The Spirit of Christmas

I think we all need a reminder every now and then of what we truly are celebrating at this time of year. The life, ministry and atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ.

'May we live in the Spirit of Christmas. May we live in the Spirit of Christ."

He Sees You When You're Sleeping...

This is Noah's first Christmas...and what a special Christmas it will be. We are so excited to spend the holiday with Andy and the Stockhoff clan. It will be one of our most memorable Christmases ever, and we can't wait.

Last weekend we had a Christmas party at our Church...a breakfast Christmas party that is. It was delish...egg and hash brown casserole, ham, fruit and a special treat we Idahoans like to call - Mrs. Powell’s cinnamon twists (give me a shout out if you know what I'm sayin!!). The cinnamon twists were by far my favorite part - aside from watching Noah sit on Santa's lap. I fully anticipated him to cry when I handed him to Santa...but he didn't. Here's the play by play.....

"Noah, Look, its Santa"
Place Noah on Santa’s lap.
Noah stares
and stares
and stares.
"Is he one?" asks Santa
"10 Months." I respond.
"Oh my! He is mal-nourished isn't he?!" jokes Santa (Yeah Santa, like I've never heard that one before)
"What would you like for Christmas?" Santa asks Noah (as Noah continues to gaze at him)
"OH," says Santa "you would like a..." and rambles off this detailed name of what seems to be a muscle car, or truck of some sort.
Nice. Not that I would even know what it was, even if I could remember it.
Click click...snap a few shots of the pair of them and then steal my child back.

Overall I think Noah did swell. He was well behaved and aside from the fact that he was too distracted by Santa and his white beard to pose for my pictures...I think he made a real impression on the big guy. Good times, good times.  Can't wait to see what happens next Christmas. 

 I got Noah this cute little onesie at the Gap.  I didn't want anyone to get confused,  he's not an elf.  (He sort of looks like a Grumpy elf in this picture though, haha)

Not an elf, and not a thumb sucker either.

Chillin with Uncle Mike.

Whitney and her awesome roommates Barbara and Mary.

Awe, Santa and Noah....buddies at 'Hello'.

As a parting gift Santa attemted to give Noah a bag of treats, but when I kindly told him that Noah couldn't eat those treats he said, "Ahh, but his Mom can!"  Sigh.  You are right Santa, I can, and I did!

Lastly. This one's for Mary.  The only person over the age of 8 brave enough to sit on Santa's lap. 

I bet she gets what's on her Christmas list!!

Up Past my Bed Time...

I have this habit.  It's not a great habit, but I can't seem to break it.  Every night I say to my mom "Oh, I am so tired.  I am definitely going to bed early tonight."  I think at this point she rolls her eyes at me, because to this day I don't think it has actually happened once.  Tonight is like any other.  I am up past my bed time.  Oh well, maybe tomorrow night. 

Noah has been quite a cutie lately, and he is definitely keeping me busy.   I think he may be coming down with a little cold or something, but he still remains in good spirits (most of the time).

We are getting really close to Christmas Eve, which also means we are getting really close to seeing Andy-  and we are so excited, to say the least.  Tomorrow will be 16 days.  Some days tend to drag, and others fly, but all in all time seems to be going by fairly quickly - and I couldn't be more grateful for that.  Thanks to all of you for your love and prayers.  We can't tell you enough.

Just a fun little video for all of you to enjoy.  Noah has mastered several talents.  Some of these include:  clap clap/patty cake, putting his hand over his mouth to make an Indian sound, Shaking his head back and forth when anyone says "Crazy" and Peek-a-boo (he is still learning this one - sometimes he tries peek-a-boo and claws his eyes instead...it's a work in progress).  Anyway...I will have to do a run through of all his talents and post that later...but this video is also a gem.  My sister Whit has a unique talent for making Noah laugh hysterically.  See Exhibit A.  (ps.  Don't mind Whitney's comment about boogers - I didn't see any). 

Recipe Swap: Cookies

Each month the ladies from church get together and have a little recipe swap/exchange.  I thought this may be something fun to start on my blog.  Once a month I will post a recipe I enjoy and you can share with me (or everyone) a recipe you love, of a similar nature.

December Recipe:  Peanut Butter Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Cookies 

These cookies are not for the faint of heart.  They are packed with a delicious (and dangerous) combination of ingredients - that mix perfectly.  A great treat to share with neighbors, or just to enjoy yourself. 

Peanut Butter-Chocolate-Chip-Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp.
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 tea vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tea baking powder
1/2 tea salt
2 cups chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped

1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and peanut butter until well blended.  Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

2. In another bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.  Stir or beat into butter mixture until well incorporated.  Stir in chocolate chips, oats and peanuts. 

3. Drop dough in rounded 2-tablespoon portions, 3 inches apart on cookie sheet with cooking spray.  with a lightly floured fork, flatten slightly into 2 - 1/2 inch rounds about 1/2 inch thick.

4. Bake at 350 degrees until cookies are golden and tops feel set when lightly pressed.  12 to 14 minutes (they will feel underdone but will firm up as they cool).

5. Let stand 5 minutes on sheets, then, with a wide spatula, transfer cookies to racks to cool.

Now it's your turn!  Leave a comment with one of your favorite cookie recipes, or send me an email at cinderellasews@gmail.com

Trimming the Tree

The last few days have been crazy, but great at the same time.  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to spend a lot of time with family.  As I type this entry I am sitting by the light of our Christmas tree, watching an ABC Family Christmas movie (they are ALMOST as cheesy as the Hallmark channel, but I love them).  I love this time of year...and since I neglected to post my last entry of Gratitude I want to include that in this post. 

Day Five:  Christmas.

This year I may be especially excited for the holiday's because Andy will be home for Christmas (flies in Christmas Eve none the less).  I love the music, the gifts, the decorations and just the feeling in general.  I can't wait to share our old family traditions with Noah, and to start some of our own.  What a special time of year. 

But I am especially grateful the birth of my Savior, Jesus Christ.  To him I owe all I have.



Regardless of your faith, I hope you all can be touched by Christmas this year.

This year will be Noah's first Christmas...and since I failed in taking pictures at Thanksgiving, I promised Andy that I would redeem myself and take plenty of pictures of us 'trimming the tree' - or decorating, if you will.  Noah loves lights, and the lights on the Christmas tree were no exception.  He was so cute and curious...and I think he is just as excited for Christmas as his mom.

I love decorating for Christmas.  Noah even put an ornament on the tree...but he was sure to slobber all over it before hand.  Next year we will be able to share this special tradition with Andy.  So here's to a Merry Christmas to all of you, only 25 days til Christmas Eve!

PS. Something FUN and random...I ran across this little gem on YouTube the other night.  Can you say flashback?? I watched every one...well, almost.  Click HERE.

Attitude of Gratitude: Days Three and Four

So last night I didn't have a chance to post for day three, I was exhausted and decided to go to bed instead (who can blame me?).  That means I am clumping days three and four together...you don't mind do you??

Day Three:  Simple Pleasures

I thought I would list some of the simple pleasures in my life...things I love, and enjoy.  These are things I am grateful for...for the freedom to enjoy them, and the means as well.

Yes that's right, cereal.  I love cold cereal, and on occasion have eaten it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I had to get the food out of the way so I could move on to other things!  Of course I would put this - Frozen Yogurt.  If I didn't include this little gem I am sure many of you would wonder what was wrong with me- so here it is.  I LOVE frozen yogurt.  This is one of the greatest simple pleasures.

Cleaning.  I love to clean, organize, vacuum and even fold laundry (I just hate putting it away!).  I wasn't always like this, but over the years it has become real enjoyable to me.  There is something about the finished product that makes me feel awesome. 

Our camera!  Recently (back in August) I picked up one of these babies at a local jewelry/electronic store.  The best part is, I got free photography classes with the purchase of the camera.  I have really enjoyed learning how to use it.  I love taking pictures (especially of Noah).

Sewing.  This is recent passion, but one I feel I may have a knack for.  I love sewing and have spent a lot of time sewing for this Christmas.  Thanks to the mad skills of my Mom- I have been able to learn and sew a lot while living in Idaho (a goal I wanted to accomplish before I even moved here).  I love trying new things and am slowly gaining more confidence.  Maybe when Andy gets home I can get my own Machine!

This is a passion that Andy and I share a love for.  Traveling.  We love taking trips (even if they are small) and have dreams of taking many family vacations.  I love to travel...and love even more the stories I can tell about my travels.  Like the one about the one armed, toothless man in Jamaica (seriously)...right Chels?  We will save that for another post I guess :)

Just a few others to mention:  Shopping, eating out with Andy, running and an occasional road trip.

Hopefully we can all appreciate more of the simple things we are blessed with. 

Day Four:  The Temple

When Andy left for Afghanistan I made a personal goal to attend the temple each week.  This has been one of the biggest blessings in my life and I am so grateful to have a temple so close.  I know that Andy's life is being blessed by my temple attendance as well, and for that I am most grateful. 

Attitude of Gratitude - Day Two

Day Two: Our service men and women

A friend of ours from Fort Leonard Wood sent Noah this special little 'Miss You' doll.  It's an army guy and you can slip a picture in to make it personal.  You can see that Noah is 'hangin with his Dad' and LOVES his doll (it's a very manly doll). 

For day number two I had to express thanks for something that is really close to me at the moment - the men and women who serve our country and fight to keep it safe.  It is something I think we all take for granted sometimes- and this deployment experience has made me appreciate not only those who serve, but also the families who support them.  I am grateful to live in a country that is free.  If it weren't for their service so many more of our fathers, brothers, husbands and sons would be required to.  So I say THANK YOU, and express my gratitude to all those who give their lives, so I can live mine. 

Want to show your support for our troops this Christmas (or anytime)? 

Click for information on how to help.

http://www.uso.com/

What are YOU thankful for? 

Checkout a neat video HERE on Mormon Messages.

Attitude of Gratitude: Day One

Today in church, my oh so talented little brother Mike and his wife Megan gave talks about Gratitude and Thankfulness.  Megan made me cry several times as she expressed her gratitude for the men and women who serve our country.  I would like to echo their thoughts, as well as add my own.   In honor of Thanksgiving I wanted to post each day something that I am grateful for. 

Day One:  My Eternal Family

I am grateful to have a knowledge of Eternal Families...and know that Andy, Noah and I (and all our future little Stockhoffs) are sealed together for all eternity.  I am so lucky to have them in my life and am so glad they are mine forever.  I am grateful to my Savior, who made this possible.

Learn more about Eternal Families HERE.

Three Reasons We Went to Utah...

1) To see my cousin Kelsey get married.
2) To eat frozen yogurt, of course.
3) To get my hair did.

Three very important reasons if you ask me. Let's start at the top.

Kelsey and AJ's wedding. Beautiful sunny (and chilly) November day. My Mom, sister Whitney, Noah and I got up at the crack of dawn to drive to Utah. It was neat to be able to share this special day with Kelsey and AJ and we couldn't be happier for them. Here are some fun pics from the occasion.

The Happy Couple.

If you can't tell, my cousins Jason and Emily were my main subjects. We were bribing them with marshmallows and gold fish if they would pose for us. Obviously it worked, and they are adorable.

Frozen Yogurt. Since moving away from California and Utah, I have gone into Frozen Yogurt withdrawals. Needless to say, anytime I make a trip I have to load up. I want to personally thank those who graciously entertain my fro-yo addiction...mainly my Mom, sister Whitney and friend Cammie - who will always accompany on a yogurt run. Sadly I don't have a picture of me eating the yogurt (trust me, it never last long enough to catch me in the act)...but just know it was delish, and I can't wait to go back for more!

Lastly,  there is something about getting your hair done that makes you feel like a million bucks...or at least like a new person.  Ever since I first moved to UT in 2005 I have gone to Megan. Even now that I have moved away, I can't bring myself to go to anyone else!  I will travel LONG and FAR to keep an appointment.  I love her (and not just because she is so great at doing my hair).  She remembers EVERYthing I tell her - even when I went for over a year with out seeing her.  If you live in Utah and need a good friend and hair stylist, let me know and I would be happy to give you her info. 

ps. Please forgive me for my bed/nap head.

Don't Worry Friends...

I am alive and well. We are officially back from our trip to Utah and I have pictures to share (of course). I also got my hair cut...so there will be previews of that as well (this is me assuming you even care :). I promise I will get to it tomorrow- after we stand in line to get Noah the swine flu shot AND after I go see New Moon. I CAN'T WAIT! Stay tuned...

New Obsession.

This is definitely my new obsession, and my favorite song to run to. Check out the official video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfBHv5IwBd0 Plus a couple of other songs I love right now.



Lady Antebellum official video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB7T3lJ3dZ4



Glass of Water by Coldplay

Letter From Andy.

I received this email from Andy last night: 

"Today has been a busy day. The contractor started paving their test section today, but it didn't go very well. They will have to work out some issues before they start again tomorrow. You might be interested to know that they performed an animal sacrifice before they started paving. It's a big tradition in the Muslim culture to do animal sacrifices for big occasions. So, they brought out a sheep onto the test section site, laid him on his side, and then cut his throat. It was quite a sight. Of course, I eat meat all the time, and that meat had to come from an animal that was slaughtered in some way. Yet it's much different watching the thing die right in front of you. I'm attaching a picture of me standing next to the little fella as he is on death row. I don't think he knew what was coming."

He told me I should be happy he didn't send me the other picture of the sheep.  I agreed!

Noah Turns 9 Months Old!

"The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him." -Pablo Casals

Noah is officially 9 months old!  All I can say is, where has the time gone??  It is surreal to watch him grow, and remember what he was like just a few months ago.  He is becoming a little man, and I love every minute I get to spend with him. 

At one of my baby showers, before Noah was born, a notebook was passed around where every guest wrote me words of advice.  I can honestly say that I remember almost every piece of advice given...but there are two that stick out in my mind especially...

1) Remember that this child is on loan from a loving Heavenly Father, and treat him as such.
2) Thank your Father in Heaven for this special gift he has given you.  Pray to Him and thank Him out loud, with your child present...so that your child knows what a special part he plays in your family.

Those are two of the best pieces of advice I have ever received.  And I think of them often.

Noah's 9 Month Stats:

Weight: 24lbs

Height: 29 3/4 inches

Head: 48mm

Things NOAH loves:

Most of you know (from a previous post) of his love for food.  Especially chocolate graham crackers...which I find crumbs of in his diaper on a regular basis.

Clapping.  Clap when you're happy, clap when you're sad, clap with you're poopy, clap when you're mad.

That is his theme song.

Moving around (almost a crawl, but not quite).  He has a system down though, and it is workin for him!

Listening to Christmas music!  (Ok maybe this is mine, but I am sure he will catch on!!)

(I love his cubby cheeks in this picture!)

Throwing his pacifiers out of his crib so mommy can come find them and clean them.

(He has a stash under his bed)

Putting everything in his mouth. (He ate his first leaf the other day; I think he may have liked it more than his green beans)

Laughing. (I love this picture).  He is such a happy boy, and this picture depicts his personality perfectly!

Taking baths.

Tempting the dog with his delicious treats.

Drinking out of his sippy cup.

Fruit, of any kind.

Hangin with his mom.

We love you Noah. You are one awesome little fella. And we are definitely your groupies.

Love, Mom and Dad

Quick n' Easy Chicken Barbecue Pizza

My parents have been out of town for the past few days, so I had to beg my brother Mike and his wife Megan to take pity on me and come hang out!  The house was TOO quite for me, and thankfully they were kind enough to oblige.  We decided to make homemade bbq chicken pizzas, and boy was it tasty!  It really is 'Quick n' Easy' and doesn't require many ingredients.  We loved it! 

Quick n' Easy Chicken Barbecue Pizza
From: Cooking Light

1 small onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tea salt
1/4 tea pepper
1 tea olive oil
1 (10oz) can refrigerated pizza crust
1/2 cup hickory smoke bbq sauce
2 (6oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese with Peppers

Saute first 4 ingredients in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Drain well.

Unroll pizza crust; press or pat into a lightly greased 13x9 inch pan.

Bake crust at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes.  Spread 1/2 cup bbq sauce evenly over top of pizza crust in pan.  Arrange chicken over bbq sauce, top with onion mixture and sprinkle evenly with cheese.  Bake at 400 degrees for another 8-10 minutes or until the cheese melts.  Serve with extra sauce for dipping.

Here are some of my notes:  We used a small red onion...and no red pepper.  The red pepper here cost $2 a piece and I thought that was a little steep, so we did with out.  We used the Pillsbury 13.2 oz can of pizza crust and the KFC Hickory & brown Sugar bbq sauce.  To garnish we used diced fresh tomato and minced cilantro. 

Enjoy!

Flower Headband Giveaway!

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All About Andy

Mercy! What a handsome fella!! :)  This is a picture of Andy (in Afghanistan, obviously).  I am not positive, but it could be at their current project site.  I will have to clarify with him.  Anyway...Andy is doing really well and has been extremely busy with work.  I know it wears on him sometimes, but thankfully he loves the work he is doing...and it helps the time to go by quickly.  It felt like just yesterday that I posted about us hitting the 5 month mark...and crazy enough, we just hit the 6 month mark.  Half Way!  Whoo hoo! 

We are really looking forward to Christmas when Andy will be home for his R&R.  It will be such a great time and I can't even express how excited I am.   I told Andy tonight that I was going to make him a paper chain and send it to him, then by the time he got it...he would be able to tear off at least a weeks worth!  I know he is ready for a break, and I am ready for him to be home. 

We have been trying to plan a little 'get away' to Seattle while he is home...but aren't exactly sure what there is to see there (aside from the Space Needle, of course).  If any of you have any suggestions, we would LOVE them..keep in mind it will be in the dead of winter! :)

Thanks to all of you who offer thoughts and prayers in our behalf.  I am so grateful to have such wonderful friends and family who are so supportive of us.  It certainly makes this experience all the sweeter.

Love, Meliss

PS. I can't find the spell check in the new blogger editing...SO I apologize for any misspelled words or grammar errors.  Andy, please proofread :)