Christmas Card Recession-Style

I've been trying to get my holiday on whenever I have a day or two off work.  On Saturday, I made a winecork wreath-- the idea was to have somewhere to hang my Christmas cards.  I found several examples online being sold from anywhere between $70-90!  About a dozen hot-glue gun sticks later... I give you my (free) version:

Seriously, I had the worst hot-glue headache, and I no longer had fingerprints on most of my fingertips.  Now I guess I know why they charge so much... I had plenty of help with artistic decisions (and the wee one) since I made it at my in-laws' house.  If you want to make one, I recommend cutting the corks in half lengthwise and covering the entire wreath form before beginning to build it up with whole corks.  I used a foam wreath form that my MIL gave me, and I still have a whole bag of corks left if anyone wants them! My family will probably generate another bag-full with both sisters home for the holidays... hehe.

On Monday, my sis-in-law and I baked the gingerbread cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World...  We had to makes lots of dairylicious modifications because that's all we could find around here.  I hope the authors don't mind me un-veganizing their recipe!  It's funny how I spent nine years veganizing things, and now I'm doing it the other way around.  They were delish... and with a neice and a nephew home & hungry after school, our dozen cupcakes didn't make it in time for Daddy Dana to get home from work.  Whoops.  They were a definite do-over.  We plan to make them again on the day after Christmas when we have our big Moberg reunion.  My sis-in-law and I make a good team because I love to bake but hate to do things like make frosting.  She made the frosting, frosted them, and topped them with crystallized ginger... while I moved on to mending my neice's favorite cat stuffed animal.

We also tortured the wee one with a Christmas photo shoot.  Enjoy, because I think this is my version of a Christmas card this year!

My little boy is eleven months old today!  You know what comes next... the big First Birthday... and then college, and he'll find a wife and leave me!  Look at this sweetness.  His little posture is just irresistable.   I know he must wonder why he gets scooped up and smothered with kisses when he is just minding his own business and playing with his toys.  But how can I not!?