It's the Christmas cookie season and I can't wait to make these little dandies! They are "Peppermint Meltaways", yum. Here is the recipe. Jim also found a limited edition combination from Toll House, it's mint chips mixed with dark chocolate chips and a recipe on the back for "Scrumptious Chocolate Mint Layer Bars". Doesn't that sound delicious?! Lol. I am hoping to have a baking day where we make a few different kinds of cookies. Garrett likes to bake with me so hopefully we can carve out some time to get that done before Christmas. The hard part is not eating them all in the process!:)
Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and I have been singing "Ave Maria" and "Salve Regina" for two days. I can't get this version out of my head from Sister Act. It's such a fun arrangement and I can always remember my mom and I turning this up and belting it out!:) I think this movie (and Sister Act 2) has to be among my favorite movie soundtracks. If you've never seen this before, give it until about 1:10 until the tempo change. Go sisters!:)
Yippeee, the book I have been waiting for has arrived! This was an exciting Monday, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning!:) Lisa Henedy and her website Catholic Mom have been a source of inspiration to me and a place I have gone for information and motivation as a Christian mom. I have gotten tips, wisdom, recipe ideas and more at that website. So when I saw that Lisa was coming out with her own book I was thrilled. It's called "The Handbook for Catholic Moms" and will be released in February. Thanks to Lisa and her publicist Amanda for the advance copy I am chomping at the he bit to pour over the pages! Here is a quote from Heidi Hess who endorsed the book: " Every mom needs a few good tools in her belt, to help her handle life’s challenges and The Handbook for Catholic Moms belongs on your short list of indispensable resources." Sounds good already! Here is the link if you would like to pre-order.
While we are on the topic of "mom" things, the Mom Squad luncheon is coming up this Saturday! I am excited, nervous, a even a little frazzled as the date approaches. It really is like planning a wedding in a lot of ways. As with that, I am trying not to sweat the small stuff but it's hard because I want to make sure all 500+ women feel blessed, loved, and lifted up by the end of the event! At some point though I know I just need to let go and trust that the Holy Spirit will take over. If you are going (and I hope you are) please check out the Mom Squad blog for all the info and last minute details.
I ran across a website recently that has given me a major boost in my quest to eat healthier. It's called The Daily Plate. You just punch in your goal, if you want to lose 1 or 1.5 pounds a week, or perhaps if you need to even gain a few pounds. It then calculates how many calories you need daily to achieve that goal. What I like about it is how easy it is. I am not necessarily trying to lose weight (although I wouldn't miss a few pounds if I lost them) my main goal is to be healthier and more mindful of what I eat. The first few days I was horrified! Lol. I never realized how many calories I was consuming without even realizing it. They add up so fast! Today I am 19 cals over my goal (ahhh, that blasted choc chip cookie)! It was a good wake up call though. The show "The Biggest Loser" has been an inspiration and it always seems to jolt me back to the reality of how food decisions can influence health. I have learned so much already just in being more aware of the calories. Click here for the Daily Plate website. I am off to do my Wave by the Firm. Hopefully that will offset my indulgence!:)
I am dragging a little bit today. We were up past 11pm on Friday...I am not used to that!:) We had a memorable evening at Outback Steakhouse and then at Cleveland Playhouse. The radio station had a contest where we would escort a winner to dinner and then to the performance of "A Christmas Story". Sue from Parma was the champ! We met her and her family, including daughter Kim who was celebrating a birthday....along with Jim! That was fun. Anyway here we are getting ready for a scrumptious meal courtesy of Outback.
Here is the dreaded pink bunny costume that Ralphie had to wear. Gabriel has the mortified expression down!:)
Grant's turn!
Family picture time (minus our Gare bear who was with grandpa and gram)
The lobby was lined with gorgeous trees and it was quite a sight for the boys. I love this time of year where events like this make the season extra magical. I highly recommend taking the family to A Christmas Story. It's in it's final year and runs until December 20. This was only the second time the boys saw a stage production and I think I enjoyed watching them, as much as seeing it for myself. They were so "wowed" by the whole experience and seeing a film come to life on stage. It's definitely a good one to introduce theater to kids. I am just waiting for a Red Ryder BB Gun to be added to their lists!:)
If you are looking for unique, fun gifts for the smarty pants in your life, you must check out ThinkGeek! We got the Christmas gift catalog in the mail this week and we all had fun pointing and laughing at the innovative items. We ordered this for a certain someone in our family (who shall remain nameless and whom I've banned from looking at my blog until Christmas)!:) Anyway, this person is a database administrator and a total computer techie. We ordered this Wi-Fi detector shirt for him:
It displays the current wi-fi signal strength with glowing bars on the front of the shirt that change as the surrounding wi-fi signal strength fluctuates.
Haha. The person has a great sense of humor and we usually exchange pretty offbeat gifts anyway so we had to go for it.
For a stocking stuffer, Gabriel has his sights set on an authentic "KGB Disappearing Ink Pen". Made from Russia and high quality for only $14.99. What boy would not love that?! Lol.
Anyway, if you check out the website, be sure to click on the "customer action shots" with the various items being used by the buyers. Some things are off color (just to warn you) but most of it is fun and fantastically geeky...in a good way of course.
On the other hand, if you want to go a more crafty route, check "50 Homemade Gift Ideas". Great list.
It took a year but our Holy Family has a home!:) A few weeks ago Jim built this stable for Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus and I would be remiss if I did not thank my handy hubby!:) This was on my wish list for a long time and he really brought it to life. At first I thought we would just buy an outdoor stable but it turns out they are very hard to find (at least for a decent price). It's too bad. I wonder if they were more readily available if more people would display yard nativities? I told Jim he should start selling them!:) Lol. Anyway, last year the poor Holy Family had to weather the elements so it's exciting to see the final piece finally in place. Jim even put hinges on it so he can take it apart and fold it up. Wow, go Jim the Tool Man Taylor! Haha.
