Tasty Thursday: Chocolate Pretzels

Simple. Delicious. Holidays.

Chocolate Pretzels

Ingredients

• 24 circular pretzels
• 24 milk chocolate candy kisses
• 1 (1.69 ounce) package mini candy-coated chocolates

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place pretzels on baking sheets. Unwrap candy kisses and place one in the center of each pretzel.
3. Place in preheated oven 1 to 2 minutes, until kisses melt. Remove from oven and place one candy-coated chocolate in the center of each pretzel. Chill in refrigerator until set.

Jobs I Could Never Do

Hospice nurse
Morgue custodian
Funeral director
Insurance claims agent
Construction worker
Landscaper
Grief counselor
Photographer at any major retail store

The last one I realized today. These people are saints. I don't know how they don't go home and down a bottle of red and pop a Xanax every single night. I (with the help of my mom; no way in hell was I going to do this alone/Mike was working) took Olive for her Christmas pictures at JCPenney today. The place was a MADHOUSE. It's November 19, for the record. Not even to Thanksgiving yet. It was slammed with crying, tantrum-y kids, stressed out parents (made all the more comical by all the matching outfits) and all the while seemingly calm photographers. How they do it day in and day out, I'll never know. Bless their little hearts.

Oh, how did Olive do, you ask? Um, let's just say I saved a ton of money on prints. Thanks, babe. It's okay, those fake presents were very scary.

Steps and Babbles

Oh, little one, stop growing up!

Toys and Store Phobias

Trying to decide what to get your baby for her first Christmas is hard for a few reasons: 1) If your family is anything like mine, everyone has already gotten her everything 2) How do you know what really will get played with and what won't? 3) Her birthday may or may not be 3 days after Christmas. Holy crap. So, here's a helpful article I was reading on BabyCheapskate. I swear, I really don't work for them. Really.

Toys That Get Played With 2011: 13 to 24 months

P.S. Toys 'R Us has free shipping today. Cool.

P.P.S. I have not stepped foot inside a Toys 'R Us since the 80s, and I am somewhat excited, somewhat terrified to do it again. I envision crazy moms, stampeding with screaming toddlers in their arms, pulling hair with some stranger over the last Polly Pocket or whatever. I am kind of afraid of going to any stores, actually, between now and January 1.

Rosy Cheeks

God, I hate teething. Why does such a painful process take SO long? Aren't babies getting teeth until they're 2? We were up every hour last night with our rosy-cheeked, drooling, crying baby. Motrin every 8 hours for sure, but she still seems miserable. A cold alongside this teething hell is icing on the worst cake ever. UGH. Poor Olive (and poor parents)!

On the other hand, speaking of cake, I am getting pretty excited about Christmas and her first birthday (December 28). I ordered some cute invitations and hope people will come celebrate with us. I, for one, cannot wait to see her smash her little fists into a mini-sized cake. She'll love it, that little sugar baby.

What do people serve at first birthday parties in December?
Christmas leftovers? Kidding.