Dear Santa,

I have been really good this year.

Rotary Phones

Heavy, clunky, colorful, nostalgic rotary phones.

This particular phone hung on a kitchen wall in my childhood home.
When it rang, you knew it.
It had a loud, bell like, jingling ring that could be heard throughout the whole house and out into the yard.

When you wanted to call and catch up with a friend, you were committed to making that phone call. There was an amount of concentration as your fingers quickly poked each number, pulled the dial to where it stopped and waited patiently as it made its way, slowly back to its original place. You may have found yourself singing the numbers with the rhythm of the rotary dial, as to not lose track of the phone number. If you messed up, there was no redial, you would have to start fresh from the beginning.

Conversations on a phone like this were what they should be, uninterrupted, actual conversations with the person on the other end of the line. There were none of the features that are available today, no call waiting to interrupt, no caller id to screen calls, no hold buttons, no mute buttons and no 3 way calling. I don't want to get into the slew of "techy", "gadgety", things that my husband has on his phone, so I will keep this part of the post streamlined.

There was no multitasking on a phone that kept you within a 3 foot radius of itself.

You were given permission to sit down, relax and enjoy a conversation.

Its weird how having so much and being so accessible to everything makes you wish for the simple things of your childhood.
Things, that just by being, forced you to slow down and catch your breath.....
I just wish my husband would agree.

virtual weight gain

chocolate~peanut butter~chex mix....

9 cups rice chex
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. Measure cereal into large bowl, set aside.
2. Put chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in microwave (uncovered) for 1 min on high; stir; another 30 seconds until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until coated.
3. Pour into 2 gallon plastic bag
4. Add powdered sugar into bag, seal, shake until well coated.
5. Spread on waxed paper to cool
6. Store in sealed container in refrigerator.
   
   

cake balls...

1 package chocolate cake mix
1 container prepared chocolate frosting
1 pkg almond bark- white chocolate flavor

1. Bake cake according to package
2. When cake is done, crumble while warm into a large bowl, and stir in the frosting until well blended.
3. Use a spoon to form balls of the chocolate cake mixture, put on waxed paper and chill in refrigerator.
4. Melt white chocolate in the microwave, stirring occasionally until smooth.
5. Dip the balls in chocolate using a toothpick or fork to hold them.
6. Place on waxed paper and back to refrigerator to set.

not budging

We believe in Santa Clause at our house.

He will be making a visit to our house on December 24th to grab a few cookies, hang the stockings and leave each of the 3 kids, one special gift.

For weeks, Avery has been telling everyone that she would like a Disney Talking Nursery for Christmas.

If you are not familiar with this, its a rather large, overpriced item that has mixed reviews from parents who have purchased it.

I have been putting off purchasing this, hoping that she would lose interest and pointing out other alternatives, my efforts have not been effective.

Avery is in love with this toy.

She told me that she wants to write Santa a letter to make sure that he knows that it is at Toys R Us, gotta love those marketing geniuses that fit that into the ad, and to not let the elves make one.....ugh!
I have resigned to the fact that she is not budging, this is THE toy....the toy that will make her Christmas complete in her little 5 year old eyes. Now, I am trying to find the damn thing, because apparently, its a hot gift and not be found anywhere online!

It is out of stock.

I did a google search and found 2 sites that had them for 3 times the retail price.....no way!!!

I am on a wait list to be notified when it is in stock and I am going to check out the actual stores tonight after work.....hoping for the best and pissed that I waited so long.

I have great appreciation for those who paved the way for us....and they didn't even have Internet access in the 80's!

I can only imagine the exhaustion and shear determination it took for my parents to score me my beloved cabbage patch kid, Aldus Barlow. Always an offbeat kid, I begged for a bald, boy Cabbage Patch Kid....get harder to find.....but he was there waiting for me on Christmas morning in 1983.

Santa got all of the glory, but I know now that my parents stalked Kids Town and Child World until they made my Christmas magical.

How can I not give Avery the same magic and memories.....?

merry, merry

It is time to get the holiday cards out to my family and friends.
I like to get them mailed out the first week of December, which means that I am staging photo shoots in October. I need to ensure the proper amount of time needed to get the shots, edit the pictures, create templates, order in bulk and await shipment of cards and envelopes before they make their way to their recipients.

Its a labor of love.

Each year, I have these cute ideas of getting the 3 kids in some sort of festive moment.
I plan out in my head how to pull it off for the camera, only to have my difficult models protest all of my direction and refuse any and all attempts of a creative Christmas photo.

Fortunately, collages make a suitable format for 3 separate subjects that need to be brought together aesthetically....but, not my original concept.

2006 card........

2007 card......

my parents card last year.....

This year, I was really unmotivated and quite frankly, lost track of time and wasn't able to take the steps that I have in the past. So, I used a favorite photo image that I had on file, chose a pre-made template on a photo site and came up with the wording for the card.....done! Just waiting for my shipment to arrive so I can mail them out....'tis the season!

oh happy day!

Happy Birthday Avery!

5 years old

You are my sugary~sweet, funny~faced, smarty~pants, princess~diva~big~girl.

I love you so much!

lightbulb moment

I have figured out why I am not totally in love with the baking process.

Baking is a very precise and accurate skill, measurements and time are most important to ending the procedure with a successful final product.....and I am definitely a season and taste kind of girl.

When I cook, I like to throw in a little of this and little of that, taste, determine what may or may not be needed, and go from there.....I always tweak my recipes to suit my style and taste.....always.

Come to think of it, this is the way I approach all of my creative mediums, even hair.....I have a foundation that I start with and build as I go.

It is quite fulfilling to me.

Unfortunately, this style is not really conducive to baking, so I have never felt completely confident, and I really appreciate those who excel with baking skills.

I stress out trying to sift and pack the dry ingredients while keeping my liquids precise in my measuring cups. Double checking at eye level is painful when I have to remove a little excess because I poured at the wrong angle. I have to be so careful not to confuse the the baking powder with the baking soda or the different types of sugars.....it gets rough for me.

Yesterday, I conquered some more baking territory and made these really yummy king sized cupcakes for Avery's, post-early Thanksgiving dinner-family-birthday-mini-celebration (long story).

OK, so I used boxed mixes, but I still had to count eggs and measure liquids, my demise.....but I prevailed.

The cupcakes are so big and I made 4 different flavors....pink vanilla, rich chocolate fudge, lemon and apple cake with sautéed apples, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon on top.

Something for everyone, as we have specific requirements in our family!

My favorite part was decorating and adding my thing with the apple topping.....so there was a little bit of me in them!

chicken lasagna

hot, cheesy, bubbly, gooey, yummy goodness......mmmmm

• 8 ounces lasagna noodles
• 1 pound chicken, cubed
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 jar (about 16 ounces) spaghetti sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil, crumbled
• 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside.
In a large skillet, cook chicken, garlic powder, salt, oregano, basil and onion.
Stir in spaghetti sauce to let simmer.
In a deep casserole dish, layer the lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese, sauce, mozzarella cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and Parmesan cheeses.

Repeat layers twice.
Bake lasagna for 20 minutes covered at 375, and for 10 minutes uncovered.....until thoroughly heated and bubbly.

brilliant!

An easy way to get the kids organised and ready for the day.....

Free downloads of the days of the week tags are here.....enjoy!

a formal rant

Dear sweet littlest bean,

Please know that I am not at all fond of the antics this week.
I can say, without a doubt that I do not enjoy the 3 am parties that you have been throwing with your sister for the past few nights. I am all for a good party, but girl, I have to break it to you.....its not the time or place. A full night of sleep is a requirement for this mommy, besides that, your daddy and I invested in the most perfect, king sized, pillow top bed and I intend to get my monies worth, thank you very much.
So lets try to save the parties for daylight hours, OK?
I would also like to point out the tantrums, they are driving me absolutely crazy. I realize that there are things in life that are frustrating, especially for a 2 and half year old, but you jump head first into the fit without any attempt to figure out the situation.....or to give me a second to try to help you. Hypothetically speaking, a screaming, limbs flailing, snot running, red faced, high intensity, toddler melt down coupled with a sleep deprived, non-showered, dismal, less than patient mommy, makes for a not so fun day.
Am I right?!
Then, there is the mess factor.
You are the equivalent of a tornado hitting my house, the damage is done within moments and all of my efforts in keeping a clean home are blown away. I simply cannot keep pace with you.
Yet, I try......I try, oh so hard.
Yogurt painted all over the TV console, toothpaste smashed into your bedroom rug, eating peanut butter out of the jar with your hands, drawing with chap stick on the windows and back slider and sketching with my favorite eyeliner on the bathroom cabinet, all of these activities you conjured up yourself while I was off doing a quick load of laundry or making some sort of nutritional substance for you and your sister. Its not like I am plugged into a good TV show, gossiping on the phone or even taking the all elusive long, hot shower.
Do you remember when I set you and your sister up with the coloring books and crayons at the kitchen table, thinking that I could grab a few minutes upstairs to make beds and straighten up....only to come downstairs to find that you colored the whole side of my refrigerator with a thick, waxy layer of green crayon?!!

Yeah, not so fun for me.

a few additional bullet points:

• stripping oneself of all clothing before we have to leave the house


• refusing to eat what is prepared


• battling with siblings


• freaking out when I leave


• objecting to naps


• rejecting the potty

But with all of these inconvenient facets of our relationship, you know that you are my brightest ray of sunshine. You are always making me laugh with your craziness, even when I am at my crankiest. You are my most snugly snuggle bug and you love to cuddle on the couch with me and a book or your favorite show. You are so creative and artistic and you feel so proud when you finish your projects, you glow in our praise.....singing your songs and dancing your silly dances.

I adore that big cheesy smile that brings out the twinkle in your blue eyes, love to kiss those chunky, squishy cheeks and it melts my heart to hear that belly laugh permeate through the room.

So, littlest one, despite my rant, I wouldn't change you for anything.

Well it really wouldn't be so bad if you wanted to sleep all night again and not use my house as your personal artistic outlet.

With lots of love,

Mommy