What I Learned This Christmas: New Traditions

Christmas 2010 was one of the most balanced Christmases I have ever experienced. To be honest, the peace of it all caught me by surprise. I expected hustle and bustle and holiday stress, but this year panned out a lot differently. I'm devoting my first few posts back to a series I'm calling "What I Learned This Christmas."

First of all, let's talk about traditions. There are a lot of traditions my family has followed and I have carried on to my family. For example:

1. Collecting ornaments wherever we travel so that decorating the Christmas tree results in a trip down memory lane. (Be sure to label your ornaments--when you got them and anything special that's connected with that trip; otherwise you will forget--I'm not even that old!)

2. Cutting down our own Christmas tree. As a child, my family would team up with two other large families, pile into an assortment of vans and minivans, and head to Eby Pines to cut down our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. Once the trees were all piled in a trailer, the kids would perch on the sides and belt Christmas songs while we drove to the front to pay. Good times.

Here in Tulsa, there's only one Christmas tree farm I know of that's relatively close. This is great for Owasso Tree Farm's business, but not so great for selection this year. There were so few trees to choose from, we opted for a pre-cut tree.

Big mistake. The tree was dead and withered within two weeks. How did this take away from the stress of the holidays? Well, I was so ready to get rid of the tree that I felt no guilt when I pulled it down on December 26th. I feel refreshed when I move large objects out of my home and reorganize. Am I alone?

New Traditions that didn't add a lot of stress but did add fun:

1. Decorating Christmas cookies with the kids at my mom's house. My mom did a fabulous job of preparing for this event (anything involving two toddlers is an event). She had three simple recipes picked out ahead of time. She had all the ingredients out (and measured if necessary). And she picked recipes that were relatively safe to eat if not cooked (my daughter LOVES to eat as she cooks. Sticks of butter are her favorite--where did I go wrong?) Baking cookies at someone else's house meant I didn't have dozens of yummy treats setting around my home tempting me to have "just one more." I know I spared myself a couple extra pounds because of this. Plus, the kids had a blast.

2. Baking cinnamon rolls from scratch for Christmas morning. I did NOT save myself any poundage with this recipe (or the piles of leftovers taunting me from my fridge). BUT these were a smash. AND I gave away a few trays of rolls as Christmas presents and scored major love and requests for upcoming holidays. We usually make pancakes Christmas morning, which I love; but we make pancakes on a pretty regular basis, so this was a new special treat. Did I mention it provided extra Christmas presents?

3. Simplifying my Christmas lists. I decided to follow Design Mom's guide for buying presents for our kids: something to wear, something to read, and something to play with. I really think this is going to help us avoid a lot of conflict or "that's it?"-attitudes later. Plus, it makes my gift-buying much more focused. And, I loved picking out a book for each girl (something I'm ashamed to admit I don't often do--we get most of our reading from the library).

Overall, I found the less commitments I made, the less stress the holidays brought. It's a nice change to have two little ones as an excuse to not attend/be invited to a lot of holiday functions. Family time is the best. Plus, since my hubby works two jobs, and his hours go through the roof in December, we cherish any time we can spend with him after a long December of only seeing his sleeping face.

Happy New Year

Despite my lack of posts during the holiday season, I have been busy dreaming about how to expand my business. One of my biggest steps is hiring a design company to create a logo for my freelance writing and editing business. Editor Joy will now be branded in your mind with my friendly smiling e. What do you think of the new look?

I've started a Facebook page too. Social networking at its best, right? So now you can "like" me on FB, follow me on Twitter, and check in on my life on my blog. The blog will continue to follow my journey of being a WAHM, but I also will be adding some, ahem, nerdier posts as well. Instead of just mom and health stuff, I'll be adding some thoughts on writing, reading and editing. Give me some time, and I'll probably develop a weekly schedule so you can pick which days to check in to get the information you most desire.

Here's to a great 2011!

Merry Christmas

Dear Readers,

Life with two, mixed in with the holiday season, and self-prescribed maternity leave has left no time for blogging. I miss checking in with all of you, and I have many fun things to share (Teaser: my toddler is potty trained, I made super fun ornaments for Christmas gifts, and a good friend has re-inspired some challenging but much needed healthy changes to my lifestyle). Alas, I will wait until after the first of the year to resume my regular blogging. Until then, a very merry Christmas to you and yours. Love you!

Birthday Pleasures

Photo courtesy of Evil Erin

Today I celebrate another birthday. Is it just me, or does each birthday get less and less important as your focus shifts from inward to outward toward your family and friends? I have so much to be thankful for--most noticeably right now is my health and the health of my family. It's something so easy to take for granted until you see a slew of family and friends make trips to the hospital, and then you realize how blessed you truly are.

So, today, I am thankful. Thankful for health. Thankful for fall. Thankful for family. Thankful for friends. Thankful for my God. Thankful for the internet and FB which allows me to get over a hundred happy birthday notices throughout my day. Thankful for my daughters. Thankful for being able to work from home. Thankful for life and joy and peace. And thankful for fall treats--I think my ideal birthday party would be a huge gathering of friends and family around a bonfire, roasting wienies, singing songs with guitars, and doing lots of talking and laughing. Oh, and of course there would be lots of fall goodies like pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting, baked apples, caramel apples, pumpkin scones, and anything else that includes pumpkins, apples, or could be cooked over a campfire.

What does your ideal birthday party look like?

Thanksgiving Centerpieces

photo courtesy of floodllama

Halloween is over, and I'm strangely open to the idea of putting up Christmas decorations already. Usually we wait until the day after Thanksgiving, but this year we will be traveling a bit, so my time at home will be cut shorter. In order to pacify my cravings to decorate for Christmas, I've decided to focus on fun Thanksgiving centerpieces--perhaps something I can work on with my toddler to take as a thank-you gift for the family who is hosting Thanksgiving this year. Whether it's an old farmhouse style table or a more traditional drop leaf table, there's always room for a handcrafted centerpiece, right?

So, dear readers, here is where I need your help. Do you have any ideas or links to creative ideas for Thanksgiving decorations? The folks at Babble have already sparked my interest with some turkey crafts and "Give Thanks" banners.

I've also been mulling over the idea of a turkey centerpiece without the tail feathers attached. Instead of bringing a fully assembled centerpiece, I'd have paper tail feathers and a marker to leave on the table next to the turkey. Throughout the day, each family member could write something he/she is thankful for on each feather. Then the feather would be added to the turkey so that by dinnertime we'd have a fully decorated turkey. What do you think?

I also just looked at some centerpieces that were predominantly blue in color. What do you think? Should all Thanksgiving centerpieces burn red, orange and brown? Or is there room for some cool blue or even hot pink items?

Are you going to decorate your table this year? Leave your ideas in the comments section so we can all partake. Oh, and of course, THANK YOU.

DIY Baby Mobile

During my fabulous and productive nesting stage, I cranked out quite a few crafts and projects inspired by baby #2. Here's a mobile I created and passed on to my lovely cousin for her baby boy. It was super easy and fun to make. There are so many fun things you could add to personalize it yourself (e.g. you could put a button in the center of each yo yo, you could paint the crafting loop a special color or add decorations to it, etc.)

First of all, here's a link to my inspiration. I love her use of primary colors, and you'll notice her yo yos are smaller than mine--I think I'd make mine smaller like hers next time.

Step 1: Gather your materials. Everything for the pinwheels is listed in this tutorial for making fabric yo yos. You'll also need some kite string and a wooden circle (I used one normally used for pulling thread tight for a cross-stitch or applique project.)

Step 2: Follow the tutorial for making an array of yo yos.

Step 3: Thread the yo yos together using kite string--add knots in the string after you thread each yo yo to determine where the yo yo rests on the string.

Step 4: Tie all of your lines to the wooden circle, balance, knot, and use a lighter to fuse the knots to keep from unraveling.

Step 5: Add kite string to the top to make two arcs that crisscross in the middle. Anchor those together with a long piece of string that you will attach to the ceiling.

The final product picture just isn't very glamorous, but I promise your project will be! This would be a meaningful and fun project to give someone as a shower gift--if you know the colors/theme of your friend's shower. Just be sure to also buy something off the registry--those gifts are always appreciated too.

Fall Recipes

Now that I'm getting my energy back and (sort of) establishing a routine with two kiddos, I've found time to make it back into the kitchen. Fall is my favorite time of the year, so I'm taking advantage of the season and doing as much baking as possible. Just thought I'd share some of the recipes I've either bookmarked to make or have already tried. Drink a pumpkin spice latte for me, and enjoy!

Quinoa Pumpkin Pancakes

Roasted Butternut Squash Cubes with Thyme and Garlic

Pumpkin Swirl Bread (the "swirl" is cream cheese) Depending on when you want to munch on this, you could make it extra decadent and use it for French Toast.

Brussel Sprouts with Maple Buttered Pecans

Pumpkin Raisin Scones (These are delicious--best eaten fresh out of the oven)

Pumpkin Ginger Nut Muffins

Maple Walnut Chicken Thighs and Cheddar Apple Rice

And I'm just getting started!

Please share your favorite fall recipes--add a link to the recipe in the comments' section. I'd love to try it.