12 Days of Christmas: Decorations

This post got lost in the shuffle of the move so here goes, better late than never!

I wanted to title this post "Decorations on a Budget While all your Crafting Supplies are in Storage".  It was a bit too long though.  This has been a very different Christmas than I'm used to since we are in the process of moving/selling/buying houses.  The theme of this season for me seems to be "just go with it".  I seem to mutter that to myself at least once a day.  I need to constantly remind myself that stressing about things wont make anything better. 

That said, I finally decided to pull the little 41/2 foot Christmas tree out of the storage unit only to find the middle of my pre-lit tree is burned out.  Taking my own advice, I just rolled with it.  The tree is up, burned out lights and all.

I decided to leave all the ornaments in storage since they are mostly breakable and Tyler is a very curious 17 month old.  Instead we made salt dough ornaments and I gathered some of his baby toys to put on the tree.  I'm so glad I decided to decorate this way.  He is so very interested in that tree. 

So without further ado here is how we decorated this year:

12 Days of Christmas: Here Comes Santa - On His Firetruck?

As funny as it sounds this is how Santa has greeted us for years.  I grew up with Santa coming through the neighborhood on the local volunteer firetruck and was elated to find that they do the same thing here in this neighborhood.  As soon as we heard the sirens we threw on our coats and jetted outside to see Santa and all his firemen helpers.

He was so excited to see what all the noise was about!  Check out his little striped leggys:

12 Days of Christmas: A Recipe

This recipe is one I have made countless times.  It's super easy because you can make it the night before and refrigerate over night.  When you get up in the morning just pop it in the oven while the kiddos are opening presents.  It's also got all the fixings of a great breakfast: eggs, sausage, cheese, bread.  All that's missing is some pancakes and if you are thinking you need those, too then I highly recommend these.  I made them this weekend and they are divine!

Christmas Breakfast Sausage Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground pork sausage
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 6 slices white bread, toasted and cut into cubes
• 8 ounces mild Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Crumble sausage into a medium skillet. Cook over medium heat until evenly brown; drain.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together mustard powder, salt, eggs and milk. Add the sausage, bread cubes, and cheese, and stir to coat evenly. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Cover, and bake 45 to 60 minutes. Uncover, and reduce temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until set.

12 Days of Christmas: Christmas Party Atire for the Family

Every year I try to create an ensemble that is cute but not to matchy-matchy.  Here is our look for this year:

Dad: Banana Republic

Mom: Polyvore Ensemble

Baby Boy: Gap Hat and Sweater Old Navy Jeans

And for those of you that wear heals (I typically do not, especially these days when I am chasing after a precocious 16 month old little monkey) here is a slight adaptation for you:

Dad: Banana Republic

Mom: Polyvore Ensemble

Baby Boy: Gap

I really do envy women who can pull off a look like that.  It's just not me, I'm much more comfortable in jeans and a sweater. Hopefully this year I will remember to get a picture!

12 Days of Christmas: A Merry Little Photo-Shoot

Last week I got an email from Hanna Andersson about a photo shoot at their local store.  It sounded fun so I signed us up.  Our time slot was 9:20 this morning.  Tyler had fun trying things on and playing with the other kids.  They have such cute clothes!

Here he is checking himself out in the mirror before the shoot:

Here is the set up and Tyler getting situated for his pictures:

They gave us these phones to hold on to and take pictures with during the whole process:

Of course, Tyler's favorite part of the whole shoot was playing with the toys:

Here are his final two photos:

12 Days of Christmas: Salt Dough Ornaments

Salt Dough Ornaments

This year we are in the process of selling our house/buying a new house and just about everything "Christmasy" is in storage.  At first I was really bummed about this but I've come to realize it was really meant to be since Tyler is at that adorable little monkey stage (16 months old) and most of my decorations and ornaments are breakable.  I decided we should make our own this year.  The recipe is very simple but does require some muscles to kneed the dough!

Here's the Recipe:makes 12 small hand prints or lots of little ornaments 

Ingredients4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water

Directions: Combine ingredients and knead dough for 15 to 20 minutes. Bake at 300ºF about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. You may have to bake longer depending on how thick your ornaments are. They may not feel hard right away but will harden as they cool.

We had a lot of fun making these minus the kneading - that was hard work!)  Tyler likes to help me in the kitchen and was thrilled to be at the counter working.

Please excuse my messy kitchen.  This is what happens when you are busy making memories!



To-Do List for Winter

I was really happy with our Fall To-Do List and decided it's something I will do every season.  Here is what I have on the list for winter:

Bake Christmas Cookies
See Christmas Lights
Decorate the Tree
Sled Down a Hill (a first for Tyler)
See our Breath in the Cold Air
Visit Santa
Play in the Snow


Also, stay tuned for the 12 days of Christmas coming soon!