Favorite Ornaments

For my first Christmas by my self I had no ornaments and very little money. So I bought random craft supplies and had friends over! This is a whale made by my then ten year old friend maddie. It is made from poster board and paint. It is so fabulous and will always have a huge spot on my tree reserved for it! Yay for whale decorations in your tree!

Getting ready for Christmas

Okay okay. I know I haven't been very social lately. I am sorry. Getting ready for Christmas and family/friends takes up a lot of time and I am always in much need of sleep. This year I am making bags like our friend Petra does up in Oregon. I hate wrapping presents, so this is a great idea. After I finish my supply, I will never have to wrap Christmas present for the kids again! So don't forget me! Just pretend I am running around fueled by coffee in red striped jammies with an elf hat on! If you look fast you won't have to pretend:)

Angels We Have Heard on High

my friend valerie posted this today. it is such a beautiful and amazing retelling of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Whew...

chicken is alive! thought you'd like to know.
we've been a busy family. Christmas eve eve i started dinner for Christmas eve dinner.
Christmas eve i cooked some more.

beef bourguignon and mashed potatoes...

(and i got a pink gorillapod!)

our gingerbread houses as centerpieces.

also, bobby flay's brussel sprouts with pomegranate he made at the pioneer woman's ranch, heavenly

and i made my famous chocolate brioche english toffee bread pudding

friends and family for Christmas!

naps:)

and presents.

and of course, harry and david pears....divine.

indian food and telly tonight. rest.

Merry Christmas! HAppy Birthday Jesus!!

up at 6.45am.
santa(granny) came last night.
everyone got what they asked for, minus the skunk:)

we opened presents, and listened to music.

we had peppermint hot chocolate, waffles, sausage and cheese grits.

and popi had her first Christmas!
Merry Christmas!

Christmas Gift Guide, BD Safe-Clip Device

diabetes affects more than 20 million americans. chances are you know someone with diabetes. my dad is diabetic, so i have always been pretty conscience of what he does to take care of himself. it is also a fun challenge to make yummy desserts for him using the awesome sugar substitutes he is allowed. because of this i am pretty good in the kitchen with sugar substitutes...and here i will brag for a second, celebrated chef and diabetic, paul prudhomme came to a restaurant where i was pastry chef, i made him a lovely strawberry shortcake for dessert, sugar free. yeah me:)

well, what i am here to tell you about is the BD safe-clip device. as you know diabetics use needles to dose themselves with insulin many times a day. that leaves tons of needles to be disposed of, and by law they are a biohazard, and biohazards have to be disposed of carefully. many people have those huge, ugly biohazard boxes in their homes where they toss the whole needle. my dad uses the bd safe-clip. it is so neat, it clips off the syringe making it useless and safely stores it away in it's container.

you stick the needle in the side and it clips it! it will hold up to 1,500 needles, or a 2 year supply for a diabetic. it is a wonderful price too. if you have a diabetic in your life they would thank you for this thoughtful gift. i think it is amazing and i don't even need one. over and out people...chocolate brioche and english toffee in the making, more on that later.

Christmas Stocking How-To, by me

for our family i have made our own stockings out of two coordinating cotton fabrics, white pom poms, and a ribbon. this year i had to make a new stocking:) here is popi's...

first i cut out the shape i want out of the fabrics. i fold the fabric in half so i cut 2 pieces at once. i do this with both fabrics, so i have 2 stockings. i pin them both inside out to sew them one at a time, leaving the top open. yes, that is littlest pet shop under my ironing board. don't tell bee:)

my second piece. the floral is going to be the lining inside. you could actually reverse this stocking if you wanted to.

after sewing them and turning the outside stocking right side out, put the lining inside the stocking wrong side out, so when you open it, you see the pattern. did that make sense?

see?

i then folded the top edges in and ironed the hem down so i could sew it.

i did both edges and inserted my pom poms and ribbon hanger in between hems and pinned it down.

then i used my zig-zag stich to sew it all together.

done! if you look closely you can see the folded down edge and see the inside. sorry you can't see the ribbon loop for hanging, but you get the picture, right?
Merry CHristmas!!

Christmas Pajama Party at the HIistorical Society

Christmas Gift Guide, Sigg Water Bottle

this is my sigg that i have. i love my water bottle. it is plain jane and big. sigg is a swiss company that has been making water bottles for over 100 years. they are bpa free, and never have a weird aftertaste. they come in many different sizes and colors. there are so many to choose from, i just chose the plainest of them all. easy. but i am sure you can find one that fits your personality or a loved ones. give the gift of yummy water!

Gingerbread Men and Christmas Gift Guide

time to make Christmas cookies!
1/4 c. softened butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. molasses
3 1/2 c. flour
1tsp baking soda
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt

1/4-1/3 c. water

cream your butter and brown sugar together

it's good and creamed when it is all incorporated together and starts to form a ball

add your molasses. if you spray your measuring cup with a non stick spray, it will pour easier.

mix together. don't taste, molasses is yucky. wait till it is gingerbread.

sift your dry ingredients together.

mix your flour mix into your wet mix in 4 steps with water in between.

it will be crumbly, but knead it to a ball. you can do it.

see.
if it won't come together, add a tiny bit more water till it comes together, not sticky.

roll your dough out onto a floured work surface.

roll, roll, roll. the cookie does puff slightly when baked, so if you want a thin cookie, roll 1/8 in thin.

cut with your cookie cutters.

have fun!

these star wars cookie cutters would make a great gift as well!

oh yeah, bake at 350 degrees F. 10-20 minutes, depending on the thickness and hardness of your cookie. so watch them!

Message From Santa

juni, bee, popi, and my Greek, all got personalized messages from santa himself. he knew juni was trying hard to brush her teeth really well and was doing a good job of it. he knew beila was trying to mind her teachers at school.
portablenorthpole.tv
fill one of santa's lists out about the person you want to send a video to, and magically, the elves turn it into a personalized message to that person from santa HIMSELF! you should have seen the girls eyes when santa said their name, and knew what he did about them. and the best thing is, is that it is free:)

Christmas Gift Guide, Keel's Simple Diary

from my favorite book store, taschen, comes keel's simple diary. i gave away a bunch of these for Christmas last year, and kept one for myself. i love the way it is set as a fill-in-the-blank diary. good for procrastinators like me:) i don't know how the recipients have been keeping up with theirs from last year, but i myself have only filled out a couple pages even though it takes only seconds...i'll fill one out now....

your day was...reclusive
why: because i haven't left the house.
and time stood still: when i got a kiss!
"a sunrise has no stage fright."
girls are born...(circle all that apply)
with beautiful gifts and burdens.
to feel and to deal.
to love.

see, easy peasy. i also have the keel's all about us and all about me. basically the same fill in the blank concept. i love it!

Christmas Program at Christian Montessori Academy

the girls' had their Christmas program at school yesterday. always cute. the younger kids which bee is in, sang some songs, then the recorder group played, which juni was in. the band played some Christmas tunes, and then it was time for the upper school skit! june was an "old woman" in the skit playing cards. she was just happy she didn't have to talk. bubbe held popi while i videotaped the whole thing, i guess that's why i barely got pictures!

Christmas Gift Guide, Gorillapod

the other day i said i couldn't think of anything else i wanted from santa, well i thought about it, and i want a gorillapod from joby. i need it mainly for my flip camcorder. i realized i needed it yesterday at the kids' Christmas program(pictures soon), my arm was getting so tired holding my flip up and decided i need a gorilla. i could put the gorilla anywhere, my head, a bench, a tree, a baby buggy, the floor, anywhere! if you are looking for a gift for someone with a camera or camcorder, a gorillapod would make for a very nice and thoughtful present.

image from www.thinkgeek.com

Christmas Gift Guide, All I Want For Christmas...

...is tickets to san francisco to see this beautiful gal. not me, the blond one!

this is me, circa 1982ish, with a bouvier des flandres puppy. i want one! i need one:) a cute lil puppy under the Christmas tree for sacha!

i love the new heather ross fabrics available at spoonflower. a spoonflower gift certificate would be loverly.

i want a back brush for bath time, like this one from bath and body works

i have had the same sewing machine since 1997. i think i am due for a new one:) i love this one...and not just because it says project runway on it and it's pink!

i really am having a hard time thinking of things i want...i know they are out there, it's just when it comes down too it, i am pretty darn happy!