HaddyGraceDesigns

I struggle with Christmas.. Not Christmas the way it should be but Christmas the way we have made it .  I hate it when I have settled it in my heart what each child is receiving from us, and then I hear what other parents are getting for their children and I start second guessing myself. Start to feel like I don't love my Children because we decided not to spend those amounts of money on them. I HATE the thought of buying something plastic that will get a few weeks worth of play and then be forgotten and by next Christmas will have been dropped off at the local Goodwill. I want to give gifts that will: create meaningful memories, Develop life skills, enrich lives. I struggle with buying gifts for my friends. I don't want to hastily buy something that has no meaning just for the sake of giving. I want something that will be meaningful and heartfelt and will say, I KNOW you and LOVE you. Therefore, I often over think the gift and end up with buying nothing

Tis the time of year when Making homemade Candy actually sounds like fun. IF you don't think about it for too long and just DO it. When My sister called last week and said "lets make candy" I started salivating at the thought of my favorite Christmas candy and I said, "Yes, let's". Chocolate Carmel Candy or as my family calls it, Snicker Candy. Here you go: Layer 1: 1 cup milk Choc chips 1/4 cup butterscotch chips 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter Melt together until creamy and smooth, pour into bottom of 9x13 pan and chill until set. Layer 2: 1/4cup butter 1 cup white sugar 1/4 cup evaporated milk 1/4 cup marshmallow creme 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter 1&1/2 cup chopped salted peanuts 1 tsp vanilla Melt butter in heavy sauce pan over medium heat, add sugar and milk and bring to a boil. boil and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in marshmallow creme, peanut butter, vanilla and nuts. Spread over fi

Winter = Dry skin in our house, Especially with the 2 younger children. Dry skin because I am either not putting any lotion on because I HATE slathering on all those ingredients that I have no idea how to pronounce or what they'll do to my babies. Or, I have spent an outrageous amount of money on some lotion that SAYS organic or all natural and use it so sparingly that the soft baby skin I want to see on them is just a dream. Until I found this recipe  on pinterest. Now I SLATHER it on those babies and their skin is silky soft like baby skin should be. The best part for me is that I KNOW exactly what 4 ingredients are used for making it. We have used almost a whole pint of it in the last few weeks and I have made a batch for gifts too! Like my labels??  You can make your own using card stock, felt and your sewing machine. OR you can purchase them here . One of the things that make the Christmas season so precious is togetherness. Here is Hadassah enjoying

Chocolate + Peppermint =Delish!! Peppermint Hot Chocolate, One of my Family's favorite cold weather drinks. It's not only delicious but fun to make too! Here's your recipe: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa    1/2 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 cups  powdered milk 1 cup candy cane , crushed  Enlist your Elves to help unwrap the candy canes ( 1 package of 10 = approx  1 cup crushed) Blend the candy canes in the blender until they are fine and powdery. Watch the little Elf fingers that are just waiting for mom to get behind the camera for their chance at a swipe of sugary sweetness!  Mix all ingredients together in a big bowl. (mine was a double recipe)  Add 1-2 Tablespoons of mix to a mug of HOT water and ENJOY!  Store mixture in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks! On another note: Since I bought my new camera I have been reading alot on Photography. Not because I want to pursue

It snowed!! It snowed yesterday, a few inches that started out as rain/sleet/slush but ended in a beautiful fluffy flakes falling gently from a night sky. The kind of snow that makes the whole world seem magical! However, What happens when you get a full inch of slush on a gravel road and then  a dozen cars drive on it an smash it flat and then the temp drops to below freezing??  ICE ROADS!!  Yes! you DO NOT want to hit the brakes, and you pray really hard that no deer want to cross the road! And I become "Ice Road Mama" for  a few stressful minutes each morning as I take the girls to school and again in the afternoon when I bring them home. The Kids all sit on the edge of there seat praying hard that we stay out of the ditch.  But don't worry, by the time March comes around I will be a pro at these I roads! I might even win the prize for most loads hauled! Hadassah doesn't remember snow from last winter, That's why we headed outside into the snow at 7

Too many birthdays.. Every year we breeze calmly through the summer and then suddenly as the word Christmas starts getting mentioned around the beginning of November the words BIRTHDAY starts getting mentioned too. The one being my soon to be 9 yr old Daughter on Nov 27th. And my soon to be 4yr old son has now picked up on the Birthday Hubaloo and is sooo excited about is birthday on Dec 9th.. And suddenly my Calender starts filling up until it's bursting at the seams, Thanksgiving parties, Birthday parties, Christmas... and then last but not least, My baby girl's 2nd birthday on Dec 29th.. You see it happened like this, My first Daughter was born on July 9th. And me being an outdoor lover, Gardener, lets just say I love everything about summer and the outdoors was forced to stay indoors with a colicky baby, Operating on very few hours of sleep and being 1,000 plus Miles from family and friends, resulting in Postpartum depression. I promised myself that I would t

My model is on Strike.. She has decided that she no longer enjoys having me walk after her snapping pictures. I know enough about 'almost 2yr olds' that I know asking her to stand in a certain spot in  a certain way is going to result in exactly the opposite of what I want. So I usually just let her do her thing, and always get a few pictures that I can use. However, lately as soon as I get my camera out she turns NAUGHTY!  Yes, she knows what I want and she is determined to control the situation by not being cute! What she doesn't know is that even when she's trying to be 'Not Cute' she is adorable! Attempting to get pictures for our family Christmas cards. Not in the Mood!!  Always running away or toward me! And then... add a 3 yrd old and 2 preteens and you have enough footage for a complete episode!!    Here are a few of the successful shots of that day. Staci Jane Kristina Ann Mitchell Alan   Here are th