Star Struck

Santa is a rock star to the boys, they are usually tongue-tied when they meet him. It's fun to watch how excited they are. It might be the last year of belief for Jared, he's starting to question things so we're milking it for all it's worth. The kids have never had their rooms so clean (I told them Santa likes a clean house). We let them visit with Santa at the mall, here's the picture I took. They asked me to buy a small package in order to take my own pictures so I did, it's only fair - they have to make a living too :)

Yay for no school!

Want to know what a typical day is like for us when there's no school plus friends? I uploaded a video so you can laugh at me, feel sorry for me or tell me you have it worse.



Seriously though, we had fun. The boys only did that for about 30 minutes.... all spread out. I think they watched parts of a movie in between it all so I could at least hear myself think.

The cat's out of the bag

I can finally share this video I made awhile ago. It was my sister's way of telling us some exciting news and an opportunity to prank my boys.... which is too good to pass up on any occasion.

Addiction!

I can't make these cookies for a long time because they are seriously addicting! It's like crack, so I'm sharing :)

Pecan Puffs (or Crack Cookies..... whichever fits once you've tasted this small piece of heaven)

1/2 cup butter

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour less 2 Tablespoons

1 cup pecans (crushed fine)

Heat butter until soft, add sugar and blend. Add vanilla and flour (don't forget to subtract 2 Tablespoons). Stir in pecans. Roll into small balls, place on cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar while still hot and again when cooled. Should make about 26 - 28 puffs.

I know you'll be excited to toss these into your mouth once they are done, but be careful not to inhale when it's too close to your face..... hello, powdered sugar! This is another reason I am thinking of changing the name to Crack Cookies. I got this recipe from a dear friend, she used to make these every year and deliver them to friends. They are oh so yummy!

Characters

I went back to take more pictures of the reindeer because it was an overcast day and I wanted some more character shots. Here are my favorite two.....





I need a funny caption for both, please leave a comment with your best idea.

Wanna Kiss?

I knew that I was spoiling the reindeer by bringing a large box of raisins just for them, but I didn't expect a kiss for it. I'm just not that kinda girl :)

Chocolate Covered Cherries

My dad used to make these years ago when I was young, they are a family favorite. It has been a LONG time since I've enjoyed this treat. I don't know where he got the original recipe, but I got a hold of it and tried my hand at making them for the first time. They turned out great! I tripled the recipe and ended up with 150 chocolate covered cherries. They'll make tasty gifts!

Chocolate Covered Cherries

1 lb Powdered Sugar (about 3 1/2 cups)
4 Tbsp Butter
1 tsp Vanilla
4 Tbsp Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Bottle of Maraschino Cherries (or about 50 cherries)
2-3 (8 oz) bars of Semi Sweet Bakers Chocolate

Cream butter and sugar together, adding sweetened condensed milk in small amounts.
Add salt and vanilla. Blend well, it’s best to use hand blender on a low setting. Also, if it’s too dry, I like to add 1 Tbsp of regular milk. It should be doughy, but not sticky.

Drain cherries, dry well. I would leave them on a paper towel for at least an hour. It’s okay if they are sticky, just not wet. The dough won’t stick if they are wet.
Take small amount of cream mixture at a time (about the size of a cherry) and roll it out flat in the palm of your hand, wrap it around the cherries and shape it into a ball.
Lay on wax paper on a cookie sheet.
Freeze for about an hour, you can leave it overnight.

Melt chocolate in a pan on the simmer setting (be careful not to scorch it).
Dip cherries in chocolate, lay on wax paper or in mini muffin cups.
Chill again, it aids in solidification. Also, aging the chocolate allows the center to become more liquid – makes excellent cherry chocolates.

Some options –
*add nuts to the chocolate or sprinkle nuts on top
*melt white chocolate and drizzle on top of cherry chocolates for variety

Foggiest dream come true

I mentioned in an earlier post that I wished I had taken a shot, but passed it by on the way to an appointment. Yesterday was another foggy day and this time, I set up my own opportunity with the help of my friend, Heidi. She knows about my little addiction and was kind enough to humor me.

Lady with the red umbrella....




Last night the local photo club met up at the park for some light painting. It was a lot of fun, here are my favorite 3 images.

Can't get enough

I think foggy days are the best! I hope we get just one more, I am kicking myself for not pulling over to get a shot of something that caught my eye - next time I will be late to my appointment.... if there is a next time.

Here are a few that I took and did quick edits on - thank heavens for photoshop actions (shortcuts). I hardly get time to work on my own these days with Christmas so close and so many family photos to do in between it all.

This could be 100% awesome if it weren't for all the bird poop :P






I found a Great Blue Heron (thanks to a friend who knows her birds) and it let me get close enough to notice its bright yellow eyes. If you click on any of these pictures, you might see it in better detail.


I got too close for comfort, but was lucky enough to have my camera to my eye as it was flying off.


Just a few days ago, we went to the park to do family pictures for our Christmas cards. I had my tripod and with the right threats bribes, I was able to get a couple I could actually use. Next year, I want a remote!

Jared's drawing

I love it when Jared draws some random picture in school for me. He proudly handed me this a little while ago, I had to scan it and share. It says "The bad cops chased me!" with a little illustration to make his point. I just love the expression on the face of his stick figure. I wonder what a psychologist would say about this one....... any guesses?



Click on the picture to see a larger version.