Christmas playlists

I thought it'd be fun to document what WE are listening to this holiday season to help get us in the Christmas Spirit.

Here's whats playing on our playlists in the car and around our house-

PTXmas (digital download)- NEW FAVORITE!

Michael Buble-Let it Snow & MB Christmas albums

Phineas and Ferb Holiday Favorites

Chipmunks Christmas

The Polar Express (digital download)- a MUST for our new holiday tradition

These are some favorites from Christmases past-
Statler brothers Christmas- a MUST as Daddy was growing up ;)

Mariah Carey
Celine Dion

Harry Connick Jr.

O Christmas tree munch mix

I was excited to try this SUPER EASY snack mix. No melting chocolate or other toppings, just mix and done!

It has a nice mix of sweet and salty and the whole family really liked it!

(I couldn't find the Christmas tree candy corns so I used on Sweet Tart Gummy Trees instead. Still yummy!)

a couple of my new favorite apps

In an effort to be more thankful for ALL of the MANY blessings I am so richly blessed with, I downloaded the free version of "Gratitude365". I started back in August and I think after you use it for a month or put in a certain # of gratitudes you are prompted to buy the full version for a couple dollars if you'd like to continue using the app.  I have really enjoyed using it!  You can add a picture to your gratitudes and the write about it, which I really like! This is what my gratitudes from Sept looks like.

Or here's the list view of it.  As of today, I've  documented 44 days and 64 gratitudes. Pretty cool way to keep track of ALL your thankful for!

I've uploaded this Blogger app (which I use to write my blog) on a couple different occasions. I'm finally getting onboard with it. The reason I haven't stuck with it in the past is that I can't "do it all" from this app on my phone. But I'm now realizing I can get pieces of it done here and that helps my blog progress.

So my new system for blogging is this: upload my pictures directly from my phone to my blogger app. Then I use my Blogger app on my iPad to edit the post! Then when I have time I log in on y computer and finalize my posts, along with adding any hyperlinks (sadly this feature is not available for the phone or iPad versions) then I publish my post!

It may see like a drawn out process but for a busy mom, it works for me.  I usually only have a few spare moments here and there so this works out well.

Anyway I just wanted to post these apps I really like using so I document it in my upcoming blog book. (Yay for volume 4!)

Christmas cookies with Grandma

{12.14.13} Grandma invited all her grand kids over to make Christmas cookies together again this year!

Here is Alivia, Grandma and Jackson rolling out and cutting the sand tart cookies.

An overhead shot of Jackson and Grandma hard at work.

Here are the 5 big cousins rolling the peppermint patty balls in sugar. Looks like they're having fun!

Levi did a good job rolling his cookie out too! And look at this sweet face he gave me when I said "cheese!" ;)

Our tally at the end of our hard work was about 12 dozen various cookies and 7-8 dozen peppermint patties, which we split 4 ways, thankfully. ;)

We made:
Grandma's Sand Tarts
Peppermint Pinwheels
Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
Chocolate Chipper (M&M) Champs, and
Easy Christmas Peppermint Patties

We had such a fun morning together (grownups and kids alike) and we played and visited well into the afternoon. It was just so nice being together, then the snow started and broke our party up. Good thing Christmas is coming soon so we can get together again!

candy cane kiss cookies

I only post new recipes if I like them and will be making them again. This new recipe made the cut!

Recipe & Photo from Our Best Bites

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
Recipe by Our Best Bites

Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter-flavored shortening
1/2 c. real butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
optional: 1 tsp peppermint extract*
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 12 ounce bag dark chocolate chips
48 Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses, unwrapped (one 10 ounce bag)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream together softened butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar for 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Meanwhile, combine the baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.
3. To prevent cookies from flattening out, refrigerate dough for 30-60 minutes.  Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until just set, but centers are still soft, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to cooling rack.  Top each cookie with an unwrapped Candy Cane Kiss.  Allow to cool completely, long enough for the Kiss to harden. If necessary, after the cookies have cooled, they can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer to re-solidify the Kiss.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

*Note: peppermint extract is NOT the same as peppermint OIL, which is MUCH stronger. We learned that the hard way when we made our Peppermint Patties and used 1 t. of oil  when it called for 1 t. of extract. BIG difference! We probably only needed a few drops of oil for the amount of extract needed. Don't make that mistake! Too much mint!

Snapshots of mommy

We live in a very technologically-savvy world these days and we feel it's important for our kids to have an early start in it.  One of the ways we encourage these skills is with cool learning games on our phones and iPad. One such feature that I LOVE is the camera built-into my phone and iPad.

Levi was playing with my phone one day and took these pictures of me. I'm happy he did! I'm usually the photographer, and the curse of being the photographer is that YOU aren't in the pictures, even if you WERE there too!

I must say he did a pretty good job. Thanks for the pictures Levi!

I like this one. A candid "working" moment.

A silly mommy moment, too rarely seen, but I think I'm getting better about it. :?

Cute abstract angle and shot. Daddy says he LOVES it when I make this face. "It's classic (me)."

A silly grumpy face.

Graham cracker houses

{11.30.13} Our cousins invited us up for some afternoon fun making graham cracker houses and just being together, which is always a fun time!

Check out their delicious confections! From left to right: Jackson's longhouse, Isaac & Elisabeth's, Levi's, Andrew's and Alivia's on the end with the gummy bear walls. ;) Tasty!

Here's a close-up of Jackson's & Alivia's. (Levi promptly started eating the candy off of his house almost as soon as he'd put it on, so there wasn't much of a house to photograph.)