Christmas gifts and birthday wishes

Wowzers!!!!!!! So I have never even owned an iPod or mp3 player or anything. I even revolted at the idea of satellite radio. Dusty got me an touch for Christmas and I am hooked. In fact, I am blogging from it. That is rediculous! Our Christmas was fantastic. We stayed home this year and my parents and sister and uncle and cousins came too( and all the pooches.... 5 in total). We have two more christmas' left. I am wiped. I think I may hibernate for the next couple of months ( after my birthday... I think I might ask for am iPhone. Did I mention I'm in love

finding in the Unexpected

I had never found someone the PERFECT gift.

I have found good gifts but never "perfect"."

Maybe that's why I have struggled with the concept of "consumerism" the last 5 or so years.

I have a hard time with the gift giving at Christmas. I have felt like the truly important parts of Christmas are drowned by the need for shopping and buying and finding. The sweet sounds of families spending time with one another are muffled by car horns and ripping wrapping paper.

I have been having a Grinch moment in my life for quite sometime.

I KNOW that Christmas is not about gifts and yet,

in passing conversations that is the focus.

All of the "holiday stress" in my life is about the gifts.

I have really struggled this year.

Tonight, 8 days away from Christmas,

I finally found the perfect gift.

The perfect gift

isn't 

a gift that has been picked up just because they are the last person on your list

or

"it's nice enough"

or

the kind of gift that "will do".

It isn't something that you have to buy so you don't offend someone.

It isn't a gift bought to "beat out" the other gifts.

There is no obligation with the perfect gift.

I found a gift that is simple.

It is beautiful.

It has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the person I am giving it to.

I have never found "Christmas" in a package before.

For me, Christmas is a season of giving.

Giving of time

of hope

of love

of peace

of forgiveness

and every once in a while,

 you have the privilege

of giving

someone

something

 unexpected.

and for me,

this year,

 I got the gift of giving someone I love dearly, a present they will truly enjoy.

1 Kitchen sink coming right up.

Yes Yes I have been a blogging slacker. I just can't help it. It's Christmas. and I am busy with all things Christmas. Making gifts, baking, parties, music, trees, sledding, dresses. It is so awesome and happy. I think I could be an elf. I look fantastic in green and red. But for all those out there who still read this thing (if there is any) then I have a treat for you.....

Cure your Cold and Warm your Soul (or tummy) Soup.

(dusty emailed me from work yesterday and said he was SICK. He hardly ever gets sick (thank goodness- cause he thinks he is going to die) and so I made him soup. Only I had no chicken. Or noodles. So this is what I came up with....

2lbs of ground beef
6 cups of beef broth.
4 cups of water
3 large carrots
1 onion
2 heaping tablespoons of garlic
1 large can of tomatoes
1 can of corn
1/2 head of broccoli
1/2 head of cauliflower
1 can of lentils
1 bag of baby spinach chopped.
pepper.
Parmesan cheese.

Cook the ground beef in the stock. Add the water. Bring to a boil. Put in onion (quartered) and carrots and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes, boiling at medium heat. Add tomatoes and corn and broccoli and cauliflower and lentils and baby spinach. Cook over medium heat for 20 more minutes. This is soup. So the longer it simmers the better... I also throw in the rind of my Parmesan cheese and let it simmer with the soup. I think it adds flavor. Season according to your tastes. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on it. Enjoy.
I did.

A Page from Dr Suess.

Today there is a foot of snow. It looks like I live in who-ville. I am nestled into a secluded mountain town, the Christmas lights twinkling and the snow on the ground is the purest of white. All the little chimneys are smoking and the kids are running around down the middle of the street with their toboggans and touques.
It is also my friends birthday today. I woke up this morning and thought what an awesome day for a birthday. For reals. It is beautiful and there are still snowflakes falling. She and another friend came for lunch. We had soup and buns and salad and veggies and dip and apple crisp. What is better than apple crisp and warm soup on a wintry birthday? I think Nothing. I had such a wonderful time visiting and laughing and eating. There is something so homey and familiar and comforting about good friends and warm food when it is cold and snowy. Today has been perfect. My dishes aren't done. There are toys from heck to breakfast and yet I am so happy.
Happy birthday friend.

When Nature Calls

"Ellie, what's this?"

"I dunno, Lucy, lets ask Dad!"

"DAD", both in unison.

"What?"

"What IS this?"

"Bear poop" said VERY casually.

 {SCREAM}

and run away.

And to think we live IN the wilderness

Cheesecake and Self-Control?

All I can think about is cheesecake.

It's horrible.

and delicious.....

mmm so delicious.

I had never made a cheesecake (baked) before but Ellie wanted a chocolate chip cheesecake for her birthday (which I know was a while ago but today I thought about that cheesecake and I wanted some).

I'm trying this thing...

it's called self-control.

It SUCKS.

BUT

 for those of you who don't do crazy things

like tell yourself that you don't NEED cheesecake

then here's the recipe.

It's awesome.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
Ingredients

-1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
-1/3 cup white sugar
-1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1/3 cup butter, melted
-3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
-1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
-3 eggs
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
-1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter and cocoa. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Set crust aside.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk; beat well. Add vanilla and eggs, and beat on medium speed until smooth. Toss 1/3 of the miniature chocolate chips with the 1 teaspoon flour to coat (this keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cake). Mix into cheese mixture. Pour into prepared crust. Sprinkle top with remaining chocolate chips.

Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 1 hour. Turn off oven (do not open oven door) and leave the cake in the oven to cool in the oven for another hour. Remove from oven and cool completely. Refrigerate before removing sides of pan. Keep cake refrigerated until time to serve.

homesick

We went "home" for Thanksgiving.

Sometimes I get really homesick.

I miss walking outside and seeing my ponies.

I miss the smell of my horse

(well maybe not mine)

I miss giving my kids the oppertunities I got.

The girls had such a good time riding all day with dad.

I think their Dad had a super good time.

I could barely get him in for dinner.

 Ellie and Lucy on Booger

 Ellie and Dusty lettin' him eat.

 Ellie and Booger

Lucy and Elliot

(like the deer off Open Season)

Perfect as a Pear

This is the first year I've ever canned solo.

It's been pretty awesome.

My storage room actually looks like a storage room.

I've done

Peaches

Peach jam

Strawberry jam

Pears

and I have a box of apples sitting in my living room.

I really had a good time.

My kids have too.

My house is DESTROYED.

Why clean when mom is so clearly distracted.

The mess has been worth it.

 Aren't Pears so Pretty Jarred?

I wanted to put them around my house as decoration.

They made my kitchen seem so kitcheny

Penny isn't a huge fan of canning (yet) but by the time we did pears she at least knew that this was her spot and that she wasn't getting held. Peaches were a LONG LOUD process.

Pears

My syrup recipe is:

1 cup of sugar to 5 cups of water.

I hot packed my pears.

They are perfect 

they don't taste like they've been drowning in syrup.

 and it's just enough sugar to keep them from getting all dirty (brown)

Just putting it out there

28 days until my Christmas Tree goes up. Pretty excited.

Penny. & .Sweater

Yarn: Baby Bamboo.