Holiday Gift Ideas for Book Lovers

Although the temperature is just beginning to dip, it's that time of year. A time to be thankful, to pause and reflect, and to celebrate friends and family.

Whether you need presents for a family member, a gift exchange, or a fabulous hostess, books make great gifts. I'll be posting ideas as I find them over the next few weeks. Plus, I'll share ordering information for my upcoming novel Red Ochre Falls. Just in case you'd like to order one for yourself and a few friends. 

Here are gift book ideas from Real Simple: http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/gifts/gifts-book-lovers/homes-up-high

Get your laptop or notebook ready to add at least one of these books to your holiday list. 

Cheers!

Happy Independence Day!

There are so many reasons this year is a good year to celebrate freedom. While there is turmoil across the globe, we must continue to focus on what is good and right with our country—and our fellow humans.

If you like history, or just want to learn more about Independence Day, I suggest checking out books from the local library, or clicking on the History of Independence Day | A Capitol Fourth | PBS.

If you're in more of a party mood, why not have a picnic at a local park, or your backyard? A study conducted by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (yes, it apparently exists) shows 80 percent of all U.S. households own a grill or smoker. But cook safely. While the Fourth of July is one of the most popular grilling holidays, it can also be dangerous. Make it safer by reading these grilling, highway, and fireworks safety tips from the American Red Cross.

Not into big crowds, or you've got little ones who are in bed by sunset? Modern technology allows us to see fireworks from sea to shining sea. So, grab a lemonade and check your local listings for Fourth of July telecasts. This video of fireworks over the Washington D.C. skyline should help put you in the mood. 

Now, go celebrate! 

Extreme Gingerbread Houses

These gingerbread houses get extreme. See a 67-foot house, replicas of Hogwarts Castle  and St. Basil's Cathedral, a gingerbread town, and more!

Work Break

Been packing our house up to make room for a big project. It got tedious, so I took a break and sketched this idea for front porch planters. The pine boughs and twigs should look good in color. 

Now, to put on a pot of slow-simmer spaghetti sauce, open some wine, and see what happens.

Ideas to Simplify the Holiday Season

How to Have a Just-Simple-Enough Holiday

Work on Thanksgiving?

Don't we already work on Thanksgiving? Cooking, eating, watching, or playing football then panicking about the fact 2015 is basically a month away? 

Let's not work any more than we already do. And let's give others a break. People deserve to spend the holiday with family, friends, pets—away from work. While I may want to get a jump-start on shopping, I don't really need to do it before the turkey is cold. 

Having busted my hump at retail jobs and event installs during the holidays (in past lives), I cherished the actual holidays because I knew I'd get at least one day off. A day to enjoy family time, celebrate, and catch my breath. It was how I survived. Along with tons of help from family, friends, and food/coffee/sweets, you get the idea. So, if we get the day off, it seems only fair everyone should. 

As Costco puts it, “Our employees work especially hard during the holiday season and we simply believe that they deserve the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with their families.”

Well said. 

‘Twas the Day After Christmas

‘Twas the day after Christmas, when all through the house

Paper, toys and boxes were strewn all about;

The stockings, once hung, lay in a pile on the floor,

Remnants of Saint Nicholas and gift-giving galore;

The children bounced ‘round, and launched cars to and fro;

While they dreamed of chocolate cake and sledding in snow;

And mamma in her slippers, and I with my energy zapped;

Just wish we could settle down for a long winter’s nap,

When out in the family room there arose such a clatter,

We grumbled up from our chairs to see what was the matter,

Away to the ruckus we struggled to go,

Walked through the hallway, and the mess down below,

When what to our tired old eyes did appear,

But a miniature Porsche launched high in the air,

Missing a driver it flew lively and quick,

We knew in a moment it must be the kids,

More rapid than jets, the objects they flew,

We swerved and we ducked then shouted out to the crew:

“Be careful! Aim that way! Watch out for the tree!

Move your arm! Stop launching before something hits me!

Watch out for the window! Watch out for the wall!

Stop crashing and bashing cars both big and small!

As rejected old pumpkins from past holidays fly,

When they meet with a trebuchet, mount to the sky;

So up to the ceiling, the autos they flew,

Vehicles, spinning wheels, and parts flying too,

And then in an instant, we saw on the spot the giggling and high-fiving of each little tot.

Our scowls melted to smiles,

And we beamed bright with glee,

A right joyous moment, it all seemed to be.

Until the kids scattered and grabbed more toys from the stack,

Their hands were again busy drawing this and building that.

They sprang up the stairs,

with cars, dolls and Legos too,

playing freely, without care,

like all kids should do.

But we heard them exclaim,

As they ran out of sight,

“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!”

Snowman Popcorn Cup Cuteness

Here is a picture of the Snowman Popcorn Cups I made for our school party. Our Room Mom found these in Pinterest, I also posted it to my board here. I wanted to make them since they were so adorable, and knew our daughter would help. 

They were a huge hit and the steps were pretty simple. So, it's a great idea for Holiday Parties, or even movie watching festivities. I mean, everyone gets their own cup so there is no fighting over the bowl, right?

The advice I have for anyone attempting this is: 
Make the cups in advance because cutting and tying ribbons took a little time. 
Pop lots of corn (depending on the number you are serving, we had nearly 30 to serve). I made like four or five big pans of the stuff, and put it in a large bowl to season. 
Keep one of the cups for measuring—I was so glad I did this because there was no way I was going to try and calculate the correct formula for kernels popped per cup with the measurements listed on our popcorn jar. Plus, you need to have enough popcorn for the larger snowman/mom/person. 
Use the cup to measure, fill popcorn to the top, and dump it in a large baggie or container for transporting. 
Stack the decorated cups, take the baggies, the big snowman and bring extra supplies just in case another kid shows up. It happened in our class, but we were prepared.

Enjoy, it's supposed to be fun after all!

Working on some fun Snowman Popcorn Cups

Popcorn goes in tomorrow!

Chocolate-Caramel Covered Pretzels and Other Festive Foodie Gifts

This is melted chocolate in a cup…

And this is more…

I have my good friend Debbie to thank for the idea. She gave us these delicious homemade dipped pretzels a couple years ago, and I dreamed of making them ever since. 

This was our year. I really wanted to make something homemade for my child's teacher, and realized it might be fun to give a gift from our kitchen since we love food and cooking—when we have time and it's not an ordeal to get the right ingredients. I even love the occasional culinary challenge, but these days simpler is better. 

I bought gift tins at the craft store a few weeks ago. Then I searched for recipes and eventually narrowed it down to three to five possibles—and changed even those a couple days before the big cook-off. 

I drove out in the snow to a local baking supply store, thanks again to my friend for the idea to go there. It was so much fun to see all the packages of milk, dark and white chocolate, and the sprinkles, sanding sugar and caramel. YUM!

I bought the ingredients and my family all participated in creating these festive goodies. Within 24 hours we made these chewy and delicious Chocolate-Caramel Covered Pretzels, Super Sugar Cookies and Strawberry Oatmeal Bars. 

The stars must have been aligned, or maybe I should consider it a Christmas Miracle because this just doesn't happen any more. We don't usually have enough time, energy, resources and participation to make something like this happen. So, this year's holiday bake-off and  gift giving goes down in the books as a special event. If we're lucky, we'll repeat it again sometime in the future, or even next year. But, for now I'll sit back and enjoy one of the sugar cookies we didn't give away because it wasn't quite round enough, or some other reason, say thanks for our foodie success, and try not to think of how much more we need to finish before Santa Claus comes to town. 

Enjoy the Holiday Season!

Christmas/Holiday Cards—A note on etiquette and why they are worth the hassle

Let me start by saying how thankful I am this year to have a loving family.

I am also thankful for a recent article by an etiquette master stating it IS okay to wish folks a Merry Christmas again. For a few years I’d stop myself mid-Merry even when wishing people I knew to be Christmas celebrants, because I did not want to insult anyone, and also because my brain was still catching up with the times.

Let’s be clear, it is probably not a good idea to wish your bubbe Merry Christmas. But, it does seem okay to wish folks Merry Christmas. Just try to be considerate when in the company of those you don’t know, makes sense.

You might wonder what all this has to do with cards. It means I can finally stop worrying so much when we send cards this year. We want to be respectful, but it’s also important to share an honest sentiment. So, send whatever holiday you celebrate cards to all your friends and family, and try to include a nice note. If you have a business contact or other person you aren’t sure about, send a more general holiday greeting.

Now, for the rest of the story. We almost did not get our annual holiday card photo this year. We take a photo because our kids are cute, and I force my husband and myself to participate so it feels like we’ve got at least one picture each year where we’re all together.

Moms, you know what I mean. There is a whole period of time where all the photos are of the child. Sleeping, smiling, crawling, crying, etc. There are probably thousands of our growing kids, but very few or none showing us. Okay, so I got a few with daddy doing sweet or silly stuff, but I was usually the one taking the photo—hiding my freakish hairdos and baggy eyes (at least a few months/years after baby’s arrival).

If nothing else, a once a year photo op like this forces me to get a haircut, shave my legs (although I sometimes wonder why) and buy/rediscover a nice shirt/outfit. Don’t ask me about shoes, it’s another story for another time (weeps a little).

So, this year we dragged a kid on the verge of a cold and another with a super case of the cranks, even though we discussed cancelling last minute, to the busiest place on earth this time of year and slapped our smiles on for the photog. A fun two hours later we packed the van with our exhausted, hungry family and headed home. Success! And Failure.

Would it have been wise to reschedule? Yes and no. Yes, but we were dressed and the car was warm. Rescheduling meant we probably would have missed our annual trek to the quickie pic place and an opportunity to see our children smile together, in the same picture, at the same time, with both eyes open and looking at the camera. Seriously, I don’t know how they do it, but they usually get some good shots no matter how hard we make it on them, and ourselves.

I say, pack the drinks, munchies, extra patience and a hairbrush and head to the studio. Or do it yourself, we did one year and it was hard and hilarious all at the same time. Your kids are probably growing faster than you realize. Just try to make the most with what you’ve got and smile. Say cheese! 

Note: This is not our actual holiday photo. It was taken on a good day in Frankenmuth though, and probably would have made a fun card.  

Not a creature was stirring...

After a day full of anticipation and excitement about tonight's gift-giving guest, our kids are nestled all snug in their beds. Sounds nice, but our long winter's nap will have to wait. Parents, you know what I mean. 

It's Christmas Eve. We're all excited about Santa's arrival and the morning festivities. So excited in fact, we've cooked, cleaned, stuffed, wrapped, set-up photography and it's not yet midnight! That doesn't always happen. So why write a blog? It's important to make note of these milestones. It's also important to share some good. 

So, if you need a boost to get across the holiday finish line try reading 5 things to enjoy this holiday, laugh at a Twelve Days of Christmas Remix, or reminisce about all the things between chaos and Christmas and be thankful for every moment.

Happy Holidays!

The Twelve Days of Christmas (Remix)

I’m a fan of music and the holidays. This year I’ve got such a long To-do list, it inspired me to rewrite “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to reflect how fun and crazy the holidays get around our house.

Whether you’re young or old, a parent or student, it’s the time of year to celebrate, just try not to take everything so seriously. Here’s my rewrite and the original in case you can't remember the words.

The Twelve Days of Christmas (Remix)

12 Toy assemblies

11 Missing pieces

10 Without instructions

9 Batteries needed

8 Trips to Target

7 Cookies later

6 Gifts not wrapped yet

5 Hours ‘til dawn

4 Pounds of coffee

3 Broken light sets

2 Tired parents

And a Brand New Vacuum Cleaner!

The Twelve Days of Christmas (Original, I think)

12 Drummers Drumming

11 Pipers Piping

10 Lords-a-leaping

9 Ladies Dancing

8 Maids-a-milking

7 Swans-a-swimming

6 Geese-a-laying

5 Golden Rings

4 Calling (or Colly) Birds

3 French Hens

2 Turtle Doves

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Misfit Toys

Love these...Hand-Turkey Paper Dolls (from Parents)

Here's an adorable Thanksgiving craft idea from Parents. I had to show you, but you can see and download the real deal here. They have a bunch of other cute ideas, check them out when you want to gobble up Thanksgiving ideas.

(Go ahead. It's ok, we're well within my six week holiday rule.) :)

Common Tipping Mistakes - Link

It's the time of year we start thinking about the people in our lives and what they mean. Friends, family and those who help get us through. Here is an article and video link highlighting common tipping mistakes. Good to reference when you need it. 

Here's to the Holidays!

Common Tipping Mistakes - Link to Yahoo!

Happy Valentine’s Day

Whether you celebrate the holiday or not, celebrate the ones you love. If you like crafts, string up some hearts. If you enjoy cooking, try a decadent chocolate dessert. Even if you punch up your pudding with whipped cream, they’ll know you cared enough to do something extra.

Here are a few ideas. Enjoy the day!

Feliz Mommy Hot

It doesn’t matter how prepared you are, going from Starbucks and stilettos to Sippy cups and strollers can take a hit on anyone’s ego. Okay, I’m more of a kitten heel kind of girl, but I haven’t seen a pair of those since that plus sign appeared more than five years ago.

Along with my job and my wardrobe, my life changed when we started our family. So, it’s not surprising that my emotions followed suit.

The other day while my daughter and I were trimming the tree, I got choked up listening to ‘Feliz Navidad.’ If you’ve heard it, you know it’s a cheerful tune. Why get emotional over this song? Well, it started when my daughter was two.

I’m toting around the cutest tot on the planet, but I look like one hot mess. I’d heard that’s what happens when you have kids, but vowed never to go more than two days without a shower and to never, I mean never ever, resort to a three-day ponytail and stretchy pants. Yet, there I was hair pulled back rockin’ the loungewear wondering if I’d ever shave again.

We’d been listening to holiday tunes on every media device we could since the day after Thanksgiving and ‘Feliz Navidad’ was playing.

All of a sudden my daughter squeals, “Mommy Hot!”

Not sure whether she said what I think she said, I ask her, “What’s that honey?”

And this adorable kid, bouncing around beams at me, “Mommy Hot is on.”

I know my daughter misunderstood the words and changed ‘Navi-dad’ to ‘Mommy Hot.’ I also know that to her, hot is a temperature, not a word describing one’s appearance, but I feel complimented all the same. Not since being relegated to the easy on, easy off driving moc category had I felt anywhere close to ‘hot.’ Thinking of myself as ‘Mommy Hot’ made me feel good on a day that I really needed to feel good. So I turned the music up and sang along.

It was the cutest thing, every time we heard the song she’d get excited and I’d get a confidence boost just hearing her say, “Mommy Hot.” I loved it. I clung to the moments as long as I could and figured she’d soon forget all about our special version.

Fast-forward two years. We’re in the thick of it with two kids – an independent wants-to-do-everything herself 4-year-old girl and a teething makes-his-own-schedule baby boy. I’m stuck in some kind of post-baby reconstruction phase and all I want for Christmas is eight consecutive hours of sleep. But, it’s the holiday season, one of my favorite times of the year, and darn it, sleep or not, the hall decking must go on!

We had our favorite holiday classics from Ella to Elvis on while we trimmed the tree. I heard a guitar intro and then a chorus of, “Feliz Navidad.” My girl did a “twirl-jump” as she likes to call them and shouted, “Feliz Mommy Hot!”

So focused on getting the umpteenth box of decorations emptied and out of the way, I almost missed it. I stopped and stared at my daughter. Her red dress twirled as she sang, “Feliz Mommy Hot.” She was two again and I wondered when did she get so big?

This peppy song is playing, our daughter’s dancing and I’m devastated that my baby girl is not a baby anymore. Such emotion is expected when something holds such great meaning. I just never thought it would be ‘Feliz Navidad’ that brought on the waterworks.

The scene reminded me of how desperately impossible parenthood is at times. Struggling to keep your identity, and sanity, while pouring every bit of goodness, confidence and smarts you can into your children. Sure, it’s wonderful to see them grow, but bittersweet that many precious moments are over so quickly, like snowflakes melting on your skin. 

I stop thinking about how much has changed and focus solely on this moment, for I know it will pass just as quickly. I hit rewind and grasp my daughter’s hands. Then I grab our son and we all dance together for a while. When it's over, I squeeze them and tell them how much I love them. So, to José, Celine and the many artists who’ve covered this song I say, “Thank you, and Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart.”

Does Anyone Sign Holiday Cards Anymore?

If you read my previous post then you know how I feel about empty Christmas cards. I heave a heavy sigh when we receive cards that aren’t even signed. Hey, I get that life’s busy, but can you at least write in your name every couple years or so?

We’ve come close several times to stuffing envelopes and shipping them off, but I’ve fought hard against it. Printing companies are making it even more tempting when they offer to design, print and mail your announcements or greetings sight unseen. But, I can’t bring myself to it just yet. Sure, it’s easy, but is it impersonal? I’m not sure.

We still sign ours, and let me tell you it’s fun for about the first five cards. After that, our daughter’s had it and struggling to get her to write more makes it worse. So, like any good (desperate) parents, we stop and take the next few days to bribe her with games and treats until they’re finished.

Ours are done, except I still have to fill out the envelopes and mail them, but they’re close.

As I prepare to spend the evening with some eggnog, a sharpie and my next stack of Christmas cards, I raise my glass to those of you who still sign your holiday greetings. Cheers!    

Need Gift Ideas for Book Lovers?

Books make a great gift. Take the stress out of selecting the right one by following two simple rules. 


1. Give what you like, like what you give. If you find a topic interesting, share it with a friend or relative who recognizes this is something you enjoy. If you love jokes, perhaps a humorous take on parenting is the perfect gift for a new mom or dad. If finance, cooking or another subject is your favorite, try to find something that relates that subject to the person you're gifting it to. 


2. Give what they like and you can't go wrong. Say you know someone who loves biographies, search sites like Goodreads, Indiebound or Barnes & Noble for ideas. You can search by genre or see what's new and recommended. 


Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!

Spice Up Your Fourth and Liberate Your Slaw

As our nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day, many of us will be heading to family gatherings and firing up the grill. If you’re old slaw has you weighed sown in mayo, perhaps a new recipe is what you need. The spicy pepper slaw I tested for Cook’s Illustrated gets high marks as a light alternative to creamy coleslaw. My family liked the flavor, it was not heavy or overpowering, and it had just the right amount of crunch. I also liked that it was quick and easy to prepare.

Here’s what it looks like. Yummy red peppers, kick from a little jalapeno and a delicious crunch! Check back as I’ll post the Spicy Pepper Slaw test recipe. You can find it and other options in the online video and in the June 2011 Cook’s Illustrated issue.