A most overwhelming month

Wow...it's been a very full winter for me so far. I've been working, juggling all the duties in mamadom, and trying to fit in fun, holiday themed activities to inspire and delight my family so I can finally make the cover of a magazine as mama of the year, whilst cooking nutritious, homemade meals from scratch, keeping my manicure unchipped and my floor spotless, and creating all of our Christmas presents from recycled materials.

Just kidd'n.

Actually between work, house stuff, and the approaching holiday, I have just been trying to keep it all together. Manicure. Ha! Life's been full, to say the least. We are celebrating the Advent season more consistently this year, as it's been very important to Olivia in the past. We found the Advent wreath, lit the appropriate candles in a timely manner, and have managed to make a manger scene entirely out of wood chips, seeds, sticks, dried leaves and a healthy coat of acrylic paint. It looks so cool, and we've been enjoying our favorite Christmas book along with it-The Frugal Gourmet Celebrates Christmas, by Jeff Smith. No kidding- this book really rocks for those who choose to dive in a bit deeper about the Christmas story. Each charachter from the manger scene is highlighted with a bit of backstory, and a recipe is offered for each. For instance, in the chapter about the mother Mary, Smith offers a recipe for a flower salad, which is so cool and just prettyful.

Now we have just finished reading about the cows, the tax collector, and the innkeeper, and all the recipes that are offered for them revolve around barley. So, tomorrow we will go out and I will purchase barley for the first time in fifteen years. I'll let you know the results and the ensuing recipes as we develop them.

Other than that, most of my present shopping is done, I'm still finishing some sewing for a present for someone who shall remain nameless. This year I chose to wrap all my gifts in packing paper that Bill got in some boxes of electronic equipment from a job he did in October. It's big and nicely wrinkled, and looks very nice with some scribbles done by yours truly. This year is a lean Christmas for gifting, but we are rich with love in our hearts, and hope for the future. I am blessed to have so many good friends and family members. Much love to all, and I'll post again soon about the barley and the completed sewing project.