Teachers' Thanksgiving Gifts

This weekend was a whirlwind with 2 Nutcracker rehearsals for the Belle, a slew of errands, a mountain of laundry and outdoor Christmas decorating (due to the unseasonably warm weather we had).  But I did manage to crank out some loaves of pumpkin bread as a thanksgiving treat for  2 preschool teachers, a 1st grade teacher & the kiddo's Greek school instructor.

Here's how it went down:

I started off making one batch of Downeast Maine Pumpkin bread from allrecipes.com

I found these paper loaf pans at HomeGoods...and they are perfect for gift giving.

Things got a little to quite while I was in the kitchen. I turned the corner to find Peanut, Bear & Belle
cuddling in the morning light. Melted my heart!

Ok back to the task at hand....After the bread cooled, I iced it
and wrapped it with cello wrap cut to size from the dollar store.

I just love the autumnal hues of the brown paper loaf pan.

As a final touch, I printed labels & attached them with kitchen twine.
The label read, "I am so thankful to have you as my teacher"

I packaged Belle's in a cello bag for easier transport to school.

Hope they enjoy the treat and know how very grateful the B family is for all they do!

Name Day Celebration

Happy Name Day  Bear & Bopi!
In the B family, we celebrate each family member's Name Day or Saint's Day. Bear was named after my Dad (Bopi) so they celebrate together. So we gathered together to commemorate the day, and the fact that it is Bear's 1st Name Day. Here is what I whipped up:

Icon of Bear's Patron Saint, "m" print from his nursery & gift bag

Pennant banner I made to celebrate the occasion

The tonal theme is a nod to Bear's nursery colors and the monogram M is for the celebrated Saint.

I made this framed "m" by lining the back of a frame with scrapbook paper and adhering a wooden "m"
A series of these lettered frames spell out Bear's name over his crib.

Each place setting had a picture of Bear and Bopi taken at Bear's baptism this past summer.

The cake was Boston cream (yellow cake, vanilla pudding, chocolate frosting). Bear isn't eating cake just yet, so Bopi's favorite was the clear winner.

Another "M" :)

No celebration is complete without gifts.

Starbucks gift card for Bopi

Bathtub toy for Bear....he went nuts over it!!

All the work was worth it to mark Bear's first Name Day in such a memorable way. Plus, these two men are some of the most important in my life....Chrona Polla (many years) Bear & Bopi!

The "Name Day" Boys: Bopi & Bear

I could just kiss those chubby cheeks all day.  

Cutting the cake (Yes, Bear is wearing a sweatband)

To learn more about the Orthodox tradition of Name Days click here

North Pole On My Mind

When Hubby & I first got married, I learned that he had never made nor decorated Christmas sugar cookies. So I set to work planning a Christmas cookie baking and decorating party that has become and annual tradition.  As the family has grown to over a dozen little ones, the party has become more and more magical. At least in our house, these are the cookies we leave for Santa and making them is very exciting.

For this year's 11th soiree I'm thinking of a north pole theme. Some fun tablescape and menu ideas include:

North Pole Scene 

image: dixiedelights.blogspot.com

Melted snowman

source: pinterest

Hot cocoa bar

source: pinterest

I'll be sure to keep you all updated as the planning comes along.

On a side note,  I spent the day with the boys: Peanut & Bear, preparing for a very special celebration the B family will be having tomorrow. Pictures and details to come!!!

I'm A Snob

I'll admit it....when it comes to toilet paper only the best will do. Triple layered, quilted, aloe infused....wrap it all up in one and I'm a happy gal. The tissue-paper, thin stuff just drives me bonkers. As my lil guy would say in the sweetest, grossed out voice, "disgustiling"!

But recent events have had me rethinking the TP issue.
I continue to find aforementioned lil guy's latest pastime:

And a few minutes later:

Now I can't say he is alone is the game. His older sister sent this down the toilet a few months ago.

Yes an ENTIRE roll....said she was just curious if it would go down. (And for those of you wondering, it did.) 

So you may find the "disgustiling" toilet paper in my bathrooms in the near future. No I haven't budged on my moral objection to it.......just ask me where the good stuff is stashed, I'm happy to share.

So, what kind of Snob are you? 

Curb Appeal

Hubby is grounds chair on our neighborhood homeowners' board. So this means the B family is in charge of seasonal decorations. You all will come to see that I hardly need an excuse to decorate! So a few weeks ago my awesome neighbor K, the kiddos & I headed out to deck the gazebos that flag our subdivision entrances. And here's what greets all who enter our neighborhood:

Our neighbor K was sweet enough to pick up the cornstalks from a local floral supply company. Along with leaf garland and harvest ribbon. We grabbed some bright yellow mums from Costco for the planters and they POP from the street.  For Halloween we added ghost and pumpkin picks I found at Garden Ridge to each of the pillars. (Sorry I never snapped a picture)

But the best is yet to come...K & I spent this past weekend stringing 50 sets of net lights, overseeing the delivery of our new gazebo urns & outlining our Holiday floral. I can't wait for you to see how grand these babies will look the day after Thanksgiving!!!

On  side note, I'm working on putting together a house tour and detailed posts about our kitchen mini-remodel. Thanks for reading!

Daily Dose

Every morning I make my way downstairs (with at least one kiddo in tow), turn on the tea pot, begin breakfast and take a look at this:

My Refrigerator

Sure it looks like millions of others across the country but did you spot that rectangle in the corner....that is my daily dose of direction. 

It is a quote from Helen Keller I stumbled upon over a year ago in the Restoration Hardware Holiday catalog of all places. (See it pays off to scour over home decor catalogs and magazines--hehe)
The quote is printed in a white font on a brown background so it is hard to photograph, but it reads:

" I long to accomplish a great and noble task: but my chief duty 

is to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble."

Helen Keller

It reminds me that all the repetitive and mundane tasks I complete in the day are only so if I view them in that light. By choosing to view the tasks in my day as meaningful and worthwhile I don't get discouraged as easily and find ways to take pleasure in what I am doing.

How about you, have any quotes you use as your daily dose?

Hello World!

Welcome to Monograms N Mud. After much deliberation about entering the blog world, I have decided to "drink the kool aid". My goal is to use this little slice of cyberspace (OMG did I just date myself with that reference!?!) to talk about motherhood, home decor, family and striving to create a nurturing environment where the Hubby and I can raise our 3 kidlets. Hope you'll enjoy the ride...we sure will.