Christmas WishList

I found this cute little parenting/Christmas wishlist on Pinterest: 

We changed these up some and wrote our messages to Jesus...
CoM says "Dear Jesus, thank You for being born! Thank you for putting Yourself on the cross so that we could go to Heaven. Thank You for giving us stuff." ~ 
LB's says "Dear Jesus, thank You for being born! Thank You for dying on the cross and for giving us everything we need and for going up to Heaven!" ~ 

CoM's wishlist: 

What I want: Working Laptop (keep dreaming, kid!)
What I need: Warm Boots (LB wants to get these for her)
I'll wear: Sweater (I think I can swing that!)
I'll read: FableHaven Series (I'll see what I can do)
What I'd love: Enough money to move (working on it!)

LB's wishlist:
What I want: a Playhouse (me, too!)
What I need: rain boots (CoM's getting these for her)
long-sleeve shirts
warm coat (I'm looking around for these)
I'll wear: a rainbow outfit: rainbow skirt, shirt, gloves, hat, jacket and tights (help!)
I'll read: fairy princess books (any leads?)
children's Bible (age appropriate) (Still looking for this one!)
What I'd love: the life-size (full-size?) "playhouse I can take my babies in, my stroller, my crib...you know, all of it" (again, me, too!)

My wishlist:
What I want:
a manicure - I haven't had one in 9 years
Christmas decorations (all ours were left/lost in MS)
Good TEAs
a nice blender
a Women's devotional or study Bible
a good pair of brown boots like I pinned (thanks my Grace gals!) to pinterest
What I need: Binders for school
Printer paper & ink
highlighters
hair care items (barrettes, ponytail holders, braiding helps)
I'll wear: sweatshirts
yoga pants (I LOVE my yoga pants)
longish skirts
I'll read: Love Inspired Suspense
Terri Blackstock
Dee Henderson
Counseling Books (okay, yeah, that should go up with "I need")
What I'd love: money to move on :D
a makeover - I haven't had one since my wedding more than a decade ago.


I know it's early but we've been saving up all year for this and the cd matures next month. If we don't have a plan we won't have anything left for Christmas.

I want to buy a tree this year - one we can decorate and that will last for years (unless someone has one they'd like to donate? I'm not below begging!)
We're also looking for an Operation Christmas Child location. We have $25 to spend (set aside, $20 plus the $5 for shipping) for that, plus the girls are giving up some of their toys and clothes this year for some other child who wouldn't get a Christmas otherwise.

How does your family celebrate the holidays? We posted pics today on Facebook of the girls carving their pumpkin and then the finished product. We're hoping to bake the pie tomorrow (a missing nut on my $15 blender really puts a kink in that plan!). We don't do halloween but we do celebrate bringing in the Harvest, so all fall will be a celebration! We have Thanksgiving and Christmas. What are some of your family traditions?

Fall - or Harvest - Celebration: Exodus 23:16

Fall is in the air: leaves are dropping, pine straw covers the ground, the morning air has a bit of a nip in it.

My family does not celebrate Halloween for many reasons; however, it is only recently that we have begun participating in community Fall Festivals.
CoM & LB love to see the fall decorations, the pumpkins, the scarecrows, the fall wreaths and to experience the fun fall feeling in the air.
This year, LB helped make the above wreath - our very first fall celebration wreath. We started with a basic Dollar Tree wreath from Christmas last year. We wrapped it with a string of Christmas lights, the clear kind, 20 bulbs, and went from there.
Last year at Christmas, the girls gathered pine cones. We scented them with vanilla oil and baked them in the oven for 15 minutes. They've kept all year long. LB helped me take beading wire and wrap the cones to the wreath, spaced out in what she deemed acceptable placing.
We then took some of my wire-wrapped forms and wrapped them to the top of the wreath.
I also ordered some gold beads for crafting from Oriental Trading Co. and we cut them in half, tying them together and wrapping the wreath in the beads.
Finally, we took some autumn themed sheer ribbon and tied a bow. We took the remaining ends and threaded more gold beads with them. We secured the bow with more wire and some "acorn-esque" beads and mounted a wooden cross bead in the middle of the bow.
Our plan is to reuse the pine cones, the gold beads and lights to welcome the Christmas season.

What are some ways that your family celebrates Fall? Do you trick-or-treat? Carve pumpkins? Do you go all out for Thanksgiving?
What are your plans for fall? Let's go out this year and really celebrate the fruit of our labors, giving thanks to our Maker for the many blessings we have received (even the lessons in the struggles and sorrow of life).

SCONES...SCONES...SCONES

CoM's birthday is Saturday and she wants a princess tea party. We were discussing a "proper" English tea, and she decided that instead of CAKE she wants SCONES. So now I have several recipes to try, but am working on this one tonight, I think. I'll post pictures along the way to show how they turn out.

One variation, also borrowed/learned, is to freeze the dough for roughly 30 minutes before baking. I may try to wait until Friday to bake, but there's no reason not to mix it up now. Suggestions? The clotted cream will take the longest, I think, if I'm brave enough to try it! I may "cheat" and just whip my heavy cream into a nice tart topping.
Question: will frozen berries work, especially if I let them thaw before hand?

Trying this out, borrowed from a fellow blogger...http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2006/11/dream-a-little-dream-of-scone/

Dreamy Cream Scones
America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook

2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, preferably a low-protein brand such as Gold Medal or Pillsbury
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup currants (I used dried cranberries, and chopped them into smaller bits)
1 cup heavy cream

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F.

2. Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large bowl or work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Whisk together or pulse six times.

3. If making by hand, use two knives, a pastry blender or your fingertips and quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Stir in currants. If using food processor, remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. Add currants and pulse one more time. Transfer dough to large bowl.

4. Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.

5. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Form scones by either a) pressing the dough into an 8-inch cake pan, then turning the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, cutting the dough into 8 wedges with either a knife or bench scraper (the book’s suggestion) or b) patting the dough onto a lightly floured work surface into a 3/4-inch thick circle, cutting pieces with a biscuit cutter, and pressing remaining scraps back into another piece (what I did) and cutting until dough has been used up. (Be warned if you use this latter method, the scones that are made from the remaining scraps will be much lumpier and less pretty, but taste fine. As in, I understand why they suggested the first method.)

6. Place rounds or wedges on ungreased baking sheet and bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.