Unforgettable Childhood

We came home from Christmas with our families to a lot of snow. Luckily the girls got new sleds for Christmas. They have been having a blast in all the snow.

I am linking up with 5 Minutes for Mom for Wordless Wednesday.

For Christmas this year we gave our kids a trip to Disney World. They do have to wait for it though. We are not taking them until school is out for the summer in May.

It was so much fun to see their faces when they opened up their Mickey Ears. They knew right away that we were taking them. I am so excited to start letting them in on the planning.

I have found so many resources online to help with our trip. One of my favorite is Zannaland. She is actually on the Walt Disney World Moms Panel. I know I will get all kinds of super tips from her. It seems like it is a long time off, but according to the ticker we are only 4 months, 3 weeks and 3 days away! I can’t wait!

Free Disney Tickers

The girls with their hats and autograph books.

I love that the hats have their names on the back.

The great part is that my husband and I are just as excited as the girls to go. We have never been to Disney World, either. To make the trip even better we are going to bring along Grandma and Grandpa. (we even tried to get their uncle to come. . .he is not so sure about a trip with three little girls to see Mickey.)

I hope you all had a Wonderful Christmas! ~Amy

I have not been around for a couple of weeks. It has been crazy around here. Last week we spent a few days at the hospital. Our oldest had pneumonia. It was a little scary seeing her all hooked to the IV. They took good care of her and she is doing much better.

I hope to be able to get back to posting out here after the holiday hustle and bustle. We are busily trying to get our stuff together to leave town. To both Grandmothers’ House’s we go. We have clothes to pack, cookies to bake and gifts to pile in. And of course, the South Dakota weather is going to give us a headache. The forecast is snow and wind right when we are going to be on the road.

We celebrate Christmas with our kids tonight. A pasta supper with Candy Cane shaped breadsticks, followed by the lighting of our final Advent Candle and then presents. Christmas is definitely here.

If I don’t get back out here tomorrow, God’s Blessings to you during this holiday season!

This weekend I made up Graham Cracker Houses for my Daisy Girl Scouts to decorate with Candy for our Christmas Party.

Yesterday I let my other two girls use the two leftover houses. I had never attempted any sort of houses, gingerbread or graham cracker. It was not quite as easy as all the pictures look, but they had a lot of fun with it.

I promised my girls we would do a big house out of real gingerbread before Christmas. (Not sure when we are going to fit that in??)

Even though it was a little tricky to get the houses to stay together. I would recommend this project for Christmas fun.

I am guest blogging over at The Girl Creative today for her Creating Christmas Blogfest.

Sharing a few Christmas traditions that we celebrate as a family.

Check it out here.

One of our favorite recipes during the holidays is Cookie Dough Truffles. (I know they are not very healthy) Because of the non-healthy factor I only make these at Christmastime and I limit the consumption. This recipe is super easy and yummy.

picture from Tasteofhome.com

Here is the recipe from Taste of Home. If you would like to print it out you can go here.

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 pounds semisweet candy coating, chopped

*the recipe also calls for 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, but we leave these out.

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour, milk and vanilla; mix well. Stir in the chocolate chps and walnuts (optional). Shape into 1-in. balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating, stirring often until smooth. (I use a double-broiler on my stove to melt my chocolate) Dip balls in coating; place on waxed paper until firm, about 15 minutes. If desired, remelt remaining candy coating and drizzle over candies. Store in air tight container in the refrigerator. Yield: 5 1/2 dozen truffles.

Our girls want a puppy or a kitten so badly, but we live in town and are not ready to have an animal in the house. This weekend we got to go to my sister’s farm and see their new puppies. The girls would have liked to bring one home, but we made sure they didn’t have anything hidden in their coats before we left.

Little one thought she needed to chase the kittens, too.