Thursday, December 29, 2011

Christmas 2011

Christmas has come and gone, and the Mott family did some celebrating! It was so much fun to see David light up. This was the first year he really understood what was going on with Santa. He was so excited to see if Santa ate his cookies, and what do you know, he did!



He had to wait a few minutes to open presents while Daddy finished showering, so he took in the sites.



Once he started opening, he threw away his trash after every present.  A boy after his mommy's heart.



He had so much fun opening, and never wanted to go onto the next present. He was to open and play with the one he just got.  Silly parents. We could have just gotten him the train calendar and called it done. :) Forced him on we did!




After all of his little presents (a calendar, a magnetic train book, the lunch box/puzzle, a camera, a shake 'n go Thomas, and a Thomas Pillow pet) we gave him his big present from Santa. He was so excited!





He was in love with it, and has been playing non stop since we got it all put together. Santa did a god job!

We also celebrated with family on a couple of different days. David enjoyed helping to pass out presents.



He was in love with the Pez candy that Uncle Jon got all of the kids. Here he is waiting to open the sugary goodness.



He got a talking Henry from Grandma Mott. LOVE!



He had fun opening presents with Justin too. Of course, who needs presents when you can play with the dog toys?



He got lots of cars and trains, and loved everyone one of them.





David had a wonderful Christmas and is a very blessed little boy. I'm sure he is already counting down the days until next year to see what he will get then.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Ten on Tuesday

What is your favorite online-only store?
Does Amazon count? I love Amazon!

Do you enjoy wrapping gifts?
I don't think enojy is the right word, but I don't despise.

What is the temperature in your city today?
Like 30...cold.

What time do you eat dinner?
I like to eat around 5:30.

Will you be making New Years Resolutions?
Probably not. I used to, but never followed through. Now I make short term goals that are easier to obtain.

How old is your oldest pair of shoes that you still wear?
Probably 4 years old.

Do you have any restaurant phone numbers saved in your phone?
I do not.

What is your favorite and least favorite letter to write in cursive?
I don't even write in cursive anymore. When I did, I didn't like uppercase Q all that much.

Do you know any good riddles?
Kids tell me them all of the time, but I never remember them to retell.

How do you feel about snow?
I like it, in moderation.

10 on Tuesday

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Meet the newest member of the Mott Family...

Burry!

This year we decided to start our very own Elf on a Shelf tradition. I had seen this all over the internet and didn't think David would like it. An Elf's Story was on TV and he loved the movie! So, David and I went to the store to adopt our very own elf.

We brought home our adopted elf and pondered what he should be named for a couple of days. Chippy, Elf, Pepper, Elfie, Ouchie, Poppy, and David were all top contenders. Then Nate asked, "What was your grandfather's name?" Burwell. Burry for short.

This year we will just get David used to Burry and the magic that he has, so no crazy elf capers this year.

Burry will make his first trip back to the North Pole tonight, and will be found perched on a shelf for David to find when he wakes up.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Ten on Tuesday

How do you eat your eggs?
Scrambled with cheese, please!

Do you volunteer?
Sure do! Nate and I volunteer to be youth leaders twice a month. It's so much fun!

What’s your favorite brand of jeans?
Whatever is on sale.

What was your child’s first word? Or what was your first word?
David's was "uh-oh". We heard momma and dada kind of, but not in calling us that, but uh-oh was used correctly everytime.

Can you french braid?
Sure can. Not as well on someone else, but I can do my own.

Do you prefer wide rule, college rule, or blank paper?
College rule

Is there a specific treat do you always make during the holidays?
Hmm...mom always makes fudge. I try out differen things every year, and have yet to find something that I love enough to make every year.

Do you have a KitchenAid mixer? Do you want one?
I do, and I love it!!

What kind of computer do you use?
Umm...a Dell at work, and a Gateway at home.

Favorite Christmas movie?
A Charlie Brown Christmas


10 on Tuesday

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Ten on Tuesday

What are 3 things that are on your Christmas wishlist?
I don't have "things" on my list. I have all of the things I could ever want or need. I wish for peace, happiness, and love.

What’s your favorite Christmas song?
O Holy Night and Christmas Cannon by Transiberian Orchestra.

Do you have a favorite band or singer that sings it especially awesome?
I like Carrie Underwood's version of O Holy Night, but I'm not picky - I love them all.

Have you heard about the website goodreads?
Now I have. :)

What are 3 books you want to read?
Probably the Hunger Games books. I need to find time to read again.

Do you hunt deer?
Um, no. My uncles do though - a lot. They brought some meat to Christmas one year at moms house. She showed Bambi - awesome.

Have you started Christmas shopping? Are you completely finished?
I'm just about done. Only a few more things to pick up.

Did you shop on Black Friday? What was the best deal you got?
Technically, yes, but it was much later in the day. I got some make-up on super sale from Ulta.

What’s one holiday tradition your family has?
We always go to church on Christmas Eve. I rembember 1 year that we didn't and that was because snow kept us away. 6 inches in a couple of hours will do that. They used to have an 11pm service, and I loved it (hence why we didn't go with 6inches on the ground at 11pm - it got cancelled) Now they have a 5pm and an 8pm service. We go to 5 since it is for familes with little kids.

How many blogs do you read? Do you subscribe/unsubscribe often or do you purge every once in a while?
I follow 15ish. I haven't purged any yet. I subscribe to the ones and I like, and bookmark ones that I don't visit as often.

10 on Tuesday

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Sprinkle Food

My mom and I threw my sister, Courtney, a sprinkle today. In case you don't know what that is, it's a baby shower for someone who already has a child and doesn't need all of the big stuff, just little things to celebrate baby. I wanted to make some special desserts, so I spent much time searching the internet for some easy desserts that would be perfect to celebrate a baby girl. I made 3 - but one came out of a box because I ran out of time, so I'll only count 2 and the punch.

I only managed to take 1 picture the entire time I was baking, and that was for the one that came out of the box. All well, David had a blast helping mommy cook.



I started by making Lemon Lime Cookie Balls. My inspiration came from here. I only made a couple of tweaks.
Lemon-Lime Cooke Ball Ingrediants
12 premade sugar cookies
1 brick (8oz)of cream cheese at room temperature
1 lime
1 lemon
1 bag white chocolate chips, or other coating chocolate

1. Start by taking your sugar cookies and putting them in your food processor. If you don't have one, borrow. I tried to do this with a rolling pin and Ziploc bag. Horrible fail. Crush until fine. Pour into mixing bowl.
2. Zest the lemon into the cookie mixture, then squeeze juice in. Repeat with lime.
3. Add cream cheese and mix well. Use a mixer to do this, wooden spoons may break, and I cannot be held responsible for that.
4. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a lined cookie sheet. You can add sticks if you would like at this point. Put into freezer for at least 1 hour.
5. While in the freezer, place 1/2 of your chocolate into a small crock pot on low. This is the best way to melt chocolate. Trust me, I have tried a million ways, and this rocks. Just before you are ready to use it, put the rest of your chocolate in.
6. Using a fork (or 2) roll each ball in the chocolate and place back on cookie sheet. When done, place back in freezer.

Done. Takes some time, but very easy to make, and very yummy! I added some colored sugar after I dip each one for some decoration. I think this made about 25 (I doubled the recipe and ended up with about 50.)

Next up were Oreo Cookie Balls. Same concept, different flavor.

Oreo Cookie Ball Ingrediants
1 package oreos
1 brick (8oz) cream cheese at room temperature
1 bag of chocolate chips or other coating chocolate

1. Start by taking your oreos and putting them in your food processor. Again, if you don't have one, borrow. I tried to do this with a rolling pin and Ziploc bag. Horrible fail. Crush until fine. Pour into mixing bowl.
2. Add cream cheese and mix well. Again, use a mixer to do this, wooden spoons may will break, and I cannot be held responsible for that.
3. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a lined cookie sheet. You can add sticks if you would like at this point. Put into freezer for at least 1 hour.
4. While in the freezer, place 1/2 of your chocolate into a small crock pot on low. This is the best way to melt chocolate.
5. Using a fork (or 2) roll each ball in the chocolate and place back on cookie sheet. When done, place back in freezer.

Again, I added some decorations after dipping each ball. This should give you around 30. I doubled it and got just over 60.

Last up was my party punch. Easy recipe and I didn't need a printed copy to remember it while I was putting it together at the party. I started with this recipe, and tweaked from there.

Cranberry Party Punch Ingrediants
2 cans frozen lemonade mix
64 oz of cranberry juice
4 cans of ginger ale
2 pints of sherbet (mine was strawberry lemonade)

1. Prepare frozen lemonade according to directions on can. Pour into large punch bowl.
2. Add cranberry juice.
3. Just before serving, spoon sherbet into punch bowl and then add ginger ale. Enjoy!

It was a fun afternoon. Of course, no one took any pictures. Mom and I were too busy keep food out and helping guests. Lots of cute girly things were received. Baby Lyla is already so loved.