The Executive Mom

Google+ Weekend Hop

2012-01-27T17:02:00.000-07:00

We're excited to be joining this blog hop from Classified Mom and Momma Mia's Heart to Heart.

The Executive Mom is brand new on Google+ Circles. So come on over and circle up!

Cook'n Recipe System Giveaway

2012-01-25T23:36:00.000-07:00

I've used Cook'n recipe software for years now and I love it. Recently I had the opportunity to get an updated version of Cook'n so I could do a review and giveaway for our awesome readers.

Here's why I love the program:

1. It's really easy to enter recipes whether they're Mom's that I'm typing in from the old family cookbook or something off the internet I just found. I can search for recipes from the internet right through the Cook'n site. Once I've found the recipe I want I just hit the "capture" button and Cook'n automatically enters the whole recipe right into the cookbook including pictures and instructions. The capture button is the button of awesomeness.

I searched for and captured this Picnic Pasta Salad recipe from "Taste of Home".

2. I can organize my recipes into cookbooks with custom chapters. I can move recipes from section to section by just dragging them.

Here are my chapters in the food mood style.

3. I can edit any recipe, even the ones I grab from the internet or one of the hundreds of recipes the Cook'n program come with. That means if I like a certain ingredient added to my stew I can put it in. I can also take out or substitute ingredients I never buy. I can also adjust quantities. In fact one of the coolest things the program does is automatically adjusting the servings. We have a large family of eight and few recipes are built to our standards, but in Cook'n I just adjust the servings and the quantities of every ingredient are automatically adjusted as well.

Okay, so sometimes I like leftovers.

4. The program uses a built in library of thousands of food products and brands to give nutritional information on any recipe I type in. I can now count the calories in Grandma's fudge, every blessed one of them, or keep an eye on sugars or sodium in the soup that seemed so good for me. I can also easily add the nutritional information for brands or products that Cook'n doesn't have no matter how new or obscure.

5. My Cook'n recipe book has a cool customizable theme that fits my personality, but when I go to print a recipe it's in plain stolid black and white, an extraordinarily thoughtful consideration of my ink budget. I can also choose to print the pictures for a recipe or not. I can print the recipes in standard card sizes or full sheet or any other customizable size I might need. (For the bloggers out there, there's also an option to create a PDF, which can then be shared as a printable on your site).

6. If you have a friend or a cool sister like Karen out there you can also e-mail Cook'n recipes to one anther which can then go straight into your recipe file. I can also share the recipes with myself on other devices like my iPad or phone.

7. One more organizational WOW is that I can assign the recipes to categories like "Recipes I Want To Try" or "Recipes To Share On My Blog" so now they're all in one folder and I don't have to sift all through the cookbooks to find the recipe I want.

Karen uses the Cook'n program along with her Recipe Organization System. The printed recipes come out looking uniform and professional.

We're giving away a whole Cook'n software program to one lucky winner.

All you have to do to enter is "like" Cook'n on facebook and come back here and leave us a comment on this post.

Don't forget to leave your e-mail address or we won't be able to contact you if you win. Each person can enter only once.

The contest will end Monday Feb 6th at midnight. We'll randomly choose a winner and announce the lucky one on Feb 8th or before.

Oh, and don't forget to follow or subscribe to The Exec Mom (not required for entry).

This Is A Carpet Free Zone

2012-01-25T06:00:00.002-07:00

One of my long-term home improvement goals has been to rip out all trace of carpet from my home. I am proud to say that last weekend with the support of my husband and the sometimes unwilling help of my children we did it. We are now a carpet-free family.

Tim and Harrison

Garrett pulling carpet staples out of the floor

The best part for the kids was using real tools to do a real job.

So far we just have bare sub-floor, but coming soon . . . real wood floors.

We need women who...

2012-01-24T05:55:00.003-07:00

Family Night: Read Aloud

2012-01-22T18:40:00.004-07:00

Family night is a chance for you to share time and love with your kids. We always mean to spend more time with our kids, but somehow life just gets filled with stuff. Think of a regular family night as insurance against regrets. Make a plan to spend one night a week together without distractions.

Our house is a house filled with books. We have bookshelves in nearly every room of the house and they are all full. Our biggest problem is figuring out what do with all the books that don't fit on the shelves. One of my kids favorite evening activities is to lie on the floor in their blankets while I read aloud to them from a novel or from scripture. Sometimes they draw pictures while I read and sometimes we have a snack or hot cocoa.

Right now we're reading The King's Shadow by Elizabeth Alder.

Try reading aloud to your kids this Family Night.

Homemade Frosting Made Easy

2012-01-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

The worst part of decorating cupcakes is cleaning out all those pasty bags. In fact, in general, the main thing I hate about baking is the clean-up. Between parchment paper and this little trick though, my baking is quickly becoming almost dishes-free! You really have to watch this video from Karen at Karen's Cookies. Best little trick I've seen in awhile!

Italian Meatball Soup

2012-01-18T23:08:00.000-07:00

Generally I'm not a big fan of winter, but I do always love an excuse to make soup for dinner! I made this for my family and it got rave reviews from everyone age 2 to the grown-ups. So seriously tasty. It reminded me of soup you get in a restaurant, but I love that the main flavors come from spices and vegies instead of cream!

Here's what you need:

Italian meatballs (you can buy a package or make your own-just bake meatballs made from ground beef and Italian seasoned bread crumbs)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
5 cloves minced garlic
5 cans chicken broth (I used water and chicken bullion)
1 cup water
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup small pasta
2 cups spinach, thinly sliced

All you need to do is saute the garlic in oil. Add the broth, water, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning and heat all of those to boiling. Next, add meatballs, carrots, pasta, and spinach. Cook them for about 10 minutes and then enjoy!

This soup was so flavorful and hearty. I love that it's quick to make, and I REALLY love that my kids even ate spinach without any complaints! I guarantee that this is one I'll make again and again. Hope you will too.

Family Night: What Would Jesus Do, the 24-hour Challenge

2012-01-16T06:00:00.002-07:00

Family Night is for everyone. It's one night a week where you set aside time as a family to be togther. You can make it a formal meeting with an agenda and an opening including prayer, songs and family business or you can keep it casual and just play a game together. The purpose it build fmaily togetherness and pass your values and beliefs on to your kids. If you keep the purpose in mind, the rest just comes togehter.

Tonight consider the question What Would Jesus Do? You've probably seen that phrase or its acronym, WWJD, printed on pencils, shirts, and bumper stickers. It's catchy and it's easy to say, but when it comes right down to it, it can be difficult to apply.

Jesus never was in your situation was He? He was never a parent or a woman. He never dealt with an irate boss or watched his mother dying from cancer. He never was cut off on the freeway by an idiot driver. He never had to endure a visit to WalMart with the lady in front of the line price checking and couponing all $400 worth of groceries.

It's true that in the detail Jesus's life was very different from our modern lives. But Jesus did have to deal with impatient, cranky, obnoxious, slow, or incompetent people all the time. Some things never change and human nature is one of those things. So we can look at how Jesus treated others, we can look at how he dealt with trials, we can look at where he turned when things got tough.

Jesus read, learned from and quoted scripture often.
Jesus prayed for himself and others, even his enemies.
Jesus surrounded himself with good people who formed a support group for him in difficult times, but still constantly made a conscious effort to reach out to those outside his peers, especially the sick, the lonely, and the sinner.

So what can you do to act on the question What Would Jesus Do?

Get to know Jesus and God through reading scripture.
Pray daily to gain a close relationship with God and pray when you need specific direction. First ponder over the problem, then pray, then turn to scripture.
Finally, instead of thinking of Jesus two thousand years ago in a dry dusty country ruled by Romans, imagine him in your life with your problems. How would he behave if he were given your circumstances?

Now we come to the 24-hour challenge. For the next 24 hours picture Jesus standing behind your shoulder as you go through your life. Would you read that magazine if Jesus were with you? Would you listen to that music? Would flip the crazy lady on the freeway the bird as she passed you? Would you grow impatient with the lady standing in line in front of you? Would you snap at your kids? Would you give your husband the silent treatment or storm and rage about your boss behind his back? Would you spend three hours playing Angry Birds?

But remember the positive side of this too. Jesus didn't just refrain from doing the wrong things, he also went about actively doing the right things? If Jesus were standing behind your shoulder when your church asked for volunteers would you raise your hand? When you saw a lady struggling in the parking lot with two little kids and cart full of groceries would you offer to help? Would you start a conversation with a stranger and find out a little about their life? Would you make an extra special dinner for your family just to say I love you? Would you stand up for someone who was being bullied? Would you spend some of your "extra time" taking time with a child or visiting with a friend?

The last step of the 24-hour challenge is to write down what happened as you were taking the challenge. What did you do differently? what choices did you take more time to think about? What difference did it make to your happiness or the happiness of those around you?

What Would Jesus Do doesn't have to be a rhetorical question. Answer it today by taking the 24-hour challenge.

Tidying Up

2012-01-12T19:51:00.000-07:00

Today I spent about an hour tidying up my computer. I figure I spend enough of my time on the computer that I ought to care about keeping it tidy as much as I care about keeping my house tidy!

Ahh, now I can breathe again. I love deleting things just about as much as I love throwing things away in real life. It's just freeing to clean things out and feel like I have a bit more ROOM in life again.

I started by cleaning up my documents, downloads, and pictures. I just had a bunch of old stuff I didn't really need anymore...hasta la vista old stuff I don't need anymore! Then I backed everything up - never know when you're going to lose a hard drive.

Next I headed over to this cool website that shows all the apps I've given permissions to that are linked with my various online accounts. In about 10 minutes I cleaned up all those unwanted app permissions and things. You should do it too. Hard to believe I ever allowed Army of Snowmen or Which Twilight Man is Your Favorite. access to my facebook account, but sure enough, I did! While I was on facebook I also cleaned up my "likes." There were several pages I had liked, but as it turns out, I really wasn't interested in anything they posted. Now they are "unliked" and hopefully I've streamlined my fbing a bit.

Finally, I unsubscribed to e-mails I am no longer interested in and changed my passwords on my accounts (because you just should on occasion!). Streamlining my e-mail accounts makes it a bit quicker to check my e-mail since I won't find a bunch of stuff I just need to delete.

I love tidying up. Well, not so much the tidying up itself, but I LOVE the AFTER.

Story of my life . . .

2012-01-11T21:54:00.000-07:00

I saw this on pinterest and have been chuckling all day. Been there. So many times. Click on the picture to see it (and so much more) on pinterest.

If you aren't pinning yet you're missing out. Seriously. It's the only place to dream of doing all those things you will never, ever do. Ahem:

Want to follow me and webstalk what I'm checking out online? Just click here and then follow. And heaven sakes, sign up for an account if you haven't. It's addictive in the best way ever.

Taking Time To Be A Gentle Mama

2012-01-09T23:06:00.000-07:00

I'm hurried and harried and rushed and BUSY much of the time. Between homeschooling, volunteering at our church, teaching piano lessons 5 days a week, running kids to scouts, ballet, orchestra, baseball, and 4-H . . . well, things get hectic. Oh yeah, and my husband works out of town 4-5 days a week too, so it's usually just me. Too often I find myself telling the big kids to "just get the little ones upstairs until piano lessons are over!" I get so busy that I forget to be gently, cuddly Mama sometimes.

I've decided to slow it down a bit though. We looked at all our activities and chipped away at them. It's hard, because we love what we do, but sometimes families need a little breathing room, and this is one of those times for us. We needed the rhythm in our home to slow down a bit. Breathe in, breathe out . . .

Tonight my 2 year-old has a fever. With the others in bed, I sat down with him in the recliner and we just rocked and snuggled. I held him and kissed him and loved him to bits, so that even though he felt miserable, he would also feel loved. We sat and watched tv together for an hour and a half, just chatting and snuggling and holding each other. I can't remember the last time I just sat for that long (usually my to-do list beckons), but it felt perfect tonight. When I'm always passing them off and telling them to just go in the other room so I can get things done I miss out on too much. I miss out on those quiet, gentle moments of motherhood that I love best of all.

Family Night: Consequences

2012-01-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight is family night! Gather everyone up for some together time. Make it a habit and change your family for the better starting today.

Tonight's family night lesson is all about consequences. Hopefully your kids already know a little something about consequences just by the kind of parent you are, but it never hurts to spell it out for them either. One thing I'm careful about is that family night never becomes "guilt-trip night" or "parents, gang up on the kids because you're forcing them to be your captive audience night." That kind of family night won't be productive or happy for anyone. I never use my own kids' bad examples in lessons. I often highlight the good things they are doing, but I don't believe you should publicly (meaning, in front of others, even if they are your family) re-hash kids' wrongdoings. Instead, use a generalized situation, Bible story, fairy tale, or a lesson you've learned from your own life.

Just like choices, consequences can be bad or good. If we kick our brother (a bad choice), chances are we'll also face a bad consequence. Likewise, if we clean our room without Mom even having to ask, our consequence will surely be a better one. Often things aren't so cut-and-dried though. When I was young my parents had me tithe 10% of the money I made and save 40% in a savings account for college. That meant I only got to spend 50% of the money I made. If I babysat for a couple of hours I only got $5.00 of the $10 I had earned. I'll be the first to admit that sometimes that felt harsh. But let's take a look at some of the mixed consequences from only spending half of the money I earned:

It took longer to save up for things I really wanted.
I learned how to save and manage money well.
I had to work twice as hard as my friends to acquire the same things they had.
I saved up enough money for college.
I sometimes resented my parents over it.
I discovered the importance of giving to charity and helping others who were less fortunate.
I didn't always have the coolest clothes, gadgets, and toys like my classmates.
I learned the value of money, how to be frugal, and that it doesn't take THINGS to BE HAPPY.

. . . and the list could go on and on and on. With every choice we make and everything we do, we will have consequences. I can look back over my list above and see that because my parents had those expectations and I followed through with choosing to obey them, I am a better, wiser, happier person. Good choices = good consequences. The same scenario can be used for schoolwork, fighting with siblings, having a good attitude, eating right and exercising, or any other life choice you can come up with. Choose a few that apply to your family and list some consequences for the choices you could make.

You may want to share the story of David from the Bible. As a boy David was righteous. He was courageous and faithful, and against all odds was able to defeat Goliath because of his faith. He became successful and a valued member of the king's household. He was a hero. Soon though, Saul's jealously overcame him and he wanted David dead. Time after time he jeopardized David's life, but through it all, David chose the right. He escaped. Eventually, after Saul died, he became the next king. David became a great leader and a fine statesman, but despite all of his good qualities and good choices, he had a weakness. He saw Bathsheba, a beautiful woman, and even though she was married, he took her for himself. He broke God's law of chastity and it led to a torrent of other sins - lying and even murder. David knew he had sinned. He knew there would be consequences. Bad choices always lead to bad consequences eventually. In the end, David could never be happy. His son died, God didn't let him build the temple, and he had to live out his life with the guilt from what he had done. In David's life it's clear to see how his good choices led to good consequences (didn't mean life was perfect though!), and his bad choices led to bad consequences.

Share some stories together about choices and consequences and talk about them.

For your activity, play Don't Eat Pete. It's always a hit at our house, and will go right along with the choices and consequences theme - choose wrong and you're done eating the candy! Have a terrifically fun family night!

DIY Bath Decor

2012-01-06T05:47:00.000-07:00

My friend, Casey, saw an antique faucet board like at a craft fair and knew she had to have it.

Her handy hubby saw the price tag and said he could make one for her instead. Ooh la, la . . . so cute.

A couple of routered boards, 3 inexpensive outdoor faucets, and an antiqued white wash made for quite the adorable bathroom decor.

I saw hers and knew I had to have one. This is going on my to-do list for our upcoming bathroom remodel this spring. Can't wait!

When Fennel Attacks!

2012-01-05T00:56:00.000-07:00

Every so often, I purchase produce from the Bountiful Baskets Co-op. We have a pretty long winter here in North Idaho (no fresh produce for us during this season), and for $15 I can pick up a huge box full of fresh fruits and veggies. There are a multiple of reasons why I like to buy from the Co-op, great prices, fresh and in season produce, it supplements what I grow, less trips to the store,and one of the best reasons of all, experimentation!

In every box, there are usually one or two items of produce that I would never go out of my way to by at the grocery store or would/could grow here on the farm. This week's paragon is a bulb of fresh fennel.

Now, I have watched enough Gordon Ramsey and Food Network shows to know what fennel is, and I know from my farmer's market research that the foodies are pretty appreciative of the unassuming little bulb, but I have never ate fennel. It was just not something my mother would put on our grocery order to Juneau. Although the idea of a fennel bulb's lacy fronds beckoning me as it flew over my head on our food delivery Cessna is a scintillating cranial diversion, I must admit that I have never experienced its culinary delights.

I then realized that I had no recipe that included fennel as its shining star, so I consulted the recipe cornucopia that is the Internet and found a couple that I liked. This is the result of my quest:

Baked Fennel, Potato, and Onion Gratin

1 Fennel Bulb

1 onion

2 potatoes

2 Tbsp butter

3/4 cup half and half (I used whole goat's milk, as I tend to have quite a bit in the fridge:o)

3/4 sour cream (most of the recipes called for creme fraiche, which I love, but haven't got around

to making a batch yet!)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I added way more than this!)

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Core your fennel bulb. Slice into 1/4 inch thick slices. Slice your onion in 1/4 inch slices. Melt butter in a skillet, saute onion and fennel for 5 minutes. Peel and slice your potatoes, and then put your potatoes and your sauteed bulbs into a shallow baking dish. Mix in your sour cream and half and half. Sprinkle Parmesan and whatever seasonings you prefer on top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is golden brown, and the fennel/potatoes are fork tender.

Enjoy

I looked at quite a few recipes before I came up with this side dish. My husband inhaled a good portion of the dish, kids tasted it (that is saying a lot as their palates have as much range as a Prius on a mud road!), and I must admit that I believe fennel to be somewhat of an acquired taste. That is not to say that I didn't like it, it was just a foreign taste to my dormant taste buds, as they have grown lax throughout the long duration of my rustication. Fennel reminded me of an onion with a subtle hit of caramelized black licorice. Very sophisticated indeed. I think I will order some fennel seeds and plant a couple of rows next year, in order to experiment with this little beauty of a bulb some more. I just wish we would have had some around when I was around 9 and was pretty much always an equine, those lacy fronds would have made great make-believe tails!;o) Happy Experimenting!

Value Spending and The $50.00 Rule

2012-01-03T22:19:00.000-07:00

Money is intertwined with our relationships far more than we realize. That's why money troubles are cited as the beginning of the end for so many marriages. One of the hurdles is our inability to communicate about money and spending. Spouses are not always together. We do not uniformly make spending decisions together. And the bottom line is that even if we were always physically together, we wouldn't make unanimous decisions about how to spend and save our money anyway.

It took me years to figure out why my husband's spending drove me crazy, but I finally did. Now that I understand HOW and WHY he spends it no longer drives me so crazy. It was all about the communication and understanding. The problem was in the differences in what we value.

Some people monetarily value THINGS and some value EXPERIENCES. If I save up $500.00 I want to spend it on something I will get to keep and cherish, something I will continue to have for years to come. If my husband has $500.00 he would prefer a weekend away or some kind of adventure. Same $500.00 -- different values.

I used to feel like he was squandering our money when we went on an expensive date, but now that I understand what he values and why, I can see the meaning in it instead of the waste. We have had amazing trips, memorable dates, and experiences that have truly built our family and our traditions. Our photo albums and family movies are packed with happy memories because my husband values experiences.

Similarly, our home is clean and beautiful, well-kept and cared for because I value things. We don't buy garbage. I'm willing to save a little longer to buy the thing that will last instead of the thing that will just do. Also, because I recognize how much things cost, we work hard to take care of the things we have. We keep our cars tuned up, we repair our home and appliances, and we generally take care of the hard-earned things we have.

Our lack of understanding in our first few married years has actually become a great compromise. In the end I love to have each of us in a different corner of our value spending because it's created a good balance in how we spend our money -- we don't overdo the spending on THINGS or EXPERIENCES. To get to this compromise took some doing. We had a lot of discussions and compromises along the way, but the single best rule we ever made for our compromises was this:

WE NEVER SPEND MORE THAN $50.00 WITHOUT TALKING IT OVER FIRST.

$50.00? That probably seems low to you, but the rule began when $50.00 was A LOT to us. When we were poor, struggling college students $50.00 was more than a week of groceries for us. Now that isn't even a tank of gas in my SUV. But the $50.00 stuck, and it works for us. That doesn't mean I can't fill my gas tank or pay the mortgage. We have routine, normal spending that we plan for and don't consult each other on. The $50.00 rule applies to discretionary spending--the money we don't HAVE to spend, but WANT to spend.

If I want to buy a new blender, I just give him a call and say, "Our blender's on the fritz. I just found one for 52 bucks...sound good?" Or he says, "My buddies are going to a Jazz game but the tickets are a little pricey...mind if I join them?" We don't turn it into a big deal or an argument. It's more of a courtesy really. If it's really not in the budget, we calmly remind each other of that and then go on. It doesn't spark fights because it's an ongoing and courteous discussion. In the end, it's really more about the understanding and the communication than it is about the $50.00. After all, people don't get really get divorced over $50.00 or $50,000.00-- they get divorced over money because they never learned to talk about it with each other and consider how value spending plays into relationships.

British Military Wives Perform Hit Song

2011-12-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

This video, released December 19 of this year features a song performed by a mismatched group of British military wives singing to their heroes, their husbands who are away at war.

The women had never sung before, except perhaps as they rocked their babies. They formed a group to compete in a British TV contest called "The Choir". Their young choir director trained them, coached them, and nursed them along in confidence until they were ready to record this song and perform it at the Remembrance Concert at Royal Albert Hall.

The song has hit number one best seller in Britain, beating out all the next 12 hits combined.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T05:00:00.005-07:00

We want to wish you a weekend filled with all the happiness and holiday spirit you can handle! We'll be taking the next bit of time away from our computers to spend time with our families. Be back in 2012.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a happy and blessed new year!

Love,

The Executive Moms

Michelle, Karen, and Katie

Traditions and Trinkets

2011-12-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

Once, as an adult, I went home to my parents' place to visit at Easter time. No Easter eggs. I was positively shocked. Why didn't you and Dad dye eggs?! I can tell you right now that I felt only one thing - CHEATED. Dying eggs at Easter is just what we do. Every year. No matter what. Of course, my sweet Mom explained to me that she did that for US when we were kids, not for her and Dad. Still, a piece of my little girl heart wants to know that no matter how big I get, Mommy and Daddy will dye eggs at Easter time even if I am all grown up.

My most favorite Christmas trinkets are meaningful to me because of those same traditions. There were things that were a part of life. That I came to expect. That I knew and loved every year. My mom made these ceramic snowman mugs many, many years ago. I think it was even before I was born. They sat on our counter each December and got filled with hot cocoa with little marshmallows. I loved them then. When Mom gave them to me for Christmas a few years ago my heart leaped a little. I cherish these mugs and the memories they bring flooding back from all those beautiful Decembers of my childhood. My kids sip cocoa out of them now and I tell them stories about Christmases from when I was a little girl. Like the year Santa brought me my very first porcelain doll ( my oldest daughter owns her now), and the year we had to tie the tree up with a string because it just kept tipping over.

On my piano sits my ever-growing collection of Nutcrackers. My daughters and I go each year to see the Nutcracker Ballet. We dress up in our fanciest clothes and carry purses and wear high-heeled shoes. Dinner, dessert, and then off to the ballet for a dreamy night of girly fantasies. Out nutcrackers remind us of all the memories from this magical tradition.

My mom has always collected nativity scenes for as long as I can remember. My little brother was constantly rearranging the sets, always with Jesus in the middle and all the other figures in a circle gathered tightly around Him. I have a few nativity block sets my kids get to play with and rearrange, and I also made this fancier set for my mantle. The glass blocks glow warmly and remind us of the Christ child and that sacred night.

I grew up with an ornament tree nativity calendar, and last year I couldn't stand it any longer. I had to make one so my kids would grow up loving this tradition too. Each day we read a scripture about a gift that Christ has given us, and then there's a ornament to go with gift. When the tree is all filled, we'll know the next day is Christmas. I have 4 different Christmas countdowns, but this little handmade one holds a place in my heart that goes all the way back to my little girlhood.

On every vacation and for each milestone in our lives we collect an ornament. Trolley ornaments from San Francisco, a manatee from our amazing swim with the manatees in Florida, our very first Christmas together, the glass heart that commemorates the loss of our sweet baby girl - all our special moments are captured on our Christmas tree. Those are mingled with ornaments my parents passed on to me from my childhood, the ornaments my kids make each year, and special gifts, like the nativity ornaments made of wood from Bethlehem. I think my favorite time of the whole month is the night we put up the tree. I pass out all the ornaments and one by one, as we put them up we remember what has made us who we are. We share the memories that make up our family.

These presents are my son's birthday gifts. He has a December birthday, and no other presents go under this tree other than his. I don't believe in ignoring December birthdays! Each year he opens his presents under our very special family Christmas tree.

We have another tree too. I always tell my husband that I love him because he takes me with all my sentiment and traditions, and then makes all my little girl dreams come true on top of it. I always dreamed of having a fancy tree. One with the perfect white lights and the perfect Christmas balls and glittering tinsel that glowed out to the street from a big picture window. I also dreamed of having a window seat in my house. He added on to our house, built me this room this past year, added a window seat and a giant picture window, and even lets me have a second Christmas tree just to fulfill my little girls dreams -a fancy one.

Christmas brings back a million good memories for me. Hope you are having a merry holiday season.

Nativity Scene Photo Op

2011-12-21T06:00:00.004-07:00

We set up this backdrop and got the kids all dolled up in costumes just to do a photo shoot as part of our homeschool kids Christmas party. It was totally for fun so we didn't worry about beautiful poses or handsome smiles.

The costumes were quickly sewn rectangles of fabric. Just sew up the two sides, leaving space at the top for the arms and cut out a small circle for the neck. In order for the child's head to fit through cut a slit straight down the front of the costume. Most of the costumes then got a belt of fabric (I didn't even bother to sew the belts) and a head covering, just a big rectangle of fabric drawn back around the head from the front and fastened with a safety pin behind.

The back drop is just a couple of sheets. A blue sheet simulates the sky and a white sheet which I spray painted with khaki color becomes the stable after adding on a bit of brown paint for the rafters and roof line.

Our baby Jesus is actually a teddy bear . . . having a household of six boys means we're a bit short in the doll department. "Mary and Joseph'; in these pictures are our own Hayseed Katie's two adorable kids.

Sugar Blasted Sugar Cookies

2011-12-20T06:00:00.006-07:00

Every year we decorate sugar cookies with the kids at Christmas time. It's a tradition carried over from my childhood. And the photo below illustrates why I still love it:

Check out the massive globs of frosting on the star cookie on the top row or the Frankenstein arms on the snowman. Most of the cookies are so piled with sprinkles you can barely see the frosting . . . it's great entertainment value for parents and enough to give Martha Stuart a heart attack.

Family Night - The Spirit of Christmas

2011-12-18T23:12:00.000-07:00

I love the colors, decorations, goodies, packages, and carols of Christmas. I'll be the first to admit that I get caught up in the fun traditions. But along with all the colors and the fun, I know how much more there is for this season. I also want my family to be aware not just of WHY we celebrate Christmas, but also be able to feel it's spirit. They know in their minds that Christmas is a celebration of Christ, but I pray and seek ways to have them FEEL it; not just know it.

Every year we find something we can do to help us remember Christ and give as He would. Some years we've collected food for families in need (or sometimes for our local food bank when we didn't know of specific families). We've organized Sub-for-Santa gift drives and provided gifts for families who otherwise wouldn't find things under their tree. We've also helped our kids save up to go buy gifts for kids they know who wouldn't have much. They went shopping and bought something with their own money, wrapped it up, and secretly left the packages on the porch. This year we've been going to visit our local nursing home several times. Our few visits over the past weeks have been just awesome. We've performed for them, visited with them, and gotten to know several of the residents. There just isn't a way to MISS OUT on feeling the Christmas spirit when you're getting a hug from a sweet lady who is missing her family at Christmas time and gushing with joy that you're there. No presents required. Just smiles and hugs and compliments for her tiny tabletop Christmas tree. Just some time to sit and visit. Just an open heart. That's all it takes to feel the Christmas spirit.

My daughters' ballet studio the Snowflake Dance from
the Nutcracker at our local nursing home w few weeks ago.

For Family Night tonight, give a gift of yourself somehow. Find a need this season and fill it. Never been to the local nursing home before? Just walk in. Give it a try. You'll feel that spirit and will never regret giving a bit of yourself for Christmas this year. Of all the family nights we have, those in which we serve have brought us closer together as a family than any others.

Have a happy, joy-filled, serving Family Night.

Super Easy Peanut Butter Squares

2011-12-15T23:48:00.000-07:00

I don't believe in giving myself stress at Christmas time. Therefore I only make sweets and treats that are timer and candy-thermometer free. Peanut Butter Bars are one of my very favorites.

Peanut Butter Squares
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. butter, melted
16 graham crackers, crushed
1 c. peanut butter
1 12 oz bag chocolate chips, semi-sweet or milk, depending on your taste

Mix the powdered sugar, graham crackers, melted butter, and peanut butter with a mixer. Press into a large cookie sheet. Melt one bag of chocolate chips in the microwave: cook for one minute, stir, cook for one minute stir. Spread the chocolate over the peanut butter mixture and allow to cool. You need to put it in a cool room in your house or your fridge. Then cut into squares. They taste just like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

Look at the gingerbread houses we made!!!

The main goal in constructing these houses was to pile on as much candy as possible. It is therefore important to have good solid frosting. We made royal icing, which is tough, firm and drys harder than Nathan's algebra homework.

Royal Icing

2 large egg \whites
2 t. lemon juice
3 c. powdered sugar

Beat the egg whites and lemon juice together in a bowl. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Keep the frosting covered with plastic wrap or a wet dishtowel when you're not actually using it to keep it form drying out prematurely.

Family Night -- Twas The Night Before Christmas Game

2011-12-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

For Family Night this week, play this 'Twas The Night Before Christmas Game:

Make sure everyone starts with a wrapped gift (you can just use things you find around the house, small treats or candies, dollar store items, ornaments, or silly gag gifts). Have everyone sit in a circle holding their own gift. Whenever the word "right" is read, everyone passes the gift they're holding to the right. Whenever the word "left" is read you all pass to the left. When the poem ends, you keep whatever gift you have in your hands (no one will end up with the gift you started with if you do it right!). I like playing this with little unpainted ceramic ornaments (all different) and then letting the kids all paint their ornament once the game is over. Then we write their name and age on the back and they hang it on our tree. Each year they make their own ornament to add to our tree. (More about this year's ornaments and my Christmas trees later though!)

Here's the poem:

'Twas the night before Christmas when RIGHT through the house not a creature was LEFT stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung RIGHT by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be RIGHT there.

The children were nestled RIGHT snug in their beds, while visions of sugar plums danced RIGHT in their heads.

And Mama in her kerchief and I in my cap had just settled RIGHT down for a long winter's nap; when RIGHT out of the LEFT of the lawn rose a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. Away to the RIGHT window I LEFT like a flash, tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow LEFT a luster of midday on objects RIGHT below. When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. With a little old driver, RIGHT lively and quick, I knew RIGHT away it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, and he whistled and shouted and called them RIGHT by name. "Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen! On Comet! On Cupid! On Donder and Blitzen! To the RIGHT top of the proch! To the LEFT top of the wall! Now dash away! Dash RIGHT away all!

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly when they meet RIGHT with an obstacle, mount RIGHT up to the sky, so up to the housetop the coursers they LEFT and flew with a sleigh full of toys and St. Nicholas too. And then in the twinkling I heard RIGHT on the roof, the prancing and pawing of each little LEFT and RIGHT hoof.

As I drew in my head and was turning LEFT around, down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound. He was dressed all in fur RIGHT from his head to his LEFT foot, and his clothes were all LEFT tarnished with ashes and soot.

A bundle of toys he had flung RIGHT on his back, and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. His RIGHT and LEFT eyes-- how they twinkled! His dimples--how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was LEFT drawn up like a bow, and the beard LEFT on his chin was as white as the snow. The stump of a pipe he held RIGHT in his teeth, and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath. He had a broad face and a round little belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly. He was RIGHT chubby, a RIGHT jolly old elf, and I laughed when I saw him in spite of myself.

A wink of his LEFT eye and a LEFT twist of his head soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread. HE spoke not a word but went RIGHT to his work, and filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk. And laying a finger to the LEFT of his nose, and giving a nod, he LEFT--up the chimney he rose!

He sprang RIGHT to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, and away they all LEFT like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim e'er he LEFT out of sight, "Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

If you want to print this out (or any of our posts) just click on the post title and you'll see a print-friendly button at the bottom.)

Hope you have a wonderful family night tonight with all the people who mean most to you!

I'm linking this up over at a blog hop today on Life as This Mommy Knows It.

So go check out what some other cool moms are doing, or follow the links for the blog hop at any of the participating sites. Here they are:

Caramel-Nut Sticky Buns

2011-12-09T06:00:00.002-07:00

We had a special treat for dinner tonight. We don't do stuff like this very often because it's a lot of work and it's not very healthy but every once in a while we splurge.

Caramel-Nut Sticky Buns

In a large bowl mix together and let sit for ten minutes:

2 c. hot water (not boiling)

2/3 c. sugar

1T. yeast

Add and stir in:

1/2 c. melted butter or cooking oil

2 eggs

1 t. cinnamon

3 cups flour

Add flour, one cup at a time, until dough is stiff and you can stir in no more. Dump the dough out onto the counter and knead in more flour until dough is no longer sticky.

Divide dough in half, roll each half out into a rectangle. Spread melted butter on each half. Sprinkle dough with a cinnamon (1 t.) and sugar (1/2 c.) mixture. Roll dough up from the long side. Cut dough into 2" thick slices.

In a sauce pan mix, stir constantly and heat on high until bubbly:

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. butter

1/4 c. water

Pour your caramel into a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with chopped up nuts (walnuts, pecans, macadamias, etc.). Place the pieces of rolls on their sides in the bottom of the pan. Let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. (hint: heat your oven to 300 deg, turn off the heat and then place your rolls inside to raise.)

Bake rolls at 350 deg for 30 minutes. Dump out, sticky side up, onto a cloth on the counter to cool.

To make the evening extra special we played games during and after our dinner too.