It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

It's starting to feel like Christmas around here...

We let the kids talk us into going and getting a tree last night :)

They were so excited!

Even Dalton was prancing around the house dragging a string of beads.

Here are some of my favorite Christmas decorations:

Hand carved Nativity that I brought back from Brazil:

I don't know what to call these, but I love them!

My mom bought them for me, and we hang one on each side of our stockings.

Santa's Key:

This is new this year.

Brittany bought it for the kids.

Since we live in a small townhouse, without a fireplace, my kids were concerned that Santa wouldn't be able to get in.  Brittany bought them this "magic Santa key" so that Santa can find a way in.

Believe in the Magic.

Everything about Christmas feels like magic.

I love it and I can't help but feel happy.

I ordered this stained glass star for Dalton last year for his "first Christmas ornament."

I am so in love with it.

I'm tempted to order a whole set and make it the theme of my tree.

But I'm a little torn because then Dalton's ornament wouldn't be "special".

I can't decide what to do...

Each of the kids get to hang up their own ornaments every year.

They love it!

Sometimes I wish I had a pretty tree, but it makes my kids so happy to decorate the tree themselves that I don't mind.  So, it looks a little messy, a little bottom-heavy (they can't reach very high), and a little homemade, but I love it.  Each ornament is a little memory and I love watching my kids relive each memory as they hang

My house smells like a mix of pine, scentsy, and boys.

I love when it starts to feel like Christmas! 

What makes is start feeling like Christmas for you?

Pumpkin Pie Creme Brulee

I have a fun new recipe for you :)

This is one that I tried out over the weekend:

Pumpkin Pie Creme Brulee.

It's a fun twist on traditional pumpkin pie. 

For the crust:

• 32 butter crackers (such as Ritz)
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more if needed
• 2 to 3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

For the custard:

• 3 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 vanilla bean
• 8 large egg yolks
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 cups canned pure pumpkin
• Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. 

To make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the crackers and pecans until finely ground. Add the melted butter and brown sugar and pulse to combine. Press the mixture into the bottoms and 1/2 inch up the sides of ten 6-ounce ramekins. Put the ramekins in a large baking dish or roasting pan and bake in the oven, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.

To make the custard: Combine 2 cups cream, the cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise; scrape out the seeds with a knife, then add the seeds and pod to the saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat.

Whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar in a bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups cream and the milk to the saucepan. Slowly whisk in the yolk mixture, then strain the custard through a sieve back into the bowl. Whisk in the pumpkin.

Divide the pumpkin mixture among the ramekins. Pour hot water into the baking dish, about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the custard is starting to set but is still a little wiggly in the middle, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven; remove the ramekins from the water bath and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

Lightly sprinkle the custard with turbinado sugar. Heat the sugar with a butane torch until caramelized. To get a thicker caramelized sugar crust, repeat, using just a light sprinkling of sugar each time. Let cool.

In the end, they taste like miniature, creamy, pumpkin pies.

My kids loved that they each got their own, and of course, we had to add extra sugar on top :)  My cousin (who hates pumpkin pie) liked it.  My husband loves pumpkin pie, so he was skeptical, but he liked it too.  My honest opinion?  It tasted a lot like pumpkin pie.  I like creme brulee better than I like pumpkin pie, so I think I like the traditional creme brulee better.  But, for a holiday twist on pumpkin pie, this recipe is a must :)

(You can find the recipe HERE)

Happy Cyber Monday

Happy Monday Everyone!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!!

Mine was insanely busy.  Every year I upload my blog onto Blurb and print off a copy for each of my kids as their own little journal of the year.  I do the whole thing manually (you can just "slurp" up your whole blog and print it if you want...) so that each book is specific to each child.  It is very tedious and very time consuming.  The 25% off coupon HURRY expires today and the code GIVEGIFTS for 20% off expires on the 30th.  Since I was up against a deadline, I had to work on it constantly until it was done.  It has pretty much dominated my month.  I managed to finish it just in time.

Here's how my week went:

Wednesday - Blurbing and getting ready for Thanksgiving

Thursday - Cooking Thanksgiving dinner.  It was also my cousin's birthday so I wanted to make sure that it was extra special.  My birthday also around Thanksgiving and when it falls on Thanksgiving Day, it sort of gets lost in the chaos.  So, we tried to make sure that my cousin had a special day.  In the evening, we watched "Ice Age Christmas Special" on TV.  My kids were very excited about it :)  Did anyone else watch it?

Friday - Black Friday Shopping!!!  Ok, I'm sort of a Black Friday wimp.  I don't have enough money to buy something cool (even if it is a killer deal), so I go out around noon and just wander through some of the stores.  It's just fun to be out in the Christmas rush even if I'm not getting anything :)

Saturday - My birthday :)  My husband works for Walgreens and so he always has to work on my birthday.  Always.  So, my cousins stepped in and helped us out so I could still have a great day.  They took me and the kids to breakfast at Kneaders.  It was my first experience with Kneaders french toast and it was amazing!  It more that lived up to it's reputation.  Then they took my kids to do something fun so that I could go to see Twilight (for the second time LOL) with a friend of mine.  Then my cousins, myself, and the kids all went to the mall to wander around and wait for Nate to get off of work.  My in-laws were in town, so at night, they took all of us out to Buca di Beppo.  My sister-in-law's b-day is the 27th, so we had a double party :)

Sunday - stayed home with a sick baby.  Poor Dalton.  The weekend was a little much for him.  I also uploaded and ordered my Blurb books.  Yay...I have a break until next November :)

Since today is "Cyber Monday", here are some things I've got my eye on:

Razor Rip Rider 360

My boys would love this!  Have you seen the video?  It looks so cool!

45% off on Amazon today.

Has anyone tried it?  I'm really considering it, but it's $70 and I want to make sure it's worth it before I spend that much money...

Robert Sabuda pop-up books.

A friend of mine has me hooked on these.

 We have Narnia pop-up and my kids love it!

I have to keep it on a top shelf though, because it is fragile.

This is the new one:

I've had my eye on the world map puzzle at Blickenstaffs lately.

This one is on Amazon but the prices are usually comparable.

Since they are making a movie of this, I think I should finally get around to reading this.  I don't know anything about it, but I like to read so it's probably worth the risk :)

Also, Walgreens action figures are buy one get one free this week.

I think we're going to get a few superheros and a few Star Wars guys.

Do you have your eye on any great deals out there?

Black Friday SALE and a GIVEAWAY!!!

 -Giveaway Closed-

Winner:

Cassie

(Make sure to contact me within 72 hours to find out how to claim your prize)

First of all, I am so excited to be hosting a giveaway from the darling 

Ashley of Simply Enchanted.

She has both a Mary Kay shop, and an etsy shop.

And lucky for us, she is giving away something from BOTH her shops.

Here is what you have a chance to win:

1.  A Mint Bliss legs and feet Mary Kay Lotion ($10 value)

2.  A special limited-edition Mary Kay Cosmetics bag ($10 value)

3.  A set of 10 vintage-inspired "THANK YOU" cards from her shop ($4 value).

Wow!  What a great giveaway, right?
Here's how you enter:
1.  You have to become a GFC follower of Ashley's blog.
2.  Like Ashley's facebook page
3.  Follow Ashley on Twitter
4.  Follow Cait. Create.
5.  Like Cait. Create. on facebook
6.  Get a Cait. Create. button
7.  Blog/Facebook/Tweet about this giveaway


7 ways to enter and 7 chances to win!  Good luck!  The giveaway ends Thursday at midnight.  The winner will be announced on Friday.  Be sure to check back to see if you won :)

*Don't forget to check in on my BLACK FRIDAY SALE in my shop! :)

Happy Black Friday!

EVERYTHING in my Etsy Shop is on sale for 24 hours only!

Orders over $50 will receive a free Christmas decoration with purchase.

You can also find me here:
Craftaholics Anonymous Handmade Black Friday
Through the Eyes of the Mrs.
Love Stitched
Adventures of My Family of 8

(Limited quantities available)

I am THANKFUL...

Last night we played "I am thankful for..." with the kids.

They had no interest in it until we said that whoever could name the blessings "wins."

Here are some things that we are thankful for:

Caitlin: My family.  Without question.  I am so grateful for my husband and my kids.  I have a husband who comes home after a long day at work to help me paint signs and take care of kids.  I have 3 gorgeous kids who I love to pieces and I am so grateful to be their mom!

Nate:  Having a job.  In a scary economy, I am grateful that Nate has a job too.  I have big dreams of one day getting a better job (LOL) but at least he has a job. 

Saxon:  Brothers and the whole world. :)

Bridger: Big Blue.  (Big blue is our minivan.  We are all soooo grateful to have Big Blue.  After squishing all three kids into a tiny car for almost a year, we were so grateful when we saved up enough to be able to afford a down payment on Big Blue.  The color wouldn't have been my first choice, but we it makes for a fun nickname).

Dalton:  I'm pretty sure he loves having big brothers.

As our game went on, our list of blessings became more and more obscure.

It was fun to remember things that we often forget to be thankful for.

Bridger told us that he is thankful that he can poop in the potty.

I am thankful that he can poop in the potty too LOL.

As the game ended, Saxon declared that "the boys team wins!!!"

Since I am the only girl in the house, I guess I didn't stand a chance :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

More Thanksgiving Ideas

Last year we had my husband's family over for Thanksgiving.

 Before I tell you about the decorations, let me explain our situation:

Nate and I live in a two-bedroom townhouse with three children.

There is barely enough room for us...much less company.

When it was proposed that we host Thanksgiving at our house, I was a little overwhelmed.

We had to move the furniture out of our family room to accommodate the tables and chairs that we had to rent.  It was a very tight squeeze.

I was responsible for all of the food, and my sister-in-law, Brooks, offered to bring all of the decorations and place settings.

When she showed up with the decorations, I was in awe...

It was beautiful beyond anything I could have come up with 

and I wanted to share her ideas with all of you because they are inspiring...

Each place setting was marked with a photo place card.

The kids had their own table, and their plates were those hard plastic plates that look like glass, but won't break if they are dropped.  Genius.  Because of course, a few were dropped.

Each table had a white table cloth with an organza overlay.

She brought all of her own dishes and silverware and place settings from Las Vegas.

Brooks and I both agree that Thanksgiving is a formal holiday, and we wanted to avoid paper products.  She even included on the invitations "smart casual dress requested" so that everyone would come prepared for a beautiful dinner.

For the center pieces, she cut the top off of a foam pumpkin.

She put the brown glitter candle, tied with a green ribbon, in the pumpkin.

Each pumpkin sat on a wreath of twigs and berries.

Each place setting had a chocolate truffle with a Thanksgiving quote.

She put a different quote on every single truffle.

After dinner we all read our quotes to each other.

The kids loved it because it was like getting a fortune cookie :)

Isn't she amazing?

I hope her creativity inspired you as much as it inspired me.

Thanks Brooks!

Guest Post - Cinnamon Sugar Bread

Hi all you lovely Cait Create readers!!
I am so excited to have the opportunity to guest post on Caitlin's blog today. She is such a sweetheart and I always look forward to reading her posts.
Before I share a yummy recipe for Cinnamon Sugar Bread with you all, allow me to properly introduce myself.

My name is Lacee and I'm the momma behind the blog Mommas Like Me!

I am a 29 year old wife and momma to my two favorite boys in the whole wide world. They seriously make my world go round and my heart complete.

In my free time {wait a sec...free time, what's that?} ok in my "when I squeeze it in time" I love to bake and craft...oh and blog, of course! I started my blog about 5 months ago based on the thought that "us mommas need to stick together" and I absolutely love the community of amazing mommas {and future mommas} that have not only supported my blog but have been such a source of encouragement to me. Just knowing that there are others out there enduring and enjoying the same ups and downs of motherhood is so comforting. I just love meeting others and making new friends, so I hope you'll stop by Mommas Like Me sometime and introduce yourself. I would love to get to know YOU!

I should've also mentioned my addiction to Pinterest since that is where I stumbled upon today's recipe...and boy am I glad I did!!

So lovely ladies, here's what we'll be making today...

This bread is no joke my friends. Sweet, moist, cinnamon-y, and the perfect companion to a nice hot cup of coffee {or tea, whatever floats your boat}. It would be a great treat to serve for a Sunday brunch or it would also be an awesome homemade gift for someone you love because not only is it to die for delicious but SUPER easy to make as well! Ok so enough of my rambling let's get to it!

Cinnamon Sugar Bread

{If you'd like to see the original recipe please click HERE}


Ingredients

1/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and 1 cup sugar. Add egg, milk, and oil to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened.
Pour half of the batter into the pan then sprinkle with cinnamon and 1/3 cup of sugar.

Cover with the remaining batter and top with more cinnamon and sugar if desired.
Bake in a preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Now here's the tricky part. The part where I kinda broke the rules. Apparently once the bread is cooled you are supposed to wrap it in foil and let it sit overnight. Um, yea right. I just spent over an hour smelling it's tasty goodness and practically drooling all over myself and you want me to wait until tomorrow to have a bite?? I think not!! I cut off an end piece to taste then wrapped it up and put it away for the next day. Even though I was a rebel it still tasted delicious. But when I went to have a piece the next morning after it had sat all night...it was ahhhhhmazing!!!!


So if you have will power, unlike myself, you may want to wait...it really is worth it.
And that my friends is all there is to it! I'm so glad I could share this with you today and I hope you try it and love it just as much as my family and I did!




Thank you so much Lacee!
I was drooling just looking at the pictures...
There's little I love more than a fun new recipe.
I can't wait to try this one out!!! 
Be sure to pin this one if you need a yummy treat to keep in mind when all of the family is in town for Thanksgiving!