ready

Cards...check.
Presents, bought, wrapped, stashed...check.
Cookies...check.
Tree, wreaths, lights, snowglobes...checks.
Christmas eve singer's dress...check.
Christmas morning casserole in the freezer...check.
Carrots for the reindeer...on the grocery list.
NORAD Santa...queued up.

Merry...very.

Mr. Melty is by The Decorated Cookie

Mr. Melty reminds me of a melted snowman Lucia made in preschool that was basically waxed paper with stickers on it, that I still get out every year for decoration, and to which I look longingly when I'm tired of the snow, post-Christmas. Only Mr. Melty is edible, which makes him fabulous.

I'm going to try making him this year. But I want you to know, I didn't come up with the idea. This brilliant person did and she deserves credit for it.

happy thanksgiving.

frazzle's gift guide.... for frazzle

Hey, mamas and silly blog writers have needs too. Here's what I want for Christmas, in case anyone is wondering:

1. A new purple thing. What's a purple thing? Only the loveliest velvet covered rice, lavender and clove wrap that you can heat up and soothe all your aches and pains, of which I have many. I have one of these and I wore it out. Don't you think I deserve a new one? It comes in red and green as well - take your pick. Also, it comes in a lovely carrying case, suitable for gifting. A little under $40 on Amazon.


2. Harry Potter years 1-6 widescreen gift set. Yes, I'm a Harry Potter nerd, big time. I'm counting down the days for the new movie (8 to go!) I've lost count of how many times I've read the entire series, I read the crappy fan fiction, I listen to Mugglecast religiously. I love it all. Can you blame me? My husband looks like he could be Dan Radcliffe's long lost American dad. Or... erm, young and virile older brother. That's it. The point is, I can't get enough of all things Potter and it's high time I owned some filmage, don't you think? About $50 on Amazon. You can also get the Ultimate Editions for around $30 a piece if you really, really love me. Hey, tickets to the theme park would make a great stocking stuffer too.

3. Just about anything from Partners for Just Trade. This lovely group helps support artists living in extreme poverty by selling their wonderful creations to privileged people like us. I especially like the Tree of Life and all the little nativities. Great kid stuff too!



4. Peace and love to all the children of the world. And a pony.

for Melanie.

progress

Ok, so it's November now. Here are all the things I was supposed to do in October, whilst handling a great big board meeting and shepherding Darth Vader through the neighborhood to troll for free candy:

"Finish our gift list" - done, refer to aforementioned "I have a new niece!" post. Woo, this is easy!

"Write and address Christmas cards and family letter" - Well, I'm still working on this, but it's mostly done. I even have stamps - thank you post office! I take back all the mean things I said about you, really! Oh and lovely Shutterfly address labels. I still need to print out copies of Darth Vader's picture from her Munchkinland days to go in the cards though. Want to see it? Here you go.

Darth is looking very chipper for the holidays, no? "Tin Man, I am your father. Search your heart, you know it to be true. Oh wait, you don't have a heart...my bad."

Regarding the dreaded family letter: I'm saving my annual rant on such nonsense for when I start getting some in the mail from others. I'm sure it will be jolly fun after this latest travesty of an election. Stay tuned!

"Schedule our Christmas shopping days" and "Start our gift shopping" - Ha, "schedule." And "start" - snort. I am so ahead of the curve here. One trip to Toys R Us and one Amazon visit and I'm pretty much done. Booyah! Well, with Lucia's gifts. Still. Also, I'm stashing all gifts over at my parents' house, just down the road from my workplace so I can head over there on my lunch breaks to wrap one or two at my kid-free leisure. Aren't I brilliant? Yes, yes I am.

"Purchase Christmas outfits" - I have a little plan here. Christmas this year with my extended family is likely going to be actually Christmas eve, and Christmas day we're going to be on our own to enjoy our presents, breakfast casseroles, and Kahlua laced beverages all damn day in the comfort of our homes. It's like a Christmas dream come true. I'm considering how well it will go over if I just insist on this plan every year, I love it so much. So anyway, Christmas outfits? One word: pajamas. And maybe this will be a surprise St. Lucia Day gift from me to my peeps so we have them early. See the "Very Merry Mommy" icon on my blog? 'Twill be emblazoned upon my lazy bod from 12/24 through probably the 26th or later. Can't. Wait. Also, I got my husband The Perfect Shirt to wear with his already fabulous flannel Santa jammy pants that he breaks out every December. Now what to get the kid? I'm waiting for Old Navy to come out with some swanky holiday kid gear... Star Wars jammies at Target are also a possibility (noting they only come in boys = reedonkuluss.)

"Begin Christmas baking" - Um, yeah. Well I made that chocolate ginger dough... and bought lots of chocolate, sugar, and butter. I guess I need to get busy on this now. Oh! stashed an extra pumpkin pie french toast casserole in the freezer - the verdict from the family on the first try is "maybe bake it according to the recipe next time so it's not such a soggy mess." Duly noted.

"Decorate outside and inside" - Well, I mean, it's only November. Perhaps I could take down the Halloween decorations though.. hmm. We do have a grand tradition in our household though: remember Lock, Stock, and Barrel from Nightmare Before Christmas? No? They were the little trick or treating ghoul kids from Halloween world. I bought little plastic figures of them when the movie first came out and now we get them out every Halloween and leave them up through Christmas. So see, I'm halfway there.

So, ok, on to the next list:
"Finish our gift shopping
Mail Christmas cards
Finish our holiday pre-making and pre-baking
Wrap and mail presents
Finish shopping for any remaining items on our Buy List
Enjoy our family."

I like that last item best.

to: santa@northpole.com

Dear Santa,

What I want for Christmas is:

1) Star Wars Lego Imperial Walker, and Star Destroyer
2) Pokemon cards (mostly Tertwig)
3) Zoobles
4) Squinkies
5) DS games - Star Wars (and light saber DS stylus)

I hope you have a safe trip around the world! Thanks!

From, Lucia

12 days of Chocolate

Lucia and I have decided on the cookies we're going to bake this year:
they're all chocolate, and they're all from Martha Stewart Cookies. We
narrowed them down to 12, divided into three categories:

Chocolate Chocolate
1. Chocolate Chip
2. Chocolate Crackles
3. Chocolate Pretzels
4. Chocolate Cutouts with Sprinkles

Spicy, Fruity
5. Chocolate Gingerbread
6. Chocolate Ginger Cutouts
7. Banana Walnut Chocolate Chunk
8. Chocolate Cherry (strawberry in the book) Thumbprints

Decadent, Minty
9. Chocolate Surprise
10. Chocolate Rumballs
11. Chocolate Cream Filled with Candy Cane Sprinkles
12. Chocolate Mint Sandwiches

cranberry tart with hazelnut crust

I may have to try this, especially with the white chocolate mentioned
in one of the comments. Yum!

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/dessert/recipe-cranberry-tart-with-hazelnut-crust-130115

booyah

Twenty cards addressed. Yeah, that's right!

And one book purchased for Lucia, and one for her teacher, both
benefiting her school. Hooray book fairs! Also, a "mom's calendar" by
Sandra Boynton for me. If I must be this organized, at least I have
tap dancing elephants to entertain me along the way.

oh. my.

Pumpkin Pie French Toast Casserole. No wait, say it again: Pumpkin Pie French Toast Casserole. That just sounds so right, on so many levels, not least of which being it may be a casserole Lucia will actually eat.

So ok, Christmas morning, methinks:
Spinach and gruyere strata for Mr. and Mrs. Claus: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/columns/eat-for-eight-bucks/
Pumpkin Pie French Toast Casserole for the elf (and also Mr. and Mrs. Claus): http://www.cookingwithmykid.com/recipes/pumpkin-pie-french-toast

It's a plan.

Long live Frazzle

Ok kids, the Frazzle Free plan officially starts tomorrow. I'm about
halfway through at this point but if you want to join in the fun, now
is your chance!

http://www.familieswithpurpose.com/frazzle-free-christmas.html

my brother's response to Lucia's Christmas list:

"Uh, what's a DS? Who is Lanie? What the Hellmans Mayonaise is going on here?"

Hee hee!

Hallelujiah!

OMG it worked. I actually have stamps coming from usps.com. It's a Christmas miracle!!!


And speaking of my Buy List, check out these address labels at Shutterfly, which are 20% off until Oct 27. I'm kind of partial to this guy, though there's also several you can put your kid's picture on. Hmmm.


Oh wait, these would be in keeping with my peace theme. I want to live in Happyville btw.

a good thing

Just confirmed that I am not hosting Thanksgiving this year, and the
lovely home to which we'll be going instead... which is a good thing on many
levels, not least of which because this coincided with my stumbling
on an amazing recipe (thank you again kitchn.com!) for extremely
realistic looking autumn leaf crackers that I would probably feel
compelled to try and fail miserably in the attempt:
http://www.playingwithfireandwater.com/foodplay/2009/11/autumn-leaves.html

Frazzle free forever!!

Buddy's list

Buddy the Elf has a facebook profile. I can't wait for the updates in
December. Here's his status today:

"My Christmas list is ready! 73 gallons of maple syrup, a truckload of
cotton, and a lifetime supply of candy!"

Chocolate Ginger Cookie Love

Growing up, my Most Beloved Dog was named Ginger. A beautiful Irish-English setter with the gentlest soul and wisest brown eyes, she was born the day after Thanksgiving. This year, on that day I intend to be done with all my Frazzles and kicking back, munching on one of these cookies and raising a mug of hot chocolate to her memory. Then I'll go take a nap, just like she would have. Though probably not on the floor.

In the meantime, here's to the first batch of holiday cookie dough now
residing in my freezer. I think maybe I'll shape them into dog biscuit
shapes, why not.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chocolate-ginger-leaves-and-acorns

By the way, Lucia and I went through my copy of Martha Stewart Cookies
and put postits on all the ones we want to bake this year. They're all
chocolate. I think I'll start my diet of celery and iceberg lettuce
now...

Freeze cookies? Or cookie dough?

Look at me posting again already! See, I'm really doing this. Here's
something for those of us planning to start some cookie love this
weekend...
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/good-questions/whats-better-for-freezing-cookies-or-cookie-dough-good-questions-129063

no really, I mean it this time.

So.. I got busy in August. Um, and September. Hey, I have a new job, and I didn't know what to expect. Turns out, July through September is pretty much my busiest time of year. Oops! So ok, time to regroup.

The official plan of course is set out in 8 weeks, but really she breaks it into 3 sections: weeks 1-3 are "get organized," weeks 4-6 are "scratching things off our list," and weeks 7-8 are "winding down." And really I've been doing some "getting organized" all along, so hey, I'm not doing so bad! New plan:

Aug-Sept: "get organized"

Oct: "scratching things off our list"

Nov: "winding down"

Dec: "eating lots of pie"

Here's what I've done so far on the "getting organized" front:

• Make a list of people on your gift list – done, considering I did this last year and my family hasn't changed much, with the exception of a new niece just born in September! So see, I couldn't have really done this properly in August anyway. Hey I get to buy baby stuff this year, hooray!

• Set your holiday spending budget – again this hasn't really changed, which is sad because now I want to buy additional baby stuff. Hmm.

• Finalize your Thanksgiving plans – just did this last night with my mother in law! At least, I know what I'm doing that weekend, not sure about where we're eating that particular day. Probably not my house this year, though I may still make a nut loaf. Mmm, nut loaf.

• Plan your family traditions – Part of that busiest time of year for me was organizing a giant fundraiser for my workplace, where I happened to purchase a gift certificate for a Christmas tree farm. So guess which family tradition we're definitely doing this year, if nothing else? And hey, it's already paid for, and for a good cause. Paul, commence to sharpenin' that ax.

• Make Christmas travel plans and reservations – um, not going anywhere, except to the kitchen for more pie. Done.

• Make a Christmas card list – if you sent me one last year, you're getting one this year. Done.

• Start a Buy list – yeah, that's pretty standard too, and most of it is already bought in fact. Buying tape, sugar, and butter with every grocery trip (hence, "lots of pie.")

• Buy Christmas cards, stamps, and labels – hey I bought cards on Dec 26 last year! Yay me! And I already have an adorable picture of Lucia to use with them, taken months ago before the tooth fairy snatched away her two front teeth, making it kind of an imperative that I get a picture of her now to capture the "all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" moment (note to self.) But perhaps that will go on my return address labels, or my stamps. Because hello USPS.com? Holiday stamps are available Oct 21, but you can theoretically pre-order them (and I've got my eye on the new "Evergreen" forever stamps) however every stinkin' time I try to log on to that site I get some sort of grief. This time I get: "The command cannot be completed because the parameter "URL" was not specified." What does this mean? So I searched for "Help." H is for hurry, E is for urgent, L is for love me, P is for please please before I go p-p-postal? "Search Results: We could not find any matches for your search." = BLUE MEANIES.

Which leaves:

• Schedule all appointments

• Create and finalize the Christmas menus

I guess I can work on these while doing "Scratching things off our list":

• Finish our gift list

• Write and address Christmas cards and family letter

• Schedule our Christmas shopping days

• Start our gift shopping

• Purchase Christmas outfits

• Begin Christmas baking

• Decorate outside and inside

I think the mistletoe will go nicely with the Halloween spiderwebs, don't you?

Christmas in July

Brace yourselves. I'm thinking next week: Christmas in July – the official launch of Frazzle Freedom 2010. I’ve got basically four months until the official start of the Christmas season, the day after Thanksgiving. The Frazzle Free plan is 8 weeks. Even I can accomplish 2 weeks worth of work in a month, right? Right?

Who wants to do it with me? Here’s the link to the Frazzle Free plan: http://www.familieswithpurpose.com/frazzle-free-christmas.html. I’m just going to use the Weekly Edition and consider August weeks 1 and 2, September weeks 3 and 4, October 5 and 6, and November 7 and 8. So by the time I sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, I’ll be happily relaxing in the knowledge that the next month will be about just celebrating with my family and making snow angels. Doesn’t that sound nice?

christmas, dunder mifflin style

Since I just put in my two weeks on my current job, in honor of my beloved soon to be former coworkers, I have vowed to catch up on The Office before I start my next gig. Just now watching The Office Christmas. Enjoy.

a little late for MLK day, but..

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Not to trivialize these words, but I think that's the heart of my approach to Christmas this year. My theme will be peace, all gifts will be related to peace, in celebration of peace, and achived peacefully. A peaceful year, in anticipation of a peaceful season, and a peaceful day.

Peace.

peace honey

http://ow.ly/Z9d9

all wrapped up

I just spent a very long time organizing the holiday wrapping paper.. which led into organizing all the other wrapping paper, and ribbons, and bags. And old holiday cards, which I turn into tags and things because that's how I roll. My neighbor and her boys came over in the middle of it to rescue Lucia from the ocean of little printed pieces of paper.

Seriously, it's insane how much crap I have. I think I could wrap up everything else in my house and still have paper left over. Yet somehow I got it all to fit into two plastic under-the-bed style bins plus a hanging on the back of the door type holder. And half of it ended up in the trash. Why do I save 1 inch scraps of wrapping paper from twenty years ago? Is the planet really that desperate?

Don't answer that.

Ok fine, the trash half is going in the recycling.