Pack It Up!

It's a new year so that means a new look for my blog. I hope you like it as much as I do. Okay, down to business. 

How long is too long to keep your Christmas decorations up? Some take them down the day after Christmas or New Years. I love Christmas lights and wish I could look at them all year round (my HOA says otherwise). Growing up, my family was forced to take down the tree around my birthday when I had a party at my house. Did I mention that my birthday is February 29th? Yeah, we were that family.

I loathe the idea of bringing all those dusty containers back in the house and trying to re-package everything to fit back in the boxes. Doesn't it feel sad to look around the house after everything has been put away? The house feels so cold and sterile. That, my friend, is the absence of Christmas cheer. 

Maybe I should load the house with red Valentines hearts and white doilies to fill the Christmas void. When in doubt, just move on to the next major holiday.

A Lesson Learned

There's a lesson that I'm still trying to learn when it comes to little kids: they do not need a lot of expensive toys for Christmas. How many of us have emptied out Toys R Us thinking that the kids will love all that stuff? Then when all of the presents are opened, they just want to play in the empty boxes, not with the toys! This morning, Gavin raided my drawers and played with some shampoo bottles that I got from a hotel. After all the toys he received yesterday, he wanted to play with those? I'm confused.

Christmas in the Bunbury home was nothing short of fantastic. My favorite part was watching the kids' excitement as the day progressed. It's true: Christmas is way more fun with kids! I hope you had an exceptional holiday.

From Our Family to Yours...

12 Days of Christmas for a Mom

The countdown to Christmas is on and it's got me singing:

On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

12 deadlines for free shipping

11 things to re-gift

10 overbaked cookies

9 unmailed Christmas cards

8 yards of scotch tape

7 secret santas

6 dessert potlucks

5 ugly Christmas sweaters

4 tangled light strings

3 loooooooooooooong wish lists

2 kids with the sniffles

And a pedicure for me!

Yummy Holiday Goodness

This year, I've decided to bake Christmas gifts for friends and family. Giving baked goods is very personal, cost effective, and provides so many options. This Martha Stewart recipe is the newest addition to my recipe collection. If you love lemon, you will enjoy this recipe. However, if you're not so keen on lemons, you can modify the cookies to be lime or orange flavored.

Lemon Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat until combined. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture.
2. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons 1 inch apart on two baking sheets. Bake until edges are golden 15 to 20 minutes rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool 2 minutes on sheets then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Spread cookies with lemon glaze and let set, about an hour. 

Lemon Glaze
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest, and 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice until smooth.

Inexpensive Stocking Stuffers

Christmas is here and it's time to go shopping. If you're looking for inexpensive stocking stuffers, I've got a couple ideas...

• If you have an iPhone or iPad, tell your child that they can pick an app that they want. Cost $2-$3. 
• I'm not a connoisseur, but the best play dough comes from Dollar Tree.Cost $1 (of course) 
• The front section at Target has a bunch of cute stuff for a dollar. They carry hats, gloves, pencil sets, slinkys, etc. 
• Stock up on their favorite snacks. I got a small box of Pepperidge farm goldfish and an 8-pack of Reese's cups for $1 each. 
• An 8-pack of crayons is less than a dollar and oh so fun. I would take them out of the box and bound them with ribbon or raffia to make them look more special. It's all about the packaging.
• If you're giving crayons, then you have to give a notepad to draw in. Those two items go together like peanut butter and jelly.
• A box of snaps is great for boys. They're the little things that you throw on the ground and they make a popping sound. Each box contains 50 snaps and loads of fun. Cost $1

Black and White TV? As If!!!

The other day, Bryce asked me if TV was in black and white when I was a kid. I laughed to myself and thought, "Geez, how old do you think I am?" After much reflection, I guess in his eyes, I am pretty old school. Below are a couple things that were at the height of technology when I was a kid:

Sony Discman- This changed everything about music for me. I was able to actually walk around AND listen to music at the same time. However, don't go running with that thing, because it was so sensitive to skipping.  I can't believe this, but these things are still available to sale for up to $150! 

 

Rabbit Ears- Were you like my family where if you the reception wasn't good, you would add tin foil to the ends of the antennas? Low tech at its best! I remember being the one in the family who had to get up and move the rabbit ears around when the reception went haywire. I would get it perfect, then when I let go of the ears, it would get funky again! Seriously?

Rotary phone- Okay, I'll admit it. Rotary phones were way old, even in the 80's. However, we used those for the longest time. I remember my friends coming over and asking how to use the phone when they had to call their parents. It took us forever to finally upgrade to a phone with an answering machine. I wish I still had a rotary phone; they're so cool.

Speak and Spell- This thing taught me how to spell and add. This was definitely the precursor to the laptop. Not to mention, it would talk to you! I can still hear the robot voice saying, "Solve it!"

Motorola bag phone- Remember the phone in a bag? Man, I thought we were so cool with that thing. The phone itself was weight of a brick and the battery packs were like 2 bricks. This phone was for emergencies only! As for talk time, I'm sure it was about $10 per minute.

What was the big thing when you were a kid?