Christmas-y tHiNgS

This year was gonna be different.

After seeing this video, right after last years Christmas, I bawled my eyes out and promised myself and my family that I was never going to let the 'stress' and 'consumerism' control my Christmas.

And I'm so excited to say that this year it hasn't!!! And it's been SO wonderful!!!

Although, my thighs probably aren't benefitting, I've been baking and making yummy Christmas things in the kitchen with the munchkins...

I've been doing fun crafty things with the kids...like, I don't have my nativity scene yet...because it's oober expensive and Willow Tree NEVER goes on sale...so my kids helped me out and made me TWO!!!

If you want to try this with your kiddos, here is the coloring print out...I'm not gonna lie...these nativity scenes are pretty little. So, needless to say, I ended up doing alot of the cutting. But watching my kids faces as they saw this 2 dimensional craft turn into a 3 dimensional one, was SO worth it. They were just so amazed how a little folding and glue could make something SO cool!!!

So, I am enjoying every minute of this blessed time of year. We may not have many presents...but we have LOTS of PRESENCE this year and my children aren't disappointed at all! :) This next week we start our break and are going to try to make an ornament a day...here is an AWESOME blog where you can find some super cool ornament ideas!!!

Oh, and because I just COULDN'T resist, because I love my fur babies probably as much as my skin babies, here is my black kitty getting very comfortable in the boys' school basket...I guess he was ready for the break too :)

*updated to add: here is the recipe to the tuxedo brownies in the first picture :) SOOO Yummy! If you are pampered chef nut like me, it will call for your mini muffin pan, tart shaper, and that huge icing decorator thing...BUT, you really could practically use whatever to smash the little brownies down when they come right out of the oven...just not yer finger...Yeah, I was not thinking and tried that...and then for the filling...pipe it in with whatever your have on hand :)

OH! And I nixed the white chocolate and milk for the filling and added a little red food coloring to it then, here's the fun part, smash the tar out of some candy canes and sprinkle over the filling as a garnish...and voila! A pretty Christmas treat :)