The Christmas Tree I Never Showed You

Better late than never! Right?

Two days before Christmas, I finally fixed the bottom third of the lights on the tree.  (Our Christmas break didn't officially start until Christmas Eve this year. I think I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.)   I'm one of those people who LOVES decorating for Christmas, but also can't wait to get the mess out of my house.  We enjoyed the decorated tree for a few days, but it was undecorated and in the front yard by December 26th.

 

Maybe next year I'll be able to enjoy it for a little longer.

Happy Undecorating!

A Few Favorite Teacher Gifts

I'd like to say that I took the time to have my kids make gifts for their teachers.  The reality is, that I barely got the gift cards stuffed into envelopes and delivered on the right day.  My students and their parents, on the other hand, made some pretty cute creations for their kindergarten teacher.

First up, the melted snowman ornament.  LOVE!


These little candies were delicious.  I wish I could show you what the peanut butter meteorites look like.  They didn't make it to the end of the school day.  They were very tasty.

One of my girls described how she made soap with her mom and sisters. I've never made soap before, but it sounds like fun.

How cute are these little elf shoes?  

In addition to these cute little creations, several parents went in together on a gift, and I also received many cards, treats, and gift cards to a few of my favorite stores. Oh, and my favorite gift of all was an email I received from our assistant superintendent.  She had been sent an email from one of my parents, who just wanted to share a few things about my teaching and our classroom.  I can't tell you how much it brightened my day teaching career! I have fabulous students and parents! I feel truly blessed.

Happy Holidays! 

Guys Only Cookie Exchange

I popped into the school library this morning, and this is what I saw.

The men in our building decided to have a guys-only cookie exchange.  They had to bring 5 dozen cookies.

 AND

They had to do all of the baking on their own.  

I love this idea!  I'm sad to say, I didn't get to try any of the mouthwatering goodies, but I'm trying to practice a little self control when it comes to sweet treats this season.  I was very impressed with the variety as well as the quality of their cookies.  I hope this is the first year of a great tradition for these guys!

By the way, our staff had another cookie exchange over the weekend and the girls were invited to that one too.  So, please don't worry that we were feeling left out!

Happy baking!

Christmas Tree Day, 2012

It's just like clockwork.  Every year, on the first weekend of December, we head out to find the perfect tree.  This year it started out with a full Christmas breakfast.  We had french toast, bacon, OJ, and cocoa, all served on our special Christmas dishes.

After about 20 minutes of examining every single tree on the farm, we settled on the perfect 9 footer.

We have two trees in our house.  The fake tree sits in the family room.  It has all of the kids' ornaments. Every year they get to buy a new ornament for the tree.  Years from now, when they are ready to move out of the house, we'll pack up the ornaments they've chosen year after year, and they'll have a beautiful tree of their own.

For now, it's the favorite tree in the house. Here's one tree (the fake one).  I'll have to show you the real tree, in the living room, tomorrow.  We ran out of lights and it's only half decorated. 

For now, here's a peak.

Happy decorating!

Hot Cocoa Station

My BFF, Laura at Finding Home, (I may just be stalking her) posted her hot chocolate station last week.  While we have a hot cocoa station set up in the kitchen, mine did not look as cute as Laura's.  So, I cutesy-fied it!



Hot chocolate, marshmallows, sprinkles, and candy canes make a perfect set up.  I didn't have a cute antique tray, like my BFF, but I did have a pretty silver platter that my Mother-In-Law gave me.  The Christmas tree mugs were from my Sister-In-Law.

I don't know about your family, but my kids make hot cocoa just about every day in the winter.  I think a pretty set up, rather than the the plastic containers that these items are sold in, is much more inviting and makes hot cocoa seem like a special tradition.  (Pssst.... the mugs only hold about 6 ounces, rather than the 12 ounce cups they normally use.  Don't tell the kids!)

Do you have a hot cocoa station in your kitchen?  Send me a picture.  I'd love to see it.

homeiswheremystorybegins@gmail.com

Happy cocoa making!

Spritz Cookie Recipe

Here they are...



the first Christmas cookies of the season at our house!

Recipe for Spritz Cookies

1 cup butter (room temperature)
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

Mix butter and powdered sugar.  Add egg yolks and vanilla.  Mix in flour and salt.
Use a cookie press to shape cookie dough on a lined baking sheet. (I use a Silpat liner.)
Bake at 400 degrees for 6 minutes.
Frost with a powdered sugar and milk glaze.
Add sprinkles.
Let the Christmas baking begin!!!

Happy baking, Friends!