Peppermint Bark

Yep, another Christmas recipe. I don't think I could ever get sick of 'em! This one comes courtesy of my wonderful, awesome, amazing sister. Don't let the measly two ingredients fool you. Once you pop one piece of this deliciousness into your mouth, you'll want to devour the whole batch!

Peppermint Bark

  

1 bag white chocolate chips

6-10 candy canes (to taste)

Place desired amount of candy canes (or you could use just peppermints) into a Ziplock bag and crush well. Melt chocolate chips (and 1 Tbsp oil, if desired... sometimes this helps white chocolate not seize up) in microwave for 1 minute. Stir, and keep melting in 15-second increments until smooth. Place a sieve over melted chocolate and add candy canes. Shake the sieve. This allows only the powder to fall into the chocolate. Add as much or as little as you want, mix well. Pour peppermint chocolate onto foil-lined cookie sheet and spread relatively thin. Sprinkle top with larger candy pieces. Let set and cool.

Voila! Tasty, festive goodness. Merry Christmas!

On Breastfeeding

Yep, I'm going there.
And no, I am not going to post any pictures. I know I know, what's a blog post without pics? Well, I guess I'll give you one, but not of breastfeeding...

Princess's blessing day pictures, December 2009

I have a lot of people in my life that are very opinionated about breastfeeding. I also have others who are very UNopinionated about it. I get to see both sides of the spectrum on this issue, which for me, has been a real eye-opener.
There are many, oh so many, women out there that feel that breastfeeding is the only way to feed your baby. That if you don't breastfeed, you're dooming your child to a life of low immunity, high obesity chances, and abandonment issues. Okay, I know this is the very extreme viewpoint, but I digress. It is a very real ideal, believe me.
I have always been a big supporter of breastfeeding. I have also had MAJOR issues with breastfeeding both my children. If you don't already know, nursing is hard. Really hard. For some women it does come very naturally and easily, but I am not one of those women. I wanted so badly to be able to nurse my babies! I remember with Studley trying to nurse him almost constantly, but knowing he was not getting enough to eat. Watching him fuss and cry and try so hard to get something to eat was so heart-wrenching. It was so hard for me to have to admit defeat.
With both my children, I was only able to breastfeed until they were about four months old. And every time I went to feed them from a bottle instead of nurse them I felt judged. I felt like all the other moms that saw my child eating from a bottle were looking down on me for the horrible decision I made to feed my child that horrible f-word... formula. I hated that feeling!  I just wanted to shout, "I tried! I tried with everything I had to nurse my baby!"
I guess all I want to put out there is that its okay. If you can and want to nurse your baby until they're four, its okay. If you don't ever want anything attached to your chest, its okay. If you want to try it out to see if it works for you, its okay. If it doesn't end up working out for you, its okay. YOU are the mama, YOU are one with the miracle body that created your beautiful child. YOU are capable of making the best decisions for your baby, and YOU know your own abilities.
Whew! That feels good. :)

What about you? How do you feel about breastfeeding?

My Adorable $4 Christmas Wreath

So I used THIS tutorial as a guide to make my wreath, with some alterations to make it more 'me'. I do love burlap, but I decided to make my ruffles out of duck cloth. I had an awesome coupon for some awesome duck cloth that was awesomely on sale. ANYWAYS, here's what you'll need:

~ 12" straw wreath (I found mine at the DI for $1)
~1/4 yard each red and white duck cloth ($2 w/ coupon)
~1/4 yard green tulle ($0.25)
~Glue gun and LOTS of gluesticks
~Ornaments (I only used 3 $0.75))






Cut the cloth into strips. My strips ended up being about 2 1/2 inches wide and 12ish inches long. I am not a big 'measurer', so I just winged it.
Hand sew a loose thread along the long edge of the strip. Pull tight, creating the ruffle, and tie off. Repeat for each strip of fabric. I ended up using 10 red and 10 white.

Glue your ruffles in alternating colors all the way around the wreath. I had to use three clue sticks to get all mine on.

After all your ruffles are on, create the embellishment with tulle, ornaments, and LOTS more glue.

Enjoy your Christmas wreath, and Merry Christmas!