OU MEDICINE:

OUR NEWBORN CARE IS BETTER ON SO MANY LEVELS.

OU MEDICINE:

OUR NEWBORN CARE IS BETTER ON SO MANY LEVELS.

28

18

[466 - 7Year Old

Shopping Guide[

18 Baby Shopping Guide

24 2 Year Old Shopping Guide

28 Warding O! the Holiday Pounds

32 "e Write Way to Say "ank You

42 How to Have Less Stresss this Season

46 6-7 Year Old Shopping Guide

55 8 Year Old Shopping Guide

7671

64 Holiday Treats

68 Holiday Craft Corner

71 Teen Shopping Guide

92 Holiday Events Guide

84 Your Local Guide for Shopping

76 Pregnancy Trends for the Holidays [ [84Wish List

Photography by

Photography by

NOW ITS TIME TO BRAG ABOUT YOU!

Looking for a career change or advancement?

Go back to school and finish strong! Oklahoma City University offers undergraduate, graduate, degree-completion, seminary, accelerated programs and law. OCU offers convenient and flexible degree programs for busy adults.

CALL NOW TO LEARN MORE

COME VISIT THE PAPER LION FOR ALL YOUR BRAGGING MATERIAL!

Custom announcements, custom napkins, shower invitations & paper goodsCute gifts and registry for the new baby & mom!

Spring Creek Village, Edmond 405-348-0952 www.paperliononline.com

10% o! entire purchase excluding special o!ers with your Shop with Brag Card

reading my mom’s notes tucked away in the school lunches she packed for me. !e little ink drawings of an eye, a heart and a lamb, telling me she loved me. I savored the fun stickers and the sweet messages. !ere’s something about taking the time out to hand write someone a note that lets you know you are loved and appreciated. !ink about what you’ve held onto: mementos from special nights out or trips, love notes that smell sweet and crinkle at the edges, and letters from family and friends. E-mails get deleted when your inbox is full. But, a special note can last a lifetime. And there’s always an occasion to write one. “You can never say thank you enough. It’s never out of style,” says Susan Kropp, owner of chirps and cheers specialty stationary shop. A really well written thank you note can bring tears to the eyes of family, military veterans, teachers, and anyone who’s touched your life. It’s about connecting with the people that mean something to you and celebrating special events and moments in your lives. !e hand-written gesture always makes a grand impression. Kropp says, “My son had a bunch of friends, and before he graduated we gave gifts. I got thank you notes from every single boy, but none from the girls.” And as the number of kids texting and e-mailing gets younger and younger, hand writing

thank you notes is a relevant habit to learn. “E-mail should never replace a thank you note.” It’s a thoughtful lesson Kropp’s mother passed down to her. “You’d give my mom a gift,” she says, ”and you could barely get home without a note in your mailbox.” Kropp believes the habit of writing thank you notes goes back to the manners or etiquette a person’s learned. However, it’s never too late for

parents to start practicing the art of the classic thank you note. It’s never too early either, to start teaching your

children to do the same. Kropp says to start as soon as your child can hold a pencil or pen. She says they can draw a picture or scribble a line to personalize the note. !en, Kropp suggests writing underneath your child’s handiwork. Tell grandma or teacher just how much the gift or act of kindness means to you and your child. Kropp believes it’s especially important to start thank you notes at a young age because, it means a lot to the person receiving the thank you note. Many times, it becomes a keepsake and captures the child’s personality as he or she grows. As your child starts to get older they can pick out their own stationary. Kropp says to let them choose whatever re"ects their personal taste. !ere are so many styles to enjoy and she should know.

Her shop and every unique and modern piece of notepaper, stationary and card in it, help you celebrate life’s everyday chirps and extraordinary cheers. Have fun picking out something personal or custom-designed. !en, take it one step further and select colorful pens or glitter and stickers if you wish. You’ll look forward to writing and decorating your next note with your child. Kropp says picking out your stationary is half the fun. !en, your note’s recipient gets to enjoy the surprise of #nding the envelope in the mailbox and delight in the stationary art and message. If you think you’ve waited too long to send a thank you note, you haven’t. Kropp says, “Even if you think it’s past the time to mail it, it’s never too late.” In addition, don’t overwhelm or intimidate yourself by trying to write a poetic novel. If you do not have a way with words,

keep it simple, short, and sweet. Kropp suggests writing a sentence or two about why you or

your child likes the gift and how you use it. For example, “!ank you for the art set. Heather especially loves painting with it. She has been painting us pictures of "owers every day since she opened the gift.” Short, simple, and sweet. So, go get out your pen and paper, brush up on your cursive, and have your child thank that aunt for the birthday gift she got them last year. It’s never too late to make someone’s day.

Photography by

Photography by

The Greeting Cardby Kandace Dodson

Photography by

Photography by

Upper Crust at Classen Curve

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, so!ened1 cup granulated sugar

" cup light brown suger, packed2 teaspoons vanilla

# teaspoon salt2 eggs

2 # cup all purpose $our1 teaspoon baking soda

10 ounces white chocolate chunks1 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Heat oven to 375.

In large bowl beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt with electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, beat well. Stir together $our, and baking soda; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Form into small greased spring form pan. Bake for 5 -7 min so still somewhat gooey in center. Top with vanilla gelato (or ice cream), caramel and choclate syrup….Serve immediately!

Bellini’s at the WaterfordChef Vince Howard

Ingredients

6 c all purpose $our1 tsp. ground ginger1 tsp. ground nutmeg1 tsp. ground cloves1 tsp. ground cinnamon1 c shortening slightly melted

Si! together $our, baking powder, cinnamon. Set aside. In medium sized bowl mix shortening, molasses, brown sugar, water, egg and vanilla until smooth. Slowly stir in dry ingredients. Divide dough into three pieces. Pat down into 11/2 inch thickness. Wrap in plastic, refrigerate for three hours.

Heat oven to 350.

On $oured surface roll dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut with desired cookie cutter. Place on sheet bake for 10-12 min. Cool. Ice with icing of your choice.

1 c molasses1 c brown sugar1/2 c water1 egg1 tsp. vanilla extrac

%e Coach House

Ingredients:(makes 10-12 servings)

3 cups of milk1 cup of pumpkin puree (canned is ok)1 vanilla bean (&nely chopped)1 cup of sugar12 egg yolks (to separate the egg yolks, simply shi! the yolk backand forth from one shell to the other letting the whites fall into thebowl below. Collect the yolks in a large mixing bowl.)

Preheat oven at 300 degrees

Heat & stir milk and sugar until it boils. Beat the egg yolks with a whisk for a minute or two, or until completely smooth. Remove from heat and add vanilla bean and whisk until blended. Add milk and sugar mixture to the egg yolks while slowly stirring and adding the pumpkin puree. Strain mixture through a wire strainer and portion out into oven safe dishes. Create a water bath by &lling a roasting pan with an inch or two of warm water and submerge dish-es to ensure even baking. Bake at 300 degrees for 30–40 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow custards to cool in the water bath for 30 minutes. Garnish with crushed pumpkin seeds or if desired this desert can be bruleed by caramelizing the sugar

Ingredients: • 1 oz cream • 3/4 oz triple sec

• 3/4 oz gin • 2-3 dashes grenadine

Mixing instructions:

1. Pour the ingredients into a shaker with ice cubes. 2. Shake well.

3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

A Wish to be a Christmas Treeby Colleen Monroe

!e Christms Magicby Lauren !ompson

%is charming tale of an overgrown pine always being passed by for Christmas, and what his woodland friends do to help him, is sure to become a Christmas classic. Ages 4-6 Sleeping Bear Press (Amazon.com)

When Santa feels his whiskers tingling, he knows it’s time to get ready. He quietly goes about his preparations for Christmas in his cozy home at the North Pole: polishing his sleigh, oiling his boots, and gathering toys for delivery Christmas Day. Ages 4+ Scholastic Press (CommonSenseMedia.org)

Designed by: Dondi Richarson Di!culty Level: Intermediate

Supplies: • 3 - 12” Straw Wreaths • 6ft Mixed Fall Garland • Silk Berry Stems • Coordinating Wire Ribbons

• Floral Pins • Craft Sticks or Wood Picks Tools:

• Low-Temp Glue Gun • Scissors • Wire Cutters Instructions: 1. Lay the wreaths side by side on a table. Insert Craft Sticks or wood picks where the wreaths meet and glue together to secure with low-temp glue.

2. Pin one end of the garland to the top of the top wreath. Bend it down the left side, pinning in place. Ben the garland across the top of the middle wreath and down the right, pinning as you go. Then bend it back across the tom of the bottom wreath and down the left side pinning to secure at the bottom.

3. Cut apart the stems of berries and glue into the garland evenly spaced.

4. Pin one end of the ribbon at the top of the wreath and wind it in and out of the garland, pinning as you go.

Designed by: Dondi Richarson Di!culty Level: Beginner

Supplies: Coordinating Colors/Styles Fall Fabrics

Natural Jute • Wood Letters: 1.5” (H.A.R.V.E.S.T) Acrylic Paint"Harvest Yellow • Straight Pins

Tools: Low-Temp Glue Gun • Scissors • Paint Brush

Instructions: 1. Cut squares of fabric just big enough to wrap each cube (like a present) gluing the ends to secure in place with low"temp glue. Use straight pins for added support.

2. Tie jute around the cubes and tie into a bow at the top of the cubes as shown. Make sure to leave a smooth side for the front of the block.

3. Paint all the letters yellow and let dry. Attach letters to each block to spell the word “HARVEST”.

Designed by: Dondi Richarson Di!culty Level: Beginner

Supplies: STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam Balls: 5”, 4”, 3”, (6) 1” Design it:®

Foam Cutter or Serrated KnifeOther Materials:

Quilt Batting • Buttons • Small Oval Eyes • Tiny Pink Pom"Pom2 Coordinating Wired Ribbons • Wood Picks • Toothpicks

Tools:Low"temp Glue Gun • Scissors

Instructions: 1. Cut a small #at spot from the top and bottom of the 5” and 4” balls. Cut a small #at spot on one side of the 3” ball. Using low"temp glue to secure, cover the 5”, 4” and 3” balls with quilt batting, leav-ing the #at spots on each bare for attaching the parts together. Insert wood picks into the bare spots of the top of the 5” and 4” balls. Stack the balls to build the snowman, using the wood picks and low"temp glue to secure.

2. To make the arms, glue three 1” balls together side by side in a crescent shape. Cover with quilt batting then glue to the sides of the snowman as shown. Toothpicks can be inserted between the arm and body for added support if desired.

3. Decorate your snowman with buttons, a ribbon scarf, oval eyes and a pom"pom nose. Secure with low"temp glue.

4. To make the hat, cut a 9” length of wired ribbon and pull the wire from one edge. Gather the ribbon tightly on the remaining wire and tie the wire ends together. Glue the ends of the ribbon together to form a circle for the hat brim. Cut a 7” piece of ribbon and glue ends together to form the top of the hat then glue the top to the brim. Cut a small circle of ribbon and glue to the top of the hat. Secure the hat to the snowman using low"temp glue.

Designed by: Dondi Richarson Di!culty Level: Beginner

Supplies: STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam:

Balls: 4”, 3”, 2”Other Materials:

Assorted Sizes/Colors Tinsel Pompoms • Assorted Colors Mini Tinsel Garland • Straight Pins

Tools:Low"temp Glue Gun • Scissors

Instructions: 1. Attach the larger pom poms around the balls of STYROFOAM*, randomly spaced, using low"temp glue. Next glue the medium sized pom poms in between the larger pom poms. Glue on the smallest pom poms to $ll in the white space around the balls.

2. For the hangers, cut lengths of the tinsel garland and pin to the top of the balls, securing with low"temp glue. TIP: Place the ornaments in a shallow bowl for a festive centerpiece or drop into an apothecary jar and place on a counter or mantel.

Photography by

What’s Hot in Maternity

Photography by

Wish List