"Very Christmas!"

"Miller,what are you going to say when you see Santa?"
"Trick or treat!"
"Well, what else might you say?"
"Very Christmas!"
Close enough.

I'll be enjoying family, gifting and frequent trips for hot chocolate the rest of this week and next. Computer dieting is mandatory.

I wish you and yours many enjoyable moments as well!
See you next year!

Barky Bark

Confession- I'm not a good baker.
In fact I'm a pretty lousy, lazy and very impatient baker.
Which is why come holiday season (or any and all seasons I find justifiable for eating and sharing sweets), I always stick with my go to chocolate barks.  (No peppermint bark recipes here since my pregnancy with Miller permanently turned me off.  My stomach is literally knotting up as I type this.  YUCK!)

My photos may not as pretty as these ones from Poppytalk.  (Honestly?!  With toffee too?!  I wish I would have thought of that!)

But it is just as simple.
And it takes less than 5 minutes.
And I promise you just as delicious.

5 Easy Steps, Endless Possibilities
Melt good quality chocolate (double boiler or microwave for 30 second increments)
Stir in fixings
Spread out on parchment lined cookie sheet
Cool in fridge
Break into bite size pieces 

{The stand by crowd pleasers: semi sweet chocolate chips with crushed pretzels, white chocolate chips with crushed oreos}

What's your favorite holiday treat to share?

Monday Motivators

That last stretch of a triathlon is much nicer when there's someone eager to cross the finish line with you. 

Clarity

One year ago this week we were told we were pregnant with Ivy.  She was so new that coupled with a painful ovarian cyst and low low hormone levels after an empty ultrasound we were told the pregnancy was ectopic.

Even though I didn't think I was ready for a second child, the heartbreak came immediately.

I knew I loved her.
Tons.
I knew I would miss her.
Tons.

Two days later I sat on the cool crisp paper in the doctor's office. Again vulnerable. Again with an emptyness. Again with a loss.

"Before we give you this, let's just double check some things."

Deep breath and a faint faint faint glimmer of hope...

...
...
...

THERE! SHE! WAS! Tiny and waiting to be known.


We sat in a doctor's office today. Parents' instinct led us there.

"There's trouble with her eye."
"A malformed optic nerve."

Surprisingly, I wasn't sick with the news. I was calm. Proud of the questions I knew to ask. Proud of the big life I know she'll still get to have despite a difference. Grateful that it's a minute difference.

"Different, not less."


I get sickening chills when I think "what ifs".  What if a day earlier?  What if a different doctor?  What if?...

Instead I have what was.
And now this lovely, amazing what is.

Science is a fantastic, magical thing.

Monday Motivators (on a Tuesday)

I'm thankful that this is my largest mountain this week.  (That is, of course, if you don't count my laundry pile.)

I hope your mountains are small this week. 
And if your mountains are big, then I hope you know they are never bigger than you.

Evan just made a batch of cookies for me. Too bad I can't smell them.

I'm sick.  Evan's sick too.
Fever, chills, congestion.
Oh, and I have pinkeye.
I feel awesome. 

We now have super plans this weekend.
Plans that involve couch naps and movie watching.
And eating cookies.
And blowing our noses a lot.

Speaking of couch naps and movie watching... we started Christmas decorating this week.  Now our fevered (and my pink) eyes can lazily glance up from the couch and dream of far off wintry villages. 

{Thrifted ceramic holiday houses}

{Houses now painted white}

{What Miller lovingly refers to as "Christmastown".  Tree forest from Ikea, ceramic houses and glass church thrifted.}

Monday Motivators (on a Tuesday)

"Look, Mommy.  I fistbump Ivy."

Miller's been using the word special a lot.  Anything with sparkle, glitter, or glass is met with "Tat's spacial, Mommy."

I'm tempted to gold leaf the two of them so he can see just how "spacial" they are to me.

"Treat Yo Self 2011" (AKA this year's advent calendar)

I'm proud to be ahead of the advent game this year.
And by "ahead" I mean finishing just before midnight last night.
That counts enough in my book.

Taking inspiration from this pin, I had an 11x14 white canvas lounging around so I covered it in 24 squares of felt- gluing only along the vertical sides and bottoms to make tiny pockets, cut out and glued on some numbers (this was the most tedious part.  thank goodness for small scissors and entertaining shows on my dvr.), and finally tucked in some teeny chocolate santas.  (The pockets are pretty small, so if you'd like bigger treats, I would suggest starting out with a larger canvas.)

Once the kids are older and more heartily involved in the holidays, I'd love to tuck notes and poems and other holiday acts of kindness into the pockets.  Until then, chocolates will just have to do.  Darn.  :)

**Update: Wondering where to place our new advent calendar, I remembered I had some strips of magnets. They easily attached to the back of the canvas and now we have a great holiday reminder greeting us on our refrigerator.