A treat for Rachael

Nothing says Rachael to me more
than a pink, heart-shaped, strawberry-flavored
marshmallow.
(She gave me a hug and kiss when I gave them to her.)

Birds

Another year of birdwatching underway.

Frost

Marshmallows

Who doesn't love hot chocolate with marshmallows?

Cup-sized marshmallows, to be precise?

YUM!

A New Year

I have finally decided what I want to do with this blog this year... it can be summed up with the following two quotes:

"...a grateful perspective brings happiness and abundance into a person's life."
-Andy Andrews, The Noticer

"The camera can photograph thought."
-Dirk Bogarde

Which means I'm going to attempt to photograph things I am thankful this year. It serves another purpose; I'm going to try to use my Canon xTi more often so I'll get more practice with it. Such as:

Happy New Year!

Christmas Treats

Treats we made this past month...

Peppermint Bark

We made this for playgroup one day. It turned out OK.

Cookie Dough Sundae

This is pure temptation. In a bowl.
French vanilla ice cream with homemade cookie dough on top.

Fortune Cookies

These were way more trouble than they are worth. I thought there would be lots, but as it turns out, but I only got about a dozen good ones, so they all went to Rachael's preschool teachers at Building Blocks.

Jam Thumbprints

A perennial favorite. I made these for Ryan for a potluck at work, and for Rachael's preschool teachers at Little Hands.

Christmas Tree Cake Pops

Fun with cake pops! I found a cookie cutter just the right size for tree pops. I also tried stocking pops, but they didn't turn out as well.

Sugar Cookies

Of course. Can you think of a better use for sprinkles?

Fire Pole Elf

Tonight we were watching the movie "Elf," and we were at the part with Miles Finch and Buddy calling Miles an elf. Buddy says something about how Miles is an angry elf, and maybe he is from the South Pole. Rachael had her own suggestion... "maybe he's from the fire pole."

That might explain the angry, anyway!

Girls Day

Rachael and I decided a girls day was in order. It was a fun way to spend time with my favorite girl before Christmas. We had pizza for lunch, then went out for a movie and some shopping. (I even managed to pick up a stocking stuffer on the sly, thanks to a really helpful and quiet store clerk. yay!)

We took in the latest Disney flick. I know there has been some controversy with lots of points in this movie, but Rachael loved it. She thought Tiana was a great princess and even the voodoo witch doctor wasn't too scary for her.
New shoes! Size nine - wow. What's a proper girls day out without either a new outfit or new shoes?

We had a great time. I didn't get a single thing done around the house or anything ready for Christmas but it was still an entirely worthwhile endeavor.

I'm here

Usually when I have neglected the blog for more than a couple of days, one of two things is true: 1) I have run out of ideas of things to blog about; or occasionally, 2) I'm just way too busy. In this case the latter is true!

The past two weeks we have been Christmasing, decorating, baking, wrapping, shopping, practicing the piano, and then babysitting, working on cards, finishing gifts, then followed up with a birthday party and a temple trip. Busy but lots of fun. Here are a few things I have been thankful for the past couple of weeks.

New babies: Many congratulations to three of my friends who welcomed new babies in the last week or so. Two were the first children - so fun to see new families being created.


The apron: I used an apron Rachael has to make a pattern so I could make Alex an apron for his birthday. (Isn't that construction print fantastic for a 3 year old boy who loves to play in the kitchen?) I made a couple of modifications over the original and I'm quite pleased with the result. And Rachael really wanted to pose with it for pictures... silly girl!

I Spy: At the party we talked about how much Rachael likes to play "I Spy," at the grocery store, so she launched into a few "I spies" for us. I love the way she cheers for you when you get the right answer. And I especially love the way she stares right at what she "spies," making it really easy to guess. But the best one of the night was when she said, "I spy with my little eye... something that is small and difficult." Sorry Blake, we're on to you.


and Fingerprints: My friend Amy blogged about her not-so-perfect house last year. I loved the post - she is a great blogger. When I saw these sticky fingerprints at the top of the stairs it made me think of that post. I was curious about sticky fingerprints because I don't let Rachael take food upstairs. Here's what she had to say: "Well, my friend (who will remain nameless to protect the guilty) brought a candy cane upstairs and she hid it under my bed. It was sticky. Then I ate it. Then I had to hold onto the wall to go downstairs."

I guess I can't argue with that logic.

Thanksgiving

Ah.... Thanksgiving. The one day of the year that the gratitude journal is just begging for an entry. So I rounded up a few of my favorite quotes.

"An ungrateful man is like a hog under a tree eating acorns, but never looking up to see where they come from.” -Timothy Dexter

“A grateful heart is a beginning of greatness.” -James E. Faust

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others." -Marcus Tullius Cicero

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John F. Kennedy

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."-William Arther Ward

"I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose." -Woody Allen

I'm thankful for all my blessings, for all my trials, for all my friends, all my family, especially for my husband and daughter, and the opportunity to reflect on something I am grateful for every day.

What are you thankful for?