Christmas is my favorite time of the year! I love all the lights and decorations. I love the cold weather and all the warm clothing we get to snuggle into. I love the holiday movies that are filled with joy and love. The ones that the orphans get to spend Christmas in a real home or Santa Claus saves Christmas just in the nick of time. I love hearing about all the stories of those less fortunate receiving a Christmas blessing. I especially love coming home to a tree full of angels and lights with stockings hung and red and green everywhere!



Christmas is a season in which we take extra time to be with family and enjoy each others company. The little ones run around, too anxious to go to bed, in hopes to catch a glimpse of the man in red. Many remember Christmases past, the traditions that never seemed to be carried on and the loved ones that are only here in spirit.



Churches put on grand production to retell the story of Christ's birth. There are carols, readings, candles, live nativities and children's plays.

Christmas songs play in the stores, at restaurants, on the radio, and through the heads of children. Kitchens are filled with the smells of gingerbread and spice cake. Families are busy making tins of cookies for friends and family.

There are parties to attend and family to see. Before you know it, it is time to put away everything for the next year. But for a time, there is a feeling of happiness and joy that can't be described. For a time, people forget their worries and pain. For a time, the world is all lollipops and gumdrops. For a time, the only thing you need is your family, Christmas carols playing in the background and some cookies on your plate!

Christmas is all of this to me.

I made these for thanksgiving this year. It took two tries but they turned out delicious! Do not fill them too full or they will turn into a sticky mess.


Tools:
Standard Muffin Pans (2 needed)
Halloween Baking Cups OR
Glowing Pumpkin Baking Cups
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 (15 oz.) can solid pack pumpkin
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/3 cups flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Cream Cheese Filling
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon Madagascar Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Cream Cheese Filling
In food processor fitted with steel blade or mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients; beat until smooth and creamy.

Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place baking cups in muffin pan. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine pumpkin and buttermilk. Mix flour, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with pumpkin mixture, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Fill each cavity half full. Place a tablespoon of cream cheese filling on top of batter. Top with remaining batter.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 24 cupcakes

I decorated them with turkeys on top. I am not big on a lot of icing on the cupcake, so I didn't cover all of the cupcake.








Getting ready to fill the cups!








The cupcake batter is amazing!!








The pre-decorated baked goods!






The finished product-- I am not a decorator but they taste amazing!!

I have recently been on a mission to update my wardrobe, dress nicely more often than not and lose some pounds that have managed to creep up on me. I have managed to do the last, losing about 15 lbs in 3 months or so.
As far as dressing nicely, I have managed to add a few prices of clothes and fit into some old clothes that has allowed me to dress a little nicer than my standard jeans and t-shirt. I did venture out the other day and bought some skinny legged jeans. I had to build up some courage to wear them, but they turned out great and they are quickly becoming one of my favorite pairs of jeans.
Due to my current "poor" status, adding new pieces to my wardrobe can be difficult. With my recent weight loss, i have managed to ressurect some old pieces, but have lost some, too. Sales and holiday events are my friends. Before work today, I swung by target to get some things I needed. I found these too:





As you can tell, I bought them! They were priced at $20, and then were marked at 50% off for some reason. I really think they were in the wrong area but they gave them to me at $10 anyways. I thought they would make a cute addition to my winter repertoire!

Miranda
-make each day count!!

I had dinner with the parental unit tonight. They brought over chicken and sides, which I knew about. What I didn't know about was the lovely bag of groceries that they had with them! There was bread, apples, oranges, yogurt, and deli meat. I was so grateful since I have been really been just scraping by the last few months. With 2 practicums this semester, I was using a tank of gas a week. I thought I should just give my checks straight to Shell and Exxon.

All this to say... I am so blessed to have two parents that will do just about anything to see their kids succeed. I have been loved and encouraged my whole life by a God-fearing couple. I have learned what means to stick it through the hard times and to relish in the good times by watching them. I have seen examples of hard work and know that you don't take the things you have for granted because one day, that could be all gone. I have learned that you pick up and start over when life knocks you down. Most importantly, I have learned that when you think you have nothing else, you always have God and your family.

There are not any words or actions that could ever describe the love and respect I have for my mom and dad. I can't wait for them to show my brother's and my kids the same love and devotion that they gave to us while we were growing up.

Love you, Mom and Dad!!

Yesterday, in the LIFE Skills class that I am observing for, I did a cooking lesson.  They had been talking about the circus so I decided to have them make clown faces out of vegetables and cottage cheese.  They loved it!! They tried all the different vegetables and some even tried the cottage cheese.

Here are all of the different faces they made!  We had so much fun!

Here's how to do it!
take a scoop of cottage cheese and have the child spread it into a circle on the plate.
Use shredded carrots for the hair, a cherry tomato for the nose, 2 slices of cucumbers for eyes, and a strip of red bell pepper for the smile!  you can substitute any raw veggie for anything that your child may not like.  I thought that you could use veggie dip instead of cottage cheese and olives instead of the cucumbers or whatever else you find!

Enjoy a healthy snack!