Chocolate-Raspberry Bars

I don't normally post recipes on this blog, but these seriously are delicious!! I just tried them this week, and now I think I will be craving them all the time!

• 1 1/2 c flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 1/2 c quick oats
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• 1/2 c chopped pecans, toasted (opt)
• 1 1/2 c choc chips
• 1 12-oz jar raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350. Mix flour, sugar, and baking powder in large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add oats, coconut, and pecans; mix well.

Press half of the mixutre firmly onto bottom of greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Spoon jam over top; sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture.

Bake 25 to 30 mins or until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire rack.

P.S. My "crumb mixture" wasn't crumbly. I had to moosh the butter in with my hands, and it was kind of tricky to spread in the pan. But it turned out fine! Next time I think I will reduce the amount of butter to make it more crumbly.

Jarey's update

These are mostly for me to remember:

Last night I gave Jared a haircut. When he looked in the mirror afterward, he exclaimed, "It looks like somebody else, but it's really me!"

Lately Jared has been saying, "No, I amn't" when he means "No, I'm not." I guess it fits with phrases like "No, you aren't" and "No, he isn't."

This poor kid has had a hard time adjusting to Sunbeams. Can you blame him? The take away toys and treats and MAKE THEM SIT STILL AGAIN for Sharing Time, right after he's been sitting still for Sacrament Meeting! In December they took the nursery kids in for singing time in the Primary Room, and Jared would cry and cry and cry until one of the nursery teachers took him ALONE back to nursery. This month he has needed Alan or me to go with him to Sunbeams. We are slowly decreasing the amount of time we stay with him.

Jared is learning how to sound out three-letter words! (Again, thanks to Starfall.com.) Lately his favorite thing to do (besides play Candyland) is to have me create three-letter words for him to sound out using our ABC refrigerator magnets.

More Christmas Pictures

Yup, this is the best we could do. We had lots of blooper shots.

Alan and I often have too much fun around holidays and family get-togethers to remember to take pictures! We are horrible! But here are a few from Christmas day.

Maggie in her new hat from Aunt Mimi

Aunt Mandy holding Mags, who is eating wrapping paper

Jared being impatient while I take tags off his tiger slippers from Aunt Mimi

This is a (long) video of Jared on Christmas morning.

Mourning

Yesterday was one of those "Jonah Days," to cite Anne of Green Gables. Or maybe it's an idiom that already existed. Hmm...

Anyhow, I was feeling really sorry for myself yesterday afternoon. Here is what I was feeling sad about, in no particular order:

• Christmas. I miss it.
• Outdoor Christmas lights. Our house is one of two houses on our street with its lights still on. The other house had its lights up last year until March. Not kidding. I guess it's time to take ours down.
• My husband, who is working extra hours now that it's his "busy season." He works late, comes home to eat something, and then works a couple hours more from home before going to bed.
• Our Christmas tree. Last night I put away all the ornaments while Alan was in our basement working. Fun way to spend an evening.
  
• The friendship of a dear friend who just moved out of state. We said goodbye just a couple of days ago.
• The weather. Once Christmas is over, spring should come!
• The person in this world that I talk to most often on the phone (besides Alan) just left on vacation. I was really missing adult conversation.
• My happy baby hasn't been so happy lately. She decided to sprout FOUR teeth within three weeks and hasn't enjoyed the whole experience. That makes two of us.

I know I don't REALLY have much to complain about compared with many others right now, but for some reason yesterday just seemed extra hard. I think it's mostly the "after Christmas blues" and the fact that being a mom can be sooooooo tiring and redundant at times! I think I just need to take some more time for myself sans children. Girls night out, anyone?

Perception of Santa

This year was Jared's first time meeting Santa. Every previous year I thought he was too young and would get freaked out sitting on someone's lap, and besides, who wants to stand in line that long to get a picture of your child sobbing on a stranger's lap?

Well, this year Santa showed up to an extended family Christmas party. When Jared saw him he asked, "Is that the real Santa? From the North Pole?" Well, I hesitated for a second and then replied, "No, Jared. That isn't the real Santa. That is just somebody pretending to be Santa." And then I added as a quick cover up, "The real Santa is at the North Pole making toys!" I think my real motivation behind that answer was not to tell the truth (or a partial truth), but to cover up in case that particular Santa freaked Jared out (which he didn't). I could also see Jared fixating on the idea that that particular Santa at that party was the real one and noticing that Santas at malls, etc., looked slightly different. I seriously wouldn't put it past him. Jared notices subtle things. (For example, when Alan saw the tools in his stocking this year Jared said, "Daddy, you bought those at Wal-mart!" and when Jared saw the big tool bench for him that was supposed to be from Santa he exclaimed, "This was in our basement!" Time to find a new and better hiding place, huh. And time to be more discreet when shopping.)

Well, Jared seemed to be fine with our explanation of Santa. It has certainly made an impression. Today I was looking at a friend's blog, and there was a picture of her little 3-year-old giving a human-sized Buzz a hug at Disney World. I said, "Jared, look! It's Buzz Lightyear!" to which Jared responded, "Mom, that's not really Buzz. That's just someone pretending to be Buzz." Smart kid.

Gingerbread Houses

This December we bought a gingerbread house kit and had tons of fun assembling it. We were going to keep it around for a while, but the very next day after we made it I caught Jared with the chimney in his hand, taking a bite. (P.S. The gingerbread on those store-bought kits doesn't actually taste very good.)


Another funny story about Jared I wanted to write down before I forgot: We acted out a nativity with Jared's cousins on my side of the family on Christmas Eve this year, and my sister-in-law Brooke was the one making role assignments and passing out costumes. Jared asked her if he could be King Herod! I thought that was hilarious. He finally settled for being a shepherd. (As it happens, there was only one shepherd and one wise man this year, but LOTS of pretty angels. My side of the family has lots and lots of granddaughters, but not very many grandsons!)

Four Little Stockings Hanging in a Row

I haven't blogged for a month and have some fun things I would like to write about (I am counting my blog as doing my family history, after all). Until I get to it, please know that we had a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!


Last year I dedicated a post to Jared's stocking that I crocheted. I was pretty proud of myself because I made up the Christmas tree pattern all by myself and bought the right colors of yarn so that it would at least somewhat resemble the stockings Alan and I got for our wedding. Well, since I was on a roll and also pregnant at the time, I went ahead and made another stocking with a Christmas ornament design. As soon as we found out we were having a girl (a few days after Christmas last year), we decided on the name Maggie so I could finish it. I must admit, I have LOVED having four stockings to gaze at on our mantel this year. It will be fun to add more in future years! (No, that is NOT an announcement.)