Holiday Happenings

Whew! The holidays are over, can you believe it? Although this is my favorite time of year, I am ready to return to sense of normal around here. You know, the kind where you aren't always thinking about all of the gifts to buy, cookies to bake, decorations to put up, etc. We had a great Christmas, and I'm ready for the new year!

Last week we had a lot of illness hit our house. The girls have been struggling with colds for a few weeks, but I though things were getting better. Well last Wednesday Ella started getting a runny nose again. That progressed into the stomach flu and the discovery that her ear infection from 3 weeks prior had not cleared up. After her tummy was feeling better, we got her a new anti-biotic and she is feeling a lot better. Right about that same time, I developed a whopper of a sinus infection. I don't get sick often, but this really got me down. The headaches and congestion that came with it were horrible! It has taken me a full week to get over this one. Plus, Emma and I got a touch of the stomach bug that Ella had last week. I am happy to report that we are all doing so much better. We just hope that Todd doesn't catch any of it!

Our Christmas festivites began last Thursday with the arrival of Todd's parents from down south. We only get to see them a few times a year, so it was a special treat to have them here for Christmas. Thursday evening was spent catching up and Ella received a belated birthday present- a dress-up purse, complete with cell phone, car keys, wallet, and other accessories. She didn't waste any time finding her dress-up shoes and getting deck-out with her new toys!

Friday was a busy day too. I had some errands to run, so the grandparents stayed with the kids while I finished that. Todd came home from work and we all had dinner together. Fortunately, he made me take a pretty hefty dose of motrin and sudifed, and I began to feel much better (this was the day my sinus headaches began!). Todd's mom and I went to Target after dinner to get Ella's prescription filled and do some Christmas shopping.

Saturday was a really nice day. Todd's parents came over in the late morning and we got to escape! We hardly know what to do with ourselves when we are out without the children! We went to our new favorite restaurant, Pei Wei. Yummy food, and great prices. We then hit the local scrapbook store, where Todd finished up his shopping for me (I had filled out a wishlist there). We then went to Michaels for a few Cricut cartridges (on sale!!), Honeybaked Ham, Walgreens, and Target. We finally had all of our shopping done. Probably the worst store to be in was Target. I could not believe how insanely busy it was there!

Saturday night we went to a local coney island before heading out to Holiday Nights at the Henry Ford. We went here last year and had a great time. This year was a bit different because Ella decided to be difficult the entire time. I'm beginning to think that she doesn't like crowds, because she was very unsettled. She didn't want to be in the stroller, but she didn't want to walk. She hated getting on the Model T and wagon rides. And she refused to get anywhere near Santa. We decided that we need to wait a while before planning a trip to Disney! I'm sure she'd hate it right now!

Sunday we just stayed in the house. No one went to church because we were all sick. I made dinner and then we took it easy.

Monday I had to get my shopping done for Christmas dinner. The stores were amazingly empty; I guess everyone got their shopping done over the weekend. When I got home, I got to work cooking. Here's what I planned for Christmas dinner:

HoneyBaked Ham

Sweet Potato Casserole

Mashed Potatoes

Broccoli Salad

Christmas Rice Salad

Green Beans

Rolls

Paula Dean's Coconut Cake

I baked the coconut cake and put it all together except for the icing. Then I cooked the sweet potatoes and put that casserole together and in the fridge. Finally, I made the Christmas Rice Salad. Normally I triple the recipe when I'm making it for my family because it's a family recipe and everyone HAS to have it at Thanksgiving and Christmas. This time I doubled it because Todd's parents weren't familiar with it, and I didn't think they'd eat as much of it. I probably could have just made a single recipe, but there was plenty left-over for a few days. That's fine by me, because it tastes great!

Christmas Eve we went to church, and then we came home and did the traditional stocking exchange. The girls got their new Christmas pj's, and we all got to bed. It was fun to play Santa with the gifts after the girls went to sleep. They definitely got a lot of toys!

Christmas morning, Todd's parents came over for a hot breakfast before we exchanged gifts. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, playing games, opening toys, and eating dinner. Overall we had a really great time, and the girls really enjoyed Christmas this year.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Hi Everyone! Welcome to my home! By now I'm sure you've visited 1001 blogs, and you need a break. Well, pour yourself a cup of coffee, grab one of those cookies you've been slaving away at, and kick up your feet! Make yourself at home!

This is my first time participating in a bloggy home tour. I've never done it in the past because I've never thought that anyone would care to see my humble decorating abilities. But I couldn't resist, so here goes.

I'm sure you noticed the lovely wreath on the front door when you entered. This is the first year I've had a wreath. I've always wanted a fresh balsom wreath, but I settled for a fake one from Meijer. It was easier on the budget!

My pictures are in quite a random order, so we'll just start here. This is one of my favorite ornaments. My husband and I bought it on our honeymoon to Montana. I love the moose sitting on top! I also love to collect ornaments from places that I've visited. It makes for a unique tree!

These little snomen sit on my end table. I got them at the bookstore where I worked about 7 years ago, and that's as far as I've gotten on my snowman collection. I wish the company still made them, because I'd love to have more! I love their red sweaters and real knit caps and scaves.

When you send me your Christmas card, this is where it goes. I bought this card-holder last year and it sure beats my old method of hanging cards...scotch tape on the wall. I am a bit of a card snob, and I love to count them every few days to see how many I have!

Well this is what I had going on in my house today. I baked cookies from 8:30 am until 3:30 pm. These particular ones are for my daughter's preschool party tomorrow. She helped cut them out and ice them.

Our cute little snowmen, just out of the oven!

It's at this point in the tour that I feel I must tell you that I live in an 800 square-foot apartment. Soo.....please don't mind the glaringly white walls and small space. I can't do much about the walls, but I'm trying to make the space that I have a bit more cozy this time of year. I found this garland with lights at Meijer and I tied the bows for an extra festive look.

Our Charlie Brown tree. Small, but pretty. I realize that the bottom couple of feet are severely lacking in ornamentation. This is my half-hearted attempt at keeping the 2-year old's paws off the tree!

This is a little grouping I have on top of my entertainment cabinet. I LOVE the angel and the nativity is so pretty when it's lit.

And last, but not least, my very favorite ornament on the tree. It's another one that we got on our honeymoon and it makes me think of majestic mountains and crisp air.

Thanks for stopping by tonight! Enjoy the rest of the tour and come back soon! Oh- and don't stop now. Go visit the rest of the homes!

It was one of the only times I've ever wished for a camera on my cell phone.

Today I took the girls to Meijers for a quick shopping trip. I was feeling especially festive, and the girls were in a good mood, so I decided that we'd stop by the holiday decorations and just browse a little. We had fun looking at the lawn decorations and artificial trees. After a while we continued our shopping and moved to the baking section. I let Emma pick out a cookie cutter because we are making cookies for her Christmas party at preschool. I needed to grab some powdered sugar, waxed paper, and butter to get me all set for a big batch of holiday baking goodness.

And then it happened. We stopped to grab some food coloring, since I had plans to do an egg yolk wash on the cut-outs to give them a nice glossy finish. I was going to just buy a box of assorted colors, but they had some single bottles of red and green, I'm assuming for the holidays. I looked at them, but decided not to commit myself to just one color. As soon as I grabbed a box of colors off the shelf, Emma pointed to the box of red coloring and told me that she'd like to have that one. Well, apparently those boxes aren't very stable because with the slightest touch of her finger, that box toppled right off the shelf. No big deal, I thought. I told her to pick it up and put it back on the shelf.

Big mistake. As soon as she picked up the box, red food coloring POURED out of the box, all over her hand, coat, and floor. I grabbed the box out of her hand and threw it on the floor, trying to stop the mess, but it was too late. She just stood there, holding her hand out, covered in red! My goodness! She looked like the victim of a serious crime, and everyone who entered that aisle stared openly at us. A few people even asked me if she was bleeding!

I quickly called for the stockman who was further down the aisle, assuring him that this was not blood, only food coloring. All the time I'm thinking, why couldn't it have been the green one? At least then people wouldn't think my child was injured! The man got some paper towel and some stain remover for her coat. I cleaned her up as best as I could and high-tailed it out of there! The whole ride home I could not stop laughing. She looked so funny covered in food coloring and she was so stunned she was speechless! Fortunately for me, I got her coat in the wash as soon as we got home and most of it came out. That's really good because she doesn't have another coat to wear, so she'd have to look injured the rest of the winter!

Merry Christmas from MWS...

Look what I'm going to get in the mail! If you act fast, you can too! As soon as I receive it, I'll give it a listen and then write a review here. I can't imagine it will be anything less than wonderful. Michael W. Smith is a great composer, and I've loved his past Christmas albums. Also, Todd and I walked back down the aisle at our wedding to a number off of his instrumental album. So I guess I'm a little partial to his music! So click on the button above, and have a listen. And if you have a blog, you can get it for free too!

And I owe a big thanks to BooMama for letting me know about this opportunity!

Fall Blessings

Is it possible to slow down time? I was just sitting here thinking that this is my absolutely favorite time of year. This time when the leaves start to change and the weather turns cooler. The time when people enjoy a good get together to celebrate what they are thankful for or to enjoy precious moments with loved ones. This time which is all things from pumpkins, leaves, and apples, to turkeys, pies and, in my family, the family tradition of Rice Salad. (More on that closer to Thanksgiving.) And finally, my favorite holiday, Christmas. I love it all; the lights, the trees, the music, the biting cold snow. But most of all, I enjoy watching my children enjoy this time of year.

Again, I ask. Can't I just slow down time a little? In spite of this being a fantastic time of year, a time that I long to savor, it just goes by so darn fast! Remember when we were kids and time seemed to just drag on? I remember a 9-week marking period in school feeling like an eternity. Now I find myself thinking, "Oh no! There's only 9 weeks till Christmas! It's going to fly by and then we will have to suffer through the dreariness of January and February." (I think January and February have a few extra days snuck into them somehow!)

I was talking with my sister in law yesterday about the importance of beginning family traditions. We reminisced about our own families traditions at Christmas time. In my family, we always received a new pair of pj's on Christmas Eve. It's a tradition that Todd and I have carried on in our family, and it's my way of being guaranteed cute Christmas photos the next morning! In my SIL's family, they always made a paper chain to decorate the house at Christmas time. We laughed as we realized that we both thought that our own family traditions were the norm in households across the United States, all the while feeling just a little sorry for those who didn't get new pj's or make paper chains as children.

So all of this brings me to this. I have a desire to create traditions for my children too. Traditions on which they will one day look back with fond memories. Traditions that they may choose to carry on in their own families. Will my girls give their kids new pj's on Christmas Eve? How old will they be before they are asking me to show them how to make Grandma's Rice Salad? Will they choose to observe Advent, a tradition that I'm hoping to begin this year in our family? I guess most of all, I desire for them to cherish these times in their lives. You only get one childhood, and I want my kids to have a great one. I want them to learn the importance of family and heritage, both in an earthly sense, and in a spiritual sense. I want them to love this time of year too, and to find as many ways as they can to find joy in all that God has blessed us with.

There are a lot of reasons I've been thinking about this kind of stuff, but there is one resource in particular that I've recently found that is quite interesting. Seasons at Home is a brand new magazine that celebrates women being at home for a season. It has articles on hospitality, hand-crafts, homeschooling, and of course, lots of great recipes! It's very traditional, but I lately I find myself rebelling against all things feminist, and craving the traditional role of being a wife and mother. If a little bit of the old-fashioned life is calling your name, you'd love this magazine!

Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style

Welcome! I hope you enjoy my recipes! I've had such a hard time narrowing down my list, but I've gotten it down to 2 recipes. We have a ton of apples and pumpkins this time of year around my house. Here are some recipes to help you make the most of what this season has to offer! Once you've gotten my recipes, don't forget to click here to find some more wonderful things to make for the holidays! Oh, and please don't forget to leave me a comment!

Oatmeal Apple Bars
Apple Filling:

Peel, core and chop 3-4 apples. In a medium sauce pan, combine apples, 2 T water, 1 T lemon juice, and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 8-10 minutes until tender.

Bars:

1 C Flour

1 C. Rolled Oats

2/3 C packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 C butter

1 recipe apple filling

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, and soda. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles course crumbs.

2. Press 1/2 of the mixture in an ungreased, 9x9 pan. Top with apple filling. Sprinkle with remaining mixture.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Pumpkin Cobbler

1 large can of pumpkin,

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

3 tsp pumpkin pie spice

13 oz evaporated milk

1 box yellow cake mix

1 Cup butter, melted

2 T brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend together first 6 ingredients. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle cake mix over top. Pour melted butter to completely cover the cake mix. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Top with walnuts. Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until set.