End of Year Books

I read two very cute books from the library over Christmas break. One was so good that I ended up buying it, and while it was en route I read the other book which is equally as cute and I might end up buying it as well!

The first book is The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. It's about two executive assistants to CEOs who are both vying for the same job. They abhor each other at work since they know they're after the same things. However, (spoiler alert!), they don't really hate each other after all. It was so well written (a little R-rated, so beware) and I was astounded to discover it's the author's first novel!  The book has been made into a movie (December 2021 release; movie release in February 2022) and the reviews from movie watchers say it stays highly true to the book, which raises the bar for other made-for-movie-books. And yes, I've pre-ordered the DVD already. 

The second book is Just Haven't Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens (and yes, I sang that line by Michael Buble every time I saw the title). This book is suuuuper cute and I found myself cheering for the unexpected guy throughout the story.  It's set in Jersey of the Channel Islands and the descriptions the author provides of the locale just make me want to visit! This book is about a journalist who travels to Jersey to take "Then & Now" photographs of locations her parents (with the perfect love story) took pictures together the summer they met. The author accidentally picks up the wrong suitcase when she lands and spends most of her trip trying to find the correct owner based on the items in the suitcase, which she deems belong to her perfect soul mate. It was such a nice find to see that the expected storylines aren't always the ones your heart wants. The characters in this story are so vivid and I wouldn't hesitate in purchasing this book either. 

After two good chick-lit reads, I'm geared back up for the Spring Semester in front of me, which will be filled with cell projects, frog dissections, and plant parts.  Then in the summer I will be embarking on an educational journey for myself & I'm guessing I won't have much leisure reading time for a few years once that begins, so I try to squeeze in as many "happy place" books as I can right now. :)

Until Next Time and 2022!

Much Love, Reba

Three Gingerbread Houses

My mother in law bought a pack of miniature Gingerbread houses which were just the right size to equal an appropriate time frame for kids to decorate. Each kiddo decorated a house on Christmas Eve and we brought them home with us on Christmas night. Avery tried eating some of hers but the boys decided against, which I'm fine with. The houses didn't survive our increased humidity of late, but I did manage to get a picture of each kid with their creation. 

How fun!

Until Next Time,

Much Love, Reba

Cracker Toffee

Our oven was on the fritz for a few weeks from the day before Thanksgiving until about a week and a half ago.  Two oven parts later, it was finally fixed and I was eager to get back to baking!  The first thing I chose to make was a homemade toffee recipe since I knew I had all of the ingredients on hand.  I used this recipe, but I didn't do any extra toppings-- I just left mine plain.  

Ingredients:

-saltine crackers (about a sleeve)

-1 c. butter (2 sticks)

-1 c. brown sugar

-10 oz. chocolate chips (about a cup and a half) 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350* Fahrenheit.  Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet with a rim. 

2. In a medium pot, melt the butter and brown sugar together. 

3. Lay out the saltine crackers in a single layer on the parchment paper covered cookie sheet. 

4. In the medium pot, bring the butter and brown sugar to a boil, and continue boiling for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. 

5. Pour the butter mixture over the saltine crackers and spread to cover all of the crackers.  

6. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes.  

7. Once removed from the oven, sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and let sit for 5 minutes. 

8. After 5 minutes, spread chocolate chips with a rubber spatula or mixing spoon to evenly cover all of the toffee.  

9. Place in fridge or freezer to set.  

10.  Once cooled, break into bite-sized pieces.  I've cooled this both ways (in fridge and in freezer) and placing in the fridge makes for a much easier time when it comes to breaking toffee into pieces.  Store extra pieces in the fridge. 

11. Enjoy!

Here's some of the steps in pictures. 

Preheat oven to 350* Fahrenheit.  Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet with a rim. In a medium pot, melt the butter and brown sugar together.

Lay out the saltine crackers in a single layer on the parchment paper covered cookie sheet. 

In the medium pot, bring the butter and brown sugar to a boil, and continue boiling for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour the butter mixture over the saltine crackers and spread to cover all of the crackers.  Bake in the oven for 5 minutes.

Once removed from the oven, sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and let sit for 5 minutes. 

After 5 minutes, spread chocolate chips with a rubber spatula or mixing spoon to evenly cover all of the toffee.  

Place in fridge or freezer to set.  Once cooled, break into bite-sized pieces.  I've cooled this both ways (in fridge and in freezer) and placing in the fridge makes for a much easier time when it comes to breaking toffee into pieces.  Enjoy!

Store extra pieces in the fridge.

Until Next Time,

Much Love, Reba

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! I hope your day is filled with cheer & relaxation. Remember the true reason we celebrate is the birth of Jesus, our Rescuer. If you get caught up in all the chaos of wrappings & tiny pieces & maybe even some disappointments, remember that this Earth is not our true home. Take a breath. Look around & count every person as a blessing. Today is not about a picture perfect holiday. It's about enjoying the birthday of our King. 

Until Next Time,

Much Love, Reba

Christmas Decor

Merry Christmas Eve!

Today I'm sharing our Christmas home decor. I didn't get out everything this year, but I liked the coziness it brings just the same. Here's a peek around.

Our elf, Q.E. added some toilet paper to our tree today as his last hurrah before heading back to the North Pole tonight. 

The boys both brought home some pretty Christmas paintings from art class this month!  This one is Noah's and we've displayed the Santa phone next to it. 

This one is Michael's, situated near this year's Santa photo, fabric Christmas basket, and vintage pinecone Christmas tree (from my Nana's collection). 

 

I had extra ornaments on hand and chose to display them in a glass vase on the dining table. 

The Christmas placemats are a must! 

I love my little garland displayed at the dining room window along with a handprint wreath. 

Two little trees with fairy lights decorate the kitchen cart. 

Our mantle is one of my favorite spots, with the Nativity, bottle brush trees, and stockings. 

I bought this little tree for our classroom door decoration contest and was happy to bring it home as our very own Charlie Brown tree. 

The kids have especially enjoyed putting the items on the Nativity Advent this year!

Noah & I found this Joy moss-covered sign at a local boutique and I set it up on our bench with a lantern & an upside down Christmas door swag decoration. 

I love how everything turned out! I could've put out so many more things but this year I chose to pare down what I displayed, knowing I can display more next year. 

Until Next Time,

Much Love, Reba

Peppermint Cookies

Noah & I got adventurous in the kitchen last night and whipped up a new (to us) recipe! Years & years ago (maybe pre-kids) I saved these magazine cutouts of various cookies. Yesterday I opened my recipe box looking for something new to try, and the Peppermint Cookie recipe seemed simple enough & I had all the ingredients on hand! Noah was pleased to help me mix everything up and scoop the cookies onto the trays. He was also impressed with how they turned out at the end with the additional crushed candy canes on top!

Ingredients:

- 3/4 c shortening (it called for butter flavored but I just used regular)

-1/2 c packed brown sugar 

-1/2 c granulated sugar 

-2 tablespoons milk 

-1 tablespoon vanilla extract

-1 large egg

-2 c all purpose flour

-1 teaspoon salt

-3/4 teaspoon baking soda 

-3/4 c crushed candy canes, divided (9 regular candy canes or 36 Peppermint hard candies)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 

2. Crush candy canes in a gallon bag. Set aside. 

3. Beat first five ingredients in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. 

4. Add in the egg and beat until incorporated. 

5. In separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix these ingredients into the shortening mixture on low speed until blended. 

6. Stir in 1/2 c of the crushed peppermints.

7. We scooped out 6 dollops of dough per cookie sheet and rolled those dollops into 1 inch balls. 

8. Bake for 10 minutes (adding 2 minutes if cookies aren't quite done enough). 

9. Once cookies are out of oven, carefully Sprinkle a tiny bit of the remaining crushed candy canes onto the tops of the hot cookies. Let them cool for a few minutes on the pan before transferring to cooling racks to cool completely. 

10. Enjoy! These are so pretty for the holidays! 

Until Next Time,

Much Love, Reba

Resistance to Change, But Finding the Joy There

I'm a creature of habit.  Once I have things the way I want them, I rarely change.  When I do, I almost always pine for the way things were.  This is why I'll go two to three years without a hair cut (without even a hair trim).  This is why the rooms in my house rarely see any furniture rearranges.  This is why the pictures on my walls remain in place until I move and why the bare walls are left bare.  It's because I dread change.  

In Candace Cameron Bure's book Staying Stylish, she talks about how she's not afraid to change her haircut or hair color because it always grows back and each new style opens up new pieces of her personality and lets certain traits and characteristics shine through.  I also recently read a news article on why it's important to rearrange the furniture in rooms of our home.  It's because it gives us control over an area when the rest of our lives experience so many things that are out of our control.  This is probably the same reason why I don't change things-- because I want to maintain control in one area since so much is left to reasons outside of my hands.  

I wish I liked change.  I wished I enjoyed getting my hair cut or rearranging furniture.  I wish I enjoyed taking a chance and going on a short trip during this Christmas break with my kiddos even if it meant I have to go sans any other adult helper.  I wish I enjoyed taking a chance on myself and buying the jeans that fit or the jump rope that looks fun, etc.  But I don't.  I maintain the status quo and I live there.  

However, sometimes this means that I'm hesitant to embrace the change of others even when it has nothing to do with me.  Someone I admire just got a new job in a new location and I'm excited for this person but equally nervous.  I want it to work out so well and for him to be ultimately successful and happy.  I'm praying that it all works to the good of God because that's what He promises He'll do for those who love Him.  This person has made such great strides in the last few months of really seeking Jesus and making friends who seek Him also.  I'm in his corner rooting for him and it means that I will need to step out of my own comfort zone of status quo and be excited for the changes to come.  

P.S.- this person is my younger brother and I'm super proud of him.  

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba

Christmas Earrings Everyday

I try really hard to make school fun for my students and that includes adding sparkle & pizazz to my accessories. Each school day in December I tried to wear a different pair of earrings or a Christmas shirt to help spread Christmas cheer!

It's really fun for me to pick out what earrings to wear each day! Even though I'm off for Christmas break now, I'm still going to wear festive things for my own kids' benefit!

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba

Life Lately: Early December

We're about to head into our last week of school leading up to Christmas break, and oh boy are we ready! Today I'm sharing some photo recaps of things we've been up to lately. More photos will follow in the coming week after we have extracurricular Christmas celebrations etc. 

Our decorated house!

Sometimes at school on our morning break, I'll make hot chocolate and stand away from my door window so I can enjoy some moments of peace until my next class. 

Avery has been picking out her own clothes lately (a favorite!) and I love when she shows me her ensembles. 

Noah & Daddy posing in their new glasses!

Our elf, Q.E. came on December 1st with a note and an ornament for each kiddo, and his reindeer Sam! I'll share more elf locations towards the end of December as I continue logging where he goes. :)

Another Christmas ensemble!

I love this picture so much! Our town has done a fantastic job turning our downtown area into a Hallmark-esque location. It's so super cute! I'll be sure to share more pictures soon! 

I won a doorprize at work on Monday and I received this devotional. I was pumped! I've already started reading through it and I can tell it's going to be exactly what I need to be reminded of this Christmas season!

My homeroom class participated in the door decoration contest this past week. We didn't win but we received an honorable mention and we had fun doing it. :) 

Claudia took these next two pictures with Michael as I was in a doctor's appointment with Noah & Avery.  

Our oven has been on the fritz and we're still working on it, but I've had such an urge to bake that I ended up looking up how to bake cookies in the air fryer last night.  They turned out really good!

That's it for now!

Have a great weekend!

Until Next Time,

Much Love, Reba