One morning the kids woke up to see the aftermath of a “snowball” fight! Some of Cheese’s friends came out and a battle begun. Marshmallows everywhere… well, we suspect some evidence was eaten by a certain furry friend.
The Battleground
Team Cheese
Team Skippy
Man down!
A Birthday Surprise
Cheese had a surprise for Zoey’s birthday last year! He baked cupcakes and decorated a special treat all on his own! If you have a December birthday in your family, maybe your elf could celebrate in their own special way! I wonder what Cheese will come up with this year?
North Pole Cupcakes
At school, we shared Zoey’s birthday with the class and all the kids made their own North Pole inspired cupcake! We supplied the kids with coconut, sprinkles, frosting, a candy cane and a gingerbread man cookie.
Now the kids get a turn!
Spread Christmas Cheer!!
Yesterday I posted photos of our family elf, Cheese. Here are some other shenanigans he was up to last year!
Quite the equestrian- whoopiecookie
Gone fishin’- whoopiecookie
Finishing touches- whoopiecookie
Play fights – whoopiecookie
Dinosaur hunter – whoopiecookie
Hitchin’ a ride – whoopiecookie
Bicycle built for… – whoopiecookie
Cheese is the name of our little family elf. We are so excited in welcoming him back. Here are some special Cheese sightings from last year…
Soaking up some rays- whoopiecookie
Self Portrait- whoopiecookie
Being charming- whoopicookie
I see you- whoopiecookie
Cheese & Cookies – whoopiecookie
Cheese loves all creatures- whoopiecookie
Privacy please! – whoopiecookie
Check back tomorrow for more Cheese!
Our hard working elf made his journey back from the North Pole. We adopted Cheese last year and my daughter was the one to name him. The Elf on the Shelf is a popular book that explains the story behind the elves. It’s an great story and has now become a Christmas tradition. I’ll keep you posted on Cheese’s shenanigans this Christmas season.
What Christmas traditions have you adopted with your family?
The holiday season really kicked my butt. Sadly friends, I did not have a chance to blog about all the fun crafts that I gifted or the baked goods I made for various holiday gatherings.
So here is my catch-up post…
This being my first year as a parent of a school-age child, I was uncertain about what to give to my son’s teachers for Christmas. So I did what I do best–Bake. I gave each of the four–yes! four!–teachers tins full of delish cookies. My husband insisted that I make peanutbutter kisses (peanutbutter cookies with a chocolate kiss pressed into them), a favorite from his own childhood. Since that alone wasn’t going to fill the tin, I also made one of my favorites, Orange Cranberry White Chocolate Chip.
On the first day back to school, we had lovely thank you notes from the teachers, gushing about the tastey cookies!
For my dear sweet co-blogger cousins I stamped them each their very own woodgrain pic with theirs and their loves initials in them.
I found matching salt and pepper shakers for Caasi from Anthropologie. And I know she’s already used them! For Summer, months ago I was checking out Twig & Thistle and fell for the cute little nesting dolls used as cake toppers. I quickly ordered my own unfinished nesting dolls from Amazon. They come in sets of 5. It was perfect for Summer’s family! I painted each one to sport the likeness of Summer, her husband, and each of her three kids.
Our family celebrates Christmas early…I mean really early…like weeks in advance of the actual day. So the actual day itself is typically freed up to be spent with close friends. We headed over to the Sullivan Home for Christmas dinner. I brought a side of maple glazed carrots and some peppermint whoopie pies for dessert.
I used chocolate cakes and the traditional marshmallow filling and then rolled them in crushed up candy canes. I’ve seen these sold in stores like William-Sonoma, but they are super easy to do at home. Very festive!
I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season! Happy New Year!
These are my picks for Christmas gifts! I love and hate giving Christmas presents. I always like to find just the right gift, but sometimes it’s just plain hard to come up with an idea. I hope that this list will inspire you or help you this holiday season…
Sugar Skull Earrings
My first pick are these great earrings from MarketStreetBroads. They are sterling silver and so cute. I bought these for my teenage sister for her birthday this past November…she loved them!
$15.00
This is adorable and handmade! I love this because it’s something unexpected. You can also find other cute creations made by Keilantra’s Kreations. If you want to tackle this task by yourself.. you can find excellent PDF Patterns for iPOD/iPHONE cases from Pacific Designs and Nook/iPAD cases from BirdifulStitches. I have purchased these patterns and have made things from both and they are easy to follow and use very little material. I shopped for cheap fabric quarters in coordinating colors from my local fabric shop.
$8.00 toaster pastry case
$6.00 – $7.00 PDF Patterns
The Great Book of Los Angeles Sports Lists
This book is great for any LA sports fan. It covers “Top Lists” of all Los Angeles Sports! Lakers, Dodgers, Kings, Clippers, Angels… it’s a fun read and written by local sportscasters, Matt “Money” Smith and Steve Hartman! There is a list on the Top 10 “Chickisms” from the legendary, Lakers announcer Chick Hearn as well as Top ten “Worst coaches in Clippers history” … very funny! With all these different sports teams rolled into one book… it’s sure to be a hit!
$13.45
I saw this jewelry box at the store last week and loved it! The wood carving and color is gorgeous! The top opens and has a mirror under the lid, and little ring compartments inside. Under that, there is a wide drawer with a felt lining. It’s on the small side, but I think it’s great for a bedside table to store everyday jewelry inside.
$39.99
I think that this gift is hilarious! Man-Candles! With scents like Dirt, Bacon, Meat & Potatoes…you are sure to find the perfect scent. This gift would be great as a stocking stuffer for any man!
$12.99 for 8oz
$7.99 for 4oz
This is a personal favorite of mine. I love the story behind PostSecret. The books by Frank Warren are fantastic. I love how artistic and creative the project is. A collection of secrets-written anonymously- on self-decorated postcards sent to Frank Warren. I check the PostSecret blog every Sunday for new secrets being posted. I can’t get enough!
$21.99- $28.99
No doubt we’ve all felt the pinch these last couple years. But things seem to looking up as more people are out spending this year. Here are my picks for season’s great gift ideas:
Construction Plate & Utensils
What little boy wouldn’t want to eat with these utensils? Dinner just got a lot more fun!
$14.95 – $17.49
Blocks are pretty basic, but these puppies take it to a whole new level. The wide variety of angles and positions that these blocks can take on, will inspire any kid to be think beyond the old school cube that was once a “block.”
$55.00
These mod tissue holders add style beyond the boring flowery boxes. Any stylista will appreciate this design and with pink, blue, orange, and green to choose from, you’ll find a color for any room!
$38.00
These are great for that friend that loves to entertain. Guests will definitely smile to see eachother with a ‘stache as they drink up their favorite cocktail!
$18.00
Guy Wolff Windowsill French Herb Garden
This gift is great for both the gardener and the cook in your life! Throw in a great recipe that calls for these herbs and maybe they’ll invite you over for dinner!
$22.99
Throw in a $10.00 gift card to get your loved one started and they will be well on their way to easy, accessible recipes using ingredients found just down the road.
$14.58
A statement piece that would look great with your favorite party dress as well as your favorite pair of jeans, the necklace is a steal! You’ll want one for yourself too!
$38.00
Happy Shopping!!!
The countdown to Christmas has officially started. Seriously, check it out at xmasclock.com.
What better way to kick off the Christmas season than fighting your way through crowded stores on Black Friday? Well, I tried. I went to one department store and saw the lines and decided there was nothing I needed that badly. The only stores I was willing to wait in any kind of line at (with two kids in tow mind you) were Michaels and JoAnn’s.
Since my Christmas decorations are in storage containers in the back of a closet that I was unwilling to dig through today, I decided to make a new wreath for the front door. There is no better starting point than the front door!
The Christmas decorations for the “Easy Family Get Together” in the December issue of Parents Magazine are all adorable, but the wreaths really caught my eye. I love that they are both modern and have an organic quality. The moss makes them a little traditional, but the cute felt flowers are unexpected and fresh (ironically).
Cutting the felt circles was probably the most time-consuming part. But once that was complete, the rest went pretty quick. I’d say I spent less than an hour on this project and I had a one year old tugging at me.
I am loving the finished product. Most importantly, I am pleased that from the outside it appears that I have my act together and am ready to bring on Christmas! If only they knew….
whoopie cookie 