Easy Pumpkin Rolls
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
12/18/18
Merry Christmas
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I am going to check out for a little while with everyone home.
Thank you for all your kind and supportive comments and emails this year.
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas season with your families.
Hug those little ones because they will be taller than you before you know it, and enjoy the older ones for the wonderful friends they will be to you as they become adults.
Life is precious and none of us know if we have tomorrow.
It always bugged me, and still does-the quote that says "Live this day like it's your last." That's impossible for mothers who spend their lives planning-for meals, for education, for the next day and week, for Christmas.
But over the last year I've learned for me it's just important to be aware of the preciousness of each day, because many aren't so lucky to have a glimmer of certainty that there might be a next day, or week or year. Let all the material things go and say "oh well" about the things that aren't important, and much of it is not. Bask in the work of the day, even if it's difficult.
Live each day with gratitude, and be kind to yourself-be able to lay down at night and say "I gave it my best, even if I messed up, I did what mattered in God's eyes for my beautiful precious family."
Photos by Katie Croci
12/5/18
Baking For Christmas
I LOVE baking. I bought so many cute fun things this year to package and share. I'm going to include my favorite recipes and some links to make all these gifts look cute.
My favorite recipes for Christmas:
These shortbread cookies are something my mom used to make and VERY easy for little hands to help with. Mix, roll, refrigerate, slice, sprinkle and bake.
Caramel corn. Definitely a little more time consuming but I love this stuff. I am going to make some this year with double the "sauce" just for fun.
Chocolate chip cookies, my favorite recipe, which makes a big batch.
These cut out cookies are from an old old recipe-a perfect combo between sugar cookies and gingerbread-soft and just so delicious.
If you don't have time for cut out cookies, these sugar cookie bars are SUPER easy and delicious-Christmas sprinkles would make them festive.
Patrick's Hot Cocoa Cookies-amazing, amazing, amazing.
Cute packaging:
Baker's Twine-a set of multi-colored string
Baker's Boxes with Scalloped Edges
Small Baker's Bags (fits a personal amount of treats ie a few cookies)
Personalized Stamp (mine is very old but this is a similar stamp)
Cute tags at Amazon that fit the stamp also.
Wax bags for a few cookies.
I also bought these personalized baking stickers which are so convenient for the bags.
12/7/17
Christmas Guidance for Moms
Christmas is what we decide it will be and that means there is a need to guard our hearts and homes a little-relatives, the media, the neighbors, friends, stores, your church, etc, will all come into play as an influence so it is right and good to set out in our heads what we want Christmas to look like for our family.
---If we want to keep it simple and religious, then deciding ahead of time how we will go about "guarding our hearts and homes" is a necessity. What we allow into our home, is what will influence those little ones in our home-from the gabs of toy magazines, and commercials vs. the Advent calendar and Nativity. We will be the thoughtful filter, the idea-shaper for how we want our Christmas season to look for our families.
---Start small, very very small. We all know a one year old will play with the box. (And I have had eight year olds have just as much fun with a box too?:) The more gifts equals the more shopping and wrapping and planning and DOING (and the more stuff in your house to clutter it!). And when children start remembering what last year was like there is a certain expectation (not ill-willed-we all have expectations) to look forward to. Things get more costly, and life gets busier as one adds children to the family.
It is much easier just to start as you mean to go along. There are SO many great ideas of how to keep things simple and the expectations in check, and all of them are neat traditions like the three gifts to represent the gifts of the Magi, or something to read, wear and play with, etc. I've learned most of these cute little tidbits of genius through friends, but wish I would have learned them 22 years ago when I first started out.
---Find a way to make it relatively peaceful and fun. It SHOULD be fun! As I added babies in with toddlers and older children, my idea of fun had to become very simple I learned, because chaos day after day is NOT fun and the daily needs of children and the household still existed and must be met first. That means weeding out what made things chaotic, and narrowing it to a few traditions that really counted. We don't have to bake and craft and go to parties every day, maybe just once the entire month. If there is anything that we all have to struggle with today, it's too many choices, and opportunities and then there is Pinterest.
---And expectations! It isn't a requirement to make gifts for the entire neighborhood, and teacher's gifts can be very very simple and then after all guess what? I have the best news! There is NO Christmas elf that will come and arrest us and throw us in jail if we don't do teacher gifts or neighbor gifts or postman gifts or Elf on the Shelf, or if we skip taking your kids to visit mall Santa, etc etc etc. We won't go to Christmas jail (but a day in solitary confinement might sound ok on December 26th? Will they serve hot cocoa and let us bring a book?:)
So we must learn to let it go if we can't do it, or don't want to do it, or can't afford to do it, or just had a colicky baby (hello Andrew!) or are due on Christmas Eve with your fifth baby (hello Patrick!).
All of this extra stuff, like most of life, has gone hog wild in the last decade to the point where it's all almost laughable. Such high expectations, such busyness, it's no wonder we feel overwhelmed. It should not be one bit about stress, but about peace and that comes in simplicity and discretion and thoughtfulness. That is where the Christmas magic is found in the first place.
And last, the most important thing:
One day a mother's Christmas will change. And it hurts our hearts I assure you. It will make us shed tears of reminiscence and nostalgia and sadness for what will never be again. PLEASE, if you have little ones, just enjoy it. Soak it all up. Don't run yourself ragged and miss the "sparkly eyes" because you are too busy and tired. Don't waste time striving for perfection or stressing about incidentals. If you have believers in your home, treasure it. If you have shouts of joy on Christmas morning as a child unwraps a present that cost $7.99, revel in it. One day things will change-and not change for the terribly worse, but it will change. Surprise and joy and wonder are at their height in the young childhood years and one day you will wish them desperately back if just for a moment.
Set the path before you, walk slowly and carefully, and keep your head clear and focused and have a simple vision.
Some past thoughts on Christmas here and here.
11/17/17
The Cutest Personalized Gift Idea
My friend's daughter started a booming business (while in college!) and is selling these cutest bags, and pillows and onesies like hotcakes. I love giving gifts like this-something different and original, handmade and meaningful to the recipient.
It is always a challenge to find a gift that is unique and meaningful, but with this business, you can find affordable gifts that are sure to evoke memories, motivations, and moments.
A little over a year ago, I shared this young entrepreneur who was just starting to grow her business, Anne Cate. It has been quite a year of growth for this college senior. Anne Cate began out of a passion for creating and has scaled immensely.
Anne Cate’s skyline accessories make the perfect gift. With the classic skyline silhouette design in a variety of over 60 different cities, these accessories are unique and meaningful. Chicago, Detroit, Florence, St. Louis, Portland, New York, and so many more.
Each product is created by hand by both owner Anne Skoch and by Esperanza Threads, a Cleveland-based manufacturer that seeks to improve the lives of refugee women who struggle with barriers to employment through sewing training.
All products are completely handmade in small batches using 100% organic cotton twill and quality materials, all sourced in the US.
This holiday season, gift a product that benefits the community and tells a story. Shop with purpose, with Anne Cate.
Search for your skyline at: www.annecate.com
Instgram: @annecate
Facebook: www.facebook.com/annecate
12/31/16
Christmas 2016 (Or The Last Half of December)
Jeff, Andrew and I headed out to a fundraiser for our church to a workout place called 9Round. It is a 30 minute boxing type of workout-all I could do is watch because I have this super annoying painful hip issue (hip impingement I think it is called? driving me crazy but getting a little better with help of PT) but they had so much fun. Jeff won a free 3 month membership which our priest announced as he was doing the final station which happened to be planks and he said "NO THANK YOU I'LL PASS!", but Abbey and Isaac have joined him and they are all loving it.
Andrew meets friends at a new local indoor soccer place near us (we call it the bubble) and Patrick and I checked it out one day when we were waiting for him to finish. I love that Andrew and his friends organize playing time all on their own.
"Does this look right?" This is life with boys/men.
Patrick's treat for his class.
A fun work event at the zoo. I thought it was so cute that Janey kept telling Isaac secrets that I had to take a pic.
We stopped in to see the "fishes" on the way to the car, only because it was below zero that night!
Janey saw Santa (but only if Abbey went also.)
Patrick and Santa.
Food spreadsheet-2016.
And Patrick's party! (If you are looking for a recipe it is probably in my Parties folder in Pinterest, but ask if you can't find one!)
My helper.
More helpers.
The night of his real birthday-he wanted DQ ice cream cake and pizza.
One of this favorite gifts was new basketball cards. He was so desperate for more he started making his own which I just loved.
His family party.
Dancing with cousins before the Pinata.
My king is in the green cape.
Our tradition is to go to Mass on Christmas Eve in the school gym (the church is too full) and then have a big meal afterwards. We had a huge turkey that Jeff's work gave him so I went with that (other years we have done all appetizers or favorite foods.) Andrew served Mass and found out right before that he was going to be the one to ring the bells and carry the cross and my heart went out to him because he was so nervous. We had a few giggles in church watching him right before the bells had to be rung because I thought he was going to faint-it ends up he was just bending over to read the cues, thank the Lord. He did great and was thrilled that it went off without a hitch. At the end of Mass Janey started waving to him and the priest and Andrew both saw her and laughed.
And then all the kids exchange presents-some have been far planned ahead and others have been bought HOURS before, grrr. :) But it always ends up warming my heart and there are lots of laughs and everyone is surprisingly thoughtful.
Janey was so excited about giving Abbey this little stuffed penguin she had picked out? :).
Giving out her gifts.
I received candles and chocolate, the best gifts ever.
Christmas Eve.
7 or was it 7:30 am?
Sometime later that morning when the sun was coming up.
The cousins at Grandma's later that day.
And the three little girls.
Phew.
On to New Years's, my favorite!
I ROCKED my New Year's Resolutions last year, and I can only say that because before this year I experienced decades of resolution failure. 47 was a no nonsense year for me and it was because I was sort of rock bottom when it came to feeling good and healthy, mentally and physically and emotionally. By the time Christmas Eve hit last year I knew I had to change. I was feeling anxious about so many stupid things, I was tired all the time, I felt emotionally drained worrying about this, that and the other, and I was just plain worn out. And so out of shape and eating terribly and joint pain and blah blah blah.
So I wrote down six or seven essential specific things, which might seem so stupid to others-just basic self-care things from diet (Whole30) and exercise to yearly drs. exams which I had been neglecting for years and years)-and I had a plan in my head and I did them all! I failed on two-one was read a certain amount of books, and it was way too high I didn't even come close, and I don't even care, and the other was to really get to the know my Catholic faith-reading and seeking out some knowledge that way-and that's on my list again this year.
I have a stack of about a dozen books I have found that I want to read after doing some research. I signed up for this daily email (Catechism In a Year). I have little reminders of my resolutions where I will notice them during the day as that really helped me last year.
Today everyone but Janey and I are off skiing and we are hunkering down, cleaning up this disaster of a house, doing 20 loads of laundry and getting organized for the new year.
Happy 2017!!!
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