12 Cookies of Christmas, Day 3

Up today? Blondies. I've never made them before, but I know that I'll make them again. YUM! We were all set to make a different cookie (something German and fried and artery clogging), but we're out of powdered sugar. Then, another cookie (chocolate snowballs), but out of cocoa. Then, another cookie (banana sandwiches), but out of both powdered sugar and cocoa. We had all the ingredients for the blondies (even the coconut - I always have coconut), so that's what we did. We don't go to the store until tomorrow, so I have no idea what we're going to make tonight! Maybe we'll skip making cookies tonight and just EAT some cookies!

Winner of the ugly holiday sweater contest? ME!

Is it any wonder that I took top honors in the ugly sweater contest? I think that the accessories really helped me clinch the winner's spot. After all, who doesn’t LOVE a glittery poinsettia tucked subtly behind the ear?

12 Cookies of Christmas, Day 2

Since my carpool person is in London, I'm taking the bus. And, now that the semester is over, this means some nice reading time. Ahhhh..... That also means that when I get home, there isn't a lot of baking time to be had. This 12 Cookies of Christmas thing is going to be interesting!

So, tonight we opted for something quick and easy: pumpkin chocolate chip via cake mix. Can of pumpkin, package of cake mix, chocolate chips, nuts, drop onto cookie sheet and bake.

Yummy, fun, and the boys get to whip batter all over the kitchen with the mixer. Perfect. (But a horrible picture!)

12 Cookies of Christmas, Day 1

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - a fun idea that I'm borrowing from Apron Antics (who, incidentally, hasn't posted anything for a year, and I'm officially threatening to remove your blog from my roll. Come on, Julie - I love what you cook - throw me a bone - or a recipe!)

So, the idea is easy enough, right? Bake a different cookie each day for the 12 days before Christmas!
Day 1 - didn't work out like I thought it would. We ended up at granny's for dinner which meant that we wouldn't get home in time to bake anything before bed. So, we opened a package of refrigerated sugar cookies that granny had, plopped them on a baking sheet, and tossed it all on the oven. Peanut and I still had fun watching the cookies flatten out and get brown. (Meatball spent much of this time in the naughty corner for various reasons.)
So, we had cookies, but not according to plan. The best laid plans..... right?!?!

Movies with mom

This is a horrible picture taken with my phone in low light. However, I want to remember how stinkin' cute these three are together! Boys and mom watching a movie in bed:

Advent Messages

We have an advent calendar that is super cute, but the little stockings are so teeny that you can't fit much more than a roll of Smarties in them. So, this year, I decided to do something different. I have written little notes to Bub and the boys and placed them in the stockings to be read each morning. The notes say things like "I like it when you sing. It makes me happy. Love, Mommy" or "You are such a fast runner! Way to go! Love, Mommy" or "Thanks for teaching our kids the difference between right and left. Good job."
I hope that Bub and the boys have as much fun reading the messages as I did creating them. I hope that this can be a yearly tradition (read: I hope I remember to do this every year). The picture is fuzzy, but it gets the point across.

thanksgiving nap

I'm not actually sure why they needed a nap because they didn't bother to eat ANYTHING - especially turkey! (They did, however, both wake up in the middle of the night because they were hungry. I told them that they had to wait until breakfast. It was a lllloooonnnnggg night.)