Christmas Crafting

I have been having so much fun crafting for Christmas this past week. Every spare moment I have, I have been immersed in craft paper and glue sticks. Shawn seems to be getting a bit annoyed with not being able to see the top of the dining table and has been offering to buy different storage solutions. lol I should tell him that this wouldn't be a problem if I only had a craft room! Someday.....

I have finally mastered my paper cutter I made a ton of Snowman Christmas cards for the kids in our playgroup, the kids in Isaiah class, and the kids in Mikey's class. The cover frames a snack-size ziploc bag that contains all the fixings to make their very on Snowman ornament, carrot nose, top hat and all!
I was also inspired by a friend to make these super cute baggies of white chocolate peppermint bark for some of the moms in Isaiah's class and both of the boys' teachers. Soooooo stinkin' easy, it's unbelievable. Melt the chips, spread on wax paper, sprinkle with crushed candy cane, stick in the fridge to harden, then break into 'bark-like' chunks. But, I must share with you the ultimate secret of this recipe (at least it's ultimate to me, it could be I'm the only uninformed one regarding the melting of chocolate), MELT THE CHOCOLATE CHIPS IN THE MICROWAVE!!! Otherwise, you'll spend forever trying to figure out the best way on the stove, only to discovered that there isn't one...not that I had that problem...(haha!) This project is UNBELIEVABLY easy, not to mention DELICIOUS!! I couldn't stop munching while I was breaking the bark up into pieces.

Here's to a fun, exciting, and DELICIOUS holiday season!!!

Attn: SANTA

I did point out on my Wish List that Santa should visit often to check for updates. But, just in case he hasn't had the opportunity to do so, I should bring it to his attention that I have updated #4.

Thanks, Santa! ;)

Another Great Weekend Goes Down in the Books...

The Number 1 awesome thing that happened this weekend was that Isaiah won 3rd place at his very first jiu-jitsu tournament. At the tournament, he first learned what it was like to lose a match and he also learned, very quickly, that it was a feeling he did not like. This was obvious in his second match, where he was able to quickly submit his opponent, giving him the 3rd place medal!!! The submission he used on his opponent involved bending his opponent's arm backward until he 'tapped' or submitted. Afterwards, Isaiah apologized for hurting him, gave him a hug and offered to share a rice krispy treat with him. :) I'm so glad we have found HIS sport. This is what he loves to do, looks forward to, it brings out the best in him, and it makes him happy. Shawn and I couldn't be any more proud!

I've spent much of this morning trying out a Eggplant Parmesan recipe that I found on Epicurious.com (my all-time favorite recipe site, except for desserts. I've discovered that Allrecipes. com has the best dessert recipes.) Quite labor-intensive, but already smells like it will be worth it!Eggplant slices

Freshly made sauce from scratch.I had a curious little helper in the kitchen with me all morning. Liam was enjoying playing with the bowls and utensils. I hope one day he will also share our love for cooking.

Last, but not least, I finished my first crocheted dish cloth, another idea I found on Skiptomylou.org.
They suggest tying a pair with a nice ribbon and bottle of soap. Sounds like a great idea. But I haven't quite decided if I want to do that. I may use the same pattern, just a little skinnier and longer, to make some cute scarves. We shall see......

Christmas Tree, Oh, Christmas Tree...

...you have finally graced us with your presence this year. Please excuse the high population of ornaments toward the left side of tree. They are not there because that is where the most ornament resources lie, as many may initially think. They are there because that's where the step stool was placed and Isaiah was in charge of hanging ornaments. We've changed things up a bit and only decorated the top half of the tree in an effort to keep Liam out of the ornaments' business. Looks ridonculous, I know, but 'Safety First'! Read on for the background story.....I'm thinking ahead this year. Unlike last, when I went crazy and bought all new ornaments for our tree, half of which were GLASS! Yes, I know, so shoot me. I realized my poor decision immediately, as soon as the first ornament fell from the tree and shattered into a gazillion pieces (yanked down by Baby Mikey, who was 1.5yo at the time). Rest assured, all glass ornaments were promptly returned to JoAnn that same afternoon. I had to zoom in on my favoritest of my favorite ornaments...my Starbucks cups, in white and Christmas. Love them! Thank you, Ebay! My second favoritest of my favorite is our Yo Gabba Gabba ormament collection, all five characters gifted by Auntie Tracey last year. Those ridiculous, yet extremely cute, things were spotted at Urban Outfitters in Santana Row, and were damn freaking expensive. Obvious display of our obsession with the show, which far surpasses the childrens'. Thank you, Obsessive Auntie. I believe that is the primary reason the two of us get along so well. Love ya! ;)