A Holiday Snack

I remember the first time my sister mentioned it. We were driving home in the van and I said I was craving junk food. She said she would make "white chocolate popcorn.' My nose went up in the air. Yuck. It didn't even remotely sound good. After insisting that I would love it, we went home and made it. And that began my love for this quick and easy snack. We ate it by the handful...didn't even wait until the chocolate hardened.

This would make a great snack for New Years.

You will need: 

3 bags of your favorite popcorn {I used Orville Redenbacher}

1 bag of Nestle` White Chocolate chips

Pop your popcorn and put it in a light weight bowl. Before you mix it with the chocolate, shake the bowl to get the kernels to the bottom. {If you skip this step, the kernels will stick to the popcorn and you will hurt your teeth when you bite down}

Melt your chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. I start out by microwaving for 1 min. Stir. Then microwave at 30 second intervals until melted.

Here are a couple of tips I have learned while melting chocolate. Sometimes the pieces look unmelted, but if you keep stirring you might find that they are softer than you think. Also, if the chocolate looks like it is getting harder {it will start to look grainy and stiff} it is actually too hot! Keep stirring and let it cool a little. You will find that it will start to get nice and creamy.

The last tip is to only mix part of the popcorn and chocolate at one time. I take a third of the popcorn out and put it in a bowl, then take a spoonful of the chocolate and pour it over the popcorn. Mix until it is coated and lay on a piece of wax paper to dry {or a paper grocery bag}. Then mix the rest in workable portions. Lay it all out to dry and turn it over a few times to get all the sides dry.

If you prefer chunkier bites, you can just spread the popcorn out and drizzle the chocolate over it. The popcorn won't be evenly coated, but you will get larger chunks of chocolate.

Prepare to be addicted...

A Humble Christmas

This time last week, my family and I were walking {shoving our way through} the aisles at Toys R Us. For this last minute mom, that was the beginning of my Christmas shopping. We looked at trains, Lego's, Transformers, super heroes, and whatever else the boys wanted to see. At one point, while the boys were playing with the Thomas trains, I looked around to see what other people had in their carts {ours was empty}. I saw carts loaded and overflowing with toys. In my mind I tried to calculate the dollar amount of merchandise they were pushing around. Some carts, I estimated, had three or four hundred dollars worth of toys. I wondered how much of that was going on someone's credit card to be paid off just in time for next Christmas.

I have had my fare share of mommy guilt. You know what I am talking about right? The moment when you equate the love of your child with a dollar sign? But quite honestly, this year, those moments have been rare. In the past we would decide to just get a few gifts. Then when I would see the sparse pile of packages, I would run out and spend money on worthless items just so the boys could have more packages to unwrap. And what happened to those gifts? They became objects under their feet...literally.

So this year we are having a humble Christmas...

Notice...5 presents...4 boys.

No. 1 & No. 2 have one large present to share. And each has an individual present to open as well as stocking stuffers. No. 3 has two presents {one I bought from a thrift store...shhh...don't tell him}. They each have a few small items in their stockings. And there is one handmade present in the basement yet to be brought up. Are you feeling better about your Christmas yet?
While I have had a few twinges of regret...a few moments where I have coveted the checking account of those who can give there children more material possessions, the Lord has given me great peace this season. While the world screams to give my children everything they want, the Lord tenderly reminds me that the greatest gift I can ever give them is a relationship with Christ. While we may not have the financial resources that some do, our standing in Christ is not tied to our bank accounts and for that I am eternally grateful.

So if this Christmas you wish you could have done more for your children, or see what others have and feel envious {I think we all could say we have felt this way}, remember that our Savior, the King of everything, was born in a stable. And most important, don't fail to give your children what really matters...a relationship with our Savior.

Merry CHRISTmas
Kimberly