Cherub's Giggle

If you know my mom, you know that she's very creative and that she also really loves spending time with Baby F. This year for Christmas she married her creativity with my dad's current job at Water2Wine  to make a fantastic gift they named Cherub's Giggle.

I should have known that after a clandestine "photo shoot" with his Mimi that Baby F would be starring in our cherished Christmas gift - customized bottles of pinot noir and pinot grigio. We loved this gift and promptly consumed the wine which was delicious! I'd highly suggest this fun, custom bottle idea if you're in the market for a unique gift for a friend or loved one.

So Yummy - And "Lentil" On Your Wallet

Okay - so it's a geeky take on "gentle", but this soup was absolutely delicious and really affordable, so I had to share the recipe! I used the leftover ham bone from our Christmas feast and made some corn bread to serve with the soup which was the perfect complement.

This is the first time I've cooked with lentils and had no idea about their outstanding nutritional value until I saw the signage at Whole Foods. I think I'll be looking for more lentil recipes in the coming weeks! Have any to share?

Tasty Treats

I love cooking and baking - as discussed on this blog before - so I really like making tasty treats for friends and family at the holidays (and it doesn't hurt that there are often leftovers for me!) This year I decided to go all out on fudge, and made a few flavors. Only one flavor completely tanked (pumpkin fudge - I definitely did something wrong in that recipe...), but the others were delicious and I have one more batch to make - this time maple - which I hope tastes as heavenly as it sounds.

In the meantime, if you're looking for a good fudge recipe here are the ones I used with a few editorial notes:

• Favorite flavor of the year: peanut butter fudge. This recipe was truly easy and the texture was perfect. Several of my friends said they ate the entire bag I gave them before they even had a chance to put it away. I want to make another batch just for me!
• Close second favorite flavor: candy cane fudge. Although my final product didn't look anything like the photo (my candy canes were inside the fudge, not on top), it was delicious. On the topic of looks - against my better judgement I used green food coloring with this recipe. I would actually recommend against using any food coloring. I selected multi-colored (red, white & green) candy canes for the recipe and they actually looked really nice against the original white of the batter. When I make my next batch, I'm keeping it au naturel.
• I am usually a huge chocolate fudge fan - but this recipe wasn't my favorite. Don't get me wrong, it still tasted divine and I still gave it out as gifts, but it was a little dry & brittle for my liking. All of my woes were likely caused by chef's error, but I'll probably go back to the popular Fantasy Fudge recipe next time.

Baby F is, of course, too young to take part in the cooking or tasting of these treats - but I do have him around in the kitchen often and wonder if he'll grow up with an affinity for cooking. I hope so, because I think a man who knows how to cook (or at least one who's willing to clean up the dishes) makes a great catch!

Holiday Treats to Holiday Lights - A Day of Giving

Today was a day of giving. It started when I delivered holiday treats and cards to Baby F's teachers at school, then handed out goodies to my coworkers. This evening I got to help decorate a cottage at Tennyson Center for Children, and capped off the night by making some food for tomorrow's teacher appreciation luncheon at Baby F's school. Whew!

Most moving for me today was helping to decorate the cottage at Tennyson. If you're not familiar with the organization, they provide services for abused and neglected children. GroundFloor Media has supported Tennyson for many years, and we decorated cottages last year, too - so maybe it's being a new mom, but interacting with the kids there this year was totally different for me. I couldn't help looking at their darling, eager faces and wondering how on earth they end up in abusive or neglectful situations. How could a parent do that to their child? I simply cannot imagine, but I'm so glad that organizations like Tennyson exist to provide a safe space and healing treatment for these kids.

Watching the kids get so excited about the decorating process, and hearing from them about their own holiday traditions (one girl hung her very own ornament which she said was "very old" - she received it on her first birthday nine years ago...) reminded me what the holidays really should be about. The kids were so eager to open the stockings we brought for them and watching them go through the small gifts inside again reminded me to be so grateful for all that I have - most importantly a loving family and friends.

I haven't started Christmas shopping yet, but am encouraged every day the holiday draws more near to focus on giving to those less fortunate. This year - and again, maybe it's being a first time mom... - but this year I would much rather give back than receive. It's what the Christmas spirit is all about.

Locked & Loaded

I cannot believe it - but my holiday treats are ready for delivery tomorrow to Baby F's teachers and to my co-workers. And - on top of it all - I completed an entire delivery of holiday treats for Zach's office earlier this week! Only one treat went horribly awry and actually ended up in the trash (it was that bad...), but the rest are tasty and ready to bring holiday smiles to people's faces. Details and recipe links to come!

Next up? Holiday cards... Goal? Stuffed, addressed, stamped and ready to hit the road by Monday. Stay tuned for progress updates!

From Russia With Love

Today was a very special day - I got to meet Laura and Greg Aden's little boy Jackson who they just adopted from Russia. What a darling, vibrant, happy and outgoing little boy! And did I mention ACTIVE? Oh boy... I need a nap thinking of how tired I'll be chasing Baby F around when he's Jackson's age!

I adore Laura for so many reasons (you should know that she hired me even though I spilled coffee all over her beautiful, winter-white outfit almost five years ago now...), but we became closer over the past few years sharing in the trials and tribulations of trying to grow our families - me struggling with infertility and her with the ups and downs of trying to adopt. What a blessing that today we're both fulfilled in having achieved our dreams of growing our families to include happy, healthy little boys! What a difference a year (or two) makes.

What strikes me the most on the battlegrounds of infertility and adoption is that sometimes the people who want babies the most - those who would really make the ultimate parents - are those who face the highest hurdles. Both infertility and adoption come at a high price (emotionally and monetarily), and some try and try at both avenues only to run into road blocks along the way. Not to mention the other side of the story - the sweet kids like Jackson who would love to join a loving home and have no understanding that there are loving parents out there, it's just not quite so easy to put two-and-two together.

My wish tonight is that all those out there struggling with whatever barriers exist between them and a loving family will have the strength and resources to overcome those barriers. No matter what their future family looks like, I can say from experience that in the end it's worth the struggle.

Need a Smile?

I had a crummy day. Nothing went as I wanted. It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Blech.

Good news? I was putting together a baby shower gift for a friend tonight and got to choose one of these super cute little monsters to include in the package. How could they not make you smile? My multi-talented mom, Cathy, makes these dolls - they're fleece and all cuddly and squishy. Finn loves his! He picked a lime green one named "Yoop."

If you're in the market for one more holiday gift for a special little someone contact me or my mom. She has a bunch that are ready to go - or could probably custom-design one if you get to her this week (e.g., before Friday, Dec. 17...)

Okay - off to bed to sleep off this crummy day and reset for my last full week at work before the holidays! Now that's a reason to smile...