He's Back in Town. . .

At least until Christmas Eve!

Last weekend, we had a little night visitor!  Frank, our Elf on the Shelf, stopped in to leave a little holiday cheer and remind The Reporter that he would soon be returning to reside with us and keep tabs on her behavior.  Since last weekend, she has woken up every morning with the same question, "Is he back?!"  Each morning, I told her that I had not yet seen Frank around the house, but I was sure that he would return soon enough.  Meanwhile, I was planning a BIG surprise for his return!

I was inspired by this blog a few weeks ago and started planning immediately.  This creative mom planned a "North Pole Breakfast" to welcome her elf back to their home.  Complete with Christmas socks and an elf puppet, she decked the halls and surprised her kids!  As usual, most of MY planning took place in my head, so the day before Frank's big return, I found myself making a mad dash to find Christmas goodies and elf food.  Nevertheless, I think it turned out just perfectly!

Frank supplied "An Elf's Breakfast" complete with more "snowballs" from Mrs. Claus!
 

The Table was set with care and included LOTS of notes for our budding reader!
Check out the Holiday water bottles in the centerpiece!

"Gift bags" included a doodle drawing board and play microphone to keep the Little Guy occupied and  a  seasonal stationary set, holiday tic tacs, and "velvet art" kit for The Reporter!
 (Hint: The dollar bin at many big box stores are full of great Advent and Elf trinkets!)

Frank wrote a letter!

Those smiles were worth all the planning and rushing around!

Frank also left a note for The Reporter telling her to get dressed and pack a "car-bag"--we were going Christmas Tree Hunting!

When I was a little girl, we did most of our Christmas Tree hunting in the Pasture (our backyard) and I can remember helping my daddy haul home the "perfect tree"--usually a cedar tree.  Since moving back "home", I must admit that we have purchased all of our Christmas Trees from a big box retailer.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with that (I guess), but this year we decided to start a new tradition.  My parents visited Sunnyside Trees last year and encouraged us to go with them this year, and I am so thankful that we took them up on the offer!

There were multiple fields of trees to roam or run through. . .

The Reporter found the perfect tree for our dining room!

The Hubby Tackled the BIG tree for our living room!
 (We ended up cutting over 2 feet off the bottom--hello, greenery on the mantle!)

I believe we have found a new family tradition!
(Silly girl was COLD!!!)

The only problem with getting a tree this early?  It is sitting right beside my turkeys and pumpkins on the mantle in the living room. . . Oh well, there is always tomorrow, right? 

And speaking of tomorrow, I wonder what Frank will find to get into?

Thanksgiving Queen

My Grandmama Frances was the Thanksgiving Queen.  Everyone around our small town knew that Frances went all out for the big day.  She planned for weeks and cooked for days to prepare the perfect meal for the ones she loved the most, along with all the other people she invited in to share in her feast.  And what a feast it was!  She had a tendency to go, um, overboard, literally--there was so much food that I can vividly remember having an ironing board set up in the kitchen to hold a few extra casseroles one year!  There was food everywhere you turned and you could never eat enough to satisfy her!  Leftovers?  No problem!  You could eat for a week and still not deplete the supply of casseroles, turkey, ham, vegetables and gravy.  

Those memories are why I love Thanksgiving so very much.  It truly is my favorite holiday.  In 2002, my Grandfather Snooks (Frances' husband) passed away, and I knew that Thanksgiving would be particularly difficult that year.  I decided to take on the responsibility of hosting Thanksgiving for our family--we had a new house, hardly used wedding china and all the time in the world to plan, shop, cook and host a lovely Thanksgiving meal.  I (in my usual fashion) stressed over each and every detail to make it a perfect holiday for our family.  And it was.  Simply perfect.  The menu was delicious, the company fantastic and the prep and clean-up a breeze.  From that point on, I declared Thanksgiving "my holiday" to host. Although my menu was not nearly as extensive as Frances', I selected some family favorites, along with some new items to display on the table, and everyone agreed that I could take responsibility for the cooking for this gastronomic affair.

Since 2002, I have hosted Thanksgiving five times.  In the years that I did not host, we either traveled East to be with my other grandma, or I had a brand new baby, so my mom took over the plan (last year she cooked an entirely dairy-free meal for me!).  This year, as the holiday approached, we began to discuss who would cook the meal. I would like to say that every day is like a Norman Rockwell Painting around here and the children behave beautifully while I prepare meals.  But, alas, this is reality.  I was worried that taking on the entire meal, while the hubby worked a 10 hour shift, would be a little stressful.  Just a little.  So instead of doing the whole thing, my mom and I agreed to split the responsibilities this year.  She would handle the main dishes and I could do a few side items and dessert. 

 Although I was relieved to not have the stress of cooking while dodging Legos and Wooden pizza toppings strewn across the floor, I was also sad to give up some of the tradition of cooking the meal.  As a way to break from the old tradition, I decided to choose new desserts to grace the table.  As an homage to Frances, I chose a pear cake (featuring the pears from our own trees growing in what used to be Frances' yard) and a pecan pie (a staple in this old house when Frances lived here).  However, I knew my boys (Dad, brother and the hubby) would want a little something chocolate, so I thumbed through my old cookbook of clipped recipes and found the perfect answer--Bourbon Pecan Pie with Chocolate Chips.

Bourbon Pecan Pie with Chocolate Chips

(or Black-bottom Bourbon Pecan Pie)

*I wish I could give credit for this recipe where it is due, but I honestly have no idea where it originated.  I have it copied on an old slip of paper and pasted into my cookbook.  So, thank you, whoever you are--you are genius!)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used a whole cup, but I like chocolate!)

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup sugar

3 T firmly packed brown sugar

1 T all purpose flour

3/4 cup corn syrup (I used light)

1/4 cup butter, melted (I used Earth Balance)

3 T Bourbon (or more, if you like!  This doesn't count what you drink while you make it! )

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups pecans

1 pie crust (I used Whole Wheat because it is what I had.  Whatever you do, get deep dish!)

Sprinkle Chocolate chips into the bottom of the pie crust to cover.

Beat eggs and next seven ingredients at medium speed until blended.

Be sure to acknowledge your extra cute helpers along the way!

Pour batter into crust, over the chocolate chips until it is half filled and then cover with the pecan halves.  Drizzle with remaining filling being careful not to overflow, like I did!

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until set!

I had an extra pie crust that I had to use to repair cracks in the first one.  I used the extra crust to make pie-toppers!  (This was a first for me!)  The Reporter is not a fan of pie, but does love the crust, so I thought she might enjoy eating the "leaves"!

Serve with whipped cream (or whipped coconut milk, if you are me!) and a hot cup of coffee! 

Enjoy

To my Thanksgiving Queen, 

Thank you for teaching me to love this holiday of thankfulness and plenty.  I stood in your kitchen today and let the memories of Thanksgivings past wash over me.  

We are truly blessed and for that I am thankful.

Make and Do

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have always been a lover of books.  I have recently become enamored with non-fiction, but as a  young child, my selections were usually fiction--delving into words of fantasy to escape my own little world.  However, I often picked up informational books for fun--to learn new things or get ideas about how things were made.  I guess my obsession with arts and crafts started early, as one of my favorite childhood books was the Childcraft Make and Do book.

How many of you had a copy of this very book? I still have my copy somewhere in my parents' attic.  I could spend hours combing through the pages of this book looking for my next "art project".  Would it be clay beads?  What about a doll house made entirely of old shoe boxes?  Stilts out of tin cans, anyone?  I fantasized that my projects would be just as perfect as those pictured on the pages of Childcraft.  Somehow, they never turned out quite the same--a little drippy glue here, a misplaced bead there.  But still I held onto the hope that I, too, could create art pretty enough to display.

Well, not much has changed over the years.  I still comb through pages of books and the internet (Have I mentioned Pinterest?) to find "art projects" to occupy my time (as if I have any spare time!).  Most of my projects over the past few years have focused on knitting (my primary crafty love), with some occasional EASY sewing thrown in for the kiddos.  The Reporter makes frequent requests for stuffed animals, legwarmers, and pillows.  I also enjoy "crafting" new recipes and kitchen projects.  This summer I decided to get back to crafting and involving the kids in the process (although the Little Guy is happy just to roll a ball around the living room as the Reporter and I craft!).  So, here you have it. . . . a photo journal of some of our recent projects (and a few links to where ideas came from, if they weren't originals!).  As the summer progresses, I hope to have more to show, especially with our upcoming Christmas in July project I will share with you next week!   I hope this will inspire you to pull out your sewing machine, or just a few pipe cleaners, and get crafty!  

Tile Coasters found here

The Reporter inherited these flowers and butterflies from her cousins.
 We transformed them into a mobile!

Bandanna Pants!  Tutorial found here.

A first birthday shirt and hat!

My favorite project this summer, so far--the Sleepover Pillowcase!
We made one for a gift and one for The Reporter!

Fun Fourth Shirt!!!  Idea from here.

A little kitchen creativity for The Little Guy's birthday!  Almost Vegan Mudpie!

Now, go get crafty!!

Friday Finds!--Fun Fourth Finds

Happy, happy Friday!!!  For some, this Friday brings a long, holiday weekend.  For us, it brings a birthday celebration for the Little Guy (yay!) and a weekend of working for the hubby (boo).  However, we will take time out on Monday to celebrate Independence Day.  Here are some easy, inexpensive, fun finds to consider for your celebration!

Start your day with a yummy breakfast!

Fancy up your table with some inexpensive beans!

Deck out the kiddos in some cuteness!  Tutorial here

Dip into some edible sparklers! Courtesy of Martha

Light up the path to your celebration with these!

 How do you plan to celebrate?

Happy Weekend!