I'm pleased to Introduce

I love after Christmas sales.  80% - 90% is pretty much the only way I roll.  Check out these babies I got at Hobby Lobby - what I should have paid $34.97 - what I did pay $6.95!

I have thus named them, Orson, Fiona, and yet to be determined little guy.  {Any suggestions?}

I like them so much I want to figure out a way to keep them out year round - somehow decorate them  for upcoming holidays and keep switching it around.  Any ideas???

The stockings are hung, the rolls are all done
The kiddos asleep for a while
Kick back, relax - you deserve a few snacks
And celebrate Christmas in style!

{I never claimed to be a good poet...}

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Last Minute Gift

Have you ever had someone bring you a gift and you feel the need to reciprocate? {Even though they may not have been on your list...}

These are so cute and I'm betting you have all the supplies on hand.

Check out these super easy, fun gift bags from Not So Idle Hands. She has a great how-to HERE.

Recipes

After numerous requests for recipes, here they are!!

Yum Yum Coffee Cake

1 stick butter
1 C sugar
2 eggs
2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

Filling:
1/3 C brown sugar
1/4 C white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 to 3/4 C chopped nuts (optional)

Cream butter soft and add sugar. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Sift flour, baking powder, soda, and salt together. Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream. Stir in vanilla. Pour half of batter into greased 9x9x2 baking pan and cover with half of the filling. Repeat this step. Bake at 325*F for 45-55 minutes.

~~~

Apple Pie

Pie Crust
7 lrg apples (3 1/2 lbs) Granny Smith
1 C sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Mix - put into 9" pie pan in bottom crust. 2 Tbsp butter on top of apples. Put top crust on. Poke top with knife. Bake 70 minutes at 350*F. I always put foil on a cookie sheet to bake it on -- otherwise, it will drip in your oven.

~~~

Crescent Dinner Rolls

3 C warm milk (warm in microwave 3 minutes)
1 1/2 cubes butter (not margarine -- warm in microwave until butter melts, approx. 1 minute)
3/4 C cold water
1 1/3 C sugar
3 eggs, beaten (add after cold water)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp SAF instant yeast
11 C white flour (approximately)

Mix all ingredients in mixer and knead for 8-10minutes. **Start with 3 C flour and dry ingredients. Mix together, add liquids, then more flour as needed until dough leaves side of bowl.

Raise dough for 1 1/2 hours in a large bowl that is sprayed with Pam. Punch down and raised for another 45 minutes. Divide dough into 3 balls. Roll out in a circle. Spread butter on dough and cut into pie-shaped wedges. (I use a pizza cutter).

Starting at large end, roll up into crescent shapes. let rolls raise for 30 minutes in *warm oven. Keep rolls in oven and turn oven to 400*F. Bake for 8-10 minutes. You might need to bake longer if you are baking two pans of rolls at a time. If oven is hotter than normal, reduce heat to 350*F.

As you can imagine, this makes a ton of BIG rolls. I have halved this recipe and it works great. Because it is time consuming (not hard) I usually only make this at Holiday Feasts! Enjoy...they are fabulous!

*A warm oven: preheat to lowest oven will go - when the rolls go in, turn the oven off.

The Food Is Where It's At

This week, it's all about the baking at my house. One of my favorite things about the holidays is food. We definitely have our fair share of food traditions at my house - these being some of our favorites!

Christmas Mornings - Yum Yum Coffeecake

Apple Pie

Homemade Crescent Rolls {to DIE for}

What are some of your favorite holiday treats? And how early do you have to get started on them? Tuesday is when we're starting around here...

If you'd like any recipes, just email! And just FYI, I do NOT make hard things. I just don't.

Claus Chronicles

Ran across a blog I think anyone with older children (3+) who understand who Santa is should have a look at. Fun for kids and quite a hoot for adults to read. There is even a list of 100 things you should know about Santa. For instance, "My [Santa's] favorite color is not red. It is blue."

the Santa Claus Chronicles

Check him out -- All I'll say is, we BELIEVE at our house!

Ornaments & Decor

Well, since I can't bring you anything I've been working on, I went on a search for some awesome Christmas crafts you can do with your kids. Now that I'm out of school, I'm looking for things to entertain all of us.

I found this Easy Fragment Ornaments tutorial HERE at I Love My 5 Kids. I totally made these when I was a kid and am so glad to have found out how to do it! Get this, mine still faintly smells - and I'm pretty sure I made it when I was 5 (19 years ago!)


I'm also loving these popsicle stick Trees from Michaels - tutorial found HERE. They are so cute with the polka dots and color scheme - not the traditional Christmas decor.


I think I'm going to have to go hit up my local dollar store or Wally World for some supplies.

Tis the Season

...for Christmas Cards!

Call me crazy, but I LOVE Christmas cards. I like seeing everyone in the pictures and reading the stories of what's happened to them over the past year. I expect to get a card from everyone I mail one to and if I don't, I feel very disappointed.

I think I put too much pressure on myself when it comes to Christmas cards. Granted, I do NOT hand-make 75 elaborate cards and send them out December 1st, but I do try to put some time and effort and thought into what I write. I want it to be charmingly witty, memorable and not braggy or boring. Do you see the pressure? And then enters into my mind thoughts like, "What if they don't even read my card? Or even really like us, for that matter?"

So, who do you send Christmas cards too? Family is an automatic yes. But what about the friends you think are friends, but you never get a card from them. Do you cross them off the list, or still send it out year after year? I just don't know...

Oh the pressure, oh the pressure.

And yes, I want your Christmas card too! I'll even send you mine if you convince me in an email that you aren't crazy or psycho.

Kids Outlet Online

I'm a huge sucker for used kids clothing. I can't help it. I won't, well actually refuse, to buy anything unless it is on sale (preferably on clearance) and so used clothing is high on my list of buys. However, isn't it such a hassle to drag your kids out to the store and look through racks of unorganized clothing (and a smell that usually accompanies your hands out of the store!) Meet the solution! Kids Outlet Online. A gently used kids clothing store from the convenience of your home. Browse through tons of clothing organized by gender and size, order, and it shows up at your door. How great is that? Oh, and did I mention that shipping is a flat rate of only $5.95 for unlimited purchases?!?!?

Shelly, the owner of Kids Outlet Online, takes great pride in the clothing she selects and showcases, nearly all of them being practically new! Of course, if there happens to be a blemish it is fully disclosed, but I didn't come across any while perusing her merchandise.

A really cool feature Shelly offers is when you view clothing you can actually roll your cursor over the photograph and it acts as a magnifying glass.

I'd definitely head over her way and look for some name brand steals this Christmas Season. Remember it's new to your kid!

Just don't buy these shoes -- I'm in love with them!

Real or Fake?

When it comes to Christmas trees, are you a real type of gal, or fake type of gal? I'm the proud owner of a pre-lit, artificial tree and I LOVE it. What it lacks in the pine smell department, it makes up for with no falling needles, no need to water, and no "character". But I want to hear the arguments for those of you hardcore tree people who trek up a mountain in the snow with all your kids and chop down your own tree. Make me a believer!

Then comes the decorating. What's your style? I'd have to say I lean towards the CLASSIC style...balls, white lights, a bow on top. {Actually, now that I look at my tree it kinda looks like a Patriotic tree...} But some are more NOSTALGIC with kids ornaments and popcorn strands. Some people are EXTREME when it comes to their trees and go way over the top - even have a theme. I want to see some of your trees. Send me a picture and we'll have our own Festival of Trees right here on My Tiny Sweet Cheeks. {Maybe your tree is only decorated from the top, up! Mine was last year...}

Just a sampling of my Christmas decor.

The balls are actually purple, silver, and blue -
but they really look red, white, and blue, huh?

I'm in the process of finding a fourth stocking for my little girl, but can't find one I like. Suggestions welcome.

My tiny village - it's a start, right?

Sequel to Yesterday

...How I found my son last night when he finally was quiet.

All Mommy Wants for Christmas is...

A Silent Night.

So I'm a major advocate of children who sleep through the night. I am not one for being so stringent that I can't handle minor changes in our routine, but I work hard training my kids in the beginning so that I don't have a meltdown as a mother. It may not work for all, but it has definitely worked for me.

Dun. Dun. Dun.

Can you even begin to imagine my dismay when my two year old turned on me? What the heck happened? He seems to be scared of the "dark" but I really think it's just more separation anxiety - hence, he doesn't want us to close the door. After a battle of getting him to sleep, he's up again between 2 and 3 and only wants to be with his daddy. We all know he loves him more, as you probably remember from this post.

Have any of you tackled this problem before? I am about at my wits end and need some advice. Thanks ladies!

Day 21
Epidurals.

Day 22
Humor and Laughter.

Day 23
Traditions.

~~~

This is the time of year when it seems so many family traditions start to come out of the wood-works and remind you of times past. We have some great family traditions, though some may be a little corny, I have such great memories of all of them!

- Vegetable soup and spider rolls on Halloween
- Watching a Christmas movie after Thanksgiving Dinner
- Yum Yum Coffee Cake Christmas morning - maybe I'll share the recipe :)
- Christmas Eve Dinner (as opposed to Christmas Day)
- Doing a service project on Christmas Day
- Renting a cotton candy machine New Year's Eve and letting all the neighborhood participate in the fun

I'm sure there are more, but my brain just entered into funk mode.

What are some of your family traditions???