Archive for December, 2008

What Christmas looks like all up in here

This will be another photo-heavy post because I’m in that pre-holiday state of mind– which basically means I walk around 24/7 making lists, losing my lists and perpetually feeling like I’m forgetting something important that will eventually come back and bite me in the butt. Merry Christmas!

I did get a few things done however, and I have the pictures to prove it! Lindsay of Suburban Turmoil invited us to her dessert party last Saturday night and I was determined to bring my way-too-labor-intensive Christmas cookies, so I plunged headlong into the two-day process of turning those little suckers out. As much as I ‘complain’ about how much trouble they are, the truth is, I thoroughly enjoy the process and REALLY enjoy the finished product. I do make a big ol’ mess though- wanna see?

Here’s what the kitchen and I looked like at the end of Day 1:

(BTW– I totally had to photoshop my shirt because between me holding it out in front of me and the flash from the camera? You could completely see right through it! And as Madi said once when she was a little girl and my mom jokingly threatened to wear a tank top– “Nobody wants to see that, Nanno.”)

Here’s Day 2– These days I have to put my reading glasses on to decorate the cookies, which actually works because I think it gives me a certain Mrs. Claus vibe, don’t you?

Usually I make extra ones for the girls to decorate for themselves and then the fancy-schmancy ones are the gifts for others, but this year marked some kind of rite of passage and I finally let Madi decorate some with me. She was so funny and kept making jokes about being on ‘cookie probation’ until I was sure she passed muster… She did beautifully, of course, but after finishing about half a dozen of them she realized how much work it was and then kind of drifted back upstairs… Here’s some of the finished product:

(Here are two of Madi’s– gorgeous, right?)

We also managed to get the tree up and decorated while Russ was gone last week. I wrestled the lights, and Charlotte played around while Madi studied for exams– like Norman Rockwell, only with more estrogen and also? I kind of got the lights a little crooked. Oh well. By the time we loaded on our three frillion ornaments, who could tell?

 

That present Char is checking out is actually this handy-dandy thing we picked up at Home Depot– looks like a gift, but you fill it up with water and there’s a tube that goes into the tree stand and it keeps the tree watered. It actually works!

The dogs were totally NO HELP at all.

But the weather cooperated–

Among our frillion ornaments are some of my favorite homemade ones that the girls did in kindergarten. Here’s Madi rocking a side ponytail and Charlotte looking very unsure about being Rudolph… Warning: you need to mentally prepare yourself for the cuteness you are about to witness, because it could KILL YOU!!!

WAS I RIGHT???

And finally, the finished product: Ta da!

So… how are your Christmas traditions coming along? Tell me all about them!

Grape salad recipe AND The Mom Song! Are you lucky, or what?!

I got the cookies made yesterday and now, it’s decorating day!  Yes, it’s a two day ordeal process. (Remind me again why I do this…?)

But since you were nice enough to stick your head in my cyber-door and see what’s up over here at Babyblomr, I’ll reward you with the grape salad recipe and a bonus!

I had this salad at one of those lady’s salad lunch things, where everybody volunteers to bring something. I’ll admit when one of the lovely women said, “I’ve got a good recipe for a grape salad,” I kind of thought, “Grapes? Salad? Ok…” Then the day arrived, she brought it, and I had to be physically restrained from just grabbing the trifle bowl and the serving spoon and going after it. Not really, but it was a nice kind of not-too-sweet, refreshing change from all of the chicken salad/green salad offerings. The Smedleys enjoyed it, and I also made some for the Two Swedes and a Dane and they really loved it– those Europeans are all about the fruit, ya know. They eat so much healthier than we do! Anywho, here it is:

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Grape Salad

2 lbs red grapes

2 lbs green grapes

Wash and dry really well.

Mix together:

8-oz cream cheese

8-oz sour cream

2 tsp vanilla

Blend well. (I dressed mine really lightly, so it wouldn’t be too soupy– had a good amount of this mixture left.)

Mix 1/2 cream cheese mixture with green grapes and 1/2 with red grapes.

Layer green grape mixture, Sprinkle with small amount of brown sugar (I know, sounds weird, but it was really good–added an interesting little texture. Next time I think I am going to use that ‘Sugar in the Raw’ turbinado sugar) and toasted pecans.

Layer red grapes mixture, and sprinkle brown sugar and toasted pecans.

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Now, some of you may have seen this already, but it bears repeating, especially this time of year. I swear, sometimes this really feels like this is my day…  Enjoy!

(Special thanks to deafmom on Twitter)

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