Vampires and Werewolves

For the past month or so I have been reading a lot. Not quality literature, but certainly entertaining page turners. It started with taking the Hunger Games trilogy out of the library. They were quite easy to read, and kept my interest, for the most part. I tired of the story by the third book, but I needed to finish the series, so I persevered.

Next, I started reading the Sookie Stackhouse series. I had thought of seeking them out a few years ago, when True Blood started airing on TV. I'd never watched the HBO series, but there was enough of a buzz around the books, and show, I decided to start reading the books. These books are super easy to read as well. My husband would argue I spent 14 hours a day reading them which was why I was able to finish a book in about a day or two. I was spending a lot of my time reading, but not 14 hours.

I used to read a lot in high school. My goto author back then was Piers Anthony, but I read other fantasy novelists. I would stay up until the wee hours of the morning, reading in my bed. Sometimes, I would be reading instead of studying for my tests or exams. My current marathon reading spell bring back memories of this time past. I keep thinking, is this a bad thing? Is reading better for my brain than spending all this time watching TV or movies? These books are not literary masterpieces. They are pulp, airport reading, fluff. But, entertaining, page turning fluff.

I finished the Sookie Stackhouse series in a couple of weeks. In search of something else, I found the series that inspired Charlaine Harris to write her vampire books. The Anita Baker series by Laurell K. Hamilton. I am currently in the midst of reading this series. They have also been made into comics.

Of course, as is standard fair for Vampire Literature, there is a woman torn between her love for a vampire and her love for a werewolf or shapeshifter. I find this a more recent phenomenon in the genre. Anne Rice was able to write entertaining vampire books, not involving this triad. Buffy the Vampire Slayer managed to avoid it as well, although there is a werewolf love interest, just not in competition with the vampire nor with the main character.

I really did not like the Twilight series at all. Maybe it was too tame. Maybe it was too lame. I have no idea what made it not my cup of tea, but give me Buffy, Lestat, Sookie, anytime over Ella, Edward, and Jacob. It was probably the fact that the vampires sparkled in the sun. Or, the ridiculous pregnancy and birth. I even prefer The Vampire Diaries mythology, although they use magic to daywalk, and basically make the vampires humans, with teeth.

The next big vampire hit should have a love triangle between a vampire, human, and something not a werewolf. Zombie? Elf? Or, better yet, no triangle. Of course, there always has to be unrequited love in stories, or people would not keep reading (watching). No one wants to see happily ever ever. There always has to be ongoing conflict in the relationship to keep things interesting. Remember Moonlighting? The show was not as good when the two main characters hooked up. Writers are always trying to avoid that pitfall.

So, here I am spending hours, to my husband's chagrin, reading fluffy, vampire lit. But, it's fun. Like having a movie in my head. It has quite engrossed me over the holidays. I have been neglecting my blog. I took a little vacation from writing while visiting my parents. Since I had not written in a week or so, and this is the last day of the year, I decided to jump back on the wagon.

Here's to a brand new shiny year, full of potential. Let us see what I can come up with to write about, and whether or not I have the stamina to maintain it. And, please, do not judge me because I like vampire stories. At least I am discerning in which vampires I like. Or snobby. Take your pick.

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Christmas Gifts for Teachers

Well, I was unable to give away the lovely plant arrangement I made last week. I saw all the beautiful ones my friends divvied out to the staff, but two such arrangements might be overkill. I had to come up with something else to give my daughter's teachers. There is always chocolates, mugs, Tim Hortons gift cards, but I decided my kids would help me make some layered cookie mixes, with festive colours.

Last year, I found some tall, glass storage containers at Dollarama, and used those to display the cookie mixes. This year, I opted for some reusable plastic containers. I was able to buy two-packs for $1.25, so they were cheaper. The containers I picked were a good size, in that the amount of cookie dough mix the recipe creates filled the container. I would have preferred narrower, taller containers to show off the layers better, but I have yet to find the perfect jar. Maybe next year, I will not divide the ingredients in half, and have fewer layers. Hmmm.

Whole Foods has a slew of food gift ideas, and you can also narrow it down by special diet. I used their recipe for Cranberry Pistachio Oatmeal Lace Cookies. After you have all the ingredients assembled, you pour your layers into the containers. Print up the downloadable gift tag. Tie a ribbon around the container, and attach the tag. The gift recipient has to add eggs, butter, and vanilla to the mix, and follow the instructions on the tag. I also include the recipe for the dry ingredients, in case they would like to make the cookies again.

Here is a link to Whole Foods' website with 15 gift ideas, including the recipe I used. I have also gifted the gingersnap cookie mix in the past. If you buy your ingredients at a bulk food store, this is an economical way to gift several people. http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/holidays/gifts

Since the gift was going to school, I modified the recipe slightly. I omitted the pistachios (although they do add a festive green layer is you know your recipient has no nut allergies). I included some white chocolate chips instead of the nuts, and I also added a layer of chopped dried apricots, for some additional colour. I think with thicker layers, the colours would stand out more. Just a thought for the next time.

The beauty of giving cookie mixes is that you do not have to worry about the cookies going stale. Your gift recipient can make the cookies whenever he or she would like to make the cookies. Hopefully, they can also find another use for the container you used. Use clear containers to show off the layers, otherwise, there is not point in making layers. The kids can help with adding the ingredients to the container, so your child can have a hand in creating his or her teacher's gift.

My daughter's teachers loved the gift, and hopefully the cookies will turn out. Plus, they can share them with their families and friends. This is always the best part of gift giving. The joy, and letting everyone else celebrate along with you.

 

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Sometimes Cooking Mistakes Turn Out

White Chocolate Fruity "Bark"

I don't really call this a bark because in my experience, bark tends to be quite hard, and this recipe mixes cream with the chocolate, giving it a softer texture. I was trying to make some white chocolate squares from a recipe in Today's Parent. I had not bought enough white chocolate because it is expensive, and it just seemed like a lot of chocolate. Well, to make bars, or thick squares, you need the amount their recipe asked for.

I also forgot to buy the toffee flavoured baking chips. I assume these are like Skor bits, or something similar. This was not something I did consciously, I just forgot to buy them. It was a rushed morning. With half of the chocolate, and missing what could have been a key ingredient, I ploughed forward in an attempt to do some sort of holiday treat making.

I did make a conscious decision to include dried cranberries and chopped dried apricots because the squares seemed devoid of anything but fat, sugar and salt. I have a hard time making something that is solely calories, with no "redeeming" qualities. Although, my chocolate covered marshmallows are pure sugar and chocolate.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup whipping cream, 1 tsp lemon zest, 6 ounces finely chopped white chocolate, 1cup crushed pretzels, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots. If there are no nut allergies, also 1/2 pistachio nuts.

Heat the cream over medium heat in a saucepan, and add the lemon zest. When the cream is boiling, remove from heat, and stir in the chopped white chocolate. Stir until melted. Stir in all the other ingredients. Spread into a plastic lined pan. It should reach the edges of an 8X8 square baking pan. Let cool in the refrigerator for at least one hour. You can cut it into 25 squares when it is cooled.

It might sound like an odd combination, but it is pretty yummy. Very sweet.

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Having a Milestone Birthday

In six days, I will be 40. In five days, the world might end. Either way, the world as I know it will be over. I will no longer be a young and vibrant woman in her 30s. Pththt! Naw! I don't feel that way! I don't feel much different than I have felt in the past six or seven years. Maybe even in the past ten years.

Having children has changed me, a bit, but I think I am basically the same person I was ten years ago. I don't feel that different, mentally. Which makes you wonder, do 80 year old people still feel like their 27 year-old selves inside, but are just trapped in a physically failing body? No wonder getting old sucks. And, I mean really old.

It is just a number, right? Most of my high school classmates have already gone through this "milestone" birthday this year. They did not seem worse for wear when I saw them this summer. Most of them did not have a big celebration to mark the occasion. In fact, many of my friends have met 40 quite quietly, as will I. We are having dinner with my parents, and spending the first week of Christmas vacation with them.

People around here, cannot believe I am turning 40. My mom and I have good youth genes. She will be 74 in March, and people are always stunned. I have had people incredulous of age since university. I never know what a certain age is supposed to look like. I just assume most people I meet now, who look around my age, are in fact younger.

My children are young, as well. Most people in Sudbury start their families earlier than people in larger communities. My Vancouverite friends, my age, have children the same age as mine. Most people around here, with children the same age as mine, are 10 years younger. They assume I am the same age as they are.

Even the woman hosting my son's playgroup couldn't believe I was "as old as her". It was kind of amusing. Well, she is a month older than me! Her family did throw a surprise party for her 40th. She knew they had something planned, but got her on the day. She said they were all dressed up in 80s clothes, and played 80s music all night.

That is what usually gets people wondering about my age. When I start referencing John Hughes movies or 80s music. Corey hart. Def Leppard. Cindy Lauper. Pretty in Pink. Breakfast Club. Ferris Bueller. Usually the 30 somethings give blank stares. New Kids on the Block. Yup, that is my generation. But, we grew up watching the Muppets, so it can't be that bad.

 

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Holiday Plant Arrangements

At the Steps and Stages (from Our Children Our Future) Christmas party, we were treated to a plant arrangement session. The coordinator for this program is a super crafty mom extraordinaire. She makes salt dough ornaments every year with her kids, and decorates her yard with huge Christmas tree bulbs. I found out today she makes plant arrangements every year to give as gifts, especially to her children's teacher. Unfortunately, this meant I was unable to give my wonderful arrangement to my daughter's teacher because the coordinator's son is in the same class!

She invited her mother to come and help us create these beautiful arrangements. None if us had ever done something like this before. Every arrangement was unique, and we all did a fantastic job. The method could not be any simpler, and there is no wrong way to do it.

I remember my mom used to do things like this ages age, and it seemed to fall out of favour, or she decided to do other things. Remember those green foam blocks for flower arrangements? You use them, along with some tree branches, cones, plant sticks, wire, and ribbon, to make your own Christmas arrangement. And, you do not have to spend very much money, or time, if you already have the stuff handy.

If you know this is something you are interested in doing, you might want to start collecting the pine cones in the late summer, early fall, because you will be hard pressed to find any under the snow. On your nature hikes, bring a bag, and collect whatever you like. You can even collect some woody stemmed weeds, and dry them for later use. As for the branches, you could get cut evergreen branches from a greenhouse, but why would you spend your hard earned money when you can prune some branches outside, for free? Especially, when you live so close to nature, like us in Sudbury.

Be careful where you go, as there might be laws about cutting trees. Just do not completely hack the trees. Snip a branch here, and a branch there. They do not need to be very long. And, do not snip the top off of smaller trees. Trees grow from the top, and snipping it, encourages the branches to grow more, and you'll end up with a stunted bushy tree.

For our arrangements, we used Red Pine, White Pine, Juniper, and Cedar. Pines have nice long needles, in bunches, and the branches often fan out, so it works really well as the base of the arrangement. White Pine has a more feathery appearance. You could use some Fir or Spruce branches, but you would need more of them to fill in the arrangement. The Cedar, and Juniper were used as accents.

We were lucky enough to have a base cut from a birch tree with a pretty, plastic bowl glued to it. You can always start your arrangement in a margarine container. The green foam blocks are sold at the dollar store in a three pack. Put one in the margarine container, and cut the plastic down, so the foam is exposed. The container is to contain the water, as you need to soak the foam first.

Stick the pine branches into the lower part of the middle of each vertical side of the block, on all four sides. Try to make sure the branches are not too long, and do not stick them too far into the foam, as this will make it difficult to put other branches in later. After you have done the four sides, stick branches in the corners. You will be adding eight branches, two on each side of the corner. Then, you work your way up the block. I only used two layers, and filled in the gaps after. The upper layer should have shorter branches.

When you are satisfied with the sides of your arrangement, add branches to the top of your block. You can pick branches with a bit of a curve to them, if you would like to round out the design. I used about 12 branches on the top. I used straighter one in the middle of the top face of the block. Then, you start adding your accent branches, here and there. We were told cedar usually goes on the bottom. The juniper branches were longer, and spikier, so I used them on top.

We added some cones, ornaments, and ribbon, all twisted around green sticks, with some wire. The ribbon had wire in it to keep its shape, and you need to round it out, for a fuller look. When the arrangements were finished, we sprayed them with a little artificial snow, and, voilà, your own personally designed arrangement for much less than what they charge in the stores.

You can use to same materials to spruce up you flower pots in you yard too. So, have at it, and be your own decorator!

That's right, it says Happy Holidays!

 

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Lollipop Ornaments

Last year, I made little felt mice with pipe cleaner candy canes as ornaments for my daughter's kindergarten class. This year, I made felt lollipop ornaments. They are fairly easy to make, and once you have the "candy" part done, your kids could help you glue the ornaments together.

The first batch I made were with two colours. My local dollar store does not have a huge selection of felt, so I ended up making lollipops that looked more suited for a baby shower than for the holidays. My kids liked them, though, and that is all that matters. The second batch was made with three colours, and had more of the swirly lollipop look to them. My daughter is partial to these ones as they are "multicolore".

For each pair of felt sheets, I was able to cut out enough strips to make 8 lollipop heads. The strips are just over 1cm in width. It is not important if they are even throughout the strip, but try to cut them as straight as possible. When you roll the strips up, keep one side level. You will attach the popsicle stick, ribbon, and backing felt onto the uneven side. I used white glue to stick everything together. There is probably some better crafters glue out there. I used what I had available in my house.

I rolled together four strips of felt, alternating the colours to create the swirl effect. Two strips does not make a very big head, and five or more strips become difficult to roll, and keep even.

I have seen designs where they make sure the outer strip of felt is the longest, but I liked the staggered look. I glued each of the strips down, and let it dry. I cut circles out of an additional piece of felt. I glued the ribbon to the popsicle stick, then glued the stick, and ribbon to the head of the lollipop. Then, I glued the felt circle on top to secure everything. I let them dry with some heavy books on top to ensure it was all stuck together.

You can paint the popsicle stick with stripes, and add a bow at the base of the candy head. I left the sticks "au naturel", and had my daughter write her name on it. I wrote her classmates' names on the other side of the stick, along with the date. The idea is for these to be keepsakes. I am not sure how long the glue will hold, but they are relatively easy to fix if they start coming apart.

I made some candy heads with three different colours of felt, but still using four strips.

The cost of the project is relatively low, if you buy the riboon at the dollar store. Felt sheets are around $0.40 each. To make 18 ornaments, I spent $3.75 on ribbon, $1 for the popsicle sticks, and $2.50 for the felt sheets, plus tax. I could have spent less on the ribbon, but bought three different colours. The most tedious part is trying to line up the edges of the felt strips for the good face of the lollipop candy.

And, there's an easy gift for your child's classmates. I included a chocolated coated pepermint marshmallow in a gift bag, and my daughter passed them out to her class this week.

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Wallpaper and Christmas Tree

We need a new Christmas tree stand. I went out and got our Christmas tree yesterday. This year, I judged the sized well, and it fits perfectly in our basement. Had I decided to put the tree upstairs, we could have had a huge tree, but the basement has more space. However, the basement has lower ceilings. My husband and I managed to get the tree downstairs without much difficulty. Then, it was time to put it in the stand, and tempers started flaring.

I suppose it is time for a new stand. Our current one is at least three years old, maybe four. I thought I had made a good choice when I bought it, but now I realize, it is not a very good stand. Metal screws going through a plastic holder. It was only a matter of time before the holes were stripped.

I am beginning to wonder if all Christmas tree stands are inherently flawed. We often had issues when I lived with my parents. So much so, that one year, the whole tree fell, fully decorated. It smashed some ornaments a friend of mine bought for my birthday, almost foreshadowing the end of our friendship a few months later. (Seriously, but that is an old story, for another time).

The screws to hold the tree in place have stripped the plastic on at least one side. Our tree is kind of wedged into a corner, leaning against a wall, so it will not fall over. I had made sure the base of the stand was wide enough to discourage tipping, but if the tree is not straight in the stand, there is always the risk it will fall. I was frustrated, trying to hold the tree steady while my husband twisted the screw, and it did not budge. He was frustrated because I told him the tree was crooked. We were both stomping around, and getting frustrated with the kids who were running around us while we attempted to get the tree steady.

 

Putting up a Christmas tree with a wonky stand, and putting up wallpaper. These are two surefire ways to start an argument. I refuse to hang wallpaper because I know I will turn into a raging banshee. Unfortunately, we don't have much choice when it come to putting up a Christmas tree. I suppose I could refuse to do that as well, but my kids would be disappointed, and I would be accused of being the Grinch.

It does not help that I am dealing with a sore neck and back. Not the best things when you are lifting, and holding a heavy tree. The pain in my neck is draining me physically, and it was late afternoon by the time we started the tree set up. I should have been napping, or taking a relaxing bath, away from other people.

In the end, the tree looks pretty good. Most of the decorations are on the bottom, since the kids do not have a very high reach. Only one glass ornament was broken, and this was because I dared to think how we had not broken a glass ornament yet. You cannot even think things when it comes to kids, or you will jinx yourself! I managed to even out the decorations, a little. We still have lots more we could out on the tree. Maybe next year we can clear some space upstairs, and get a taller tree.

Any advice for picking a great tree stand, that is easy to use, and will last? Boxing day sales?

 

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Homemade Marshmallows

Finally, I made my own marshmallows. It was super easy. The whole thing took less than an hour, including clean up. I used a recipe from the Holiday 2012 Food and Drink magazine. It uses simple ingredients. Most, you probably already have in your home. Make sure you get white corn syrup, if you want snowy white marshmallows.

The recipe for Basic Marshmallows follows. The article is by Christopher St. Onge, and I assume the recipe is too.

Ingredients:

1 cup sifted icing sugar (Although, you do not need this much. 2/3 cup might suffice.), 1/3 cup water, 2 tbsp unflavoured gelatin, 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup white corn syrup, 1 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla. For peppermint marshmallows, omit salt, and use 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract.

Method:

Lightly grease an 8 inch square baking pan with vegetable oil. Using a small sieve, dust the pan with 1/4 cup of icing sugar.

Pour 1/3 cup cool water into a large mixng bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle gelatine over, and allow to soften for 15 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat, combine 1/3 cup water, corn syrup, sugar, and salt. Omit salt for peppermint marshmallows. Stir to dissove the sugar. Bring to a boil, and allow to cook for 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Using an electric mixer, or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, on low speed, slowly pour the hot syrup into the gelatine mixture in a thin stream down the side of the bowl. Gradually icrease the speed to high, and continue to beat for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the mixture has roughly tripled in volume and is very thick and glossy. Add the vanilla extract, or peppermint, and continue to beat until combined, about 15 seconds longer.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. Using damp fingers, level and smooth top. (I did not have to worry about this step). Allow to stand uncovered at room temperature for 1 hour. Using a sieve, dust top with 1/4 cup icing sugar, and allow to set overnight.

If you are doing peppermint marshmallows, after scraping the mixture into the pan, sprinkle the top with 1 tsp of red food colouring, and use a toothpick to marble the colouring throughout.

Place the remaining 1/2 cup icing sugar in a small bowl. Unmould the marshmallow onto a cutting board. Lightly oil a sharp knife, and cut the marshmallow into 2 inch squares. Roll each in icing sugar to coat. Marshmallows will keep in an airtight container for 1 week.

I coated mine in choclate. I melted some semisweet chocolate chips, and dipped the marshmallows in the chocolate. You have to work quickly because the chocolate melts the marshmallows a little. I used a wooden spoon, and a fork. Place the coated marshmallows on parchment paper to allow the choclate to harden.

The marshmallows are quite fluffy. I found another recipe from Canadian Living that uses egg whites. It is a more complicated procedure, requiring a candy thermoneter. These marshmallows were dead simple to make. They were easier to make than truffles. My husband wants me to try peanut butter ones, but I am not sure if they would be as fluffy. If you can find soy free chocolate, these are relatively allergen free, but loaded with sugar! It's the holidays. Time for treats!

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Make Your Own Advent Calendar

My family is not religious, but we do have some cultural "rituals" we observe over the holidays. We always had a real Christmas tree, and it was decorated with candles. My father used to light the candles, when we were younger, and we would watch as they would burn down. We were very careful as to where the candles were placed on the tree, and we never left it unattended. We don't light them anymore, but my parents still put candles on their tree. We also decorated our tree with chocolate candies covered in multicoloured sprinkles.

Another tradition in our home was an Advent calendar. They are quite common place now, but when I was growing up, most of my friends did not have Advent calendars. My parents would often have to go to the German shop to buy our calendars. Usually, we got those with chocolate treats, but sometimes my parents would buy ones with toys, and candies inside.

When my niece and nephew were younger, my mom sent them 24 little gift bags for them to open during the month of December. I think she bought mostly things from Dollarama to fill the bags. Inspired by this, I decided a few years back, to make my own, reusuable Advent calendar. There are so many ideas on the Internet for crafting your own calendar. A friend of mine is doing a scrapbook style one, with tags inside 12 pockets one two pages. I opted for a matchbox one.

There are also many different styles of matchbox calendars. I chose to follow the Martha Stewart design. You can see her example at the following link: http://www.marthastewart.com/265851/m-is-for-matchbox-advent-calendar

I ended up cutting the matchboxes by hand, out of cardstock. I had some Christmas themed paper from the dollar store to wrap around the trays I cut, folded, and glued. Then I glued them together in a 3X8 box. I painted a Christmas tree on one side, and put numbers on the other side. The trays usually contained a little note of what we would do that day, or the treat the kids would recieve. The boxes are big enough to put small thing in, like stickers, tatoos, or even mini ornaments. Once a date is selected, the tray goes back, with the image side showing, gradually relvealing the Christmas tree.

I know it is a little late to start making your own calendar this year, but there are so many ideas out there. This was the one I chose. My kids love trying to find the date. They never know what is going to be written on the note inside. Plus, it kind of helps for organizing your holidays. You can decide when you are going to do some family baking, get the tree, decorate the house. If you happen to have 24 empty matchboxes on hand, this is super simple to make. I Googled at pattern for a box. http://static.swap-bot.com/files/traditionalmatchboxtemplate.pdf

 

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Craft: Paper-bag Owl

I saw this at my daughter's school for the before and after school program. They have the owls mounted on a tableau with a tree made out of tissue paper. Before we had snow, there was green tissue paper for grass. After our first snowfall, they changed it to white tissue paper, and added some to the tree branches as well.

What I liked about the craft was the use of simple geometric shapes, as well as handprints, to create the features of the owl. You can use the craft to reinforce shapes, colours, sizes, and cutting skills.

For each owl, you will need: one small brown paper bag, yellow, orange, black and brown construction paper, a glue stick, some string, and scissors.

Draw two circles on the yellow construction paper, and two smaller circles on the black construction paper. Draw three triangles on the orange construction paper. Trace your child's handprints on the brown construction paper.

You can cut out the shapes yourself, or you can have your child practice cutting out the shapes. You might want to have some backup shapes, if you are not confident in your child's cutting abilities. Besides, he or she might enjoy cutting out shapes, but still choose to glue your lovely forms on the paper bag.

Glue the yellow circles onto the front of the paper bag, at the closed end. Glue the black circles on top of the yellow circles. Glue the hands to the back, for the wings. Use the orange triangles for the beak, and the feet. You should blow up the bag, and gather together the opening before you glue the feet triangles. Use a piece of string to keep the opening together. If you want to attach the owl to a stick, you can have it as a puppet.

This is a fairly quick craft, but you can use the shapes, and colours to do a mini lesson. You can also do some size comparisons.

 

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Things That Make Us Happy, and Gift Giving This Season

Today, I was driving back home, after getting my winter tires put on the van, listening to Q, with Jian Gomeshi. He was presenting the panel for next year's Canada Reads competition. I was grinning from ear to ear while listening to the banter between the host, and the panelists. I cannot exactly put it in words, and if I were to describe the conversations to someone else, they would wonder why I was so amused. It just pleased me, listening to these people talk, and poke fun of each other, and themselves.

I don't know about you, but I love listening to quite a few CBC Radio programs. I find them engaging, interesting, illuminating, and entertaining. The problem with listening to the radio, much like reading, is that you cannot do anything else while you are listening. Actually, this it not entirely true. With radio in vehicles, and podcasts, you can listen to the radio while driving, or doing some physical task which does not require your undivided attention, like exercise, house cleaning, or sewing. You can't really knit, and read at the same time.

Radio feels so intimate. I often feel like I am right there, listening to the interview. I feel as though these people are doing the show, just for me. This feeling is certainly amplified if I am listening on my own, or on my iPod. I have to check myself, and realize there are thousands of people hearing the same thing as me, and perhaps having a similar reaction. Regardless, I was grinning like a fool in my van this morning.

Someone told me recently we don't smile, or laugh as much as we used to. I am trying to find things that make me happy. Being happy is so much better than not. I spent the morning, by myself being quite contemplative. I was buying things for my children's advent calendar, and thinking about gift giving during the holidays. My kids are happy when they get things. Sometimes, they are happy when they give things, but I think I am happier when I give them things, than they wound be giving. But, they don't really need more things. Even the books we buy, which are engaging, and educational, are not necessary. I go to the library every three weeks. We don't need to buy books.

I like making things too, but we do not have too many people we exchange with. Right now, it is limited to immediate family. Both my mom, and my mother in-law do their own baking for the holidays. I would love to do some baking, but the last time I did, no one ate my stuff because they already had their staples.

I want to make homemade gifts, but I do not have enough people to give gifts to. Last year, I made felt mice for my daughter's class. I might have to come up with another cute little decoration for her to give this year. I am also thinking of making homemade marshmallows. Food is a tough thing to give, because there is always the risk of allergies, or you are not sure how thrilled people are to receive unwholesome food. I find people nowadays are so paranoid about eating sweets, and rich foods, it makes giving food gift a challenge.

For now, I think I will finish the felt penguins I started last year. I got sidetracked, and made a bunch of bird ornaments instead, as well as the felt mice. I have also decided to make my daughter a Velcro "cache-cou", neck-warmer, because I have all this fleece left over from the Halloween costumes. I do not feel like paying $5 for a neck-warmer when I can copy my son's, and make a new one for my daughter. Just wondering how to attach the Velcro, but I am sure to come up with a solution.

Meanwhile, I will continue to get my grin on, and listen to more CBC Radio. Love it!

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/

 

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