Snowcation (Day Three)

What's on the docket of fun for Snow Day #3?

Get a manicure from Mom

Play a few more games on the new laptop
(Get excited for your little sister when she gets 10 out of 10 right)

Bundle up like characters in 'A Christmas Story' and head outdoors
(Do not attempt to lick any sign posts)

Try out a makeshift cardboard sled

Get excited when neighbors come to the rescue with snow tubes
 
Come in to warm up with a toasted bagel;
Design a zen garden in the cream cheese with a fork
(This is not a 'Snow Day thing' - my daughter has always done this.)

The girls also spent a half hour chatting with their friend in England on Skype, and an hour playing with neighbors at a friend's house down the street. During that hour I inflated our air mattress intending to have a movie night by the fire, but the girls wanted to use it as a landing pad instead while they practiced their flying skills as 'Ruby' and 'Icilina' the Ice Dance Fairies.

I know some parents are having a hard time coping with the kids being home from school at length, but we are having a really fun time spending long mornings in our pjs just not having to go anywhere. It would be nice to have the mail delivered sometime soon, though. We have had no deliveries on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. What is the possibility they will make it through on Day 4 after the storm?

Snowcation (Day Two)

Looks like it's going to be another day at home. Let's see what kind of fun can be had on Day Two:

Try out the new "laptop" from Grandma (runs on 2 AA batteries)

Catch up on your "Rainbow Fairies" book series while snacking on Doritos

Take a break from reading to watch a neighbor shoveling the roof of his SUV

Craft some necklaces with a new bead set from Aunt N & Uncle J
(all of these are original designs strung by my 5 year old - I only had to tie them off)

Spend a little time outside collecting ice "trays"
from the top layer of snow

 Scout the neighborhood for five foot snowmen

Ask Daddy to join you in a Shaun T "Insanity Workout" directly after dinner (even if there's a fire blazing and you are wearing pants, long sleeeves or fleece jackets)

Pretend you are a workout instructor and make up
new moves like "Twist Kick" and "Flower Grow"

Snowcation (Day One)

Well, the weathermen were right about the crippling snowstorm in the South. We had FIVE inches of snow on Monday. And if you can remember how much of a tizzy a third of an inch caused last year, you can imagine the shut down five inches of snow brings about.

To start the day off right, with just the right amount of sugar, I put together these edible snowmen.

Start with a mini powdered donut, add regular chocolate chips for the eyes, mini chocolate chips for the "coal" mouth, and a triangular slice of a marshmallow dipped in orange sugar sprinkles for the nose.

Other clever moms would have saved a handful of candy corn from Halloween for a proper nose, but I'll just have to be more diligent next year. You could also use orange m&ms if you had those around, too. 

Roads are treacherous and cars have been abandoned all over, and they are predicting that temperatures won't get above freezing until Saturday, so we'll have to wait and see if the kids make it to school at all this week. We'll make plenty of good fun with the white canvas we have outside our door. 

Finally: A Gingerbread House!

Yes, Virginia. There is a Santa Claus. And, yes, M&B, our gingerbread house will get done. (That is in answer to the 750 times they asked if we could make it, while I was vacuuming or preparing dinner, or when we were expecting company, or when it was 10 minutes before bedtime.) Well, the stars and the planets must have aligned last night because we were able to construct our very own edible edifice.

Step One: Open the PRE-CONSTRUCTED box of gingerbread walls made by Anna's Swedish Bakers, often found at IKEA. Ours came from Carolina Grandma.

Step Two:  Heat up the 1/4 tub of Duncan Hines frosting you were keeping on the top shelf of the fridge for just the right occasion. Pour the microwaved frosting where you need to attach walls and the rooftop.

 This step is a lot easier if you have a handsome architect on hand.

Step Three: Patience! Let the walls harden so the house doesn't implode when you try to decorate it!

Step Four: Open all the mini packages of colorful candy that mom didn't consume you saved from Halloween. Sample every package you open to make sure the gummies and m&m's are still fresh! :) 

Step Five: Have at it! Get your frosting spreaders and decorate from north to south, east to west. 

  Step Six: Smile with your sister and your finished product!

If you have no Duncan Hines frosting in your fridge or pantry, this is the halved recipe from the Domino's powdered sugar box that I used for Day 2's "mortar". (Didn't think I needed the full recipe which is supposed to be enough to frost a 2-layer cake.) I urge you to splurge on GOOD vanilla. I used Costco's Kirkland brand 100% pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla and the result was divine!

All it takes is 1/2 of a one pound box confectioners sugar; 1/4 cup butter; 2 Tbsp milk; 1 tsp vanilla.

Don't bother sifting the powdered sugar. It will be mixed with a hand mixer. Place all 4 ingredients in a medium bowl, then mix on LOW speed (to avoid the powdered sugar dust cloud). If the final product is too stiff, add a mini, mini, mini splash of milk from a teaspoon until you reach the desired consistency. But remember, you don't want the end product to be too moist, because it will take longer to harden.

Anyone else make a gingerbread house this year?

Christmas 2010 Wrap-up

Merry Christmas to Everyone! Ours was one of much joy and many sweets...

Cookies for breakfast? Check. Skyping with family on East Coast and West? Check. New Christmas outfits for Doggie and Teddy? Check.

 Very own Pillow Pets to squeeze tight? Check.

 Fistfuls of Rolos in stockings? Check.

 An adorable husband to sit by the fire with? Check.

And snow making a white Christmas to top it all off? Check!

I hope you've all had a wonderful, memorable Christmas wherever you may be.

Tasty Tradition: White Chocolate Chex Mix

I like baking. I do. But the kids elbow to elbow over the oven? Not too keen. And the cleanup afterwards? No thank you. How about a DELICIOUS salty, sweet, and crunchy treat that only takes 2 bowls and the ease of a microwave? Sign me up!

I have been making this mix for at least four years. And I'll tell you why. The ingredients are not too expensive, they can all sit at room temperature, and even the youngest sous-chef can scoop the required amounts. Also, once assembled, the mix keeps really well after you make it. Not like some baked treats that start to go south a day after they come out of the oven.

First, grab a Santa hat to get in a jolly mood.

Next, print the recipe and find two bowls: one small for melting the chocolate and shortening in; the other LARGE for mixing the whole concoction without tossing it over the sides.

Then, grab your favorite aunt and start the fun!

White Chocolate Chex Mix

5 cups mini pretzels

4 cups corn chex cereal

1 cup salted peanuts

1-1/2 cups M&Ms (or Reeces pieces)

2 cups white chocolate chips (12 oz.)

1 Tbsp. shortening

In a large bowl, combine the pretzels, cereal, peanuts and M&Ms.

In a separate microwave-safe bowl, microwave the white chips and shortening for 1-2 minutes or until chips are melted, stirring every 30-45 seconds until smooth.

Pour over cereal mixture and mix quickly.

Spread onto a 15x10x1 inch baking pan lined with wax paper. Allow to cool completely, then break apart into small morsels. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve. Makes about 4 quarts.

Oh, and when I say store in an airtight container, I mean a husband-tight container, because if you make a batch tonight, you may not see any of it left tomorrow.

Sidebar: If you buy your holiday m&m's at the after-Christams prices, you can stash away the red ones and make this mix as a Valentine's gift, and you get to snack on the green ones all through January and February! Happy eating!

Special Day for Family

While celebrating Thanksgiving last week with visiting family was nice: the turkey, the trimmings, the pies and ice cream; this past Sunday was even more special.

 

Even though I attend church and my girls are being brought up in my faith, I had never made the formal arrangements to have them baptized. Typically in the Catholic religion, children are baptized within the first few months of their birth. What took me so long? First off, my husband is not Catholic, so that makes it complicated, and secondly, all of my family lives 1,000 miles north of us. Not to mention, I have a certain reputation as a procrastinator to boot.

But lo and behold, we had a Thanksgiving miracle! I was able to schedule a dual baptism when my mother, my sister and her husband would be in town for Thanksgiving. The girls with their new godparents at their backs, and Grandma to my side.

My girls looked lovely and they had a truly special day. What the priest mentioned, and I had been thinking myself, too, is that they may actually remember their Baptism. M even wrote about it in her weekly at-home writing assignment, and has been telling all our neighbors. And in recapping the day's event with my mom, who is of few words these days, she mustered, "That was beautiful." So I know that it meant a lot for her to share the day with us too. A day I wasn't too sure would ever come to pass, but it has, and I am so grateful. I am blessed to have a supporting family and a sweet husband who understood how much it meant to me.

Happy Blog-o-ween!

I made it, folks! A whole year of blogging. Not the most prolific year, but a year nonetheless. I wish to thank each and every one of you who ever stopped by to see what was going on in the Fun As You Make It lineup.

Halloween is a great time to celebrate, and boy, did we ever. We had a send off party for friends at a restaurant on Friday night, a MOMS Club party Saturday morning, a neighborhood party on Saturday night, and our traditional Halloween bag-filling and trick-or-treating today. Quite a fun-packed weekend.

Here are my two beauties tackling the 87 bags we filled, which turned out to be insufficient.

For the record, I had to use backup lollipops and Smarties that I had leftover from our Paper Bats craft and Candymen I made for the kiddies, AND open another bag of chocolates I had set aside for a special occasion.

The girls were more than thrilled to don their costumes multiple times. Daytime, nighttime, twilight - it's all good.  Have you ever seen a prettier pumpkin or more unique unicorn??



 Can you spot them at our annual MOMS Club party at our Town Green? Mom and Dad had a chance to get in on the costumes, too.


 Happy Halloween from yours truly, 'Benjamina' Franklin!