Whew, busy week! And guess what??? It's not about to slow down, friends! :) But tis the season, right? And I do love this season! I even love this cold weather because it makes me feel all festive when I'm drinking my coffee and listening to Christmas music! In no particular order...just some thoughts/pics/recipes/etc...
1. Last week I kept Little Miss
Callahan and I LOVED it! She was soooo sweet, and so good! Umm, holy cow the difference in a boy and a girl??? You have no idea! (well, unless you have both...and then you probably do.) They were on opposite schedules, and I just loved getting to play with them both individually (although they didn't get to play much together, sadly). Let's just say that girls are
a little easier that boys...I even had time to do some dinner prep while Callahan was playing...she wasn't hanging on my legs, trying to open cabinets, getting into plants, etc...she was completely occupied with Mills' toys, for like 15 to 30 minutes at a time! WHAT?!? I chalk this up to the fact that boys are wild, and my child has major ADD. ha! Now when they're both 13, this may change a bit...
Poor Callahan didn't feel so well Wednesday afternoon, so she wanted me to hold her at all times...we got lots of cuddling time in and I wasn't complaining...
{i know, this is an embarrassingly ugly picture of muah...believe it or not I had showered that morning, I just never did anything else..}
case in point...Callahan and Mills (getting into something)
the only problem came when Mills wanted his momma and Callahan didn't want to be put down...the good thing is that Nicholas was home by then...the bad thing is that both of them wanted ME!!
Oh, and
Katie and I also did some shopping at the outlets last week:
2. Mills and I tried out The Little Gym last week, and Gymboree this week. Hmm, decisions decisions... I really liked how personal and inviting The Little Gym was...they had a sign to welcome us, a mini water bottle for Mills (you know, for that grueling workout), took pictures, and have emailed/called us since then. The girl at Gymboree was kind of frazzled and busy when we showed up, and just wrote our names down on a piece of paper really quickly. But, I really liked the equipment and activities better at Gymboree, and Mills seemed more into it - but I'm not sure if that's because he had already been to the other place or not... and the class was a little bigger, which I liked. One little guy really scratched Mills' face this morning and his grandmother felt so bad and was so sweet...I didn't mind, it's just the way these little ones are - they don't really have complete control or understand their actions...I'm just glad he scratched Mills instead of the other way around...I'm sure it will happen though!
Any suggestions/experience out there from The Little Gym or Gymboree? Both are the same price (which is pretty expensive for kiddos!), but I'm gonna cancel my gym membership to pay for it because I think it will be really great for his socialization with other kids and development, too!
3. We had our Annual MUSC Auxiliary (aka medical wives) Cookie Swap tonight, and guess what??? WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!!
That's right...after a vote via secret ballot, my cookies won! Woohoo! :) I even got a prize! After our Bible study recipe swap a couple of months ago, and now this, that makes two awards..haha, maybe this domestic thing is working out for me alright! :) {the cooking...not the cleaning, my friends}
Let me share my recipe with you so you can make these babies for your holiday get-together! You will slap your grandma. Or maybe she'll slap you.
Either way.
This is what you'll need, my friends:
{Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies}
-2 sticks Salted Butter, Slightly Softened
-1 cup Powdered (confectioner's) Sugar
-½ cups Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
-1.5 bags Ghirardelli (or any brand) baking white chocolate chips, probably comes out to about 14 ounces
- 2 Large Handfuls Peppermints
Start out with your butta'
Cream softened butter with powdered sugar and white sugar.
Add egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
Combine all dry ingredients in small bowl and add in.
Blend together until dough comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
In the meantime, unwrap candies
{making them into a fun holiday shape is totally optional, but highly encouraged}
then throw them in a plastic bag.
Beat with a mallet (or other handy kitchen utensil) until finely crushed, and pour into small bowl.
I used an ice cream scoop, because a mallet is on my Christmas list...no, it kind of really is.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Roll cookie dough in hands to make quarter-sized pieces and place on a cookie sheet. Gently press balls flat with a plain, smooth surface (like bottom of coffee cup).
{me in the process of smooshing w/ coffee cup...don't judge my cookie sheets...evidently they need to be included on my Christmas list as well}
Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, being careful not to burn. Cookies will remain the same general size and shape after they bake. Remove from oven and place cookies on a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely.
Melt chocolate in a coffee cup in the microwave. Dip cooled cookies into chocolate, coating half the cookie, then dip into the crushed peppermints. Gently set on parchment paper or other nonstick surface and allow to cool before serving.
{I would have taken more pictures at this point, but I realized I was running wayyy behind, and had to kick it into high gear, sans photographs}
finished product, nonetheless!
And seriously, SOOOO delicious! I mean, just ask the voters! :)
You will definitely need a large glass of cold milk (or ice water if milk isn't your thing) because these babies are rich!
{by the way, I originally found the recipe similar to this from the fabulous Pioneer Woman, but made changes based on lots of reviewers' opinions - perfect!}
some of the goodies at the par-tay
and some of the ladies
and the only shot I got of my little one {who was w/ me b/c daddy was workin'}
hey handsome!
Sadly my camera died, but some of the other gals got a group pic, so I'll post it when they share it!
4. I L-O-V-E-D my phone date with the fabulous Kelly Taylor Wilson Hall {aka Miss Greenville} Monday night. It was sooo good to catch up with you my love! Man, I sure do miss my friends that don't live close by - in a dream world we would all live in the same neighborhood - i really like that idea. Okay friends, who wants to move to Dillon??? Anyone???
;)
5. As soon as the holidays are over, Mills' FIRST BIRTHDAY will be here! I've decided it's going to be challenging to plan for all of his birthday parties during the holidays each year. I've been working on it a little at a time, but I need to make some things happen.
6. I have been LOVING the mail lately...Christmas cards from friends, and PACKAGES! It feels like a holiday every day when the FedEx or UPS man arrives...unfortunately when I look at our credit card bill, it gives me the same holiday post-feeling of eating about ten chocolate candy cane cookies and wanting to puke.
i exaggerate, i exaggerate.
But Mills is sure enjoying the packages, too...
...just in a different way!
We've made garages for our "cars," tunnels, and castles...I'm thinking I'll save a few and decorate them with scrapbook paper and let him color a little on them next week. Of course, this just adds to the clutter in the floor, but ya know what, who the heck cares...they're only little once, right?!?
7. Lots of our family in the upstate has been under the weather...my mom has been really sick and is having her gallbladder taken out in the next couple of weeks, and now my aunt has shingles!! Poor guys! We send our love and well wishes your way!!
8. How is it already 1 am??
9. Hope this loooong post tides you over through the weekend. We're headed out of town tomorrow for two nights of deb/cotillion parties, Christmas celebration with the Wallaces, and a fun-filled crazy weekend!
10. I still have to pump before I can go to bed. Ugh. Speaking of pumping (well, not really), I dreamed last night that Nicholas took a pregnancy test {peed on the stick} and told me "we" were pregnant. What's up with that?!?
11. And because I can't end on that note {and because I meant to mention it earlier}, keep our dear friends, the
Yoes, in your prayers, as they're halfway through their 10-day mission trip in Uganda! Goodnight!
