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to Grandmothers house we go... after a long journey, we've finally arrived at grammys house. We are ready to whip out the cheeseballs, assemble Henrys present, watch "It's a Wonderful Life" (it's a Christmas Eve tradition), drink some nog and finish wrapping a few last minute gifts. I hope you are spending a warm & cozy night with your families and loved ones and have a wonderful Christmas & New Years.
Don't forget a peppermint stick for Old Saint Nick!
Merry Christmas!
Just a quick post to say I was able to sew up this
little 'bot for Henry yesterday (in between nap time, play time,
dinner time and I don't want to go to bed time). It's a miracle I was
able to sew anything at all. It was actually a lot easier than
I thought it would be (I consider myself your average basic sewer). I decided to keep the
embellishments on the control panel to a minimum so Henry wouldn't keel
over from ingesting some robot part. The great thing about these patterns is that you can really customize them so they turn out exactly how you want. There was a little bit of surgery that had to take place to fix a split seam (my fault entirely...I was to anxious of a stuffer), but aside from that, this little 'bot is recovering nicely and I think he turned out great.
I know there is a group
on flickr where you can see everyones 'bots & space-boys (haven't
conquered the spaceboy yet). So head on over there & take a look-
there are some really adorable little ones.
If you are interested in making one of these cutie pies (who wouldn't be?) for yourself, head straight on over to Hillary's
site and pick yourself up a pattern from her on-line shop. I just know that Henry is going to love having this guy for a pal. I think
I'm going to have to make one of these lil' bots for every boy I know.
Regarding Flicker- I am still not totally (or at all) familiar with
the phenom that is Flickr. This was actually the first photo I've
uploaded there. I understand you can view other peeps photo's &
comment, but is that all? I am kind of creeped out how it knew what kind of camera I took the photo with and when..but am I missing something? I'm still not
sold...
Anyway, hope you are gearing up for the holidays. We drove around last night and looked at all the Christmas lights which really got me in the holiday spirit. Happy gift-wrapping, christmas-making, holiday baking Thursday (and rest of the week)!
Not really (but don't you just love that song?) It was a 'balmy' 67 degrees in LA today. We baked this igloo cake in hopes it would feel a little bit more like Winter. If you get real close and sort of squint your eyes, it really does work. It's a Christmas miracle! I can't believe Christmas is one week away... We are on track..well sort of. Still no cork-board, but I have high hopes for that tonight and Hillary's pattern came in the mail today, so I'll be sewing up one of her darling robots for Henry's Christmas present. I told Hillary that when Henry saw it on her site, he went "WHOA!!!! and then signed to me "More! More!!" He is going to go absolutely crazy for it.
Speaking of Henry, he is officially 18 months old (well, nearly 19 now) and old enough to go into Nursery at church. He went in about a month ago and the first week was great he made a b-line for the trains (parents? what parents?) The following weeks...not so great. We thought for sure he'd be lured in by all their fun toys and treats...but now he's on to us. On Sunday they gave him a mini candy-cane and there he sat, swinging his legs, until he had nearly licked the whole thing away. "Maybe nursery isn't so bad (I'm sure he was thinking to himself) ...they do have candy canes after all." We'll see what happens come January when there are no candy canes to be found.
Have a wonderful, festive week
Happy Friday! I'm here to report on last nights cookie exchange. It was such fun! I'm lucky to know so many gals who are wonderful cooks. I mean, look at that!?! This picture doesn't even represent all of the cookies that were here. I was one of the last to dish up my cookie plates, (yes, plates) so some of the cookies had already been nabbed, but I didn't feel it would have been very hostess-ly of me to be elbowing my way in front of my guests in an attempt to be the first to load up my plates. Nudge? I'm not against nudging. Okay there were a few nudges, but I just pretended they were accidents. I'm still waiting for some of the gals who came to e-mail me their recipes and once they do, I'll e-mail them out to those of you who were interested. Speaking of, I think the furthest that this list will be traveling is all the way to Jolly Old England! Who knew there were so many cookie enthusiasts out there?
I've already given away one of my cookie plates to the maintenance man who came this morning to fix our blinds. I think another plate will go to our mail lady, who by the way, is the nicest mail lady ever. We've never officially been introduced, but every time she see's me, she always refers to me as "Mrs. Moore". I've always wondered how she knew I was Mrs. Moore...there are thousands who live here in our complex...how does she know? She's the mail lady. I guess they know everything. "Here's your mail, Mrs. Moore". It makes me feel so dignified and grown-up since deep down I know I should be the one calling her "Mrs....(I don't actually know her name)" as she looks to be a bit older than myself. I'm keeping my eyes on the window so I don't miss her today. Just as I was typing this, I glanced out to see the mail lady here, a whole hour ahead of her normal schedule so I made a mad-dash out to get her, just in the nick of time. She gave me a big hug, followed by a "Thank you, Mrs.Moore". Ahh, the Holidays, there's just cookie love everywhere.
Work in Progress: Friday: This was going to be my work in progress today, but I've been lolly-gagging on this post for far too long now, (and exercizing too, right? Does running out to the mail lady count?) and Henry is due to wake up any second...but...my girlfriend Kim & I were talking the other day about displaying Christmas cards that people send to you. How should you do it, what's the best way? I usually just tape them up somewhere, like to the back of our front door (classy, I know). This year, I'm putting an end to the tape situation. I picked up this framed cork-board last weekend at the Salvation Army and painted it red...and there it's been sitting ever since. This weekend, I'm going to patchwork the fabric onto the board & throw in some ric-rac. Because we all know that ric-rac makes the world a better place. We'll see how far I get on this project. Keeping my fingers crossed that it actually gets done before Christmas.
This was our bedroom at 1:30 in the morning, a few mornings ago. Henry caught the cold that both Chris & I had, woke up and had a very hard time falling back to sleep. Chris pulled out Henry's favorite book "William and the Night Train" It's a book we read to him every night, usually multiple times. It worked like a charm. It's such a lovely little book illustrated by Alison Jay (we've got all her illustrated books- but that's a post for another time) and it's got a train- Henry's favorite. Anyway, luckily Chris & I were both still up; Chris doing work & me catching up on Tivo, which explains why I was up snapping pictures at 1:30 a.m. Who does that?
Not much on the agenda this weekend (besides the cork-board, of course). Chris keeps asking why I never make him broccoli cheese soup, which he says is his favorite, and I'm not completely sure why after over 8+ years of marriage, I never knew that...but I try to give it a whirl. Hope you lasted through this entire post. Sheesh- it's practically a novel. Happy Weekend!
"My mother was about to make another brilliant maneuver in the legendary
battle of the lamp. The epic struggle which follows lives in the
folklore of Cleveland Street to this very day."
'Don't want to waste electricity.'
It finally arrived. I ordered it so long ago, I was beginning to wonder if it was actually ever going to come.
Tacky? Oh, sure.
Kitsch? Definitely.
Years ago, friends came over for Christmas dinner with a similar lamp. After a hearty meal, I looked over to see 4 grown men (husband included) huddled around said lamp in a chocolate-induced coma, staring glassy-eyed, mezmerized by it's soft glow.
Another case of life imitating art.
Hi friends, I wanted to post an idea for a quick, delicious and inexpensive holiday gift. This is the easiest (I promise) and fastest
(still promising) fudge recipe that you will ever make. It only takes
about 5 minutes and is really yummy. This fudge also makes sweet
little gifts when poured into holiday shaped cookie cutters and wrapped
up with some ribbon. It's fudge AND a cookie cutter...it's the gift that
keeps on giving. Who wouldn't want that?
Cranberry Orange Fudge with Almonds
12 oz. Chocolate (can use semi-sweet chips or any other kind of chocolate)
1 C Butterscotch Chips
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 C of Orange flavored dried Cranberries (available at Trader Joes)
1 C of Almonds
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray the inside of the cookie cutters with a non-stick cooking spray. Place on parchment paper & set aside.
Over low-medium heat, melt the chocolate & butterscotch chips. Add
the Sweetened Condensed Milk & Vanilla. Remove from heat & add
Cranberries & Almonds. Pour into cookie cutters and refrigerate for
30 minutes. Wrap in a cellophane bag & tie with ribbon.
*The first 4 ingredients are a base for any type of fudge you want to
make. You can add raisins, nuts or any other ingredients to the
mixture.
The fudge that is pictured above has marshmellows added to it...which I am not sure I like or not. I was going for a rocky-road type thing, but it melted and just turned into a bunch of marshmellow goo. Plus, I think I like the look better of just solid chocolate....Happy Baking!
This soup is very much a staple here (along with the Minestrone) and since it looks like I've started to come down with a bit of a cold- I decided that it was time to cook up a pot (which we are eating leftovers of today..Delish!). One thing that I love about soups, is that they are so flexible, as far as quantities go, so use what you have. I think you'll find that you probably already have most ingredients on hand. I made this soup up, so I am giving approximates on quantities, if you only have 1 or 2 carrots, it's fine. I actually didn't have any celery last night and the soup still turned out great.
Enjoy!
Chicken Noodle Soup w/Dill
10 cups Chicken Broth
1 onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 carrots, thickly sliced
2-3 stalked of celery, diced
2-3 chicken breasts
1/2 bag of Egg Noodles (or you can use whatever type of noodle you want)
1-2 Tbsp dried dill weed
Fill a small/medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add chicken & boil 8-9 minutes until cooked throughout. Set aside to cool. In a large stock pot over medium heat, add 1-2 Tbsp of Olive Oil. Add the diced onion & sautee until translucent, about 5 minutes. If the onion looks like it's starting to burn, you can add a small ammount of chicken stock to the onions. Once the onions are cooked, add the garlic, celery & carrots and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the remaining chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the noodles & reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add chicken and dill and simmer another 5 minutes. Sometimes at this point (depending on how many carrots/celery/pasta, etc., I've added) I may need to add additonal stock, a few more cups because the soup is too thick and I want it a little more brothy. Either way- it's flexible so you can cater it to your own taste buds.
If you have extra soup and decide to eat it as leftovers, you many need to add additional chicken stock as the noodles will have absorbed some of the liquid.
on the ....mirror with care (we have no chimney). The tree went up last weekend, and the ornaments have been going up slowly over the past week. A few here, a few there. Henry is enjoying taking them off, so this process of decorating the tree could go on for a while. No broken ornaments yet, but I am not holding my breath. Our little Elf Henry is sure getting excited for Christmas, if you couldn't tell. We've been watching oodles & oodles of Christmas movies: Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, Elf, Home Alone, The Grinch (both versions), While You Were Sleeping, Sleepless in Seattle, Family Man. I consider the last 3 Christmas movies because there is some element of Christmas in them. Chris disagrees, I think he thinks they are chick flicks and my weak and often failed attempt to try to con him into watching them with me. I love them anyway. The three of us are currently huddled up next to a bowl of kettle corn watching the claymation version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. A certain little person, who shall remain nameless, decided he wanted nothing to do with going to sleep tonight (it's nearly 10 p.m.).
Speaking of reindeer...
Let the kids know that we saw Santa's Reindeer, and they are resting up (and getting lots and lots of training) to make sure they are ready to deliver everyones Christmas gifts. So be good and maybe he'll stop by your house!
Regarding the Cookie Exchange (read the previous post if you missed it), I have 24 participants so far, so if you are interested in either sending in your favorite holiday recipe or if you just want the complete listing of recipes, e-mail me no later than December 14th and I'll be sure to include you.
Just about finished with a holiday gift giving idea and will post the pic and recipe on Sunday. AND the newest addition to the MFCDC hasn't arrived yet. Darn! Should be here next week... will let you know the second it arrives!
We've been closely following the story of James & Kati Kim and were devastated to hear Wednesdays news. We don't know them personally, but Kati & I are the same age and I am sure we can all relate to this story in some way. We are Mothers, we are Wives...it's our worst nightmare. I just want to throw my arms around her and give her lots & lots of love. We are holding eachother a bit tighter & closer here, and hope you are, too.
Thank you all for your very nice comments about the Oreo Pops- I will be sure to pass them on to CAM! On to other things...These stacking santa dolls, I just LOVE them. I always forget that I have them until I pull them out of the Christmas box every year. Chris spent several years living in Russia and thats when our little Matryoshka doll collection started. When we first moved to Boston in '99 we found this little santa set at a local shop. It was made in Russia & imported to the states. I love his beard, and well just about everything about him. I can't wait to set him out & adore him over the Christmas Season.
Plans for the 2nd annual cookie exchange are underway and I am getting very excited for it. Last year, I had about 30 gals come and they each brought 3 dozen cookies and then kind of swapped all our cookies so everyone each left with a huge assortment. Everyone e-mailed me their recipes so when all was said & done, all the gals got everyone elses recipes. I was thinking about how I can incorporate this into my little blog world. Since you probably won't be able to make it to my house (boo hoo), I was thinking- if you want to participate, you can e-mail me your favorite cookie recipe & I'll add it in to all the ones I get from the cookie exchange and then e-mail you a complete list of the recipes. Or if you are already feeling the holiday burn-out and don't want to dig up a recipe to send me, just send me your e-mail address and I'll be sure to foward you all the recipes I get. I mean who wouldn't want lots of holiday cookie recipes??
Projects, projects, projects....I FINALLY pulled out these vintage plates that I've been holding onto for a lot of years. I'm getting ready to make them into something fabulous for the shop. And this green star, well it's not green anymore...it's currently painted white and is on the verge of a major glittery holiday transformation!
Lastly, I will be taking a little bit of a blogging break. Soo much to do around here. We have our first Christmas party on Friday night and the tree & decorations are going up this weekend. My poor paper whites need to be planted desperately or they will not bloom in time for Christmas (I can't imagine a Christmas without the sweet smell of paper whites) PLUS on the drive home tonight I thought of some other holiday gift giving ideas that I want to share with you. So, this all means, no new posts from me over the next week. I will be back end of next week with lot's to share.
P.s. I can't wait to share the newest addition to the MFCDC (Moore Family Christmas Decoration Collection)! You are going to absolutely love and will insist on one for yourself, I guarantee!
I can't believe it's DECEMBER!!