Kaylin is Mourning

My sweet girl lost her most prized possession the other day. It's actually not lost, just useless.
.
Most kids have a blanket that they cherish. My child became attached to the TAG on her blanket.

She has rubbed the thing raw over the last 3 years, to the point where it was no longer a tag, but a shred of soft fabric. And Saturday, it fell off of the blanket.
.
She came out of her room at 9pm heartbroken, showing me what looked like a piece of fuzz, sobbing, "My tag fell off!!!"

We tried giving her a similar, blue blanket with an identical original tag, but it wouldn't do. Hours later, we could hear her softly crying in her room, mourning her loss. This weekend, my mom sewed a new tag on and we're hoping that will suffice from now on, but we'll see. I'm just so sad for her...I just don't see how it's possible to reattach a long, thin, sentimental piece of FUZZ.

Chocolate Dipped Shortbread

Shortbread
2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 t. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
.
Topping
1 T. salted butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
.
- Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar on medium speed. Add vanilla and flour, blending thoroughly on low speed.
- Shape level tablespoons of dough into 1 inch balls, then form into logs 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. Place on ungreased baking sheets, 2 inches apart. (cookies will spread while baking)
- Bake 17-19 minutes, or until cookies spread and turn light golden brown. Transfer to a cool, flat surface.
- To make the topping, melt butter and chocolate chips in a double boiler over hot, not boiling, water. OR microwave on high power, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
- Dip top of each cooled shortbread cookie into the melted chocolate, then into the chopped pecans. Place cookies on waxed paper and refrigerate to set.
.
Yields 24-30 cookies.
.
I tripled this recipe for a cookie exchange last week and froze the dough logs before baking. It worked out well to make the dough one day, then bake and dip the cookies so they were fresh on the day of the exchange. Enjoy!

The gift of time

Today I was given the gift of an hour of my mom's time. I looked around my trashed, post-Christmas house this afternoon while she was here and I started feeling claustrophobic. I'd gotten rid of the wrapping paper and ribbons and shoved most of the opened gifts back under the tree, but somehow, the house was littered with stuff everywhere. Dishes, new clothes, games, toys, instructions, boxes, packing supplies, containers, pieces and parts...I didn't know where to start.
.
That's when my mom said, "Merry Christmas...I'll give you one hour and we'll see how much we can get done. Let's get started." I've always been a big advocate of setting the timer and racing against the clock, but it was even that much MORE motivating having someone race alongside me! My house was put back together in no time, one room at a time, one surface at a time and a couple of rooms are even more than straightened; they're actually clean, too. I've always told Mike that the gift I appreciate most is time off (I got a "Mom's Day Off" certificate for Christmas, among other amazing gifts) and I'm realizing that the gift of time is my absolute favorite.

Does anyone else have trouble accepting offers of help from others? I've definitely gotten better over the last few years at letting others help me. I remember a neighbor who offered to bring me a meal after I had Kaylin. When I gratefully declined (I barely knew her and didn't want to put her out) she seemed surprised and a little hurt. Later, a similar thing happened with me: I genuinely wanted to help someone and they politely refused. It was at that moment that I realized that when people offer to help, we should graciously accept - helping each other is what keeps kindness alive in our society!
.
Since Jason arrived, I've accepted help from dozens of generous friends, neighbors and acquaintances. People have brought us meals, offered to watch our kids while we have a date, offered to help with grocery shopping and one friend even offered to bring her sleeping bag over and be my "night nurse" one evening so I could get a full 8 hours of sleep. Seriously! Who does that?!? I know some truly amazing people.
.
I've learned (and am continuing to learn) that I shouldn't feel like I'm putting others out when they offer to help. They wouldn't offer if they weren't willing. And I'm realizing that I might not be in a financial position to help many of the people in need this holiday season, but I can certainly offer to give them some of my time.
.
One year ago today, the morning after Christmas, a friend's husband passed away suddenly. She didn't work, there was no life insurance policy and she was instantly turned into a single mom with four kids, three of them under four years old. People came out of the woodwork anonymously donating cash and gift cards to help her financially. But when I asked her how else we could help, she answered that she was having trouble keeping up with her laundry. So in addition to meals, I coordinated a weekly schedule of people who were willing to pick up her laundry and return it clean and folded. Sometimes you just never know what's weighing someone down, so the best thing to do is ask.
.
What can you do to help someone else this week? Think about it, even pray about it, asking God to lead you to someone you can help. Offer to babysit for a single mom, bring medicine or lunch to a sick friend, run errands for a busy co-worker or help an elderly neighbor shovel their driveway. (or mow their lawn for those of us in warmer weather!) Be genuine, be persistent and be bold. Now that the chaos of the Christmas season is dying down, start a cycle of generosity with people in your circle of influence. You'll be glad you did!

December 22-25

Day 22 - Lunch with Santa. Ryan is finally convinced that he has met THE REAL Santa this year. He wasn't as interested in meeting Mrs. Claus, but the fact that she was there only solidified this decision.

When Kaylin sat on his lap and he asked what she wanted for Christmas, she said, "I already told you. TWICE!" I piped in that the other two must have been his helpers because this guy had the real beard and everything. He came around to each table and took a lot of time with each child, which was nice. He even told Kaylin (and probably Ryan too, but I didn't hear) that he'd seen her fighting with her brother a little bit. (at this point, Kaylin's eyes got HUGE and I was trying so hard to hold back my laughter that tears filled my eyes) And that he knows she wants to be a good girl, so could she do Santa a favor and try really hard not to fight with him? (she stared at him in disbelief and nodded in slow motion)

And Jason finally got to meet the big man this time. When the kids asked me, I told them he asked Santa for a rattle, but Ryan wanted to be sure he got the request, so when we got home, Ryan said into the air, "Santa, could you bring baby Jason a rattle, please?"


Day 23 - Bake Sugar Cookies. We ended up being invited over to a classmate of Kaylin's house to decorate cookies on Wednesday, so this worked out perfectly! Plus, I'm a little baked out. I've made 15 dozen cookies in the last week and my oven needed a nap. So we didn't frost the infamous sugar cookies this Christmas.

Day 24 - Bake a birthday cake for Jesus. When you don't plan ahead, Jesus gets a frosted brownie cake instead!

Day 25 - Read the Nativity Story from the Bible. Every year we've intended to do this and this was the first year it finally happened. The kids played with our new Little People Nativity set afterward and acted out the story...it was really sweet!

I hope you enjoyed going through the 25 Days of Christmas with my family. If you didn't put together a schedule this year, I encourage you to do it next year. We had a blast! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Our Christmas Card Picture

I got this great idea for our Christmas card back in February when I found out I was pregnant. The mom of a pre-school classmate of Ryan's had nativity costumes that she had used for her Christmas cards last year and I begged to borrow them.
.
Knowing that the holidays always fly by, I set the stage to take the picture in early November. I set up a sheet for a backdrop, dressed the kids and started snapping.
.
The kids weren't into it at all.

Ryan kept leaving the scene...

My battery ended up dying on me after several pictures, so I gave the kids a break, recharged for a little bit and rearranged where the kids were placed for the new round of pictures.
.
Kaylin's shall wouldn't stay wrapped and Ryan refused to wear his for most of the photo shoot.

Poor "Baby Jesus" kept flopping out of the "manger," so I had to rescue him a few times...

Then he needed to eat, so Mike got a few pictures of just "Mary and Joseph." Ryan was less than cooperative.


In this one, both kids look like they're passing gas.

Trying to get just the right picture is always such an exhausting experience. After 120 pictures, I had two decent ones to choose from. TWO.
.
This was the runner up...

And this was our grand prize winner...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

This recipe is slightly adapted from the Martha Stewart Holiday magazine that was out a few years ago. It sold out everywhere, so I don't have it, but benefited from this recipe at a cookie exchange. You must try these...seriously.

• 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup white sugar
  
• 1 cup powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 350°. Melt chocolate over medium heat in a heat-proof bowl or the top of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water. (you can also microwave for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds) Set aside to cool. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add the cooled, melted chocolate. With mixer on low speed, alternate adding dry ingredients and milk until just combined. Divide the dough into quarters, put each of the four sections into a sandwich sized Ziplock bag, and chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours. (you can also freeze the dough at this point and make the cookies at a later time)
3. When you're ready to bake, cut open one of the Ziplock bags with scissors and transfer the dough to a cutting board. (yes, it will look like a large pile of poo) With a large kitchen knife, cut the blob of dough into 16 equal pieces. It won't matter that the dough balls are square...they round nicely in the oven.
   
4. Roll each dough piece in white sugar, then in powdered sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Bake until cookies have flattened and the sugar splits, 12 to15 minutes.
   
5. Transfer from oven to a wire rack to let cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

I made 8 dozen of these for a cookie exchange this weekend and it worked out great making the dough one day, freezing it flat, then baking the cookies the day-of.

Procrastinators UNITE!

I made the mistake of going out to get "a couple things" tonight. Not. Smart.

.
I started off at Walmart to get some construction paper for Kaylin and a gift idea that Mike suggested for himself last week. The art supply aisle was completely picked over! The only construction paper they had was HUGE - 24x14 inches. I bought it anyway (why not for only $1.84???) and will just cut each piece a little smaller as she needs it.

.
I headed over to the food section to pick up some staples that are running low. Again, every aisle was picked over and not restocked. Butter? None. Not a single box. And the margarine was almost completely gone, too. People who needed to bake must have gotten desperate because cookies just don't taste the same if you don't use butter. Canned artichokes? Gone. I wanted them for a new dip recipe I tasted recently, but apparently the rest of the Phoenix area makes artichoke dip for Christmas, too. And I nabbed one of the last containers of cinnamon. Everything I needed was GONE! Very, very odd. After 25 minutes in the 20 items or less lane, I was very ready to leave.
.
From there, I peeked inside a nearby toy store and realized my $5 gift certificate isn't valid until 1/1/10, so I left. I grabbed some gas before heading home to feed Jason, then I hopped back into the car again.
.
The next place I hit was the $1 store; I had to return the stocking stuffers that Ryan saw on the kitchen table a couple weeks ago. I exchanged them for much needed wrapping paper.
.
Next stop was Big Lots. Picked. Over. I was hoping to find a cheap Barbie for my mom to give Kaylin, but they didn't have a single Barbie. I got out of there as quickly as possible...it was packed.
.
I ran into Trader Joe's to get raisins, eggs and a few other things. The lovely woman ringing up my groceries recharged my energy and mood for my next destination.
.
Toys R Us.
.
I was devastated when I realized that the kid umbrellas I've purchased have been from Toys R Us. Who goes there three days before Christmas? Well, a lot of people, actually. The place was packed with people but the shelves were baron. The Barbie section at the front of the store was very bare, so I headed back to the girlie area hoping to find a better selection.
.
All that was left was Mid-Drift Barbie, Street Walker Barbie, Tattoo-Up-the-Thigh Barbie (thinking back, it might have been fishnets), Scanky Bathing Suit Barbie and the beautiful, yet over-priced, Bridal Barbie. Okay, so I'm not sure of all of their real names, but honestly. Have the people at Mattel lost their minds? Do they take pride in their lack of principles? Are they working that hard to compete with The Bratz dolls? (which will never enter my house, BTW) I found a Fashionista Barbie with an actual dress on, but it was so short that it barely covered her bum. The only dolls who were properly clothed were Sponge Bob Lover Barbie and Race Car Driver Barbie. And I'm sorry, but NO.
.
I called my mom and told her that Kaylin's not allowed to play with Barbie anymore.
.
I found the umbrellas and was bummed that the only non-princess, non-pink umbrella was Thomas the Train. Ryan's not that into Thomas anymore, but he turned his Spiderman umbrella inside out like Mary Poppins a few months back and has come home from the bus stop soaked to the bone one too many times. So I'm blaming the character on Santa's lack of knowledge that he's moved on to older, more violent characters. (*sigh*)
.
I took my umbrella and made my way through the crowds to the front. On my way, I saw couples that looked like they were holding hands for the sheer purpose of not being separated by the masses.
.
Once I was finally at the front of the store, there were only two registers open and I couldn't find the end of the line for either of them. As I stood there confused, a new lane opened up. I am very ashamed to admit that I didn't allow the kind people in the longer lines to check out ahead of me. I clutched my single item to purchase and made a beeline for the unsuspecting checker. Seriously guys, you would have too. You should have seen the overflowing items in the carts of the families standing in line around me! Probably people with no where to hide gifts over the past weeks. Or people who are just now able to get out of the house without their kids in tow to buy them presents. Or people who wait until the last minute desperation deals that the stores promote to try to get everyone to overbuy hours before the big day. Or people who work 60 hours a week to try to keep from losing their homes.
.
Whatever the case, these people had hundreds upon hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise in their carts. And they will probably be up wrapping into the wee hours of Christmas Eve only to watch their hard work get ripped to bits the next morning.
.
Ugh - the mere thought of procrastinating stresses me out. And I've pledged not to leave the house for the next 48 hours. It's crazy out there!!! I'm warning you now...stay home!

December 19-21

Day 19 - Christmas camping by the tree Family Pie Night. I planned to camp by the tree after our annual Family Pie Night, but with all of the sugar and commotion, it wasn't a good idea. Plus, my mom and Mike's mom hung around for a little while and chatted after everyone else left early. I'm pushing Christmas camping off until this weekend...AFTER Christmas.

(This is me with my crazy cousins. I'm on my tip toes, by the way. I look 6 feet tall behind them and I'm not!)

Day 20 - Bake for neighbors. The kids had fun helping prepare and deliver the first half of our cookie boxes to friends in our neighborhood last night. (Don't worry neighbors...I'm OCD about clean hands in the kitchen!)

We spent time looking at Christmas lights in between deliveries.

Day 21 - SNOW DAY in Flagstaff!!! Today went really well, which surprised me for some reason. Over two hours of driving in each direction and we didn't have to make a single stop to go potty or calm the baby. Jason was such an angel...he was in his car seat the whole day from 9am to 7pm, except feedings and changing his diaper and a few times I pulled him out to hold him and let him stretch. The only two times he fussed all day was when his diaper was dirty...he was truly the model travel baby.

Kaylin had a blast in the snow until her shoes soaked through and her wet socks froze to her feet. (we don't spend money on snow boots in Arizona) Ryan had several meltdowns...turns out snow is both horribly cold AND disgustingly wet. It's not as fun as it looks on t.v. His mittens got too damp too quickly and cold hands meant a grumpy boy. This little montage was his first experience sledding by himself...click on it to see the progression of his facial expressions from cautious to worried to scared to furious. (I thought it would upload much bigger, but it didn't.)

He finally agreed to go down the hill with Mike, but they caught air going over a few bumps which freaked them both out a bit.

Notice Ryan's arm over his eyes, below...

Ryan's favorite part of the day was making snow angels and having snowball fights.



I put this together to print off for my scrapbook page of our day. You may need to click on it to see the text and my facial expressions. I don't even remember raising my arms in the air like I was on a roller coaster OR grabbing onto Kaylin to keep her in the sled as we picked up speed and I couldn't slow us down.

After sledding, we went to dinner at Oregano's, where they give the kids pizza dough to play with to keep them occupied. How cool is that???

December 14-18

December 14 - Craft Day. Oh holy crafts! Kaylin and I spent virtually all day doing crafty things and Ryan joined us after he got home from school. Kaylin started by painting, then made a manger scene ornament, then a reindeer gift bag all while I made my teacher gifts and packaged them up all fancy. And, of course, we all remember my special project for Leon.

December 15 - Pick 2 angels from the tree at the mall (each child's age) and have the kids shop for them. I cheated and had Kaylin buy a gift for a 3 year old little girl "angel" a couple of weeks ago while we were at Walmart. She bought her a baby doll and was very disappointed that we didn't get to deliver it to her directly. Ryan picked out this t-shirt for his 5 year old boy "angel" named Alex. He had a Bumblebee Transformer shirt chosen, but they didn't have his size, so this was his second choice.

December 16 - Family Game Night. A little Hungry, Hungry Hippos, some Hi Ho Cherry-O...what more could you ask for???

December 17 - Family Movie Night. Polar Express in our PJs. But only the first half of the movie because we started it too late and I was exhausted. I was in bed before 8:00 that night.

December 18 - Glendale Glitters Drive Around Looking at Christmas Lights. We had every intention of going to downtown Glendale to experience "Glendale Glitters" tonight. I filled 4 cups 1/2 way with warm milk, then we piled into the car and headed to Starbuck's for hot chocolate. (their cocoa is too intense for me, so I was going to cut it with some milk - I would have made it at home, but somehow I ran out) Upon filling our cups in the van, Mike spilled scalding cocoa on his leg. Then I splattered it onto the tray in the front seat. After everything was cleaned up, I realized I didn't bring any diapers with me and Jason smelled like he needed to be changed. It was already 7:00 and we were too far from home to turn around, so I ran into Safeway to grab diapers. (buying them without a coupon and not on sale about killed me...) After Jason was changed, I figured I should feed him before the 25 minute drive to Glendale Glitters. I gave all of the patrons of Safeway quite a peep show from my front seat!

By the time we were finally ready to leave, it was 7:22 and on a normal night, the kids would have already been in bed. Mike and I made the executive decision to change our plans and drive around and look at Christmas lights instead. Ryan didn't take the news well.

(yes, I totally took a picture of him having a fit) When I asked if he even remembers what Glendale Glitters IS, he moaned, "NOOOO! But I want to GOOOOOOO!" He quickly got over it and we all moved on. It was a great teachable moment on being flexible!
.
We ended up finding some great Christmas lights to gawk at. Check out how creative the back of this house looks.

It backed up to a lake, so the reflection was very cool.

By 8:00, Ryan was begging to go home and go to bed. I suppose it wasn't a good idea to make faraway plans the last night of an exciting holiday week at school and on an evening after two Christmas parties where mountains of sugary treats were consumed. All I have to say is: thank goodness we didn't keep our original plans! With the drive, finding parking, the crowds, and all the walking, the meltdowns would have been a disaster. Everything worked out for the best.