Merry Christmas, Darling.

I asked The Spouse what he wanted for Christmas the other night, and without batting an eye, he said "An American Girl Doll."

I pondered this. It made sense. Most of members of this household want one. Maybe he was feeling left out.

But he was fairly quick to explain that, unlike those of us who daydream about tea parties on miniature tea sets that cost so much Thomas Jefferson might have made them in his spare time at Monticello, his desire is for purely financial reasons. He seems to have noticed that they are the most secure investment on the planet right now. You can buy one of these dolls, brand new, for $95.00 from American Girl. Or you can get on e-bay and get the same thing for $234. A new outfit on the official site: $32. On e-bay: $46. Even those of us that aren't so good at math can see which one is more.

Well, I live to please.

I just can't wait until I get to tell the Fed-Ex guy that the dolly is for my husband. *smirk*

The Thoughts that Count...

When it comes to gifts, it's the thought that counts.

And the day after Christmas--there are some thoughts that are counting a bit more than others.

Thing 2 received a "Power Wheels" 4 wheeler from Goodwill/his dad. He knew that we had it, and he knew where we were hiding it. But that didn't seem to diminish his delight when he saw it. My favorite moment for him was when he "offroaded" over the other gifts, with a determined and triumphant look on his face. Precious. Almost as precious as the Wee One riding all by herself.

The gift that seemed to mean the most to Thing 1, in all her Age 5 wonderfulness, was not the pink bike that she had asked Santa for, and was happy to receive. Nope. The thing that I've seen her enjoy the most was the random little "Ice Cream Scoop" game that I got, for super cheap, as an after thought. Thank heavens for after thoughts.

The Wee One liked her gifts. But not nearly as much as she likes the 4 Wheeler. Good thing she has a brother that shares. Unless he doesn't feel like it. In which case, he tries to run her over with it. We're working on that. He's usually pretty repentant, which means she gets a turn. I wonder if throwing herself in front of it is her tactic to get a ride, actually.

And the thoughts that counted the most, for me? Well, I have a wall vinyl that says "Come What May and Love It" in my living room now, where there wasn't one last week. It was one of those gifts that I hadn't asked for, but really have been wanting, and a dear friend just... noticed. That means the world to me. I can't see it without smiling. And from my own sweetheart? Well--he gave me several really great gifts, but two were my favorite. The first was a framed picture of the mountain I grew up looking at, most of my life. It's called Mount Timpanogos and it towers over Utah Valley. I have climbed all it's 12,000 feet. Twice. I have signed my name in the book at the top, and dangled my feet over the razor sharp edge, looking down at the mountain goats below. Then I slid down a glacier. I love this mountain. So I began, quite awhile ago, looking for a print, but found that most photographers favor the East Face over the West Face. While the East Face is pretty, it is not the one that is most familiar to me. So my husband sought out pictures taken by amateurs, rather than professionals, and found one in public domain that he printed off and put in a frame for me. It is truly beautiful.

The other one? A class in beekeeping this winter. My Mom asked me "Why?!" and I told her: It's because it's one of my 100 goals, to gather honey. In 2010, I'll be checking that goal off my list. I love it, and the thought behind it, because my goals are important to me. And I can't do them without him. (Especially the "Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro" one. Maybe next year???)

He also gave me (and himself) tickets to Wicked next spring for our anniversary. And that is great... but those didn't hit me as much as the other two did. Even though they cost the most. Isn't life funny that way?

I'm wondering what each of you were given, that made you smile or took your breath away. Care to share?

3 Days Until Christmas...

And it begins to hit me, that Christmas will soon be over.

For the past two years, I have taken down the tree the day after Christmas. I was just ready for the chaos to be done and my house to be clean.

This year, it feels completely different. Very bittersweet.

The world always feels so dark, after Christmas. I always want to leave my lights up for another month, and I wish other people would, too. It plunges us into the very heart of winter in such an abrupt way.

Taking down the tree, which filled the corner of our family room with light. Putting away all the things that sparkle and shine.

I am just really dreading it this year.

But I'm trying to remember that I have a few more days. Just a few more days to make magic happen for my children. To bring the Christmas story to life for them, as much as I can. To see the utter amazement on their faces. Today they asked me if maybe Santa was loading their gifts in his sleigh by now. I told them that I thought he might be, and they couldn't contain their shrieks of excitement. I only have a few more Christmases with ALL of my children believing in Santa Claus and his reindeer. These days are truly, truly precious to me.

So I'm trying not to think about the end of this season, and stretch every second out. Because I don't want to miss a single thing.

4 Days Until Christmas...

Today, I am thinking about hope.

I have heard so many truly sad stories this Christmas season. A few of them on the news, but most of them firsthand. Stories of jobs lost... love lost... dreams shattered.

It seems to me that so many people are struggling, and doing their very best, but it all feels like we're getting nowhere. And sometimes it all just feels so heavy.

There have been moments when it has felt like having Christmas in the middle of all of this is just adding insult to injury.

Which is why, when I heard this song from Brandon Heath, the message of it really struck me. I've been listening to it on repeat today. Because it makes my heart lighter and reminds me of the many reasons I have, to have hope.

Which is really what the whole message of this season is all about.

May you have hope in your heart today.

(PS--You can download this song for free at amazon.com right now. Just click here. Merry Christmas! ;))

5 Days Until Christmas...

This morning, someone pointed out to me that Christmas is a great time to forgive people who have "trespassed against us."

And I was feeling all glowy, because I don't have any trespassers to forgive, really. So I was about to check that off my Christmas list, but then I thought a bit more.. And I was like "Oh."

So, in the Spirit of the Season.

To the Ice Queen: I forgive you for being the exact, polar opposite of me. I forgive you for being a size 2, and looking like a Banana Republic ad.  Even when carrying your two week old baby child. I forgive you for getting everything I want, and gloating about it. And I forgive you for wearing black clothes and cool, winter makeup when you are so clearly an autumn. It's good to know that you have some flaws, however petty.

To our Pit Bull Owning Neighbors: I am going to just come out and say it: I hate your dog. Don't take it personally. It's just that, when I come out of my front door with my babies in tow, your dog starts lunging at the tiny, not-very-high fence with such violence and sound that it makes me run for the car, muttering to my children to hurry up and not make eye contact. That is really not something I look forward to. It freaks me out. I don't think it should be allowed. But I am really, really trying not to think that you're in your kitchen, watching the whole thing and laughing at me. I'm trying not to take it personally. I forgive you for moving in, and being completely aloof. Even rude. But I can get over that. And I promise, I'll work on forgiving you for the dog.

To the Guy that Flipped Me Off and Honked: I really apologize for cutting you off.  I promise that I didn't mean to do it. Did you see me wave and mutter "Sorry!" or were you too busy laying on that horn? I kind of thought you were reaching for your gun, in that black Escalade looming down on my very old, slow minivan. I forgive you for overreacting, if you can forgive me for thinking about what a total jerk you are.

To Thomalee: Yes, even now, I am still trying to forgive you for making my elementary years 3-6 a nightmare. You are the first person I ever prayed for as an "enemy." I do not know what I did to incur your wrath on my first day at my new school, when I was so nervous. Perhaps it was very deserved. But when we were 13 and you were looking at all the girl's ankles so you could predict who would grow up to be fat and I was the ONLY ONE that you said would be fat, just as a fact, based on my cankles? That was low. But now, 16 years later, I forgive you.

Ah. That feels better. I hope you can all find a place in your hearts for forgiveness this year.

6 Days Until Christmas...

Today, I made my way out into the mayhem of the Last Saturday before Christmas.  All by myself.  And I went to the places that you avoid at all costs, the Last Saturday before Christmas: the post office, and the mall.

Standing in line at the Post Office, clutching small packages to send to family, everyone around me felt so tense. They were snapping at their kids, frantically taping together packages, and sticking stamp after stamp on whole piles of Christmas cards.  I suddenly wondered what would happen if I started singing Christmas carols.  It was the craziest impulse, and if I'd been the least bit brave, I might've tried it.  What would happen in an atmosphere like that, if you suddenly started chirping out "Jingle Bells"? Would people have joined in? Would they have stared at me and muttered? Would the workers have asked me to stop?  I didn't dare. But I wish I would've.

Leaving the Post Office, I turned the radio on my car on, loud, and rocked out to some great music that came out this year.  It's been an awesome year for music. And I drove to the mall, where traffic slowed to a desperate crawl.  Merging was a nightmare. But there was no honking. A lot of waving people over. And I loved that. Especially when listening to Train's "Soul Sister."

Ah, the energy that is The Mall at Christmas. Even when you're only there to pick up a small item or two. It's just fun to be part of this great thing that is Christmas in America. To see people looking and debating over all kinds of things... purses, hats, cell phone covers, candles. I wonder who everyone is buying for, and hope that they find just the thing.

I stopped at the jewelers to pick up my wedding ring, which I dropped off two weeks ago because one of the stones was loose. And they gave it back to me so beautiful and sparkling. When the jeweler wrote down the description of my wedding ring, she wrote "Worn."  But I think it would be more accurate to say "Loved." or "Cherished." Because I love my ring. I think it is so beautiful. Mostly because of the man that gave it to me.

Goodness, I love that man.

Especially at Christmas. 

7 Days Until Christmas...

My son is having macaroni and tomato juice, with an abundance of shredded cheese, for breakfast.

It is our Family Food.

I made it earlier this week, and I made a literal VAT of the stuff, so that there would be plenty of leftovers.

It has been requested for breakfast every morning since.  But he's eating the last of it, today.

The Wee One had a german chocolate cake ball for breakfast.
I had fudge.

It is one week until Christmas. My parent's 40th Anniversary is today. I find that amazing. So I am sitting here listening to the song that they danced to at their wedding, Theme From A Summer Place, and contemplating where I will be in 34 years, in the year 2043.

It is incomprehensible to me--time, like that.

So I'm sitting here, gazing out the window at the leaden sky. Thinking about my wonderful parents, who are the reason I believe in true love, and wishing for a White Christmas.

Visions of Sugarplums...

I've been putting together our friend/neighbor/co-worker gifts.

And can I just say, BLESS the INTERNETS?! Because without the internets, how would I have ever found a recipe for Sugar Plums, I ask you??

So, first, we took our inspiration from one of my favorite blogs and went to Goodwill and Salvation Army to rummage for old china plates and candlesticks. (I'm going to be on a hunt for these from now on.) We took those and attached a china plate to a candlestick and *ta da!*... darling cake plate. An example from Miss Michelle...

from Three Men and a Lady

*sigh* I want her thrift stores.  Okay. Now, what to put on the plates?

First, I found a recipe for Sugar Plums. Okay, I should clarify, I found LOTS of recipes that were ALL different and they seemed to contradict each other. After looking through many of them, I finally went with this one from Handmade Homeschool:

Sugar Plums

3/4 c. almonds or pistachios

1/2 c. each of dried dates, apricots, and figs (I couldn't find figs, so I used dried cherries.)

3 T. orange juice

2 tsp grated orange zest

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. cinnamon (and I'm a huge cinnamon fan, but really--1/4 tsp is plenty here)

Chop all of those up until the nuts are the size of peppercorns.(Or you can put them in a processor and chop 'em up that way, if you're all fancy like that.) Once combined, form into 1-2 inch balls and then roll in sugar. Chill until firm. (Bonus--these are actually pretty dang healthy and low calorie. Like we care right now.)

Next up, my "famous" (to me) truffles...

Chocolate Truffles

1/2 c. whipping cream

1/3 c. sugar

6 T. butter

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla

Coating:

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 T. shortening

1. Mix cream, sugar, and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add 1 c. chocolate chips and stir until chips are melted. Add vanilla. Pour into a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally. Cover and chill in refrigerator several hours or overnight to allow mixture to ripen and harden.

2. Remove from fridge and form into 1/2 inch balls, working quickly to prevent melting. Place on wax paper on cookie sheet. Chill again several hours.

3. To make chocolate coating, melt 2 c. chocoalte chips and shortening on top of a double boiler. Remove from heat and cool until just warm (85 degrees), stirring constantly. Dip each truffle into chocoalte with fork; gently tap fork on side of bowl to remove excess coating. Invert candies on to wax paper and let chill until set.

You could stop there. Seriously. You could. But why???

Let's do cake balls!

You can use any cake and frosting combination, except spice cake and vanilla frosting. Because we did that one once, and it was gross.  But for our Christmas plates, we're doing our favorite: German chocolate with pecan frosting.

Cake Balls

Make your cake in a 9x13 pan. Bake, and cool.  Crumble into a large bowl and mix in one FULL can of frosting until everything is sticky.  Form into 1-2 inch balls and chill for at least two hours. Dip balls into melted chocolate chips or dipping chocolate.  Chill on wax paper, until firm.

The goodness of cake balls is not to be underestimated. I really think we should start airlifting them into war torn countries and give peace a chance.

Finally, peppermint bark.

image from Beyond Recipes

Peppermint Bark

1 pound white chocolate (not chips)

2 c. Rice Krispies

7 1/2 ounces peppermint candies, crushed and then run through a sieve to separate big pieces from the dust.

Melt chocolate over a double boiler, 4-6 minutes.

Add cereal and mix.

Press mixture into a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and sprinkle with crushed candy.

Chill for no more than 20-30 minutes and then break into pieces. Store at room temperature.

Yay! Holiday goodies. It's so fun to make a gigantic mess of your kitchen and spend WAY more money on a homemade gift than a store-bought one. I'll get a picture of our finished product when they're all done and put together tomorrow.

Happy Christmas-ing!

Comfort and Joy

I learned something really profound last night, in the middle of the night.

In the early hours of the morning, my youngest started to scream. Not crying: screaming. Like the Best Spouse in the World that he is, my husband got up to try and comfort her. This was difficult since Thing 1 and Thing 2 had each moved to the couches in the family room during the night, and he didn't want to wake them up. So he shut himself in the nursery.

I awoke and was alarmed by the intensity of Wee One's crying and went to see if I could help somehow, and found her pitching an absolute fit. She was writhing in Dave's arms and pushing against him. I could tell that he had used all of his resources, with no result.

Eventually, I found myself in a dim room, by myself, with a screaming child. I employed different tactics to try and soothe, but they seemed to bring only momentary relief or intensified crying. And in my daughter's eyes, I could see anger--WHY wasn't I making the hurt go away? WHY didn't I make it stop?

And suddenly, I could see something from the eyes of a Heavenly parent... the way my Heavenly Father must feel so often. I knew that I was doing all in my power to comfort her, and that there was nothing else I could do but let her little body work it out. But I could love her through it, and make sure that she knew I was there. Even though I suddenly became the object of her anger and confusion, I knew enough not to take it personally, and to comfort her as best as I could.

Eventually, we found just the right thing (a tight swaddle and a slow "cha cha cha" motion) that soothed her to sleep. She slowly relaxed and her eyes fluttered shut, as she took deep, hiccuping breaths. I didn't lay her down, right away, but let myself enjoy the silence and the peace of comfort that has been desperately sought and finally found. And I found myself uttering a silent little prayer... "Thank you, Heavenly Father, for comforting her. And for comforting me, when I need it. I don't think I ever really understood before, but I think I do now... at least a little bit."

So today, I am truly grateful.

Operation Sandwich

Christmas is such a great time for serving. When I was younger, I loved to do any number of services, any time of year, but one of my favorites was to go caroling at rest homes. I have to admit that taking my children to a rest home is daunting now. Not even so much because of the kids, but because when I hold hands with the very old, I look down and sometimes--for a fleeting second--I can't tell which hands are mine. And that is sobering.

Although it's true that our kids would definitely find some way to wreak havoc at a place of comfort and quiet.

So, we are trying to work in appropriate service behavior, trying to prep our kids for trips to the rest home to sing. What service is. How we do it. And why we love it.

Those things are SO much easier to teach if you get friends involved, and today we did that.

Today, we made sandwiches for a place that needs 800. Every.single.day. Sure, after two seconds, and the realization that the sandwiches weren't actually to be personally consumed, Thing 2 announced "Actually, I no want make sandwiches." But service was being done, you know, in his proximity.

And when all is said and done, I'm continually amazed and humbled by the simple fact that if there is a need, and you ask people to help... they will.

To the tune of 150 sandwiches.

And that is amazing.

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa,

For Christmas this year, I would like any and/or all of the following:

1. A fully automated kitchen that cleans itself.

2. Harvard to nominate me for an Honorary Doctoral Degree. If they could give me one of the funny PhD caps, that would be great, but I'll settle for the diploma alone.

3. My waist back.

4. The book of my children's lives, unabridged, so I can see how this mystery/drama/comedy is going to end. If there's a Cliff Notes version, send that along, too. No "choose your own adventure" options, please.

5. The equity back in our house that the economy ate. I'll go for a "break even"

6. Speaking of self cleaning--if you could get some of those self cleaning clothes for my kids, it would probably be really good for the environment. I'm just sayin'...

7. The directors of Lord of the Rings to decide they want to (re)do the whole Twilight series. With a gigantic budget. And good actors. Please. For the love.

8. World Peace.

I think that should do it. In return, I shall make my Boston Mint Cookies. I'll even leave the recipe out.

Think about it.

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?... Service

Every year, around this time, I start thinking about Christmas.

It isn't just because it's blazing hot and humid outside and I'm wishing for cuddly sweater days and hot chocolate.... mmmmm.... sweater days and hot chocolate.....

Oh, uh--no. That's not why I start thinking about Christmas at the beginning of summer. It's because, every year, my (incredible) in-laws ask for their children and grandchildren to do a service project as their Christmas gift to them. In an effort to make it something truly meaningful, both for them and for us, I need to get the wheels turning about 6 months beforehand.

I want it to be something worthwhile, but do-able. Do-able gets trickier when you want to involve your three tiny kids, which I do. I want them to remember the experience and how they felt. I want it to be a true service--something needful--that hopefully will bless people in our community.

I'm on the hunt for this year's project, but in the meantime, definitely finding lots of great ideas. Would you like to get into the spirit of Christmas, with us? Here are a few of my favorite volunteer websites:

http://www.volunteermatch.org/ "Where volunteering begins..."
I love VolunteerMatch because you can put in your zip code, and search for opportunities close by. You can choose to see service opportunities for groups, teens, kids, families, or by type of opportunity--education, special needs, elderly, women and children, etc. This is where you can go to sign up to help with Special Olympics, volunteer for an Avon or Komen cancer walk, or even find volunteer opportunities that you can do from your home.

http://www.colorasmile.org/ "Our goal is to make people smile..."
I love this one, because it's PERFECT for kids. You have your kids color a drawing and write their name and age on the front, then send it in and they distribute these pictures to rest homes, shut-ins, and care facilities. They have coloring pages you can print out, or let your kids use their imaginations. Easy!!

http://www.doonenicething.com/ "Every Monday do at least one nice thing for someone..."
This is a brilliant idea. Every Monday, they post something for you to do that day, or just take on the challenge and do an extra service for someone that day. If everyone in the world were looking to serve someone on Monday instead of thinking about themselves, how different would this world be???