As my friend Darcie has so eloquently commented today on my last blog post,”tap, tap, is this thing on?”  Her funny way of saying that I have been MIA on my blog.  And she’s absolutely right…I disappeared on December 16th and just now got my house and mind cleared enough to blog again.  Christmas, while my favorite holiday, takes a lot out of me and frankly I don’t think that I have sat down long enough to blog until now.   My daughter is actually home sick, but DVR recordings of Spongebob Squarepants will keep her occupied long enough for me to write.

I know everyone is doing “happy new year” posts, but before I get to the new year I have to make sure Christmas is over and it’s still lingering in my house.  I am still finding bits and pieces of Christmas lying around the house that I’ve forgotten to put away.  The Christmas tree is still on the curb.  A few toys are still out because they haven’t found a home yet.  And the pine needle, oh the pine needles!  I’m sure that I’ll be finding pine needles until at least Easter.

Everyone in my house had a good Christmas because my kids mostly care about spending time together and we did plenty of that.  Christmas Eve was our big celebration because we traveled to my aunt’s house on Christmas Day; I cooked a big dinner and we decorated cookies and a gingerbread house like we do every year.  I’m trying to use Whrrl more, so I did a Whrrl story on Christmas Eve.  So, while I haven’t been blogging, I have been on Twitter because it’s a fast one-two punch and it takes me much longer to blog.  You need to follow me if you don’t already.  I protect my updates to keep out the crazies, but if you’re not one of them, I’ll follow you back.

The surprise of the season was Chili Dawg.  I thought for sure that he would try to steal the ornaments off the Christmas tree or take down the tree itself.   I was prepared to build a gate around the tree, but to my surprise it wasn’t even needed.   Chili’s only offense was drinking water from the tree and stealing one soft football ornament that was hanging really low and I really couldn’t blame him on that one because it looked like one of his toys.  He actually found a space behind the tree to be a nice spot for napping.

My favorite memory from Christmas morning was that my daughter wanted the family to open the gifts that she had made for us in sewing class–before she opened the gifts that Santa had left her.  She was more excited to give than receive!  That was really sweet and special.  My son too was excited for us to open his gifts as he went shopping all alone with his own money and was very proud of what he picked out.   He did a great job getting just the right present for everyone.  The kids got everything that they wanted for Christmas and even though we don’t normally exchange gifts, my husband surprised me with a new pair of my favorite jeans (he said since I worked my butt off making Christmas special for the family, he bought something for my butt ).

He also did something funny:  he bought me this card along with my gift.  The inside says “that would be nuts.”  When I got it I thought, um, okay, weird/inappropriate card to give your wife, but I didn’t want to seem ungrateful so I didn’t say anything and displayed it on our dresser.  A few days later my husband came to me to apologize because he finally noticed how crass the card really was.   When he picked it out, he thought it was funny because we always have squirrels in our attic wrecking havoc…he didn’t notice the, uh, enhanced anatomy on the squirrel.   My son and I had a good laugh at his mistake and my daughter kept asking, “what’s so funny?”

Something else my husband did was not so funny, but really annoying.  We had decided as a family to treat ourselves to an after-Christmas gift, a panini press.  We had seen the one we wanted in Williams-Sonoma and went to the mall specifically for that purpose, to buy the Breville Ikon Panini Press; isn’t it lovely?

However, while in the store my husband tweeted out a question about what brand of panini press to buy and he got a response from a few people to get a George Forman Grill instead.   Somehow he talked me into it.  I know; what was I thinking?  I won’t go into the arguing that ensued, but it turned out to be a big mistake and you know I let him know it!    I ended up going back to Williams-Sonoma the next day and getting the panini press that we were originally supposed to buy.  Peace was once again restored in our household and we have been making gloriously yummy paninis ever since.

Oh, but that peace was disrupted by a simple family game of Monopoly.   I knew better, I really did, than to play Monopoly with my husband.  We’re all competitive in this family, but something comes over my husband particularly when he is playing Monopoly that only can be described as manic.  He loses all sense of decorum and tries to win at all costs.  No life is spared.   I know this because no game of Monopoly that I have ever played with him has gone well or can even be described as being fun; torture is more like it.   This is how bad it gets: before we got married we played Monopoly and he was as tyrannical as he usually is, but I won that game.  Slaughtered him, is more like it.  I never wanted him to forget that defeat, so I wrote it on the top of the Monopoly box.  We have bought many new games over the years, but I cut out the box top and always transfer it to the newest game.  My son read the box top aloud before our latest game:

On May 7, 1993 Sherrelle and James played.  In the beginning James talked much “yang” and bought up all the properties except the yellow and green (he even owned Boardwalk).  However, Sherrelle had all the $ and all the railroads and utilities.  That was James’ downfall because he never passed “Go” and always land on railroads ($200 each time)!  Slowly he had to sell all of his many properties.  By this time Sherrelle had bought 3 hotels on her yellow property and the climax (and end) of the game came when James landed on a hotel property–he then owed Sherrelle $1150!  He was broke and Sherrelle won (he still owes her $680)!  Sherrelle also left the game with $5,700 in cash, property and hotels.  What a victory!  James called himself the “Monopoly King”, but who’s ruling now??  The rightful ruler, now and always, is SHERRELLE.  No matter what happens in future games, this will always go down in history as the night that Sherrelle let James know who was BOSS!!!

I don’t think my husband as ever forgotten that defeat and won’t rest until he reclaims his “Monopoly King” crown.  Needless to say, “family game night” didn’t end well….blood was shed, tears were spilled, voices were raised (okay, not blood, but the rest is true).  The game is retired to the top shelf of our laundry room and if we are smart, it will never be taken down again.  I think we will be safer playing Candyland or Hi Ho Cheerio…..maybe.

So there you have the highlights of my holiday season.  And we look so normal, don’t we?

Christmas is next week!  It seems like it came so fast this year, but I am mostly ready.  I still have to decide what we are eating on Christmas Eve.  I am leaning towards a traditional dinner–which is very untraditional for me–of fried turkey, macaroni and cheese and some kind of vegetable.  Of course I will bake a cake or two, decorate Christmas cookies, and maybe try Darcie’s Toffee Oatmeal Fudge Bars.  A Spiced Kettlecorn recipe over at Goop.com looks great to eat while watching holiday movies.

I FINALLY tracked down ornaments for my family; they were tough this year!  My daughter changed her ornament from a sewing machine (impossible to find) to an artist palette because she loves art.

My son wanted an ornament to represent The Sound of Music since he was in a musical theater production this year and I was able to find an ornament of the Austrian flag.  I found both of these ornaments at Bronners.com.

My husband wanted an ornament to show his love of music and DJing from his computer on Friday nights; after much searching I found vintage record ornaments on Uncommongoods.com.  These are real records re-purposed into ornaments.

And of course we couldn’t forget about Chili Dawg; adding him to our family was a major part of 2009.  Judy over at Paws & Claws makes the best pet ornaments that I have ever seen.  When she didn’t have a cockapoo ornament the color of Chili Dawg, she made one; we couldn’t be happier because it looks just like him.

The gifts are bought and wrapped.  Santa brings the big gifts, but the kids do get a few gifts from us. I am absolutely stunned that Chili Dawg has not bothered the Christmas tree other than drinking the water, but I am not going to tempt him by putting gifts under the tree.  I KNOW that will be a bad idea as he has never seen paper that he doesn’t want to rip to shreds!  So this year we are putting the gifts on top of the TV cabinet; I made it look decorative so it’s not too weird.  As you can see, the wrapping paper and bows match the silver, white and aqua color theme for this year.

Besides our kids, we just buy gifts for our nephew.  I don’t think my husband and I have exchanged gifts very much since we’ve had kids.   One reason is that providing Christmas for our kids takes all the money and the other is that my husband is so hard to shop for because he buys whatever he wants for himself all year long (mostly electronic/technology stuff).   There is nothing left to buy him!   As for me, there is ALWAYS something to buy, but I’ve learned to just treat myself when I can.  Usually I wait until this time of year because the sales are good and special merchandise is available.  Like beauty products: the L’Occitane Hand Creme Trio is a good deal (normally $10 a piece, the trio is sold for $25) as is the Lovely Lip Gloss Coffret from Nars ($49 for 8 lip gloss colors that would normally be soooo much more; Nars is not cheap).  I had to give myself these gifts of beauty; I deserve to have soft hands and shiny lips.

Ever since I got my new Funkdivagirl.com business cards, I have been looking for a cute business card holder.  I emphasize cute because plain black or brown leather are easy to find–cute ones are not.  Early one day to meet my friend for a bit of holiday shopping and lunch at Neiman Marcus, I wandered into the Kate Spade store.  I had been in there before and found nothing, but I figured with the holiday season they might have in new merchandise and I was correct.  They didn’t have the color I wanted, my signature pink, but I was able to order it online (with free shipping) and it arrived nicely wrapped; a perfect gift to me, from me.

I love this time of year.  I have plans to get my hair, eyebrows and nails done later this week and I’m excited for our pre-Christmas get-away with friends.  I plan to enjoy it all because it will be over way too soon.

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

…….family time.  So by today I’ve blogged for 12 straight days about Christmas and it’s been great.   Now I’m in the home stretch; there is one week until my kids get out of school and I’ve got presents to wrap, cards to mail and meals to plan.  I really try to do all my shopping and most Christmas preparations before my kids get out of school so that I am able to spend time with them and just have fun.

Besides baking cookies and playing games like Clue and Monopoly, we love to watch holiday movies next to the fireplace while drinking hot cocoa.   A Christmas Story, Miracle on 34th Street, Christmas With the Kranks, and The Santa Claus are some of our favorite movies.  But I think my absolute favorite holiday movie is Elf.  Will Ferrell is HILARIOUS as Buddy the Elf!   If you’re never seen this movie you missing a wonderful opportunity to laugh out loud.   And who doesn’t like to laugh?  Ho Ho Ho!

What is your favorite holiday movie?  How do you like to spend family time during the holidays?

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The 12 Days of Christmas by Funkidivagirl

On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me….the words to the song.

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me….Christmas cards.

On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me….Chili Dawg.

On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…..a Christmas vacation.

On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…..Santa Claus.

On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

…….a doll that looks like me.  Christmas: a time for showering the little people in our lives with toys and all that their hearts desire.  This can give adults with so much joy, but it can also produce gut-wretching angst when you can’t find a doll for your little brown girl that looks like her.

*Most of my posts for this series of The 12 Days of Christmas have been fun and light-hearted, but I have been meaning to talk about this subject for awhile and it is something that many people struggle with this time of the year.  Roll with it, think about it and please add your two cents in the comments.

A couple of months ago–well before the holiday season–emails were flying on the Mocha Moms listserv about Addy, an American Girl doll.   If you don’t know about American Girl dolls, let me school you as I just entered this world last year when my daughter asked for an American Girl doll for Christmas.  American Girl historical dolls are based on historical fictional book characters; each doll comes with a set of books that highlights a particular segment of American history.  So I had to check out all the dolls and surprise, surprise  there is only one African American historical doll, Addy.

And Addy is a slave.

Of course.

This is what the Mocha Moms were emailing about: why does Addy have to be a slave?  Is that the ONLY part of African American history worth telling?  Oh, and when they saw Addy’s doll, Ida Bean (although I’m sure she’s historically accurate), Lord, the emails were flying fast and furious.

To be fair, Addy is escaping slavery and her story is a courageous and compelling one; all the American Girl stories show how the characters display bravery and tenacity often in the face of the most trying times in American History.  So, they are good books and the principles of the American Girl company are sound.  Let me be clear: I like the American Girl company and support their mission and products both philosophical and financially.  They also make modern-day “Just Like You” dolls that come in several shades of brown with various hair textures, so the lack of brown dolls in general is not in question; the rift is with the historical dolls.

So again we (“we” being me, my Mocha Moms chapter and I’m certain many African American mothers everywhere) ask: is slavery the only story that we have to tell about the African diaspora in America?  It’s not that slavery isn’t a story worth telling, it’s the fact that we are limited to just one story.  There is so much more.

What about the Harlem Renaissance?  Besides great stories about the art, music and literature of that time period, that doll would have some fly clothes for sure.  And what about the ’60s or ’70s?  There is a doll now, Julie, who is sort of a hippy girl living in Berkley California; couldn’t they at least make an African American friend for Julie who wears a dashiki?   That’s what I’m talking about!

I was not opposed to the Addy doll, but my daughter was not interested in her.  So here was the dilemma: do I let her ask Santa for a white doll?  Well, that’s always the question for African American parents whether it’s American Girl, Barbie or Disney Princesses dolls; are we going to let our daughters play with dolls that don’t look like them?

Of the people I know, for most the answer is a resounding NO.  I too feel that way, but my daughter does have many of the Disney Princesses, who up until Princess Tiana (bless her!), were mostly white (Jasmine is Arabian and Mulan is Asian).  I justified buying those dolls because they were “real people.”  Her Cheetah Girls dolls are Latina, African American, mixed race and white, so they’re okay.  And I think she also has a couple of random white Barbies; I don’t know how they got in there.  So, while my daughter doesn’t exclusively own dolls of color,  that is my strong preference.

She just got the new So In Style Barbies, which I love and think were long over-due, but whew!–those dolls have been controversial and they just hit the market.   The articles in Jezebel.com,  Essence.com, and The Wall Street Journal.com show what a hot topic this is for the African American community;  liking the Barbies or not is the main thread, but that we care immensely about the images that are reflective of our daughters.

Why?  Why do I prefer for my daughter to play with dolls of color?  After all, she has a mixed race background so it shouldn’t matter, right?  Wrong.  No matter what her background, she is a brown girl and everything in the world is telling her that she is marginal.  Including the toy industry.  It is up to my husband and me to tell her that she is beautiful and worthy; one of the many ways we can do that is by providing her with playthings that reflect her image and consequently boost her self-esteem.

Back to the American Girl doll dilemma last Christmas: what doll did Santa bring?  After admittedly a few strong suggestions from me, she asked for and got Josefina, a hispanic doll.   A compromise: not African American, but still of color.  I could get with that.   Both she and I love the Josefina doll; she has a rich culture which makes for good stories and beautiful clothes.

This Christmas she asked for another American Girl doll and again I subtly steered her towards dolls of color, either Kaya, a Native American Indian or Sonali, a modern-day doll who is the friend of a white doll, Chrissa.  I’m not sure of Sonali’s heritage, but she’s brown-skinned.  I’ll take it.

It is true that the toy industry has come a long way from when I was little when dolls of color were few and came in one very dark shade of brown, but they still have a long way to go.  As evidenced by the throngs of African American parents I see in the American Girl Store and the Princess Tiana dolls flying off the shelves, we are responding to the increase in diversity.  We have money and will spend it if given the chance.   Just give us the chance.

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The 12 Days of Christmas by Funkidivagirl

On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me….the words to the song.

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me….Christmas cards.

On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me….Chili Dawg.

On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…..a Christmas vacation.

On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…..Santa Claus.

On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

……churros.  Usually a treat that you only get at a fair, right?  Well, they are surprisingly easy to make at home.  A few years ago I discovered this recipe in Martha Stewart Living magazine and made it one Christmas for my family and they loved it.   No, churros aren’t a traditional holiday treat, but they are so yummy when paired with hot chocolate and a roaring fire on a cold winter night.

Most of the ingredients you probably have on hand already in your pantry, but you might not have the tools.  Be sure to get a pastry bag with a large star tip and a deep-fry thermometer before you begin.

CHURROS

(a recipe by Martha Stewart Living)

Ingredients

Makes 20

• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 5 to 6 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

1. Stir together cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl; set aside. Bring milk, butter, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, and cook, stirring, until mixture forms a ball and pulls away from sides of pan, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, and let cool 3 minutes. Add eggs, and stir until batter is smooth. Spoon mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large open-star tip (such as an Ateco #828).
2. Heat 4 to 5 inches oil in a large Dutch oven until it registers 330 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Holding pastry bag a few inches above the oil, squeeze out batter, snipping off 4-inch lengths with a knife or kitchen shears. Fry 6 to 8 churros at a time, turning once, until deep golden brown all over, about 5 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

Photo credit: Martha Stewart Living

Martha, of course, eats her churros with homemade hot chocolate, but I have found that both Ghirardelli Premium Hot Cocoa and Williams-Sonoma Hot Chocolate are delicious and rich.  I have the Williams-Sonoma Hot Chocolate Pot and now making hot chocolate is a breeze; you just pour the milk in the pot (no water! sacrilege!), heat it in the microwave, add the chocolate, insert the wand and “froth to perfection” as they say in the directions.  Then I top it with marshmallows and whipped cream.  A dusting of cinnamon or a cinnamon stick adds a little spice and decorative flair.  Enjoy!

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The 12 Days of Christmas by Funkidivagirl

On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me….the words to the song.

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me….Christmas cards.

On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me….Chili Dawg.

On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…..a Christmas vacation.

On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…..Santa Claus.