12 Random Things: An Update of Sorts

I'm still savouring quiet days at home with our new sweet baby girl.  (well...as quiet as things get with six kids!) But I also miss this blog and am planning to begin blogging somewhat regularly again after Christmas.  In the meantime I thought I'd share an update in the form of twelve random facts, thoughts, and links.

1.  We're building a play kitchen for my 18 month old twins for Christmas.  It's coming along nicely and I'm taking a lot of in-progress pictures so I can blog about it after the holidays.   If I have enough time before Christmas day I am going to crochet some of these adorable little cupcakes to go along with it.  Who am I kidding, I'm not going to have time....

2. The other day a friend confessed on facebook that she had added a tablespoon of candy cane ice cream to her homemade cafe mocha and I pretty much drooled all over my laptop.  I haven't tried it yet, but mark my words, I will.  Oh my goodness I have the most brilliant friends ever.

3. For the first time in 7 years I wish we owned a television because I have heard so many good things about the show Duck Dynasty, I sorta-kinda-almost wish I could watch it.

4.  I need a nap. Or a Molly Maid.  But mostly a nap.

5. A friend hosted a gingerbread house party last weekend and our family took home the prize for best decorated house.  In all fairness, we were allowed to vote for our own gingerbread house and we came equipped with more little voters than any other family there so our win may not be quite as legitimate as I'd like to believe, but I'll take what I can get.

6. Hubby and I made a nativity block set for the kids using these instructions.   I am so happy with the way they turned out!

7. For the first time ever today I tried the old boil-some-orange-peels-and-cinnamon-sticks-on-the-stove trick to make my house smell festive and it worked so well that I can't believe I've never done this before.  The only draw back is that my house smells so scrumptious, hubby is going to come home and think I've baked some fabulous treat when in fact I have not.

8. Christmas cookies.   I've eaten a lot of them.   We've really fallen for this molasses cookie recipe, although we don't melt the butter and we make them in the stand mixer instead of a pot.  They are so good that we  made a batch to give away and accidentally ate them.

9. Watch this video without smiling a big happy goofy grin, I dare you.

10. The other day, at a social event, a friend offered to hold my baby so I could go pee.  Thank you kind soul.

11. I am loving our handmade Christmas.  Except for a couple trips into a craft store and a hardware store for handmade gift supplies, I have done absolutely no Christmas shopping, and it feels awesome.  We drive past the mall and laugh (um...lovingly....) at all the people looking for a parking spot.

12. We are so completely smitten with our new baby girl.  You'd think that by our sixth kid the whole "Wow, come look at her itsy-bitsy teensy-weensy toes!" would start to get old.  It doesn't.

Thanks so much for visiting The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking.  Merry Christmas!