Merry Christmas!

Dear family and friends,

Merry Christmas!  All is calm-ish and bright here in Northern Virginia.  For the first time in years, we haven’t had any major changes come into our life.  After the big move/job change/birth of Amy in 2014, we are all thankful for the calmer year.  

This year has been filled with park days, splash pads, walks, bike rides and trips to the library.  We are settling into our new home and have spent much of this year organizing and painting.  Heber and I celebrated our 10^th wedding anniversary with a trip to Outer Banks.  The highlight of the year was heading out to Utah to visit family and friends over Easter. 

Heber continues to his work in digital forensics trying to help catch the bad guys. One day he and his coworkers were working on a project together and another coworker stopped by and asked “Hey, did any of you help catch a bank robber today? Because, I did!”  He is a wonderful and supportive dad who wrestles with the kids and reads them stories at night.  He joined Toastmasters International, a public speaking group.  He often comes home with a ribbon for best speech of the night.

 Gentri kept the house together and everyone alive, which is a feat worth touting!  She was able to visit her dream bead store, Ornamentea, in Raleigh, NC during a quick weekend trip.  She visited Chicago.  Over the summer, she took a flameworking course that led to some beautiful new beads and knobs.  She learned how to fuse metal and added a new small torch and rock tumbler to her studio.  She continued to serve with the Activity Day Girls (8-9 year olds) at church and spearheaded a three day summer camp.

Leo turned four and is still our joyful and enthusiastic guy who loves the color blue.  He spent the first part of the year attending a joy school (with mom helping to teach) and then started at a traditional preschool in the fall.   He is most excited about space and planets and can identify each one and share details about moons and atmospheres (can you tell how proud we are).  He loves to wear shorts, wrestle and play with cars. 

Amy, at nearly two, is our determined and spirited red head.   She loves to run and to dress herself.  She loves her mom and is her constant shadow.  She talks all day long and we are starting to actually understand some of it.  Our girl is fearless and especially likes to play at the park.  She decides that she is going to do something and goes right for it even if it’s the big slide at 16 months old.  Baby dolls are her favorite.

We are so thankful for you all in our lives. We hope that 2016 is a wonderful year.  We wish you the happiest of holiday season!

Love,

Gentri, Heber, Leo and Amy Green (or as Leo says, G-R-two Es-and an N)

Cocoa

I am a bonafide hot cocoa snob.  None of the merely slightly creamy drinks will do.  I don't even think that Starbuck's hot chocolate is that good (gasp).  I blame this snobbiness on the Cocoa Cafe, this Salt Lake establishment will forever be my favorite place, even after it very unexpectedly closed down a few years ago.

My sister and I discovered it one late night and I frequented as often as a two hour drive would allow.  There was just something magical about it all, comfortable, homey setting, sweet mugs and little spoons and then the most delicious (life changing) hot cocoa I had ever tasted.

When Heber and I were newly married, we would find ourselves there warming up over cocoa.  We'd meet our families there and play games and enjoy pastries.  It was lovely and perfect.

I never really felt like I could replicate it.  Right before Leo was born, we discovered a gelato place in Eastern Market on Capitol Hill that made a cocoa similar.  It was delicious but the modern decor left a lot to be desired.  They did tell us though that what I should be looking for is an Italian Hot Chocolate recipe, hello pinterest.

I discovered the following recipe and have made it a couple of times this fall already.  Here's a link to the original post.

Thick Spiced Italian Hot Chocolate

Sprinkle the top of the whipped cream covered hot chocolate with desired toppings, such as: Chocolate shavings, caramel and coarse salt, crushed candy cane, etc.

Serves: Serves 2

Ingredients

• 3 T. Cocoa Powder
• 2½ T. Sugar
• ¾ T. Cornstarch
• ½ t. Cinnamon
• 1 tiny pinch Cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch salt
• 1½ C. Milk
• ½ t. Vanilla
• Whipped Cream, to top

Instructions

1. Place the cocoa powder, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt in a small saucepan and whisk together well.
2. Add the vanilla and ¼ C. of the milk to the dry ingredients and whisk until combined and smooth(make sure to whisk around the sides of the pan to get all of the dry mixture incorporated).
3. Add the remaining milk and whisk in well.
4. Place the saucepan on medium heat and whisk constantly, for about 3-4 minutes or until mixture starts to boil and thicken.
5. Remove from heat and pour into two mugs.
6. Top with whipped cream and other desired toppings.

So, it may not be the Cocoa Cafe, but we've been enjoying cocoa by the lights of the Christmas Tree and the garland hung with all of our beautiful glass ornaments (because we are to the toddler phase where no glass could be on the tree but I still wanted to see it).  You should whip some up and enjoy it this season too!

Not the Same

One of my good friends is preparing for a move this next month.  I'm going to miss her so much.  When she announced that they were taking this three year assignment, I had a rush of emotions.  Obviously I was sad that she was moving but the real feeling was, "oh my gosh, you have no idea what you are in for."  I wanted to say that it is the hardest thing you will ever do, picking up a life and starting somewhere new.  I yearned to say how it would take a long time to stop missing the last place, the people you cared about there and your life.  To tell her how challenging it is to set everything up again, to find doctors, preschools, heck, even a good grocery store.

I wanted to say that it was completely uncomfortable in every way for a year, or maybe more.  I was talking to a friend about this and she said that the discomfort means that you're growing and increasing capability.  That's a really positive way to look at it, I wish I was always so positive.  The growing pains are real.  You'll question why you are doing this, even if you had strong promptings that it was right.  You'll have to put yourself out there over and over again, talk to strangers, join groups.  There won't be anyone that really knows you for a long time so you have to get better at telling your story and reaching out.

The kids will stop sleeping, or maybe never learn how to sleep for a long time.  They'll ask to see people that you can't see and go to places that they can't go and it will be sad.

Eventually, it starts to get easier.  Maybe a year or two in, it's not uncomfortable all the time.  You start to figure out where things are and don't have to use GPS to get everywhere.  A friend or two is made and there is someone to have a face to face genuine and real conversation.

Instead of overwhelming her with all of that, I said, it's hard but you'll figure it out.  You'll make new friends, you'll begin to find the places that are "yours," you know, the restaurants, the stores, the parks that you love that are comfortable.  There are good people everywhere that will welcome you.  You'll be stronger and better for it.

I guess I was afraid to really express how hard it has really been.  Maybe making the leap to move is scary enough without all the details.  It's kind of like becoming a mother.  When I was pregnant, I was so excited to have this new little person that I didn't think about all that goes along with parenthood.  If you are a parent, you know what I'm talking about.  Sometimes it's better without all the details, because they will figure it out.  Just like I wouldn't tell an expectant mother, "oh just you wait until...," I figure, she'll discover it all on her own. 

The thing about these big, life changing choices, like moving or becoming a parent, they change you.  They make you completely lose it and then somehow come back together again but stronger.  I am not the same person that I was two years ago, for better and some ways worse, I'm different.  I've learned things about myself, I've grown up.  Heber and I know that we can face anything together and build a life anywhere.  I can go into uncomfortable situations and make new friends.  I know that I can be resilient and determined.

My friend is about to embark on this journey, I know she'll figure it out but she won't be the same either.

Giving Thanks

We celebrated Thanksgiving last week.  If I'm being honest, there wasn't much thanks in my heart this holiday.  I let myself get overwhelmed with what I don't have, who I'm not with this holiday and bogged down by yet another sinus infection (the great sick season of 2015 continues).  I even put together a gratitude tree and we didn't populate it with leaves (what a sad little sight, we may have to leave it up and populate it in January).

I really have so much to be grateful for, our beautiful home, healthy children.  I guess it's all about perspective.  We ended up celebrating with our cousins from Philly.  The weather was beautiful and we sat out on the deck in the sunshine and smelled the turkey cooking.  We had a wonderful visit, beautiful meals, delicious pies.  The kids were so happy to be together and joyously played for several days.  It all cheered me up and reminded me of all the things we have to be thankful for. 

Heber's beautiful smoked turkey

A couple of days after Thanksgiving, another little boost came.  We've been gearing up for the holidays and I really wanted a new Christmas tree.  We're in our new home, we've had our little Charlie Brown trees for lots of years and I felt like it was time to move on up.  The problem is that I just didn't really want to allocate money to that, especially with all the expenses (happy ones, but still) that come this time of year.  I looked at trees but just didn't ever buy one.

I was out talking to a neighbor last week and mentioned the quest for a new tree.  He said that he had one in the house that I could HAVE.  What?  Well, he's a UPS driving and picks them up all the time on his route as people are getting rid of them.  Now I have this beautiful seven foot tree.  It always seems like there are little tender mercies like this especially at this time of year.  We didn't need it but somehow it happened.  After all of that lack of gratitude at Thanksgiving, it put in perspective the concern that God has for me even in my silly desire for a new tree.

It made me think of Christmas two years ago.  We were living in the little Logan condo having just moved a few weeks before.  I was days away from having a baby.  I was feeling pretty down about everything, especially with all the crap that happened with Heber's job when we moved there.  I felt lonely, having left a life in Virginia and to top it off, Heber was on a week long business trip right before Christmas.  Right in the midst of all that emotion and hard times, there was a knock on the door.  A sweet girl in my neighborhood came by with bread to welcome me to the area.  How did she know that I needed that gift of friendship so much at that time.

There are these little mercies that come into my life and make me believe in the beauty of life again, that add light in hard times and make me realize how much I have to be grateful for.  Every time I look at the tree, I'm going to think of that.

Christmas Donuts and Holiday Hearts

Christmas time is here.  I used to so look forward to this time of year with the beautiful decorations and time with family.  Now, it seems a bit of a burden with all the planning and preparation that goes into a holiday season.  I'm a little overwhelmed with all that there is to do with gift buying, neighbor gifts (which we've never really been in a place where we did neighbor gifts but here we are), gifts for all the teachers.  There's the beautiful meals to plan and prepare.  The meaningful holiday activities that we "should" have.

I don't know.  I'm a little tired.  Although, I hear having two young children does that to you.  Please don't think I'm being negative here.  I think I am just realizing all the effort that my parents and family put into making holidays wonderful and I'm trying to gear myself up to do the same.  

All of this contemplation has led me to think about the "traditional" activities at Christmas.  I'm still in the tradition building phase of our family and I want to have traditions that are meaningful to my family and not just because "that's what people do" at Christmas.

So, it all started with a treat.  As you have probably read, holidays are very food based for me.  There is nothing else that says Christmas to me more than sugar cookies, specifically Aunt Leta's sugar cookies.  We would wait for these cookies all year.  Now, I don't really make sugar cookies.  It is a true skill (and a lesson in patience) that I just don't have.  In years past, we have bought the mix and whipped them up but they really don't taste that good (at least in comparison to Aunt Leta's).  Also, my sweet picky eaters won't touch them.

So, Leo says to me at Walmart, "I want to make donuts."  And so we did.  I think the donut idea stemmed from our recent visit to Duck Donuts in Fairfax.  They have locations in the Outer Banks and we fell in love with the freshly cooked, frosted and sprinkled rings of deliciousness over all of our trips to the beach.  Now, we can drive a half hour and enjoy them any time we want or even in our own kitchen.

 

 We took the easy route to cook donuts.  I bought the canned biscuits and broke each biscuit in half.  With a round cookie cutter, I punched a hole in the middle and fried them up in canola oil.  In just a few minutes, we had a stack of warm donutes.   I made up some chocolate glaze (milk, melted butter, cocoa and powdered sugar) and dipped the donuts in and then the kids went to town with the sprinkles.  To say the donuts were encrusted is an understatement but we all gobbled them up and enjoyed them heartily.

So, this is the beginning of our new holiday traditions.  What are your family's favorites?  Do share.