Baby Schieck: 17 and 18 weeks: Traditions

I have been so neglectful and I'm sorry, life has been pretty busy around here for the last two weeks! :) Since the last time I blogged, we ventured down to VA to celebrate Thanksgiving, what a blast. Millie did really good in the car (slept the whole way down and most of the way back) and actually did pretty good while we were there, considering her routine was all thrown off. Aunt Bethy (my co-worker from VA) enjoyed the time to play and spoil baby Millie! (Of course, who doesn't!)

I'm just amazed at how much she is growing. Officially 4 months old now, she just amazes me. She interacts so much with you when you talk to her, always smiling and cooing (or yelling in Millie's case). She plays with her toys, looks at things on the tv, enjoys all the Christmas lights, and can even reach the floor in her bouncy chair now. It's amazing how quickly this time has gone by and just how much I love her more and more each day. I took some 4 month pictures of her and some Christmas ones that I will attach to this blog. She is such a cutie for the camera! As my cousin Maria would call her, a gem! (My cousin, who by the way, has moved to CA to be an executive chef!!! Whoot Whoot! Go Ria!)

Millie and I made a trip up to see Grammy Schantz this week and we discussed the topic of baking. With Christmas coming up of course we covered cookies, which Millie and my nephew Callen are going to bake with Grammy later this month! While we were talking my Grammy dug out an old cook book that she got as a wedding gift, published in 1950, talk about a treasure. She showed me some of the recipes in there that she uses and was telling me how she changes them to make them her own. We also spent about an hour reading through my Great-Grandmother's (Esther Schantz) recipe for Sticky/Cinnamon Buns. Nana made them this time of the year every year and wasn't the type to follow a written recipe. She had done it for so long that she just knew you put about this much of this in and this much of that, etc. Well that doesn't work when you go to pass the tradition on to the next generation. So somewhere along the line my Grandmother (Mildred) sat down with Nana (Esther) and scribed out the recipe so that the next generation could take on making the buns. Well my grammy said that she has had the pans to do them for many years and has never used them... so I guess we are going to skip on to the next generation. I know my Step-Mom (Ann) spent time with my great-grandmother (Esther) trying to learn the tricks of the bun trade. I never tested the fruits of her labors but she said they just didn't compare to Nana's. Needless to say, she doesn't make buns every Christmas. On to the next generation, ME! Well I'm not sure if my buns compare to Nana's but they are pretty darn yummy! :) I spent a good portion of the day yesterday decoding the recipe, mixing, kneading, rolling, sprinkling, cutting, and letting it rise. It really is an all day affair! I'm glad I did it and I'm sure I will try it again, if not before, then definitely next year at Christmas. I might make it a new tradition, the day we go get our tree, I make sticky buns in the afternoon. :) (I will put up her recipe in a post once I type it up.)

Yes, we also got our tree yesterday. We went to a local tree farm to pick it out! It was a U-pick, We-cut kind of place. So we walked around the whole farm looking for the perfect tree for our new house! We have vaulted ceilings in our living room so we were going big, and big we did! 10 FEET!!! :) We are still in the process of decorating it and if I wasn't writing right now that is probably what I would be doing. I will make sure to get some pictures on here once it is all decorated, but I did attached some from the farm and when we first got it in the house! :)

Well I guess I better run, my kitchen and the rest of my house is a mess and in need of some TLC! :) I hope that you are getting in the Christmas spirit, we sure are!