Christmas 2010

Many Memories Snowflake Christmas Card

Customize your Christmas cards with Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

On the Second Day of Christmas My Swap Partner Gave to Me...

I just can't resist a good hot cup of cocoa! I have one...or two {ahem}...daily. Thanks for feeding my habit, Colleen!

I can't wait to try the French Vanilla! I always want to try a new flavor other than traditional chocolate, but I have commitment issues. I just can't buy a whole new canister of an original flavor for fear that I'll hate it and have a whole canister of something sitting around going to waste.

French Vanilla, you and I have a date tonight! Thank you Matchmaker Colleen!

{First Day}

***Remember to sign up for my Snugalicious Giveaway before Wednesday, December 15th at Midnight!!! GO HERE to enter!***

On the First Day of Christmas My Swap Partner Gave to Me...

The First Annual Holiday Swap hosted by Sami and myself has officially begun!

I've been back and forth in my head about when to start opening my goodies in the HUGE box Colleen sent me. Should I start Sunday or Monday? Sunday? Monday?

The box that I set under the tree a few days ago has been calling out to me like Marley's ghost.

"Ooooooooooppppeeeennnn meeeeeeeee!! OOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEENNNNNNN MEEEEEEEE!"


How could I resist that? Sunday it is.

On the first day of Christmas my swap partner gave to me:


A blanket!


Which is a perfect by the way. Every few Christmases I seem to remember to get the kids new blankets and totally forget about my own chilly shoulders and lap. I watch my children all cuddly and warm under their soft fuzzy blankets and grow a little Grinch-green with envy. Problem solved! Thank you Colleen!

I loved the way she "labeled" the gift with a recipe card! Colleen is a Christmas baking fiend and it was a fun little personal touch. See how she wrote "Serves 1"? Take that kiddos! It's official! This blanket is all Mommy's!

Christmas Cards a la Shutterfly

Remember what Christmas time was like as a kid?

It took f...o...r...e...v...e...r for Christmas to come.

Funny thing. That changes when you get all big and grown up and mature-ish. The holidays just whoosh up and whoosh on by before you can hardly catch your breath. Pregnancy does little to slow this down. In fact it might actually catalyze the process. I'm looking into it.

What I am trying to say is...Here it is already December 11th and I have JUST started thinking about getting my Christmas cards out. Yowza! At this rate, my Christmas cards might be more like Valentine's Day cards.

Thank goodness someone is going to make things easy on me this year. That "someone" is Shutterfly and their awesome blogger promotion! I have never actually used Shutterfly before, but all my bloggy buddies have been singing their praises. I have to admit, I'm tapping my toe to the tune. I not only get to turn over the creative process to the professionals and have one less thing weighing on my brain and to-do list, but I can also pick holiday cards that will gracefully squeak me by the late date. Whew!

I'm loving these Christmas photo cards as they are blue and perfectly acceptable to be sent out in January. Plus, since we were not able to get family pictures done this year, all the little squares will allow me to smoosh everyone in on one card.


And if I am worried about the extra cost of postage to mail square Christmas cards, Shutterfly has it covered. They also offer the same idea just in a 5x7 format. Perfect!


While I was on the Shutterfly website I couldn't resist peeking at the birth announcements as it is only a matter of weeks before I will be in need of some. I used to insist to myself that my birth announcements needed to be handmade, but who has time for that with four kids? Not this mama.

How sweet and simple is this? Of course with three older siblings, we are going to need room for more than one picture.



Thanks to Shutterfly I just might get my Christmas cards out yet! Merry Christmas to me!

A Gift Not Even a Mother Could Love {A Giveaway!}

***Giveaway is now closed.***


My first reaction when I saw the neatly lined up boxes sitting on the table at the store was to smirk, roll my eyes a bit, and laugh...maybe even a tad "out loud".

Snuggies. What a joke. It's a blanket...with sleeves. How ridiculous.

But then I started thinking about it.

My parents keep their house at a rather low temperature. My mom likes to work on various projects on her laptop. Cold...Mom...Cold...Mom...Snuggie???

It could work.

I picked up one of the boxes and looked beyond the bright blazing red "As Seen on TV" sticker.

Sure, it looked dorky. And it might be a gift only an octogenarian would include on their Wish List. But it could be practical. And my mom does so love a practical gift.

Ten minutes later...

The Snuggie was mine. Blue. Snuggly. Practical. My smirk had changed into a smirk of pride; I had found the perfect gift for my mom.

Then I made the mistake of texting my sister: "I got Mom a Snuggie for Christmas. Do you think she'll love it?"

The answer was immediate. "No. She won't."

Well, sheesh! Don't even think about it or anything.

My Christmas cheer crushed, I called to see if this was one of those joking sister texts or save-yourself-before-you-get-too-deep texts.

She said "hello". I skipped the pleasantries and said, "You really don't think she'll like it?"

"Nope."

"Well how do you know?"

"She's sitting right next to me. I asked her. She says she wouldn't like it."

Snuggie. A gift not even a mother could love.

Hating the idea of returning later to a store I rarely shop at anyway, nearly 9 months pregnant, and with three unruly children in tow returning such an AWESOME gift... I began to wonder who else I could begift with the Snuggie.

The only person I could think of is a family member who is above a certain unspoken age and still not married. But I just can't. I can't give it to her. I might as well stick a cat or two in the pockets of the thing and label her as forever lost to singlehood. I can't be responsible for that.


Who else could use a Snuggie???

At 2:30 am this morning, it came to me.

A blogger! A blogger could use a Snuggie. Not only to keep their arms warm, but their wit as well. I can just hear the creative posts spouting forth from the blogger who dons a blanket...with sleeves.

Here it is. I am hosting a giveaway. For one brand-new, in the box, color blue Snuggie. No strings attached. Only sleeves.

To enter my Snugalicious Giveaway:

1- simply be a Hanging by a Silver Lining follower

and

2- leave a comment telling me WHY or WHY NOT a Snuggie is a gift not even a mother could love.

Giveaway closes Wednesday, December 15th at midnight so that I can get it out of the way as soon as possible mailed to you before Christmas so you can regift it to some poor unsuspecting victim enjoy it as you blog about your holiday happenings.

Merry Christmas Bloggy Buddies!

Joe Dun Rill Gud on Hiz Tesst

Joe is back in town today {finally!} after taking and passing his big work test on Tuesday.

He was pretty nervous about passing, but I KNEW he would. He's one smart cookie, even if he says otherwise. Don't let the guy fool ya'. He's too humble for his own good sometimes. (It's one of the things I really love about him.)

I don't know much about what all this test entailed. Only that once passed he would receive a bonus, a raise, and important looking marks on his resume. Good enough for me!

So today we are celebrating his triumph with a holiday breakfast.


My mom has made Breakfast Casserole for Thanksgiving or Christmas for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure why she does it or even where the recipe came from. All I know is it's a tradition that all the son-in-laws in our family L-O-V-E.

Joe missed out on Breakfast Casserole this Thanksgiving since he had to work. After passing his test with flying colors, I thought a little Thursday morning Breakfast Casserole was in order.

Breakfast Casserole

10 slices of white bread (with the crusts trimmed off)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
9-10 eggs, beaten
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 lb. link sausages (cut into thirds)
1 and ½ cups milk
¾ tsp dry mustard
½ green pepper, chopped (optional, we have NEVER added this)
4 green onions, chopped (optional, again we have NEVER added this)

Grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Cover the bottom with bread slices so that you have one even layer of bread. Sprinkle sausage and grated cheese over bread. (No need to pre-cook the sausage links). Mix eggs, milk, soup, mustard, onions, and peppers. Pour mixture over bread, cheese, and sausage.

Cover lightly and refrigerate overnight. (This recipe can be made the morning of too. It’s just nice to save yourself the time spent slaving away in the kitchen while everyone else is enjoying the holiday fun elsewhere.) In the morning bake at 300 degrees for 1 and ½ hours.

Extra enjoyable and traditional with cherry turnovers on the side.

Those Dear Dimming Memories

(Ethel Blanch Green)
When my great-grandmother was a single young woman, she was a nurse transferring up to Port Angeles, Washington. Her travels were made increasingly difficult as she had become quite ill. By the time she reached her destination she could hardly walk, but still needed to transport her self and her trunk and bags to where she would be boarding.

A handsome young servicemen leaped to her aid, sweeping up her things, and escorting her to her new residence. This gallant handsome hero had made quite the chivalrous impression. He became my great-grandfather some time later.

(Ira and Ethel Bourm on their honeymoon)

Back to present day...

Joe and I were talking about our respective family histories. Joe began to comment on how remarkable my great-grandparents' first meeting was. I was surprised it had made such an impression on him and encouraged him to expound on what he meant.

"Well, you know, how she was a nurse and didn't she pass him on an air flight vision test even though he couldn't see very well just because she thought he was handsome? And she accidentally gave him too many shots. And then how they snuck off from a dance to a boat right before he was called to war..."

And then I couldn't hear him anymore because of how long and loud I was laughing.

As wonderful as Joe remembers how my great-grandparents' first meeting went... No, my great-grandparents did NOT meet on the set of the movie, Pearl Harbor.

Ornamental Prizes

I've said it before, but go ahead and watch me say it again...

Thank you so much to all those who participated in the first half of Sami's and my first {annual} swap!

It was so fun seeing all the thought and goodwill towards blogger-kind being swapped back and forth across the continent. The variety was perfect! There were bulbs and stars and stockings and signs and horses and hearts and nativities and monkeys galore. Everybody did a great job and I hope you all had a merry swap experience. Come back next year why don't ya' and let's do it again!

Now for the prizes...

It was so difficult to choose a top three. Sami and I agreed if we could we would be sending all of you a little thank you for being swell swappers, but unfortunately it's not a perfect world. {dangit.}

Without further adieu and in no particular order, the three prizes...

The Best Swap Partnership Prize goes to Shortmama and Lacey. They were a match made in heaven with their thoughtful ornaments. Lacey sent Shortmama a teacher ornament, perfect for her first year in her adventures of homeschooling. And Shortmama sent Lacey (who very recently lost her furry friend) a doggy love ornament. You ladies certainly did your homework.

The Made with Meaning Prize goes to Sarah Cardell. She has quite the knack for handcrafted ornaments that come complete with a special meaningful message. Thank you to Sarah for capturing the true spirit of Christmas.

The "Just Plain Cool" Prize goes to Haley. We loved her blown glass ornament! What more can I say? It was just plain cool!

Congrats ladies! Your prizes are destined for the post office tomorrow.

And thank you again to everyone who participated! It was a fantastic swap!

Seeing Red at a Blue Christmas

All the great music has to be my favorite part of the holidays. I sure wish we could listen to it all year long. I suppose then we wouldn't really appreciate it, right?

{sigh} Ooookay.

There is one song that I just can't bear to listen to ever again. As soon as I hear that infamous, stop-and-go, croony buildup of "I-I-I-I-IIIIII'llll have a..." I can't seem to shut off my radio quick enough. Then I shake my head and start laughing with the memory. If Joe is in the room we laugh together.

It was Christmas 2004.

Joe and I were living in our second apartment since we had been married. It was an upstairs unit in a four-plex community that we managed. I was pregnant with our first baby who was due in mid-January (coincidentally the exact same due date as this fourth baby). Both Joe and I worked nights; he as a detention deputy at the local jail and me as an emergency department technician at the local hospital.

Since we both worked nights, our sleeping schedules were a little off-kilter from the rest of the world.

Below us lived three single college guys who came and went at all hours of the day and night. For the most part we all got along and tried to respect each other regarding noise.

Until...

One morning, just as the rest of the world was preparing to wake and get ready for the day, Joe and I were laying in bed preparing to fall asleep after a long night of work. We snuggled in and waited for sweet slumber to take us away.

All the sudden we heard...



...being played full-blast. And it wouldn't have so bad if the college guy wasn't competing with his stereo with loud and high-pitched backup singer "Ooo-oh-ooo-oh"s through the whole thing.

Joe and I just stared at each other in disbelief...and busted out laughing.

It was the most hilarious thing we had ever heard from any neighbor...until we realized this was our early morning crooner's favorite Christmas song and we were treated to countless encore performances...that morning and at odd hours over the weeks to follow.

Sorry Elvis. I love your soulful, hip-twisting ways, but I NEVER want to hear that song again.

Repost: The Sunday Nap

(Originally posted on my private blog 24 January 2010. Just needed the reminder...BEFORE Christmas.)

I know the decorations are put away, the music changed, and the lights gone. Christmas is over for another year. It's only been a few weeks and it already feels like ages ago that we were gathered together with cheer in our hearts and giving first and foremost in our minds.

I wanted to take a nap, but recognized I would need a little coaxing to transfer me quickly and wholly to unconsciousness. Scanning through my book shelf for something light, I picked up the small book. It had been a Christmas gift that I had yet to find the time to enjoy. Now seemed like a perfect time to dabble in it's pages a bit before falling prey to the warmth of a Sunday nap.

I opened the cover of The Christmas Jars, briefly wondering how long my eyes would remain propped open. Two hours later, I closed the back cover of the devoured book. My eyes had not only remained wide open, they had gathered in a story that caused my heart to swell and throb with sorrow and joy several times. The story had left a mark etched in my countenance, evidenced by the trace of tears on my cheeks and the runny-ness of my reddened nose.

I slowly sat up from my reading spot on the bed and, in habit, glanced around to secure the time. Instead, I discovered something that caused a shocked laugh to bubble up from my throat.

There on my dresser drawers sat a Mason canning jar.

A clean, empty jar I had inadvertently placed there the day before when my arms and hands had been overflowing with clean laundry. The jar had been destined for the storage room. Now it sat in a most chilling and thrilling coincidental place.

It was a call to make a story more than just a light read or an afternoon tear-jerker. It was a tug, a prompting, a bidding to make the story real for myself and my family.

That jar has been moved to the kitchen where it will stand sentinel around the gathering coins. It's diminishing empty space will diligently nudge us away from our own chaos and concern and revive our better selves into doing more, more often. Maybe even more than collecting pennies.

Here's to making Christmas last the whole year through!

Dear Santa

You blog these days, right?

I thought I'd cover my bases just in case. I bet you Twitter too, huh? I thought about sending out my list there too, but you won't find this girl twooting or twitting or twitterpated or whatever the whippersnappers are calling it these days any time soon. I'd like to think I have some standards.

Anyway!

In case you were wondering, I have been...decent this year. I may not be in the market for a new car or anything, but I'm definitely not due for some coal any time soon.

Let me just get to the list.

* A set of knives. Like kitchen knives. Good ones that will transform me into a culinary genius. By the way, Joe's asking for guns. This is simply coincidental. I promise our marriage is in good form.

* A couple of non-stick skillets. My family is getting tired of finding flecks of non-stick stuff in their dinner.

* One long, hot, and uninterrupted shower. No company. No audience. No whiny kids. No worries about children destroying the house, cutting each other's hair, or dumping out dish detergent.

* Books. Books are always appreciated and loved.

* A pair of tall Ugg boots, preferably dark brown, minus the Ugh! price tag.

* A box of See's chocolate. You remember NO coconut or white chocolate for me, right Santa?

* One kid-free date night. Just me and my hubby, staring deeply into each other's eyes over a basket of cheese biscuits and a seafood supper. A movie afterwards wouldn't hurt either. And if you think I've been really good this year...those theme-room hotels seem kind of fun. Babymoon what??

* One hot postpartum bod complete with a maniacal metabolism.

* A house minus the wheels plus a fenced yard.

Am I just getting a little greedy now?

Tell me, Santa... Did you laugh a bit too when you got my kids' lists? Like when Jeigh asked for "a Barbie with a brain" or when little two year old Elle asked for "a friend"? Aren't they cute, Santa? They've been pretty good this year, but I think I should get extra points just for being their mom.

Merry Christmas! Tell me, what are YOU asking for this year???

Ornament Swap Prize Reminder

To all those who participated in the first part of Sami's and my holiday swap by swapping ornaments...

Make sure to have your ornament post written and linked up on THIS POST by midnight tonight tomorrow, Saturday, December 4th!

Sami and I are ready for the prize round!

AFTER the Happily Ever After (A Recipe)

Once upon a time...

There was an incredibly beautiful young girl named Evelyn Cinderella or Snow White or Esmerelda or something fluffy like that. She was very kind and oh-so-generous and super duper talented, not to mention one crazy cleaning machine. She was very blessed but this girl yearned for more.

She wanted a fairy tale ending. A fairy tale that came complete with one handsome prince and one comfortable cottage (she was willing to wait for the castle to come) that would be absolutely brimming full of babies.

And guess what? Our fair maiden got exactly what she asked for: a fairy tale ending.

Only problem is she didn't realize "ending" really meant "beginning".

Who knew there was a big fat AFTER to the Happily Ever After?

Some days that "after" part can get a little intense and our fair maiden tries to remember exactly what she had in mind for herself those many years ago. She felt quite certain she had been destined to be a skinny, saucy, stellar housekeeper, wife, and mother.

Hmm...About that...

Like any good story, you can trust that our maiden/heroine will continue to persevere and reach for her fairy tale ENDING.

But some days, she likes to just sit in her cluttered, chaotic cottage and reminisce about those good ol' days of romance and peace and quiet and pumpkin carriages. And on those days she says, "Ahhh, forget it! Let's eat cake!"


All the credit for this idea goes to Mormon Mommy Blogs, but I just had to give it a try. Look how fun it is! And who cares if Thanksgiving is over?

For this recipe/craft/centerpiece you will need:

-2 cake mixes (pick your favorite flavor!)
-supplies to make cake mixes (eggs, water, oil)
-2 bundt pans
-frosting (you could make your own or buy the pre-made stuff)
-food coloring
-an ice cream cone
-cake plate


Mix up both cake mixes. Let your minions peasants crowned jewels in on the fun!


Pour one cake mix batter in each bundt pan and bake according to box directions.


Allow cakes to cool completely before decorating. Mix up some orange frosting.


Cut the tops (or are those the bottoms?) off of each bundt cake making sure they are level.


Smear some frosting on one cake to create a "glue".


Stack and match up cakes.


Carefully spread frosting over entire pumpkin cake. (In hindsight I may not have used such a dark cake mix that can "peek through" and I would have tried to make my frosting a much more brilliant orange.)


Place cake on a decorative cake plate. I don't have a cake plate so I just used an upside down decorative leaf plate. Prop an ice cream cone in the center as the stem. I dampened the ice cream cone and sprinkled green crystal sprinkles on it. I added some fake green leaves I had from another project.

...And they ate happily ever after!

Missing My Mojo

When I was a teenager I regularly visited the same hair stylist to get my hair cut and styled. She was awesome! I could count on her to do exactly what I wanted if not better every single time.

And then she got pregnant. And something changed.

It started to become a game of hit and miss when I went in to get my routine hair cut. And as most of us are rather partial to what is going on on top of our heads, I wasn't game for Russian Roulette: Version Hair.

Back then I couldn't understand what had changed her hair cutting ability so drastically.

Now I get it.

You know what it was? It was those dang pregnancy hormones sucking the life out of her mojo.

My mojo is at an all time low. I think I kind of remember being a creative and funny blogger once upon a time. I believe I also enjoyed delving into the creative process and power of writing about more emotional and tender things too. On top of that, I am under the slight impression that I used to be a kind and generous sort as well.

Now with pregnancy hormones raging at an all time high, I feel like an ugly bloated monster of irritation, crankiness, and moot points with little to offer anyone.

Sure there are procreative powers at work in this bulging belly here, but GONE are the creative powers from my muddled mind up here. GONE is the energy and ambition to be...well, nice and tolerant and companionable. GONE is the me I like.

There are so many pretty pretty posts that I have been itching to write and express and share with the world, but once I sit down to write and surrender those precious particles to my keyboard, I am bombarded with...static.

What happened to me??? What happened to my mojo?

That dang brain-sucking, life-giving placenta.

I just hope that once it exits the premises, the damage won't be permanent.

Sadly, my hair dresser never recovered from its effects. Will I share the same fate?

Symfully Dulce Sabado - How to Make a Pinata

I really dropped the ball last month on Sami's Symfully Sweet Saturday. No inspirational thoughts floated my way in spite of all the candy corn I ate hoping to find some. Maybe it was the sugar-induced coma setting in instead...

I was bound and determined to make it happen this month. And make it happen I did...

In a hit-two-birds-with-one-stone kind of way no less. (Or should I say: hit-two-birds-whilst-blindfolded-with-one-bat kind of way?)

I have been in search of some new family holiday traditions for my family for the past couple of years. Last Christmas I researched pinatas and brought a couple to our family get-together hoping to teach my family a few facts about the history and meaning of pinatas whilst bribing them with the candies inside to at least pretend to be interested in my little spiel.

It kind of worked. But I'm sure all was forgotten once the bat came out and the candy went flying. Oh well. At least maybe my nieces and nephews will connect sweet, delicious showers of candy with their favorite Aunt Evelyn, automatically making me the coolest aunt ever!

Intent on reinforcing the sweet connection (har har har) with my siblings' kids I brought pinatas (homemade this time!) for our Thanksgiving get together this year. And what did I stuff my pinatas with???

Thank you for the inspiration Sami!

Have you ever made a pinata? It really isn't too difficult to do and it can be a ton of fun. My kids are fairly convinced that their mom is about the coolest (and craziest) lady there ever was now that they have watched me make a couple...in the middle of our kitchen...over the course of three days.

For ONE pinata you will need:
-twine
-one balloon
-newspaper or paper torn into strips (about one inch)


-flour
-water
-whatever decorating supplies you want
-CANDY! (in this case mini Hershey candy bars! YUM!)

1. Blow up balloon and tie securely. Hang upside down with twine. Make sure to spread paper beneath your balloon to catch the paste drips.


2. Make flour/water paste by combining two parts water with one part flour. You want your paste to be runny like thick glue. Mix it well so there are no lumps. (NOTE: I used one heaping cup flour with not quite two cups warm water for each layer I put on my TWO balloons.)


3. Dip paper strips in flour paste and run through fingers so as to strip off excess paste. You want your strips to be wet but not sopping wet. Apply strip smoothly to balloon. Continue applying strips until the entire balloon is evenly covered.



4. Allow plenty of time for wet paper layer to dry. Count on as much as 12 hours. It is important to heed this step. If you try to apply another layer before the first is dry, the pinata can become very heavy and misshapen.


5. Repeat STEPS 3 and 4 applying a second and then third layer, giving adequate drying time in between.


6. Once pinata is completely dry, cut it down from the twine leaving extra twine to use to hang it later. Pop, deflate, and remove balloon.


7. Time to decorate! Since these pinatas were intended for our Thanksgiving activities, I made turkeys out of my pinatas. After my first layer of paper had dried, I rehung my pinatas horizontally so as to take advantage of the shape. Obviously you can take whatever artistic liberties you choose to.


After cutting a small hole in the top of my pinata for candy filling later, I hot glued white paper streamers all around the pinata. I poked a second hole at one end of the pinata and inserted a toilet paper roll for the turkey's neck. I attached a Styrofoam ball onto the end of the TP roll for the head. I hot glued feathers on the bum, orange pipe cleaner feet on the bottom, and a pink balloon waddle on the face along with a beak and eyes.



Sure he's a goofy looking guy, but come on... Have you ever seen a handsome turkey?

8. Once your pinata is decorated, carefully fill with the candy of your choice. I highly suggest miniature Hershey candy bars (wink, wink). This is my sister Erin taking care of the turkey "stuffing" and some of the kids "helping" by devouring any stray candies.


9. Hang the finished pinata and let the blindfolded and be-weaponed kids at it.




And do be careful not to have any America's Funniest Home Videos moments. Can you believe they still show those clips on every episode? How predictable. There's a kid. a pinata. a bat. and some dude dumb enough to stand within crotch-hitting range. Hmm...I wonder what will happen next?