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Are you one of those people who wait until the last possible second to do your Christmas shopping? Do you get stuck looking at empty shelves and waiting in extra long lines, forced to listen to the same track of Christmas music piped through the shop as nauseum while you wish you were home doing something fun with friends and family? Look no further! J. C. Penny’s has a solution for you! Check out their Shoppers in a Panic Gift Guide! They have a great grouping of gifts by price and person you may be shopping for. J. C. Penny’s has a little something for everyone, and they can ship to meet your needs!

My favorite thing to go to J. C. Penny’s for in the Christmas season are socks and jammies. They always have a nice selection of cozy socks and cute pajamas and they put them on holiday pricing so you can stock up. If anyone wants to know what to get me, either of those items would be great!

I am a big planner, so I rarely end up at the store shopping last minute. Most of my shopping has been done since before Thanksgiving. I do, however, take the kids out to do their shopping for each other pretty close to Christmas Day because they need the opportunity to think about someone other than themselves and they can’t keep a secret for too long. It can be wild out there, and I am not a crowd person. This year, We did half of our sibling shopping online, Jonas was the only one who went out into a brick and mortar shop. I love the convenience of online shopping, the selection, and the quick comparison shopping available at my finger tips. I don’t even mind most shipping charges since I know with gas prices what they are, it is a near even trade and one less day on icy roads with Christmas crazed competetive shoppers. So go try out Penny’s if you are in a panic- with online and in stores available, you can’t lose!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of jcpenney and received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.”

It is Christmas baking time here at my house, and the goodies just keep coming! I decided to learn how to better use some of my Augason Farm’s food storage to help with the holidays. Sometimes people look at a food storage list and can’t fathom why there would be cookie mix and brownies and hot cocoa. These, while not nutritionally sound, are actually important parts of a food storage because of the psychological benefits that are had by having access to comfort foods during times of turmoil. Everything might be falling apart around you, but eating a brownie usually makes a person feel like she can carry on. It is also important to keep these items on hand to help you celebrate birthdays and holidays with a feeling of normalcy. This isn’t just me talking- there is actual scientific proof behind that!

So, without further ado, bring on the sweeties!

Today we have thumbprint cookies, brownie mix cookies and mint brownies! The base of each of these recipes is an Augason Farms mix, either the gluten free cookie mix (yum!) or the fudge brownie mix (also, yum).

Brownie Cookies

1 pkg. Augason Farms fudge brownie mix
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3 tbsp. water
2 eggs

optional add ins:
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1 c. chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips or M&M’S®

Combine all ingredients. Bake until just set at 350 degrees about 9-10 minutes. Let cool and then ice with your favorite icing. Sprinkles are a MUST!

Thumbprint Cookies

These are usually called raspberry thumbprint cookies or apricot or strawberry. The thing is, you can use any type of jam or fruit you have on hand.

1 pkg Augason Farms gluten free cookie mix

1 cup of flour (gluten free works)

chopped pecans

1/2 tsp almond extract

jam

or

Augason Farms fruit of your choice plus 1 cup sugar.

Mix up your cookie mix per directions on the can, add the flour and extract, then roll into balls. They should be sticky, but not gloopy. If you need to add a bit more flour based on altitude, go ahead.

Once your balls are made, lay them on a cookie sheet and firmly press your thumb into the center of each cookie.

Here is the tricky part. If you have jam, you can scoop it into the indentations you have made. If you have fruit and sugar, boil it down in a pot, stirring continually until it is runny. I use a table spoon to scoop the mixture into the prints. Hint: even if you are using pre-made jam, heating it up so it is runny makes it ten times easier to put it into the thumbprints.

I love these with chopped pecans, my kids don’t. So I make a few of both. Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don’t. You can have it both ways with these.

These need to bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes or until a light golden brown.

Layered Mint Brownies

Brownie layer

Prep brownie mix and bake as directed on your package.

Let it cool then make the rest of the layers

Mint layer

2 tbsp softened butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1-1/2 tbsp heavy cream

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

green food coloring optional (I opt out because I don’t think we need any more food coloring than we are already ingesting, but that’s just me being a killjoy).

Frost the brownies with this layer and let it set for about a half an hour.

Chocolate Layer

semisweet chcolate chips or baking bar (about 3 oz)

1 tbsp butter

Melt these ingredients in a double boiler and pour over the top. You can drizzle or make a complete chocolatey layer. I do both. If you are loathe to double boil, you may also skip the butter and chop the chocolate as fine as you are able and just put it right on the top. All three ways are excellent- we are talking about chocolate here.

Now you are ready to take a beautiful basket of treats to your friends and neighbors!

Augason Farms is also a great Christmas gift option, and can provide security for college students, newlyweds, aging parents and families who need a jump start on stocking their pantries and becoming more secure. This year I am giving Augason Farms cocoa as well as some of their great kits and packs. Chris and I love trying out new cocoas and the large variety of flavors Augason farms offers is great! Chris fancies the hazelnut best, and I love the mint and the cinnamon. There are also orange, raspberry, candy can, marshmallow and plain varieties. Snag yourself a few to keep you warm this winter and a few more to keep that pantry stocked!

Merry Christmas and Happy Baking to all!

There are some big changes afoot here at Life as Lou! The biggest is that after seven years of blogging, it is time to switch to my own domain, rather than piggybacking on the blogsome platform. Blogsome is going to be closing in just a few days, so I needed to make the switch, and fast!

Thankfully, with much help from a good friend, Life as Lou will continue to exist at LeahKillian.com. I hope (pray, beg, plead) you will update any links you may have to my site on your website. If you don’t have a link to me. . .what a great time to add one I very much appreciate the links, as all old ones will be broken as on Dec 7th, and I need to get traffic re-directed so they aren’t disappointed with a dead link.

Thanks for being here, and thanks for following me to my new site! To get started over there (and learn more about my adorable puppy!) Check me out HERE.

I am working on Christmas Christmas Christmas at my house! Lots of cozy tunes, sneaky surprises, festive wrapping and some obsessive/compulsive re-decorating of the tree once the kids were at school and couldn’t have their feelings hurt by it. There. I said it. I am that person. It made me crazy for over a week and I finally couldn’t take it any longer and it looks much more balanced now. With this kind of attitude, you would think I would have a perpetually pristine home, but I most definitely do not. Mine is a selective perfectionism; a soul saving blindness occurs when I look at things like peanut butter hand prints on the walls and muddy puppy paw prints. Those I can push back a day or two- the Christmas tree? My plasticine edifice of outdoorsy wonderment and beauty? Now THAT’S gotta glow, folks.

In other words, I can only keep up this facade for approximately 6 weeks and then I crack and go back to normal. But it is a lovely six weeks. ‘Most wonderful time of the year’ and all that jazz.

Last night we had some friend’s daughters sleep over to help make their schedule a little more fluid on a particularly crazy day. I gave them the boys’ bunk beds for the night. The girls were delightful and I want to keep them both. My children, on the other hand, have almost no memory of the last time KIDS slept over at our house and so they went positively berserk. I am pretty sure that Gabe lost his mind completely, because for the first time ever he was throwing a fit because he WANTED to sleep in his bed. Typically, he throws a tantrum when we want him to use his bed and not ours (I just call this every. single. night.).

Apparently all I need to do is put a fun teenage girl in his bed and it is the place to be. The funny thing was, he didn’t throw his fit on the premise of the fun big sister figure being withheld from him. Nope, he opted to freak out because he had to leave all of his Cars bedding and the Cars poster by his bed. “Queen! Queen!” He moaned and screamed in a desperate attempt to convince me to let him go back to his Lightning McQueen themed bed. It was hilarious. I mean I bought this particular kids furniture hoping this would be the result, but in this context it was cracking me up and I was unable to be compassionate becaue I was laughing so hard at his deflection of the actual issue. Maybe if I hired this gal to sleep over I could get Gabe into a better bedtime routine. Might be worth a shot.

Tomorrow is yet another busy day. They are dog-piling on me lately, but that’s ok. My house isn’t perfect, my to do list is growing faster than it is getting checked off, but I have had my time filled with opportunities to be of useful service the past few days and I love that. I kind of giggle because my kids have all loved Thomas the Tank Engine- and the main theme of those stories is that all the engines want the title of “Really Useful Engine”. I’d like to be Really Useful, especially to my family, my friends and to God. Useful people are grateful, happy people. Busy people are just busy. Perspective and opportunity are such blessings.

Stuff:

Thank you to whoever it was who put empty milk containers back in my fridge the day before Thanksgiving. I intentionally didn’t buy any milk while at the commissary because I had two gallons. . .apparently. . .not. Ugh- back to the shop the day before a holiday, that was fun.

Funny:

Maggie rolled up in a blanket and told me she was a pupa. Her feet were sticking out because that’s what she was going to attach herself to the branch with. Uh-huh. Girlfriend is reading a lot of non-fiction lately. She says she loves REAL books. All books should be REAL. Why read the made up stuff when the real world is so full of wonder? I can see her point. I hope she never loses that sense of wonder and thirst for knowledge. It’s beautiful.

Puppy:

We got one! You will meet him soon!

Tired:

Was leading the music in seminary this morning- so brain dead I started singing the second verse of the hymn over again! Note to self: wake up BEFORE class starts. Yikes!

Changes:

Holy Hannah, yes. Many. Info coming soon.

I love this big flower die. So many beautiful blooms to make with it- I have this thing about making sure my dies are versatile and this one just takes the cake.

So how am I today?

1). I have a migraine. I woke up with it, and it is now four pm, so I guess this will be an all day frustration.

2). I spent about four hours today genuinely concerned (read: mentally freaking out) about the possibility of losing my job. Thankfully, despite being told it was highly likely- I am still employed and should stay that way.

3). Fantabulous news? I’m getting a puppy!!!!!! I have wanted an English Springer Spaniel for years, and the time is finally right. We found a darling little boy and he will join our family tomorrow! His name is still up in the air. Lots of good possibilities though, Digby, Finn, Winston, Oliver, Satchmo, Copernicus. . .I guess we will know by Thanksgiving what his name is!

4). I am currently thawing a twenty-five pound turkey. I LOVE thanksgiving! And we have great company coming, so all the better!

5). I am basically done with my Christmas shopping. One gift left.

6). I have Seminary off this week; most of my kids were going out of town, so we gave everyone a vacation.

7). I am surprisingly tired anyway. Staying up too late, I think. Also, hungry and craving junk food. I should be craving a diet- I’m getting chubby.

8). I have ignored almost everything on my to do list for three days now, which is really odd for me. Best get crackin’.

9). I am well aware that my blog just hasn’t happened lately. I don’t know what my deal is. I have stuff here- part of it was a technical issue, no internet connectivity, no blogging. But part is just my own total distraction.

10). I have been cleaning out closets and under beds. I am allergic to dust, so I have made myself sick. But the house looks better. It sure falls to pieces in a hurry! There is no way we can have a puppy and new Christmas toys with that much chaos going on though- it was overdue, the kid rooms especially. I restructured how I am handling putting clothes away, so perhaps that will help a bit?

Ok- that’s all ya get. My head is killing me!

Hi guys,

It is RSV awareness month, as is it the kick off to the RSV season. RSV stands for Respiratory Syncytial Virus. Although RSV typically presents with cold symptoms, it can be particularly damaging and deadly for preemies. You or I might be merely uncomfortable for a few days, whereas a preemie could easily develop life threatening complications. Their higher risk is why so much attention is given to this virus. Infants under the age of six months are particularly susceptible. In most places, RSV is most prevalent between fall and spring.

There are steps you can take to prevent this illness. Hand washing is critical, and probably the most sensible thing you can do. Avoiding crowds is also helpful. When you are out with your infant, have others wash their hands before touching her, or keep their distance. Washing her toys and bedding frequently is also helpful. Because RSV affects the immature respiratory system, keeping your child away from second hand smoke is critical in reducing susceptibility to RSV, as well as the common cold, pneumonia, croup, bronchitis and a number of other potentially dangerous respiratory diseases.

Two out of my three babies were preemies, and so RSV was something I had to think about when they were little. I hate to be cooped up at home, but found that using a baby carried that faced me prevented most people from getting too close. I have a friend who has a cute little sign on her baby’s carrier that reminds people to wash their hands first.

If your infant does become ill, you should watch for the following symptoms. (This is taken from the RSV website):

-Coughing or wheezing that does not stop
-Fast breathing or gasping for breath
-Spread-out nostrils and/or caved-in chest when trying to breathe
-A bluish color around the mouth or fingernails
-A fever. (In infants under 3 months of age, a fever greater than 100.4°F rectal is a cause for concern)

Call your doctor right away if you notice any of the symptoms above.

Respiratory illnesses in infants, and particularly in preemies can go from mild to deadly very quickly. When it doubt, seek treatment.

Here’s to a happy, healthy Thanksgiving and Christmas season!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of MedImmune and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”