The adventures of Nokie the Elf... including Nokie's night off

The adventures of Nokie the elf continue!

So we were beginning to think Nokie had calmed down a bit, we've found him doing puzzles and coloring...

One morning he was hanging upside down from the curtain rod.

And then Little Man went to stay with my parents for the night while I hosted a Mommies Night In party. It so happens Nokie enjoys his nights off...

Needless to say, after his wild night he tucked himself into a stocking for the day.

But the next day he was back to work. Nokie spotted CJ doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing from that stocking, and left Little Man a little note about it.

Quick treats for Holiday parties!

This past Friday evening I held a Mommies Night In for a local group of moms. I found some inspiring menu ideas on Pinterest and got to work. 

These hummus filled cucumber cups were so easy. I purchased a couple of English cucumbers and randomly peeled the skin off in places. Then I used a decorative slicer I've had for years to cut the cucumber (as you can see, they are not uniformed sizes). I then used a small melon baller to scoop out the middle, leaving a small amount in the bottom of the cucumber. I put some roasted red pepper hummus into a zip-lock bag, snipped off one of the ends and squeezed out the hummus into the cucumber cups. These cups would also be good with chicken salad, spinach dip or even cream cheese- the possibilities are endless!


Pinterest also inspired these easy holiday desserts. 

These marshmallow snowmen were super easy to make. I just skewered 3 marshmallows onto a cake pop stick and stuck a rollo candy on top to make a hat. Using cake decorating gels I embellished the snowmen with eyes, noses,  buttons, mouths and arms. One had a scarf. This would be a great no bake dessert the kids could help with as well. 

The reindeer were easy too. I just skewered 1 marshmallow onto a stick and dipped in melted chocolate candy melts and (attempted) to tap off the excess. I let them harden in the fridge for a while then pulled them out to decorate the faces with the gel. I used pretzels for antlers (this was tricky, some of them fell out of the marshmallow- I should have put the pretzels on before the chocolate hardened). 

To display the yummy goodies I used some floral foam blocks from the dollar store, wrapped them in wrapping paper and then stuck the sticks into the blocks. Really cute display, and really cheap too!

Some of the reindeer's eyes became a little droopy after a while, I would suggest putting the decorated deer back in the fridge for a while before serving!

I love cooking, baking and spending time in the kitchen this time of year. All the parties and planning mean I'm going to spend time with family and friends! So if you are hosting a party soon do some research on quick and easy dishes and desserts to save yourself some time, or look for kid friendly recipes you and your Little One's can do together. 

This is what Christmas is to me. Being with the ones I care about most!

The adventures of Nokie the Elf, continued

The adventures of Nokie the Elf continue in our home. I knew this little Elf had a bit of a mischief up his sleeve. He's been up to a lot over the last few days... 

One morning he was chillin' out with Woody and Buzz in front of the fire. 

When Little Man gets up every morning we ask him "Where is Nokie?" and he takes off looking for him. Same thing each time he spots him, he stops dead in his tracks and stares- then laughs and removes all other toys from the scene. 

Then we found him zip-lining with a candy cane through our kitchen!

He also went joyriding on a train in our living room... along with a few friends.

He's been reading Christmas books to all CJ's buddies.

And was also seen plowing snow for Little Man's car and little people! What a helpful little Elf!

Oh my! It's snowing in my living room!

The adventures of Nokie the Elf

We recently received a visitor from the North Pole. An Elf, named Nokie (pronounced No-key). He was sent by Santa to keep an eye on Little Man to make sure he's on his best behavior in the days leading up to Christmas. Every night he will fly back to North Pole to give his report and reappear the next morning.  


So far he's just been hanging around our fireplace with the snowmen and penguins, and today he was hanging above the dinning room table from our light. I get the slight feeling that this little Elf has a mischievous side... I can't wait to see what kind of trouble he gets into around here! 

I'm going to update every few days on Nokie's antics, so check back often!