Things That Make Me Smile 12/28/18

Jake (13), Alyssa (10 1/2), Zac (9), Tyler (6 1/2), Nicholas (4)

Happy Friday! I am finishing up my Smiles for 2018. These took place the second half of December. This is my favorite time of year, filled with family and fun! 

1. Nicholas, singing along with the dreidel song: "Oh, turtle, turtle, turtle! I made it out of clay, and when it's dry and ready, the turtle I will play!"

2. Nicholas: "Dad's going to fix that later. He's the master."

3.

4. Nicholas, because I had a charcoal facial mask on: "Mama, with that on your face, you should put pickles on your eyes." (cucumbers)

5. Nicholas calling truffles troubles.

6. Me: "When you wake up, you're not going to be my favorite 3-year-old anymore."

Nicholas: "Why not?"

Me: "Because you're not going to be 3."

Nicholas, smiling: "Oh, yeah, 5!"

Me: "Not 5. How old are you going to be?"

Nicholas, pouting: "4. I don't want to be that one."

7. Me: "Do you know how much I love you?"

Nicholas: "100! And 3, 4, 5!"

8. Every year my mom and I have a big baking day and make a bunch of goodies to pass out to family and friends.

9. Nicholas: "Mama, at church, I do not want to dive in that water." (baptistery)

10. Me: "Nicholas, you're going to have to wait a minute."

Nicholas: "Yes, sir, mother."

11. Nicholas, wanting to be excused for dinner: "Mama, may I be stuffed?"

12. Zac: "The wise men didn't show up until about 2 years after Jesus was born."

Alyssa: "But the wise women showed up right away, because they took a shortcut."

What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 12/14/18

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Jake (13), Alyssa (10 1/2), Zac (9), Tyler (6 1/2), Nicholas (4)

Happy Monday! This list of Smiles covers the first half of December 2018. It's been fun looking back through all the fun of the holidays. So many reasons to stop, be thankful, and smile.


1, Nicholas, randomly and with no other explanation: "I watched two things at Gramma's: this and the other thing."

2. We celebrated Jake becoming a teenager! He requested a variation of our Boston cream pie. Instead of chocolate ganache, he chose a cooked caramel icing for the top.

3. Nicholas: "What can I eat?"
Me: "We're going to eat dinner when Daddy gets home."
Nicholas: "What's for dinner?"
Me: "Soup."
Nicholas, with a big smile: "I have a headache, Mom. Can I not eat soup?"

4. Decorating the house for Christmas with our annual traditions: a warm drink (this year was hot chocolate with fresh whipped cream), festive music, and homemade gingersnaps.

5. Zac: "You're the best mom ever!"
Me: "All because I let you have hot chocolate?"
Zac: "No, because of your baking and because of who you are."

6. Me: "Stop growing up."
Nicholas: "Yes, sir."

7. Nicholas didn't like my answer so he told me he was the mom and I was the boy. I got to play while he did chores. He was having too much fun washing dishes and doing laundry. He kept calling himself "Mama Nicky."

8. Tyler, eating a homemade cookie still warm from the oven: "Mom, I'm glad God made you!"

9. While playing Pictionary during our monthly Game Schooling Day, Zac drew a cross covered in flames. His word was crossfire.

10. Nicholas, trying to say rhino: "A hippopotamus is a wino."

11. Making and decorating sugar cookies as a family.

12. Me: "Is it almost your birthday?"
Nicholas: "Yes!"
Me: "How old are you going to be?"
Nicholas: "5."
Me: "What happened to 4? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5."
Nicholas: "I don't want to do it like that."

13. Nicholas, listening to Tyler explain something: "This is confusicating."

14. Nicholas turned 4 years old. He got a big boy LEGO set and a set of Brain Flakes.

What made you Smile this week?



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White House Holidays

Our family enjoys learning together as much as possible, so we're always pleased to review unit studies. This style of learning fits perfectly with our family. While the kids do have their independent studies, I love incorporating family learning daily. Our conversations twist and turn and we end up talking about so much more than what is in the lesson. This part of our day is special to me. 

The curriculum that is currently inspiring those deeper conversations is the White House Holidays Unit Studies. While there are plenty of resources that help homeschoolers learn about holidays in depth, this one, from Silverdale Press LLC, is different. These studies focus on American presidents and the White House during each holiday.

Silverdale Press was founded by Jill and Joshua Hummer in order to provide quality resources for homeschoolers written by experts of the subjects. Along with these holiday studies, the company also offers a presidential election unit study and a persuasive writing and classical rhetoric course.

There are currently 6 individual unit for studying the White House Holidays.

• Labor Day
• Veteran's Day
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Valentine's Day

Each study contains several detailed lessons that are designed for grades K-12. The lessons include history about the specific holiday along with information about various presidents. One thing I like about unit studies specifically is that we apply that topic to multiple subjects. Along with history and government, these unit cover things such as literature, poetry, writing, music, art, and baking skills. These creative activities add a hands-on learning aspect that further enriches the study.


Veteran's Day was the first unit we studied. I chose this because my kids are fascinated by battles, wars, and military tactics and this particular study is chock full of historical facts. This one comes with a set of 3 lessons for grades K-6 and a set for grades 7-12. The elementary stories are exciting and shorter and the activities are visual and hands-on, while the secondary narratives are filled with more details and the activities are focused on reading, writing, and thinking skills.

Since my kids are ages 3-12, I chose to use the elementary lessons.

1. President Woodrow Wilson and the Story of Armistice Day
2. President Wilson and Food Czar Hoover at War
3. The Story of Dwight Eisenhower and How We Got Veteran's Day

The activities include a poppy pin craft, "In Flander's Field" copywork, various exercises for food conservation, and many suggestions for honoring veterans both on the holiday and throughout the year.

We have close family members who are veterans, so this was a special study for us. It made history become real as we discussed how they lived during those times and what hardships they faced. I wish I would have looked at the narratives first though instead of assuming we'd need the younger set. The secondary version is definitely much deeper and so fascinating. I read my kids more advanced literature quite often, so these lessons would have been perfect for them. They were enthralled with the small portion I did read to them. I do think the elementary activities were perfect for us though.

My middle child asked to do the Christmas study next. This one has only one set of lessons for all ages, and while there is history woven throughout, it is different than our first unit. This one focuses more on a White House theme and a special feature about how they celebrate Christmas. It has 4 lessons with a total of 24 activities.

1. Jacqueline Kennedy, The Nutcracker Suite, and the White House Crèche
2. Betty Ford, Handmade Folk Art, and the Gingerbread House
3. Barbara Bush, a Story Book Christmas, and the White House Tree
4. Michelle Obama, Simple Gifts and Military Families, and Christmas Cards

This study could easily fill the entire month of December with Christmas-themed learning! The activities vary from creating your own nativity scene, writing a poem, making ornaments and decorations, reading speeches, listening to music, painting conifers, designing a Christmas card, baking goodies and more.

My kids especially liked that each lesson included a recipe from a First Lady, though they thought it was a little silly to be drinking hot chocolate when it was 90 degrees outside, ha.

My daughter chose our third study, Valentine's Day, of course. Don't let the title fool you though; while this unit is full of love stories, there is still much history in its pages. The letters themselves are windows to times past.

1. The Love Letters of John and Abigail Adams
2. The Love Letters of Ronald and Nancy Reagan
3. The White House Wedding of John Tyler and Julia Tyler
4. The White House Wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom Cleveland
5. Valentine's Day 1962 and Jacqueline Kennedy's Television Tour of the White House

The accompany activities include writing letters, creating valentines, aging paper, reading poems, baking goodies, answering questions, and more. There are suggestions for both elementary and secondary age groups.

My favorite part of this study took place while reading the love letters between John and Abigail Adams. The art of letter writing was much more pronounced and language was very different hundreds of years ago. I read "me thinks" and a giggle fest ensued. The kids thought the phrase was hilarious and repeated it often over the next few days.

These White House Holidays Unit Studies are fun resources to utilize throughout the year. The lessons are written so that you can read them to your students without any prep work. They are interesting and age-appropriate. There are many pictures throughout along with speeches, poems, letters, and links that further enhance your study.

I'm sure we'll study these holidays again along with the other 3 (Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King, Jr.) at the appropriate times of year and truly delve into all that these unit studies have to offer.

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Things That Make Me Smile 12/29/17

Jake (12), Alyssa (9 1/2), Zac (8), Tyler (5 1/2), Nicholas (3)

Happy Friday! This is the week we celebrated Christmas, Tyler lost his first tooth, and we spent quality time with family.

1. Alyssa was dressed up for church. Nicholas saw her and said, "You so pretty!" The next morning, she walked out of her room, unbrushed hair and still in pajamas. He looked at her and said, "You so pretty again!"

2. Zac, at Ikea: "I like the way this place is organized."

3. Reading Luke 2 before opening presents Christmas morning.

4. Nicholas: "Can I have sonts?"

Me: "Songs?"

Nicholas: "Yes."

Me: "You want me to turn on music?"

Nicholas: "No. Sonts."

Me: "Songs?"

Nicholas: Yes."

Me: "You want music?"

Nicholas, grabs my hand, pulls me into the kitchen, and points: "Sonts!"

Me: "Oh, croissants!"

5. Nicholas, talking about what he was going to do the next morning: ". . . after I wake up my eyes."

6. Tyler: "Mommy, I like how you're dressed. And I like your hair . . . And I like how you're smiling at me."

7.

8. Zac, walking into my room where a fire was burning in the fireplace: "Mmm, that smells so good. I'd like to have a shirt that smells like that."

9. Nicholas, because his food was hot: "Mommy, will you blow dis up, pease?"

10. Tyler: "Brussels sprouts are so good they make my head hyper!"

11. Me: "What happened to this room?! I thought you guys cleaned it last night."

Jake: "It's called Nicholas and 10 minutes. Scratch that. Nicholas and 5 minutes."

What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 12/23/16

Jake (10½), Alyssa (8½), Zac (7), Tyler (4½), Nicholas (2)

This week, my mom and I had our annual Christmas cookies baking day, the kids had their Christmas program at church, and we continued with the festivities of the season. It's such a busy time, but filled with many Smiles and memories. 
 
 

1. Alyssa: "Oh, you're painting a Christmas tree. Forgot."

Tyler: "You're painting a Christmas tree for God?" 

2. Last year, Zac was too nervous to even participate in the children's program at church and instead sat with me in the pew and watched. This year, he sang a solo. He was still nervous and wanted to change his mind right before it started. We talked about how being courageous means doing something even when you're scared. I wasn't sure if he'd sing, but when the time came, he stood tall and sang out.

3. Zac, getting ready to start a new chapter book: "I can't wait to finish this book! It's probably going to be today. Then I get to read the next one!"

4. Me: "Hey, we still need to read How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

Alyssa: "Dad does."

Me: "Oh, wow, thanks."

Jake: "It's not that we don't like you. We just like Dad better."  

5. "Where do you think the Tooth Fairy gets the money from? Do you think she has a day job?"

6. Nicholas making sure he was ready for church.

 
7.  Zac: "Can I have it next?"

Alyssa: "What's the magic word to get what you want?"

Zac: "Grandma."

 

8. Jake: "Mom, if you're not supposed to commit adultery, does that mean you're not supposed to turn into an adult?"

What made you Smile this week?
 

Things That Make Me Smile 12/16/16

Jake (11), Alyssa (8½), Zac (7), Tyler (4½), Nicholas (2)

Happy Friday! This week we decorated the house for Christmas, the kids painting new ornaments, Leighton and I went on a date to the Zoo Lights, and the whole family made and decorated sugar cookies. And Nicholas turned 2! Lots of memories; lots of Smiles.  

1. Alyssa: "The best smells in the whole world come from our kitchen."

2. Jake: "Mom, do you think we could get shipwrecked on an island that has parrots? Then we could get one for free."

3.

4. Alyssa: "This is the worst Boxcar Children book in the world! People destroyed the library! They tore pages out of books and threw the books on the floor. How could anyone do that to books?" 

5. Alyssa, sweetly: "Aw, Nicky has such kind, little eyes."

6. Zac: "Christmas is about one present: Jesus."

7. Tyler: "You're making eggs for Nicky? Aw, that's so nice of you."

8.

9. Jake: "Do we have any bread."

Me: "No, it's all gone."

Jake: "Are we exceedingly poor?"

Me: "Exceedingly poor? No, we're just out of bread."


What made you Smile this week?

The Familyman's Review

I can't believe how quickly this year is going. We're nearing the end of October. Soon it will be Thanksgiving season. And then the Christmas festivities begin. In fact, I purchased several Christmas gifts this past week since I found some really great deals. The kids were singing Christmas songs this morning and were already talking about our big cookie-baking day. It's easy to get caught up in the the joy of the season. The music, the decorations, the treats, the time spent with family, the presents--it's an exciting time. But while there are many things to love about the holiday, we always want to remember the true meaning of Christmas. We want to teach our kids that the reason we give gifts is because God gave His greatest gift to us when He sent His Son to Earth. The reason we sing those beautiful songs is to remember the miracle of Jesus coming as a baby, born of a virgin. Yes, we enjoy snowmen and candy canes, but we make sure to keep the focus of Christmas on Christ.

We always appreciate when we find books and other resources that reinforce the true meaning of Christmas, just like these stories from The Familyman. We incorporate audio books into our schooling quite often, so it was a special treat to receive the Digital Downloads version of The Familyman's Christmas Treasury - Audio Collection. This set, written by Todd Wilson (and read by master storyteller Jim Hodges), contains 6 books that not only teach the true meaning of Christmas, but also provide many hours of entertainment. There are also 2 more books in the collection.

Cootie McKay's Nativity
This story takes place in 1956 and is a page out of the author's past. It starts when an elderly lady drives her car directly into the town's nativity set, nearly ruining Christmas for everyone. The people reluctantly depend on an eccentric man, Cootie McKay, to build a new nativity. Along the way, Cootie learns about the Baby in the manger, how He came to pay for our sins, and trusts in Him as his Savior. But what do the people think of his nativity set that was made with broken junk like aluminum cans, fishing lure,s license plates, and typewriter keys?

Captain Chaos and the Manger Blaster
Jason and his sister are playing with the nativity set when he decides that the Christmas story is boring. As a typical 10-year-old boy, he adds a superhero to the story and pretends to blast the manger to bits. After being sent to bed early because of his bad attitude, Jason comes face-to-face with Captain Chaos himself, and learns what the world would be like if there had never been the manger. He learns a valuable lesson and finds new excitement in the Christmas story.

The Stranger
It was Christmas Eve and the members of a small-town church were fearful of The Stranger that had been visiting their homes. Dirty, foul-smelling, homeless--no one wanted this man around. When he knocked at their doors, they hid and prayed that he left them alone. Sam and his family went home that night in a snow storm. They had plans to enjoy the evening, but things start to go wrong. The tree won't work, they lose power, and eventually, the dreaded stranger knocks. The family shows the man pity as they invite him in and share their hot cocoa. By the next morning, they learned the true identity of the Stranger and the importance of loving all men.

The Bishop's Dream
This is a story of the original St. Nicholas who loved orphans--poor, dirty children, clothed in rags. He and his donkey Jonathon went from town to town delivering food, clothing, and love to these little ones. He believed that "helping others brings joy, not only to oneself, but more importantly, to God." The bishop dreams that he travels to the future, where he learns of a big man in a red suit. He's chocked to learn that this man has taken the priority at Christmastime and even more shocked to learn that the man is him. He wakes with the prayer, "It's all about You, not me. Help them to remember that."

Harold Grubbs
Isaac is a little embarrassed when his dad pulls out the ugly red and green Christmas vest that he wears every Sunday in December. It's not until he hears the story behind it though, that he understands the importance of it. When his father was a boy, Harold Grubbs, a cranky old man who disliked children visited their church. Harold sat by himself with a scowl on his face. After many weeks, the man softened and accepted Jesus as his Savior. He was a changed man. He went from being the meanest man in town to the nicest; from hating children, to loving them. From then on, he wore that ugly vest in December.When Isaac's dad grew up and Mr. Grubbs died, he learned why the vest was special and how a nail and straw man reminds us that Jesus still changes people.

Gladys Remembers Christmas
There were two things Gladys hated: Christmas and her name. She was 6 years old when her mother died and her life was forever changed. Christmas was a depressing time as it reminded her that everyone else was happy, while she was not. When she grew up and moved her 90-year-old father into a nursing home, she revisits her childhood home to look for a box that he requested. It was while she was there in the attic that she receives a visit from her deceased mother. The home is transformed back to when she was young. Through this experience, Gladys understands that God loves her more than anyone else and why He allowed her mother to die. She gains a new love for Christmas and her name.

The Secret of the Snow Village
Katherine is staying at her grandmother's house with her whole family. She spends time by herself staring and the elaborate Christmas village scene, longing to be a part of it. That night, she's awakened by the sound of a bell chiming and kids giggling. She's drawn to the sounds and follows them, letting her curiosity guide her. As she walks out the front door of the house, she's surprised to see so many people on the streets. They all seemed to be walking in the same direction, following the sound of the bell. She gets caught up in the crowd and find herself by a Baby in a manger and discovers what she's been looking for all along. 

It's Called Christmas
What might the future look like?  Hover chairs, hydrated lasagna, and life without Christmas? This letter is written from the future when one boy is told, "It's called Christmas," from a man at the mall. When he can find no information from his parents, history teacher, or any historical documents and books, he becomes determined to learn why the word has been erased. He heads back to find the man and through a series of events, learns that Christmas is "not so much about what it is, but Who it's about."      

We have loved listening to these stories! They are all so different, yet all point back to the true meaning of Christmas. Each story puts the focus on Jesus, while bringing in different aspects of the holiday. I started the first book as the kids were playing with Legos. They were immediately absorbed in the story. When it ended, they begged for another. They sat for hours building with bricks and enjoying the quality books and story-reading. We all enjoyed them so much in fact that we've listened to them twice already. This Christmas stories collection is perfect for any family and would make a wonderful gift. These are stories that we will cherish for many years. 


         

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If you'd like to read more reviews of this collection from other homeschoolers, please visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Things That Make Me Smile 12/25/15

Jake (10), Alyssa (7½), Zac (6), Tyler (3½), Nicholas (1)

Merry Christmas! We've had such a wonderful week. Family, presents, food, laughs, love, and lots of LEGO. Many, many reasons to Smile. 

1. Jake, in the other room: "How did you get out of my trap, Baby?"

Me, calling: "Don't wrap that around his leg. Leave your baby brother alone."

Jake, surprised: "Hey, how did you know what I was doing?"

Me: "I'm a mom."

Jake: "Ok, where did I just slap myself?"

Me: "On your cheek."

Jake: "What! How did you--Ok, now where?"

Me: "On your butt."

Jake: "Ahh! What? How do you do that?!?"

2. Tyler: "Is it yesterday yet?"

3.

4. Tyler: "Is that a wheels waffle?"

Leighton: "That's just a standard waffle."

Tyler: "How can it stand?"

5. Me: "Why is there a potato on the floor?"

Jake, tossing it on the couch: "Look, now it's a couch potato! Haha, that joke gets me every time."

6. Zac: "You always give me a present, every day."

Me: "I do? What's that?"

Zac: "It's love."

7. Tyler, hearing the other kids ask for something: "Can I have one? Oh, I don't like it. What is it?"

8.

9. Tyler: "My hair is getting hot."

10. Every year before we open presents on Christmas morning, we read the story of Jesus' birth in Luke 2. As the kids get older, they take turns reading portions. Zac was excited to help read it for the first time this year.

11. Tyler: "Mommy, I want to spend the night at Gramma's."
Me: "Aww, not tonight."

Tyler: "How about today?"

Me: "Not today either."
Tyler: "How about tomorrow?"


What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 12/26/14

Jake (9), Alyssa (6½), Zac (5), Tyler (2½)

Merry Christmas! What a crazy, fun-filled week it's been. We received many blessings and spent much time with family. I love this time of year! But between weeks of bed rest and a new baby and then all the Christmas festivities, I'm ready to get back to a regular schedule again. A little less chaos and a little more normal. Though with 5 young kids, I suppose chaos is normal, haha. I hope you had a wonderful holiday as well and had many reasons to Smile.  

1. Zac, looking at fog: "Why is it blurry outside?" 

2. Jake: "You know how you can tell Santa's fake? You go visit him and he asks, 'What's your name?' He's supposed to know everybody's name."

3. Jake: "The day after the day after tomorrow is Christmas Eve!" 

4. Alyssa, sucking on a piece of paper, in a funny voice: "I think I like regular paper better."

Me: "Compared to what?"

Alyssa: "Inked."

5.

6. Jake and Alyssa read portions of the Christmas story before we opened presents on Christmas day. After Alyssa read her verses, Jake leaned over and whispered, "Good job reading. Don't worry, you'll get better at the harder words." 

7. Tyler: "Mommy, may I kiss you, please?"

8. Zac: "Isn't this so cool having a new baby? I love him so much."

9. Jake, bouncing a ping pong ball on a paddle: "I'm trying to beat my record."

Alyssa: "What is your record?"
Jake: "I don't know."

10. Zac, handing me a diaper for Nicholas, laughing: "They're so little!"

11. Tyler asks to pray every day at dinner and always says the same thing: "Jesus for our food and amen."

12.

13. The kids were playing with Nicholas when I came to take him to change his diaper. As I picked him up, Tyler said, "Hey, you no steal that baby!"

14. Tyler recognizing the number 29.

15. Jake: "I had to pick a different Nancy Drew book to read to Nicholas. The other one had ghosts in it, and I didn't want to scare him."

16. Alyssa: "I have a mute button."
Jake: "You have a mute button?!? Do you know how many times I could have used that?"

What made you Smile this week?

 

If He Had Not Come

It is hard to believe that the Christmas season will soon be here. This is such a special time of year and definitely one of my favorites. The kids and I sat down and talked about all the things we love about it: the decorations, the music, the food, spending time with family, and, of course, the presents. But the most important thing--the reason we even celebrate the holiday--and the first point that the kiddos mentioned that they love is celebrating the birth of Jesus. God sent his Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. It is because of His birth that we enjoy all those other special things. While reviewing the book If He Had Not Come we also learned about what other things we enjoy because of His birth, or rather, how life would be different if He had not come.

The book was originally published in 1938 by Nan F. Weeks. Not much else is known about her except that she was a teacher and children's author. David Nicholson, also a teacher, first hard the story in church. The message impacted him so much that he mad it a tradition to read it to his own family each and every Christmas. Now, he's reintroducing this beloved story to a new generation with hopes of encouraging others to take its thought-provoking message to heart.

 

If He Had Not Come begins on Christmas Eve and contains all the magic of it. Before heading to bed in anticipation of the coming day, Bobby and his father sat down for their daily Bible reading. Bobby eventually fell asleep, thinking about some of the words they read spoken by Jesus, "If I had not come."

If He had not come. What sad, life-changing words.

How would life be if He, Jesus, had not come? Throughout the story, Bobby discovers the answer to that. Instead of waking to the joy of presents under the tree, he found an undecorated house. Instead of the town being quiet and at home celebrating God's Gift with their families, he found the stores and businesses full of rude, gruff people. Instead of the church, hospital, and children's home he found empty lots. Over and over again, he saw the words "If I had not come." If Jesus had not come, Bobby learned that the world would be a coldhearted, dark place.

He was thrilled when he awoke from his dream and thanked God that He did come.

The story has a powerful message and is a great starting place for a discussion with your kids about the true meaning of Christmas. Not only does this large hardback book have classic illustrations throughout the entire book, it's also got pages of extras in the back for further study. After I read the story to the kids, we read through the questions and discussed them together. What do you think . . . Why did . . . Put yourself . . . Imagine . . . The questions are not simple ones with definite answers, but rather open-ended ones where you really have to think. I love questions like these because they give me a glimpse of what's going on in those precious minds of my little ones. 

There are also many questions with definitive answers that can be found by looking up the appropriate Bible references. The entire salvation message is written in the book, as well. My kids enjoyed the activity. As they drew Christmas trees, I explained why it's symbolic. They learned why we use a tree, what the star represents, what the lights remind us of, and why we give presents.  

My kids and I enjoyed If He Had Not Come ($18.95) and will add it to our Christmas reading every year. Not only is it a great reminder of why we celebrate the day, but the suggested activities (best for ages 6+) at the end really make it a learning experience.


If you'd like to see what other families thought of this book, you can read more reviews on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

Things That Make Me Smile 12/27/13

 Jake (8), Alyssa (5½), Zac (4), Tyler (1½)

Merry Christmas! What a fantastic week it's been. Time with family, amazing food, tons of gifts, many memories, and lots of laughs. We have many reasons to Smile. Tomorrow marks one year since Tyler went into the hospital and had surgery. It's hard to believe an entire has passed since all of his trials began. He is currently 100% healthy . . . and getting into everything, causing trouble. We are truly blessed. 

1. Zac: "Missed me, now ya gotta kiss me!"
Me: "I'll kiss you!"
Zac: "No, Alyssa has to kiss me."
Alyssa: "I'm not going to."
Zac: "Ok, Mommy, you can kiss me. Fishy kiss!"

2. Alyssa, to Tyler: "You're just a big pile of cuteness!"

3.

4. Alyssa picking out the raw spinach in her dinner because she thought it was lettuce. When I told her what it was, she gobbled it up.

5. Alyssa: "I love you more than cake."

6. Zac, the day after our family Christmas party: "Is the white elephant going to come? I don't like the white elephant."

7.

our family, my parents, my brother's family

8. Jake: "This place is blowing up like rotten eggs."

9. Me: "Tyler is something else today."
Zac: "What is he, a monster?"


What made you smile?
 

Things That Make Me Smile 12/28/12

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We have had a wonderful week spending time with family, receiving presents, and making memories. Christmas is always fun with little kids around. I just love seeing them get excited. Over and over, Zac would hug his presents, say I lub it!, No way!, and This was on my list! even if he had never seen the toy before. While I don't have many quotes this week, there were numerous smiles. I'm so thankful for my family.

1. Jake: "Do people in jail get Christmas presents?"

Me: "Only if someone sends them some."

Jake: "Can we send them some?"

Me: "Why would you want to send presents to criminals?"

Jake: "Well, could we send them Christmas cards?"

Me: "Yes, I suppose we could do that."

Jake: "I know, we could send them Bibles! That would be a great Christmas present." 

2. Jake: "Is it ok if we read the Christmas story twice - once before we open presents and once when we're done?"

3.

4. Jake: "I got a lot of reasons, but I'll only tell you one because I don't know the rest."

5. Zac, while watching our neighbor's snow blower: "It's a snow sprinkler!"

6. Zac, about snowballs: "Look, snow rocks!"

7.

What made you smile this week?

Wordless Wednesday 12/26/12

Things That Make Me Smle 12/21/12

Happy Friday! This has been the baking week. The kids and I made gingerbread men on Monday and Tuesday, chocolate-covered Oreos and pretzels on Wednesday, chocolate fudge, brownies, sour cream cookies, snickerdoodles,  no-bake cookies, 2 different shapes & colors of spritz cookies, Heath bars, and half-way chocolate chip cookie bars with my mom on Thursday, and egg-yolk cut-out cookies on Friday. We make tons of goodies every year and share them with friends and neighbors. It's a tradition we all love.

Here are a few other things that made me smile this week. Don't forget to share a smile or two that you had this week, too!

1. Alyssa, about her shoes: "They won't let me put them on."

2. Alyssa: "I made up a song. {singing} Christmas, Christmas - It's not about getting toys. Christmas, Christmas - It's about Jesus."

3. Zac: I"m gonna show this to my friends."
Me: "You are? And who are your friends?"
Zac: "Whistle, and another Whistle, and Chainer, and Tichipichi, and Farnar."
Me, confused: "Really? And where did you meet your friends?"
Zac: "At school."
Me, amused: "At school? What are their names again?"
Zac: "Whistle, and Chainer, and Tichipichi, and another Whistle,  and Farnar."

4. Alyssa: "I totally think Tyler should not be in my room. He's going to distract me so I won't put away my toys. I'm just gong to want to play with him."

5. Alyssa: "I'm never going to do that. Not in my whooole life. Not until I turn 6."

6. Zac: "When you be happy, you not be sad."

7. Alyssa: "Do you remember my husband's name?"
Jake: "No."
Alyssa: "Hmm, I don't quite remember either."

8.

9. Alyssa, dreamily: "I love everything Tyler does . . . I even love when he cries. It sounds so beautiful."

10. Zac: "Mommy, is it school-time?"
Me: "No, not yet."
Zac: "Pleeeeeeaase can I do school???"

11. Zac: "Why do you wear make-up?"
Me: "Because I like it. I think it makes me look prettier".
Zac: "It doesn't make you prettier."
Me: "Oh, no? Do you think I'm pretty without makeup?"
Zac: "Yep!"

12. Leighton took the 3 older kids to buy my Christmas presents.
Alyssa: "I'm going to pick out the perfect gift for you!"
Zac: "Yeah, I'm gonna buy butter fer you."
Me: "Wow! What can I do with the butter?"
Zac: "Cut it. It's fer when you make us cookies."

13. Jake, laughing: "You know, Tyler, you look really cute, but you aren't good at playing the iPad!"

14. Alyssa: "I did it on accident or on purpose. I don't remember which one."


What made you smile this week?

Tasty Tuesday: Sour Cream Cookies

This is the last post for our Christmas baking recipes. Here's a recap of the past 3 weeks: no bake cookies, chocolate fudge, and spritz cookies. We'll finish up the series with sour cream cookies.

If you've never had sour cream cookies, you're missing out. This recipe has been in the family for . . . I don't even know how long! My brother's grandma, who very well might be the Queen of Cookies, is the one who has passed the recipe along. I'm sure she makes them better than I do, but that's ok. If there's a table full of goodies, you want the ones Grandma B made. Always.

But alas, she lives too far away, so we made these on our own. Still delicious. Still totally worth it.

Sift your dry ingredients. Sometimes I don't take the time to pull out my big turn-handle sifter, and instead opt for stirring it around with a whisk. (Shh, don't tell.)

 Dump your sugar, shortening, and egg in a big bowl.

 Beat, beat, beat . . . and beat some more.

Once you think you've beat the mixture until you can't beat any more, beat it a few seconds longer. That's the secret to the light airiness of these cookies.

 Then, alternate mixing in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk.

 Add the sour cream and vanilla and stir to just blend.

 Plop some dough on a cookie sheet and top with your desired garnish.

When just the edges start to brown, the cookies are done. Do not over-bake. These are not crispy cookies by any means. They're super soft, light, and airy. They're almost cake-like.  They have a delicious vanilla-y flavor. You can change them up a bit by altering the extract flavor or the additional garnish on top. You could even add nuts or raisins to the cookies themselves, but really, why would you want to ruin their yummyness??? I think they're perfect just the way they are, and so does Jake. These are one of his favorites.

If you want a cakey cookie that whips up in no time, give these a try and let us know what you think. I'll even be sure to let Grandma B know that her recipe is being passed along for others to love.

Sour Cream Cookies

Ingredients:

2 c flour                                                              1/2 c buttermilk

1/2 tsp baking soda                                            1 egg

1/2 tsp salt                                                          1/2 c sour cream

1/2 c shortening                                                 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 c sugar

Directions:

1. In medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. In large bowl, beat shortening, sugar, and egg until very light and fluffy. Mix in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in sour cream and vanilla.

3. Drop by rounded tablespoons, 3 inches apart, onto cookie sheet. If desired, sprinkle with sugar mixed with chopped nuts, raisins, of grated lemon rind. Bake 18-20 minutes at 375°F or until edges start to brown.

Tasty Tuesday: Spritz Cookies

It's week 3 of Christmas baking recipes. Spritz cookies are good for any time of the year. They are very buttery and flavorful.  The kids like them because they're colorful, have sprinkles, and are fun to make. I like them because they're easy and make a ton!

If you have a cookie press, you need to make these.

And if you don't have a cookie press? Buy one! Ok, you can also use the dough just plopped down on the sheet, but they won't be as pretty. They will still taste just as buttery-delicious though.

See? I told you they were buttery.

 In fact, there aren't many other ingredients in there to distract from that buttery taste.

 Add some flour to stiffen it up, and you're set to go.

Since we were making Christmas cookies, we used green food coloring. Lots and lots of green to get a dark, rich color.

 Next is the fun part: using the "gun" to form the cookies.

 And then comes the other fun part: sprinkles!

We popped the trees into the oven and started work on the ornament cookies. Same process, just add red food coloring instead of the green. And of course, change the little disc in the cookie press.

Isn't this pathetic? I randomly snapped a single pic as all the cookies were scattered across the kitchen table before I assembled the tins and plates for friends. I had meant to take some more picture afterwards with the cookies we had left over. That never happened. Isn't that a nice tree trunk though? And how about that snickerdoodle next to it? That's about all that's in focus, and there's no pic of the red ornaments. Oh well, just trust me - they were cute and yummy!

Whether you make trees for Christmas, umbrellas for spring, or just plain ol' circles just because you wanna, go ahead and make these cookies. You won't be disappointed!

Spritz Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c (3 sticks) butter, softened                     1 tsp vanilla

1 c sugar                                                           3 1/2 c flour

1 egg                                                                 

Directions:

1. In large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add sugar, egg, and vanilla; beat well. Add flour 1 cup at a time; mix well. Dough will be soft. Do not refrigerate.

2. Fill cookie press, fitted with disk of choice, with dough. Press dough onto cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Decorate cookies with colored sugar or sprinkles, if desired.

3. Bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes or until firm, but not brown. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet; remove and let cool completely on wire racks.