December!

I actually can't believe so much time has gone by so quickly... I sound old by saying that, but oh well! This blog is bad for my self esteem! I'm just not very good at it! The worst thing is when some amazing corporate working mom asks me point blank what I do all day while my kids are at school... and I have to come up with some concrete answers! Um, well, ohhhhh, hmmmmm.... STUFF!!!! And it's all for the good of the family, ok???

Anyway, we had a super Thanksgiving in Cape May, NJ! It's the most adorable Victorian town right on the Atlantic. We went with two other families and had a blast. The main components being the gourmet Thanksgiving buffet (the bread pudding was "to die for"!!!), and the indoor pool area (the last day we spent 6 hours in there...). It was pretty amazing looking out the windows from our room and seeing the beautiful ocean. (I have to say, the only problem with the East coast is that you have to be a morning person to see a spectacular sun rise, as opposed to the west coast sunsets in the evening- my time of day!) Conan would say, it's worth the sacrifice! We also went to a great zoo with lots of lively animals, and found some really cool shells we haven't seen anywhere else on the beach. We took the ferry to Delaware to get home, stopping in Bethany Beach to visit with friends at their beach house. The ferry ride was pretty crazy with huge waves and very unsteady walking conditions! It was great!

Then, December hit... Always way busier than I'd like it to be. Elizabeth's chorus at school did a super job at the "winter" concert! I spent the first week working on a Christmas tree for our dining room that would be covered in pictures from past Christmases, and other nice memories. That was so fun! I copied all of the pictures in black and white, then mounted them on two different papers. My colors being red and black, I couldn't find any fun black paper in my stuff, so I grabbed some black and white toille fabric from my stash and copied it on cardstock! It worked! I attached ribbon hangers (a stapler worked great), then hung them up! I love looking at it... It has really been simple reminder of what my focus should be this time of year. I had a visiting teaching lunch last week that was a hit- a great way to get all of our sisters together. We decided that the best part of the menu was the honey butter for the rolls... Oh, and the caramel apple cider. Yum!

The girls and I made our traditional sugar cookies, which they frosted and decorated so nicely! Also, Emma and I found a super peanut butter fudge recipe that is amazing! We've already made it twice and have shared it at two different events! The first weekend of December brought us 6 inches of snow!! That was awesome! It only stayed for two days, but that first night the kids spent hours in it and loved every minute of it. Christian and friends decided they would strip down to shorts and run around barefooted in it... Fifteen year old boys... who gets them? I had to get a picture of that!

We have spent a lot of time together as a family this month, which I really cherish. We miss being with our families, especially this time of year, and think about them often. We picked out a Christmas tree last weekend at a local farm and brought it home to decorate with the years of collected ornaments (mostly homemade- the best ones being the ones out of popsicle sticks with glued on school pictures!). We also had a lovely family home evening Monday night with our good friends from our old neighborhood and church ward. My wonderful friend with the five ultra talented string playing boys (someone has to have them...) gave us all a mini concert, too.

I am so thrilled to be able to go to the White House on Monday with a few fabulous friends! All of those beautiful trees amid the history is something I look forward to seeing!

Here are my two favorite recipes for the month. Enjoy what's left of December and 2009!

Caramel Apple Cider: Bring cream and brown sugar to boil over medium heat.
1/4 c. heavy cream Stir in water and cider and heat just until it steams.
1/4 c. brown sugar Divide into 4 mugs, top each with 2 T. of caramel whipped
3 c. apple cider cream. Enjoy!
1/2 c. water

Caramel Whipped Cream: In a chilled bowl, whip cream with brown sugar until
1/2 c. heavy cream soft peaks form.
1 T. brown sugar

Creamy Peanut Butter Fudge:
2 c. sugar
2/3 cup milk
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup marshmallow cream (or 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows)
1/4 cup butter or margarine

Combine sugar and milk in saucepan; cook to soft ball stage (I boil for 4-5 minutes). Remove from heat; add remaining ingredients, mixing well. Pour into a buttered 8x8 inch dish. Allow to cool and cut into squares. (It sets up quickly and is ready to cut in about an hour!)