Tis The Season

It's such a busy time of year for everyone. Our household is no different.

I feel I've been neglecting my blog, but that's okay.

I've been trying my best to not overcommit, to plan well the outings and projects we do have, and to simply take time to enjoy being at home despite the rush of this season. I do not want frenzy and fuss to accompany me wherever I go. I want to remember the point of this holiday. And I also want to take time to make special memories with my husband, children, and those we love.

What I've been up to...

Fun things. We'll be meeting friends at the Choo Choo Barn, Pete and I are taking a day trip to NYC, and we've got 2 upcoming Christmas parties. Then we'll enter full holiday mode with 3 birthdays thrown in (4 if you count our niece). Craaaaaazy!

Christmas goodies. My family always swaps Christmas cookies each year. This year we've narrowed it down to 1 kind each instead of 2-3 each. Maybe our jeans will fit better. One can hope. Ha ha. I will be also be contributing desserts for our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners. Pumpkin Rolls and Lemon Cheese Braids. YUM.

Christmas shopping--completely online this year. I'm nearly finished! Nothing like wearing my moccasins, sipping hot chai, and finding exactly what I want without leaving the house! Shopping has never been a hobby of mine, and I avoid the mall like the plague.

Brainstorming birthday cake ideas. My son wants "Thomas, da chang chang chang" on his cake. We've got the engine already. Pipe some chocolate buttercream tracks, throw on a few trees and trains from the playroom, and voila. We're keepin' it simple. My daughter wants a combine on her cake. Yep. She's my farmer girl. She also emphasized that she wants a chocolate cake with chocolate icing. Be still my heart. That I can do. :o)
I found a miniature combine at Outback Toys in Lititz. (What a great store!) I'm thinking toasted coconut will make great amber waves of grain. I'm not making myself a birthday cake--I think we will have already filled our cake quota for the month by New Year's Eve!!!

Anticipating time with family. My youngest brother Ryan and his fiance Sarah (woot woot) are coming in January for a visit. I'm so excited! We'll also have 2 extended family dinners in January. If only Pete's brother in Belgium could be here too. Hopefully we'll see him at Easter.

Experimental breadmaking. I have a breadmachine, and use it occasionally. Lately though I've been making bread the old-fashioned-roll-up-your-sleeves way. My quest: to find a good sandwich roll recipe. Something slightly crispy on the outside, dense and moist on the inside. I think I'm getting closer after 4 attempts in the last 2 weeks. I find it hard to imagine life without allrecipes.com and other such websites. :o)

Reading. I've been re-reading some of the books from Bodie Thoene's ZION COVENANT series in anticipation of her new series ZION DAIRIES. I also picked up THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA by Michael Pollan, HER DAUGHTER'S HOPE by Francine Rivers, and THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS by Isabel Wilerson, a book about the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities in search of a better life. (An exodus of almost 6 million people between 1915-1970.)