Christmas and the Project-Oriented Husband

I could write a book called The Project-Oriented Husband.  It would include topics like how to deal with (and even embrace) items that suddenly enter the household unannounced: sausage-making attachments for the Kitchen-Aid, large beer making supplies, high-tech music mixing equipment... okay, we don't have any music mixing equipment, but we certainly have plenty of other supplies for various projects.  That chapter would be called "Space Invaders."  

My book would also include a chapter on Christmas.  Here is what you might find in a project-oriented person's living room around Christmastime:

That thing on the left is not a present.  You might think it is because it's shaped like a box and it's sitting under the tree, but you'd be wrong.  It's actually a big cardboard box with a rectangular hole cut in the top.  Inside are special electrical carving tools (or something) and pieces of wood.  For some kind of project.  I don't even know what it is, and you know what?  I don't care.  Because as long as my husband is happily carving away, I'm happy too. 

In all honesty, I have waaaaay more project supplies than Karl, and I do love it when he's excited about a new project.  I think that's the best side of him.  So I'll happily give up some under-the-tree space for whatever he's working on.  And once I get this book deal, we'll be able to buy a second house, specifically for our project equipment.  

Cookie Swap!

Tonight I'm going to a cookie swap with my book club!  Cookie swaps are perfect because they give me a chance to make a couple of well-loved recipes and get most of the cookies out of the house before I really do some damage. 

 

Here's what's in my Tupperware for tonight:

 

 

Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies 

(I use Andes mints for the last ingredient listed)



 

These are hands-down my favorite holiday cookies.  They're super delicious and they have a great consistency.  Plus they're super easy to make, and once the candy is cool, they can be stacked on top of one another.  I usually make these to give to our neighbors in little Christmas bags. 

Jamaretti Cookies

 



 

I just discovered this recipe; it was in an insert in the most recent Martha Stewart magazine.  I chose this recipe because: 

 

a. it's made with almond paste, and I love all things almond

and

b.  they looked really fast and easy to make (and they are!)

 

I used homemade raspberry jam for my cookies, but I think they'd be great with other flavors, too.  They have a nice, not-too-sweet almond taste; the only drawback is that they can't be stacked.  That's why God created cookie plates, though, right?  I made these cookies for my co-workers, and they got such rave reviews that I decided to whip up another batch for the cookie swap.  

The Best Christmas Present Ever

As you probably know, I adore the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.  Of course I was overjoyed to find out that Samantha Finglass, daughter of DCC Director Kelli Finglass, is posting a video blog every day in December!  Vlogmas 2013, y'all.  This is truly the gift that keeps on giving.  Her videos are mostly hair and make-up oriented.  Watching the video of the day is my little treat during lunchtime at work every day.  You can watch Samantha's videos through her blog, or you can see them on YouTube.

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 3

I'm thankful for my family's new tradition of choosing a theme each year for Christmas!  I absolutely love themes, so this is really fun for me.  The themes we've had so far have been:

• Feliz Navidad: A Mexican Christmas in 2009 (this was our first theme, and it was mainly reflected in the food
• Woodland Critter Christmas in 2011
• A Very Nautical Nativity: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Take to the High Seas in 2012 (during which I apparently forgot to take any pictures or write anything down)

This year, our theme is really good...

 

Here Comes Santa Paws: A Canine Christmas! 

 

It's going to be amazing. 

Christmas Miracle #3

I have never claimed to be a photographer.  Just keep that in mind, okay?  Because I am about to show you photographic evidence of Christmas Miracle #3, and you are going to be underwhelmed because I take kind of bad pictures.  But trust me.  In real life, these are amazing.

 

A few years ago, my mom and I picked up a super cute set of vintage glasses at the thrift store in her town.  The've got little etched stars all over them, and the original set had short glasses, tall glasses, and two shot glasses (just in case).  Of course we bought them all.  Karl and I love them and use them all the time.  Here's a photo of one of our kitchen shelves.  Remember: not a photographer. 

 

My mom was randomly telling her friend about the glasses a couple of weeks ago, and her friend- I am not making this up- said, "Oh, I bet I donated those.  My brother bought those for my mom at the PX when he was in the service.  I have more in the basement."  And she went down to the basement and brought up a big box brimming with what can only be described as a Christmas Miracle. 

I knew nothing about this, so I was surprised when we went home for Christmas and my mom handed me the box.  It held at least 20 more glasses, in different sizes and shapes, like this one:

 

And the piece de resistance... a matching cocktail shaker!

This is when I wish my photography skills were better, because then you could see how awesome this shaker truly is.  Little etched stars... thick glass... pure love.  Come over and I'll mix you up a cocktail in it! 

Christmas Miracle #2

Karl and I went to my mom's house for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  It pretty much involved a lot of eating and lounging, which of course are the ingredients for the perfect holiday.  During one lounge session, I was reading a Real Simple magazine, and I came across this page:

"Ohmygosh we need those!" I may have shouted when I saw the upper right corner...

 

 

Need.  I even tore out the page so I could remember where to order them. 

 

When Karl and I got home on Christmas, there was a package waiting from my dear friend Caitrin (who by the way should start her own blog to show off all of her ideas for elf-on-the-shelf placement.  I do not even like elves-on-the-shelves but I would completely support her in this blogging endeavor because her placements really are incredible).  Inside were several darling items, including the hedgehog dryer balls!  Can you believe that?!  It's like she just knew we needed them, before we even knew they existed.  And that, my friends, is a true Christmas miracle.  Our laundry area has never been so adorable. 

 

Christmas Miracle #1

This year, three amazing Christmas miracles happened to us.  Here's the first one:

 

Karl and I go to a little town called Cedarburg every year for a few days after Christmas.  There's not a lot to do there (which is lovely), so we spend time watching movies, sitting in front of the fire, chatting at coffee shops, and wandering through antique shops.  We always find something we need.  This year, it was this sweet little vintage lamp:

 

If you wind the ferris wheel, the riders go around and music plays.  The best part: well, everything.  The worst part: the hideously boring shade. 

 

Fast forward a couple of days and a 90-minute drive, when we stopped at an antiques shop just outside of Madison and found... in the furniture section because we were just going to quickly look at furniture and then go home, which makes it even more miraculous... the perfect shade!  Same company and everything. 

 



 

Goodbye, white shade.  Hello, adorableness.  

New Favorite Christmas Cookies

I thought I had all of the Christmas cookie recipes I would ever need.  My standards include Raspberry Candycane Twists, Chocolate Almond Parson's Hats, and those really easy and cute round pretzels with melted Hershey's kisses and M&Ms.  That's enough, right?  I thought so... until the lovely Jessica posted this recipe.  I have now made it three times, and many of the delighted recipients have asked for the recipe.  Move over, parson's hats! 

 

Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. butter at room temperature
2 Tablespoons water
2 eggs
12 oz. chocolate chips
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3 packages Andes mints

• Cream sugar & butter.  Add water & eggs.  Melt chocolate chips and add to creamed mixture. Add dry ingredients.
• Roll into 1" balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. After baking, immediately top each cookie with a mint. Allow to melt, then spread like frosting.
• Then for the most difficult step:  Allow the candy layer to harden and cool completely before enjoying.  Tough, but worth it! 

Struckmeyer Elves

Karl and I are so lucky to live close to a lot of family members, including his grandmother, Helen.  She is very dear to us, and we try to do something special with her every Christmas.  She came to our house on Sunday for cookie decorating and dinnner. 

 

Karl and I made the cookies ahead of time...

 



 

 

And we put Helen to work sprinkling and sugaring them! 

 

 We sent her home with a big container full of her handiwork... hopefully enough to hold her over till Christmas!

 

After dinner, cookies, and more cookies, we had some time to relax by the fireplace.  Karl got out his guitar and we sang a few songs.  Sometimes I can't even believe how darling my husband is.

Christmas at Our House

 

SantaCon

I don't know how it is where you live, but here in Madison, anytime there's a large gathering of people doing something kind of out of the ordinary, we like to add "Con" to the end of the title.  There's TeslaCon, GeekCon, OdysseyCon, WisCon, and, yes, SantaCon.  Last weekend, Karl and I put on our Santa gear and joined hundreds of other Santas downtown for some holiday bar hopping.   

 

There was a Badger game on during the first couple of stops.  Some Santas were more interested in the game than others. 

 Me with my friend and SantaCon organizer, Molli.  As you can see, I wore way too many clothes.  I'm already planning next year's outfit.  Probably not as lingerie-oriented as Molli's, but not as pajamaish as this year's get-up.  Which, by the way, I made while living in Alaska, and every time I've worn it (which has been like twice) not in Alaska, people have asked me if I'm dressed up like Mrs. Claus.  You can understand why I thought it was a good choice for SantaCon.

 

Also, it has been ten years since I lived in Alaska.  Perhaps it's time for me to say good-bye to that garment, now that I think about it.  But then there's the matching headband to deal with, too...

 

 

Just a bunch of Santas walking down the street.  I loved seeing people's reactions.  You're out for dinner and all of a sudden a huge group of Santas walks by.  Normal, right? 

Santas on the dance floor at a German bar/restaurant.  You can see people in the foreground trying to enjoy a nice wurst or two in peace.   Think again, diners!

My wedding photographer (but mostly now she's my friend), Sharon.  She was wearing a more appropriate amount of clothing than I was.  Not lingerie, but also not pajamas.  Must remember: no pajamas for SantaCon 2013.   

Santas on the Capitol steps, eating cupcakes being handed out by some strangers.  The woman in the front of this photo is wearing a unitard with a belt.  And rocking every inch of it.  I may have informed her that she was an inspiration to us all.  What I meant by that was "I wish I could wear a unitard."  And "I wish I weren't wearing this stupid dress/pajama thing that I made ten years ago." 

The hottest Hawaiian Santa in the crowd!  Those sunglasses originally belonged to his grandmother.  Everyone loved them.

O Christmas Tree

 We got our Christmas tree last week!  We went with my mom to the UW Forestry Club's annual tree sale in the old stock pavilion on campus. 

 

 

I tried to get Karl to smile like a normal person for a photo.  First he hid...

Then he made a lot of goofy faces.

 

 Finally I got a secret photo of him comparing two seemingly identical trees.

 My mom picked out her tree!  It was all wrapped up, like a suprise. 

Our tree wasn't wrapped up, but we still managed to fit it in the back of the Miracle Yaris.  It's already up and twinkling in the living room! 

Husband's Handiwork

For the last I don't know how many years (at least 7), I've stored my jewelry in this darling little set of wooden drawers, courtesy of a yard sale. Each drawer is labeled with a different battery size, and I could never bear to take those sweet labels off.


Even though it has a handy nail hole for hanging, I never hung my jewelry keeper up. Instead, I've kept it behind my sock basket in the armoire. Here it is in its natural surroundings:

For Christmas, I asked Karl to make me a new jewelry holder, mainly so that my earrings are in plain sight so I'm more likely to wear them. We had a simple wooden frame from a thrift store, and Karl painted it, fitted it with wire mesh, added some knobs, and there you have it! Cute, huh?

Don't worry about my tried and true jewelry keeper. It's still in its rightful place behind the socks, holding a few things that didn't fit on the new one. And I like to think it is a lot more comfortable now that its drawers aren't crammed completely full.

Christmas Present to Myself

Woodland Critter Christmas: Roll With It

Not sure what to make for breakfast on the next family holiday? Team Struckmeyer's got you covered.

Start with a package of refrigerated biscuits in a tube. Get the butter flavored ones if you must. Relish the feeling of opening the tube. Shape each biscuit into a basic small animal form. Think rounded blob with smaller rounded blob sticking out.


Sterilize the scissors on your mini Swiss Army knife and snip the dough to create spikes. The more spikes, the better. Just keep snipping.

Bake according to the instructions on the package; serve warm with honey.

Woodland Critter Christmas Meringue Contest

A lot of time on Christmas Eve was spent creating woodland critters out of meringue. Our favorite Christmas cookie magazine features a recipe for meringue angels, so we used that for our starting point. We mixed up a few batches of meringue in my mom's Kitchen-Aid, put it into decorating bags fitted with large tips, and away we went! Each of us had a workstation covered with parchment paper, which made transferring the critters to baking sheets really easy.

Elsworth did a lot of research before starting his critters.


Hanna, piping away:


Karl... so serious! He probably didn't want to get any meringue on the new sweater his wife made for him for Christmas.


A few favorites! The m&ms dots on the mushroom didn't quite turn out as we had hoped...

A squirrel angel:

Happy Woodland Critter Chistmas!