I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas….

As I sit here “writing”, a soft snow is gently falling outside.  Since I live in Colorado, most people automatically assume that we have a white Christmas, but in actuality, we hardly ever have a white Christmas!  Nothing puts me more in the spirit of Christmas than a snowfall.  I love when it snows at Christmas!  I hope that this year, we do have a white Christmas….but NOT TODAY!!!  There is still shopping to do!  There are still things to be done and I can’t be snowed in now!

I am starting to feel that Christmas “stress” come upon me….I have not made the cookies I planned on, I still don’t have my daughters’ Christmas Eve jammies done, I still have a few Christmas presents I need to make and I still have quite a few gifts to buy!  Not only that, but we just found out that 2 of my daughters will be dancing at the Christmas Eve service at our church, so I need to make 2 dancing skirts by Saturday as well!

Every year, I say I’m going to start earlier.  Then, things come up or finances are tight, and I’m not able to get it all together early like I plan.  So what should we do?  I think the secret is to just do what we can!  Do I really need to make cookies?  Do I need to make additional Christmas presents for my kids when I already have presents for them under the tree?  It’s all about figuring out what needs to be done and what can be scratched off the list!

This year I planned on taking the kids driving around to look at Christmas lights.  I planned on having a special night where I sent them invitations to a Christmas slumber party under the Christmas tree.  I planned on taking them to see the Electric Safari at the local zoo.  I planned all these things and now Christmas is only 3 days away!  So we go on to Plan B:

We will drive around and look at Christmas lights on the way home from our church’s Christmas Eve Service

I will invite them to a slumber party under the Christmas party one day next week since we will all be home

We will go see the Electric Safari one night next week

We will bake cookies one day next week while I’m on vacation from work

Maybe I will finish some of their gifts next week, and give them to them on New Year’s Eve

Sometimes we just put too much pressure on ourselves to do everything before Christmas…why not wait until after Christmas to do some of the special things?  If you are behind in things you wanted to do, do them next week instead!  Enjoy these last couple of days between now and Christmas.  Stop and watch a Christmas movie with your family.  Pull out a game and sit down to play with your kids.  Christmas is not about the presents and the food…it’s about spending time with your family and enjoying them.  If you are stressed out and worn out, just stop and figure out what can wait…and do the rest next week!!!  And by the way….I AM dreaming of a white Christmas!

Now Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding…

I have no idea what “figgy pudding” is, but “they” wouldn’t go until “they” got some, so it must be pretty good!  Actually, I looked it up in Wikipedia (because Wikipedia is such a trusted source…lol) and it says it is a “white Christmas pudding made with figs”.  It could be baked, steamed boiled or fried.  Sounds pretty gross to me….I think I’ll stick with other Christmas goodies!

Since we’re on the subject, let’s do some baking this weekend!  Can you believe Christmas is in one week?!?!  Where has the month gone?!  I feel that there is so much more to do and just not enough time to do it.  Yesterday, I got quite a few things done:  I shipped off a package that needed to be mailed, I got a few gifts made, I bought the fabric for my daughters’ Christmas Eve pj’s and I actually got them cut out (and one pair almost made)!  I feel I got quite a bit accomplished today!  I’m usually making the pj’s the morning of Christmas eve!  I’ve made my girls pj’s almost every year since they were little.  There were a few years I took the easy way out and bought them, but that was if I just ran out of time, or found a great deal on them in the store!  Anyway…with those things out of the way, I want to finish making the pj’s today and get some baking done!

When I was growing up, we would get endless trays of Christmas goodies from my dad’s customers (he owns a car garage).  There were always a wide variety of cookies, bars, and things we didn’t recognize!  A neighbor down the street from us always made fudge and homemade donuts…she knew how to make a donut!   I suppose that those endless trays of goodies will always be a reminder of Christmases past.  My mom hardly ever had to bake for us because we got so much from everyone else, but I do remember her pulling out the red Tupperware cookie cutters and making cookies with them.  I was so excited when my mom handed them down to me…then after using them, I realized what a pain they were!!  There are so many grooves and so much detail in them that dough gets stuck in them and it’s hard to get a decent cookie cut out of them!  You have to use a toothpick to clean the dough out of them.  I keep them now mostly for the memories of them.

I “try” to make sugar cookies every year, even if it’s the Pillsbury brand that come in a roll!  (And I’m usually doing those on Christmas eve!)  Since I’m working full time now, it’s so hard to find the time to do everything.  I’ve found a few recipes on Pinterest that I really want to try out this year.  Here are a few of them:

Sugar Cookies

I have been on a quest for the perfect, soft sugar cookie my entire adult life!  I have never found it, so am hoping that this recipe is the one!  I’m not a huge fan of sugar cookies, but I love cutting out the shapes and decorating them!  I usually end up giving them away, but mostly because not only am I not a fan, but none of my girls are either.  I suppose I just shouldn’t make them, but for some reason it just doesn’t seem like Christmas without making sugar cookies!  I will let you know the results.

Italian Cream Cake

I first tasted Italian Cream Cake a few years ago at a wedding I shot.  It was the most amazing cake I have EVER tasted!  The frosting was creamy with just that bit of “crust” on it; the cake part of it had just a hint of coconut and a just a light crunch of pecans.  It was heavenly!  I just found this recipe on the internet and really want to give it a try!

Buckeyes

Who doesn’t love Reeses Peanut Butter Cups?!?  They are my all-time favorite candy, and when my sister-in-law brought me a goodie tray a few years ago with these on them, I knew I’d found my new favorite “cookie” (or are they candy!?)  I will definitely be making some of these!

Hot Chocolate

I know hot chocolate is not a cookie or candy, but this is a recipe I found and really want to make it.  I even thought about having a caroling party just so I could make it!  Then I realized that I was an adult…I could just make it if I wanted to..lol.  So, I will be making some of this tonight to share with my family as we play games and watch Christmas movies.  I pretty much grew up with hot chocolate from a package, so I’m very excited to try the real thing!

Uber Rice Krispie Treats

Although these are generally known as “Scotcheroos”, I was introduced to them as “Uber Rice Krispie Treats” and boy, are they!  I LOVE these, and could eat a whole pan if given enough time alone with them. Once again, I love the combo of chocolate and peanut butter, so will definitely be making these!  If you like Rice Krispie treats, you have got to try these!

So, what will you be baking for Christmas this year?  Do you have hand-me-down recipes that you must make every year?

Ladies and gentlemen…pre-heat your ovens and get to baking!

Baby’s First Christmas!

Baby’s first Christmas…it’s a wonderful time in the life of a family.  I remember each one of my daughter’s first Christmases.   I wish that I had recorded their first Christmases a little better though.  Yes, I took pictures, but I didn’t do anything else to make a memory of those Christmases.

So, if this Christmas you have a new baby, I want you to make some memories to keep.  I wish when my children were little, there had been such a thing as the internet….and Pinterest!   I have found all kinds of fun and interesting crafting and decorating websites on Pinterest.  I have compiled a few different sites that contain some really cute crafts that can be done with babies (and children, for that matter).

Footprint Reindeer

I LOVE this craft!  This could be a piece of Christmas art that you hang every year as part of your Christmas decorations.  I’m tempted to do it with my own kids this year because it’s so darn cute.  Although this one is done on a large canvas,  you could try to find a smaller canvas (make sure it’s big enough for a footprint) and put an ornament hanger on for a tree!  Grandparents would love this!

Glass Ornament Footprint

This would be a super easy ornament to make for yourself and for grandparents.  If your baby is the first grandchild, you could start this tradition now and as each grandchild is born, you could make them to give to the grandparents…can you imagine a tree filled with ornaments of baby feet?!?  How CUTE!  I personally would use blue or pink paint, depending on the sex of the child because it would look so cute on a grandparent’s tree.  This is a variation using a handprint and different paint.

Thumbprint Reindeer Ornament

Apparently, reindeer are really easy to make using body parts!  I think this ornament is cute, cute, cute!  You don’t necessarily need a baby to do this either!  This would work for children of any age.  You could do one thumbprint for each child you have, then write their name underneath each one.  Once again, make some for the grandparents!

Clay Fingerprint Ornaments

Making clay ornaments is always a fun activity to do with your kids.  One year we made a bunch of clay ornaments, and in spite of being packed and unpacked every year, and even dropped, they are still in tact (well most of them are!)   This site uses oven baked clay that you purchase, but you could certainly use a regular flour/salt dough recipe such as this.  I found this great website that has just about any homemade clay you could want.  There is even edible dough!  This is another way you could do a baby’s footprint or handprint.

Photo Christmas Ornament

Being a photographer, I love, love, love this ornament!  It would be so cute to do one of these every year of your child.  The downside to this craft is that you will need to have access to a photo editing program like Photoshop Elements to make the strips of images.   If you are interested in doing something like this, contact me and I will put the images together for you and email it back for you to print out for $10.  I think I’m going to make one of these for each of my daughters in their Nutcracker roles!

So, there you have it!  A couple of really easy Christmas crafts to make to commemorate your baby’s first year!  And be sure to take a lot of pictures!!

 

Let’s Get Ready for Christmas!

Hi, all!!  Thank you to all of my new followers!  I’m so excited to have you all join me.  I hope I can live up to the hype- 🙂 .

First of all, let me say this….even though I love everything about Christmas, the main reason to celebrate is the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  Without Him, we would have no reason to celebrate!  The greatest gift EVER given was from God.  As you go through the days leading up to Christmas, take time to remember what it’s all about.  Back in the 80’s the big quote was “Jesus is the Reason for the Season”.  Let’s keep that in mind as we go through the next 6 and a half weeks (Yes, 6 1/2 weeks until Christmas–eeck!).  If the stress of the season starts to get to you, stop what you are doing, take 10 minutes to relax and meditate on the birth of Christ.

Books to Read

I highly recommend reading a Christmas book or two during the season so that you have something you can do to just relax and unwind.  One book I try to read every Christmas is the book “Two From Galilee” (found here).  It’s the beautiful love story of Mary and Joseph.   It’s always incredible to me to see the faith and trust that Mary and Joseph had when they found out they were going to be the parents of the Messiah!  Can you imagine?!  I can’t.  That’s why I need to be reminded every year….

Movies Worth Watching

With all that being said….this weekend is kind of the “kick-off”, if you will, of the holiday movie season on the Hallmark Channel.  I’m a big advocate for waiting until the dishes are done on until the day after Thanksgiving day, but as I was thinking about it today, I realized that sometimes the month of December is so busy with parties and activities, that we don’t have time to sit down and watch Christmas movies.  So, being able to watch some during November is perfect for those of you that are busy during the month of December!

This weekend begins the Countdown to Christmas on the Hallmark Channel.  Christmas movies will begin at 6am EST (4am MST!!) and run all day Saturday and all day Sunday!  There will be two premieres: Lucky Christmas at 8pm EST/6pm MST on Saturday night, and then Cancel Christmas at 8pm EST/6pm MST on Sunday evening.  Both will re-play immediately following their debuts on the same evenings.  Since they are new, I haven’t had time to review them so we’ll be seeing them for the first time together!  I’m not a big fan of Elizabeth Berkley or Judd Nelson, but maybe the years have mellowed them out a bit!

Other Saturday recommendations are The Christmas Card at 4pm EST/2pm MST and November Christmas immediately following at 6pm EST/4pm MST.  The Christmas Card is a lovely little love story, and November Christmas is sure to bring those big Hallmark tears!   The Santa Clause (one of my favorite, fun Christmas movies) starring Tim Allen will be airing on Sunday at 6pm EST/4pm MST.  All 3 of these movies are great movies to watch! 

Things to Do

While this is not one of the “fun” activities I have prepared for you, it’s an important one!  Right now, grocery stores are starting to put things on sale that will be needed throughout the holidays.  It is a great time to start stocking up on all those necessities without breaking the bank!  If you go to the grocery store once a week, add just 2 or 3 items to the cart that you will be needing in the next 6 weeks or so.  A lot of the recipes I’ll be sharing require flour, sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, etc….add a bag of this or that every time you go to the store and then it’s not such a huge cost at one time.  I was a Girl Scout, so I believe in “being prepared”.

Now is also a great time to stock up on crafting supplies.  Michaels, Hobby Lobby and places like that are already reducing their items to 50% off.  A few of the items you will need for some of the crafts we will be doing are glue guns/glue sticks, spray paint, glitter, regular glue, Christmas fabric, scissors (I’m amazed at the people that don’t have a good pair of scissors!!  These are my favorites!  Get some–today!)  Oh, and start saving up the empty cardboard toilet paper and paper towel rolls—you’re gonna need them!!  I will try to put together a list of things you will need to make all the fun Christmas crafts I have in store for you!

Well, that’s all I have for today!  Thank you so much for the visit… I would love to have your thoughts, ideas, comments, etc….  And please….share your answer for the question of the day!!

Question of the Day

What is your favorite Christmas movie of all time?

Is It Christmas Yet?!?!?

Welcome to my blog!!  I am so excited about getting this thing started.   I have loved Christmas ever since I can remember!   I love the sights, the sounds, the food, the smells, the cheesy movies—everything!  When I realized that I have so many ideas to make Christmas special and memorable, I knew that I could not keep it to myself!  I just HAD to share it with you.

Think of this blog as a “virtual” Advent calendar.   I have crafts for you to do alone or with your children, recipes that will make your mouth water and activities that your family will enjoy doing together.

I also have a vast knowledge of Christmas movies!  At the beginning of November every year, I start compiling my spreadsheets of Christmas movies.  I visit the websites of all the major TV/cable stations to see if they have put out their Christmas movie schedules.  Once I have all that information, I make a spreadsheet with all the dates and times they are showing.  After that, I make a master calendar that lists what movies are on what days!!   This is sheer craziness considering I own almost every Christmas movie ever made!!  I could just put on one movie a night and hopefully make it through my library of Christmas movies by December 25th, but there is one problem—every year, new movies are made!  So, I just go through the madness and make the spreadsheet.  I will be sharing this vast knowledge with you!!

What am I going to do with this blog after Christmas, you ask?  Well, there are other holidays throughout the year, aren’t there?!?!  I plan to help you make ALL your holidays memorable!  So, sit back, make yourself comfy and tune in every day to see what wonderful things I have in store for you!!

On deck for tomorrow:  This weekend is a kick-off of Christmas movies on some of the cable stations.  I will give you a run down of what’s on, when it’s on and give you my recommendations.  We will also start getting prepared for crafting and baking!

Let’s do this!!

That's me at about age 2 (almost 3) in front of my grandparent's Christmas tree....most of my Christmas memories revolve around my grandparent's house!

What is your favorite holiday?