One More Reason to Become a Host Family

If this isn't a good reason to host an exchange student I don't know what is!

Oh wait! There is the great relationships you will build, experiencing another culture and the chance to share your community with a student from another country.

One of my "exchange" daughters, Kate (hosted 2008), sent our family a Christmas package filled with German goodies and presents for our kids. And a few weeks ago I got a phone call from Switzerland! it was Celine (hosted 2006) calling to wish me Happy Birthday. The holidays are so fun now that we have family all over the world because we shared our home with two great kids.

For the last four years I have been involved with an organization called EF Foundation for Foreign Study. I had the opportunity to host two of those years and gained two wonderful "exchange" daughters. I have had such a great experience I chose to become an International Exchange Coordinator (IEC). After the birth of my second child I ran out of room in my house to host another student. As an IEC I get to place students with other loving families and become a friend and mentor to a student from another country. This way I still meet great kids and learn about their homes now that I don't have room to host in my home. I cant wait to get a bigger house someday so that I can have more "exchange" daughters.

If you have any interest in hosting an exchange student send me a comment and I can send you some information.

Bliss in a Cup

A dear friend of mine and I went shopping this weekend and found something amazing - Drinking Chocolate. I have heard of drinking chocolate a drooled over a few Food Network episodes of this too good to be true beverage. Last year, Emmely took me to Cacao and my taste buds were truly enlightened. I was 8 months prego at the time and chocolate was just as good as . . . well it was really good. So I waited all year for what has become our annual shopping trip in downtown Portland. I waited and longed for my little cup of bliss and it was so worth the wait! Yes, its true I could go there any weekend by myself, with kiddos in tow, or with my darling husband. But now it has become one of those things I want to keep special, a trip just for me and Emmely (and any other girlfriends we can drag along :)
If you are ever in the Portland area its worth finding Cacao.

Make Your Own Notepad

I found this fantastic product called notepad adhesive by The Unleashed Pen that lets you make your own note pad and countless other projects. It is a glue that you paint it on the edge of any stack of papers, let it dry and TADA! your very own custom notepad. I'm so excited to start making some of my stocking stuffer for Christmas. If you like this project you should definitely go to The Unleashed Pen on Etsy. You can buy a 2 oz. bottle for 4.99. A little goes a long way, I'm sure even at my rate of creativity this will last me a year or longer!

My first test project was to make gift tags with my Cricut. I love cutting out scrapbook shapes and tags for gifts but they end up everywhere. So I thought why not use the notepad adhesive to stick them all together. It worked great!

Gather supplies. (thanks for the great birthday present Dad!)

Cut out gift tag shape.

Stack and clip together with binder clips.

Let it dry and put on one more layer.

No more tags all over the place!

One of my gift ideas for my mom friends is this notepad of babysitter info. I made a fun little info sheet on my computer and printed it out. Then made multiple copies at the print shop so that I didn't use up all my printer ink :) Then I was able to make a photo frame with some of my scrapbook supplies. Attach the notepad and the photo frame to some chipboard and you have a very cute personal gift for any mom or dad.

Amazon Magazine Deals: Get One Year of Real Simple for $5!

I love reading magazines but they can be so expensive if you buy them one at a time. Here is a great deal on some fun magazines.

Starting Thanksgiving Day through 12/1, Amazon is dropping the magazine subscription price for 10 popular magazines to just $5, including Real Simple, Travel + Leisure and House Beautiful. Here is the full list of magazines you can get for just $5.

Cosmopolitan

Food & Wine

House Beautiful

People StyleWatch

Popular Science

Real Simple

Sports Illustrated for Kids

SmartMoney

Southern Living

Travel + Leisure

Thanks Coupon Cravings!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I thought Id share one of my favorite recipes. Its called Sweet Potato Casserole - catchy isnt it :) It is something I make every year becuse it is oh so yummy! And for all your marshmallow haters out there (Steve) this has NO marshmallows, though there is absolutly nothing bad about them. Its like saying you hate big white fluffy clouds of delishousness. Sorry, I got a little off track. So here it is the wonderful side dish (dessert):

Sweet Potato Casserole
About 4 medium Sweet Potatoes/yams (I know theres a difference - use what you like :) boiled/rosted & mashed
3/4 Stick butter (melted)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 C. evaporated milk
1 C sugar

Mix all of the above ingredients together. Poor into your favorite casserole dish. Try to make sure once its pored into your dish it is no more than 3 inches high so that it will bake through, bake for 25 minutes at 400. Put topping on and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Topping
1 C crushed cornflakes
1/2 C chopped walnuts
1/2 C brown sugar
3/4 stick butter (melted)

Enjoy!

New Bib and Washcloth Designs

I was at the fabric store the other day and found a fat quarter set of Michael Miller's Dick and Jane series. I just love the retro inspired fabrics and reminds me of my childhood books. Books that were handed down to me that is :) Anyway, I had lots of fun making my new bibs and washcloths for my Etsy shop http://www.sweetdecember.etsy.com/

Great Giveaway Opportunity

I just found this great blog today! I'm always looking for other great blogs especially if they are by moms like me :) I'm sad that I just found it today because the giveaway ends today so you have to act fast. But I am oh so happy that I found the good information that she provides. I will definitely be visiting her blog often. The giveaway is for a Kolcraft Contours Options Tandem Stroller . Read A Mom's Balancing Act for all the details and for other great ideas.

Mandy's Orange Spice Tea

The Fall Season is fast approaching! Today it was a little cooler so I lit a candle that smells like mulled cider and I knew what I had to do tonight. Make Mandy's Orange Spice Tea. Mandy is my dear friend and former college roommate. Our first year in college I went home with her during Christmas break and she made this drink for me to try. I'm sure its not an original and most of you have a recipe like this that you whip up during the cool winter nights but this is special to me. Not for the ingredients but for what it makes me remember. True friendship, ah because I have to call her every year to get the recipe! What patience on her part. Last year I some how manged to hang on to it. Thanks Mandy!

Here is the recipe. The measurements are not exact so you can play with it to make it to your own taste.

Fill a medium sized pot with water and bring to a boil

Add 4 - 6 tea bags. (I use 6 but Mandy said 4 :) It depends on how strong you like your tea.

1 Cinnamon Stick

1 tsp. Whole Cloves

Dash of Allspice (my addition)

A little tip, instead of straining all the cloves out I use a loose leaf tea strainer.

Remove from heat and let sit for about 15 min. Then, take out teabags, cloves and Cinnamon stick.

Add

1/2 a can of Orange Juice Concentrate

1/2 cup Sugar - add more to taste

Return the pan to the stove to heat as the frozen concentrate cools it down a lot. Warm up and enjoy!

My favorite mug right now is the one from my last adventure at the Oregon Garden Brewfest. Using this cup makes me think I should add a little Grand Marnier next time after the kids go to bed :)

Baby Kimono

It seems like I have hit the stage in my life where all of my friends are having babies. I wanted to start giving gifts that were a little more personal than a store bought gift. I was so excited when I found a book the other day called Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. It is full of great sewing projects and the really can be done in a weekend. In fact, I made this cute baby kimono in one evening. I can't wait to try a few more of her projects.

Dulce de Leche Brownies

Today I had a hankern' for something sweet and brownies are usually a good fix for that. Especially since I have about 10 boxes in my pantry from the last time a really good sale hit at the grocery store. But this time I though Id make them a little more calorie laden. So I added a can of yummy deliciousness to it. Okay, its really a can of Nestle's La Lechera Dulce de Leche. I saw it in the ethnic foods area in the store and thought I would see what it was like. I'm sure I could sit down with this and a spoon and send myself right into a sugar coma its so good. But for the sake of having something to blog about I added it to my brownie mix. This is such a simple treat to make and it is sooooo good. I'm sure that it would be even better with brownies from scratch and even homemade Dulce de Leche. However, I have two small children and little time on my hands. I made this batch while my son took his morning nap and let my daughter help mix up the batter. If you want something yummy to eat and don't have a lot of time give this a try!

Gather the supplies

The Dulce de Leche was a lot thicker than I thought it would be.

I put it into a baggie to make it easier to handle. Just snip the end off and its easy to pipe on to the brownies.

Now that I have added the Dulce de Leche I drag a skewer through the lines.

Go in opposite directions to create the pattern.

Now they are ready to go into the oven.

Here they are! The hardest part is waiting for them to cool enough to eat.

My Sweet December Began . . .

It all started the day I found out I was going to be a mother for the first time. My life would never be the same. Things were going to change and I was going to have to figure out how to reinvent myself. I chose to be a stay at home mom so that I can provide for my children in the best way I how. Turns out its a little trial and error but each day I learn a little, I teach a little and we all grow in some way, at least that's the goal.

So here I am. Devoted wife and mother of two wonderful children. My daughter is 2 1/2 and my son is only 8mo old. They have become the most important thing in my life. Now that being said, I need to remember what it feels like to be just me from time to time. This is why I give you My Sweet December. My goal is to share good ideas, fun projects and sometimes a little wondering of my mind.

Thank you for taking the time to check out my blog. I truly hope you are inspired, intrigued and at times entertained. Please check back often to see whats new. Soon, I know you will want to put me on your list of blogs you just have to visit every day! ENJOY!