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Rhythms
The year 2008 hangs by a thread; tonight beckons the big parties, the celebrations and the New Year’s resolutions. I’m still content to look back at the big fade of the Christmas season, as its ripples cast an ever-widening circle until it is completely gone; yet absorbed into who we are. I liked 2008. Just the way it was. The end of the year beckons us to evaluate the year in one big chunk, and apply the grades, positive, negative, pass or fail, good and bad. This can be a formidable task; one that I’m really not up to after those solid months of the fast-paced routine of back-to-school, Halloween,…
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We’ll just stick with cardboard and tape
After the presents are unwrapped, they still go back to their train, duct tape and scraps from the recycling bin. Materials: Duct tape, paper towels tubes, plastic vegetable trays, green tissue paper (for grass) and the front of an organic panda cereal box.
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I almost feel guilty
Our living room Get your own at CaptureTheMagic.com. Now, they ALL believe.
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And He Was Born in a Barn
If you look close, you’ll see that our attachment to our treasured decorations is rooted in the object’s history, rather than the beauty of the object itself. History, of course, takes time to develop, and builds momentum while we are not looking. I clearly remember the day I found this wooden nativity at my favorite hometown shop, Global Crafts. I specifically chose this one because I thought the wooden figurines would be durable enough to withstand lots of boy-handling; and they have. Moving the Holy Family to our wooden toy barn gives us enough room for Mary, Joseph, the angels, and Baby Jesus to mingle with the animals. When I…
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You’ll Be Chasing This Gingerbread Man
I am invited to a cookie exchange, and these gingerbread cookies are the cookies I’ll be bringing to the party. This is the gingerbread dough I make every year, now my 10-year-old even mixes the dough, because it is always consistently easy to work with. The dough never sticks, rarely requires a dusting of flour, and the cookie cutters slide in and out of the dough perfectly. Now, you can get out those intricately-shaped cutters. Of course, these gingerbread cookies taste great too. Here’s the recipe: Gingerbread, for 60 4×6″ cookies. 4 eggs 1.5 cups light brown sugar 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened (or use 1 stick butter, 1/2 cup…
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Ladies, It’s Time For Your Holiday De-Stressor
My favorite holiday classic movie, The Bishop’s Wife, (Cary Grant, David Niven and Loretta Young) is one that often gets lost among the traditional holiday classics: It’s A Wonderful Life, White Christmas and Elf, (that is a classic now, right?) Family movie, this is not. Unlike the movies listed above, The Bishop’s wife gives you an almost sinister romance, sprinkled with laughter, some danger, and the every-present struggle of being human. And there just happens to be a Christmas tree, but that’s totally beside the point. The Bishop’s Wife is the perfect Saturday-before-Christmas indulgence. Wrapping presents, drinking a warm latte, the Christmas tree aglow… and Cary Grant. I start out…
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More toy recalls coming mattels timing and does my child have lead poisioning
With all the news about toy with lead, toys that create choking hazards, the prized Aqua Dots toy causing comas, and now sock monkeys have needles in them, I’m looking for some safe alternatives for toys this Christmas. To fight back, parents will be writing letters to Congress in an effort to bring back the days of safe shopping. In the meantime, here are some safe alternatives to the hazardous toy nightmare: Make your own Sock monkeys Give great memories Picture Frames filled with photos of your child with his best friends, playing his favorite sport, or with Mom and Dad. Make a poster of your child. Pottery Barn Teen…
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Our Loved, Yet Broken, Ornaments
Before we had children my husband and I started buying a Christmas ornament from the places we visited. The tradition continued in a frenzy once our boys were old enough to help us choose the ornament of the year. The ritual goes like this: the clerk carefully wraps the ornaments in tissue paper, and places it in a cardboard box. The ornament miraculously makes it home from our trip, whether by airplane, boat or car, unscathed. Once the ornament makes it to our tree, our traditional magic begins; one by one, each ornament ends up with a broken part. We have the “Snow made Ice Cream†from our trip to…
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Overheard at the Ballet
Throughout the entire performance of the Nutcracker Ballet they stood, their little hands and chins hanging on to the (thankfully) empty seat in front of them. They are small enough to stand, and still be lower than my head-level, so they didn’t block any views. We ditched our own tickets because our neighbor offered my husband their 4th row seat tickets, as their daughter’s performance was completed. Those seats were sweet. (Just for a minute, imagine watching the girl next door, who once sold you lemonade from her stand, wrapped in a glittery costume, twirling across the stage — lots of talent. I think the role of Clara could be…
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