may your days be

Currently, I am up to my savage, unplucked eyebrows in ham glaze, ginger cookie production, obsessive compulsive gift wrapping, and post partum hair loss. I place Weston on an unblanketed carpet for 28 seconds and he emerges with a fist full o'hair tightly locked in his hot dog fingers, and I can't go one feeding without finding strands stashed in his neck folds. A secure place for them, I might add. I'm fairly positive J. K. Rowling could safely hide a horcrux in his chins and no one would be the wiser.

I'm popping in to wish you all the very merriest of Christmases. For some reason, this year's Christmas season has been particularly flavored with good will toward men. I guess by that I mean good will towards me. I have had so many unexpected favors cast my way in the last couple of weeks, and I wanted to take the time to thank:

The lady in the Starbucks drive-thru the other day that paid for my drink and drove off. No reason, and no waiting around to be acknowledged for her kindness.

My sister, who popped in yesterday to let me run Christmas Eve Eve errands (like the irresponsible procrastinator that I am) sans Jordan, and cleaned my apartment sparkling in the hour that I was gone.

Kate, who knocked me off my tiny, unbalanced feet with a total surprise of a package. She handmade the sweetest stuffed animals I have ever, ever seen for both Weston and Jordan, and sent me the most amazing homemade chai blend I have tasted in life - a life replete with many a chai sampling, to be sure.

tell me you're not totally blown away

 

 

She casually mentioned she may post the recipe and it is up to us, her dedicated followers, to bother her everyday until this happens. It's for the good of mankind.

 

 

Then there's Chalayn. We haven't even met, she and I. But we chat a lot about Breaking Bad and Friday Night Lights and Tim Riggins, and lo, she up and sends me this amazing package with hilarious handmade ornaments and ummmmmm coconut curry chocolate?? There is a chocolate genius that has made the world a better place, as Chalayn has made mine for introducing me to it. Consequently I see my jeans being a smaller place, as well.

 

A rhino and an elephant...wearing Santa hats and scarves. It's brilliant, you agree?

 

 

Oh and also, she is an amazingly talented sketch artist because I think she captured our likenesses perfectly:

 

Sean's wearing his smiley face jams from my About page which I haven't updated since Weston has been born because, shameless. And Jordan is appropriately bowl-cutted because her mother got a hold of some scissors last week:

 

and someone had to suffer the consequences..

 

 

What I'm trying to say is I've been the recipient of some truly wonderful gestures and friendships. There's something about an unexpected kindness that gives me a good will high all day. Or at least until Jordan throws each individual book all across her room again. I hope you are so fortunate to have friends and family such as these. It makes life a little Christmasier (<----- which really should be a superlative. If I were a lexicographer...)

 

Guys, have a great one. A really warm, fuzzy, spicy Christmas all around.

 

 

 

See you soon













tis the season

Alright I'm not going to drop anything too heavy on you, because I'm sure your feeds are all overloaded with Christmas cheer. I just have to say though, as I've said before, man, I just love this time of year. Every Christmas since having Jordan - and this will be our third - I've said to Sean or my mom or whoever has had the misfortune to be standing within earshot, "this year is going to be so much fun with Jordan." But really, THIS year. This is the Christmas that is going to be so much fun to share with Jordan.

What you have to understand about this year is Jordan is going around saying things like "merry pissmas!!" and "pissmas lights mommmm! pitty!" and "I wah watch Grinch" - except, it doesn't sound like Grinch. It sounds like what maybe a female Grinch would be called. I made the mistake of asking "oh, are you feeling a little Grinchy this morning, Jordan?" to which I received, "yeah, I **tchy." Between these and "tit-or-teating" I think we're rounding out all of our holidays with a good healthy dose of curse words.

It has turned murderously cold (by my standards anyway), but for me, this adds to the enchantment of the season. I'm incredibly paranoid about my children freezing their little appendages off, so I've been bundling them in three layers apiece, topping off with a beanie and scarf and off we go in search of Christmas lights and cocoa.

pre-sock double-up and fur-lined boots. poor kid probably roasts like a chestnut. on an open fire.

Seeing the Christmas season through these newer eyes takes me right on back. I absolutely buy into Christmas magic, as horribly hokey as that is. Christmas lights, carols, movies, books - give them to me. I am your haven, Christmas cheer. Seeing it happen anew in this quirky-wonderful two year old with a penchant for mispronunciation is my idea of good fun.

watching the ice skaters

Weston, well, he can't do much this time around but look severely perturbed.

But we'll give him a year or so. He gets his taste of the season by way of hint-o'-mint breastmilk post-candy cane binge on the part of his mother. Should be sufficient for a fat three-monther.

And now because I'm feeling festively benevolent, I want to share this hot chocolate recipe which, incidentally, is straight off the Hershey's unsweetened cocoa box, but with just a couple extra goods:

4 cups of milk

1/3 cup of water

1/2 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of Hershey's unsweetened cocoa

3/4 tsp of vanilla

pinch of salt

Peppermint schnapps, for the willing adults

Candy canes, for the unfortunate underaged

Incorporate the dry ingredients in a medium saucepan. Add water and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until boiling. Boil and stir two minutes, then add milk. Heat to desired temp while stirring occasionally, but do not let boil. Add vanilla off heat and divide hot chocolate between four cups.

Do yourself a solid and punch up those babies with a shot...or two...of peppermint schnapps, or take it easy and stir it on up with a candy cane. Either way you get that irresistibly Christmas influence. 

I must insist you use the powers of the cocoa for good, and imbibe while participating in a round of I Spy Christmas or taking in a classic like A Christmas Story (Scut Farkus! he had yellow eyes!) or White Christmas (because Danny Kaye) or bringing it along on a Christmas light hunt. Them's the rules.