Today…

Outside my window: it’s you’re fairly standard cold winter morning. All of the snow we’ve gotten in the past few weeks is still present and accounted for and likely going nowhere anytime soon.

This weekend : was Christmas! We had a very Merry weekend, indeed. A nice, small, intimate affair. The kids were fantastic and slept until just after 7am – I’d been concerned that MM would get up at the crack of dawn and ransack the gift pile, so we left a few big unopened goodies to distract him with, but it turned out to be a non-issue, as we woke up before him.

Santa filled our stockings with: some very nice goodies! Dan got some new knitting supplies, I got some new Glade scented oil candles and new pot holders, MM got some awesome new crayons and coloring books and Little BB got some toy food (including a basket of fruit from IKEA) and a cute blanket with a felt doll sort of sewn onto it.

We also: made out fairly well in the wrapped gift department. The two Big Gifts which you can see above were the toy kitchen which we scored at Aldi for $30. It was a beast to put together, but so worth it and the kids just adore it. We also got a treasure chest style toy box at IKEA and filled it up with odds and ends dress up clothes like some inexpensive costume hats from Savers Halloween section, an assortment of toy badges from the Dollar Store and a handmade super hero cape and mask made by Dan and I a few nights before Christmas, using an old tee shirt. We cut out the front of an old Superman tee shirt of Dan’s, keeping the neck in tact. Then cut the neck at the middle and attach velcro so it can go on and off easily. We used scrap fabric to make a ninja turtles style mask. Idea inspired by Homemade by Jill.

My love got me: Gold’s Gym Dance Workout for the Wii which I am really enjoying so far.

And I got him: The Rivals for Catan card game, based on the popular board game. We’re looking forward to playing it soon!

That night: We had dinner with good friends which was a lot of fun. MM got to play with his Wisconsin Besties and we had good food, fun and conversation to boot. A perfect ending to a happy holiday! We made my MIL’s famous rum cake and also a sweet potato casserole for the occasion and the kids loved showing off favorite presents and burning off the holiday energy together!

I am reading: A First Among Sequels (Thursday Next, Book 5) by Jasper Fforde still, I am now probably 2/3rds through it which means I’ll likely finish it by the end of the week. I always love his books and I swear they get better with each installment.

You should check out these links:

• This recipe for Spaghetti alla Carbonara at Saveur.com has me drooling uncontrollably.
• Two Peas and Their Pod just posted this recipe for Almond Cookies with Cranberries & White Chocolate that just might be the answer to my almond cookie prayers.
• Need to write Thank You notes? Organizing Your Way has some printables to help.

Two last picture to share before I go: here’s a couple more Super MM pictures that I think you need to see.