Taylor Made designs

:: Visit to Santa ::

This is the first time both kids wanted to sit on Santa's lap. No crying, no screaming, no boo-hooing. Can I tell you how nice it was? William dashed off his list. Which wasn't that much... because Santa said, "that's it?" In which William replied, "oh, can I have more?" :)

Davis asked for a pony. Which is pretty funny seeing that she has a pony at home that she can ride, but never does. She thanked him nicely and then said she would put cookies  out for him. "Only three." And then held up three fingers so it would be clear as to how many cookies there would be :)

I finished "Naked" by David Sedaris last night, and I have to say, I do not remember it being so crude in language. I am pretty sure a lot of the girls in my book club are going to be offended, not just by some of the language, but also some of the topics. I think I read this book when I was around 28... {that's many moons ago} when I had no kids, and I think I was more "open" to language like that. Now a days, if someone says "stupid" I'm bothered :) Funny how we change through the years.

I'm feeling pretty good today. All the gifts are bought + wrapped. The house is clean. The food is bought and ready for Tuesday. So I'm not stressing out at all. It's a really nice feeling :)

If I don't get the chance tomorrow, I just want to wish all of you a truly joyous holiday. Enjoy your day with your family + friends! As always, thank you so much for reading + commenting on my blog. I feel very thankful that I have met so many wonderful people. Happy Holidays to you all ~

:: Ready for Christmas? ::

I can't believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve! How come the month of December goes by so fast? And March will just crawl by? I'm being realistic and doing what really needs to be done, not what I want to get done :)

I have spent the last two days in bed. Sleeping + resting. Thursday I went to the doctors + thankfully he gave me some antibiotics to help me get rid of this horrible cold and cough I have had. I'm finally feeling better :) So I will spend the rest of today wrapping and preparing for Christmas day.

Above are the holiday gifts I gave to the kid's teachers, their assistants, and a bunch of the other people at school who help with the kids. I swear, I prepared over eight different packages, thinking I had everyone covered.  But when we dropped off the gifts on Friday, I'm pretty sure I missed one person and I feel bad! I'll have to do something nice for her in the new year.

I made so many mini Taylor books this past month. I will probably add some to my Etsy store. This was the first year I made handmade truffles. They came out sooo good :) {at least we thought so!} I added some orange liquor to the ganache. Yum. I also made some cinnamon+ sugar pecans. I might make some  more to have on Christmas day. A very yummy snack. 

We took the kids to see Santa last Thursday. The photo we have of them sitting on his lap came out terrific. I'll post that photo tomorrow. I now need to bake a cake :) 

Hope you all enjoy your Sunday and don't have to work on Monday!

:: Shopping Today ::

Today the kids are going holiday shopping at school. They were suppose to shop last Friday, but the school canceled the event due to snow and other issues. So today is the big day. You have no idea how excited they are.

I was going to make them little holiday shopping bags, but realized that would just be insane. I have enough to do :) So, I just bought the cute holiday bags from Target, made a shopping list and attached it to the outside of their bags. Done + easy.

:: a peek inside our house ::

Just thought I'd give you a quick peek inside our house. Most of the greens came from our property. I love to have fresh cut pine in the house. Smells so nice. Sorry, the tree photo is quite blurry. But, as you can see, we found a tree topper. {at Target} It's not a sparkly star, but a pretty snowflake. William was happy.

Ever year I make topiaries for my kitchen window sill. A few years back, I gold leafed some flower pots, and bought some floral foam – I reuse them every year. I just buy some boxwood from the gardening store, cut it up and form the topiaries. I am hoping they will last into January when my book club meets at my house. Oh, I made the tab curtains in my dining room. The fabric I bought from Sew Mama Sew. Just noticed my china needs to be straighten up :) Maybe tomorrow I'll show some more photos if people are interested.

Well, not much is going on, other than I am sick again :( I can't seem to catch a break. Hopefully I won't have another relapse. I'm trying to take it easy and not overstress myself. {that's why it's been quiet around here} But it's the holidays, which makes that a very hard task – but I'm trying :)

Hope everyone is enjoying this week before Christmas. I'm actually done with all the shopping. Thankfully, the kids didn't ask for a lot. For William, it's all about Mars Mission Legos. Davis wanted her own pink Leapster and she wanted another little puppy. Bought them some boards games + more ugly dolls. I still need to finish the aprons I have been working on. Now I just have to wrap and plan the holiday meal. We are hosting Christmas day, so I need to figure out what we will be serving.

While at Target I found the cutest penguin holiday plates. I decided to get them for our Christmas morning breakfast. I think the kids will be so excited to wake up and see the table set with them. Now that they are getting older, I really want to make everything so special for them. I'll be sure to take some photos :)   

Happy Wednesday! 

:: oh christmas tree, oh christmas tree... ::

Last Friday we picked up the kids from school, went out for lunch, and then went Christmas tree shopping. The weather was mild and just perfect for picking out a tree. This year we decided to put the  tree in the sunroom which has cathedral ceilings. So we could get a tall tree. We usually get a small tree due to the ceilings in our home being so low. But not this year... woo hooo. We're living large this year. :)

We decorated Friday night. We had so much fun decorating together. The kids did a wonderful job. We only broke 3 ornaments. Not bad!

All that is missing is a great big star for the top. {I never could use one before} So today, we were on a hunt for, as William put it,  "a sparkly star." We checked out Crate + Barrel, where I was certain we'd find a great star. No luck. They did not have any stars :( Then we went to Pier One. They had some kind of gold snowflake topper, but it wasn't what William wanted. 

If anyone is local that reads this, and you know where I can find a star, feel free to email me or comment. Every tree needs a sparkly star + you will save me so much driving around!  Thanks. Have a great Thursday everyone. We are expecting snow today... lots!

:: Holiday Shopping Spree for the Kids ::

Just thought I'd show you the gifts I put together for the kid's school. Every year they have a Children's Holiday Shopping Spree, where the kids can go and do a little holiday shopping for their families. {the money raised is slated for charity} Parent's send in seven inexpensive gifts for each child. They ask you to wrap them in clear plastic so the kids can see the items when shopping.

Both kids helped me put the packs together. They helped cut the ribbon, punch the holes, and eat the candy :)

For William, I had to send in seven packages suitable for adult women (mums and grandma).
I created little packages with my TAG it tags. I figured gift tags + wine tags would be quite handy to most women. William suggested I put candy in each pack too.

For Davis I had to send in seven packages for siblings. (but no toys) So I created little spiral notebooks and bought a box of 24 crayons to go with them. Oh, and a little candy thrown in for good measure too :) 

On Friday I'll send the kids to school with a totebag and five dollars each and tell them to shop till they drop :)  They suggest we give them a list of things to buy... but I'd rather they pick out what appeals to them. If I know my kids, they will get upset if I say, "buy some soaps for mummy" and if there are no soaps, they will be crushed. {they so want to please} So I don't want to stress them out. Shopping should be fun, right?

:: Happy Anniversary ::

Today is our 13th wedding anniversary  –  It was one of the best days of my life. A beautiful wedding in the city... with a gentle snow. I remember the day like it was yesterday. Boy, were we young! I met Neal the summer after I graduated from college and we got married a few years later. (sorry the photo isn't the best, I just took a digital photo of a photo... too lazy to scan it in!)

I'll never forget after being married a few years or so, we attended my cousin's wedding and it was the first time a lot of people who had been at our wedding saw us again. By this time, Neal had gone prematurely gray (I convinced him to let it go gray – I thought he looked so handsome) and it was funny the comments we received. "gee, you look great, but wow, marriage must be tough on Neal!" ha ha ha. Even after all the jokes, he did not colour his hair... he trusted me and kept it. And we all know how important hair is right?

Believe it or not, I look pretty much the same... through the years, I've grown my hair really long, as a bob , and then short again. I'm now back to a pixie cut. It works and looks best on me. Plus, Neal likes my hair this way – he says it reminds him of his bride :) I think there are a few gray hairs that have jumped over from Neal's head to mine now, but I make sure they get coloured :)

Well, I truly believe I found my soulmate and wish everyone could find and have the kind of relationship we have. Gosh, it makes life so wonderful. Happy anniversary to my best friend.

:: Christmas Glass Wreath Ornaments ::

Remember the glass wreaths I mentioned last week or so? Well here they are :) Didn't they come out terrific? The photos are not the best, but I've given up on good light...it's been dreary and, well, winter here. So I decided to just go with what I could get, photo wise  :)

If you are looking for a fun, easy, and pretty christmas project to do with the kids, this is it. I bought the red + green glass from Smith + Hawkens. {don't worry, the rocks have been polished so there is no risk of cuts} I cut out circles from some cardboard. The kids then painted the cardboard circles red + green. (this is your backing) The hardest part was waiting for the paint to dry so they could glue the glass beads onto them.

Once the paint was dry, the kids went crazy with the glue. They loaded the glue onto the backing – then placed the glass beads, one by one onto the backing. That's it. A great project to teach spacial relations, patience, and balance. We let them dry overnight and then added some sheer ribbon. Right now they reside in one of our kitchen windows. So pretty :)

:: easiest cookies ever! ::

Shopping with kids is tough. I don't know about you, but I find myself constantly taking things out of the carriage that the kids have thrown in. Well, today they found the Pillsbury pre-made sugar cookies with holiday designs. Both William + Davis came running down the aisle, yelling..."mum, mum, mama! Look. We have to get these!"

Well, I had to admit, they were pretty cute, and easy to bake... I just could not resist. Time has become quite a commodity this month.

You know what else is great about them too? You can make six cookies and put the rest in the freezer for a later date. Not that I think I'll buy these again... my sugar cookies made from scratch are much better, but they sure do make a nice Christmas cookie for the kids... now :)

:: Christmas Bread + Rye Bread ::

Neal gets up early everyday…and when I say early, I mean, early. He's usually up at 5:00am or 5:30am.  :)  I have no idea how he does it, because he also goes to bed late too. I guess I should see if he's napping during the day :)

Anyway, last Sunday he was up and decided to make some Christmas Bread as a treat. Such a wonderful way to greet the morning. Nothing beats the smell of fresh bread baking. Isn't it beautiful? Oh and the bread tastes heavenly. The kids helped decorate it with the green + the red sprinkles. Oh + they devoured the bread. (well, it lasted till today... I see another one in our near future!)   

Here's the recipe (using a bread machine) if you want to try it.
Christmas Bread
3/4 cup of milk
2 tablespoons of butter
2 cups of flour
1/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of ground cardamom
2 teaspoons of yeast
1 egg, beaten

Measure carefully, placing all ingredients except egg into the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.

Select Dough/Manual cycle.

Grease large cookie sheet. Divide dough into 3 pieces. Roll each piece into rope. (lightly flour if necessary) braid them together. (they need to be at least 12 inches long) Place onto cookie sheet (or whatever you might have, we actually used a round pan). Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 40 minutes or until doubled in size.

Bake 25 minutes or so or until golden brown. You can make a light frosting using 1 cup of confectioner's sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract, and one to two tablespoons of milk. Serve warm with butta  :) (oh, the calories below do not include the frosting or the butter!)
serving size: 1 slice
Calories: 125
Fat 3 g
Cholesterol 20mg
Sodium 170mg
Carbohydrates 23g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Protein 3g

For those of you who asked, here's a recipe for the Rye Bread we make at home too.

Again, we make this using our bread machine.

Caraway-Rye Bread (1 pound recipe)
3/4 cup water
2 teaspoons butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup rye flour
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon caraway seed
1 1/4 teaspoons yeast

Measure carefully, placing all ingredients except egg into the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.

Select Basic/White cycle. Use medium or light crust colour. Remove baked bread from pan and cool on wire rack.
serving size: 1 slice
Calories: 135
Fat 1 g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 280mg
Carbohydrates 29g
Dietary Fiber 2g
Protein 4g

:: 21 days to Christmas ::

How did that happen? I swear it was just Thanksgiving. We've been busy working, and preparing for the holiday. The kids attended birthday parties over the weekend. Above is a photo of Davis with her face painted. She was over the moon with her "pink puppy" face. We did a little shopping together after the party and everyone kept stopping her and exclaiming,  "what a cute kitty you are." In which Davis would firmly respond, "no, I'm a pink puppy!"

This weekend, after 20 years or so of driving, I had my first car accident. And naturally, I had to hit the nastiest woman on the face of the planet. Basicially, I looked down to grab the directions to the party, and peripherally I saw cars moving left and right of me, so I took my foot off the brake and pressed {really tapped} the gas. Well, the woman in front of me had not moved and bam! I did little to no real damage to her car. Just some scrapes to her bumper. But oy, my poor Jeep. I cracked the bumper a bit, and have some scrapes too. Boo hoo. Anyway, when I pulled over and got out of the car the first thing I asked was, "are you all ok?" The woman was so pissy, and practically tore my info from my hands. Then kept muttering, "you've ruined my car. I need a whole new bumper." while huffing and puffing, and displaying the meanest scowl on her face. Gosh, I hope she stumbles on my blog... and is embarrassed by her behavior. Because, there really was no reason to be so nasty. It's not like I set out in the morning to hit her new 2007 Volvo. I believe, that's why they call them accidents, non?

Well, I decided I was not going to engage in any kind of dialogue with her. I tried to be polite and concerned. I figured, this is why I have insurance. It's their job to work this out. She demanded my phone number, and I hestitated, I don't want this woman calling me... but figured she could easily get it from 411, so I succumbed to her demand. I was in no mood to fight with this woman. Oh, all this happened in freezing 25 degree weather. Brrr.

Honestly, I was most concerned with getting Davis to her party + making sure she wasn't upset or hurt. {I did not even go and check my bumper for damage till we got to the party.} The funny thing is, Davis didn't really even register that I hit someone. {or so I thought} Other than when I said, "Oh crap, I hit her!" did she realize something was wrong. 

So today, while running errands, every time I would come to a stop, Davis would said, "oh crap mamma  –  did you hit someone?" :)  Just what I needed to make me laugh out loud.