All Things Hold Together

I just realized that I haven’t posted here since Friday! I have been busy trying to get some stuff done around here for Christmas.

There is so much cleaning and organizing and decorating and toy purging to get done. Normally that is difficult enough to do with three kids home all the time, but it is even harder to do when those same three kids are bouncing off the walls because Christmas is only a couple of weeks away (and the D’s birthday is only a week away)!

Not that I am complaining, I just wish that the cleaning and organizing and toy purging was done last month, so that we could just do the fun stuff - decorate, bake, watch Christmas specials, play in the snow.

On the bright side, Christmas itself is going to be very relaxing and a time for us to enjoy each other and focus on Jesus. All of the preparations and hustle and bustle will be out of the way, hopefully, by the end of this weekend.

I have a couple of crafty things to post, but I still need to take pictures. I am hoping that I will get to post this evening after we put the boys to bed.

Thanks for stopping by!

One of the greatest benefits of all the snow we got is that the kids want to spend a lot of time outside.

My iGoogle page tells me that it is 27 degrees out there right now, but that hasn’t stopped them from sledding for the better part of the day. (And I guess 27 is not very cold by Vermont standards.)

And that has finally allowed me the chance to read this week’s Carnival of Homeschooling, aptly subtitled, “Snowed-In Edition.”

The other day, I shared a link to a recipe for homemade Snowflake Marshmallows.

Well, last night, I made a batch and this morning, Little E and I punched out the shapes with metal mini cookie cutters.

We had such a nice time!

The older boys were outside, so it was just Little E and I. I would have taken pictures, but he likes to walk around in just his underwear, so I thought the better of it. (I also went out and bought him some long johns today.)

Anyway, I have some tips to share, in case you decide to try these yourself.

When you are spreading the marshmallow mixture in the pan with an offset spatula, spray the spatula with cooking spray first.

After the mixture is dried, sprinkle it with powdered sugar before cutting to keep stickiness to a minimum.

Also, instead of spraying your cutters with the cooking spray as the website recommends, dip them in powdered sugar instead. I found that worked much better.

I found that my marshmallow was sticking to the parchment, so before I cut any more shapes out, I picked up the parchment, flipped the whole thing over and peeled the paper off, scraping with the offset spatula. Then I sprinkled powdered sugar on my cookie sheet and placed the marshmallow on it. This way, when I cut the shapes, I did not have to peel each one off the paper.

I hope that makes sense.

Basically, the one important tip: dust everything with powdered sugar. I put some in a small sieve and just kept it nearby.

It was a sticky process, but the results were worth it. (And Little E had a blast cutting out the shapes with me - and eating the scraps!)

And imagine how nice it was for the boys to come in from sledding to a nice cup of hot cocoa with homemade snowflake marshmallows.

This year, I did something a little different with my photo Christmas cards.

Recently, I ordered my cards online. It was a very convenient way to order them. I just uploaded my photo, selected the card, typed my message, and paid with my debit card.

I chose to pick mine up at the store, but you can have them delivered, too.

I bought mine through walmart.com, but many other grocery and drugs stores offer this service as well.

I was a bit discouraged by the lack of cards that reflected the reason for the season, if you will. There were a couple of selections, but they were too elegant to fit well with a picture of my goofy kids.

My solution? I chose a simple green and red design that said “Merry Christmas,” with a sprig of holly. Then, in the section where I would normally type our names, instead I wrote “For unto you was born this day a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” (I didn’t have room for the full quote.)

When I got my cards home, I wrote our “from” message with a metallic permanent marker. It is much more personal looking than the typed message would have been.

The cards turned out great. I was able to choose a design that matched our pictures, the card has a Christian reference, and I added a personal touch with the handwritten signature.

This week’s Works-for-me Wednesday was all about quick fixes for dinner.

We’ve all had days like this (if you haven’t, then really, I don’t want to hear about it): The day has been crazy, kids have too much homework, you have a sinus headache, laundry is piled high, you’ve been too busy to get to the store, 5:15 rolls around, and your in-home cook hasn’t shown up yet.

That’s when you remember that you don’t have an in-home cook, and feeding that rag-tag bunch is somehow your responsibility.

[...]

What are the catch-all, quick-and-easy-dinners-that-still-manage-to-taste-decent that you keep on hand?

Now, I did not participate this week because I couldn’t think of a recipe to share.

I am usually pretty good at sticking to my menu plan.

I am also pretty good at avoiding hectic days. When I know we have a lot going on, I try to pre-plan a crock pot meal or sandwiches.

Occasionally, I do find that I am not feeling well, or the kids are extra wild, the house is extra messy, and I am extra overwhelmed.

When that happens to me, I just throw in the chicken nuggets and frozen fries that I keep on hand. For Bob and I, I put the chicken nuggets on salads.

Which reminds me, for a quick Honey-Mustard Dressing in a pinch, or just because it is easy and yummy, just mix equal-ish parts of spicy brown mustard (deli mustard, or whatever you have), mayonnaise, and honey.

Finally, a good use for those Costco-sized jugs of honey I buy.

At any rate, head on over to Rocks in My Dryer, where you will find all of the links to the recipes that will save that hectic day from dinner-time disaster.

It snowed again today. There is quite a bit out there now.

Little E and I took a walk. Actually, I walked and he rode in a sled.

Big E and the D were at the park with their friend L. They were playing a game where one boy would go down the slide and they the other two would put a big ice chunk down after him. The idea was for the boy on the slide to make it down before the ice “hits him in the butt.”

Yeah. Boys.

Don’t get me wrong, I love boys. I just don’t understand them.

Anyway, when we all got home, I had a nice cup of tea and a butterscotch cookie. (Yet another thing I learned how to do today on Martha.) They had hot chocolate with theirs.

Life is pretty good.

Today, the boys and I took a break from our regular routine to watch Martha Stewart’s daytime show. It was great.

Technically, it counts as homeschool because we learned a lot of facts about reindeer. Not to mention the home economics lessons.

She had on Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart, who make pop-up books. Not just pop-up books, but amazing pop-up books.

They showed their latest books: Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy and The Chronicles of Narnia Pop-up: Based on the Books by C. S. Lewis. These books are unbelievable. They would make great gifts for the hard-to-shop-for person, especially a Star Wars or Narnia fan.

They also have a book called, Winter in White, and they showed us how to make a reindeer pop-up card, which you can learn how to do here.

Can I just take a moment to say that I love that my boys will take a break from burping, farting, wrestling, running around, jumping on the furniture, and kicking each other to watch Martha with me.

What more could a mother ask for?

I mean besides a girl.

Today, we got a snow storm. It wasn’t a big, whopping snow storm, but we did get 5-6 inches, or so. I guess that is a fair amount.

Big E and Little E went outside to play. The D was sick, so he lay in my bed and watched a movie.

When the Es came in, they were cold, so I made them some hot cocoa. We were out of marshmallows, which they didn’t mind, but that reminded me of the time I made marshmallows. It is really quite easy. (Unfortunately, I was out of unflavored gelatin, so I don’t have any of my own to show you.)

Here are some recipes from Martha Stewart. I made the snowflake marshmallows a couple of years ago when they were featured on the cover of Martha Stewart Living.

Homemade Marshmallows These are cut into squares after they are set.
Snowflake Marshmallows These are cut with cookie cutters into snowflake (or other) shapes.

Enjoy these in a hot cup of cocoa after you come in from the snow, or give them away as a Christmas gift with a mug and some hot cocoa mix (store bought or your own).

Here are some pictures of the boys outside. I love to “spy” on Little E as he bumbles around. They are so fun to watch at that age.

First, he walks away from Big E, who is building a fort.

He makes a U-turn, then sits in the snow.

Finally, he decides to make a snow angel.

Today, when I was making a cup of tea, I was thinking about the best gift ever for the tea drinker in your life: The Sunbeam Hot Shot® Water Dispenser.

I hate to sound like an advertisement, but I love this thing and I think it makes a great gift.

I bought one for Bob once, for the office, and we ended up getting one for home, too.

You pour your mug of water into the top and push a button. Within just a minute or two, your water is ready to dispense. Then, you just place your mug under the spigot and press a lever. The water drops down into your cup.

I absolutely love my hot shot. It’s great for those times when I am so busy with the kids, I barely have two minutes to make tea.

(It also comes in white.)

I know that I have not posted my menu plan for a while, but I am still doing menu planning.

This week Italian sausage, boneless chicken breast, and ground turkey are on sale, so I built my menu around those meats.

Monday: Baked ziti, salad, and French bread
Tuesday: Baked chicken breast, potatoes, veggies, and bread
Wednesday: Chicken pot pie made with leftover chicken
Thursday: Meat loaf, rice, and veggies
Friday: Tacos

See what’s cooking. Check out Menu Plan Monday hosted by Organizing Junkie.