A Very Ruybalid Christmas Part II

The last post I wrote reflected on traditions mostly.  I am sure some of you want the year update and a most traditional idea of what we have all been up to.  Anyone who has been following my blog might have realized that I have not been posting every week or even once a month.  Where have I been hiding?

The new year 2013 began slightly rocky as I lost my father and I am still in recovery mode.  I also gave birth to Isaiah a few months later adding some joy in all the grief.  Isaiah is a great addition to our family.  Even though I have no blood relation to my father, there are traits in Isaiah that remind me of my dad.  He has piercing grey blue eyes.  Yes all babies have blue eyes, well not all of mine.  Isaiah is the second baby with blue eyes in our six.  He has a wispy curl framing his face a lot like my dad as well.  Then their is Isaiah's don't quit personality.  This kid is trying to walk along the furniture at seven months old and I am sure he will be rock climbing by one.

Bria has beautiful curly hair.  I used to want curly blond hair when I was little and I would say Bria's curls are exactly what I pictured minus the hair color.  As baby number five, Bria has a strong personality and we are enjoying some of the ways it plays out.  She will sing for hours, just as many of our kids did.  She love to try and keep up with all the other siblings.  This one will not be left behind and sometimes I forget she is only two.

Charis is silent, but very accomplished.  She practically potty trained herself and she does not make a show of it.  She is the child people say they might forget because she is so quiet.  Quiet she is, but she also uses this quiet energy to build inventions and tenderly care for her dolls.

Dominic and the most outgoing child.  He expects all strangers to smile back at him as he bothered to notice them.  He just loves people.  Trains, car, planes, and trucks are some of Dominic's favorite toys.  He loves to run around when he can get away with it and is full of energy.

Ellie is born for the stage.  She just wowed us in her first solo for her school play and she does not seem to be afraid to shine in public at all.  Sometimes I feel like I am looking at a more fearless version of me.  This is the child who wants to do everything perfectly and most of the time does.

Joel continues to be quiet and shy, but he is great at conversations too.  He loves to talk about his school adventures and ask a million questions.  I have a hard time keeping up with every topic that interests him.  He is also my pro helper with baby Isaiah and keeps asking for another baby.

Tim just got a job as the Branch manager for US Bank in Quilcene.  Up until a few weeks ago we were planning on packing our bags for southern CA, but things changed quite quickly.  So if you are in the NW, that is were we continue to live. 

I am still a stay at home mommy, but I did start a small home business called RubyRumps.  I sew cloth diapers, wipes, reusable bags, and we'll see what the new year holds.  I still long to see a book published someday, but right now I am enjoying my family and it keeps me very busy.

These are just a few highlights of the year.  I hope everyone is having a Merry Christmas.

A Very Ruybalid Christmas

The kids decorated the tree mostly themselves this year!

My oldest son took this picture

We always cut our own tree, this year our tree is small and my son Joel is still asking if we can get a better one next year

.

This year I did actually get around to making Christmas cards, but we did not write a letter.  In my family the letter is just a much a part of the Christmas card tradition as the card.  My family usually has a stack of other people's letters on a coffee table in the living that we read as they are received and again as we might want to.  Cards are posted on the wall as well.  With the invention of photo cards, we usually have a fridge covered in beautiful family photos. 

I love to reflect on traditions this time of year because it is one of the few seasons people still focus on traditions.  My mother and her mother and probably mothers before that have always made mince pies.  I do not own a mince pie tin, but I have adapted my recipe to muffin tins.  The danger in making mince pies in muffin tins is that they are much bigger than my mom's cute little mince pies.  One can get away with eating a couple of mom's, but we should probably stick to one pie each.  Sadly I only make my own pastry for these sweet treats as my mom is the one who makes the mince meat each year.  Her mince meat does not have actual meat in it.  It is dried fruit soaked in sugar and brandy, but again I have yet to make it myself.  I need to get her recipe so I can pass the tradition down of course.  My pastry recipe is simple:
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 tbsp sugar
cut 1/2 cup of butter into until you have crumble like texture
add one egg and them mix in just enough water to make a smooth dough a few tbsps

My mom's mince meat is also great for making a batch of Stollen as a lot of the ingredients are there.  I just add blanched almonds to the fruit.  We have had Stollen for about the past three years because a bakery in town makes some amazing Stollen and I wanted to figure out how to bake it myself.  I am not sure if I will make this every year, but it is a fun find.

During the Christmas season we try and make gingerbread cookies and sugar cookies at least once.  This year we did not make cut outs, but there is still time.  The kids are just thrilled when I get the red and green sprinkles out.  Our sugar cookies this year had a hint of peppermint extract in them, something I have thought might be gross, but actually ended up tasting great.  Just skip the vanilla and add peppermint instead.  The house smells like Christmas as they bake and they taste like a cake-like candy cane. 

With little kids it is easy to try to hard to create experiences that only make one tired.  It is good to pair things down a bit and figure out what activities best suit your family.  We all like to bake, but I want my little kids to be a part of it too. 

My family made a big deal about the Christmas dinner and my husband remembers fancy Christmas breakfasts.  We combine them all to make a lot of family time at the table together.  We start with eggs, salsa, gingerbread men biscuits, and usually some fruit.  Then the rib roast goes in the oven and the side dishes change yearly based on who is around to eat them.  Last year we made french macaroons for after dinner, but I am not sure if I feel like working that hard this year.  I had help from my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law piped them all perfectly.  I have consider brownies cut out like Christmas trees, or maybe some other kind of mini cakes.  That could be fun actually.  We will have to wait and see.  I should have this planned by now, but I do not.  There are still a couple of days.

I guess you could say we focus on food and meals because gifts in our house are usually homemade.  The kids often find them while I am making them.  There are some surprises of course and we all enjoy homemade hats, pjs, sock, dresses, and all.  I like making gifts for the kids because we can add a personal touch to everything.  Just about everything on the tree was made by the kids as well.  Then I know nothing will break on them and everything is fun a playful looking.

Now what does this have to do with a Christmas letter?  It doesn't.  I guess part two of my post will be the actual Christmas letter, hopefully written before Christmas.