Making Marshmallows!

Liam LOVED licking the spatula and was covered in sticky marshmallow goo

Our finished product

They are delicious in hot chocolate!

I received a great holiday issue of Taste of Home magazine about 2 weeks ago and found several recipes that I hope to make, but the one that stood out to me was the marshmallow recipe. I remember watching a Food Network special that featured a family that makes and sells homemade gourmet marshmallows. I wanted to make them and had found recipes online, but never got around to it until this past weekend. It was surprisingly easy. The hardest thing was waiting the 6+ hours for them to set up so that we could decorate them. I have never worked my Kitchenaid mixer so hard either. I had to whip the ingredients for 15 minutes on HIGH!

We decorated them with powdered sugar, colored sugar, cinnamon sugar (notice a theme here?), cocoa powder, sprinkles, nuts, and crushed candy canes. The candy cane ones are my favorite. They give hot chocolate a hint of peppermint and it smells and tastes so good. We have packaged up some of them and have given them away and we still have a bunch left. I think we'll do it again. It was fun and simple and it's cool to know that I can make something at home that tastes better than what we buy in the store. I don't know how long they would last versus store-bought, but so far so good. We'll have to try to roast them and see if they hold up on a skewer!

Liam funny and our Christmas so far

I was unstrapping Liam from his carseat yesterday and we were talking about having lunch when he said, "If we eat, we'll hit God on the head." I asked him what he meant and he said, "Well, if I eat an Oreo, which is heavy, it will hit God on the head." So I said, "Well how, where does God live?" And sweet Liam replied, "He lives in my belly!" He was very concerned that his food would hit God on the head. It was so funny!

I have been trying to do less this Christmas, bake fewer cookies, do fewer activities, and it's been great, but next week is going to be crazy! I have to provide cookies for Liam's preschool class, so I'm going to buy them (ACK!) and I'm going to buy some premade pie crust for the apple pie I'm taking to the family dinner on the 25th (HORROR!) and I am making 2 dozen or so muffins for a church activity on the 24th. The 24th we're spending the morning at church decorating and prepping for the dinner the next day. Then the kids are singing at the 4:30 service, so we have to have Peyton there by 4:15. Then I'm working nursery for the 7:30pm service. It will be a very busy Christmas Eve, but I wanted to spend that day, my birthday, serving my church family, so I'm excited about it.

We still don't have our tree. We have two possible places to go look and we're hoping to do it this week. There just seems to be too much to do for Christmas, plus the regular housework, laundry, etc. I'm plodding my way through it and trying to put all my focus on the reason I celebrate. I don't want to have my big party without inviting the birthday boy, Jesus, to attend. We have been lighting our Advent candles and reading Scripture each night. The kids have been taking about it in church and Sunday school and we're trying to reinforce at home that it's not about the gifts and the lights and the tree, but it's about God coming to the Earth and taking on human flesh, experiencing the same things we experience, ministering to those in need, those who were lost and broken, and then dying for them and for us, so that we can have communication and a relationship with Him, the Creator of the universe. It's just awesome to think that God, the Creator of the whole universe, can offer us forgiveness if we just ask for it. I am awed by this daily and humbled by it and that's where my heart is this holiday. I desire to help others and to reach out to those in need, to minister to their needs and to celebrate Jesus

Dear Kindergarten

"Dere Kindorgordin i wud like you to cume to my culas-sow you can red books and play with furens"

Translation - Dear Kindergarten, I would like you to come to my class so you can read books and play with friends.

Peyton left this note on the white board and I thought it was precious. Her reading is taking off and she often reads the complicated words but mixes up the easy ones like it and if. She is so curious about spelling and mostly spells phonetically. She will ask for help once in a while, but really wants to do it herself. We let her read our Advent reading last night and I couldn't believe how well she did. Only 4 days of school left until her winter break! Liam has preschool next week Monday - Wednesday and then he's off too. I'm so looking forward to having us all at home!

Christmas program and snow day

He's holding a penny for the old man's hat

Liam ate the snow and ice off of the stick

Liam's preschool had their annual Christmas program on Friday night. His morning preschool class sang "Christmas is Coming" and did a poem about a snowman. All of the children were precious and funny. They don't really sing so much as yell their songs. I have a feeling the music teacher told them to sing loud so they did!

We woke up Saturday morning to snowy skies. It snowed all day and we ended up with about 6 or so inches. It was great packing snow and we had a snowball fight and built a small snowman. We also rolled down our small hill. The kids were so excited to see snow and they had a ball playing in it. It snowed all day on Saturday and stopped that evening. It is supposed to be warm this week so I have a feeling that by mid-week the snow will be gone.

Thanksgiving 2009

Peyton finally stopped biting her nails and this was her reward- a trip to the salon! We did this just after school got out on Wednesday afternoon. A special treat before Thanksgiving.Breaking the wishbone - such concentration

Peyton took this crazy picture of us

Celebrating Mark's 35th birthday

Nonna had bowling coupons so we took the kids bowling on Thanksgiving Day and the day after. They loved it and Peyton did really well.

Just a few pictures from our Thanksgiving weekend. We spent a few days in Richmond with Nonna and then went to Northern Virginia to see They Might Be Giants with the kids! That was an experience. I'll load my pics from that later and post about it.

Putting the kids to work

Last weekend was a nice warm one, so Mark got out the paint and some brushes and put Peyton and Liam to work painting their sandbox. They wore smocks and still managed to get paint all over their clothes, shoes, and in their hair! They really had fun and at some point we'll let them paint some colorful designs on it. Maybe we can hire them out as mini paint crew!

Thanksgiving Day was wonderful. We ate lunch with Nonna, Granny, and Uncle Craig, turkey and all the traditional fixings. Then we celebrated Mark's birthday with ice cream cake. Nonna bowls on a league and had received a coupon for 99 cent games so we took the kids to the bowling alley. They loved it. Peyton threw that 6 pound ball right down the lane and did very well. I think she beat me in both games we played. Liam needed help, but he had a lot of fun. I think they both really enjoyed the junk food snacks we shared, maybe more than actually bowling.

We're off to D.C. tomorrow for They Might Be Giants! We told the kids that we were going to a concert and I'm not sure they actually understand yet. They were asking us if we knew the singers and if they would be there. I think they are going to have a blast!

Hibernating

This time of year I feel the incredible need to hibernate, to drink lots of warm beverages, to wear sweaters and thick socks, and to eat lots of soups and stews. We had gorgeous weather this weekend, sunny and warm. Today it is raining and only about 45 degrees. I had to brave the weather this morning to drop Liam at preschool and run into the bank. I have to go back out in a bit and pick up the boy and get some groceries, a few things to tide us over until Wednesday. There are about six other things I should go and do, but I think I'm going to come home after the grocery store, make us lunch, sit on the couch and cuddle my boy, and then maybe take a nap. I have no desire to rush today, just to take it easy. I will just postpone the rushing until tomorrow and hopefully the sun will be out by then!

I started taking an antibiotic on Thursday and am feeling much better. I still have remnants of a cough, but feel so much better than I did last week. I'm still hopeful that I'll be 100% recovered in time to eat and appreciate a great Thanksgiving meal!