Turning Twelve

(Photo by Deborah D)

There is much anticipation in your voice when you speak of turning twelve, so much desire to be a young man instead of my little boy.  Just promise you'll be patient with me as I learn to let you fly. There is so much waiting for you out in the world; don’t be in a hurry to discover it all at once.  

Happy Birthday Steven. 

  Deborah, Thavee, Sean, Aaron, Kamea, and Leeah drove up from SOCal to celebrate Steven's special weekend. The morning began with French toast and eggs. After picking up balloons and other little errands, Steven opened up his presents. He was anxious to try out the skateboard and roller blades, so we took the party outside until lunch time. 

 David and Thavee stayed home with the sleeping children, while Deborah and I drove the rest of the gang to a skate park in Gilroy (our old stomping grounds). They all had a lot of fun.

 Steven's dinner choice was chicken noodle soup with homemade bread. This hit the spot after being outside for so long in the chilly weather. Next, it was CAKE time. 

We spent the rest of the evening making our annual New Year's Eve hats, watching movies, eating, and just being silly (or should I say, tired silly). Justin spent it at a church dance with his friends.

I love you Steven! As a human being I lack in many ways, yet you chose me to be your mother. I can't imagine life without you. Happy Birthday!

Changes for the Upcoming Year

Already it seems as though 2011 will be full of changes:

A couple of weeks ago, Deborah informed us that she and her family will be moving to Minnesota! The Navy will be keeping them there for about three years. What am I supposed to without my sister living in the same state as me (let alone the same coast)!

Then, my best friend Alison calls me up to tell me that her husband was offered a promotion. Great, right? Wrong! The promotion will be taking her family to Shanghai, China for at least two years. What am I supposed to do without my best friend living in the same country as me?

The last change will be wonderful. My niece, Megan, just got engaged and will be married next year (2011)! I am so excited for her and can't wait to meet the young man who was able to sweep her off her feet.

The Death of a Christmas Tree

Good-bye Christmas tree of 2010. 

You stayed green and fresh for the entire month. 

May our lives, like the needles of the pine, point heavenward.

Nineteen Months

Dave-o turned nineteen months old on the twenty-fifth (Christmas Day).

 He rarely moves at a slow pace. His legs may be little, but they are sure and fast. 

Nursery has become difficult for him. This past Sunday, he clung on to his daddy for forty-five minutes before finally feeling at ease to wander off on his own.

 Dave-o says the word "happy" after falling down. It's as though he's trying to convince himself that everything is okay. 

(His puffy, wrinkly thumb and loved blankey are never far away.)

(Dave-o loves launching the boys' Nerf darts out of his mouth.)

A Ward Tradition

This was Steven's last Sunday as a Primary child. His upcoming twelfth birthday marks a big milestone in his short-lived life. At the age of 12, worthy young men may receive the Aaronic Priesthood and be ordained deacons where they receive assignments from their bishop like passing the sacrament, serving as messengers, collecting fast offerings, helping the elderly or disabled, and caring for the chapel and grounds.

Our ward has a fun tradition for the boys as they make that transition into the next organization, which is Young Mens. Today it was Steven's day to partake in it and my turn as a mom to watch her little boy grow into a young man. At the end of Primary, one of the members of the presidency had Steven come to the front of the room at which point his favorite song was played and sung (We'll Bring the World His Truth). The music was the cue for all the YM of our ward (and their leaders) to file into the room. Justin grabbed Steven around the waist as if he were going to tackle him, hoisted him in the air and threw him over his shoulder to be carried out. The rest of the boys followed Justin into the hall where they welcomed a beaming Steven into their throng. Cries of "Bye Steven" were repeated from the primary kids. It was a very touching scene.

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas. The rain didn't even put a damper on it. The kids were up at seven ready to start the day. Dave-o woke up a bit grouchy, but his mood changed once he saw all the balls that Santa left in his stocking. After opening presents, we went to work on getting ready for our Christmas Brunch. 

Grandma and Grandpa Zinn, Michael, Stacy, Emily, and Owen arrived at 9:30 am for more gift giving and of course gorging ourselves on yummy danishes, cinnamon rolls, hash browns, eggs, bacon, and sausage.

And what are pictures without a few funny faces.

We of course spent the rest of the day enjoying our presents and time with each other. I am loving my coat and Martha Stewart Encyclopedias that David got for me. Aren't James' Bucky Balls so cool? He's a bit obsessed with magnets. 

In the evening Dave-o set up a camera shoot for us. A family Christmas photo is a must.

Patience wore thin real quick so only four shots were taken (these two being the best). 

I am so excited for this upcoming week. David has the entire week off, Steven is turning 12, and there is a possibility of some family members stopping by for a visit (depending on the weather).

ZFR 2010

Zinn Family Reunion Video 2010

Here's a gift from us to the Zinns, Wassums, and Shaws. Enjoy!
Merry Christmas!
(A DVD is in the mail for each family.)

Christmas Eve Traditions

The tradition of "secret pals" stems back to when I was a little girl. The Monday after Thanksgiving our family then and now draws another family member's name and is responsible for doing small acts of kindness for this person. Sometime during the month we have a twenty dollar budget to buy a gift for our secret pal. Then, on Christmas Eve we take turns revealing who we had and afterwards opening the gifts. Normally, we like to do this in the evening, but since we were having dinner at Mom and Dad Zinn's, we strayed a bit from tradition by opening the gifts in the afternoon.

Justin, Owen, and Dave-o with Grandpa

Kirsten, Steven, and Emily.  David and his brother, Michael in a deep conversation.

After dinner, Mom Zinn brought out a gift and asked the kids if they could guess what was in it. Emily knew what it was right off the bat; it was baby Jesus. A Little People nativity set was brought out for the little ones to play with while the Christmas story was told. Grandpa even brought out Frankincense for us all to smell. Other stories were shared about unselfish acts of service and love while the Spirit witnessed the truth it all.

Before leaving to go home, Grandma and Grandpa gave the kids a little gift to take the edge off of having to wait until tomorrow.

*****

"On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,

twelve CANDLES BURNING." 

(In past years we've also done twelve gingerbread humming)

We got back home too late to sing the "Twelve Days of Christmas" song to our neighbor thus revealing ourselves to them. I guess they'll never know...Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Note: No recipe tonight. I've got to get to bed so that Santa can come to our house.

Merry Christmas!

Jello

We spent much of the day cleaning the house to avoid any hard labor during the next few days. It feels so good to have a clean home. The sad part is, it won't last long.
While eating our lunch today, Steven offered his friend, Mason, some peach Jello (leftover from the night before). We were shocked to learn that he had never tried Jello before.
Our families' favorite Jello has blueberries in it. My mom shared the recipe with me a couple of years ago and has become a Zinn tradition. We will be having it with our Christmas dinner for sure.
Speaking of jello, Dad Zinn is the JELLO King. My favorite that he makes is similar to the blueberry recipe except he uses different types of cherries (cherry pie filling, maraschino cherries, and one more that I can't remember).

Blueberry Jello
Ingredients:
1 large box blueberry Jello
2 cups water
1 can blueberry pie filling
Whipped cream or topping of choice

Directions:
Boil the two cups of water and add to Jello. Stir until dissolved (at least 2 minutes). Add can of blueberry pie filling. Put into refrigerator until set, stirring occasionally. Top with whipped cream or topping of your choice.

*****

"On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me,

eleven HOT CHOCOLATE PIPING."

Time Efficient

 I actually put on my sunglasses today! It's been a little over a week since we've seen the sun. The kids took advantage of this break in the weather and pretty much spent the entire day outdoors.

Steven and his friend Mason tried to build a ramp, but it ended up breaking.

After this failure, they took out the store bought ramp and had loads of fun.

Justin and I spent a couple of hours taming (hacking off) our ivy along the side of our house. This time I was smart and used gloves to protect my skin. Next, we need to make a trip to the dump to finish cleaning out that side of the house.

*****

"On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,

ten S'MORES A HEAPING."

*****

Are you feeling like you are baking nonstop? Do your feet hurt from shopping? Do the crowds of people everywhere stress you out? Are your cupboards looking a little bare because you haven't had time to go grocery shopping? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, than this recipe is for your! 

Fast and Efficient Restaurant Style Burgers

(Or tacos or pizza or chicken-AKA Meals on Wheels)

Ingredients:

1 mode of transportation (i.e. car, bike, feet)

1 form of payment (cash, credit card, check)

1 convenient fast food restaurant, preferably with a drive-thru

1 list of preferred items for the family

Coupons if available (not expired)

Directions:

Using your preferred mode of transportation, proceed to your most convenient, or favorite, fast food restaurant. If you are in a car, try to decide beforehand if you will park and go inside, or use the drive-thru, if one is available. To make this recipe as efficient as possible, you should use the drive-thru lane. (If you are going to park, please follow the instructions listed below for bike or pedestrian.)

Proceed to the drive-thru lane.

Stop in front of the menu board and review all of your options thoroughly. Decide which choice is the most appealing to you and for the others that you are making a purchase decision for. Proceed to the next menu list which, conveniently, includes a speaker. When greeted by the speaker voice, lean out of the window, just slightly, and begin to place your order. You may need to speak loudly so that the voice inside the speaker can hear you. If an itemized order list is available at the speaker, make sure to review it as you go, so you can make sure that the order is being placed correctly.

Continue placing your order until it is complete.

Ask the speaker voice to repeat it back to you. Listen clearly to the total amount due and make sure that you have enough funds to pay for your order.

Follow their instructions by proceeding to the first window so that you can pay for your order, using whichever form of payment is most beneficial for you at that time, provided that they accept that particular form of payment. Remember to present you coupons at this time if you are using them. 

Proceed to the next window to receive you order. Make sure that you search all the bags completely to verify that your order is correct. Proceed to the exit, and go to your home, or wherever you might be eating you meal. 

If you arrive in your vehicle, and choose to dine-in, or if you are on a bike or on foot:

Park you vehicle or bike out front, so it can be seen easily from the inside. 

Enter the eating establishment and search for the roped off aisle. 

Proceed through the maze of ropes until you arrive at the counter. If there are several individuals ahead of you, use the waiting time to browse the menu thoroughly before you arrive at the counter.

Once you are at the counter, place you order. Present your preferred method of payment, along with any coupons, to the cashier.

While waiting for your meal, fill up any cups with the desired beverage of you choice and sit down.

Hand out the appropriate items to your family members or friends and begin to eat.

Upon completion of your meal, discard your trash and proceed to the exit. Return to you home or other destination.

Hints: If you are on a tight budget, be sure to order from the Special Value Menu and get the most for your dollar.

For the most efficient way to have pizza, save yourself a trip by picking up the phone and ordering pizza to be delivered to your door.

Families are Stitched Together With Love

David walked into his dad's office today and thought he was looking in the mirror.

 (Thank you for taking the picture, Michael.)

Like father, like son: 1. Having the same characteristic's as one's parent.

*****

While waiting for the lunar eclipse last night, I was able to finish this quilt. My visiting teacher gave me a stack of fabric squares to do with what I want. It will be given to a friend who has experienced a lot of tragedy in her life as of late.

*****

It's time to start thinking about what cookies to leave for our neighbors and of course Santa. Because America is a melting pot of cultures and traditions, we now have a lot of Christmas cookies to chose from. As for our family, the only type we bake are sugar cookies. Here is the recipe I use: 

Sugar Cookies

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar; mix until light and fluffy. With mixer running, add egg, brandy, and vanilla; mix until well combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add reserved flour mixture. Mix until just combined.

Transfer dough to a work surface. Shape into 2 discs, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with nonstick baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes, and transfer to prepared baking sheets, leaving an inch in between. Leftover dough can be rolled and cut once more. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minutes; do not allow to brown. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Decorate with royal icing or whatever your favorite frosting is.

And don't forget the cold glass of milk!

*****

"On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,

nine SNAKES ADVANCING."

Winter Solstice

 James, Steven, Justin and I stayed up till 11:30pm-12:00am to witness a full lunar eclipse which coincided with the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year). The clouds broke just long enough for us to get a glimpse of this rare event. 

*****

I love this recipe because you put it all together before going to bed and in the morning, breakfast is ready for you. This would also make a great holiday brunch dish.


Overnight Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
1 pkg. frozen roll dough (about 25 rolls)
1 (4 serving size) pkg vanilla pudding mix (not instant)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 stick butter

Directions:
Cut frozen roll dough into quarters and set aside. In a small mixing bowl combine dry pudding mix with brown sugar and pecans. In separate bowl, melt butter. In a well buttered Bundt pan, sprinkle 1/3 cup of pudding mixture in the bottom of pan. Place cut frozen roll dough into pan. Pour melted butter over the rolls and sprinkle around the remaining pudding mixture. Leave out overnight, covered with a cloth. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Invert onto plate.

"On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,

eight WAYS OF MILKY."

I'll Huff and I'll Puff and I'll blow that house in...



This was the crime scene that we discovered upon returning home from church. The gingerbread house that Steven and James collectively worked on the previous night had collapsed. My feelings about baking gingerbread the night before are quite different today. Seeing the broken structure was such a disappointment and I knew there was just one thing to do. We had to bake some more. Next year, we're going back to the graham cracker method. Perhaps we will bake gingerbread every other year.



Justin worked on this house with Kirsten. David added his flare to the back of it. Notice in the second picture the word "Dad" is spelled out with gumdrops.



The first house is mine and the other two are today's re-dos that James and Steven decorated.
*****
We woke up to a powerful wind storm. While I was in the bathroom getting ready for church I could hear the kids, along with David, laughing and cheering about birds flying into trees. I opened the door to see what was going on and I found them bird watching out the upstairs hall window. Apparently, the birds were being tossed around in the wind, being thrown into trees and other obstructive objects. I think it's funny to see what entertains my family, but I on the other hand felt bad for the poor birds.
*****

While talking to my mom on the phone today, she reminded me of this dessert, which happens to be Justin's favorite. I make these pastries all year round, but it would make a great food item for a holiday brunch.
 Cherry Bars
Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
2 cans (21 oz. each) cherry pie filling

Directions:
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one by one blending well. Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt. Blend well.
Spread 2/3 of batter onto greased and floured 15x10 inch cookie sheet. Then lightly spread cherry pie filling. Drop teaspoonfuls of remaining batter on top of the pie filling.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely, then glaze.

Glaze
Mix powder sugar and a little water or lemon juice to the right consistency.

*****

"On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
seven PAWNS A WINNING."

Magical Houses

Our naked gingerbread houses.

Baking and decorating gingerbread houses is a tradition for many families, but not ours. Each year I marvel at all the different ways people come up with to design their miniature houses and for a fleeting moment I have "visions of sugar-plums" dancing around in my head. The "vision" is blown away as I think of all the preperatory work that would need to happen and the chaos that would follow.

Last year, I tried a simplified version of a gingerbread house by gluing graham crackers together. That was a lot of fun for the kids. So much fun, that they have been begging me to do it again this year. After listening to the weather man predict rain for the next five days, I decided that this weekend would be the perfect time for me to leave behind my apprehensions and just DO IT!

So, this afternoon I actually baked real gingerbread, cut the shapes out, made royal icing and constructed the houses. In the middle of this process, I began to doubt my sanity. What was I thinking? This is going to be an ALL DAY project and I have so many other things that need to get done!

It did end up being an all day event, but I have no regrets. The smell...the taste...the creativity and freedom of decorating your own colorful house drew our entire family together (except for Dave-o who was asleep). It was MAGICAL!

Tomorrow I'll post a picture of the finished houses.

I used a recipe from Mom Zinn's cookbook that she put together a few years ago for her children.

Gingerbread House

Recipe by DeLona Zinn

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cloves

1/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup molasses

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup oil

Directions:

Mix flour, salt, spices, baking powder and brown sugar. Add beaten eff, molasses, and oil. Mix well. Chill 1 hour. Roll on slightly greased cookie sheet (fill 3/4 only). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (check after 20 minutes). Cut out house shapes as soon as it gets out of the oven.

Frosting for house

Ingredients:

2 egg whites

1 tsp cream of tarter

1 pound box powdered sugar (sifted)

Directions:

Beat the egg whites until fluffy. Add the rest of ingredients and mix until smooth. Add a little water if needed.

*****

"On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
six RESSE'S LAYING."



Toffee

"On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,

five DONUT RINGS."

*****

I love toffee and yet I only make it once a year for the holidays. Why is that?

English Toffee

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds or pecans (for bottom layer)

1 cup butter (salted)

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp light corn syrup

3 tbsp water

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds or pecans (for top layer)-Note: I don't add a top layer of nuts.

Directions:

Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil and sprinkle 1/2 cup toasted almonds in the pan on the foil. In heavy saucepan melt butter. Add sugar, corn syrup and water. Cook and stir over medium-high heat to boiling. Cook and stir over medium heat to 290 degrees using a candy thermometer (soft crack stage). Watch carefully and stir, it can burn easily after 280 degrees. Remove from heat and pour mixture over the nuts in the pan immediately. Let stand 5 minutes or until firm but still hot. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and let it stand for 1 to 2 minutes. When softened, spread chocolate over mixture. Sprinkle the chocolate with nuts. Chill till firm. Break into pieces. Store tightly covered. Makes 1 1/2 pounds.

Desperation

Dave-o has been waking up early from his naps lately, which has been driving me crazy. It seems as though one hour is his limit. Today was no exception. I tried laying Dave-o back down while telling (pleading) with him to go back to sleep. After three or four hopeful attempts, I finally heard silence. I walked away feeling triumphant. This victorious feeling lasted only five minutes; for what I heard next was:
"Me! Me!Me!"
Translation? "James! Steven! James! Steven! James! Steven!" (Dave-o calls both of them 'me')
This desperate call for help left me laughing and I ended up giving in and getting Dave-o out of bed.

 *****

Every goodie plate given away to friends for the holidays should include something peanut buttery. This recipe is a family favorite. It's easy and TASTY.

Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 tbsp. peanut butter

Directions:
Melt butter and 1 cup peanut butter. Add graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar. Mix until well blended. Press into ungreased 9x13 inch pan. Melt chocolate chops with 4 tbsp. peanut butter (either on stove top or microwave) and spread on top of graham cracker mixture. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

*****

"On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,

four FALLING NERDS."