Oh. My. Sweetness.

If you are obsessed with cupcakes, candy, baking, decorating and just all out gorgeousness you have to see this post by Bakerella. Chances are you already follow her...but just in case. I had to stop for a while as her "eye candy" felt like it was going directly to my hips. All I ever wanted to do was eat cake. Not always a good thing, right? I popped over to her on a whim today and found this amazing post about her friend's home. Run over and tell her to get that girl a blog. I need to see her whole house now. It is completely magazine worthy and then some. The photo above is just the playroom, not the fab Christmas party that the post is really about. I'll stop my rambling, just run over there and see for yourself.

"You'll Thank Me" Muffins

Yesterday morning I decided that I should make the kids muffins for breakfast, with fresh squeezed OJ. The muffins were a big hit, especially with this little guy. The OJ, not so much. The girls aren't used to pulp, but WOW the taste just can't be beat.

By the time I got the camera he had snagged himself another muffin.

I can't blame him really. They were oh-so-yummy.

If you like seeing big smiles on their faces, you might want to make them too.

I found the recipe at All Recipes, but made the changes one reviewer suggested, so here is what I did.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
2 C Flour (I used half whole wheat and half regular)
1/3 C + 3 Tb Sugar
4 Tb Cocoa Powder
1 Tb Baking Powder
1 tsp Vanilla
1 C Mashed Bananas (about 3 reg)
2/3 C Oil
2 Eggs, beaten
1/2 C milk
1 C Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and baking powder. In another bowl, blend the bananas, oil, vanilla and eggs together. Add to dry ingredients, mixing just until blended. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into a greased muffin pan, filling three-fourths full. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

*These would be great even without the chocolate chips, or with white chocolate chips instead.

A bottle? Really?

On Saturday I ran a quick errand and found myself at the check-out in Old Navy where I heard this conversation.

Employee #1: "What are your plans for New Year's Eve?"

Employee #2: "Just me and a bottle, how about you?"

Employee #1: "Probably the same. Just going to a bar."

Employee #2: "I wish I could go to a bar."

Employee #1: "You can..."

I didn't hear the rest, but obviously #2, the girl ringing up my purchase, was underage.

I can't even tell you how sad this made me feel. A bottle? Really? Is this what teenagers and young adults aspire to do? Is this the best they can think of to have a"good time?" I've never understood the allure of alcohol. I don't mind a glass of wine with dinner (if you are over 21), but to drink just to get drunk is something I've never done and have never had a desire to do. And it makes zero sense to me.

I wish young women thought more of themselves than to think that getting drunk is an answer to anything. It's not the answer to having fun...to forgetting your troubles...to make people like you...to anything.

So many thoughts were swirling around in my head after I heard their conversation...just too much to put in writing, but I thought about those two girls the rest of the day and still today. And of course I thought about my own girls, at home playing with their baby dolls, and what their world will be like when they are teenagers. I thought about all that I want to do to protect them and point them in the right direction.

My darling daughters, I pray it is never your desire to spend time with a bottle for any reason other than to play with your baby dolls or your daughter's baby dolls or your granddaughters baby dolls.

A Verry Merry White Christmas

*For all my Southern friends. :)

Christmas Eve we received the most beautiful covering of snow. It fell consistently through Christmas Day, though I never did hear the final count in inches. I love fresh fallen snow, everything seems to stand still and there is a quiet in the air like no other time. The world just feels insulated. Which is a good thing when it's slippery and you almost take out a railing at the mall, and several mailboxes between your house and Grandma's. Those huge snowbanks are ever so helpful. Winter is really quite amazing and one of the reasons we love living in Minnesota. Especially when it means a White Christmas.

This is what I saw Thursday morning. It took David an hour and 40 minutes to shovel the whole drive. We've got the longest driveway in the neighborhood. Not such a good thing when your snow blower is in the shop for another couple of weeks. Again. I highly recommend purchasing the warranty, because we have found out that saving the extra bucks doesn't really {save the extra bucks}. We've used it maybe 5 times in the past 3 years and it's been in the shop almost as many times. It's more like a really expensive gym membership.

Thankfully he had some little helpers.

They were surprisingly very good helpers.

A little bit of fun was thrown in for good measure.

This guy creates the most work, leaving a huge pile at the end of the driveway.

But then again...we've got good helpers.

While I made yummy cocoa on the stove, little man was just getting up from a nap.

He is seriously happy all the time. Unless you cross him. Then watch out, he's a biter.

He can't wait for his turn with the shovel.

Soon, my Rocket Boy...all too soon.

Merry CHIRSTmas

About the only thing we missed this year was a Christmas card/letter to family and friends. Our 2nd year in a row. But other than that...carols are playing, the house is cozy warm, two feet of snow is expected to fall over the next two days, the stockings are ready to be filled, the presents are wrapped and under the tree, two batches of cookies will be baked tomorrow morning, a HUGE ham will be delivered to Mom for our Christmas Day feast, along with two little girls who are excited to decorate Boppa & Kiki's tree tomorrow morning, Baby Jesus is ready to make his appearance in our stable (he is already in our hearts), Luke chapter 2 is ready to be read, the grocery shopping is done, a lovely Christmas breakfast feast is planned, clothes are washed and ready to wear to our Christmas Eve service...we are ready!

And if none of that were done, if we had no where to go and no presents under our tree, we would still have a Merry CHRISTmas in just the remembering of God's love for his creation. That he loved us so much, he sent his own son into this world, to live a perfect life and die a perfect death. That by his resurrection, he conquered death and paid the penalty for our sins. For all have sinned and are in need of a Savior. And for that we are eternally grateful and couldn't possibly ask for anything better.

Merry CHRISTmas from our family to yours!