Christmas Recap

Ah, what a week! Christmas came and along with it came an influx of visits from family. We enjoyed a nice Christmas morning at home, a relaxed meal with my parents and two of my siblings on the day after Christmas, and a fun visit with my sister-in-law Dawn and our niece and nephew from Oregon. As I type, my sweet nephew Simon is reading stories to my girls so I have a quiet moment to blog. I figure that I better write about Christmas before the new year is here!

I just have to say...it is so fun to have two little girls in the house at Christmas! Now that the girlies are nearly 6 and 3, they find enjoyment in the festivities. On Christmas Eve, they opened the traditional gift of pajamas, but the pajamas weren't quite so traditional. Deluxe Princess Nightgowns from the Disney Store! Yes, they really are nightgowns. The girls just LOVE them and didn't bother getting out of them at all on Christmas day.

Of course, then we got down to the business of opening gifts. Santa left stockings for the girls filled with a combo of fun and functional gifts. Funnily enough, the girls were most excited by their new Arm & Hammer "My Way" SpinBrush toothbrushes that they could decorate with stickers. I can't say that I'm disappointed with that.

We also bought a few more gifts for the girls. They each received a set of Playmobil toys (which would coordinate nicely with their Playmobil Take Along Princess Chest that they would receive from Nanna). They also got a Disney Princess AND Prince doll -- Ella got Ariel & Eric and Lucie got Belle & The Beast. My sister Jamie and I would have gone crazy if we had unwrapped something that cool on Christmas morning. I guess you can sense my motivation for buying that gift.

The girls also picked out the typical gift for a dad -- new ties! I wouldn't have had them do that except that Brett actually likes ties and uses them everyday for work. They each told me what color they wanted to buy him: red for Ella, purple for Lucie. Then, we checked out the different ones online at Men's Wearhouse. I realized that Lucie can't keep a secret just yet when she told Brett that we wrapped up a "scarf" for him. Thankfully, he didn't really understand what she said, so his gifts were still a surprise on Christmas morning.

All in all, it was a lovely day. And now, I better get to planning this evening's festivities!

Merry Christmas!

"I bring you good new of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." - Luke 2:10-12

A New Christmas Nativity

"That Aunt Cass, she's a giver!" Ella exclaimed when we received a recent package from my beloved aunt. Indeed, Aunt Cass is a giver. Over the years, she has given me three treasured nativity pieces, a beautiful candy dish and matching juice goblets, and many, many bottles of Watkins Double-Strength Vanilla.

This year, she gifted sent us a large box with the makings of a Nativity Set.  -- a stable that was built by my cousin Joe and a collection of Anamalz, small poseable animal figures made of sustainable maple and textiles. In her note, Cass commissioned us to find other pieces to complete the set. The girls were both so excited about it, and we got to looking around our house for ways to complete it.

I decided that we would place the set beneath the tree since that is what my mom did with ours when we were children. Naturally, we also decided that my three nativity pieces that have never had a stable to call home should become a part of the set. Then, Ella got to work with her homemade ornaments and soon enough we had a star and an angel to hang from the tree. While we are still missing shepherds and wise men, I hope that over the years this collection can grow and evolve. Perhaps we'll make it a tradition to make some new "pieces" each year.

Thank you for the memories Aunt Cass!

Christmas Meal Plan

This past week, I've been thinking a lot about what will be on the menu this Christmas weekend. I love the idea of establishing a tradition when it comes to food. Not only does it make a memory, it also just simplifies life a bit in what is usually a hectic time for me. I would love to have a set of recipes to pull out each year. I'm not there yet, but this weekend I'll be experimenting with some to see if they work for my family.
Here is my plan for the weekend:

Christmas Eve: Tortellini Soup & Homemade Bread
Last year we celebrated Christmas Eve with my brother-in-law's family. His in-laws were in town, and we were treated to a delicious tortellini soup that his mother-in-law Debbie made. She is a fantastic cook! Since we will hopefully be attending a Christmas Eve service, I wanted an easy dinner. From the recipe, it looks as if Toretellini Soup will fit the bill.

Christmas Morning: Sticky Buns, Eggs & Little Smokies
When I was growing up, Mom always made scrambled eggs and Little Smokies for Christmas morning breakfast. This is the one tradition that I automatically gravitated toward when we started having Christmas at home on our own. This year, my plan is to make a plate of sticky buns early in the morning and then cook up some eggs and Little Smokies. Most likely, we'll break out the "princess" cups from my Aunt Cass for our orange juice.

I actually have a recipe for Scrambled Eggs that I love to use. I know you're thinking, "Why do you need a recipe for scrambled eggs?" Well, quite frankly, they taste so much better when I follow an actual recipe than when I just throw it together!

Scrambled Eggs

4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
1/4 cup milk
1 Tablespoon butter

Whisk together the eggs, salt, pepper and milk in a bowl. (I usually just whip them up in my beloved Magic Bullet.) Heat butter in a non-stick skillet until the butter foams. Pour in the eggs. Use a wooden spoon to push the eggs from one side of the pan to the other until they are cooked to your liking. I abhor runny scrambled eggs so I cook them just until they are no longer wet.

Christmas Dinner: Since I don't want to be stuck in the kitchen making a huge meal on Christmas Day, I'm trying to keep it simple. I'm planning on roasting a chicken with garlic, rosemary and lemon like I learned how to do in The Last Minute Party Girl. I must not be as talented as the author because it takes me longer than 10 minutes to prep the bird, but once the bird is in the oven, there is very little to do. As for dessert, I'm still contemplating what to make. I could go the easy and traditional route and make Toffee Dream pie ahead of time. It is soooo good! But, since I might be making that for a celebration with my parents and siblings on the 26th, I thought it might be fun to make a Buche de Noel and use this chocolate filling (but substitute white chocolate for dark and omit the peppermint extract) and top it with homemade buttercream frosting (with added Special Dark Cocoa Powder). The girls would love it if I picked up some special Playmobil for the occasion too!

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If you're looking for more Christmas Meal inspiration, check out Life as Mom for Ultimate Recipe Swap!

Praise Baby

I have a confession. At least a year ago, my sister-in-law Aimee and I swapped some children's DVD's. I believe she returned mine, but I haven't returned hers...and I'm kinda loathe to do it.

The DVD I borrowed is Praise Baby: Sleepytime Lullabies. It's quite similar to the Baby Einstein videos -- they have images of kids, animals, animation etc. that are set to music. Rather than classical music, they are set to to popular praise and worship songs.

It. Is. Great!

I don't know about other people's experience with this collection of videos, but for my kids, it's like magic. They can be grumpy and irritating each other. Then I pop in the video, and they are much more content and singing along to the songs. It also makes me feel better if I'm in a grumpy mood. And let's get real, if my kids are grumpy and irritated, then chances are that they've made me that way too. So really, it's a win-win for all of us...just as long as I don't return the video. (Just kidding Aimee...I'll return the video...someday.)

Potty Training

After nearly 6 years of changing diapers on a daily basis, it appears as if the end is in sight! Lucie is finally on her way to being potty trained.

It began a couple of weeks ago when I decided that it was indeed time that she begin at least sitting on the potty. If the girl can insist on color-coordinating her Bum Genius cloth diapers with her dresses, the girl is old enough to try sitting on the potty.

She protested at first, but eventually the lure of a jelly bean from our cute etched glass jar was enough to get her to try it. I still haven't been brave enough to switch her to underwear, but she is doing a great job.

Fairly soon, we will say goodbye to the cloth diapers. I admit that the BumGenius cloth diapers have served us well over the past two years. They have indeed fit her from 1 year until nearly 3 years. For anyone who is interested in cloth diapering, I highly recommend BumGenius. They have a wonderful product with a 1-year warranty and fantastic customer service. If we ever have any more kids, I think that I will cloth diaper again. I have saved so much money using cloth compared to disposables...especially considering that my kids have both taken until about 3 years to potty train!

Make It Monday: Etched Glass Gifts

Welcome to the last Make It Monday of the Christmas 2010 season! Over the past couple of weeks, I've talked about some homemade gifts like flaxseed heating wraps, dancing ribbons & felt crowns for kids and flavored liqueurs. Today I'm going to talk about etched glass gifts.

I got this idea from another M.O.P.S. craft that we did a few years ago. Personally, I have only etched a small glass, lidded container (seen above) and a small oval mirror. But, basically you can use etching cream on all types of glass products -- drinking glasses, vases, candle holders, storage containers. You could even etch something on a glass bottle like the ones I used for my Vanilla Liqueur. One project that I would love to do with etching cream is to make a set of numbered wine glasses - no need for wine charms and no mixing up your glass with someone else's. Simple and cute. It's on my "to do" list one day.

Here's a basic explanation of how I've done this project in the past. We made our own templates with contact paper and an exacto knife However, keep in mind that the cream actually etches into glass, so it is caustic. Use it carefully and be sure to follow the instructions that come with your etching cream.

Here's what you need

• glass item to etch
• glass cleaner & towel
• print out / template of your design
• contact paper
• exacto knife
• plastic gloves to protect your hands
• etching cream (such as Armour Etch Cream)
• paintbrush

Here's what you do:

1. Clean the area where you plan to etch your design with a glass cleaner.
2. Transfer your design onto contact paper. When I made the container above, I used a computer print-out of the letter P, cut it out (including the loop of the P) and traced it onto the contact paper. Then use the exacto knife to remove your shape from your piece of contact paper. In my example, I ended up with a square of contact paper that was missing the shape of a P. I also cut out the inside of the P and used it as part of the template.
3. Adhere your template to the glass and press firmly so that all edges are stuck completely to the glass. You don't want etching cream to get under the edges or it will blur your design.
4. Wearing gloves and using a paint brush, apply a thick layer of etching cream to your design. Wait several minutes or as instructed by the cream's directions.
5. Rinse the cream off thoroughly and remove your contact paper template. 

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For other "Make It Monday" ideas, visit last year's posts -- the Playdough Kit, Family Calendars, Morning Out Kit, Romance Kit, Pizza Night Kit, and Personalized T-Shirts.

Our Christmas "Estrofest"

Last weekend, Brett was in Washington, D.C. to have some meetings about a potential project, so the girls and I had four days without him. Once upon a time, I used to bemoan his absence when he left on trips. A couple of years ago, I decided to embrace those absences and enjoy a girls' weekend with my two girlies, an "estrofest" if you will. Now, I don't have any set rules about what we do at our estrofests, but in the past they've typically included:

• Eating one meal from McDonald's (Brett's not a big fan of McDo so we don't eat there often). Sometimes we eat there, othertimes we have a "picnic" in front of the TV and watch a "kid movie"
• Watching at least one "mommy movie." Since I've trained my girls well, at ages 5 and 2, they both will watch Jane Austen movies with me. We've got Pride & Prejudice (Keira Knightly version)), Pride & Prejudice (BBC Version) and Sense & Sensiblity. I'd like to add some more movies to my collection so that we'll have a little more variety!

Since it is Christmas time, I of course had to add a holiday-themed event to our schedule. The girls were soooo excited to put together our store-bought gingerbread house. We had a great time doing it together. Simple joys.

Holiday Tradition: Food Gifts

Food traditions and holidays go hand in hand. For me, no Christmas is complete without a slice of Toffee Dream Pie! The recipe sounds so strange, but it is oh, so, good. It's one of those desserts that we'd eat the leftovers for breakfast because if you waited for a more "appropriate" time, there wouldn't be any leftover to be had.

Another "holiday food tradition"that I love is to make food gifts for friends, some family members and those special people who do nice things for our family (caregivers, work support staff, etc). Back in high school and in my office days, I liked to make either bags or plates of goodies. Some of my favorites treats to include have been Chocolate Chip Cookies, Snickerdoodles, Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies and my once top-secret recipe for Walnut Bars.

However, since we all seem to be beseiged by cookies at this time of year, I find that it's also nice to make gifts of the non-cookie variety. Last year, I bottled up some homemade liqueurs (amaretto & coffee) for my brothers-in-law in Oregon. This year, I purchased some cool bottles at World Market and tested out my own creation for Vanilla Liqueur. I'm still not sure who is going to get those ones yet. The Oregonians won't be headed here, and I don't really want to ship a liquid...that just sounds like a mess. So, someone nearby just might be a lucky recipient!

Along with those glass bottles, I bought some cool little seasoning jars with red ceramic lids. Using this recipe as a guide, I'm going to mix up some dipping oil seasoning to put in these jars. On Sunday, I tried my version out, and it was quite yummy with some toasted sourdough bread. If I have time, I might try out this ciabatta recipe and include a small loaf along with the seasoning mix. I think the dipping oil seasoning is an idea that I just might experiment with in the future.

Hot cocoa mix is also a quick and easy gift idea. Ella's teacher and classroom aide will be the lucky recipients of some of Lynn's Homemade Hot Cocoa mix that the girls and I mixed up on Monday night. Rather than buying jars, I'm repurposing some Bonne Maman jam jars and including a tag with the recipe (and Lynn's website, of course!)

While I enjoy making homemade food gifts, I have purchased food gifts in the past few years to make my life just a bit easier. I imagine that there are others out there who feel the same way. You can easily put together a cute and inexpensive "thank you" gift for those people you want to give a little something to WITHOUT actually having to make anything. I like to buy a few boxes of the Awesome Bars from See's Candies (Awesome Peanut Brittle Bars, Awesome Walnut Square Bars and Awesome Nuts & Chew Bars. Then, I wrap up 2 or 3 bars with some cellophane, ribbon, and a tag that says, "You're awesome!" along with a personal note. It costs less than $3 per gift, and has been just perfect to give to the sweet caregiver who watch my girls at MOPS.

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For other recipes of holiday traditions, be sure to stop by Jessica's Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life As Mom. For other homemade gift ideas, check out "Make It Monday."

Love. Support. Encouragement. Fun.

When I picked Ella up from school last week, she was very grumpy. I'm not sure what exactly was the cause on that particular day. Tired. Hungry. Missing home. A combination of the above. When we made it home, I fixed her some lunch and she asked, "Mom, can I watch Pride & Prejudice?" She even asked for the super-long BBC version! Obviously, I didn't let her watch ALL of it that afternoon, but it did put her in a much better mood.

Of course, I couldn't help but watch some of it with her as I did my work around the house. It got me to thinking about the lovely relationship between the two eldest Miss Bennetts -- Jane and Lizzy. They love, support, encourage, and have fun with one another. Although this is only a fictional relationship, I heartily wish that my Ella and Lucie will grow to share a loving, supportive, encouraging and fun relationship.

This past weekend as we were hanging out with just the three of us, I caught one of those precious glimpses of what the future will hopefully hold for them. They played and laughed together. They helped one another. And, Ella even helped and encourage Lucie as she was potty training. I felt so blessed as a mom so see that they are well on their way to having a wonderful relationship. It made my heart very, very glad.

Ella's Christmas Ornaments

It amazes me what joy and hours of activity a set of new Crayola markers can bring. A couple of weeks ago, I busted out some markers that I picked up at one of the back-to-school sales so that the girls could draw on our Christmas Calendar. Since then, Ella has enjoyed drawing and making paper creations with the markers as well as her crayons. Nearly every morning, she tries to squeeze in some art before school. She's been gifting lots of people with her creations -- school teacher, dance teacher, childcare provider, friends, etc.

Now, she hasn't just been making drawings. She has also been making ornaments! I didn't even show her the idea - she thought of it all on her own. She draws out a shape, cuts it out, and tapes a loop of embroidery thread at the top. I keep finding them everywhere! She has a stack ready to go to decorate our still unadorned tree. It was just a few years ago that she was breaking "oh-na-ments" and now she is making them.

Make It Monday: Vanilla Liqueur

Welcome back to "Make It Monday," a source for homemade gift ideas and instructions. This Christmas season, I've explained how to make a Flaxseed Heating Wrap as well as the child-friendly Dancing Ribbons and Felt Crowns. Today, I'm going to talk about a homemade gift for adults -- homemade liqueurs.

Some liqueurs can be made rather quickly (typically those that use extracts) while others take some steeping time (typically those that use fresh ingredients like citrus peel). Last year, I made coffee liqueur as well as amaretto for two of my brothers-in-law. They were quick and easy to make, and had the benefit of tasting yummy together. (Just mix 1/3 amaretto, 1/3 coffee liqueur and 1/3 half-and-half and serve over ice.)

As for bottling up your homemade beverage, you can go the "green" way and recycle a glass bottle with a screw lid. Just be sure to sterilize the cap and bottle before filling them up. You can also check out stores for pretty bottles. I just bought the one pictured above from World Market (they're sold out online but you can check stores).

Recipes abound for different homemade liqueurs. Last year, I used All Recipes to research and read feedback about particular liqueur recipes. Here's one of their articles about making homemade liqueur if you're interested for more info. This year, I tried my hand at making some Vanilla Liqueur. Since it is made with an extract, it doesn't need steeping time. However, it will taste better after the flavors have some time to blend and mellow.


Vanilla Liqueur

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups vodka
4 Tablespoons vanilla extract

In a saucepan, combine the water and two sugars over medium heat. Bring to a boil and make sure all of the sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from heat and let the sugar mixture cool for at least 20 minutes. Add the vodka and extract and stir well to combine. Store in a sealed bottle.

Amaretto Variation: Substitute dark brown sugar for the light and 2 Tablespoons of almond extract for 2 Tablespoons of the vanilla.

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For other "Make It Monday" ideas, visit last year's posts -- the Playdough Kit, Family Calendars, Morning Out Kit, Romance Kit, Pizza Night Kit, and Personalized T-Shirts.

Flashback

A couple of months ago, we checked out the Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper DVD from the library. Ella initally didn't want to watch it. Apparently, there was a mean-looking, white haired lady on the back of the case that freaked her out. Yeah, in the past she's had a thing about white haired people. I think it is a holdover from her fear of Santa Claus. Anyway, Lucie was totally set on watching it. She has no such qualms about white-haired people. I put it on while they were eating lunch and eventually Ella was hooked. Come on...princesses, singing. It's gotta be a winner for two princess-loving girls, right?

Oh yes. Yes, it is.

Soon enough, they were pretending to be the characters in the movie. I used to do that ALL the time as a girl -- The Parent Trap was one of my favorites. (The original Haley Mills version, of course...no Lindsey Lohan for me.) Not only were my girls pretending to be the characters, they were fighting over who got to be who. Yes, I confess that I used to fight over the same thing with my sisters. However, since there were three of us, we used to fight over which one of Charlie's Angels we were going to be. Because Jamie had the brown hair, she automatically got to be Jaclyn Smith's character. Because Jessica was the oldest, she called dibbs on Farrah Fawcett's and/or Cheryl Ladd's character. As the youngest, I was "forced" to be Kate Jackson's character. I was never happy about that one. She wasn't nearly as glamorous as the others.

And now about 30 years later, I sit and watch my girls fight over who gets to be Princess Annelise (the blonde) and who has to be the pauper Erica (the brunette). Strangely enough, it is my two-year old who insists on being the Princess, and my five-year old who gets upset. I can't help but laugh.

Easy Oven Potatoes

About twice a month, I have the privilege of attending my local Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group. It is a great opportunity to eat brunch, hang out with other moms and drink a cup of coffee while it is still hot. Each week, a number of moms are assigned to bring a dish to share for our brunch. I love partaking of the egg and potato dishes. Oftentimes, moms are hesitant to sign-up for these items since they take some preparation on a morning that is usually busy for all of us. Since I love eating eggs and potatoes, I almost always sign up to bring one of them. Sometimes I make two quiches the night before -- one for dinner and one to reheat in the morning for MOPS. Othertimes, I make these easy potatoes. It takes me about 20 minutes to prep the dish and an hour to bake it in the oven. As long as I prep them when I first wake up, I can always have them ready in time to make the school drop off and get to the meeting early. I've also found that they are a great side dish for dinner too.

Easy Oven Potatoes

10 russet potatoes, about 5 pounds
1 1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
3/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and dice the potatoes. Put them into a 9 x 13 baking dish. In a bowl, combine the melted butter with the onions and seasonings, and then pour over the potatoes. Stir to combine well. Bake at 400 degrees for 60-75 minutes.

A Dark Chocolate Discovery

When I was pregnant the first time around, I discovered that I preferred dark chocolate to milk chocolate. It was as if I had never thought about a preference before and the pregnancy cravings created one in me. These days, if given a choice, I always choose dark over milk.

Last week when perusing $10 Gifts or Less at Life As Mom, I checked out Lynn's recipe for flavored homemade hot cocoa. Her recipe calls for dutch-processed cocoa or Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa, which is a "blend of natural and dutch-processed cocoas." Special Dark Cocoa? I didn't even know such a thing existed...but I knew that I had to try it.


I picked up some at my local Albertson's, and I couldn't resist trying it out on the frosting for Brett's birthday cake. It. Was. Amazing!  In general, homemade frosting is sooooo much better than storebought. I had made "chocolate" frosting with regular cocoa powder before, and it was good. But, the dark chocolate frosting was even better. I think Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa just might become a staple at our house. The frosting got rave reviews. For those who like dark chocolate frosting, here's what I did...

Dark Chocolate Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
1/4 cup milk

Combine sugar, butter, vanilla and cocoa in medium bowl. Add milk and mix until smooth and spreadable. Add additional milk if needed.

All She Wants for Christmas Is Her Two Front Teeth

And it looks as if Ella will get them!

It feels as if it has taken FOREVER for her two front teeth to grown in. She lost them in late July and early August. I meant to post that story, but never got around to it. So, I thought that I would today. Who can resist pictures of a little girl with missing teeth?!

At the beginning of the summer, my sweetie looked like this:

As the summer wore on, her top front teeth started getting loose. As with her first two, it took a long time for the top two to fall out. The first one decided to come out in July when Brett was on a missions trip to Guatemala. After watching (and grimacing) while one of them flopped around in her mouth for a couple of days, it finally came time that I had to pull it.

Oh, I didn't want to pull it. Never did I think that I would ever pull one of my kid's teeth. In my mind, that is Daddy's job! But, Daddy was gone and it needed to come out. Ella had bumped her mouth on the nightstand in my room, and her mouth was bleeding. So, the easiest solution was to just pull the sucker out. It wasn't an easy feat but somehow I managed it...after about 30 minutes or so. Despite being scared initially, Ella was elated when it was finally out. I suppose the extra buck I paid her for letting me pull it might have contributed to that!

Well, naturally, the absence of one tooth made for a lack of support for the other. Soon, the second tooth was flopping around in her mouth. For some reason, Ella forgot the elation she felt when the other tooth came out and was afraid of the other one coming out. She didn't want either Brett or me to come near her mouth. Despite promises of money...and even a much desired Ariel Doll, she would not cave and let us pull the tooth. After the tooth flopped around for at least a week, it's time had come. We were camping in Oregon, and frankly, the tooth was just getting gross. Ella couldn't brush it properly and didn't want us brushing them because she thought we'd knock it out. So, we did what I'm sure other parents have done...we pinned her down and pulled it. It took three adults to do the job -- Brett held her mouth open, I held her hands down, and Auntie Ray held Ella's legs with her knees and ever so gently wiped it out with a kleenex. She hardly even had to touch the tooth before it fell out. After the inital shock of how the whole thing went down, Ella was happy to have her tooth gone.

And we were all happy to see this smile. Boy, did she like sticking her tongue through the hole!

And now we're happy to see this one...

Make-It Monday: Felt Crowns & Dancing Ribbons

Welcome back to "Make It Monday". Each Monday from now until Christmas, I'm going to attempt to post some ideas for inexpensive, homemade gifts. Last week I started off "Make It Monday 2010" with instructions on how to make a Flaxseed Heating Wrap. Today, is your lucky day! You're going to get TWO homemade gift ideas for children instead of just one -- Play Felt Crowns and Dancing Ribbons. They would make a great stocking stuffer -- small, cute and inexpensive! It's easy enough to make several at a time and stash some extras for future gifts as well.

A couple of years ago, I read about the book Creative Play for Your Toddler: Steiner Waldorf Expertise and Toy Projects for 2-4s on a friend's blog. I loved the idea of simple, homemade toys and ordered the book primarily for the toy ideas. The book is filled with lots of projects; however, I discovered that many of them probably required more time than I wanted to spend to create them. One project that particular caught my eyes was "Crowns and Cloaks." At the time, Ella was going to have a Castle Birthday Party, and I thought it would be fun to make crowns for all of our little guests.

Inspired by the book, I decided to make felt crowns with one particular change that my brilliant mother had suggested. Rather than sewing elastic to the sides of the felt crown, I used an elastic headband.  This created a one-size-fits-all crown and simplified the process -- no worrying about how large a child's head was and not having to stitch the elastic on. (You can see the red headband in the photo above -- I got a pack of 5 at the dollar store and they were in basic colors. Perfect!)

For our party, I made the crowns ahead of time and allowed the children to choose rhinestones to decorate them. They told me where to place them, and I affixed them with a hot glue gun. Obviously, rhinestones can be a choking hazard for young children, so a sewn on felt embellishment might be a better choice for little ones. Use your common sense.

Play Felt Crowns

Here's what you need:

• felt in your preferred color(s)
• scissors
• needle & thread
• elastic headband (I got a pack of five at the 99 cent store!)
• embellishments (sequins, small shapes of colored felt, rhinestones etc.)
• hot glue gun & glue  

1. Draw a template of what you'd like the front of your crown to look like.
2. Trace your template onto a strip of folded felt and cut out.
3. Sew decorations onto one side of the felt. If you choose to glue them on, you can do that now or later if you wish.
4. Slip the elastic headband between the folded felt and then stitch around the crown to close it. You may want to reinforce the stitching near the headband.
5. Glue on your embellishments if you haven't already done so.

Dancing Ribbons

Like many kids, my girls love to dance around the house. I made these simple dancing ribbons for my niece and my girls. Here's what you'll need:

• a thick wooden dowel 
• sandpaper
• small eye screws
• craft paint or wood varnish
• several yards of ribbon in various colors
• embroidery thread, fishing wire or elastic bead cord

1. Cut the wooden dowel into several pieces to make handles. I cut mine to lengths of about 5 inches long. Use sandpaper to smooth the wood, especially the cut ends.
2. Put an eye screw into one end of the handle. This might be difficult -- I used a set of pliers to twist it in.
3. If you wish, you can either paint the handle or put some wood varnish on it. This takes more time, but I liked having a nice clear finish on mine. That way, you can wipe down the handles to clean them and the wood won't get stained by grimy little hands. I varnished them after I put the screw in so that I could hold it more by the eye screw while I worked and was then able to hang them to dry.
4. Cut your ribbon into long lengths. Mine were about a yard long each. Fold over one end of each ribbon about 1/2-inch and stitch down to make a little loop. I used 5 ribbons for each handle.
5. Thread some thread/wire/cord through the little loop and make a double knot. Then place the thread through the eye screw and tie tightly. Repeat with all ribbons. Initially, I tied mine on with embroidery thread, but I noticed that it has a tendency to come untied. So, I've repaired mine with elastic bead cord and it seems to be holding better.

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For other "Make It Monday" ideas, visit last year's posts -- the Playdough Kit, Family Calendars, Morning Out Kit, Romance Kit, Pizza Night Kit, and Personalized T-Shirts.

For other frugal ideas, visit Life As Mom on Fridays for Frugal Friday!

Happy Birthday

Today we celebrate...

the sweet baby who came home from the hospital in a stocking...

who grew a darling boy who learned early on to help with house work...

who matured into a entertaining teenager that I knew (but did not love...yet)

who became the man I married...

who became a wonderful father.

Happy Birthday Brett! We love you!

Fun and Frugal Ways to Celebrate Christmas

December is a hard time for me. Right after Thanksgiving, I jump into Birthday & Christmas Season. My husband's birthday is in early December and is followed all-too-soon by Christmas. Right after New Year's, we celebrate Lucie's birthday, and then we celebrate Ella's a few weeks after that. Not only is it a busy season with so many wonderful things to celebrate, it is difficult for me too keep my budget under control. I love giving gifts to my family on their special days. Throughout the rest of the year, it's easier for me to stick to our budget and avoid any unecessary spending. But when their birthdays and Christmas arrive, I want to shower them with gifts! I'm in the process of adjusting my budget by saving throughout the year so that I can do just that.

However, Christmas is something that I'd like to celebrate all December long...and not just with gifts. When I began creating my Christmas Calendar a couple of weeks ago, I got to thinking about the things I want to do with my girls and the memories that I want us to make as a family. Funnily enough, most of the things that I came up with DON'T involve money. There are lots of ways to celebrate throughout the month without hurting your budget:

• Go to a Christmas Tree Lighting -- we're headed out to one tonight! Our little rural valley offers at least two tree lightings that I'm aware of and many local shops offer holiday Open Houses at the same time. Check with your local paper to see what is going on in your area.
• Go to a Christmas Parade. If all goes according to plan, we're headed to one tomorrow! The kids just LOVE collecting all the candy from the parade participants.
• Count down to Christmas with a Candy Calendar. I had one of these when I was a kid, and I LOVED it. A few years ago I made one for Ella and posted some instructions here. If you get a ton of candy from a Christmas Parade, use it on the calendar!
• Check out a Living Nativity if there is one in your area. The church I attended as a girl had a drive-thru one every year, and our current town has a Nativity Pageant at our local outdoor theater. I've never actually gone to the Pageant, but I've got it on our "To-Do" list this year! Don't have one in your area? Get some friends together and make your own!
• Go look at Christmas Lights. A friend of mine likes to get her kids bundled up in their pjs close to bedtime and drive to a town about 20-minutes away where there is a phenomenal street. Typically, her husand will drive around until the kids fall asleep in the car...and once they do, she and her hubby stop at Baskins & Robbins for ice cream. A family outing and date night all in one! (No, they don't leave their kids unattended in the car -- one of them runs in to get it and then they eat it in the car.)
• Build a Gingerbread House. You can find inexpensive kits at various places, but Organized Christmas also provides Gingerbread Recipe & instructions. I was going to try this one out until my mom gifted me with a kit. The girls can't wait to make it!
• Do a holiday craft once a week with your kids. Family Fun is a great resource for cute and inexpensive Christmas crafts.
• Make holiday cookies with your kids or host a Cookie Making Party. Here is an egg-free cookie recipe that works with cookie cutters. Also, check out FishMama's Ulitmate Recipe Swap for other cookie recipes.
• Take your child out on a "date" for a special treat and shop for a Christmas ornament for his/her collection.
• Take a family walk and collect some pinecones. Turn your finds into nearly free ornaments with some ribbon, paint and eye screws. Screw an eye screw into the base of the pinecone and thread it with some pretty ribbon. Put some paint (white or gold) onto a paper plate and roll the edges of the pinecone in it. Let dry and then hang on your tree! See photo above for an example.

Sablés sans oeufs

Yesterday, Ella had a playdate with her good friend Vera. When Lu heard the news that she wouldn't be going on the playdate, she was quite sad. But, she brightened up when I told her that we could make cookies while Ella was gone. I had intended to make Sugar Cookies and let her paint them with powdered sugar glaze. However, when it came time to do it, I realized that we didn't have eggs, and I didn't have time to run to the store. Thankfully, I remembered that I had a recipe for a cookie without eggs -- "Sablés sans oeufs." The word sablé is French for "sand" and describes this cookie's crumbly, sandy-like texture. They are basically like a butter shortbread cookie. Typically, they are brushed with an egg white wash before baking which gives them a shiny appearance. However, these are sans oeufs or "without eggs" so they don't have the egg wash. Quick, simple, easy.

I found this recipe at least 16 years ago in a cookbook that my French teacher had. Our assignment was to translate a recipe and then make it for the class to sample. The list of ingredients is short and the instructions were brief, so there wasn't much translating to do. However, I did have to figure out the measurements because the French use grams for measurement rather than cups. Whether or not I translated it accurately, this recipe is tasty. The added plus is that they'll work for people with egg allergies.

Sablés sans oeufs (Shortbread Cookies without Eggs)

1/2 cup sugar
vanilla, to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon but more would be good too. Can you have too much vanilla?!)
3 Tablespoons milk
pinch of baking soda
pinch of salt
1 2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup butter

In a bowl, mix the sugar, vanilla, milk, baking soda and salt. Add the flour and incorporate the butter. Knead the dough by hand. (I just used my KitchenAid.) Spread the dough out flat and cut into squares. Bake in the oven at 325 for about 20 minutes.

As you'll see from the picture, we made some as squares (quick & easy) and some as little Gingerbread Men. Since we read The Gingerbread Man recently, Lucie has been cutting out LOTS of Gingerbread Men with her playdough. She was REALLY excited to make cookies shaped like them. We baked the cutouts for the same amount of time and they turned out great. We also jazzed some up by sprinkling on some colored sugar before we baked them. Those turned out yummy and a bit more festive. I think it would work to paint them with a powdered sugar glaze as well.
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For other cookie recipes, be sure to visit Life As Mom for Jessica's cookie-themed Ultimate Recipe Swap. Or try my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies, Snickerdoodles or Walnut Bars.

Christmas Calendar

At a recent MOPS meeting, one of our fabulous mentors Anne shared with us one of her holiday traditions / planning tricks. Just like me, Anne found herself in "Birthday Season" during the holiday season. Early on she discovered that she really needed to be organized in order to enjoy the month of December and celebrate Christmas all month long. One way she did this was to create a Chrismas Calendar each year on a large piece of butcher paper. It had space at the top for each child to illustrate what Christmas meant to them and at the bottom there was a large calendar that included their scheduled events. Anne has kept each calendar over the years and hangs them up as decorations in her hallway at Christmas time. (She reinforces the corners with packaging tape so that they don't get damaged from hanging -- smart woman!)

Inspired by the oh-so-organized Anne, I ran home to start my calendar. Since I didn't have butcher paper (and since I like things typed), I used Microsoft Publisher to create a large poster and printed it out on separate letter-sized pages. I admit, taping them together was a total pain, but I got it done. A couple of nights ago, I let my girlies decorate it. Ella went to town on it. And Lucie, well, she needed a bit of assistance from Mommy and insisted on using pink.  I think it turned out cute, and the girls loved doing. For kids who can't really create art yet, Anne suggested using their handprints, footprints or fingerprints to make a design. I thought that you could use handprints to make a cute little wreath with green paint.

What a great way to make a memory with your kids AND be organized for the holidays. Thank you Anne!