Holy Mexican Momma

Remember a while back I posted about cleaning my pantry and finding a billion bags of powdered sugar?



Well, have  I found a recipe for that problem.  While trolling through Pinterest one day looking for Mexican food recipes, I happened to find this recipe from Lickthebowlgood.blogspot.com.  Since I'm kinda on a 'break' from running, what the heck, right?



The recipe starts with 2 sticks of butter.



I'm in love.



It's just a simple shortbread recipe, but in the end, you drench them (and I mean drench) them with powdered sugar - twice.



Two batches later, I can say they're easy little holiday gifts (looking quite similar to snowballs),

and they're delicious.

Try it out (when your New Year's Resolutions have passed).

Beep, beep?

This Christmas season has been challenging for Jay and I.  We had a bit of a health scare (no worries - everything's great) however, because of the chaos, we've lost something VERY important.  Jay's keys.

About a year ago, I did something similar.  I lost my keys.  For months.  Only until Jay cleaned one of the cars did he find them and rescue me.  In college, I was often losing my keys - so I did what any self-respecting college student would do.  I started clipping my beeper to the key chain.  That way, at least they were lost together, and I could call them and have them go "Beep, beep".

Today, I was looking for my camera, to take pictures of another project I've got going (more on that later) and I couldn't find my camera.  (Not the little one, the BIG one.)  I turned the house upside down, only to find it on the kitchen counter-top.  SIGH.  It made me instantly think of the little beeper idea again.  Most things need a 'Beep, beep' function.  Apple's new app 'Find my iPhone' confirmed this.  Most people need Beep, beep capabilities.

Riddle me this: What is it that you're always losing?

Dear Family and Friends,

The 2011 Milleson Family Christmas letter is just begging to get out of my dusty mind and onto this pristine page. The weather's perfect for writing too. So, here's a brief recap of what's happened in our world this year.

Our kids, Madeline, 7, John Alan, 3, and Reed, 2, are doing well. Madeline is enjoying her time in second grade. She's in Mrs. Grider's class with many good friends. Madeline worked hard and earned her first All-A Honor Roll listing this fall. She received a t-shirt and a bunch of high-fives for her efforts! Madeline played softball this spring and volleyball this fall. She's got a long way to go in both sports but she seemed to enjoy the social aspects. Girl Scouts is also now on Madeline's list of activities. She'll be a Brownie in the spring - so if you need Girl Scout cookies, we're your folks! Madeline is active in our church's children's activities and Amarillo College's art and theatre programs.

John Alan is busy growing taller and smarter. His brain never ceases to amaze Jay and me. He's always right, no matter what you've said (or what gravity does). It's fun to watch him think. He's recently found the joy of Star Wars. He walks around with his Darth Vader toy (who gets put in time-out) and pretends to breath like him. Needless to say, we've had to hide the toy lightsaber we bought him. (Well, at least until we have enough for a fair fight.) John Alan also likes Thomas the Train. We can name them all. And sing the song. John enjoys doing puzzles (which - if you go back to always being right - it's quite interesting). John moved out of his toddler bed this year and into a big boy bed. He's done so well with it. He's also doing well with potty-training. There may be hope for us!

Reed's adopted a new name. Thanks to Madeline, Reed is now Reeder. Who'd have thought we'd string that name out - but it's a nickname that fits him. He too, likes Star Wars. But when it comes to playing, he prefers Thomas the Train or Cars. There are usually a lot of fights over Thomas trains - and since the trains are made of wood - OUCH! Reed's in the toddler bed now. He enjoys the freedom of getting up when he wants. It's not unusual for us to have two to three kids in bed with us by the time we get up in the mornings.

Our region had a hard summer. No rain. Too much heat and wind. Our trampoline surround was ruined due to 80 mile an hour straight line winds. Thankfully, Jay had secured it to the ground with bent rebar. A neighbor of ours had their trampoline crash through their roof! Our region faced the worst drought on record (that includes the years of the infamous Dust Bowl). Because of the drought, we had to cut back on watering our yard (so that we'd have water in the house). We lost much of our lawn. It was surprising, but the lack of rain really affected us emotionally. I'd never thought that it 'not' raining was a big deal; however, there's something about rain that clears the soul.

So, with all that beautiful weather, I decided to take up running. I know - I'm a genius, but I do enjoy it! My trainer, Rachel is fantastic and my long-distance training partner Leslie makes my experience that much better! My goal is to run a half-marathon by the time I'm forty. I've got two years! I've done two 5Ks in the past couple of months. I haven't run the whole trail, yet... but I'm getting there. I hurt my hip at one point and had to scale back on my training. I have a whole new respect for runners and their equipment. If there was a fire at our house. I'd get the kids, Jay and my running shoes out. It's just that simple. I'm sad that the weather hasn't allowed me to run after work, but I've continued running on the treadmill during my lunch hour. Once it turns nice outside, I'll start running again after work and lifting weights during lunch. It may seem like a lot, but it works for me.

Jay also started running, but hasn't had the time needed to really make a go at it. It's so hard with little people! He's with Rio Petroleum, even though they've undergone some major changes this past year. We're fortunate to still be a part of the Rio family, and we're looking forward to what opportunities lie in the future. Jay would tell you he hasn't had much time to build furniture this year even though he built a beautiful black sofa table for the Amarillo College disAbility Services silent auction, a smaller entry table, a couple of bookshelves, a Thomas the Train wall display shelf, and has plans drawn up for our library cabinetry. It sounds like a lot to me! He has a big woodworking project coming up in January. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

This year's Common Reader author was Jonathan Safran Foer. His book "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" was selected to coincide with our 2011 Institutional Theme, "Reconstructing 9/11: Where are we now?" The theme made the selection process difficult. Each book we selected required us to read about the awful events of 9/11. Each book meant 3,000 Americans were going to die; however, in reading the various books, I learned (again) about the beautiful acts of ordinary men and women. Finding the humanity in the event re-captured my spirit of faith and finally put some closure on those events. I'd be happy to give you a reading list if you're interested (I'll even tell you which ones to stay away from!). Back to Jonathan's book - go get it and read it, quick! It's a major motion picture this year (Christmas Day release) and bound to end up as an Oscar contender! He's a nice man, who understood the power and impact of the Common Reader program. It was so nice to have him on campus.

In April, Jay and I were able to meet Nolan Ryan at an event held at West Texas A&M University. He signed two balls for us and we were able to have our picture taken with him. It was a great event that we were happy to share with some our our friends. Nolan spoke about his time in the majors as well as the Rangers prospects for the upcoming season. I won't tell the story here, but you need to Google "Nolan Ryan Norm Cash". It's a hoot.

Both Jay and I have enjoyed our fellowship at First Presbyterian Church this past year. We've been as active as possible with our kids. We attended Family Camp this year. It was a good time - challenging - but fun. I think our First Pres family has a new appreciation of the chaos we bring to the table.

We spent a few days in Red River this summer escaping the heat and drought of the Panhandle. The kids fished, rode the chair lifts, and threw rocks in the streams. It was good fun. Jay and I were just glad to escape the heat! It's hard traveling with kids - but the cool mountain air and rain showers helped us forget about crazy kids without routines.

We were fortunate enough to qualify for a grant this year that allowed us to have a storm shelter installed in our garage. We opted for the underground kind. Talk about a process, but I feel so much better knowing that it's there and ready, if we need it. The kids think it's a castle/fort. Whatever. As long as they go down there without freaking out. We've loaded it with crayons, magnet letters/numbers and snacks. Jay's even figured out a way they can sleep down there by moving the stairs around. Folks, I married up in the gene pool.

We hope the best for you and yours. Thanks for taking a couple of minutes to read about our family. With Facebook it almost seems redundant to write these things, but they serve as a time-capsule of our family. Maybe when the kids go back and read these, they'll have something to tell their therapists.

Cheers,

Jay, Courtney, Madeline, John Alan and Reed Milleson