Salt Dough Ornaments

In keeping with the vow to insert a few more homemade moments into our season, I decided to venture in to salt dough ornaments. I can remember many a chilly afternoon with my mom and little brother, industriously stamping out shapes in soft homemade salt dough, impatiently waiting for them to dry out in the oven, then painting with abandon many a candy cane, snowman, star, and mysterious yet meaningful blob.

Audrey only being two (plus a little), I decided to make the ornaments ahead and have her participate in just the painting. I would love for this to be something we do frequently during the giving seasons ahead, and something that she in turn will look back on with fondness... perhaps remembering the activity and fun with her little brother, too, soon!

I used a very simple recipe- 2 parts flour, 1 part salt, 1 part water- but I improvised a little by subbing the water with strong coffee. The coffee made the dough a slightly warmer, slightly more antiqued color, and it smelled pretty good, too! Then, after using our favorite cookie cutters to cut out the ornaments and using a straw to poke holes in them for yarn later, I baked them in a 250 degree oven for about an hour. After they cooled completely, my Little Artist took over, and we both couldn't be happier with the results.

 

Now all I need to do is give them a good coating of spray sealant, string them on warm strips of fuzzy wool yarn, and find them homes on family Christmas trees! Beautiful.

Holiday Blues

The holidays are a strange time. There is much anticipation for our most favorite time of year... beginning for many in spring and in summer, thoughts start drifting to the colder months, when family, friends, and food come in to the spotlight, and plans start being dreamed up. The magic, though far off, seems almost tangible while planning in air-conditioned spaces and through baking heat waves. It sometimes feels like it will never be wintertime again!

However, somewhere around Thanksgiving- for many- a shadow falls over the merrymaking. Something slowly starts sucking joy and energy out of the process, leaving people feeling blue. I can even feel it sometimes, when you step back from all the traditions and holiday routine and wonder, 'What's missing?' A Charlie Brown moment, if you will.

I try to reflect on this feeling whenever it comes up. As cliche as it is, I think it might have something to do with the pressure and expectation that comes from the commercialism of the holidays. How could you not feel a little bummed believing that everyone expects something cutting-edge, expensive, and completely unique every year? Why wouldn't a feeling of powerlessness and of time slipping away start intruding into the homemaking, nesting, and celebrating of the season?

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday for that very reason. It embodies everything I love about holidays, without the commercial pressures that come along with, say, Christmas. You get the family togetherness, the festive feeling in the air, the celebration of the beauty of the changing season, and yet... no gift lists. Eureka.

I had an epiphany this year. Why was Thanksgiving really my favorite holiday? For me, it is the simple celebration of things being made and shared with the ones you love. A time when homemade goodness is the staple and the expectation. A quiet moment shared by giving of yourself and the labor of your hands (well, mostly... I'm not trying to say Thanksgiving is completely immune to the commercial).

This thought process brought me to a simple conclusion: for me, a homemade Christmas may be the best way to truly savor the all-too-fleeting holiday season. In years past and for not-too-distant generations, this was the expectation, and the time leading up to that magical morning was a time of festive celebration, not harried running about, spending and sacrificing and worrying. Though it would be a slow transition, wouldn't it be great to be able to move back to a time when every day of the winter season is savored with activity and attention to projects of love to be shared at the holiday gatherings, instead of focusing on things?

I will probably never be one to completely throw off the influence of the commercialized Christmas machine, but as my children grow older and grasp more fully the meaning of the season, I will instill in them something greater than wish lists and wannas. I will make the holidays something magical and special that won't end with a big letdown on December 26th, and maybe with that effort, I will make this time even more special and meaningful for myself.

Perfect Sugar Cookies

I always get so many compliments on my sugar cookies, and so many requests for the recipe. I must admit, it is the perfect sugar cookie recipe. I've never had a better one. It's just not fair for me to keep it all to myself! So here it is... adapted from a Food Network Kitchen recipe, with my own tweaks and changes... enjoy!

The BEST Sugar Cookies

3 C unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 C (2 sticks) softened salted butter

1 1/2 C (scant) white sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

3-4 TBS buttermilk

Sprinkles or icing for decorating

Parchment paper*

Preheat oven to 375F. In a small bowl, sift together dry ingredients and set aside. In a larger bowl, cream butter and sugar, than add egg and extracts. Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in about 3 batches. Add enough buttermilk to make the dough moist and soft, but not wet. Chill for about 20 minutes to make rolling out easier (or just roll rounded teaspoons of dough between hands and place directly on parchment-covered baking pan for round cookies). Decorate with sprinkles or colored sugar as desired and bake for 8-10 minutes or until just slightly brown around edges (for a crispy sugar cookie, roll dough thin and bake until golden brown all over). Let cookies sit for about 2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack or clean counter top. Enjoy!

*I highly recommend using parchment paper in your holiday baking if you don't already. It is a wonderful way to keep cookies perfectly shaped and unstuck from any baking tray. It also makes cleanup a snap, and you don't have to grease or 'Pam' anything to prevent sticking!

Focusing on the Home

At the first opportunity after Thanksgiving, I rush up to our spare closet and start pulling out boxes and bins... I spend all summer planning and crafting, and by the time those post-Thanksgiving days roll around, I can't further resist digging out our Christmas decorations and decking our halls! This year, our usual decorations have been enhanced by a few homemade extras, and we are enjoying the slightly more homemade feel to our usuals.

Audrey and Daddy enjoy a morning fire and some dry cereal

Homemade stockings hung with care

The first Christmas cookies of the season

This year, we chose to have a family party to kick off the Christmas-ness of the year. We did a gingerbread house building contest, some carols, a chili cook off, and we concluded the night by putting the ornaments up on our tree.

Gingerbread pieces ready to be assembled

Busy decorators

The winning team, mid-construction

A bit of a mess, but all in good fun

Rory inspects the 4 surviving and still standing houses at the end of the evening

Thanksgiving 2010

What a whirlwind Thanksgiving we have had! Two dinners, two happy gatherings, and two households to deck with post-Thanksgiving fervor for the all-too-present Christmas season! We are so blessed!

The morning of Thanksgiving, I got up early to make up the dough for the bread we were contributing to both families' dinners. Once the rolls were formed and trayed, we packed up the necessities for our over-night visit and hit the road! Our first stop was Mimmy and Pappy's to drop off pie and bread, then on to Nanny's for the majority of the day. 

A pre-meal tea party

Sharing tea with Granddaddy

Playing piano with Nanny

After gorging on turkey, sides, and the best darn dressing there ever was, we laid around and savored each others' company until it was time to head over to Mimmy and Pappy's for Thanksgiving dinner #2.

Pre-dinner football with Mimmy and Uncle Nate

Thanksgiving table set

Mimmy's turkey came out so pretty, we had to take a picture

Dinner #2

On Mimmy's fridge

 This year, we chose to spend the night at Mimmy and Pappy's, despite the fact that their house is in the middle of a renovation. It wasn't a big deal, though, to set up our blow-up mattress and the pack-n-play in the soon-to-be guest bedroom and make ourselves at home!

Audrey and Leeloo play while waiting on breakfast

Watching Charlie Brown with Mimmy and Pappy

The morning after Thanksgiving saw the second year of a new tradition: gathering back at Nanny's house to help decorate for Christmas. This year we walked from Grammy and Gramps' house to Nannys in the crisp fall weather (thanks to the last-minute cold front that prevented our Thanksgiving holiday from feeling like April!), crunching leaves and pointing out birds the whole way.

Audrey crunches leaves on the way to Nanny's house

Diving right in to decorating with the lighting of the tree

Ornaments holding the memories of generations of Christmases

Everyone pitches in

Katy puts up the topper

Once the tree was decorated, the attic unloaded, and the big and heavy stuff handled, everyone parted ways. As we prepared to head home to our own naked tree, lo and behold, a little girl became enthralled by a mysterious Christmas oddity...

Audrey discovers the Hypnotic Christmas House

The Baby Hypnotizing Christmas music box

Girl and music box

We had to peel Audrey away from the musical chime that has entertained many a grandchild at Nanny's house, but eventually we got everyone and everything piled back in Daddy's truck, and we headed on home. What a wonderful holiday, yet again, thanks to our family and the love and dedication of the wonderful cooks and decorators all around us.

Thanksgiving Eve

What a yucky, humid, warm Thanksgiving Eve! It just doesn't seem right to be 24 hours away from one of our most favorite holidays, and be sweating in t-shirts and wishing for air conditioning!

It was humid enough in our house that even Audrey's straightened hair turned curly over night...

After a morning with Aunt KK and an exciting afternoon with an early-to-come-home Daddy, we piled into the truck and went to go pick out our Christmas tree... along the way, a few colorful trees caught our attention...

Perusing the not-yet-unwrapped trees to find the perfect one

Our prize, to sit naked until the post-Thanksgiving decorating

My tired loves

With successful hunting and gathering, preparing and packing handled, we await the big Turkey Day! Gobble, gobble!

Preparations

I am thankful for so much daily, and in this time of focused thanksgiving, I can't help but notice the bounty we have to give thanks for.

I am thankful for my hubby. I am thankful for our home. I am thankful for the variety of weather and scenery we are able to experience every day. I am thankful for the ability to be home with my Little One, to help her learn and watch her grow. I am thankful for the line of strong men and women in my family that have taught me so much, and whose shared wisdom now enable me to make a strong and healthy home for my family.

I am thankful for the autumn and winter months, which allow for reflection, a winding down, a turning in toward family and togetherness, and a recharging of spirit and body.

But most of all, I am thankful for the Little One who works so hard every day to do everything Mama does, and help in every way she can.

With preparations for the Thanksgiving days underway, the promise of excellent dinners, quality time with family, and thanksgiving during one of our most treasured holidays is fast approaching.... and much anticipated. Happy Thanksgiving!