Thursday, December 20, 2012

Christmas Gifts - Teachers & Grandma's

 
I really appreciate Jacob's teachers.  They are helping to raise my sweet little boy, and I wanted to show them how much I appreciate that during Christmas.  The only problem?  Currently he has 4 consistent teachers he sees within a 2 day period.  There are 3 each day, to take care of the 12 toddlers tearing up the room.    That being said, I need to stick to a budget, and I didnt want to give them each a $10 gift card.  I know they would appreciate it, but it seemed to be not enough.
 
Enter Pinterest...
I think Mike is starting to despise Pinterest.  Now he knows how i feel about Craigslist.  Really, that's what Pinterst is, a girl's version of CL.
 
I found this great idea of making homemade cake/plate stands.  These are melamine plates and bowls, and all you need is a little super glue.  So, off to the holy land (aka Target) in search of cute bowls. 
 
I found several, each one different and didn't think to take a pic of each one before gluing, but if i did the post would be super long.
 
 
 
Plate one

Glued to the base
 All you need to do is put some super glue on the bottom ridge of the bowl and attach to bottom of plate.  Then let it cure for about 8 hours.

On the trip to target, i found little gifts to add:  coffee mugs, candle holder, Ferrio Rocher candies, and some lotion.  I went to the dollar store and got the FUZZIEST softest socks.  I had some hot chocolate at home, and added to packets to each gift.  I also put a votive into each candle holder.

All assembled
 


Close up of tree tray (my fav)

 
 Then, I took some cellophane bags, wrapped around the gift, and secured the top with some fun garland and a sparkly snowflake ornament.
All lined up

Close up of garland and ornament
 Cost and location:
Plates : Average 2.50 (I found some on cleareance)  Target
Bowls: Average 2.00  Target
Mugs:  1.99 Target
Choc:  1.25 Target
Lotion: 1.99 Target
Ornament: .50 Target
Socks:  1.00 Dollar Tree
Garland:  .50 Target
Candle Holder:  .48 Target (Clearance)
Votives:  .50? (I had at home)
Hot Choc: .50?  (again, at home)
Average cost:  $13.21 if you had to buy everything

I thought much better than a gift card!

For my grandmas, I have always struggled with what to give them. THey have everything they could need, and I didnt want to get them another pair of slippers, or other stuff that is a waste of money.

So, I took the plate stand idea from above, and took a Trader Joe's twist to it instead of target.  I got some crackers and cookies.  I did pick up mugs from Target (both coffee drinkers), and from the dollar store I got a kitchen holiday towel and a candle.

Who wouldn't love some TJ's snacks??
 

Grandma's gifts!

Grandma's gift cost:
Plates:  Ave $2.50  Target
Bowls:  Ave 2.00 Target
Mugs:  1.48 (clearance) Target
Snowflake:  .50 Target
Garland:  .50 Target
Candle:  1.00 Dollar Tree
Towel:  1.00 Dollar Tree
Crackers:  3.99 TJ's
Cookies:  3.29 Tj's
Total Cost:  $16.26

Super easy to do, and easy on the budget, without doing the gift card route.  I had fun making them, and wish i would have thought of the idea sooner for other gifts I have given.  You could do theme ones, or I had debated on adding a small shot size bottle of peppermint schnapps to the teachers mugs for an adult hot choc, but didnt make it to the liqour store to get it. 

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

14 Month Update

To my dearest little boy,

I can't believe that tomorrow you will be 14 months old.  I know I say that every month, but time is flying by. 

You had lots going on this past month.

We decided to get out of the house for a day, and took a trip to Lookout Ridge and the library in Woodbury.  You loved to watch the big kids run around and play.  After going down the slide once, you loved it and would GRIN like crazy.

First trip to the library

VERY serious, no distracting the baby when there are boats to read about...
 
You had to help me with a huge snowfall while dad was gone travelling for work (in Cali, where it was 70...).  We took Selby on a walk, and in this pic we are actually hoofing it down the middle of the road.  I figured no cars, and there was a bit of a trail so it made it easier for me to walk.  You just hung out.

 We saw Santa at Primrose.  You were less then thrilled with the experience... But you did Sant a high five and smiled at him once daddy was holding you again.  Primrose did an awesome job with Santa.  YOu got a number when you went in, and they had breakfast and crafts in the rooms.  So you didnt have to wait in a line containing a toddler.  They called off 5 numbers at a time, and you went back to see Santa.  Also, you took your own photo, so i didnt have to pay for a pic of my son crying.
 A pin win (and stolen idea from a fav blogger)  We bought some glow sticks, shut off lights, and threw them in the bath tub with you.  You thought it was the greatest thing.  We put them in cups, swung them in the air, and chewed on them.

Scarfing down some Cheerios
Poor Selby, she gets SO worn out from you trying to play with her.  (Yes, she's under a blanket, head on pillow, snuggled with her puppy and blanky)  She is by far one of your favorites.  You love to hand her a ball, feed her treats, feed her your food, and chase her.  If we ask you where Selby is, you laugh and get excited.  Also, you have a new word "dog".  We have decided that Ol' Mcdonald is really either a dog breeder or a hoarder, becuase if we sang it your way, all he has is "dog"s. 

ANother new favorite song is the Itsy Bitsy Spider.  YOu laugh like a maniac when the spider gets washed away.  When you want to sing it, you will try to make the spider, and hold your arms up, and try to sing.  It is the CUTEST thing ever. 

Some other things we are so very happy about:  SLEEP!! you are doing so well at sleeping.  A typical bedtime is 7:30, and you are out until anywhere from 4 to 6:30, and we can typically get you back to sleep until 6:30 or 7.

New words:  Dog and Truck
Fav SOngs: Old Mcdonald and Itsy Bitsy Spider
New Signs:  Banana, Please, SPider, and Book
Fav Foods:  Bananas, anything in a Little Green Pouch, cheerios, pasta
Dislike:  veggies in solid form, when we cant read every minute of every day, diaper changes

I'm so excited for the holidays with you and daddy!

Love always and forever,
your momma

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Brownie Bites with Choc Chip Dough Frosting

OH. MY. WORD.

These little bites of heaven are to die for. I mean, what can be better then brownies?  Brownies with cookie dough that's what.



I found the recipe on Pinterest (where else??) and Cooking Classy blog.  They are rich though, and i would recommend either making them in mini muffin tins or cutting the cupcake in 1/2.  We like sweets, and neither one of us could eat a whole one. 

The frosting is phenomonal.  It tastes JUST like cookie dough, but no raw eggs.  Not that raw eggs keep me from eating cookie dough, but some people don't agree with me!  Mike and I ended up eating 2 of these total, due to the richness, so I brought them to church and they went over well!

I'm half tempted to just make the frosting and eat that.

Brownie Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting
Yields 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, light-brown sugar and cocoa powder. Pour in melted butter and use a wood spoon to stir until combine. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract. Stir in milk. Add dry ingredients and mix just until combine (batter will be thick).
Divide batter among 12 paper lined muffin cups filling each about 2/3 full (about 1/4 cup batter in each). Bake in preheated oven 16 - 20 minutes (lesser for gooier brownies). Allow to cool in muffin tin several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely then frost with Cookie Dough Frosting. Store in an airtight container.

Cookie Dough Frosting

Ingredients:
10 Tbsp salted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp molasses
2-3 Tbsp cream or half and half
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, whip together butter and light-brown sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 - 4 minutes. Mix in flour then add powdered sugar, vanilla, molasses and 2 Tbsp cream and blend together until smooth adding an additional 1 Tbsp of cream to thin if desired. Fold in chocolate chips.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Cookies & Sleep



 So, Mike has been travelling more for work.  And as you can see, when he leaves, Jacob figures that means cookies for dinner.  He loves to "help" in the kitchen, so if the door is open, that means free reign for him to pull stuff out to play with.


 
Last night I was getting some veggies out, and obviously someone did not want veggies.  He pulled the bag of cookies out of the freezer, which I didnt think much of, becuase the bag was sealed.
 

As you can see, someone figured out how to open the bag...  To which I thought, fine, it keeps him entertained, and the cookies were frozen, so he won't eat them.  He proved me wrong.  He gnawed on the cookies until pieces broke off.  He would bite off one, then take a bite out of another one.


 

By the time i got him into the high chair, he had death grip on 3 cookies... I think he gets the sweet tooth from his daddy.

 He really hams it up for the camera now.  I know the pic is blurry (i have to stop laughing when taking a pic) but when I get the camera out he makes the face he has above.  WHich is also the second pic of the cookie fiasco too. 

He was having a blast climbing into the suitcase, pulling stuff out, and shutting hte top on himself. 

 He moved into the toddler room at daycare.  It's still a 4:1 ratio, but instead of 2 teachers and 8 kids, it's 3 teachers and 12 kids.  Yikes!  The room also switches to one nap a day, instead of 2.  The first week was a little rough with the new sleep schedule.  I took him on a walk on Saturday, and poor lil guy was so warm he fell asleep on the walk.  By the time we got back, he had toppled over at the waist and was laying with his head on the seat in front of him.

We also reached a new milestone, he slept "through" the night last night.  He went to bed at 7:30, woke up at 10:30, and back to sleep until 5:30.  That is UNHEARD of at our house.  He has never slept that well, or that long.  Maybe this one nap thing isn't so bad! 

 
 
 
The new game at dinner is to eat as much as possible.  When he "finishes" he will sign all done, and then scream while you get the wash cloth ready to clean him up.  As you are taking the tray off of the chair, he will grab as much food as possible, and shove it in his mouth with one hand, and keep grabbing at the tray with the other.  It's a few seconds of tug of war while he shovels in extra food (if you leave the tray, he screams, so it's not that he's still hungry).  Then, he realized all the food he has stashed on his clothes, and his chair, and will eat that while you are putting the tray down.  As you can see above, it was spagetti night, and surprisingly, some food did make it into his mouth.