I wore them. THE pearls. The pearls that I loved on the display rack & bought, but really didn't think I'd ever be brave enough to wear in public. I wore 'em. Last night was the Relief Society Christmas Dinner and it was "church dress". Well, I actually found out it was church dress after I showed up in my jeans and all the other ladies were clopping their way inside wearing heels and skirts. Crap. Fortunately, I was early because I had a Nativity that would be used as one of the dinner table centerpieces. And double fortunate because we live less than five minutes from the church. AND I had all four kids in tow. Triple fortunate because they had a nursery provided. Whew. I'm worn out. Can I go home yet? Anyway, as much as I wanted to run right back out the door, screaming, people actually complimented me on them! I didn't feel so self-conscious & insecure about wearing them as I thought. Thanks also to my sis that pre-approved the outfit via picture text. Don't you love technology?
Ok, I'm getting a little more carried away with these Christmas idea posts than I thought I would. And the previous post was long enough already without adding this length on the end. Geez, I'm posting more than I did for NaBloPoMo. What have I morphed into; some crazy blogging lady?? Not that there's anything wrong with that . . .
Christmas Idea #3: Make cookies & treats early. Even if you don't feel like it. That way you feel like you've already accomplished something in the holiday season! And usually, if you've accomplished one thing, it snowballs into a bunch of other activities; feeding from the productive enthusiasm high of making treats! And if the temptation to eat every. single. treat. is too strong, just have one of each treat, stack them on a plate and take it to a neighbor. Or send them to work with the husband. That way you can be Superwoman. "Wow! You've already made holiday treats? You're amazing!" I know. I know. ;)
Here's some easy & quick recipes. I promise.
Lemon Curd --> seriously tasty and insanely easy. Dolloped on a Nilla wafer or sugar cookie. yum. For an added flourish, use the extra zest and sprinkle a little on top of the whole confection and it looks professional! Just follow my LINK FOR LEMON CURD. And this is the place where I found the ORIGINAL RECIPE. It has step by step pictures.
Hot Chocolate on a Stick --> This is not my creation, but it's dang good! And easy. Though I haven't made the homemade marshmallow (it looks a little time consuming. yes, i'm lazy) the fudge is super easy. Oh so yummy. And again, looks like it took forever, but didn't!
No fail sugar cookies (this makes a huge batch. though you can refrigerate the extra and have it on hand for cookie emergencies!)
Ingredients
6 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract or desired flavoring
1 tsp. salt
Directions:Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Mix dry ingredients and add a little at a time to butter mixture. Mix until flour is completely incorporated and the dough comes together.Chill for 1 to 2 hoursRoll to desired thickness and cut into desired shapes. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 350degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn brown around the edges. This recipecan make up to 5-dozen 3” cookies.
Yes, I owned a set of Bump-Its. But, like my previous confession, it can be explained. In some odd pattern of events, I did use my own hard earned cash on this as well, butit's not what you think. Really! I'm standing in line at WalMart and I notice the Wall o' Sweets has been replaced by "As seen on TV" products. There was some Touch n Bond, What Odor? spray, Snuggies and the Bump-It. Out of sheer boredom beyond my control, I picked up a box and read the back. Spouting the exact crap that is on the T.V. commercial, it touted the 'volumizing effects' and 'stylish hair in seconds'. I can't say I wasn't mildly intrigued; who wouldn't want a low maintenance style with added body? My hair needs all the help it can get! It was $4.99, with just 3 heights. Compared to the $10 T.V. one that has like 6, I was willing to try this over ordering. I tucked it into my cart and put it on the checkout counter under a package of children's socks.
When I got home, I went to work experimenting with this so-called 'wonder product'. I tried all three levels and the only one I didn't feel completely ridiculous in was the teeny mini comb. And with the volume it provided, I could accomplish the same effect with some intense back combing and mousse. And it's not a fast fix, either. You have to back comb, spray, wait to dry, then anchor it, arrange the hair, spray again, ugh. They are uncomfortable and feel like they're going to fall off. I did a pony tail with one in it, and I felt mildly at ease with it in. And I tried the up sweep twist; it looked great, but both times I felt like I had a baby porcupine living on the crown of my head. If I was a reviewer, I'd give it 4 thumbs down. (if I had that many thumbs.)
On that same thread, Mairyn walked in on me whilst I was trying them out. I felt like I'd been caught doing something naughty, and quickly shoved the hairpieces in a drawer.
"What are you doing, Mommy?" "Nothing, sweetie, just fixing my hair."
She scanned the bathroom, looking for some evidence of misdeeds taking place. I wasn't as sneaky as I thought. The box was teetering on top of a full trash bin, in plain sight.
"Mommy!!" she exclaimed excitedly, "You got Bump-Its!!" "Ummm, yes?" I said, a bit confused. "Just like on T.V.! Cool!" she gushed.
Well, I learned two things that afternoon. One, don't try to hide anything from Mairyn, she will find out. And two, she has seen waaay too many commercials. She quizzed me down until I guiltily pulled the pieces out of the drawer. She wanted to know when I would wear them and if she could try them, too! Never and heck, no. She'd look like some overdone kiddie pageant queen. Well, I fibbed a little, I did wear it out in public. Once. It was a humid, sweaty day and my hair was doing nothing except flop flat. I pulled that brown, prickly thing out of hiding from the back of the drawer and put it at the crown of my ponytail. And who should walk in right when I'm placing on my crown of glory? Yep, Mairyn.
"Ooooh, you're wearing the Bump-It!!" she crows.
Yes, I'm wearing the Bump-it. While we're at the family function, Mairyn whispers in my ear, "Can I tell everyone that you're wearing the Bump-It?" No. N-O. No freakin' way. It's my dirty little secret. **p.s.** I have never worn it since nor will I again. Unless it can resurrect itself from the garbage, it ain't coming back.
Ok, so I've made a crude little blurb on the sidebar. Right there --> It has a complete evening Christmas moment. Each scripture, carol and story is hotlinked. Just click and it will take you to where you can read it! Hope this helps make things easier!
We all have one. Or two. A dirty little secret. Some we care to share, others we like to keep in the deep dark corners of our room. I'm willing to admit to two today just because of the stigma attached to them and how hilarious I think they are!
I admit it. I OWN a Snuggie. I'm not proud of it, but I do have one in my possesion. In my opinion, they are dumb. A backwards robe; just take your bathrobe, turn it around and put it on. Everyone has a snuggie. But mine is an officially licensed namebrand bona-fide real one. How did I get it? Was it gifted? Nope, I spent my own money on it. Why? Because I didn't know what I was buying. At the end of October, we went down to Provo for a weekend. We also went to a BYU football game. (one of only two games they lost this season) At the game, I saw this great poncho; it had sturdy duckcloth on the exterior, a nice embroidered BYU logo on the front, a hood and on the inside; warm, snuggly goodness. It was lined with polar fleece that had BYU logos on it. Perfect for any Cougar fan! They told me where they bought it and my memory remembered 'WalMart'. So we swung by WalMart and I searched high and low for that darn poncho. They were cleaned out of a lot of BYU merchandise. I flagged down an employee and she said, "Oh yeah, it's at the front of the store on an end cap." Perfect. I grabbed the box, threw it in the cart, checked out and ran to the car. We got home and I'm unpacking our loot. (we hit Ikea that weekend too) I open up the supposed poncho box and I pull out a Snuggie. What?? Yes, a college football themed Snuggie. Apparently you can buy them for just about any sports team. I thought I might as well try it since I'm stuck with it. Yes, it does keep you toasty, but my back gets cold. Especially the back of my neck. And those commercials where the fans are wearing a Snuggie then leaping to their feet to cheer on that homerun? Completely impossible. I tried a one person wave on my couch and you just get colder. And I tried turning it around and it doesn't meet evenly in the middle. What's the point? Just put on your robe and quit complaining, people. Oh, and I was mistaken about where the poncho was bought; not WalMart, Costco. Ahhh, that explains a lot.
Dirty Little Secret #2:
Um, let me interrupt. This post has gone on a bit longer than I intended. I won't air all of my dirty secrets today. Besides, I haven't given my Christmas Idea #2 yet.
Christmas Idea #2: Evening Devotional Have a nightly Christmas themed devotional. A song & poem or story. I am lucky enough to have a book with a scripture, carol and story for each night leading up to Christmas. But here are some great sites that have all of the aforementioned topics available. Last night, the kids and I sang Angels we have heard on High and read the story "The Littlest Angel". If anyone is interested, I can email you the current devotional. Wait, I just had an idea. I'll try and make a sidebar "thing" with the day's scripture, carol & story. We'll see how it works out.
Ah, commercials from the 80's. Much like full length songs of the era, those jingles were power ballads. For once, people belted from the rooftops their love of deoderant or soap. Why aren't commercials like this anymore? I guess it's just not cool.
Wow, where did the year go? Really, I was just here, December 1, 2008. Except it's 2009. A lot has changed, but at the same time, not much either. I am not in Cairo, but am without husband. Last year he was gone, too. But I'm fine with that. We keep in contact every day; talking at least once daily and emailing everything.
I do miss not having my husband around the house, but I also miss the "Man Around the House" aspect of it, too. Like wrestling with the Christmas tree yesterday. I bought a new, fake, pre-lit behemoth. I love it. 7.5 feet tall. (2.3 meters) But it's heavy and unwieldy. It would have been a lot easier with some help. I already solved the "Christmas Lights on the House" dilemma. I paid someone to do it. 6.5 hours later, I have a lighted house.
Or hauling out the Christmas boxes, bulging with decorations. I did it. It just took me longer. But I feel like the house is holiday-ready. Green pine scented candles are scattered around the main living area and I have all my nativities set up. I'll probably rearrange them a few more times, but that's what they're for! The kids are making present lists and delivering them to my office, complete with illustrations. My sister and her husband visited at the beginning of November and Uncle Chris asked Mairyn what she wanted for Christmas. Her response? Egypt. Hmmm, I don't know how to package that up, sweetie. She has since rearranged her priorities and already has 9 items on the Santa list. You want to see it? I think it's hilarious.
For Santa What I want for x-mas. (yes, she wrote x-mas)
1. A snuggie. 2. A Pillow pet. (dolphin shaped, i think, b/c there's a dolphin drawn next to it) 3. All of the doll's like this. (and there's a nondescript 'doll' drawn) 4. A pair of roller blades. 5. A pack of animals. 6. A sticky frog, red. 7. A toy of Troy and Gabriella (with troy & gabriella drawings) 8. A toy of an ayd kid ( i'm thinking a first aid kit?) 9. A glow dome
Alright, kid, we'll see what Santa can do. The kids do miss Spencer, but they are handling it pretty well. They get to talk to him occasionally. He gets off work about mid-morning our time, so they're at school when he calls. Sundays are our reconnect days, they get to talk to him. Saturdays sometimes, but they can be busy days, too.
I am going to try and post a Christmas idea every day until said holiday. First holiday idea? Plan to do the 12 days of Christmas for someone, anonymously. Now, I know there are different ways of doing it. The original 12 days of Christmas actually begin on Christmas and continue until January 5th. Is it called Epiphany? I don't know, I'm not Catholic. But the Americanized 12 days of Christmas begins December 14th and continues until Christmas. For me, that usually means 12 anonymous gifts to a person(s). Keeping it with one person usually makes it quite fun and full of mystery for the receiving end. But start thinking about it now. Usually I realize that, "Oh, today is the first of the 12 days of Christmas, crap!" and hurriedly whip something together. Take time, put thought into it, and I know you'll feel like you received more!
