CHRISTMAS DECOR- Part Three, etc,etc.



The Wreath.

Vintage Paint-by-Number + Vintage Tinsel Boughs.



The Ever Growing Greeting Card Tree.

Bowl  'O {pink} Shiny Brites.

That's all for the Christmas decor!

On another note, I had my little brother and sister (ages 11 and 12) over here for the past few days. It was the first time they had spent the night since I had Avre. A lot has changed in terms of rhythm since they were here last but it was pretty cool to see what they associated with spending time with me: hot tea at night, homemade brownies and smoothies pops, the park and MAM's Sno Cups, and 'making things' were all on the list of 'can we do's'. I like that.

I am so busy!!! Aren't you??? I am scrambling to finish a dress for my niece's 3rd birthday. I also spent the afternoon mending four dresses for our trip to Oklahoma City at the end of the week. FOUR! ahhh!
After this week, I will be on a tiny hiatus from the blog to spend time with family and friends, whom we hardly ever get to see- can't wait!


-Amanda

ETHUM SAYS.

As Ethum points to his chest... "There's a big heart in there."
...yes, Ethum, we know.


-Amanda

CHRISTMAS DECOR- Part Two.

                            

-Amanda

IT'S KILLING ME!

Here I am making all these wonderful handmade Christmas gifts and I can't share any of them here on the blog! Ugh! I will do a little re-cap after our trip to Oklahoma City. For now, I will just share this somewhat ambiguous picture of the final gift I'm working on. Happy Friday! Weeeeeeeee!

-Amanda

TRY A LITTLE KINDNESS.



print found here.



Sooo, yesterday I ran out of coffee and forgot to buy more. This morning was kind of dreary with the occasional light rain, so after I fed the littles and showered and all that good stuff, I loaded everyone up and we went to Antidote (one of our favorite coffee shops in Houston). I thought about just going through a Starbucks drive-thru, but we are kind of snobby in that we are kind of against the idea of drive-thru coffee. Anyway, if I was going to have to drive to get coffee, I might as well get a cajeta latte, which is pretty much the best drink in the world. The parking lot is tiny and I wouldn't mind parking down the street but that means that I will also be keeping a toddler out the street while lugging a car-seat the whole walk down that street. I managed to find a decent parking spot and we all went it aaaand then we went out aaaand well, it was pouring down! I had almost reached my car (with the boys, coffee, and Ethum's drinkable yogurt) when the barista came running out with an umbrella. He chased me around the car as I was buckling the boys in and finding places for drinks and a diaper bag. When that was over, I said, "thank you. that was so kind of you". Even I was surprised at what I said. I don't think that sentence has ever been spoken with my lips but I truly meant it. This guy had chased me down, around the side of the building to make sure that I didn't get myself and my children sopping wet. Now, did I really mind getting wet? No, not really but he had stopped what he was doing while they had a line almost going out the door, just to be kind. This is what I'm talking about. It totally made my day. And to top it off, when I got home I read this blog post by Emma from Food Coma. Pretty inspiring, wouldn't ya say?

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” -Aesop

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." -Plato


-Amanda

PEPPERMINT BARK - A Recipe.

Are you ready? I'm going to share with you my peppermint bark recipe. I could eat this stuff everyday- no lie. I never liked peppermint bark (even the kind from william-sonoma) until I figured out a little trick called 'peppermint flavor'. This recipe is also on the Christmas tradition list. I made it up while Dave and I were still dating and it is something of a miracle that it turned out to be this good. I had good intentions and really enjoyed to cook/bake but I didn't quite know what I was doing back then. Try it, you'll like it.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag or around 2 cups of dark chocolate chips
• 1 bag or around 2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon peppermint flavor (I use a high quality organic)
• 20 mini candy canes

Instructions:
Break up the candy canes with a food processor or put them in a plastic bag and crush them up with a rolling pin (alternatively, you can do it the super classy way, using a hammer...ahem). Using a double boiler or a sauce pan,bring 1 inch of water to boil. Pour dark chocolate chips into double boiler or a glass/metal boil and stir chocolate until completely melted. Spread the melted dark chocolate on foil lined baking sheet (it doesn't have to be perfect, as you are going to break it up anyway). Put the baking sheet in the refrigerate for 30 mins or until it is completely solid again. Now you are going to melt the white chocolate the same  way. Stir in the peppermint flavor and then spread the white chocolate over the dark chocolate. You need to be very careful not to let your spatula/spoon too close to the dark chocolate when spreading or you will have chocolate swirls. Sprinkle the crushed candy canes over the top and refrigerate for another 30 minutes. After its completely solid, peel the foil off the bottom and break up the bark while its still cold to prevent chocolate finger prints. Enjoy!


Notes: 1)I recently found that Kroger'shouse brand 62% cacao tastes very similar to Ghirardelli. 2)Plain red and white candy canes look best, but they were sold out. 3) You can use less candy canes if you wish, but I really enjoy the  'crunchies' on top.


-Amanda

OUR FRIDAY NIGHT.

Last Friday night, we went to our favorite spot in Houston, DownHouse. They have excellent everything- food, coffee, ambiance, staff, you name it! Our plan was to try out a brand new restaurant in the neighborhood called Liberty Kitchen, but they were booked with an hour wait. We were starving and had the littles in tow, so that was a no-go. DownHouse was also packed but since no one had the 'private room with the large table' reserved, they gave it to us- how nice!

Ethum had fried chicken strips with french fries. What kid doesn't love that combo? This was the most delicious fried chicken and french fries I have ever had! YUM!! They use local 'proteins' and produce- we love that. I had the warm green bean salad, complete with pear, bacon lardons, and a poached egg. Who on Earth came up with that combo?! I don't know, but it was amazing. Also, I have never eaten so many green beans in one sitting! Dave had the longhorn burger and he was all about it.

                                    

It was a late night and the boys were tired so we decided to keep them entertained with a little face-time on the iphone.

It was the best family outing we've had in awhile. I hope you had a super fun weekend too!

-Amanda