa-fication" process did begin on the 26th and was finished on the 27th...I even got the tree down on the 27th!  Can you believe it?  Superman protested, but really couldn't stay my hand.  Most interesting of all?   I did it all with nary a protest from my children.  I think we were all ready to be done and get back to normal.  It is so freeing to put the stuff back in the storage boxes to come out next year.  Don't you feel so much lighter after you've reclaimed your home from the festivities?

The best part?  The "de-Santa-fication" process ushers in one of my absolute favorite times of year:  Organizing Season!!  I love Organizing Season.  I think it is no big mystery why the chaos of the holidays leads us all in to desperation as we approach reclaiming our homes and our routines and strive to improve on both.  Evidently, it is not just me!  Target, Home Depot, and the like are all advertising storage bins and organizing solutions...apparently lots of people feel the urge to organize after the holidays.

I don't buy more storage solutions, however.  I end up feeling so "light" after I've put away the Christmas decorations that I want to get rid of MORE stuff.  So I do.  During my much-needed technology break, I cleaned out my kitchen and got rid of old pantry items, and equipment I haven't used in years.  How many cookie cutters does one family need?  Anyone? (Superman, we really don't need a "Cocoa-motion"...I'm sorry.)   I went to the buffet and cleaned out the old, wrinkled paper napkins that have collected there over the past year...organized the cloth napkins and few paper plates I have and made everything in there much more deliberate and less haphazard.

Then I headed upstairs to my linen closets...old towels are on their way to the animal shelter (did you know they're desperate for towels?), old sheets are donated to thrift stores, and clothes that haven't been worn in years are gone. 

I scrubbed under the bathroom sinks and got rid of cleaning supplies that are gathering dust.  Do you do that?  buy something and end up NOT liking it, but keep it in your cupboard for some unknown reason?  If you do, bite the bullet and get rid of it all.  I got rid of lotions, hair products, and other weird stuff that was unused under my sink.  (How do I get all that stuff?)  I cleaned out my make-up drawer and got rid of tons of stuff that I haven't used and won't.  (Oh, this is so hard for me.  I love, love, love make-up.  The only problem?  I don't really wear much of it anymore.  So, why am I holding on to it all?  Weird.)

Finally, I headed to my desk/sewing area.  We went from three printers to one wireless printer that serves all of us. (I was able to give our two printers to a family with a boy away at college with no printer and the family had no printer, so both needs were met.  I'll admit I felt good about it.)   I got rid of craft supplies that I'll never use.  I organized my notions and patterns.  I cleaned out my desk and got rid of old pens and pencils and other miscellaneous office supplies.  Went through our homeschooling books - yes, the same ones I went through in September - and got rid of a bunch more...if I haven't used them by now, I'm not going to used them.  I cleaned off my magnet board.  Went through my collection of JoAnn's and Hancock ad's and made sure I only had the most current ones.  I even switched out some of my old storage boxes for new sleek ones, making the room a little calmer...we need calmer.  All that is left is the top of my desk...I'll be working on that this week.

After all, that, I felt terrific...until I read Almost Organized's post about her junk drawer.  (She's another lady who likes to reclaim her house after the holidays...we're like twins.)   She decided to join a meme hosted by Bowl of Lemons and the first task for January was to tackle the junk drawer.  The junk drawer!  I hate it, but I've been ignoring it.  It is my nemesis.   No more.  I finally cleaned out my junk drawer...I feel great!

Here is all the stuff that was in the tiny drawer (I forgot to take a picture of it inside the drawer). 

Here is all that is in the drawer now.  (Yes, I need those lighters in my kitchen...my stove doesn't light without one.)

Isn't it amazing how one little change can make you feel so much more in control of things?  I just love it when that happens!

Merry Christmas!!

I hope you found joy in the journey getting to this point.  Shake off all of the stress and worry...whatever it will be it is right now.  Take a deep breath and relax...you made it!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!  May laughter ring throughout your home and may love fill your hearts...

For Superman...

It is NOT too late to come up with something cute and semi-homemade for a Christmas treat!

 As you can imagine, my week was thrown completely out of rhythm by my need for emergency oral surgery.  Baking that I'd hoped to have done by today hasn't even begun.  Christmas, however, doesn't really come with a fluid time line...next Saturday, we're done!   What does that mean for me (and you)?  We've got very little time left to make the magic happen, but make it happen, we will!

So, today, right now...I have a few quick, easy, and semi-homemade ideas for you to try.  Let me know what you think...I'll be sitting in my kitchen making these today, too.

First things first: 

Nutter Butter Santa Claus cookies.

You'll need:
1 package of Nutter Butter Cookies
1 package of a) vanilla bark, b) white chocolate chips, or c) white chocolate buttons (they sell those at Michael's and JoAnn's and, maybe, Walmart)
1 package of mini white chocolate chips or a little squeeze bottle (I use the squeeze bottle)
1 package of mini chocolate chips
1 package of red-colored sugar
1 package of red hots candies
Oh, and a silpat or parchment paper or something to let the cookies rest on that won't stick

Okay, now I know this sounds like a lot, but these go lickety-split.

First, open the cookies and have them easily accessible.  (Taste one, just to be sure they're good.)

Lay out your parchment paper or silpat.

Pour your red sugar in a small cup (think kids' sippy cup) or on a flat plate.

Put your mini chocolate chips in a bowl so you can grab them individually.  Same with your red hots and white chocolate chips*.

Now, melt your white chocolate in the microwave.  If you're using white chocolate buttons, put about 1 1/2 cups of buttons in your microwaveable measuring cup and microwave for 1 minute, then stir.  Then continue in 15 second bursts until you have a nice, smooth, creamy white chocolate.  (Pour some into the tiny squeeze bottle if you have it and set aside, otherwise, leave it all in this measuring cup.)

Ready?

Take 1 Nutter Butter and dip it into the melted white chocolate about 1/3 of the way and pull straight back out.  Shake off any excess.

Now take the same Nutter Butter and dip it into the red sugar (you're making Santa's hat) and lay it flat onto your parchment paper.  Use your squeeze bottle of white chocolate and make three dots for his face (two for the eyes, which will be your mini chocolate chips, and one for the nose, which is your red hot) and then one on the edge of the hat (for his tassle).  If you have mini white chocolate chips, make a small tassle dot, otherwise, make your tassle by making a bigger dot and skip the white chocolate chips!  Press the two mini chocolate chips into the white chocolate for eyes and the one red hot for the nose and you're done!

Now lay this Santa aside and start with the next Santa.  Before you know it, you'll have an entire batch of Santa's ready to add to your Christmas fun. 

Oh, and did I mention this is a great one to just hand off to the kids?  They love it and their Santa's are always just perfect!

(Don't worry if you have extra white chocolate/vanilla bark...I'll have more for you to do with it later today!)

Early Deadline and Homemade Candy

According to my post office, today is the last day for me to ship packages guaranteed to get to Superman for Christmas.  Are you usually ready for Christmas on the 6th of December?  Yeah, me neither!!

Add in that Superman is on a cot in a 25-man tent with no personal storage and you can guess what trouble I had coming up with suitable Christmas gifts.  I finally decided it all had to be consumable and that he'd love to have stuff to share.  I decided homemade candy would be perfect.

So, on Saturday I made candies, a lot of candies.  (This is the only time of year I can send chocolates and I know Superman misses them dearly.)

I made Peppermint Bark.

I made chocolate clusters with pretzel bits and marshmallows.

I made pretzel sticks dipped in chocolate and rolled in toffee bits.

I made pretzel sticks dipped in white chocolate and striped with dark chocolate.

I didn't stop there.  On Sunday, I made a batch of chocolate-covered oreo-type cookies.

Then, I fashioned my own almond-roca type candies.

Last night, I got it all packed, sealed, and labeled.  I've even filled out the customs form already.

Today, I will deliver it all to the United States Postal Service.  I did my part and now I expect them to do theirs and get Superman his goodies in time for Christmas.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Making all this stuff was super easy.  If you're at all interested, I'll share all the ingredients and instructions...just let me know.

Christmas!

Okay, I knew that would get your attention, but I just had to say it. Let me explain:

Last year, I set for myself the lofty goal of a hand-made Christmas. Since I didn't start until after Thanksgiving, however, I was doomed to failure. Worse, I ended up buying things at the last minute because it was impossible for me to finish enough things to meet my gift list. This year, I've decided again to try for a hand-made Christmas. Notice, however, that it is July 7. Yes, that is right. I am now beginning the process of brainstorming Christmas gift ideas. (And Halloween and Thanksgiving decor ideas, but that is a different post.)

So, just in case you're like me and have these amazingly good intentions with follow-through issues, I thought I'd let you know. It is time to think forward a bit.

So, don't be surprised if my blog starts to feature more and more hand-made gift ideas even though you're still trying to figure out how to get your potato salad to the beach without it going bad. I'm on a mission!

P.S. Just thought I'd let you know that a) Michael's already has their Fall stuff up and b) Target is beginning to load up the Back-to-School section. Oh, and Walgreen's has their summer stuff 50% off!

Thank You Letters

Do you write thank-you letters? Do you have your children write thank-you letters? We write thank-you letters in our house whenever we receive gifts. I was raised that it was just the polite thing to do. Sometimes it takes a heck of a lot of badgering to get the kids to write their thank-yous and other times, they shock the heck out of me. This year, Buttercup decided to shock us all by getting her thank-you's written on the 26th! That means she got them done well before I did. Can you believe it? A nine-year old voluntarily writing all her thank-you's the day after Christmas? I was stunned. Not so stunned that I didn't encourage her to lord it over her brothers in the hopes that competition would do some of the hard work for me. Unfortunately, that didn't work - darn it!

So, while I was shown up by my 9-year old daughter (I am sooo proud!), I, too, am done with my thank-you's. She used fairy stationary she found in her room and I used these awesome Olliephant notecards that the awesome Penny at Sew Take a Hike made up. I added the "Thank You" with a rubber stamp. I even made my own envelopes with Penny's template. Aren't they cute? So, if you're keeping score, the ladies in the Nagle household are done with their thank-yous. Men?

Christmas Wrap Up...

As New Year's Day fast approaches, Christmas is already becoming a memory. As the deSantafication process continues (oh, come on, didn't you watch the Santa Clause 2?), I'm putting things away and wrapping things up...and filled with warm memories of another terrific holiday. I thought I'd share some of the high points!

On Christmas Eve, the kids decided the three cats needed Christmas presents, too. So, lead by Valiant, they went downstairs and sewed up cat toys on Buttercup's sewing machine. As you can see, Tuck definitely appreciates his. (Notice the little embellishment added to the toy...no plain jane toy for these cats!) Oh, did I mention his little toy is infused with cat nip?

Poor Superman made the mistake of "pinky promising" that he'd make these cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. I found this recipe a few years ago and it is amazing. The recipe is actually called Clone of a Cinnabon and, trust me, they are that good! As you can see, he made enough to share with the neighborhood. (Yep, Superman can save the world and COOK! Is it any wonder I thought he was a keeper?)

I made these towels for some friends after seeing this tutorial at Sew, Mama, Sew and finding some inexpensive "bar" towels. (What are "bar" towels, anyway?) I wasn't up to the patchwork part, but I did love the fabrics I found, so gave it a go. Didn't they turn out well? Now, picture cute little oven mitts to match, doesn't that sound terrific? Unfortunately, those didn't turn out so well, so they stayed home. Maybe I'll have better luck next year!

Finally, the snow kept us in until Christmas day, so these goodie plates (including those cool Christmas trees) were put together Christmas Eve for Christmas Day delivery. This year's goodie plates were very simple and included these Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies I found via The Mother Load, and these simple vanilla cookies I found in a little holiday cookie book I have. After I snapped this picture, I attached the cinnamon-applesauce gingerbread ornaments we made and we were off. (The cinnamon-applesauce ornaments also have 2 T of white glue and were "iced" with fabric paints, so they last for years!)

Best Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup melted unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until blended. Stir in chips with a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough by 1/4 cups at a time onto the prepared sheets. Cookies should be at least 3 inches apart. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until edges are lightly

Buttery Almond Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar - divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla * (oh, please! Use at least a tablespoon)
3/4 cup chopped almonds (Um, we truly dislike nuts in our baked goods, so I leave these out!)

In a small mixing bow, cream butter and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Add the flour and vanilla nd mix well. Stir in almonds. Shape into 1-in balls. (Again, I used my Pampered Chef scoop.)

Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-16 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown and cookies are set. Cool for 1-2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Sprinkle with remaining confectioners' sugar. (I used my shaker.)

There you have it, some of the odds and ends from my first attempt at doing more a bit more of a home-made Christmas. I know I'll do better next year, but I was pretty pleased with what I did do.

Only 364 more days...

For me, Christmas Day is bittersweet.

Don't get me wrong. This is my favorite time of year and I love, love, love Christmas. I love the kindness and generosity of perfect strangers as we go about our days. I love the spirit of giving and caring that seems to infuse everything we do. I love the sense of the holy that graces us when we least expect it. I love trying to come up with the perfect gift for each person. I hate that it ends so quickly. Months of thought and planning go into making this day special. Heading off to bed with a Christmas Tree surrounded by festively wrapped gifts and I'm excited to see the faces of my children when they get the barely dreamed of perfect gift. Yet, scarcely an hour and a half after we wake up, the presents are open, the kids are thrilled and the day seems to be done. We still have a terrific breakfast, followed by an awesome dinner, but it seems so quiet! The excitement seems to pass so quickly. I miss the Christmases of my childhood, surrounded by extended family and friends...beginning Christmas Eve and boisterously continuing long into the night on Christmas Day. Maybe my parents have completely different memories of those same Christmases, but for me, they set the gold standard for holidays.

The decision to move away from So California meant that we were moving away from our respective families and the possibilities of those times. The holidays are when we feel this distance most poignantly. We are aware of the empty spaces at our dinner table. We try to fill those spaces with phone calls throughout the day, but we all know they are a poor substitute for the smiling faces we miss. We're making more and more friends here and our children are getting older, so we're not too far away from the time when our children will be bringing their special guests to our dinners. I, for one, can hardly wait.

In the meantime, only 364 days til Christmas!

Traditions worth keeping...

Buttercup's view of our Christmas tree and her favorite ornaments...

Do you do a "theme tree" every year? We don't. We unwrap favorite ornaments year after year and happily see old friends. Our tree has ornaments that first adorned my mother's childhood tree. How cool is that? I wouldn't trade that family history for the most "beautiful" theme tree in the world. So, when I read this post by Pam at Gingerbread Snowflakes yesterday, I had to agree. Imagine my surprise when the photos she shared of some of her most precious ornaments included one from my own grandparents' tree. (Dad, do you still have the partridge in the pear tree ornament?) I guess I have successfully passed this tradition along, as my little Buttercup filled my camera with the above images sometime in the past few days. Aren't they awesome? I have no idea how she determines favorites vs. "just okay", but she definitely has an eclectic mix. Look carefully and you'll see Superman's Darth Vader ornament, various animal ornaments, crocheted cats, puzzle ornaments for kindergarten, various birds, angels, snowmen, etc. Some are hand-made, some are store bought. Some seem quite modern and some are very organic looking. Can't you just picture her sharing these ornaments with her own children years from now? Now that truly is a worthwhile tradition!

Gingerbread House...better late, than never...

Well, Buttercup and I finally finished our first ever gingerbread house made from real gingerbread. We've made the graham cracker gingerbread houses for years, but I was inspired to attempt the real thing this year. (Well, actually, last year at the after-Christmas sales, I snagged a giant make-a-gingerbread house cookie cutter set, so the inspiration began then!) Despite a few mishaps, we are pretty proud of our results. Plus, it just seems so Christmas-y to have a real Gingerbread House. What do you think?

The serious Christmas countdown has begun...tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Are you ready?

Gratitude...

The doorbell rang last night and, as I ran for the door, I had to wonder who had braved the weather to end up at our doorstep. (Two feet of snow in 24 hours is a lot of snow so it required an intrepid person to make any trips, that is for certain.) Imagine my delight when I discovered Mr. M and his daughter on my doorstep, bringing us this lovely wreath and some home-made Christmas candies. Mrs. M is so clever and her candies are awesome. (I really like the bird-nesty one with marshmallows!) I was tickled when I saw it and immediately ripped the fake wreath off the door and replaced it with this amazing real one! (I think Mr. M was a bit taken aback by my enthusiasm!)

Where she found the time to do these things this year, I don't know. In addition to her wife and mother duties, she's added full-time student to her many hats...and they are finishing up a huge basement remodel. Oh, did I mention that her husband is active-duty military and keeps disappearing with little notice? In the midst of all she has going on in her life, she got us this lovely wreath (you should smell it!) and made her terrific home-made candies. I feel so special and I have such gratitude in my heart. These are the things that remind us it is truly not the money we spend, but the thought we put into our gifts that makes a lasting impression. So, to Mr. and Mrs. M, thanks so much for such wonderful gifts. We love them! We are so grateful that we have friends like you in our lives.

So, What does a mom do when everyone is outside shoveling snow?

She keeps warm inside by making cookies! These cookies were intended for Buttercup's gymnastics Christmas party, but the record snows caused everything to be cancelled! Four wheel drive would have gotten us there, but we're happy to stay at home instead. So, this is what you can do when there is two feet of snow outside your door: Turn on the Christmas music and break out the mixer! The house smells wonderful and you can say you did something worthwhile. Since gymnastics won't be meeting up again until after the new year, guess what people will be eating during a rousing game of Quiddler tonight?