Day 5 of 12 Days of Cookies and 12 Days of Christmas

Sweet and Saltine

It's not just about the cookies. Having a quest or a project always pushes me get in to things more fully. A season, a sport, a collection, something new I want to try ... it's always more fun with a challenge associated with it. I guess that is my personality type showing through.

With my 12 Days project it's  not just about the cookies when it comes to the other people in my life. I've been posting the dirty dish count on my posts so far. To be transparent I am not the only one washing said dirty dishes. My husband has pitched in and has been good natured about it (so far). Poor guy, hoping he can last another week with the bowls, spoons and multiplying dirty measuring spoons and cups. The upside for him is I know his staff is looking forward to this years cookie platter. They tell me each time I stop in!

Day 5's cookie is "Christmas Crack". This stuff really lives up to the name, it is so good. It also has saltine crackers in the list of ingredients so it it hard to know if it's the crackers that contribute to the name or the addictive goodness of it.

Having said all that I have mixed feelings on the name. I didn't give the cookie its name. It strikes me that although I am sure the cookie name is meant to be whimsical drugs are no joke. The harm and hurt drugs cause so many gives me pause.
I have also seen this cookie called "Sweet and Saltine" and that's the name I'll go with.

Fifth day of cookies - Sweet and Saltine 
Fifth day of Christmas - 5 Golden Rings  

Dirty Dish Count -  41
Observation - Be careful with your words. You don't know how the person who is listening to you will take what you say. Most who know me well would agree that I never mean to offend. Sometimes it can happen without meaning to. Trust that most people have good intentions. You can be taken as saltine when your intention really is sweet. Not having all the information is one way to put your foot in your mouth. If you think someone is being unkind with their words seek first to understand. You may be surprised to find that there is some missing information on both sides.  Be kind, be understanding, seek first to understand. 
'Tis the season!

Day 3 and 4 of 12 Days of Cookies and 12 Days of Christmas

Day 3 yielded no cookies. I did, however, stock up on unsalted butter, salted butter and eggs.
We had snow here in my area and I had work to get done before the roads were too bad to be running around on.

Third day of cookies - None
Third day of Christmas - 3 French Hens
Dirty Dish Count -  stands at 23
Observation - Bring your wine glass

My day also had me at the holiday party at my Aunt's Assisted Living Home. It was so nice to see the good cheer all around as my Aunt gets acclimated to her new surroundings. One particularly fun guest brought her own crystal wine glass down from her room to the party.
Another resident was served her heavy appetizers and looked at her plate for a while before asking one of the staff if that was her dinner. Minutes later after considering the contents of her plate for a while, she left the room clearly unhappy.

My  whimsical wine cork

I hope when the time comes for me that I need more help that I am the lady with the wine glass. She was optimism personified.

Time to make up some ground on Day 4 with Candy Canes and Macaroons on the agenda.  The Candy Cane cookie I chose calls for egg yolks and the Macaroons give me a cookie to make with the left over egg whites. Genius!

I haven't had an occaision to separate eggs in a while. Luckily there's YouTube.
There are video tutorials of most anything, including how to separate eggs.

I now remember why I never make Candy Cane cookies. Out of 20 attempts I ended up with 3 whole cookies and am wondering how long my hands will stay red from the food coloring. Anyone with red dye allergies stay away.  I got a bit frustrated and mixed the red and white dough together and used cookie cutters to salvage a few more whole cookies from this batch of Christmas cheer.
Fourth day of cookies - 3 Candy Canes, 1 Pile of Candy Cane parts, 
1 dozen assorted shaped cookies

1 dozen Macaroons

Fourth day of Christmas - 4 Calling Birds
Dirty Dish Count -  37 

Day 2 of 12 Days of Cookies and 12 Days of Christmas

Day 2 is chocolate chip cookie day. Nestle Toll House's recipe is my go to and I added in some multi-colored sprinkles I had in the cabinet. Yum.

Easing in is still my plan. It's going to snow this weekend and that will give me some time to just stay in and work on a more complicated cookie. What it will be is still up in the air, stay tuned!

Betty Crocker did make a contribution to my project in the form of my 20 year old mixer. It amazes me that it has lasted all this time. They don't make them like they used to!

Update: We got our tree. The lights and garland are on. Decorating, Chinese food and The Polar Express movie are on the agenda for tonight.
My college kiddo is home for a brief visit and all is well with the world.






Second day of cookies - Toll House Chocolate Chip with sprinkles 

Second day of Christmas - 2 Turtle Doves
Dirty dish count - 23

Observation - No matter how far behind you feel you are just get started

Stay tuned for more from My Middleton Chronicles. 17 days 'til Christmas and counting ...

12 Days of Christmas and 12 Days of Cookies

I loved my cookie baking last year and am starting this years 12 Days of Cookies today.
There are only 18 days until Christmas and the timing is perfect to have a nice seleciton of cookies done just in time for the holiday festivities and some giving.

Having done no planning yet I am going to start with sugar cookies, easy peasy. There are so many sugar cookie recipes out there which recipe to choose is the big question ... I want them to be as simple as possible.

I'd love to get fancy and use cookie cutters but I need to just dig in and get started and am not ready for anything more complicated. Yet. I am going to choose some more elaborate cookies as I go along but for today nice, round sugar cookies will have to do!

Searching recipes online I happened upon Martha Stewart's "Basic Sugar Cookies".  Right away I realized this was not the simple, quick recipe I was looking for.
Total time for Martha's delectables: 2 hours
Prep time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Items Martha's recipe calls for that I do not have:
Parchment paper
Time to chill dough
Time or patience to rotate cookies halfway through baking.
Sorry Martha, your recipe is out.

Moving on I checked out Betty Crocker's "Classic Sugar Cookies". Betty is showing her age by calling for margarine in her recipe. Sadly the Betty Crocker classics are also a miss because they call for almond extract and creme or tarter. Not only do I not have those ingredients I don't think my family or friends would be very excited about these cookies. Sorry Betty, your recipe is out too.

So it's back to one of my favorite websites for basic recipes - allrecipes.com
I have all I need to get started and there's no chilling, cutting or parchment needed.

Do you have favorite cookies you make at the holidays? I'd love to hear about them, post in the comments. Any and all suggestions and recipes welcome!

How is decking the halls going for you?
Around the English household we are easing in to the holiday spirit this year. I've still got dead mums hanging around that need to be replaced by wreaths and greens. A few things are out and I am expecting a delivery with a new tree skirt (I have been wanting one for YEARS) and table runner.
The tree buying excursion (a drive around the corner) is happening tonight and the hope is we'll be further along with our decorating by the weekend.

.

One area that is ready for Christmas is my dining room. It has the 12 Days of Christmas framed and hanging. That was done in time for Thanksgiving and I love it.

First day of Christmas - A Partridge in a Pear Tree
First day of cookies - Easy Peasy Sugar Cookies
Dirty Dish Count - 11
Observation - It's not just about the cookies

How Run DMC and My Favorite Author Help Me #staymerry

My tweet today says it all-   #balance #HolidayAreComing #staymerry

I call it spinning plates, others call it the juggle. No matter what you call it if you are a mom whose family celebrates Christmas and it is 2 days, 12 hours and 20 seconds (as of this writing) until Christmas you are most likely doing more than one thing at a time, spinning plates, juggling, etc or you are paralyzed by all there is to do.
You may be somewhere in between but I know you get the picture.

And then the text comes in - "mom I need insert food item here & insert drink here for the insert name of  party tomorrow. they told us last minute nothing i could do about telling you earlier"

We were past this type of fire drill request for a while but now that my youngest daughter is busier with school and sports the last minute requests and emergencies are again part of the equation.

Balance

Here are a few tips to #staymerry

•  Lists are your friend. Lock your phone so prying eyes do not see said lists but make them and check them 10 times. Twice just won't do it, at least for me with my executive function on overload this time of year. 
• Don't forget to eat & stay hydrated. You are so busy planning meals and celebrations full of yummy food and drink that you may forget that you still need meals TODAY. If all else fails eat the lunch your son forgot to bring to school that is still on the counter. 
• Remember to check your calendar. It happens to me once or twice a year that I will show up somewhere at the wrong time or on the wrong day and it is all the more likely to happen around the holidays. You are out of your usual routine and the days can get mixed up when there's a holiday on a weekday.
• Ask for help. Spouses, kids, guests, they are all potential helpers. Don't be afraid to ask and don't be so controlling that you can't ask. I got over that years ago. (I think, I'll double check with my family to make sure that statement is accurate) 
• This tip came from author Gretchen Rubin - "Act the way you want to feel." Have a headache? Feeling a bit grouchy? Take some advil, watch a funny video or listen to Run DMC's Christmas in Hollis Here you go, I'll even give you a link so you can do it right now YouTubeChristmasInHollis  Then put a smile on your face. Trust me it works.
• Last but not least, get as much done as you can and by the time 3:00 PM on the 24th rolls around then let it all go and enjoy your holiday.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. Best wishes for the new year to one and all. 

Oh and if you'd like follow me on twitter @wendyenglish

2016 here we come!

Wendy's Top 5 Holiday Flicks

There's nothing better this time of year than settling in to watch a holiday movie. Here are my favorites that I can watch over and over -

5. #5 is a tie between Charlie Brown Christmas, which is my teenage sons favorite of the season and Home Alone, my teenage daughters fav.

4. A Christmas Story -  The Bumpus hounds stealing the turkey right off the table is one of the most memorable scenes and having had 2 dogs plus a visiting cousin dog last Christmas I can relate to the craziness of the holiday with hounds.

3. Planes, Trains and Automobiles - Who wouldn't love the endearing Dell Griffin playes by one of the funniest actors of all time, John Candy? The theme of coming home for the holidays is a classic and the hilarious situations that John Candy and Steve Martin's characters find themselves in keep me laughing no matter how many times I have watched the movie (which is a lot!).

2. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - It is hard to choose a favorite part or favorite character. From Aunt Edna to Clark and Uncle Eddie the characters and story lines are all a crack up. I have laughed so hard at some parts that I miss what happens next giving me a great excuse to watch the movie again.

1. My #1 favorite holiday move of all time is Love Actually. Warning, there is some nudity so be careful who you watch with. Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson and Colin Firth in different holiday, romantic plotlines that are spoofs on romcoms is just the thing to get me in the holiday spirit. Add Rowan Atkinson and lots of Brittish accents and slang making this a flick I can watch year after year. The upbeat soundtrack adds even more to the fun.

It would be great for a new breakout, holiday movie to hit the screens. Until then I'll keep watching my hitlist.

What are your favorite movies this time of year? I'd love to hear from you in the comments.

My best, Wendy

3 Things I Learned From My 2015 "Smart" Year

"The days are long but the years are short." - Gretchen Rubin

Everyone I come across is saying it - "Where did the year go?" "How can the holidays be here again already?"

It is so easy to let days, months and even years slip by barely noticing. I am thinking that it must be a mid-life thing to finally take notice of this phenomenon. Or I am just really slow to catch on.

I am now in a place where I get it. Time flies by. The things that are important today will be distant memories soon, if we even think about them at all. Last year on New Years Day my husband and I made a list for our "Smart Year 2015". It was long.

Two sheets of 8 1/2 X 11 printer paper taped together vertically with a colorful magic marker list of all of the things we were going to tackle in the new year. I don't have the document itself handy but I will tell you that it hung on our closet door and then on a kitchen cabinet for periods of time in 2015.

Although we made the list together and were enthusiastic at the time we were writing it (over a bacon & egg New Years Day breakfast) that list became a source of true conflict between us.

On it were things like date night, the 52 week saving plan, Sunday outings with our kids with each child getting a turn at picking the activity and more. I think we included eating right and exercise. Sounds great doesn't it? While we both would agree that all of the "Smart" things on the list were worthwhile the list created arguments and strife. It took a lot of soul searching and research to figure out why. Many lessons were learned. Here are the top three -

#1 - Don't take on more than you can realistically handle. The "Smart Year"  list was too long. Taking on one thing at a time would have been the truly "Smart" way to tackle saving money, spending more quality time together and eating right and exercising. Some of the goals could be paired together and later in the year without even knowing it we did that by joining a walking group. That group paired together date night that was not going out to eat, exercise and saving money (it was 5 bucks to join!) Pairing is a strategy I learned about in my 21 Day De-Clutter Challenge. Read more about the De-Clutter Challenge here - 21 Days To Less Clutter

#2 - Time it right. Only YOU know when you are ready to tackly big goals. Although all of the ideas sounded great in theory to both my husband and I we had differing levels of commitment to each of the "Smart" goals. The start of a new year may feel like a great time to embark on a journey of self improvement and resolutions if you are not ready it is not the best time. Resolutions and goals can be started at any time
Some goals are best worked on together, others are better individual goals. My guy was not ready for the eating right portion of the "Smart" year.
As of this writing though he is about 10 days in to a 21 day period of eating clean. Lots of veggies and lean meat, no gluten,  dairy or alchohol. We are thinking he may have a gluten allergy and he has always been sensitive to dairy products. Because he is feeling so good he is very committed to the 21 days of eating clean.

#3 - Prepare to succeed. A big reason we did not succeed with the "Smart Year" is that we needed to learn some things. Read a book written by an expert, take a class or talk with someone who has successfully done what you want to do.  Another one of the more important lessons learned by our "Smart Year" experiment gone wrong is to take big goals and break them down in to small steps. How do you eat an elephant? A bite at a time.
That seems to be theme of mine since it was the title of a previous post -
Does eating elephant bite at time work?

For 2016 one of my goals is to keep posting. Hold me to it!

As always thanks for checking in and I'd love to hear any comments and feedback.

My best, Wendy

December Challenge

My advent wreath

Here I go again - Challenges for a happier life.

Doing the things you want to do, need to do, know are good for you and you feel better (or even feel awesome when you do them) comes naturally for some people. 

For others, like me, we get stuck in ruts, develop bad habits and forget or neglect the things that bring health and happiness.

Through my series of personal challenges that I started back in April I learned that I am better at sticking with good habits when a few key things are in place. 

Number one on the list of key things that help me stick to a habit I need is a defined time frame. A month, 21 days ... it helps me to have a defined period of time for the challenge. During that time I am able to evaluate whether or not the activity is worthwhile and whether or not it delivers the results I am looking for. For example the task of de-cluttering a family home can seem daunting but breaking it down in to 21 tasks over 21 days makes it less so.

Second on the list of  key elements to a challenge for me that helps me stick to the challenge is having a buddy. Doing things with others automatically makes it more fun and provides accountability. A buddy can bring needed energy. You can cheer one another on when needed and vent about the ups and downs faced in the challenge.

Lastly, blogging or writing about the challenge I am doing always seems to help me stick to it. What gets written down gets done. I have heard that statement said many times in different ways and I find it to be true.

So what is on tap for December? My challenge for a happier life for December is going to church service every week of Lent. As of this writing I have 2 down and 2 to go. Why this challenge? I have found that I am not making the time for church, even though it is something that I love. Hopefully my dedication to going in the month of December will get me in a great frame of mind for the Christmas holiday. 

Truth be told there are 2 other things I put on my "challenge" list for December and I have not faithfully been doing the other 2. What were they? Meditating for 10 minutes a day 10 days in a row (I got as far as day 2) and walking at least 20 minutes each day. It is only December 7th so as I am writing this I am resolving to get those 2 additional challenges back on my to-do list.

What things do you wish you had the time for or would you like to make the time for that you think would improve your life? Would a challenge like this help you fit it in? I'd love to hear from you in the coments.

All my best, Wendy