WHAT’S IN YOUR OVEN?

It’s that time of year where all the yummy recipes come out. I’m usually a sucker for trying out new ones at this time. Clint will buy Women’s Day or Family Circle magazines just because the dessert on the cover looks good. This past weekend, I tried out a cookie recipe which was something that was like a sesame almond crisp. It was a hit! Everyone loved and it was simple to make. Just yesterday, I tried out a bread recipe that Gra’ma Carter sent to me this week called “ Pineapple, Orange and Coconut Bread w/ Pineapple Glaze” It was a hit at my moms’ group. I will be making that again! The all-time-favorite-must-have-cookie’s that are part of Christmas around here are – Almond thumb print cookies with either apricot or raspberry filling. It’s been a favorite since we have moved to MI. Aunt Lynda sent the recipe and if you want it then HOUND her for it – I’m sure she will give it! It’s a recipe that everyone wants once they taste them. We never just make one batch and it’s another cookie that everyone in the house loves. I will be making Pecan Pie for Clint this year. We always buy one from Costco, but he thinks I didn’t know how to make them. I let the cat out of the bag when he was telling his mom that I didn’t know how. So, that means I have to get one made for him this year or here about it later.

Share your favorite recipes for candy, cookies, bread or pies – whatever has to be had or else it ‘ain’t Christmas without.’

Christmas is HERE!

After many weeks explaining to everyone (Clint included) how this year because we can’t have a real tree in our place we wouldn’t be getting a tree this year. The boys seemed to understand why – They are very expensive and mom the frugal shopper that she is wanted to wait till AFTER the season to buy one at a steal of a price. Everyday since we put up our decorations, everyone seemed at odds w/ out a tree. Poor Jack would scan the advertisements and point out artificial trees that were less than $100. I would still have to tell him that it was more than we could afford. He even went so far as to want a White tree because it was 50% off and would come out to $20. I told him dad would NOT care for a white tree! I tried to ease their minds with the fact that Christmas would still happen and we could even use the little 1 foot tree Mrs. T gave us last year to make it as best as we can. It worked for a second. I could see them all growing more and more restless as the days got closer to Christmas. I even heard Clint tell his mom he was going to go out and come home with one. I gave him a glare that said, “YOU BETTER NOT!”

This weekend we popped into Target for household cleaning supplies and perused the Christmas tree aisles. There stood one lonely tree that seemed to need a home. Another lady was eyeing it and we all tried hard to find the price and more of them in boxes. We called people over to help us try to price it or to find out if there were more in the back. Everyone was stumped. I finally asked out of earshot of the other interested person, “Could we buy that one, without a box?” He called around to find out if it was okay to sell the displays, while I left to find my dish soap and hand soap. Clint stayed behind and when I got back, the tree was loaded on an oversized cart and ready to go. When we got to the checkout, the guy told the girl he couldn’t find a price for it, so ring it up at $19.99 and take 50% off. So we paid $10 for a tree! Even less because we were given two $3 off coupons for waiting in line for more than 10 minutes a month or so ago. So, we bought a tree at a steal of a price - $4. It’s a sweet little tree that fits perfectly in our little casita.

That was all it took for these boys to turn their demeanor around and finally stop pacing the floor because something was missing. Everyone one is happy, including mom.

I have to say, this has been the most stress free Christmas season since I can remember. I don’t know exactly what it is, but I think it has something to do with feeling very protected and taken care of from up above and from the kindred souls that surround us. I will always cherish this Christmas season for as long as I live – this one is set apart from all the other in many ways. There are no words that can accurately describe this – it’s better to live in the spirit of it all year round and that is what will do this Christmas justice.


**pictures to come when Jack gets home :)***

The Sweetest thing...

This weekend was so wonderful. Everything that were big issues in our house, became non-issues because they are all worked out! Thank GOD! We have our food allowance, we all have healthcare plus dental PLUS vision (slade really wants contacts – don’t know if they are covered in our plan but we will see) Crispin’s teeth saga is over, Clint’s done w/ his first semester of his MSW this week. Which leads me to my next oh so sweet moment. At Clint’s former job an autistic boy was one of his employees and Clint became close with him. This boy was funny as heck. He and Clint would spend days just going back and forth w/ silly comments. Clint enjoyed his company most of all while working there. In one of Clint’s classes, he had a project to work on and it was on Autism. He contacted the family of his former employee and asked them if they would be willing to video family members speaking about the many facets of autism, as they have dealt with many. Clint had first asked this guy (he’s not really a boy – 23 years old) if he would come and talk to his class about living with Autism and he said “NO” flat out. So, his mom really wanted to get this information out, so they went about it this way. So – that is background information. All this weekend, Clint worked on making a movie w/ the video from this family and with some of the diary entries the mother took over the years along w/ statistics and some of the most beautiful music (from the “Millions” soundtrack – must see movie) we have. He worked around the clock making this movie to present to his class and to also make copies for this wonderful family. Slade came up to me and was saying how great the movie was turning out and how hard dad had worked on it and what a beautiful thing for the family to have. He finally said, “What I am trying to say is he inspires me to do my best.” It was a fond moment and it will be a defining one in the years to come. All weekend long Slade and Jack were finding cheats and glitches online for their video games and they worked along side Clint down in the basement, but for Slade to come away with that in the midst of gaming – wow! He really has capacity for seeing things beyond his own nose! We bought a bumper sticker from Northern Sun
that reads: It’s easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. Makes sense to me and we hope to do just that!

It's over!

The saga I have been living with since summer is over! Crispin had his dental appt. today and all his teeth were saved! No need for them to pull any and he had 1 inciscor capped with a resin cap (i think that is what it's called - white on the front and silver in back) He was put under oral sedation and then numbed up. It was about a good hour of work done. The dentist was AWESOME! He's this old school looking man with a nice head of hair and sweet as pie. He didn't harp on me for nursing like the first dentist I saw back in June - a women to boot! He said it looked like more of a developental issue in utero. Maybe some kind of mineral deficiency. If it had anything to do with NOT taking my prenatal vitamins or drinking milk - I am guilty! Crispin is doing super after taking a really long nap. He's back to himself and his teeth look great.

I am overjoyed right now. I was trying my best to come to terms with Crispin looking like a hockey player for the next 6 or so years. I prayed and asked my moms' group for prayer as well. Knowing we were held up in prayer is what kept me from losing my mind and beating myself up. Plus, I joined a yahoo group and learned a ton but was also freaked out from some the horror stories.

Okay, gotta run and pick up our car from the shop. Clint broke the handle off and we just got that fixed. Oh and we had a nice amount of snow dumped on us last night and we had an official snow day today!

****Pictures courtesy of Jack - he loves taking pictures of him. I'm thankful because if it was up to me I would make sure he had a clean face and clothes first - then it would never get done!*******

Survival, Home for a bookshelf - home for books and many other things

I suvived without internet access since Thursday evening. HOW? Who knows! It was quite painful Friday, but then it eased up some by Saturday afternoon. I wish I could say I painted a beautiful picture or finished a good book - but I didn't do anything spectacular with my free time.





Clint brought home the most beautiful wooden bookshelf this weekend. I had just made a comment that we were going to be buried alive by all our books and how I wish I could find a nice big bookshelf. Clint found one right by the dumpster at his work - it was covered in ice and snow but he could see the beauty underneath all that. Perfect timing for it was time to decorate for Christmas. We need all the space we can have when it comes to that. Although, Crispin being the crafty climber, he has still made our decorating a challenge. He's already broken a snow globe and lost one of the marching dudes.

Every Christmas Eve since the boys were little little, they would get a Christmas book and jammies to open. It wasn't until a year or two ago that we realized that this was a "tradtion" and I tried to put the dates and names in the books. The boys were really good at helping us remember the years - I can't believe how bad my memory is. This year, because money is tight, we will be getting them 1 family book and NO jammie\s. They don't use the jammies any way because they like to sleep "like dad" in boxers only. Plus, we have a TON of books - but it's fun reading a couple each night till Christmas. We have everything from Simpson's Holiday Humdinger to (saddest) The Crippled Lamb. Crispin wont' need jammies because he has the best jammies that we got at a clothing exchange (if anyone ever has the chance to host or go to one you should! I have gotten the best clothes at the two I have attended) They are LL Bean *like new* warm as can be and made to last! So, he's going to be set for a couple of years!
*************Whole point of this story was I wanted to know what everyone's favorite Christmas book was - So Please share*****************

I've been in contact with our case worker and her supervisor since Thursday and it looks like everything is coming along and we should be getting our EBT card in the mail this week with retro pay from August. Perfect timing for the holiday baking extravaganza. On the flip side to this - it looks like there has been some funny business going on with my social security number and that will need to be figured out ASAP. ------- Mail just got here and it looks like our EBT cards have arrived - along with a heaping amount of Christmas Cards! Man, you guys are good! Ours are still in the works - Clint is drawing them up and should be ready to go soon!

I spent a good portion of Friday night and Saturday morning in a state of shock or disbelief or some kind of sensation. An aquaintance of ours took her life by jumping off a 6 level parking structure here in A2. She wasn't a close friend but we did enjoy gardening along side her for the last 3 summers. She was wheel chair bound and seemed to be a very cool person every time we encountered each other. She waS young and I'm just so sad for her family and I can't imagine that kind of depression. I'm feeling much better about it all after calling my mom and Mrs. T. I needed to talk about it out loud and not just in a "oh man that is sad news." It was so heavy on me - her viewing was today and I wish I could have gone and paid my respects.