christmas checklist

Ahhh the week of Christmas. I've compiled a little list that will hopefully help me stay on top of my game...

-laundry (do as much laundry as possible before the 24th) especially make sure Christmas jammmies are clean, halfway decent pj's you don't mind being photographed in {I always have a rock star hair-do and hate pics of myself in the morning} clean Christmas outfits for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day
- do any possible baking and cooking before the 24th
- plan what you're eating for Christmas morning breakfast (we used to make a breakfast casserole but you had to put it together Christmas Eve and I'm pretty sick of cooking by then and run out of room in the fridge) This year will be yummy eggs benedict with the Knorr sauce packet. Quick, easy and yummy.
- make that last minute grocery list and try to shop late at night when the store is much quieter
- stock up on batteries (AA's and C batteries seem to take care of most needs)
- make sure camera batteries are charged
- assemble any gifts you can before Christmas Eve. Last year Dale and I had the unpleasant surprise of assembling a play kitchen for over 2 hours when we were tired and cranky. Not so Merry Christmas!
- have a Phillips screwdriver, scissors and knife accessible but out of children's reach for opening gifts
- have the recycling bin or a big bag handy to put wrapping paper in as you unwrap. Seeing the piles of paper and boxes all over the floor makes me itchy (OCD, I think not!)
- wrap gifts - have hostess gifts wrapped and ready, divide stocking stuffers into separate bags for each person
- pour yourself a drink and sit in front of the Christmas tree and remember everything important has already been done and everything else is good enough.A happy Mom and wife is the best gift I can give my family

granola-rama.

We did granola for teacher and neighbor gifts this year. I used the pumpkin spice granola recipe I concocted earlier this year. It was easy and fast. Just my style. It took 3 double batches to fill 12 quart jars. In less than an hour and half we had created 12 gifts. Love it.

cute gift idea

Wish I had come across this sooner. Maybe for Valentines Day....
*personalized of course.

holiday baking

I'm not really good at baking especially finicky Christmas baking. Usually at the last minute I decide to whip up a few things and they don't turn out. I think some white peppermint bark and some rum balls for the adults. This recipe sounds like it fits my baking capabilities. Laying pretzels on a candy sheet, unwrapping candy and smooshing an M&M on top. I can handle that.

end of an era.

Maybe that's a little dramatic but it was then end of Mommy n Me dance classes yesterday. I am thrilled. For the last 18 months, once a week I have had to subject myself to humiliation and torture by dancing in front of a wall full of mirrors. Of course these classes were the highlight of Amelia's week and for that I am grateful. But I dreaded watching my wobbly bits jiggle in a giant unforgiving wall of mirrors. Next month, Amelia starts a dance class all by herself. I will be sipping a latte on the comfy couch in the lobby while checking out all the good magazines I have looked at longingly over the last 18 months.

12 days of Christmas

I put together this sweet little project from Treasury of Memories. I've decided to use it to countdown fun family activities. Here's the list! (I'm going to decide which one will be able to be accomplished each day and place it in the correct slot)

drink hot chocolate by the tree
make a gingerbread house
hike the new trail
visit the mall Santa
make snowflakes
go sledding
drive around and look at Christmas lights
bake cookies for Santa
watch a Christmas movie
write a letter to Santa
go to the Festival of Light
wear red or green clothes

turkey chili

1 pound of ground turkey
1/2 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 medium zucchini grated
1 cup grated carrots

1 can drained and rinsed kidney beans
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1 cup corn
2 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes undrained

1 tsp chili pepper flakes
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin

Brown turkey in large pot, add onion and garlic, cook 3 minutes more, add zucchini and carrots, cook until softened.
Add drained beans, corn, tomato sauce and tomatoes as well as spices. Simmer 30 minutes and serve. Makes 6 servings.

meal plan monday

monday: leftover broccoli beef
tuesday: leftover turkey chili (will post recipe!)
wednesday: salmon from here (I will give you a full report after this week)
thursday: wild mushroom ravioli and salad
friday: chimichangas and Mexican coleslaw

christmas program

Aiden had his big debut today at church today. It was briefly distracted by a celebrity sighting at church but I played it cool and didn't snap a picture. Truthfully, I hadn't noticed anything until my Mom pointed him out. His 6 foot 6 plus frame was blocking my view and he probably drove back to his home on Lake Samish afterwards (that's all the hints I'm giving.) Aiden played Joseph in the Christmas story and it was a sweet little program that followed a wonderful sermon and finished with us exiting the church to the first snowfall of the season. We had everyone back to our house for lunch and lazy afternoon of visiting.

christmas books

We put all all our Christmas stories in the living room this year. It's a fun to read our books by the light of the tree each night before bed. The magic of Christmas.

christmas corners

My nativity set was completed for my birthday and I am so happy with this beautiful set.

maui sweet potatoes

I had grand plans of taking pictures throughout the preparation of this recipe just to practice my photography but there isn't a lot of excitement in peeling, boiling and mashing sweet potatoes. This recipe is a nice alternative to traditional sweet potato recipes for holiday dinners. If your family doesn't like to mess with tradition it's still a nice side dish anytime of year but half the recipe because it does make a lot.
Ingredients
4 lbs cooked sweet potatoes, about 5 large ones,skinned
1 (14 ounces) can coconut milk (regular or light)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, well drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1 lime, peel of finely grated
1 dash hot sauce
1/4 cup shredded coconut
Directions
Mash potatoes in a large bowl until almost smooth. Stir in coconut milk& seasonings and mash until smooth. Stir in next 4 ingredients, test for seasoning, turn into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish& spread evenly. Sprinkle coconut over the top. Bake in the center of a preheated 350F oven for 30- 35 minutes. Broil until the top is golden, about 3 or 4 minutes.

meal plan monday

I thought I would take a break from meal planning through the holidays but I've found it harder to not have a plan than to find the time to make a plan.
monday: spaghetti and meatballs with salad
tuesday: soup and cheese quesadillas
wednesday: turkey mushroom patties, couscous and stir fry veggies
thursday: brocoli beef with brown rice
friday: leftovers
saturday: salmon, roasted sweet potatoes and salad
sunday: chicken fajitas and lime cilantro corn

picture this...

If you drove past our house around 1:00am last night you would have seen Dale hanging out our bedroom window. He was wearing my white fluffy house coast (to his elbows and knees) with a towel thrown over his head to block the wind. He was trying to locate the source of the loud noise that has kept us up two nights in a row. Possibly the wind is getting underneath the siding and making a very loud whirring noise near our bedroom. We never did figure it out but for the rest of the night anytime I pictured Dale hanging out our window in his ridiculous get up I started to laugh out loud.

little rascal part 2

Remember last week how I posted about being thankful for Amelia. While I was on the computer writing that post she had followed her brother downstairs and I thought I was enjoying some alone time while my kids played together. When she resurfaced I realized she had found some green glitter gel and painted herself 'pretty.' She refused to let me wash it off and I had to chase her through the house until she dove face first on the couch and rubbed the glitter all over the couch and pillows. Like I said before she is definitely the harder child to raise but hopefully she's the same kid that keeps me out of the nursing home!

our own sugar plum fairy!

Amelia dressed herself for dance class yesterday! I love that there is a place for her to go each week and dress up however she wants.

somethings missing...

***update: looks like I will have an ACL reconstruction in the new year. After the holidays and kids birthdays life will be tolerable on crutches!
Apparently the ACL in my right knee. 'Absent....chronically torn.' We'll see what that means tomorrow when I see the specialist but for now I'm a little surprised that I've managed 10 plus years without one! I knew I was tough but not that tough.

birthday.

lazy morning opening presents and drinking coffe, a birthday bike ride by the water, working only a few hours and a delicious dinner at Nimbus with my favorite date. just wonderful.

thanksgiving chuckle

Aiden's list...

he brought this little Thanksgiving project home from school:

I am thankful for:
my famale
my techer
my scol
my frens
my kosins
my self (I love this one!)
my dad and mom
my isos (?sister)
my hos
my cas fish (class fish)
my desc at scol

thankful for...

this little girl. You've surprised me since the moment you were born. You've proved anything worth having is worth working hard for. You've taught me to be more patient but rewarded me with your unabashed admiration and affection. You've shown me glimpses into the rewarding but sometimes complex mother/daughter relationship. I'm thankful to have you as my little girl.

thankful for...

this boy. He made me a Mama for the first time. He's always made being a Mom easy. I love his sweetness and thoughtfulness for others. He opened my eyes to everything boy in this world and I am thankful for that.

thankful for...

this guy. He's fiercely loyal. Always puts family first. Is an amazing Dad that loves to spend time with his kids. Hard worker. Always has to finish what he's started. One of the biggest goals in his life is to make me happy. I'm thankful he chose me.

amelia's lunch:

mandarin orange pieces dipped in mustard.

cuteness captured.

Amelia loves to have flowers in her room. She had sweet talked me out of one from my bouquet. I found her in her room playing with her friends (Bear Bear and Miss Flower) {It will be a sad day when she no longer drags these 'friends' around constantly} I love her choice with her vase!

knitwits.

My Mom came down this past week end. Amelia and her had a little bonding/knitting session.

big brother of the year award

Yesterday I heard Amelia ask Aiden to 'dance like a princess with me?' And he did. Major brownie points with the parents.

snowboarding 101

Dale took Aiden to Baker on Saturday for the first time. This was Aiden's first time snowboarding and he 'mastered the rope tow!' Looking so forward to the next few years when we can start going as a family. I think I will be the lone skier. I can't imagine snowboarding myself but we'll see.

meal plan monday

monday:jambalaya and broccoli slaw
tuesday: meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, peas and carrots
wednesday: maple walnut chicken, couscous, salad
thursday: pork satay, stir fry vegetables
friday: steak souvlaki, greek salad, tzatziki and pita bread
saturday: chicken fajitas, Pioneer Woman's mexican rice
sunday:??

thanksgiving kids ideas

I was surfing the web for kids placecard ideas for Turkey day and came across this and this. But this made me laugh out loud.

grateful...

for this lady. This picture makes me smile. When I was a kid my Grandma always let me play with her hair. I would comb and try to style her short grey hair (it never really looked that different after many styling attempts) but she was patient and unvain. Never caring if I messed her hair up. Now I get the privilege of watching her play with my kids the same way. This picture was taken last week in the lobby after the Remembrance Day ceremony. She is still the same. My Grandma was always willing to sit in the back seat with the grand kids, listen to our stories and play imaginary games. Just this past Thanksgiving I found her and Amelia under the computer desk at my parents hiding from 'scary monsters.' I am so grateful for my Grandma.

baking with my baby

Amelia loves to help in the kitchen. I love to cook by myself but I'm learning to love her help. I do look forward to the amount of bonding time we will have over the years. I will especially cherish her help because she is the only person in the family interested in helping out in the kitchen.

holiday to do list

It really isn't too early to think about the holiday season!
-decorate for Christmas
-send out Christmas cards
-drive around and look at Christmas lights
-see the Nutcracker
-kids Christmas program at church
-listen to Christmas music
-sit in the dark and look at our Christmas tree in the dark
-pick one thing to make for Christmas baking
-decorate a gingerbread house ( we usually buy the kit from Costco)
-our annual Christmas brunch
-the Lights of Christmas at Warm Beach
-holiday port festival
-not do a december daily album but still take a picture each day to capture the season
-the Peak of Christmas at Grouse Mountain
-find a way to make some one in need holiday wishes come true
-most importantly spend time with family and friends!
-*can I tell you how stinking happy I am that I finally figured out how to link!
*photo via Real Simple
oh yea I almost forgot...
-Lynden lighted parade
-pictures with Mall Santa

tree huggers

We decided to take advantage of our rain free Sunday and toddle down to Elizabeth Park. Brrr. The kids 'climbed' (rather Dale placed them in the trees) and we played tag. A quick play at the playground and we were ready to head back to our warm house.

pink, please.

Amelia moved into a big girl bed last week. Besides the cessation of naps it's gone smoothly. We decided to make her room a bit more 'Amelia' by painting it pink! She loves it.