2009 Christmas card.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to be a bit more consistent with my blogging.  And to stay focused on one of the main reasons I began this blog--to try to document this special time in my life where I get to stay home to raise my family and be a full-time homemaker the way I want to do it...the way it feels right for me to do it.  And by that I mean having at least a little time here and there to do more of what I truly love for, and often with, my family, like cook, sew, and craft.  I know that when I had to balance those interests with working outside the home on top of family duties, I didn't get to do them nearly as much.   

The end of my two-year sabbatical from my job is quickly approaching, so there are some decisions we need to make.  But I'm not quite ready to face them yet.  So what better way to make time stand still a bit longer than to look at all the lovely Christmas and holiday cards we received this year.  I've spent the better part of the morning cleaning the house and putting away holiday decorations.  But I paused for a bit as I took down the cards.

I love holiday cards--especially ones with photos.  We display them through out the season and then I move them to fabric memo boards that Charlie made for me in the basement, where we can enjoy them for another year...little hands love to take down the cards to study faces, which may explain this less than tidy display. 

After that, they get placed, grouped by family, in a photo box for safe keeping.  I love to flip through them to see how everyone's children are growing up (too quickly if you ask me).

Here is our family card this year, done on Scrapblog.  Since I'm not the best about keeping up with my scrapbooking, as a compromise, I like to write a snippet in our cards of what the boys are up to.  I hope to present each of our children, someday in the far future, with a collection of Christmas cards that chronicles much of their childhood quirks.  I'll dig around for our cards from prior years and post those too--I try to do a different theme each year.  This year I came up with playing off an instruction manual of sorts...I'm starting to run out of ideas!  (click on the thumbnail to enlarge)...

     

I hope you're having a wonderful start to 2010--just three more weeks or so until I naturally write the correct year when I'm dating something! 

 

p.s. I do love how the holidays live on a bit in blogland with everyone's show and tell debrief, don't you?  And if you in fact don't, you might want to skip my next few posts as I'm sure that's what I'll be up to too :)...

A keepsake quilt.

I've wanted to make a special Christmas quilt for my mother-in-law for a very long time.  I actually bought the fabric for it when I was pregnant with Will two years ago.  Since she is a mother of all boys (and her two boys have all boys!), we have a lot in common.  Specifically, I know what it's like to live in a house where the majority of the occupants don't get all worked up by the nice linens and other whatnots that adorn their home.  It's a big deal when my MIL or I visit the other's house because when we haul out our pretty kitchen and bath towels, for once, someone else notices.  So I wanted to give her something pretty.

I also wanted to make her a quilt because, quite simply, it's hard to express just how grateful I am to the woman who gave me my husband, and in turn, my family.   

So this year, when a blizzard came to town the weekend before Christmas, I decided not to freak and fret over the snowed-in weekend and no-go errand runs.  Rather, I tallied up the suddenly free hours from two rescheduled Christmas parties and had a crazy thought.  While the older boys played outside until they were blue... 

I found my stash of fabrics...

and cut and sewed and ripped out stitches and cursed and sewed some more...

I decided on a crazy quilt because I didn't have time to plan any blocks.  Morgan's quilt for her newest little one, over on One More Moore, provided the inspiration for the design.  I just cut the fat quarters into 2 1/2 inch strips, then sewed three different strip patterns together.  I then cut the pieces into 6 1/2 inch square blocks and pieced them together, alternating their orientation.  I originally planned to make the quilt the size of a throw, but Charlie convinced me that that's basically a useless size for snuggling on the couch because throws can keep a full-sized man's upper or lower body warm, but not both.  Noted.  So, to increase the size, I added a border of white and made some blocks for the corners.  It was all done on the fly and I'm sorry that there are no pictures of that--sort of short on time as it was--but here is the finished quilt top.

I continued to de-stash by piecing two fabrics together for the backing and used some store-bought tape for the binding--which I sort of hate but whatever.  I almost went through the roof when I came up four inches short of completing the binding.  Seriously, four inches.  And in case it's not obvious, that is when the cursing occurred.

Luckily, after my in laws arrived on the 22nd, I was able to pop into Joanne's to pick up another pack of binding to covertly finish the quilt after everyone went to bed on Christmas Eve.

Here is a shot of the backing.  You can see that I just quilted in the ditch--practicing free-motion quilting is on this year's to-learn list as I have no idea how some of you do such a lovely job of it!  I used organic cotton batting and made sure to prewash my fabric, but not the batting, so that when I washed the completed quilt, it would get all wrinkly and yummy. 

In the corner, I placed a little poem that Charlie helped me write.  To print it on fabric, I ironed white cotton fabric onto freezer paper, then cut it down to 8 1/2 x 11 inches so it would feed into our ink jet printer.  I printed the wording directly onto the fabric and heat set it with my iron.  Before turning it into a patch for the back of the quilt, I prewashed it to check for color-fastness.  I was very happy to find it held up perfectly in the wash. 

My mother-in-law absolutely loved the quilt and I was so happy we could be with her the year we gave it to her!  This was the largest quilt I've made to date...before this attempt, I'd only made a handful of baby quilts.  But now I think I'd like to make quilts for the boys' beds.  And I fully intend to give myself more than a few days to do it!

ETA:  I'm linking up to Kimba's DIY day here.

ETA:  I'm linking up to Kimba's DIY day here.

Happy happy New Year!

Just a quickie post to wish everyone a Happy New Year!  We're about to head out to our annual neighborhood progressive dinner party--we're helping out with desserts at the last house. 

I'll be back next year (couldn't resist) with lots to share from over the holidays.  It was our best one yet.  And I hope yours was as well.  Now off to finish the fixins' for the chocolate fountain...and berry simple syrup for the bellinis...oh, and figure out what on earth to wear.  Am thinking my daily uniform of LL Bean garb won't quite cut it.

Happy New Year!

Rudolph and Christmas Tree cake pops.

I made these for the kidlets "Gingerbread" House decorating party.  The kids loved them.  Most of the grown ups did too.  In fact, I'm pretty sure I remember one mom refusing to share her tree pop with her adorable children because they already had theirs.  I won't name names but you know who you are.

If you've never made cake pops before, be forewarned that once you do, you'll be hooked.  You'll start looking for all sorts of reasons to make them.  Flag day?  Cake pop.  Kid stubbed a toe?  Cake pop.  They're a bit of work, but worth it.  When I make a batch, I usually also make an extra batch and freeze them undipped (yes, I freeze everything).  So right now I have two dozen naked cake balls waiting to be dressed for Christmas.  We'll do more Rudolphs and trees, and I'm also thinking of doing a Santa and some angels.  I also might make them for our neighborhood New Year's Eve progressive dinner party...but I need some ideas.

Check out the how-tos over at Bakerella, who started the phenomenon.  She gives you directions on how to use a box mix and store bought frosting.  I personally think they taste better with homemade cake and frosting but will admit, the cuteness factor is what makes them special.  One thing to note, however--if you do go homemade, make sure you use a frosting that can be left out at room temperature, i.e. doesn't require refrigeration.  Some brands of dipping chocolate recommend you don't refrigerate and since these hold fine for a few days (I've gone up to 5) at room temperature, that's what I do. 

ETA:  I wrote some details as a response in the comments section, so be sure to check there for more tips...

Freezer apples.

I meant to post this tip back when we did our big apple picking trip in the fall.  But as I pulled out a bag of frozen apple slices to make a quick crisp, I remembered I never did.  Oops.  Well, at least now I can show you how, with a little prep, frozen apples can stay as fresh as the day you put them into the icebox--does anyone say icebox anymore?

You'll need a large bowl and about a gallon of cold water and 1/4 cup of salt (I've actually never measured but this is about right).

Heat up a cup or so of the water and place in the bowl with the salt and stir until dissolved.  Add remaining cold water.  Now, peel and slice your apples however you like and as you finish each apple, immediately place in the salt water.  Once you have a bit, you'll have to push down on the slices to make sure they are all submerged.  Let them sit a few minutes then drain in a colander.  Do not rinse--you will not notice the minimal salt flavor in your recipes.  Bag in freezer bags and label.  I like to divide mine into 3 pound portions because that is what my crisp recipe calls for.  This always works for me...I've taken them out 6 to 9 months later and they have never turned brown!

I know apple season is over for most of us, so file this away for next year okay?

Find more works for me tips over at We are THAT Family.

 

Well hello there.

Hiya.  Blog much?  Didn't I mention I was going to take a wee break during the holiday crunch time?  Oh, right.  That's because it wasn't exactly planned.  Let's just say I'm tired of the rousing game of duck duck cold we've played these past couple of weeks.

Looking on the bright side, I sure am happy that the bitty bouts of sickness seemed to pop up between activities and special days.  Shockingly, everyone was in good health, and even better spirits, for our annual kid's "gingerbread" house decorating party.

I use graham crackers instead of baking gingerbread and sugar "glue" to pre-build the houses.  I learned last year that using royal icing for the mortar wasn't strong enough for excited little hands.  So this year I went with the heavy duty stuff--melted sugar.  I got the idea from the December '09 Better Homes and Garden magazine.  It really is stronger and, as an added bonus, it's a lot faster if you're building, oh, a gazillion.  You just melt some granulated sugar in a heavy bottomed pan (I use my enameled cast iron) then dip the edge of your graham cracker in it, then join with another cracker.  Be careful--this is definitely not a step for the munchkins.  For clean up, let your pot soak in hot water to dissolve the sugar.

Another important thing I should point out--unless you are very careful about how far you let the sugar carmelize (and you can see from the above photo that I was not), it won't taste good.  In fact, it tastes pretty awful because burnt sugar tastes pretty awful.  It's no problem for us because the houses are merely a prop for the pounds and pounds of candy they support.  And also, the kids don't eat the houses because these things sit around until after Christmas and get pretty stale.  I do, however, let my kids pick a candy or two off every now and then.  Okay, daily.

Here's a photo montage of the basic assembly process--I think it's pretty self explanatory.  Some tips:  when creating the gable, use a serated knife and gently saw back and forth.  Also, if crackers break (oh, and they will) set aside the pieces to doctor--just dip in the sugar & glue back together and lay aside until it sets up.  Don't stress about making these look perfect.  They're kind of cute crooked.  And kids love crooked. 

A few other things we like to do for the party:  cut down cardboard boxes (you know, all those you're getting daily from Amazon right now.  Right?  No?  Oh--it's just me?  Fine.) and cover with foil to make freebie cake boards for each party guest to tote home their masterpiece; ask guests to bring a bag of candy to share for decorating; make individual frosting piping bags by putting a big dollop of frosting into sturdy ziplocs and either tape or rubber band them right above the frosting to assist little hands with applying pressure while squeezing; and use colorful cereal to inexpensively round out the candy supply--especially great for walkways and "stone" accents.

But most of all, have fun.  Even the youngest of ones will actually sit still and do this activity with some help--we were so amazed at little Will's efforts!  All the kids did great.  We had over 25 taking over the kitchen and the house decorating portion was certainly the quietest time of the entire party.  Here's to making memories...

 

p.s.  Get more DIY ideas here.

DIY Holiday wreath.

We've been laying low these last few days.  Thanksgiving was wonderful--my parents did a great job.  After the big meal, the day mostly consisted of more eating and lots of cuddles.     

I think it was Will's first experience of an uncomfortably full tummy. 

We had an unusual spell of warm weather last weekend.  And so we tried to make the most of it by spending as much time outdoors as possible.  This means I did not get the house decorated for Christmas yet--so now I feel like I'm already behind.  But the calendar says it's just Dec 1st so I guess I'm okay.  But I'm still fretting.  We have our gingerbread decorating party in less than two weeks!

I did manage to do a little decorating though.  I was inspired after a girls night last Sunday (before husbands and babies, a group of my friends and I held a regular girls night and we're trying to get it going again).  A friend told me about one of her Thanksgiving traditions--a relative brings her greenery clippings so that she can make a holiday wreath.  And it just so happens that Charlie trimmed several holly bushes over the weekend--so I whipped up a wreath while the boys played outdoors.  It was so simple and took less than 30 minutes!  I think we'll adopt this tradition, too--thanks Katie!

Here's how I did it:

1.  Gather clippings and trim down to 4-6 inch sections.

2.  Gather wire and wreath form.  I used a grapevine wreath I had on hand.  Lay clippings on form and wrap with wire.  If you are using a grapevine wreath you can poke your clippings into the wreath to help you with placement.  Then, working downwards, overlap wire with new clippings and wrap with wire again.  Continue until your form is covered.  Secure wire.

3.  Hang on door (you'll want to mist with water occasionally to keep it fresh).  Make boys come over and give plenty of oohs and ahhs, even though all they really want to do is ride their bikes.

For more DIY ideas, have a girls night and get ideas from your crafty friends!  Also be sure to check out Kimba's DIY post on A Soft Place to Land today. 

A tree of their own.

Since we're spending Thanksgiving this year at my folks' new place, it feels a little strange to not be in host-mode.  But I love the relaxed tempo around here this week--no rushing around trying to get ready for guests.  The biggest perk was I could freely pull out our bins of Christmas items and set them out and about the house as I'll begin decorating this weekend.  And one of the most anticipated holiday decor items around here is the kids' tree, something that came about out of necessity.

When our first child entered our lives, I learned pretty quickly that a lot of crafts find their way to our home.  This is multiplied considerably during the month of December.  I love each and every one of them--I do, truly.  But there is only so much room on our Christmas tree at a certain height (because each child insists on hanging their own decorations on the tree all by themselves and they can only reach so high).  What usually results is a blob-y cluster of macaroni/glitter/yarn encrusted construction paper in a mess so impossibly tangled that even the most well planned, sneaky, late-night tactics to spread them out will fail.  And while it was no big deal to tilt my head and squint a little when it was just Max's creations, once Leo rolled up his little sleeves and starting creating....well, let's just say there wasn't enough tree real estate to go around. 

So one year, as an early Christmas gift, they got their own tree.  It is set up in the playroom and is only a few feet high so they can reach every inch of it--they are allowed to do whatever they please to it.  And do they ever!  But I'm not a complete mommy-grinch.  We still put up each boy's favorite few ornaments on the tree in our living room, which I love because then they really stand out.  But their tree downstairs holds the bulk of their creations--and when it's time to put it away, I just set it in our unfinished storage space.  Here it is.

When I pull it out, I leave it to them to decide whether to edit what they did the prior year.  This is the third year we've done it and so far, they're going with a "more is more" strategy.   

ETA:  I'm linking up to We Are THAT Family's works for me Wednesday--this tip has definitely worked for us!

Easy DIY paper tray tutorial.

Setting aside special events and milestones, there are typically just two types of 'everyday' days that stay with you.  One is when everything goes your way.  For me right now, that means primo parking spots with each errand stop, long naps for the kidlets, dinner planned and ready, nice (enough) weather for walks and outdoor play, cookies for snacks.  Oh, and let's not forget impromptu dance parties instead of tussles with the siblings.

That was my kind of day. 

My friend had the other kind--potential worrisome news about a pregnancy, job calamity, dishwasher tanking with a house full of company inbound for a holiday.

You can offer to take the kids, come over to clean, bring over margaritas... whatever.  But you'll probably be stubbornly waved off, like I was.  So I decided that the least I could do was bring over some dinner and cookies, with the silent hope that some good mojo would tag along.

The dinner could go in a throwaway foil tray.  But I wanted to package the cookies in something cheerful while also disposable.  I've seen some of the cutest little takeout paper trays and wished I had some on hand.  When I spied my empty english muffin packaging destined for the recycling bin, I realized I had the next best thing...a ready-made template!

I wanted to use 12 x 12 cardstock paper, so I cut the english muffin tray down to size and taped.

I traced with a pencil, but went over it with black marker so it would photograph.  For future trays, I'll stick with pencil to minimize markings.  Don't forget to mark where to place the slits for the tabs like somebody did.

Cut out, score on folds (referring to your template as a guide), fold, tuck, and embellish if you desire.  I desired. 

Deliver, give hugs, and scheme with others on more ways to help.

For more ideas, check out DIY day over at A Soft Place to Land. 

 

KitchenAid deal.

I have been told several times that I should consider becoming a personal shopper.  But that's not quite right.  What I think my friends are trying to say is that I should find a way to make a living off my ability to unearth some really sweet deals.  It's usually just a combo of being in the right place at the right time, but I admit, it is uncanny how often it seems to happen.  Actually, it's not that remarkable once you consider that I'm just always shopping for something.  I don't think I'm a full-on shopaholic, but that's probably only because I'm married and have a family.  If I were still a single gal, I'm sure I'd be in trouble.

Last week, a former co-worker emailed me and said he wanted to buy his girlfriend a KitchenAid mixer.  He wanted top of the line (she's a baking enthusiast--so obviously I thought she sounded great) and knew it would cost him a pretty penny.  Well, I happen to know that he is saving for another HUGE purchase in the very near future...think sparkle, sparkle, Asscher cut--and no I'm not tipping her off because she doesn't know me...so I feel it is my duty to get him the best deal out there.

Looky, looky what I found.

Amazon has the 600 professional series available for $299--though there is one catch.  That price is valid only on the meringue color.  But I like it in white.  PLUS, there is a $50 rebate (!!!).  I have the Epicurean model, which is the 600's predecessor, and I love the 6 quart capacity mixing bowl. 

And yes, the above is a referral link.  That means if you decide to buy it from linking thru me, your price is not affected but Amazon will give me 4% for referring you--I point this out because referral links offend some and I'm not trying to be sneaky.  I'm also pointing this out specifically to my friend D, who'd better click through to buy it--else no more shopping assistance for you!  Of course I'm kidding.  Sort of. 

I also wanted to post asap in case any of you were hoping for a mixer from Santa--and who knows how long the deal will last.  My mixer is already getting a workout making huge batches of freezer dough for December's cookie-thon!