Christmas baking 2012

Here it is. My somewhat ambitious Christmas baking plan. I'm not sure how I'm going to find the time to make everything or who on earth is going to eat it all, but these recipes looked like things I had to try this year. I'm incredibly flattered that anyone at all cares what I am baking, so thank you for visiting my blog (that I have somewhat abandoned as of late) and for your kind Facebook comments. 

Here we go!

1.  Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies. I like Chai. I like sugar cookies. Seems logical to make these.

2. Salted Caramel Frosted Kahula Brownies. This one seems a little intense. It involves making the salted caramel sauce, adding it to the frosting and also making the brownies. I love Starbucks' Salted Caramel Mocha, so if this recipe tastes anything like that I'm sure it will be worth it. 

3.  Avalanche Bark. Looks easy-pease. I'm a big fan of throwing a bunch of stuff into a pan and cutting it up into squares and voila it tastes great.  

4.  Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies. Terry saw this recipe on my Pinterest page and demanded that I make them immediately. If you have ever met Terry you'll know that he can be super demanding. Ha. This recipe calls for Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix to be used, which I think is a bit like cheating. I would rather use made-from-scratch ingredients but those recipes didn't look as good as this one. I guess I can allow it just this once. Just for you, Terry. 

5.  Pecan Pie Bars.

6. Peanut Jim. This is an old family recipe, made by my Grandma Vermeulen. It is incredibly sweet and addicting. Because it has Cornflakes and Rice Krispies in it, we used to joke as kids that it was an acceptable breakfast. I'm sure she would approve. 

Peanut Jim

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup peanut butter 

2 cups Corn Flakes

1 cup Rice Krispies

Melt (do not boil) the above ingredients together in a small saucepan. In a large bowl, mix together Corn Flakes and Rice Krispies, then add melted ingredients. Mix well and put into a greased pan. 

For the icing:

5 tablespoons butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

Boil the ingredients together for 3 minutes, cool completely and add 1 cup icing sugar. Pour into pan and spread over cornflake mixture. Cool in fridge then cut into squares. 

7. Butter tarts. With homemade pastry. I may be pushing it on this one by making my own tarts. I don't have a recipe for you for this one. I still need to get it from one of my old co-workers. I'll post when it's available but I'm sure there are tons of butter tart recipes out there. I just know that hers were to die for and I must get that recipe!!!

8. Lemon Snowdrops.

9.  Cookies n' Cream fudge. I've never made fudge before. Can't go wrong with anything with that many Oreos in it.

10. Reese's Krispies.

That's it. 10 things. A bit much I think. But I want to make them all, and I have about a month so I should get to all of them. I might throw in some cinnamon sugar pretzels or spiced nuts, and I'm sure I'll end up making Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares at some point.

I would love to hear what you are making!  Post some of your fave Christmas recipes in my comments, or on my Facebook page.

Happy Christmas baking!!!

No blog, I haven't forgotten about you.....

It's just that my computer is a hunk o' junk and typing on the iPad or my phone is annoying.  First world problems.  Sighhhhhhh.

I've missed so many important things.  Like the time we were all ready to go out the door and Eli started to poop.  Or when he fell down the stairs the other day.  Or when Lucas told me "Mommy, you're the worst" but then later that day said "Mommy, I love you with all my heart and I love my little brother too, you know that?"  Or when I almost died because I didn't have my usual daily dose of two McDonald's iced coffees.  Important stuff.

I LOVE SUMMER.

And weekends off.  In the summer.  Saturday mornings are my favourite time of the week.  I miss my boys so much while I'm at work all week and Saturday morning is my favourite time.  I am not the kind of Mom that can stay home every day with her kids.  I love my boys to pieces, but I need to go to work to miss them.  I've found that it's healthy for me.  Also I need to go to work so I can live in my house, buy groceries, etc.  Minor details. 

This past Saturday morning we ventured to the Kinsmen Park pool.  I should mention that Saturday mornings have become my alone time with my boys, as Terry has been working like a crazy person laying sod for our yard, building a deck, moving dirt and a whole lot of other yard things that I don't even care to know about.

Remember Oregon Trail?  If you don't then you're too young to be reading this blog.  Or too old.  Ha...just kidding Mom.  Someone  (Lee V I am looking at you) should invent a similar game. But instead of trekking across Oregon with your wagon (and if you are lucky enough, some oxen), you are a Mom (or Dad) with a number of kids in tow taking them on an outing.  Forgot to apply sunscreen?  One of your kids suffers major sunburn.  So frazzled by the task of leaving the house that you forgot diapers? I'm sure I don't need to tell you what happens here.  Points deducted for temper tantrums, hungry or thirsty children, mosquito bites, missing naptime, losing an item somewhere along your travels, and not being able to spot your child on the playground within 5 seconds.

That right there is a million dollar idea.  Lee there you go, develop an iPhone game like that.  Who needs to win the Lotto Max Jackpot when I have such brilliant ideas like this one.

Anyway, that is how I felt on our outing at Kinsmen Park.  We had an awesome morning swimming, and having a picnic and playing on the playground, but sheesh it is mentally and physically challenging to keep track of everyone and everything.  I swear the planning that is involved is more work than my brain did at work all day today.

But then we got home, got the boys in bed and I unpacked all of our bags and FELT LIKE I WON OREGON TRAIL.  Everyone is sleeping, happy, not sunburned, and home safe.  I WIN.  Hear that?  It's a horn.  My horn.  I'm tooting it.  So what. 

OK FINE I'LL UPDATE MY BLOG

Quit bugging me already. Just kidding. You 5 or so people who read this never bug me. You're great!!

It's March. Or baby making season as it's known around these parts. Not this year friends. It might be the time of year, or the fact that Eli is at the age that Lucas was when we started thinking about another baby, but I just can't get Baby #3 off my mind. The problem is that I always thought I wanted three kids. Now I'm not so sure. I look at my boys and think "Is this it? Are we finished?". I think I would be just fine and so happy with the family I have right now. But would I always wonder?? There are so many factors.

CONS: I'm not excited about the prospect of being pregnant again. I don't want to put my body through another baby. I'm not sure we can even afford another baby. Do people work full time with 3 kids these days? Daycare would be outrageously expensive. Not to mention all of the other things that are down the road with activities and sports and school, etc, etc. I think my lifestyle would have to change. It's no secret I like to buy stuff. Putting that out there sounds selfish, but it's reality. Terry already has me on what I think is a tight budget - I don't want to make it tighter!

I would have to grow another arm for a third tattoo.

Plus I'm freaking tired. There was a stretch there where I could not make it through supper and putting the kids to bed without falling asleep somewhere in between.

Biggest CON - WHAT IF THERE WAS MULTIPLE BABIES THIS TIME?!?! GAHHHHH!!!

PROS: With my change in employer, there would not be the financial hardship of going through another mat leave this time. I would never wonder if I should have had another baby - our family would be for sure 100% complete. There are too many intangible PROS to list. Like savoring my last tiny newborn baby and knowing that it will be my last. Giving Lucas and Eli another little sibling. Having a house full of (let's face it......) all little boys and having my hands full in the most wonderful way.

The good news is there is no rush. I'm not looking for answers today, or any time soon. I am taking a breather to enjoy the family I have right now.

2011 Review

On this day last year, I was celebrating the fact that it had been four days since I had been puked on by my very new little baby. I was lamenting the fact that I felt more like a walking milk truck than a human being, and that getting out of the house daily with a newborn and 2 year old all in our winter gear was quite the challenge.

This year with both Terry and I working, our new challenges are getting out the door on time in the morning and making it through supper and bath time without collapsing from exhaustion.

2011 was a complete whirlwind. Craziness. I don't know how we even managed to make it through the year in one piece actually. In the spring we put our house up for sale. I would recommend to anyone just to win the lottery, buy your dream home, hire packers and movers and decorators, move in without lifting a finger, and then sell your old home when you are all moved out. If you are not a millionaire, that sucks. Because moving with two small children is the worst. Moving in general is the worst. I would like to say that I will never move again, but I am sure our needs will change as the boys get older and I will be complaining about how hard it is to keep my house clean in order to sell it when there are two very messy teenage boys around.
We are very happy in our new home, especially now that the basement is finished and the boys have a space to run around and play and we have a space to relax and watch movies.

In May I returned to work part time at a new and very exciting job. I had mixed feelings about returning to work when Eli was only 5 months old, but it was so worth it.

Starting in September, Terry went off work for the last 3 months of my maternity leave to stay home with the boys and I went up to full time at work. This was so great for many reasons. Most importantly that I got to leave the house in the mornings by myself knowing the boys were going to have a lot of fun with their Dad while I was at work. There were lots of days when I would come home to find everyone still in their pyjamas. I guess when you are too busy playing Play Doh, trucks, dinosaurs and Transformers, there is no time to get dressed. Terry and I tend to run our respective ships a little differently when we are home without the other, but I think it was great for the boys and for Terry to have this time together. Lucas still tells me he wants me to go to work so he can stay home with Eli and Daddy. Thanks Lucas, love you too.

This fall I took up the task of petitioning the city to install a better play structure in our neighborhood park. I am very proud to say that I have word from the city that there will be another play structure added, with construction starting in the spring. SUCCESS. I'll believe it when I see it. It had better not be a giant dragonfly shaped piece of junk to match the giant praying mantis piece of junk that is already there. I was assured that the community association will be consulted as to what kind of play equipment will be added to the park and you can bet that I will be at that meeting with bells on. BELLS.

2011 was also a really sad year for our family. My Grandpa Stevens passed away in July and my cousin Kory passed away very unexpectedly in October. I know we are all still grieving.

The last few months of the year will always be crazy busy in our house. We celebrated two birthdays leading up to the holidays, and hosted the Fusco's for Christmas. I got to spend some time with my beautiful niece Ottavia, and Lucas and Eli loved having Grandma Jackie and Grandpa John stay at their house. I think Lucas and Ottavia really hit it off. Lucas told me the other day that he loves his little brother Eli, and now he wants a little sister "like Ottavia". OK Lucas, I'll see what I can do. You might have to wait a while for that one. Hosting Christmas was so fun, spending late nights playing Scattergories (I am pretty sure my father in law John won for best answers....) and visiting with everyone.

Terry and I rang in the New Year watching the World Juniors on the couch and having our usual conversation about what 2012 will bring. My hopes for 2012 are that things will slow down a little bit around here (is that asking too much?!?!?), so we can relax and enjoy. Not too much planned for this year and definitely no resolutions. I conquered all of my resolutions last year so I figure I am good for at least another year. Maybe just one resolution to get Eli's baby book done. You guys, Lucas can start kinder-soccer this summer and I can barely contain my excitement. One of the many, many things to look forward to in 2012.