I made truffles! Granted, it was from a recipe and they were super easy, but still. :)
I still can't add active links here, but here's the recipe for anyone else wanting to give it a whirl: http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/do-it-yourself-truffles-desserts.
I made a quarter batch the first time as a test run to make sure they would work. The second batch was a half batch that I split into 4 parts. Two parts were chocolate coated in bakers cocoa/powdered sugar, 1 part was peppermint rolled in crushed candy cane and the last part was almond extract rolled in Magic Bullet-ed almonds. Finely ground might be the other descriptor. :)
Anyway, they were super easy and quite tasty! I was pretty impressed with my ability to make something that seems so fancy.
December 27, 2010
December 20, 2010
Explain santa not coming?
December 16, 2010
Make it worth it?
The fam and I met some other moms for a "light show" tonight at the local botanical gardens.
In the rain.
Well shit.
That's not what I was planning on.
So, standing in the rain, waiting for friends to show up, wondering why we're doing this..... Grrrr......
Now add in the reality that my base body temperature seems to actually be low and I'm standing there in the cold and rain and frankly, was not happy about it. But I said I'd be there, so I gotta go.
After waiting for the last person for awhile after I'd already sent everyone else (including Sparky and friends) ahead, I went to catch up with them. Once I got to them, I remembered why the cold and rain were worth it. It's a beautifully magical place all made up like a spring/summer garden, but with Christmas lights.
Oh yeah. THAT'S why it's worth it! It's just so beautiful, but not in the double rainbow kinda way. It really is very beautiful and a lot of work went into making it so lovely. I took Sparky and Spunky twice this year and both nights were free nights. I should probably either take them again on a fee night or just do an online donation and not be such a cheapskate about it.
It almost feels like a community service that they do the lights and it's something Hubs and I have enjoyed together since before we were engaged. It's kinda our little family tradition, which makes it even more worth the cold and rain that we had tonight.
And really, I know to expect cold and rain this time of year living here. What else would there be?
In the rain.
Well shit.
That's not what I was planning on.
So, standing in the rain, waiting for friends to show up, wondering why we're doing this..... Grrrr......
Now add in the reality that my base body temperature seems to actually be low and I'm standing there in the cold and rain and frankly, was not happy about it. But I said I'd be there, so I gotta go.
After waiting for the last person for awhile after I'd already sent everyone else (including Sparky and friends) ahead, I went to catch up with them. Once I got to them, I remembered why the cold and rain were worth it. It's a beautifully magical place all made up like a spring/summer garden, but with Christmas lights.
Oh yeah. THAT'S why it's worth it! It's just so beautiful, but not in the double rainbow kinda way. It really is very beautiful and a lot of work went into making it so lovely. I took Sparky and Spunky twice this year and both nights were free nights. I should probably either take them again on a fee night or just do an online donation and not be such a cheapskate about it.
It almost feels like a community service that they do the lights and it's something Hubs and I have enjoyed together since before we were engaged. It's kinda our little family tradition, which makes it even more worth the cold and rain that we had tonight.
And really, I know to expect cold and rain this time of year living here. What else would there be?
December 14, 2010
Wake up?
Day to day, this is a different answer, but one way that I woke up was last spring.
At the time, I was part of a blog consortium (for lack of better for word it) and was writing a post about what I believe.
Um…. hi reality. It had been awhile hadn’t it?
One of the things that I wrote was that I believe blogging should be fun and something that adds to my life rather than a chore or something that I have to do.
It’s not like I get paid for it. If I did, yeah, writing could be something I have to do. But I’m not, so it’s not.
I never published that post. Just writing that I think it should be fun was the wake up call I needed to step back from all the carnivals, prompts, and just be me. So, I am now awake, at least in that sense, and am not doing all the other junk. It’s kinda fun to a point, but it’s also a false sense of importance. I may have had some followers, but none of them said a word when I stopped blogging. The few who’ve refound me as of this posting are people that I actually know in reality and aren’t just virtual profiles out in space.
This is much better.
December 13, 2010
Feed a friend?
December 11, 2010
Get so lucky?
It's probably not pure luck, but that doesn't mean I don't feel lucky. I do.
I have an amazing rockstar of a husband who doesn't hesitate to just do what needs to be done and knows when I stressed to my breaking point. He's also fantastic at helping keep me from reaching that point and helping me keep perspective that while Sparky and Spunky are young, yeah... it's going to be hard some days and some days (or parts of days) might just completely suck. Take yesterday morning for example. I quite simply told Hubs that I needed a do-over when I was finally on my way to the store for a large shopping trip at 12:30 that I should have been started at 11 at the latest. Yeah, yesterday morning sucked.
But, then came this morning and life was so much better. I had a new day's perspective and all the junk from yesterday was gone while I was able to simply enjoy a party that I'd planned for my kids. It was great and such a fun time for us.
I also have two kind-hearted, intelligent and silly as shit little kids. I really don't think I could ask for more. The fact that they're beautiful is a complete bonus. Someone else described her little girl as "pretty much perfect" to me today and I kinda thought "well, mine aren't, but they're pretty freaking awsome!"
There's an element of luck with how Hubs and I met maybe, and an element of just the right genes for the kidlets, but I know that some of why life is good is a result of the choices that my parents, myself, Hubs, his parents, and the kiddo's make and have made. The equation goes something like this.....
good choice+good choice+good choice+good choice+perspective=good life
Now, there are sometimes things that send all the good choices to the crapper for sure, but that's where perspective comes in. Even when something sucks, it doesn't all suck. So then, you're back to good life. Pretty simple really.
I have an amazing rockstar of a husband who doesn't hesitate to just do what needs to be done and knows when I stressed to my breaking point. He's also fantastic at helping keep me from reaching that point and helping me keep perspective that while Sparky and Spunky are young, yeah... it's going to be hard some days and some days (or parts of days) might just completely suck. Take yesterday morning for example. I quite simply told Hubs that I needed a do-over when I was finally on my way to the store for a large shopping trip at 12:30 that I should have been started at 11 at the latest. Yeah, yesterday morning sucked.
But, then came this morning and life was so much better. I had a new day's perspective and all the junk from yesterday was gone while I was able to simply enjoy a party that I'd planned for my kids. It was great and such a fun time for us.
I also have two kind-hearted, intelligent and silly as shit little kids. I really don't think I could ask for more. The fact that they're beautiful is a complete bonus. Someone else described her little girl as "pretty much perfect" to me today and I kinda thought "well, mine aren't, but they're pretty freaking awsome!"
There's an element of luck with how Hubs and I met maybe, and an element of just the right genes for the kidlets, but I know that some of why life is good is a result of the choices that my parents, myself, Hubs, his parents, and the kiddo's make and have made. The equation goes something like this.....
good choice+good choice+good choice+good choice+perspective=good life
Now, there are sometimes things that send all the good choices to the crapper for sure, but that's where perspective comes in. Even when something sucks, it doesn't all suck. So then, you're back to good life. Pretty simple really.
December 10, 2010
(or rather we) decide not to santa?
Let me first say that I don't care how or if others celebrate any given holiday. No judgement from me about it, please offer me the same. Besides that, it's my blog so I get to spew whatever I want! Mwah ah ah!!
We don't do santa because that's not what Christmas is about in our family. It's about the birth of Christ. Yes, I fully know that it probably didn't happen in the winter, but since December 25th is the generally accepted date to celebrate it, we go with that. I know and understand why winter was chosen and as my kids are older, that's an opportunity for Hubs and I to talk to them about history, politics and religion and how they all work (or don't) together.
That's our main reason. We want our kids to grow up with the concepts of God and Christ so Christmas and Easter are important holidays in our family that have nothing to do with old men or rabbits. The way we explain Christmas presents to the kids is that for someone's birthday, we often give them a present. There's a little bit of Jesus in everyone, so we get to give everyone presents for Jesus' birthday. And, since there's a little bit of Jesus in us too, we might get some presents.
We also try to be as age appropriately honest as we can about things with the kids so we're just not feeling the need to introduce all the holiday characters. Really, what's the point? For us, there isn't one. For others, they do and it works for them. No problem.
Last year, we tried celebrating Saint Nicholas Day, but that didn't work so well. We still felt like we were lying by acting like someone besides us would put things in their socks. It just hit the "this is wrong" chord with both of us as parents. St Nicholas day is actually a holiday that is celebrated in other parts of the country and in other countries. It's December 6th for anyone who's interested. Here's some pretty good info about it: http://hubpages.com/hub/St_Nicholas_Day. Saint Nicholas is actually where santa comes from.
Growing up, Hubs' family and mine both did santa to various degrees. Mine more than his. We both grew up with it but there's a lot about parenting that we do differently than our parents or siblings. Christmas is just one of them.
At this point, Sparky will tell people "santa is a character and pretend". She gets what santa really is. Now we can explain better what santa represents (somewhat, but that's another post). We can explain that santa is about taking care of kids and doing nice things for others, which is a simplified version of what Saint Nicholas is known for.
It's just what's working for us and consistent with our choices as parents.
We don't do santa because that's not what Christmas is about in our family. It's about the birth of Christ. Yes, I fully know that it probably didn't happen in the winter, but since December 25th is the generally accepted date to celebrate it, we go with that. I know and understand why winter was chosen and as my kids are older, that's an opportunity for Hubs and I to talk to them about history, politics and religion and how they all work (or don't) together.
That's our main reason. We want our kids to grow up with the concepts of God and Christ so Christmas and Easter are important holidays in our family that have nothing to do with old men or rabbits. The way we explain Christmas presents to the kids is that for someone's birthday, we often give them a present. There's a little bit of Jesus in everyone, so we get to give everyone presents for Jesus' birthday. And, since there's a little bit of Jesus in us too, we might get some presents.
We also try to be as age appropriately honest as we can about things with the kids so we're just not feeling the need to introduce all the holiday characters. Really, what's the point? For us, there isn't one. For others, they do and it works for them. No problem.
Last year, we tried celebrating Saint Nicholas Day, but that didn't work so well. We still felt like we were lying by acting like someone besides us would put things in their socks. It just hit the "this is wrong" chord with both of us as parents. St Nicholas day is actually a holiday that is celebrated in other parts of the country and in other countries. It's December 6th for anyone who's interested. Here's some pretty good info about it: http://hubpages.com/hub/St_Nicholas_Day. Saint Nicholas is actually where santa comes from.
Growing up, Hubs' family and mine both did santa to various degrees. Mine more than his. We both grew up with it but there's a lot about parenting that we do differently than our parents or siblings. Christmas is just one of them.
At this point, Sparky will tell people "santa is a character and pretend". She gets what santa really is. Now we can explain better what santa represents (somewhat, but that's another post). We can explain that santa is about taking care of kids and doing nice things for others, which is a simplified version of what Saint Nicholas is known for.
It's just what's working for us and consistent with our choices as parents.
December 6, 2010
Meet my nemesis?
Maybe nemesis is too strong of a word, but maybe not.
Wanna know what it is?
It's those fricking fugly net lights that some a-hole designed and ridiculous people insist on installing on their poor unsuspecting shrubs.
I HATE net lights. Absolutely, with a passion, hate them.
What the heck lazy neighbors? If you want to put up lights, no problem. Sparky and Spunky love them as we go by. Thank you for putting them up. Now, Hubs and I can't stand the net lights. Take
the time to put up real lights that you wind around what-not on your own, or don't bother. Same goes for the crazy ugly woodland creatures. Let them be. Maybe that's why deer don't come through the 'hood anymore. They're too embarrassed by your holiday decorating.
the time to put up real lights that you wind around what-not on your own, or don't bother. Same goes for the crazy ugly woodland creatures. Let them be. Maybe that's why deer don't come through the 'hood anymore. They're too embarrassed by your holiday decorating.
And if you read my previous blog, yes, I complained about this last year about this time too. I really just can't stand those stupid lights!
December 4, 2010
Make a birdfeeder?
Probably the same way that most people made at least one between the ages of 2 and 8!
With a large pinecone, some peanut butter, and some birdseed.
We had friends over this morning to make them with us. I had collected the pinecones last spring when they were all wide open. Left them in the garage for a couple months to get nice and spidery. Then today, dumped them in the back yard, tied a piece of red ribbon at the top, slathered in peanut butter and rolled in birdseed. Sparky loved being able to help and loved making a mess with the baking pan of seed. Yeah, thanks kid. Spunky tried to "help", but really, she just tried to get the seed off the table. Thanks to you too kid!
It actually was pretty fun and both kids enjoyed it I think. Now the real fun begins of watching the birds come for the seed. I think they'll enjoy watching the birds while they're eating at the table too.
With a large pinecone, some peanut butter, and some birdseed.
We had friends over this morning to make them with us. I had collected the pinecones last spring when they were all wide open. Left them in the garage for a couple months to get nice and spidery. Then today, dumped them in the back yard, tied a piece of red ribbon at the top, slathered in peanut butter and rolled in birdseed. Sparky loved being able to help and loved making a mess with the baking pan of seed. Yeah, thanks kid. Spunky tried to "help", but really, she just tried to get the seed off the table. Thanks to you too kid!
It actually was pretty fun and both kids enjoyed it I think. Now the real fun begins of watching the birds come for the seed. I think they'll enjoy watching the birds while they're eating at the table too.
December 1, 2010
Find joy today?
There's this thing that happens most every day at my house. Sparky and Spunky and I pile on the bed and there's generally some giggling, tickling, playing and it generally dissolves into two little girls climbing all over me. It's also often my favorite time of day. They're bony and uncoordinated and I often feel like I'm being bruised.
Then again, there's also something magical about their unpretentious joy of being together as the three of us. I love their laughter and giggles and while Hubs doesn't always understand me keeping them up a little bit later, it's totally worth it! They sleep plenty (Lord knows it!) and an extra 10 minutes of being awake each afternoon isn't anything to worry about.
Their laughter is the best part of every single day and I always try to make sure that we all get those few moment of joy. It really is incredible and I wish everyone who knows them got to experience what I get to experience each day. I'm so lucky to be mom to my special little girls!
Then again, there's also something magical about their unpretentious joy of being together as the three of us. I love their laughter and giggles and while Hubs doesn't always understand me keeping them up a little bit later, it's totally worth it! They sleep plenty (Lord knows it!) and an extra 10 minutes of being awake each afternoon isn't anything to worry about.
Their laughter is the best part of every single day and I always try to make sure that we all get those few moment of joy. It really is incredible and I wish everyone who knows them got to experience what I get to experience each day. I'm so lucky to be mom to my special little girls!
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