December 09

Things here have been good. Gerald is still employed, and with the exception of a slight ear infection, we're all relatively healthy and happy. So, why haven't I kept up with the blog a little better? Well... With my degree program on the downslide, I am having more and more practicum hours, lab assignments, and lesson plans to write. Plus, I'm working on my Postpartum Doula Certification for CAPPA very slowly. Oh... and then there's the search for a non-public Kindergarten that isn't academically based. It's not easy being cheesy.

Here's what I have condensed the month of December to for now.

Enid's fascination with Barbies, Skippers, Kellys, and Kens comes in spurts. We recently found a neat little doll shop behind Twig in Chapel Hill, and the owner was so awesome... he gave Enid two used Barbies for $1. She used some birthday/Christmas money for them and also got a little wind up sewing machine from the 80s. Here she is sprawling Barbie stuff out across her room at quiet time. Don't be fooled... quite a bit of that stuff was mine as a kid or was Rement items from Nikko.



Enid's preschool celebrates seasonally, and for the Winterfest potluck they did a little goodies exchange. There were different types of ornaments, paper snowflakes, and even baked goods. We had been saving up those free restaurant crayons and some old nubby crayons for months so we could make melted crayon art. Instead, Enid and I made recycled crayons shaped like gingerbread men. They were a hit... along with the honey sticks we gave out!





We tried some new recipes for Christmas goodies this year. Gerald made peanut butter fudge and I made a Weight Watchers recipe for Chocolate Chip Biscotti. It was all pretty darn good, and friends, neighbors, and family loved everything.



Enid helped Daddy make her Grandma's sugar cookie recipe. As you can see from the work cell that he's holding in the photo, he could bake and attend a meeting at the same time. That's a great perk to telecommuting.



Santa called Enid one night while she was having chili for dinner, and at first I think she was annoyed that he had interrupted her. When he said that he knew she wanted a Labyrinth board game, she became more interested in the call than dinner. He also told her that she needed to work a little harder at being a good listener, and it actually worked for a while! When we saw Santa's helper in the mall, she talked to him about Mommy's Barbie collection and how Barbie and the Rockers was re-released recently. For a kid who's hardly ever allowed to watch TV (she has to earn it with chores etc), she sure is a pop culture junky sometimes!

As you can see in the slideshow, Santa did bring her the Labyrinth game. (He didn't give her any plastic, and neither did Mommy and Daddy.) Santa also brought her a new larger easel, an iron & ironing board, a hand-sewn baby blanket, a veggie garden set, a farmer & farmer's wife, a little wooden fence, a Tinkerbell "magic towel", a gnome maze book, a couple of books, and Tinkerbell pjs. Mrs. Claus was super proud of the goodies this year... she didn't feel guilty about any of it! Gerald and I gave her a wooden castle with some furniture and people, and she got a wooden barn from Granny & PaPa. Her collection of play sets has grown into an entire village!

For our Christmas party food, Gerald bought a huge crock pot. Later in the month we made carrot & potato soup in it with an improvised recipe. It was delicious! Even Enid loved it! It was especially good with cheesy drop biscuits.







Soon I'll be posting some photos on the art blog of Christmas gifts I made. Some time. Eventually.