The Tail-End of the Year

It is now mid-December and I am spending my time wrapping presents while watching A Baby Story on TLC and trying to brainstorm about what the heck to get my in-laws.  Boogiebear is in the midst of a growth spurt and has started to go to bed a little later this week at night and for naps.  Since I'm not decorating, baking, or making stuff right now I'm kind of at a loss figuring out what to do with all this time on my hands!  I can remember a time when every empty moment would be quickly superseded by by worry and stress...so oppressive.

When I was younger, I used up empty moments imagining what and where I wanted to be by the time I turned thirty.  I thought I might be a writer for a magazine like National Geographic, single and traveling the world with deadlines on my mind, wearing clothes with lots of pockets.  Or maybe an artist in a city like New York or Seattle or Melbourne living in a loft with giant canvases supplanted in every corner.  A small kitchenette and comfy bed the only other belongings.  Single.  Busy.

Then I grew up just a bit and realized I wasn't going to get to those destinations any time soon, if at all.  Chances, opportunities, and dreams started to fall by the wayside like discarded rubber on a highway.  Left behind by dirty Mack trucks too busy going to see what they were leaving.  I started to make enormous efforts killing those dreams off one by one, reducing my scope, setting my sights much lower so that I could live with the reality I awoke with daily at that time.  I never found myself lying in bed imagining husbands and children and presents to wrap under a crooked tree.  I never imagined empty moments that were just...left alone to simply be.

It is such a Blessing.

Uh oh...I found Christmas blog decor!

'Tis the season!  To sing songs about Jesus and chestnuts and bells that jingle!  And redecorate your blog of course.  Don't laugh but I spent a total of 4 hours messing around on my laptop finding my favorite font, picture, and background.  Granted I had a few interruptions, I rediscovered my long lost love of HTML/css and also the excellent reasons why I never made a go of it.  IT DRIVES YOU CRAZY.  So.  Enjoy!

Other than that, I have been busy decorating our home for the holidays as well as our church's gymnasium for our Ward party.  I was more of an idea person this year but I sure had fun spray painting all those sticks and cones (you can't tell right now, but I'm actually not sarcastic in the least bit!).  I was more than disappointed to arrive home after a mad chase for a lost cell phone and discover that some scoundrels had swiped my spray paint!?  I don't know what's up with those types of shenanigans in my nice & quiet little parking lot, totally uncharacteristic!  Just LET me find you twits tagging some poor tree...I'mma getcha!

Did I mention my tree fell down?  Completely lighted and decorated.  I was putting Boogiebear to sleep and I heard a sudden *thud* with some light tinkling.  My worst fears were confirmed as I walked slowly into the living room.  I stared contentiously at our lopsided tree and started to brainstorm ways to get it back up sans hubby.  Many sore muscles and a borrowed husband later, it once again stood all glowy and ridiculously lopsided in the corner.  Propped up with a stick.

Among other mundanity, I cut my hair myself yesterday.  I kinda wish I could show you a picture.  Imagine the above self portrait with hair parted down the middle.  I took two sections from either side up top and bundled them in front of my face.  Then I did the same for the lower part.  I don't really know what happened after that but Who Cares?  It's even and I don't have split ends from last year anymore!!

I'm gearing up for some fun early next week and this recipe is included in my edibly diabolical plans.

Yields 12-16 brownies
Ingredients:
1 pan of your favorite brownies, cooled and cut into desired size and shape (I used a round cutter)
12-16 small strawberries, cleaned and hulled
{vanilla-mascarpone buttercream (recipe below)}   <-----which I will not be using since I'm a lazy chef.
Mascarpone Buttercream
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
2-1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Method:
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and mascarpone cheese until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.  Add vanilla extract and salt.  Add 2-1/2 cups of sugar, half a cup at a time and continue beating until smooth.  Add more sugar, if needed to reach desired consistency and sweetness.
To assemble, pipe a ring of vanilla buttercream on top of each brownie.  Cut off the base of a strawberry so it is flat and place it upside down on each brownie, pushing slightly to secure in place.  Top the tip of the strawberry with a dot of buttercream to finish the Santa hat.

In between HTMLing and recipe plotting, I like to goof off in front of the tree with Boogie Jr.  I'm pretty sure he digs it, too.

On a much more serious note, we have a very special prayer request.  There is a little boy that we know whom was in an accident in his home at the beginning of this week.  He suffered a serious brain injury and is now at Duke with his mother by his bedside.  He is a bright little spirit that needs all the help he can get.  He went from worst case scenario to 'making it' and I have no doubt that all the loving prayers that were sent his way were answered as quickly as possible (!cheers to the team of nurses and doctors!).  Let's keep that up and maybe one more family can have a tear-free Christmas this year.

WE LOVE YOU, JOSIAH.

And whomever you are reading this?  Yeah we love you, too.  I hope you are safe and and sound this holiday season.  I pray that you may spread your love a little farther each and every day.  I know Heavenly Father will help you to do so if you only ask.  Keep yer heads up, readers!

"Only when we fix our gaze on the heavenly things do we begin to understand the eternities. Only with the help of Christ can we fully overcome tragedy. It is necessary to develop our faith in Him as the Redeemer of the world. He taught us: "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
--Carlos H. Amado, "Overcoming Adversity", Ensign, Nov. 1989, 29

Community Christmas Celebration

This time last year I was a temporal heathen.  Just kidding!  (Ha convert humor...)

HA!  Nah I was a about 5 months into parenthood and about two months into our new hood.  My husband and I had decided to give church a try, the church of his childhood.  We sat behind another couple new to Raleigh from Utah with a son just two months older than Boogiebear at our first visit.  We started taking lessons from some truly spectacular missionaries.  A year later I am still going to that church and we are now neighbors with several Utahan transplants!

One event that helped open our hearts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was our stake center's Community Christmas Celebration.  I was introduced to the word 'creche' and Boogiebear heard his first Christmas concert.  As I loitered in the Life of Christ room last year, I remember thinking, "I gotta get in on this."  Some artwork by Robert Falcucci particularly touched my soul.  Or rather, slugged it and tugged at it.  We missed the live nativity but did get to see the hundreds of creche displays softly and warmly lit that December night.  Needless to say, we felt a pull while viewing all the artistic expressions centered around the life of Christ and heeded that impression to much affirmation.

A year later, I was invited by my neighbor to accompany her to a meeting about this year's activities.  I eagerly volunteered for the Life of Christ room and have spent the past four days working alongside many others hour after hour to bring this celebration to fruition.  Besides learning how to hang many different frames from wires and bracing stubborn quad arrangements with random rod-like objects found in the trash can (thanks Nancy!), I also learned what it must feel like to be a missionary after a successful 'tracking' or whatever.  One of the master artists working on design and display came with me shopping the last night of set up to find a few last minute supplies.  After failing to find what was needed at two stores, we drove over to Michael's.  Now, there was this dude I assumed was a creeper since we kept crossing paths at each store.  He was easy enough to identify in his black suit among all the poinsettias and Christmas decorations at the stores.  Wouldn't ya know he was behind us in line at the cash register in Michaels??  Simultaneously upon noticing that I felt the strong urge to act a lil' crazy and invite that cashier to the Community Christmas Celebration.  I tried to casually 'pitch' it to her as she gazed at our purchases with not an ounce of interest.  Just as my hopes started to dip a bit, that fella in the suit piped up.

"Actually, can I have that information?  I just moved to Raleigh and I've been looking for a church.  I mean I don't even have a couch to call my own yet...but what was the address again?"

My accomplice and I tried not to act like the 'crazy mormon' prototype despite the convergent forces upon us HA!  I'm not sure if we played it off but I gave the young man the low down and wrote down the address and my name on a card he supplied.  We gathered our bags and nearly skipped out of the store, high-fiving in the car while gushing.

"Did you see?..."
"How WEIRD WAS THAT??"
"That was so cool, dude!"

Dorks.

So it's been a wonderful start to December!  The chilly weather is trying to prevail and my LED lights, while not as glowy and warm as traditional lights, cast a festive glow over my crafting/dining table.  I'm looking forward to hunting down a tree and decorating it.  I received a call from my brother-in-law and can feel the love all the way from Virginia.  Can't wait to see everyone over the holidays!  Mostly, it has been purely joyful to see Boogiebear in a permanent toddler state of wonder.  T-minus 23 days till I can finally stop staring at all the toys in the closet.  I can hardly stand it and have almost disintegrated in the face of temptation so far...

So, folks, if you are in our neck of the woods, I recommend that you wander over to our Community Christmas Celebration.  There is artwork to behold, a children's room to explore, nativities over which to marvel, and choirs and orchestras to hear.

Merry Christmas to all!