Friday Night Leftovers

• What is up with advent calendars going until the end of the year? Didn't they used to countdown until Christmas?

• I'm donating blood for the first time tomorrow. Do you donate?

• Presley is officially down to 1 nap a day. Even if she gets up at 5am, she will not nap until after lunch. I can't complain too much, that nap is 3.5-4 hours long.

• Speaking of napping, Samara isn't. She naps maybe several times a week now. Oh, how I am mourning this!

• I just bought these. I'm excited to try them and ditch our chemical softeners and dryer sheets for good.

• Is there anything better than logging into Paypal to pay for a purchase only to find out you have a credit balance? It's like your purchase is free!

• I'm taking Samara to the theatre on Monday to see If You Give a Mouse a Cookie . I'm very excited! She loved seeing a movie so I'm hoping a live production goes over just as well.

• Hungry for more leftovers? Head here.
  

Goals for 2011 - Review

Early in January, I made these goals. It would be easy to ignore them and focus on 2012 but I said I'd post on how I did and so I will.

- take a quilting class, register and complete a running clinic, take a cake decorating class and take a photography course.
FAIL. I didn't do any of these things.

- start working out again.
PASS! With flying colours. I am still working out 4-5 days a week (and loving it!) and I'm in the best shape of my life.

- stay at a healthy weight.
FAIL. Turns out it's pretty hard to eat enough to keep up with an active lifestyle that involves working out, chasing after 2 kids and breastfeeding.

- Skype with family and friends regularly.
Neither pass or fail. We do good, then we lapse, then we recover, etc.

- keep stepping outside my boundaries with books.
PASS. I've read so many fabulous books this year that I never would've picked up in the past.

- have a regular date night.
FAIL.

- try a new recipe once a month.
PASS. I seem to try at least half a dozen a month. Thanks to Pinterest, I'm never lacking in recipes I want to try!

- spend one on one time with each girl.
PASS. We've slacked on this due to the hustle and bustle of the holidays but are eager to get back on schedule.

- to relax more.
FAIL.

I accomplished 50% of my goals. Not terrible, not great. I'm working on my goals for 2012 and will share them next week.

Are you a goal setter? How did you do with your 2011 goals?

Wordless Wednesday (Picture Recap, November Edition)

What We're Doing Lately

Clothespin Drop
Okay, I'll be the first to admit it. It looks ghetto! It IS a bit ghetto! But it's a great tool to work on spatial awareness and fine motor skills. You just let your child practice putting clothespins into the spout of the bottle. It took Presley a few times to get it but now she can easily get it every time. To make it is simple. Cut a square opening in a clean 2L bottle so that it's easy to retrieve the clothespins afterwards. Cover the opening with some kind of tape so that the edges aren't sharp. Decorate the bottle (if you want...I hot glue gunned felt shapes). Samara likes playing with this too (for her, I challenge her to count the pins as they go in).

Water!
I've posted about this before but it's such a good sensory activity that is so simple to do. You don't need a fancy water table. Just empty the sink of dishes (or not!), add water and different sized containers. Whenever we're having one of "those" days, it's an excellent distraction from whatever is making the mood cranky. To switch it up, add bubbles and/or a few drops of food colouring for fun coloured water.

Q-tip Art
I found this idea on Pinterest. Instead of using a paintbrush or fingers as the vehicle for paint, you let your child use a q-tip for a different effect. My picture on the left shows the desired result. Sammy wasn't too interested in the dots but loves painting so much that she doesn't seem to care what she uses to get paint on the paper! We'll definitely try this again.

Pots and Pans

What kid doesn't love making noise on pots and pans?! Pick a day where you don't have a headache and aren't easily annoyed and let them at it! The girls love doing this. I tried to get a great picture of Presley in action but she was more interested in why the crazy lady was standing on the counter, trying to get a picture. As an extra learning opportunity, use the pots/pans and corresponding lids as a puzzle and get them to match them up. Good cleaning up skills too!

Do you have any fun learning activities to suggest? What do your kids love doing?

Christmas Recap

Lots of presents, lots of fun, lots of driving, lots of laughs, lots of food, lots of family, lots of love...couldn't have asked for a better Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Laugh extra loud, hug extra hard and smile extra big. Merry Christmas to you and yours. XOXO

13 months!!

This past month, Presley:
- is super close to running. Walking isn't fast enough anymore.
- knows where some of her body parts are (nose, ears, eyes, mouth, belly button, toes).
- knows what sounds some animals make.
- speaks around 30 words, the latest including apple, egg, wow, hello, bum, kitty, tickle and thank you.
- signs around 10 words.

Her favorite things:
- playing pretend in her little kitchen. She "cooks" things in the frying pan, stirs it and brings it over for us to sample.
- going for wagon rides.
- looking at Christmas lights. All we hear is "wwwowwww!!".
- pushing an empty Mega Blocks container around the kitchen. She'll purposely dump out all the blocks so she can turn over the container and use it as a makeshift walker.
- her lovey (small blanket).
- reading. She loves to look at books on her own and loves to be read to.

Things I never want to forget:
- how she blows me a kiss every time I put her in her crib for a nap/bedtime. Melt. My. Heart.
- how she walks around with her shirt up, poking herself in the belly button to tickle herself.
- how she has taken to calling me "Gy Gy"...a shortened version of the "Mamagy" that Sammy and Shawn often call me.

Thankful on Thursday

I am thankful for:

- 2 sweet little girls that shower me with love and affection. They make me feel like the best mom ever even when I'm clearly not.

- one heck of a handsome husband that does so much for this family.

- good friends scattered across Canada that I've never even met. I talk to some of these ladies on a daily basis. It just goes to show that distance can't affect a good friendship!

- the best parents a girl could ask for.

- my brand new Coach purse. She's sooo pretty.

- Nutella. Need I say more?!

Wordless Wednesday (Santa Picture Edition)

Christmas Questions

I've read this post on lots of blogs the past few weeks...not sure where it originated though.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. I love wrapping!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial. With some regret. I love real trees for the smell. But, I also love the look of our pre-lit with a zillion lights tree and the fact it doesn't need to be trimmed, watered and cleaned up after.

3. When do you put up the tree? Never before December 1st. After that, anything is fair game.

4. When do you take the tree down? Early! Usually a couple of days after Christmas. My grandma (Mom's mom) passed away a couple of days after Christmas and we've always taken things down before that anniversary.

5. Do you like eggnog? Love, love, love it!!!!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Super Nintendo.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? No. I have a little village that goes on top of the piano.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Shawn's grandma. She has EVERYTHING.

9. Easiest person to buy for? The girls.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. Even though it's a LOT of work.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Ahem. No sense in pointing fingers!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Christmas Vacation.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? November. I would love to be one of those people that buy throughout the year but I can never be that organized/motivated.

14. Ever recycled a Christmas present? No, but I've definitely donated a lot.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Any baking, any chocolate and egg nog.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? White.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee version).

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home. I want the girls to always remember having Christmas morning at home. We'll travel later in the day though.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? I thought so but my sister and I tried to do it the other night and failed!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither. I made a bow instead.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning for sure. My birthday is Christmas Eve so we try not to do anything Christmas related that day.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? CROWDS!

23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? I have so many favorites. Our tree is composed of ornaments that were gifts, made or specially chosen so they all have so much meaning.

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? I have everything I could ask for.

What Christmas Means To Us

Everyone's favorite question these days seems to be:
What are you getting your husband/wife/kids for Christmas?
I would say that it is asked more often than:
How are you spending the holidays?
And almost as much as:
Are you done your shopping?

Is the focus of Christmas on the gifts? Has gift giving and receiving gotten out of control?

I think it has. I don't feel like the main purpose of Christmas is about the gifts. We try very hard not to make it that way. The girls got several gifts, things that they needed or we knew they would love and some handmade items. We didn't go out of control. We didn't spend hundreds of dollars. In fact, I know we spent under $75 for each girl. Will they feel like Christmas wasn't great because they didn't get every single thing they've been showing interest in? Will they feel let down because we didn't get them any "big ticket" items? I would hope not (and at this age, I really doubt it!).

As far as Shawn and I go...are you ready for this? We don't give each other Christmas gifts. Don't be surprised! We live on a tight budget and would prefer our money to go other places. We don't feel ripped off or disappointed come Christmas morning when there isn't a present under the tree with our name on it. We've been doing this for quite a few years now. We maintain our debt free status throughout the holidays and have no buyer's remorse and no anxiety about paying the bills. We shop very carefully with a $20 budget for each other's stockings and have so much fun trying to come up with creative ways to make that money go far.

But, it's not all because of our budget. We could find the money if we wanted to. We simply don't see a point in exchanging gifts when we have everything we need. For us, it's not about the gifts on Christmas. We enjoy watching the girls Christmas morning and then the focus is on family. This is what Christmas truly means for us. Time for family, good food and good memories.

*This post is not meant to offend people that DO go all out for Christmas. Each to their own!

Amazing

Imagine being 8 years old. Imagine being such an incredible little girl that you decide you're going to grow out your hair, just so you can donate it to make a wig for another child. Imagine! This is a friend of mine's daughter, Jaylen. She is raising money to help the Alberta Children's Hospital. Jaylen is so inspiring and I'm sure everyone close to her is very proud. For more information on Jaylen and to donate to her cause, head here:

Thankful on Thursday

I'm thankful for:

- Blogger for allowing me to pre-write posts and post them at later dates. As I write this, it is currently Wednesday at 3:22pm.

- an unexpected date with one of my besties. Our kids get along so well but it's always a luxury to go out without them and have an adult conversation with no interruptions!

- Aunty Chelsey!!! Here until Monday, woohoo!! We'll be getting our craft on, our baking on, our wrapping on, our eating on, our holiday spirit on, etc, etc, etc!

- eggnog. Oh, how I love you. I made eggnog cranberry muffins yesterday and they were so good. And you better believe I paired one with a glass of eggnog. Overkill? I think not!

What are you thankful for today?

Wordless Wednesday (Ugly Christmas Sweater Edition)

Tell Me Tuesday

For more Tell Me Tuesday, check out the host HERE.

Now that we're getting so close to Christmas (11 days!!), we're watching our holiday favorite movies. We watch them every year. Do you have any movies that help you get into the Christmas spirit?

Some of our favorites:
1. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation2. The Santa Clause
3. The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
4. Love Actually
5. Home Alone
6. A Charlie Brown Christmas

Puzzle Time

Friday Night Leftovers

• Sammy had such a rough week. After a 4 hour wait at the hospital with an eye that was swelled shut, she was diagnosed with an eye infection. On Monday, a fever started that didn't go away until yesterday. She's much better now and the listlessness she was showing all week is but a distant memory!

• Our Christmas tree is still safely decorated. Sam is leery of it and won't touch it, and as you saw here, Presley is pretty much terrified of it. I know it doesn't guarantee that the tree will stay safe but I'm enjoying every day the decorations stay on!

• I found out yesterday that my sister is coming for a quick visit before Christmas!! WOO HOO!!! We are super close but only get to see each other 1-2 times a year.

• Every time I go to get Presley out of the van, she has taken off her boots (and thrown them so they're hard to find). It's super fun! What can be better than searching for a missing boot when it's cold and your 2 year old is trying to play Frogger in the parking lot?!

• Is there anything worse than new Christmas music? You know the kind...where a Britney or Christina or similar clone puts in so many fills that the song is unrecognizable? Or worse, where they purposely change the tune of a Christmas classic?

• For more leftovers, head here.
  

Thankful on Thursday

I'm thankful for:

- children's Advil. Samara has been sick for over a week now and has had a fever since Monday. We're on our 2nd bottle of Advil but at least it's keeping the fever down.

- eggnog. I have a glass every night!

- lots of great toys for the girls to play with. Samara's been too sick for our regular activities and playdates so it's good we have lots of things to do at home.

- naps.

- the best laughs coming from my girls when they play together. It can turn a day around just like that!

What are you thankful for today?

Wordless Wednesday (Presley's Afraid Edition)

November Books

I was not in "reading mode" this past month. I found it hard to get into books and whenever I had a spare moment (with 6 craft sales during the month wasn't very often), I turned to screen time to unwind instead of reading. This month is already better though so I'm glad to be back into reading!

Lipstick in Afghanistan by Roberta Gately
3 stars out of 5

Gripped by haunting magazine images of starving refugees, Elsa has dreamed of becoming a nurse since she was a teenager. Of leaving her humble working-class Boston neighborhood to help people whose lives are far more difficult than her own. No one in her family has ever escaped poverty, but Elsa has a secret weapon: a tube of lipstick she found in her older sister’s bureau. Wearing it never fails to raise her spirits and cement her determination. With lipstick on, she can do anything—even travel alone to war-torn Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11.

I had a heck of a time getting into this book though it was an interesting story. I liked the Afghani perspective.

The Birth House by Ami McKay
4 stars out of 5

The Birth House is the story of Dora Rare, the first daughter to be born in five generations of the Rare family. As a child in an isolated village in Nova Scotia, she is drawn to Miss Babineau, an outspoken Acadian midwife with a gift for healing and a kitchen filled with herbs and folk remedies. During the turbulent years of World War I, Dora becomes the midwife's apprentice. Together, they help the women of Scots Bay through infertility, difficult labors, breech births, unwanted pregnancies and even unfulfilling sex lives.

An interesting look at midwifery in the early 1900s.

The Complete Essex County by Jeff Lemire
4 stars out of 5

Where does a young boy turn when his whole world suddenly disappears? What turns two brothers from an unstoppable team into a pair of bitterly estranged loners? How does the simple-hearted care of one middle-aged nurse reveal the scars of an entire community, and can anything heal the wounds caused by a century of deception? Award-winning cartoonist Jeff Lemire pays tribute to his roots with Essex County, an award-winning trilogy of graphic novels set in an imaginary version of his hometown, the eccentric farming community of Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In Essex County, Lemire crafts an intimate study of one community through the years, and a tender meditation on family, memory, grief, secrets, and reconciliation. With the lush, expressive inking of a young artist at the height of his powers, Lemire draws us in and sets us free.

I've never read a graphic novel before so I was skeptical. It has a really high rating in Goodreads. I understand why. It was easy to get caught up in the story and soon I was forgetting the medium. I love how a picture can so easily convey emotion (when done properly like it was here).

Faith: A Novel by Jennifer Haigh
4 stars out of 5

When Sheila McGann sets out to redeem her disgraced brother, a once-beloved Catholic priest in suburban Boston, her quest will force her to confront cataclysmic truths about her fractured Irish-American family, her beliefs, and, ultimately, herself. Award-winning author Jennifer Haigh follows her critically acclaimed novels Mrs. Kimble and The Condition with a captivating, vividly rendered portrait of fraying family ties, and the trials of belief and devotion, in Faith.

Really good. I liked how you never really knew until the end if he was guilty of the accusations or not.

What are you reading? Anything good to recommend?

November Recipes

BreakfastsPumpkin French Toast (4 stars out of 5)
I found this recipe on Pinterest while searching for ways to use up 4 pumpkins I roasted and pureed. We didn't make this gluten free (no need). Very good. The pumpkin taste was obvious without being overpowering. A nice addition to french toast.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins (4 stars out of 5)
Hearty and delicious. Definitely going into our regular rotation of muffins.

Cinnamon Sugar Bread (4 stars out of 5)
Okay, so this is a bit sugary to be included with breakfasts but add a glass of milk and some fruit and you can nearly justify it! I didn't add nearly as much sugar as the recipe called for and it still turned out well.

Blueberry Banana Muffins (4.5 stars out of 5)
Very, very moist and easy to make. They didn't last long.

Zucchini Muffins (4.5 stars out of 5)
These were really delicious. Lemon zest is such a good match with zucchini. I modified it by using 1 cup of sugar and they were plenty sweet. They didn't stay super moist though so I'd only make what you need (or freeze and take out as you need them).

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins (3.5 stars out of 5)
I didn't have peanuts so I skipped those and reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup. Very "healthy" tasting. I probably didn't need to reduce the sugar. These would be even better with the peanuts on top for added texture. They have to be eaten quickly. They were super dry the next day and had to be eaten with butter straight out of the microwave.

Peanut Butter Loaf (3.5 stars out of 5)
This was a really heavy, dense loaf. Very good taste and a crispy crust. Peanut butter as the main flavor in a bread is different...hard to get used to but worth trying again.


Main Meals
Cranberry Stuffed Turkey Meatballs (3 stars out of 5)
I'm going to try this one again. I thought an entire lime zested was a bit overpowering in the sauce so I'd cut that back next time. I also got caught up playing with the girls outside and overcooked the meatballs so they were a bit dry. I think they'd be really good with some havarti or gouda inside the meatball instead of a cranberry.

Balsamic Beef and Root Vegetable Stew (5 stars out of 5)
Goodness. Pure goodness. I usually don't like stew but Shawn does so I was looking for good recipe to try. I adore balsamic vinegar and I adore Family Feedbag so I was eager to give this a try. This coincided with our first snowfall of the year and it was the perfect winter meal. Comfort food at its best.

Crockpot
Crockpot Buffalo Chicken (3.5 stars out of 5)
Ridiculously easy to make. Spicy but in a good way. Too spicy for the girls though...which means making 2 suppers in a night when we have this.


Sides
Corniest Corn Muffins (4 stars out of 5)
In continuing my search for the perfect corn bread/corn muffin, I decided to try a variation that I've seen quite a few times...including corn kernels. This was good but was definitely too much sugar so I'd half it if I made it again. The corn in the muffins added bursts of sweetness on their own.

Hasselback Potatoes (5 stars out of 5)
Easy to do and they look impressive. So delicious. Nice and crispy on the top and perfectly soft on the bottom.


Desserts
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies (5 stars out of 5)
These don't have a typical brownie texture. I'd say it's more of a cake, with a chocolate chip cookie tossed into the mix. Absolutely delicious. I topped them with cream cheese icing which was completely unnecessary but knocked them out of the park!

Key Lime Cupcakes (5 stars out of 5)
These were Presley's birthday dessert. She didn't leave a crumb and neither did we. Outstanding!

Friday Night Leftovers

• This is my 800th post. Crazy!

• My friend, Canadian Mama, recently lost her site. She went to log in and it was hosted by someone else. Can you imagine?!?!?! She very nearly lost all of her posts (thanks to Google Apps for selling her site to the highest bidder). Thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach. Thankfully she had a friend that was able to copy all of her old posts. I absolutely MUST backup all my stuff now. I think I backed up the first year or so but that's it. Anyway, the blog world is small so I know lots of my followers are her followers so check out the link and follow her new site!

• I used to be annoyed that Dora the Explorer was Sammy's "show" of choice. Then we watched some of the alternatives...Max and Ruby, Thomas, etc. Turns out Dora really isn't that bad! At least it's very interactive. The others don't encourage any interaction at all which makes me feel worse about the TV time she does get.

• I have a 2 day craft sale to do this weekend. If you're in Lethbridge, come on down to the Christmas Trade Show at the Exhibition Grounds. There are vendors on a waiting list to get in so you know it'll be crammed with tons of great things!

• Shawn got the Christmas lights up yesterday and this weekend we'll put up the tree. Feeling the Christmas spirit!

• Hungry for more leftovers, head here.
  

Hello, December

EEK! Is anyone else the slightest bit disturbed that it's already December? Time definitely seems to be going faster the older I get. How does that work, exactly? I turn 30 this month. But, I'm not scared. Everyone claims that the 30s are better than the 20s...and the 20s were fantastic so what's not to look forward to?!

I'm very excited for Christmas this year. Samara is starting to really get it. She is very into Santa, opening gifts, looking at Christmas lights and helping with the baking. Presley should be a pro at opening presents after the massive stack she opened for her birthday. We've already been going for walks looking at Christmas lights and the girls are mesmerized. We'll attempt a Santa picture at some point as well.

This weekend will be spent getting the tree and lights up. I don't start before December. I did last year (as part of my nesting pre-Presley) and I was so sick of everything by Christmas. I took everything down first thing Boxing Day morning because I couldn't stand it any longer! So, we're definitely a "wait till December" family. How about you? Are you like our neighbors? Do you have your Christmas lights and tree up on November 1?