Handmade Christmas: Day 6

I love yarning (knitting or crocheting) around Christmas... snuggling up on the couch with my yarn and two needles (or one hook) is just wonderful! It keeps me warm, it can travel with me, and it grows from just a few tiny stitches to a big blob.... this a going to be a French Market Bag for my beautiful friend Jennifer. It just needs to be felted and then it will look better!

Handmade Christmas: Day 5

Cut Out Sugar Cookies are a must around here every December!

My parents came out to watch the kids and they cut out the cookies together.

I frosted them with the kids 3 days later.

They still taste great!

Don't forget to wash your hands!

Here is our action plan:
1) I pipe out thick butter cream frosting to outline the cookies. Let is harden at least 4hours.

2) We mix a little confectioners sugar with a tiny bit of milk. Add desired food coloring.

3) Each kid chooses what they want to decorate... all the bells, trees, snowmen etc.

4) They fill it in with a spoon and spread with the backside of the spoon. It is like painting or coloring for them and they love it! Even Cora can help!

5) Last but not least..... lick the frosting bowls!

Handmade Christmas: Day 4

Hurry! You still have time to make this one for

the post-man (or post-woman in our case)

Peppermint Bark-

1 bag of dark chocolate/ bittersweet chips
1 bag of white chocolate chips
peppermint extract
4 candy canes

Melt dark chocolate chips over double boiler (don't burn your hands when lifting up the bowl like I always do). Pour chocolate onto cookie sheet (not too big, mine was too big) and place in the fridge. Wash bowl (or use you dishwasher/ hubby like me!). Melt the white chocolate in the same fashion. Crush candy cane while melting white chocolate in zip lock bag with a rolling pin. Add peppermint extract to your liking (I used an estimated 1tsp). Make sure you start off with a little and add to taste! Pour white chocolate over dark chocolate on baking sheet... use an off-set spatula to smooth the best you can. Add the crushed candy cane to the top. press into chocolate the best you can. Refrigerate for 1 hour and break up. You can package in a cellophane bag with a bow or if you are lucky like me and score these vintage mason jars just throw them in there! Add a label and send off to your neighbor, friends, or post-woman!

P.S. The extra little bites are perfect for adding to a Christmas flavored coffee, whip cream on hot chocolate, or on ice cream. Have I mentioned my Christmas Spirit is "Eating really good stuff!" (per Carter)

Handmade Christmas Day 3

Trim Your Tree!

As newly weds(2002-2005) we used to have an all blue, silver and white tree but things have changed..........

I have loosened up!

We have had three kids... moved to new homes.

In our condo when Daisy was starting to stand we only had our little tree on a table (2007)...

When we moved here(2008) to our old farmhouse that we love I wanted to add a little red to our tree. Cranberry garland and a few red ornaments we placed in front to kinda match the style of our home!

Last year (2009) we added birds thanks to Carter's love of watching the birds in our yard... we also started the hand made kid ornaments.... Kevin and I also broke the star that had been on top of our tree for 6 years in a row....

This year we have turned to a little more of an organic feel with a turkey feather and dried hydrangeas that I used in a fall arrangement and din't want to throw out! I also found some vintage bulbs at the Holden recycle center for free (YES FOR FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! more about this tomorrow!)... We also bought our tree at a local church where the proceeds go to fight hunger locally! One place they give to is a soup kitchen I worked at with my youth group when I was middle school age (love it when life comes full circle!). This was a better solution than cutting one down in a field and paying a ton of money for it! I also have a certain elf that LOVES to "keep" the tree! He loves to turn it on in the morning, fix and ornaments that move, and remind us to water it! He really is so helpful to have around... glad I can enjoy this time of year with him!

What is your tree like and how has it changed?

Handmade Christmas Day 2

It is this time of year that we chose to make homemade treats! Here is why I chose to do this:

1) They taste so much better than store bought treats! I think it is b/c they are fresher and not wrapped in plastic for months!
2) I can employ those in my family that love these treats to help me (like Kevin making hummus for my annual cookie party! Look at this huge clove of garlic.... yum-o!)
3) It helps me portion control when I know how much butter, eggs, cream, sugar, etc. go into every dish!

Here are a couple things we love making:
Artichoke Dip
Hummus
"Life of the Party" Cereal mix (a secret recipe I just got from a friend)
Curried Chutney Dip
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Peanut Butter Balls
Rum Balls
Candy Cane Cookies
Sour Cream Twist
Christmas Tree Press Cookies
Pecan Praline Bars
Christmas Tree Bread
Christmas Stollen
Butternut Lasagne
Homemade Canneloni


That is just the start of the list! There are more things but I'll spare you the stress of them all!
Here is that secret recipe:

Life of the Party Cereal Mix
This appeared on the box of Life cereal when my friend at work was in high school (the 70s). It is sort of a lost recipe because you definitely canon find it on-line! I looked for over and hour!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10 oz Life Cereal
3 1/2 oz French onions
3 oz Chinese Noodles
7 oz peanuts
7 1/2 oz stick pretzels
3/4 cup of butter
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp Tabasco Sauce

Mix snack and cereal ingredients in a large bowl. Combine sauce ingredients and pour over cereal. Put in large roasting pan and heat in 250 degree oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15min. Enjoy!

Handmade Christmas Day 1

I thought I would help celebrate this Christmas season by posting 12 Days of a handmade Christmas.

Day 1:

Shutter Display

I saw this approximately 8 years age (I remember it from our early years of marriage) and have been wanting to find and old shutter so I could put it into action! After bartering at Brimfield Antique market multiple times and no luck I kinda gave up till I told my Aunt about it this October... she then introduced me to a pile of shutters that were old and crusty and had no home! After testing if for lead paint and cleaning it up I put hooks on the back of it and anchored it to the wall! It was perfect timing to display our Christmas card and mementos. I plan to leave it all year long so we can enjoy all those bulky things that fall off my fridge all the time! Thanks Aunt Barb for making this tiny 8 year long dream a reality!

kiddo updates

This was an update I gave my lil' sister in Rwanda and I thought I would not let it get wasted in one single e-mail so here it is on my happy little blog... I also had these leaf pictures which kinda match the theme of ever changing. I am a big fan of thinking about seasons and the coming and going of themes in our lives. These were taken on a walk in Ohio with my Uncle Barry who adores my children! He has never been too much of a kid person but recently our visits with him have beenfilled with him spending more time with my kids than I ever could imagine! I love it! Sometimes feelings from our past leave (leaf) us and we have a renewed sense of love for something else! So here is an update on my kids... kinda raw (excuse the diaper rash issue please!)
Cora- has a bad rash, my diapers aren't working great anymore, I have fixed some of them but not sure what to do, she went down the BIG slides at the playground today with very little help from me!, she is starting to say phrases like "Some more" "I have a bite" "Mimi and Papa's" "me Yoda" (that is her plan for Halloween)
Daisy- went through a horrible 2 weeks of peeing the bed almost every night... arrggghhh! glad she has been dry for about 5 nights in a row now, her favorite movie is "Jezel" (or Enchanted), she is getting bored of Carter playing soccer and wants to run on the field too!, She is tall! I think she has grown an inch in the last month
Carter- is loving school!, When I ask if he had a good day yesterday he stated "Mom all days at school are great!", he is super excited about halloween and has had many battles with Daisy in the last 20hours or so of owning light sabers!, he too has grown in height... some of the pants i just got out for school are too short for him!, he has one more week of soccer then maybe will play basket ball at the Y this winter!

peace!

Daisy fulfills her summer dream...

Daisy has been talking about riding a horse all summer. I finally made it happen thanks to our lovely friends. Daisy rode Acorn a couple Fridays ago and loved it. Carter actuallly rode fist b/c Daisy wanted him to but carter was too busy talking and being distracted... not Daisy though! She was really focused and loved it! I am not about to make her a horse lover but I do want to give her that option! I once LOVED horses and really enjoyed them too! Owning them... now that is another story! For now we will just take the pony rides as they come!







Cora even wanted a try! Silly monkey!

Cora is an artist...

Cora has a new fascination with markers, stickers, crayons.... the issue is that she can't seem to find paper to go with her art supplies!

The Little Lady starts Preschool!

Today was daisy's big day! And wow does she seem bigger b/c of it! She was very excited but didn't understand why she couldn't go till after lunch. She talked about it all morning!
Saying Good-bye to Cora was easy for her since it was now her turn to go to school after watching Carter go for a whole year. She was holding up strong even when we got into "Papa's" school. Then she melted...
until we found Nora to build a castle with! They love school together... Daisy told us at dinner Nora wore her orange outfit and she liked it! She sang the "get your sillys out" song, made a school bus (but not a real school bus) and went on the little potty! She was very excited and thinks she should go everyday!

Soccer Star!

Carter started town soccer this weekend! He loves it! They actually played pretty well in 3 on 3 games. He started out being great defensively. He did get a goal but was tripped in the process and used his hand to push it further into the goal. He was so proud and jumping around and the coach on the other team gave him two high-fives b/c he was ecstatic! I am trying to just focus on the fact it was fun! And he really enjoyed it!

Apple picking

On Labor Day we had the fall craving to go apple picking. We are big fans of Tougas Farms! So we headed there.


It was fun at first and we enjoyed tasting all the varieties!

Little Cora ate the biggest apple we found and it was a Honey Crisp which are the best!


For once the children posed for this picture without me even asking! It was their idea! This never happens and it made me so happy!
Then the meltdown started.... Daisy's legs were tired... Carter said picking all these apples was too much work and no fun... then Cora who was trying to keep up and walk started to be too tired and I had to carry her and the whole bushel of apples...


By the time we got back to the pumkin patch the kids were spent... Then we had a plan to get Apple crisp Donuts (my fav) and head home.... only to have Kev mention ice cream... and that was it!... D and C crying for ice cream with sprinkles no the less and a baby that was starving.... in an effort to save a few bucks Kev decided to go elsewhere to get ice cream... we bought three cider donuts and we went to the place at the bottom of the hill that was only 20cents cheaper for a small and extra for sprinkles... then Daisy had a conniption b/c even though she was raving about chocolate ice cream since Kev had mentioned it... she then changed her mind and wanted strawberry... Let just say it was a messy ride home with a screaming I want to now throw my chocolate ice cream that I don't want... naps for all when we went home!
But the apples are great! And so is this picture that the famous Mike Nyman took while fixing my camera!

Carter starts kindergarten!

My baby started kindergarten today!

His sisters missed him and expressed this by being very naughty...
so much for D being better when she is oldest and gets more attention!

I loved that father and son matched for the big occasion!
Carter was very excited to see all the little kids and happy!
I don't think he realized all the kids were little like him after going to the High School for preschool.

Here he is showing off his little name tag he colored for the 1st day of school.

Lining up to go upstairs!

And the tears welled up! Hard to see him walk away from me all independent and excited! He said he had a good day but not as fun as preschool. He threw out his apple at lunch and then didn't have an afternoon snack (should have warned him about that). Somehow he got some animal crackers from the 5th graders (not sure how that came about?). And the most exciting thing is that I just finished my homework! All those papers to fill out and info to process.... mom can you come be my secretary? I need one!