Mommy Heaven

I don't know if it's because of her tummy ache or because of her short-lived nap this afternoon, but my sweet girl actually fell asleep on my lap right after dinner tonight. Now this is what I call "Mommy Heaven." I am just not sure that there are many things that rank above having your baby cuddle up in your lap and fall asleep.

I'm fairly sure that even as an adult I wouldn't mind her cuddling up with me for a sleep. It makes me think of that wonderful tearjerker or a book, Love You Forever.

Now it's 7:00pm and along with the large drool stain on my shirt I have a sleeping toddler who barely woke up while we changed her into her pj's. What a great night, a sweet cuddle session with my girl and an extra hour to curl up in my own bed and read my newest book.

Goodness, I love my sweet girl.

Today's Evolving Mommy is Brought To You by the Letter O

O.

O is for, Octopus? No.

Owl? No.

Oval? No.

Actually the word of the day around the Evolving Mommy household today is: Organization!

More like, Organization is the word of the week around here. It sure is handy that Luke has this week off because it's time for our annual "Oh crap, where are we going to put all of our Christmas goodies Organize-athon."

Christmas was last week, wow time flies, but we are still digging out of our piles of boxes, clothes and new toys. There is still a big mess of wrapping paper rolls, unused ribbons, boxes and gifts tags living on my bedroom floor. The tubs of Christmas gifts still sitting around my house waiting to be put away is slightly embarrassing.

Last night Luke and I put up new shelves in Maddy's closet to make room for all of the new toys and crafting supplies from her Christmas haul. We were then able to organize her room and now I just want to hang out in her closet and look at how nice and organized and pretty it is in there with its pretty new shelves and cute colored fabric totes.

Nothing is safe from the organizing Mama, the kitchen drawers, the bathroom cupboards in all the bathrooms, all the closets in the house, the basement, the garage, the extra bedroom...

I am pumped.

Luke is pumped, and currently spending the morning (and a fortune, I'm sure) at The Home Depot and Target for our second round of supplies.

Maddy is pumped? Well, more like slightly confused and really excited about playing with everything we touch or move in our reorganizing journey. Of course that means that every toy that has been hiding in the recesses of her big walk-in closet is suddenly fun again only to be forgotten minutes later when she notices another toy/stuffed animal/box/plastic hanger that has been moved by Luke or me during the organization process. I love her more than anything but attempting to organize and clean with her is kind of like working with the Tasmanian Devil.

If only she could use her powers for good and work so quickly and efficiently to clean up the messes instead of making them.

Wish me luck friends, we are in this for the long-haul. Oh, and if you don't hear from me soon send some coffee and a sandwich I maybe stuck under a super-sized pile of plastic storage totes and in desperate need of caffeine and sustenance.

The Gym Pet Peeve

Lets just say I have been at the gym a lot lately. With all of the unexpected traveling Luke has been doing for work this month it is one of the only ways that Maddy and I can get out of the house and get away from each other for a spell.

I have also decided that the only way to make it through the season still fitting into my jeans with all of the cookies and fudge, wine and little fried appetizers floating around this time of year my coupled with my love of all things yummy and my total lack of will power I need to practically take up residence at my gym. Seriously.

It is okay though because I.am.lov.ing.it!

I have a great mix of Muse, Owl City, Paramore, Blue October and more great bands filling my iPod Senior (I call it a senior because it is an original Shuffle and therefore practically a grandpa.) Just thinking about my mix makes me feeling like finding the nearest treadmill or elliptical.

I have noticed some toning and tightening in my body, which I obviously like. I like feeling strong. I like feeling motivated. I like feeling like there are things for Madeline and I to do, separately but together in the same location.

One thing I do not like about the gym, the smelly people, and I'm not talking about the B.O. of my fellow gym goers, I never even notice any of that.

People, please, please, please help me out and do not under any circumstance wear perfume to the gym. When I am running along ticking off miles and a woman covered in perfume or a man doused in cologne walked by let alone take up residence on the machine next to me it makes me kind of nauseous, takes my breath away and all of my motivation with it.

Seriously, it is not a requirement that you smell good at the gym, in fact it is almost a requirement to not smell good at the gym! You don't need makeup and a perfect hairdo either but that discussion is for another day.

Maybe I am being picky and whiny but something in me tells me I am not the only one to feel this way. Maybe your gym pet peeves are different from mine. Can you tolerate a perfume soaked runner on the treadmill next to you?

Do me a favor and pass on the info, friends don't let friends pollute the gym air with their extreme chemical-filled smelliness.

Christmas Clam Chowder and Easy Garlic Cheddar Biscuits - Monday Yumday

What is better than warm soup on a winter day? Warm soup and warm garlic cheddar biscuits, of course. The best thing is both of these recipes are quick, easy, and yummy. The green onions and roasted red pepper fill this clam chowder with festive the red and green of Christmastime, although it is delicious year round.

Luke likes to break his biscuits up into his bowl of chowder and eat everything with his spoon. I like to dunk my biscuits into my bowl while Maddy likes to eat her biscuits and soup separately, eating a whole biscuit before moving on to her chowder. No matter how you eat your chowder and biscuits it is sure to be delicious.


Christmas Clam Chowder

1/3 cup diced bacon
1 medium onion chopped, about a 1/2 cup
1 1/2 cups diced potato
2 6 1/2-ounce cans mined or whole clams
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
2 tablespoons thinly diced roasted red pepper
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute bacon, onion and garlic in large saucepan over medium heat until bacon is crisp and onion is tender; drain off bacon fat. Stir in diced potato and cook for 1-2 minutes.

While potato cooks drain clams, reserving liquor. Add enough water, if necessary, to clam liquor to measure 1 cup total. Stir clams, and clam liquor into pan. Heat mixture to boiling then reduce heat and cover, cooking at a low simmer for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

Stir in milk. Heat soup just until hot, making sure not to boil or the soup may curdle. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

*When short on time you can use precooked bacon, usually found in the deli section of your grocery. When using precooked bacon add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to pan and cook onion and garlic until tender then add bacon to the pot when you add the potatoes.

Easy Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter
2 cloves finely minced garlic
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons green thinly sliced green onion
1 cup milk

Heat oven to 450 Fahrenheit.

In medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using pastry blender, or pulling two butter knives through ingredients in opposite directions, cut cold butter into flour until mixture looks like small crumbs. Mix in garlic, cheese and green onion. Add in milk and stir until dough begins to form a large ball in the bowl.

using a spoon, scoop and drop dough into 12 equal mounds on a lightly greased or buttered baking sheet.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Make sure to immediately remove biscuits from cookie sheet to prevent the bottoms from over cooking. Biscuits are best served warm, right out of the oven.

*I like to use 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour when making these biscuits, although they are yummy with just all-purpose flour as well.

It's Okay to Let Go and Have Fun Sometimes

After a few, okay more than a few, drinks, and some late night dancing Friday night I was feeling a little dehydrated yesterday. Nothing a half a gallon of water and some scrambled eggs couldn't fix but dehydrated nonetheless. It has probably been since my sisters 21st birthday night out that I woke up feeling so parched.

Luke's Company Christmas party was Friday night. After searching for a good month or more I finally found a cute dress that wasn't black. I needed color this year, instead of the blacks, grays an browns I have worn in years past and I was able to find it in a super cute purpley-fuschia dress.


I am normally more of a earth-tones kind of gal and I was planning on finding a red dress but this dress caught my eye and the rest is history. It helped that it fit well too, which make me thankful for my gym membership. Since I know that there are people that will want to know this (Michelle, and Colleen in particular) and I don't want to get into any trouble the skirt of the dress goes down to just below my knees and is fitted like a pencil skirt and I wore it will black leather closed toe pumps.

It was a fun night. It is always nice to get out of the house feeling all beautiful with my husband. It was a casino party so there was gambling and dancing and food and drink and a good night was has by all.

Even though Luke had been up since 2:30am trying to get home from his business trip we headed out with some coworkers and their spouses to a local club thus allowing me to dance even more to a lot of loud gangsta rap. I am not a fan of gangsta rap but they could have been playing just about anything and I would have had a blast dancing around the floor with all of the wives in the group. I think he had fun too, at least I hope he did because he was up for 24 hours straight because of it. He is a good husband. Luckily we had wonderful babysitters that kept Maddy over night so we were also able to sleep in until 10:00am! I haven't slept in that late since way before Maddy was born, it was awesome.

It is fun being out with other adults all acting like we don't have any responsibilities beyond the college aged kids at the club with their term papers and study groups. I am slowly learning through my Mommy Evolution that it is a lot fun to not take life to seriously every once and a while.

Today is a Special Treat

Lets be honest. Some day's being a mommy is less than fun. I see nothing wrong in saying that. I don't think you need to like every minute of motherhood.

On the flip side some days feel like a special treat.

Today, I feel like I a kid who has behaved all the way through the grocery store while shopping with mom and now has the chance to pick out a treat for good behavior. I am not sure what I did to deserve my treat but for some reason Maddy is giving Mommy a reward. Days like today make it so easy to forget about the hard or frustrating days.

When I got the chance to sleep an hour later than normal, I thought that was my special gift from my daughter for the day but the kept coming.

She listened to every instruction and happily executed them while getting ready this morning. I'm not a drill sergeant but it sure is nice to say "Maddy, come sit on Mommy's lap so I can brush your hair," and have her walk right over and sit down on my lap.

After a quick trip to playgroup she came home and cheerfully worked on some Christmas gifts for a few family members with me. I am enjoying the holiday season with a toddler around and I am especially enjoying her excitement at gift giving.

Then she painted and painted and painted on her easel just letting me watch her creativity and imagination in progress.

And then, without warning or coercion, she fell asleep on the floor still in her painting shirt just steps from her easel.

Just seeing her passed out on the floor takes me back to when she was smaller and would fall asleep anywhere and sleep through everything.

Getting to see my daughter grow, learn and change is a daily gift but some days feel like a dream. Some days even though we may be surrounded by people it feels like it is just the two of us enjoying each other and loving our time together.

Some days I just don't ever want to end.

Holiday Cookie Exchange Prize Winners and A Bonus Recipe

Holy smokes, time sure does fly when you are salivating over 2 dozen cookie recipes!

Thank you to everyone who participated in my little ol' Holiday Cookie Exchange, I really enjoyed reading through all of your great recipes and now I have a big long list of new cookies to try out! Hopefully this gave you all a chance to spice up your holiday baking with some new yummy treats.

And now for the prize-y goodness.

1.

2.

3.

The three winners were selected using Random.org. Our winners are recipe links #

1
(Elizabeth Shortbread Stars with Cinnamon Icing)
3
(Mom of 1- Anzac Cookies)
10
(Elizabeth- No Bake Heath Sandwiches)
Timestamp: 2009-12-13 04:07:56 UTC

All three winners have been contacted and will have 36 hours to get back to me with their shipping information before alternate participants are chosen, I want to make sure that prizes find their way to loving homes as soon as possible. Giving things away is so fun, Yea!!!

And just to wrap up this week full of cookies I have one more recipe to share with you all. My good friend and faithful Evolving Mommy reader, Gillian, emailed me her favorite recipe for Norwegian butter cookies to share with you all. I love it when someone that doesn't have a blog joins in on the fun, thanks for sharing, Gillian! Trust me people these cookies are yummy!

Norwegian Butter Cookies
*this recipe is originally from Epicurious.com

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Rounded 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Special equipment: a cookie press fitted with a star, bow, circle, or ribbon plate*

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Beat together butter, sugar, and extracts in a large bowl with an electric mixer at moderately high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and beat well. Add flour mixture and mix at low speed until just combined.

Quarter dough and put 1 piece into cookie press. Holding press slightly above ungreased baking sheets, squeeze out dough to form cookies (follow manufacturer's instructions), spacing them about 3 inches apart. Form more cookies with remaining dough in same manner.

Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until edges are golden, 10 to 15 minutes, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool.


Cooks' notes:
· If you don't have a cookie press, you can form dough into 1 1/2-inch balls, then flatten to 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick with back of a fork, making a crosshatch design on top of cookies.
· Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature 3 weeks.

Mmmm....

Cookie Exchange Day 5 - Chocolate Crinkles

Wow, I can't believe it is already Day 5 of this fun little cookie extravaganza. There is still time to join in and be entered into the prize drawing. Don't be shy it is easy and your chances of winning a fun prize are pretty good! You can go here for more info.

Did you know my favorite dessert is a warm, gooey, fudgy brownie? Mmm, add a little vanilla ice cream and some warm fudge sauce and I am in heaven.

Today's cookies remind me of brownies, little round, confectioners sugar covered brownies. I would suggest making the dough and chilling it in the refrigerator over night to make it much easier to handle.


Chocolate Crinkles

1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup confectioners sugar

Mix oil, chocolate, and granulated sugar in a large bowl. Incorporate one egg at a time until well blended. Add vanilla to chocolate mixture.

In a small bowl mix flour, baking powder and salt then add to chocolate mixture. Stir until flour is no longer visible and is completely mixed in. Cover bowl and refrigerate for several hours. If possible overnight is best.

Once ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Roll cookie dough into 1 inch balls and roll each ball in confectioners sugar to coat. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on baking sheet.

Bake 10 - 12 minutes, until chocolate cracks show through the confectioners sugar on the tops of the cookies. Immediately remove cookies from baking pans and place on wire racks to cool.

Makes about 6 1/2 dozen cookies.

Cookie Exchange Day 4 - Lime Meltaways

I mentioned that last year brought our family some great new recipes and today's recipe is one of them. This one is from Good old Martha Stewart and I truly heart them. No changes made this recipe is straight from marthastewart.com.

Lime is not a flavor your usually get from a cookie and I love the subtle tartness of this butter cookie. The only problem I can see is that both the dough and the cookies taste way too good and melt in your mouth a little too easily so it is entirely possible to consume a lot of this cookie before or after you bake it. I would suggest doubling the batch just to make sure that you have enough leftover when you have eaten your fill to share with others.

Lime Meltaways

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Grated zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter and 1/3 cup sugar until fluffy. Add lime zest, juice, and vanilla; beat until fluffy.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add to butter mixture, and beat on low speed until combined.

Between two 8-by-12-inch pieces of parchment paper, roll dough into two 1 1/4-inch-diameter logs. Chill at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Place remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Remove parchment from logs; slice dough into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart.

Bake cookies until barely golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. While still warm, place cookies in the sugar-filled bag; toss to coat.

Bake or freeze remaining dough. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Makes about 10 dozen.

Cookie Exchange Day 3 - Frostbite Cookies

These oatmeal raisin cookies are so much more than your average oatmeal raisin cookie. With subtle a orange flavor and white chocolate covering a 1/3 of each cookie these oatmeal raisin cookies deserve a category all there own.

My grandma found the recipe for Frostbite Cookies in a random magazine and we decided to give them a try last year. I am so glad we did and I am so glad that Sun-Maid Raisins decided to publish this recipe in the random magazine that my grandma found it in. Yum.


Frostbite Cookies

3/4 cup Raisins
3 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 cup room temperature unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons grated orange peel (can use fresh or dried)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats or quick oats
1-1/4 cups white chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Heat oven to 350 F.

Put raisins and orange juice in a small microwave safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 minute. Set aside to cool while you mix other ingredients.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add egg and orange peel to bowl and mix well. Stir in flour and baking soda.Mix oats and raisin-orange juice mixture into batter. Mix thoroughly, making sure raisins are mixed throughout batter.

Drop dough by teaspoonful onto cookie sheets leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from pan onto wire rack to cool immediately. While cookies cool pour white baking chips and oil into a microwave safe bowl on medium power (50%) for about 2 minutes. Remove bowl from microwave and stir mixture until chips are melted. Dip cookies one at a time about 1/3 way up into chocolate. Place on a wax paper lined pan to let white chocolate is set. *Alternately you can drizzle the white chocolate over the cookies to get cookies with a little white chocolate in every bite.


Psst! Just in case your wondering about prizes beyond all these yummy cookie recipes from around the blogosphere, you can check them out here.

What You Could Win...

To those of you who have already joined in on the cookie exchange fun, thank you! I have really enjoyed looking through your recipes!

To those of you who haven't joined in yet, There is still time and it's easy just post your favorite recipe or recipes on your blog and add your link to the list at the top of the page. What other way can you participate in a calorie free cookie exchange?

I mentioned that some lucky cookie exchangers could win prizes just for sharing in the fun, right? Well, scroll down to see some of the possibilities. You can post a recipe each day this week and for each day you participate you get an entry in the prize drawings. Spread the word to all your friends, I'm feeling generous and the more people that participate the more prizes there will be.

5 piece snowflake cookie cutter set.
Set includes 3 different snowflake shapes and 2 decorating tools to create seriously impressive cookies.

Curious Chef cookie cutters and measuring spoon set.
These tools are a great way to get your kids involved in your holiday baking because Curious Chef utensils are specially made for kids.

$10.00 gift card to Build-a-bear workshop.
You can give it as a gift or take your child to have some fun.

Cookie Exchange 2- Lemon Puddin' Candy Clusters

Day 2 of Evolving Mommy's Holiday Cookie Exchange and I'm bringing something a little different to the table. Lemon. I love citrus flavors. These lemon candies are sweet with a great amount of tart and the coconut adds so much texture and chewiness.

Lemon Puddin' Candy Clusters

1 three (3) ounce lemon pudding mix, do not use instant pudding
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup flaked coconut

In a 2 quart sauce pan mix pudding and sugar. Stir in evaporated milk and butter. Cook over medium heat while continuously stirring until mixture comes to a boil. Continue stirring and boil for 3 minutes.

Stir in coconut and remove from heat and beat, by hand, until mixture is thick and the a dull yellow. Drop by teaspoonfuls on foil or waxed paper when it is thick enough to stay in mounds and not spread. Let cool until set.

Alternately you can pout the mixture into a grease 9x5inch pan and cut into bars after it has cooled.

Makes about 24 clusters.

Notes: If the mixtures becomes too set ass you are spooning it onto the foil or wax paper you can add a few drops of water to help soften it a bit. If you are having trouble getting the mixture to thicken up enough you can add powdered sugar by the teaspoonful until it thickens enough to work with.If you decide to double this recipe I recommend increasing the boiling time to 10 minutes.

If you prefer different flavors you can substitute butterscotch pudding and pecans or chocolate pudding and walnuts for the lemon pudding and coconut.

Cookie Exchange Day 1 - Peanut Blossoms

It's day one of Evolving Mommy's Holiday Cookie Exchange and I'm kicking it off with one of my families very favorites.

Peanut Butter Blossoms, because peanut butter and chocolate are an almost unbeatable pair. These cookies end up slightly soft, chewy and very delicious.


1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Additional granulated sugar for coating cookies
3-4 dozen Brach's Solid Milk Chocolate Stars* or chocolate kiss candies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Using mixer mix the peanut butter and butter in a medium sized bowl. Gradually add sugar and brown sugar to peanut butter mixture and cream well. Mix in egg and vanilla.

Mix in flour, baking soda and salt. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar to coat and place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake about 6-8 minutes or until edges are light brown. At this point cookies will be very soft and slightly puffy. Immediately press one chocolate candy in center of each cookie, pressing down until edges begin to crack. Place cookie sheet back in oven and bake for an additional 2-3 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack taking care not to touch the chocolate until it is completely cooled.

Yields about three dozen cookies.

*Any cone shaped milk chocolate candy can be used but our families favorite is the Brach's Milk Chocolate Stars. My Aunt explained it best when she said that the cookie seems to grab onto the ridges of the chocolate stars and keep them in place better. Chocolate Stars are also pretty, so if you can find them in your market I suggest using them, if not kiss candies of some sort will work out beautifully.

Cookies and Prizes, What Could Be Better!?!

I mentioned earlier that I love baking cookies this time of year, actually I love baking cookies anytime of year but that is beside the point.

Each year for Christmas my lovely Grandma sets to work baking dozens times dozens squared by dozens of cookies. My family likes cookies and we like to share cookies. Each year my sister, Maddy and I help with the baking task and each year along with the tried and true favorites we like to try out a few new recipes.

Now what better way to get new recipes than from all of you! I am so excited to announce the first annual Evolving Mommy Holiday Cookie Exchange.

I know some of you may avoid cookie exchanges like the plague but the beauty of this cookie exchange is that you don't have to bake a thing in order to participate. All you have to do is post one of your favorite cookie recipes on your blog and leave your link in the Evolving Mommy Cookie Exchange link list.

Easy right?

Fun right?

Well it gets better. There are fun baking and Christmas themed prizes too!

Prizes because I think your great, I'm feeling the Christmas spirit and I think you are great. Wait I already mentioned that didn't I? Oh well, it's true.

The Cookie exchange begins tomorrow, 12/07, and runs through Friday, 12/11. For each day you participate by posting a recipe on your blog, leaving your link on the link list and linking back to Evolving Mommy, you will be entered to win one of the prizes, giving you a possible of 5 entries for some really fun and very cute winnings!

Drop cookies or cut-out cookies, bar cookies or Christmas Candies or no-bake cookies, fancy or super simple...the possibilities are endless. Come back daily to share your recipes and to see what recipes other people are sharing.

Tomorrow I'll share some of the prizes with you along with my first recipe. In the mean time feel free to grab the button or the banner and spread the word, the more the merrier! I can't wait to see what everyone has to share!

p.s If you are interested in participating but do not have a blog there is a way for you to get in on the fun too. Leave your recipe in a comment on the Holiday Cookie Exchange post and I will enter you into the drawings as well.

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5 Little Things - Random Things You Should Know

1. I love baking cookies and this time of the year is my favorite for spending a wh0le day whipping up yummy treats. My family has some favorite recipes that we make every year but we are always looking for new and delicious recipes to try out. I'm thinking of hosting a little online cookie exchange here at Evolving Mommy this week to share some of our favorite recipes and to see some of yours. Psst...There might even be a prize or two for participating.


2. It is 12 degrees out side right now which pretty much explains why I am firmly planted inside right now. Not to mention the six inches of snow that we got last night. Somehow I managed to get up and get to the gym by 6:45 this morning and then head to the grocery store even with the weather working against me, but now that I am home I am not so sure all those other errands I wanted to run today well get done.

3. Luke is taking a surprisingly active role in Christmas shopping this year. I'm not sure how to handle his hands on approach, because usually I have to twist his arm to get him involved.

4. If you like $25.00 American Express gift cards head over to Evolving Mommy Reviews to learn about Hellmann's Real Holiday Helpings and how you can win a $25.00 American Express gift card of your own.

5. I am not going to talk about it at length but my previous love for Tiger Woods is gone. He is still a heck of a golfer but I just can't love a cheater, pure and simple. I don't care how rich or famous you are it isn't acceptable to cheat on your wife and kids.

It is December, Right?

This happy Christmas mood I am having this year is starting to freak me out a bit.

Things are getting done, and earlier than normal at that, even with Luke gone for the week. Christmas shopping is moving along nicely, the Christmas cards have been ordered, printed and picked up and we have already had our annual cookie baking day to get a jump on all the cookies that the family bakes and consumes this time of year.

Usually by now I am pacing the aisles of every store in town trying to figure out what the heck to give as gifts, and trying desperately to find a picture of the Evolving Mommy family that features all three of our faces in semi-decent expressions for Christmas cards. Not this year.

And the kicker so far, no stress and no anxiety anywhere in sight, just happy moods and excitement. I will admit that I have had a couple of Christmas Elves helping me here and there.




Apparently my Christmas Elves prefer the "clustered ornament design" for the trees they decorate. While I appreciate their vision I decided to go with the more traditional "evenly spread ornament design" for the tree this year. I guess I am just a little old fashioned and their cutting edge cluster "look" is just too modern for me.

It never fails I get so much motivation to tackle projects while Luke is out of town. Now if only I could transfer some of that motivation to doing the normal everyday tasks, like laundry and dishes, that I seem to lose all motivation for every time he leaves.

Now I'm off to address and stamp the mountainous pile of Christmas cards residing on my table.


Maybe I could coax my "Christmas Elves" to vacuum, make the bed and take care of the wash. At least until Luke gets home and my housework motivation returns. Don't tell me, there are probably Elf Labor Laws against having elves do your housework so that you can handle other things though, right?