Homemade for the holidays

December is just around the corner, and I'm sure you don't want to buy everything at the last minute. Here's a great gift for anyone on your list...the Small Batter Bowl filled with all the ingredients to make Celebration Cookies! They are so delicious...white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, etc!'Tis the season for holiday baking. This month everyone will save on baking essentials with the Pampered Chef...our Stackable Cooling Rack is on sale for just $10.75 (which I absolutely LOVE, I have 2 & they stack beautifully together, and fold down for easy storage), the Cookie Press is $21.50, our NEW Pastry Mat is only $22 and the Pastry Blender is $11.50...that's 20% off our regular price!

Here's another recipe that you can fill the Small Batter Bowl with...or any 1 quart container!

M & M cookies:

3/4 cup (169g) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (2.5mL) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (2.5mL) salt
1/2 teaspoon (2.5mL) ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (113g) chopped walnuts
1 cup (225g) M&M'S® Chocolate Mini Baking Bits, divided
1/2 cup (113g) raisins
3/4 cup (169g) firmly packed light brown sugar
1-1/4 cups (281g) uncooked quick oats

In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In 1-quart clear glass jar with tight-fitting resealable lid, layer flour mixture, walnuts, 1/2 cup M&M'S® Chocolate Mini Baking Bits, raisins, brown sugar, remaining 1/2 cup M&M'S® Chocolate Mini Baking Bits, and oats. Seal jar; wrap decoratively. Give as a gift with the following instruction: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease cookie sheets; set aside. In large bowl beat 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks, 169g) butter, 1 large egg, and 3/4 teaspoon (3.75mL) vanilla extract until well blended. Stir in contents of jar until well blended. Roll into 1-inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets; cool completely on wire racks. Store in tightly covered container.

MAKES 4 DOZEN COOKIES.

from http://www.mms.com/us/baking/recipes/cakes/recipe.jsp?id=29

Our wedding...

...yes, today is our sweet anniversary. I'm blessed to have such a great husband. The of us on the big day...

Here are some photos from Thanksgiving day: My husband's grandma...she's 97 years old. She played a few songs on the piano that I remember my Grandma Greene used to play "We gather together" and "Come ye faithful people come..." We would all surround her and start singing along.Uncle Scott brought home a potato launcher from Virginia...you stuff one down the skinny tube, fill the big PVC pipe will hairspray and ignite it...it was LOUD and really shot far. I got some tiny bits of potato on my camera after. Ha ha ha. Oh, and my mother-in-law brought out that bowl of potatoes, we were surprised to see her join in...it really made it a family event. Uncle Chris brought his 3 guinea pigs home from Iowa with him (and his really nice girlfriend, Heather) ...and the girls totally loved sitting and holding them, they squeaked a happy sound a lot! It was really cute.


P.S. If you want to make a super cool word with photo letters like I did above, click on this link:
http://metaatem.net/words/love

Give thanks

We have so much to be thankful for...God has given a wonderful family, great friends, a house, food, the opportunity to worship as we wish and I . Olivia putting the finishing touches on her dough. She made a bunny. Delicious, warm from the oven, the butter melted easily...
Hannah is done with her homeschooling assignments for the day, doesn't she look especially happy?
This morning I made 2 apple pies. Mmm. I am thinking I'm going to get some cheddar cheese to serve with them. We are going to eat dinner at my in-laws house tomorrow.
Even though I like working, I am looking forward to 5 days of no work...starting today! We were going to go for a bike ride and then rake leaves, but it's raining now. There are 2 large cardboard box "houses" next to me...lots of inside fun!


This is super-silly, I only did it because a friend did it and the girls LOVED it: http://www.elfyourself.com /?id=9565090017

Together

I think the girls are so beautiful. Thank God for all His blessings!

Together is a wonderful place to be.





Isn't this such a cute button tree? Every year I aim to make gifts, so I started making a few calendars, I'm going to give a few little paintings, a crocheted scarf, homemade cookies or biscotti, and who knows maybe a tree like this?

Ballerina

Tuesday was "parent observation" for Olivia's ballet class and today, Hannah's ballet class. I got to see what they've been practicing. They are doing well. Hannah is practicing on the bar and is especially learning so many advanced things (in my mind), French words like: plie, passe, rond de jambe, arabesque, tan du, bam bam, etc. I never took ballet, so it's all new to me. I'm so impressed.

Simply yeast, salt, warm water and flour + work = bread. Have you ever been to a restaurant where they serve soup in a bread bowl? Well, here is one...

Today

It's chilly...and while we were in church it started to rain, so instead of being outdoors this afternoon, we're inside. Some worked on big box houses (Rob cut out windows and the girls used markers to decorate), but I've been working on the newest batch of photos I got just a few days ago from www.winkflash.com! Their 8 x 10s are just 1.99 and I love big photos. I got almost 200 4 x 6s also, they're only 6 cents right now. Some of the photos were from a few months ago, as you can see in these photos from the summer!So, my favorite elements right now are scalloped shapes, Elsie's epoxy stickers, handwriting, a variety of colors and mixing patterned papers (thank you, Kristin, for the beautiful papers)!!! My sister's boyfriend (I think I can officially say that, now) is staying at our house this weekend. We really like him. He got the girls each a "mounty" (he's from Canada). We started going to Lowe's workshops for kids in 2005, I think, we have lots of patches! Yesterday was Juliana's first time and she had fun, but didn't finish the project there, she was very happy to have a little hammer.Here are more pictures.

Ooops!

No one is perfect. I am so embarassed that I spelled "scrumptious" incorrectly...tell me the truth, did you know it was wrong and just didn't correct me out of politeness? I did feel like it was time to change the header photo...so now you get a picture of my old and well-used non-stick silicone mat with a strawberry dipped in chocolate!

We love pomegranates, here are some great recipes: http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/howtocook/seasonal/cooknow_pomegranate?mbid=RFRob's got a myriad of hobbies, like me, but his favorite is working on his CJ. Mine? Scrapbooking is no. 1! Hannah and Olivia's? Maybe dressing up? Don't you love those pink shoes? Hannah HAD to get them, she was even crying as we buckled her in the car, she didn't need them, but thought they were so beautiful...Rob went back in the store by himself and bought them for her...now they fit Olivia.

Smile

The most important thing is a smile, doesn't have to be perfect. When someone smiles at me, I automatically smile back. 

Of my jewelry, some of my favorite things are the least expensive...I got a beautiful amber necklace when I was in Russia in 1999 for about 300 rubles, which is like $10. I wear the cross that I was baptised as an infant with all the time, it's yellow gold, but my engagement & wedding ring are white gold and I always wear those too. I know some people have to have their jewelry "match" but I'm a mixer. What do you do?

How much fun is it to be creative? Lots...I think everyone should make sure to take time for themselves to do something colourful, something to make you happy and smile...

I'm in the spotlight this week...http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/members/spotlights/ If you're not a member, sign up FREE here: http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/registration.ihtml. I love this website and their community...a great source for inspiration. Being a mom of 2 young children, I wanted to earn some extra money, so February 2005 I joined as a consultant for a scrapbooking company, I Remember When, but it's hard to sell supplies when everyone doesn't scrapbook. In August 2006 I joined the Pampered Chef and everyone cooks, because everyone has to eat! Then, last year I starting working as a substitute teacher and this year I'm the teacher's assistant in a nursery school. I'm getting back into painting, too. Why not paint around my children, many artists do, I just didn't want the chemicals involved with oil paints nor HAVE the time when they were very young, or honestly, maybe I just didn't MAKE the time, but it's good to let them see me doing something I love. Then, they can join in and create their own works of art. It's so important to let children enjoy the process, maybe they will just enjoy putting the medium down, or get representational, but don't ask them to draw a snowman or ask them to glue a orange triangle in the middle of the face and it's best not to mark children's pieces of art. Let them know that what they do is great and doesn't have to be just like what you do, it will give them confidence! I enjoy working with children, but there's nothing like my own! They are the best!!!