what's for breakfast this morning {christmas morning bread pudding}.

i am huge on traditions.  as i've said before, it pretty much runs in my blood.  growing up, my family had the same exact meal on just about every holiday.  it was a little ridiculous, however, i am a firm believer in traditions being a really wonderful thing for families.  and for children.  they help foster stability and security, a sense of belonging and promote family togetherness.  i totally believe that.  

right down to christmas breakfast.

i'm the mom that wants to find one recipe to make christmas morning, and that recipe is forever dubbed christmas breakfast for the next twenty years.  and alas, my friends... i found it.  i mean, i found it.  

(thank you, pinterest.  you delivered in a big way to me this christmas and i will be forever indebted to you)

our family loves nutella.  it goes way back to my college days when i used to sit out in the hall at two am with all of my besties stuffing our faces with pretzels and animal crackers and pretty much anything else that we could find to dip in some nutella.  ahhh, those were the days.  i was hoping to find some sort of nutella breakfast recipe to try christmas morning, and found this one as i browsed through pinterest one evening.

you guys.

nutella croissant bread pudding.  i mean, what in the world.  it was amazing.  with a little bacon and scrambled eggs on the side, this was the *perfect* christmas breakfast.

and when i say perfect, i mean it's officially-our-christmas-morning-breakfast-for-the-next-twenty-years perfect.

here's the recipe.  you are welcome.

christmas morning bread pudding

* 5 croissants (preferably 1-2 days old)

* 3/4 c. nutella

* 2 eggs

* 1 c. heavy cream

* 1/2 c. carnation evaporated milk

* 2 t. vanilla extract

* 2 t. almond extract

* 1 T. maple syrup

* 1/4 t. salt

* 1/3 c. sugar

- preheat oven to 350.

- slice croissants in half lengthwise.  slather one side with nutella and top with the other half to form a sandwich.  repeat with remaining croissants.

- slice sandwiched croissants into 2 inch pieces and place in a greased baking dish (i used a 9x13).

- for the custard: combine eggs, cream, carnation milk, vanilla and almond extracts, maple syrup, salt and sugar in a medium mixing bowl and whisk together.

- pour custard over the croissant pieces.  press down gently to help bread absorb the liquid (i even flipped some pieces to make sure they were coated).

- cover with tinfoil and bake for thirty minutes.  then, uncover and bake for another ten, or until the bread pudding is puffed and golden brown and the liquid has set.

- cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar

let me know if you make this dish; it is truly a treat that would make any day feel like christmas :)

enjoy!

christmas home tour.

 i absolutely love christmastime.

one of my favorite things this time of year is decorating our home for christmas.  i love having special pieces that our girls will remember, and filling our house with holiday beauty.  red berries, a norman rockwell print here and there, white lace, silver&gold and twinkling lights.  i always drag my feet at taking it all down, and love to enjoy the lights of our tree well into january... ah well.  i just love the warmth, coziness and beauty of our home at christmastime; here is a glimpse of what it looked like this year...

merry christmas!  from our home to yours.  may your christmas season be filled with hope and light because of the one who came for us.

instafriday.

love making memories with this guy

moments like these remind me that even though she is getting bigger, she is still my baby

all aboard!

all snuggled up to watch a christmas movie

time for tea

emmy thought daddy needed some comforting as he watched the cowboys, so she brought him all of her babies...

yep, you read that right

wait; do i have something on my face?

i met mandi in high school, we both met ruth at a playground with our kiddos last year... we had a "last lunch" today as ruth's family is moving away...reminded once again that friendship--new or old--is one of life's sweetest blessings!

i get to spend my morning with this pretty little lady

van gogh, don't be jealous

flashback to santa pictures a couple of years ago...

airplane rides with mama

the polar express.

when i was growing up, christmastime was full of traditions.  we drank cranberry juice mixed with ginger ale, my mom made cookies shaped like candy canes, and we'd spend the night with my grandparents and ride around in our pajamas, looking at christmas lights.  there were many, many more, but one of my favorites was every christmas eve we'd get in my parents bed and cozy up together.  my mom read two books: one about the birth of jesus, and the other was the polar express.  to this day, it's one of my favorite books.  the illustrations are just breathtaking and i love how magical it is.

here in new england, there are a few old railroads that have "polar express" rides at christmastime, where families get to go on a train ride which emulates the childhood tale.  my sister and i have been wanting to take our kids, and this year it seemed like they were all at just the right age.  because of the popularity of these rides, we all had to split up but it was still so fun even if we weren't all in the same car.

i never want to forget how cute they looked in their matching pink jammies dotted with snowmen.  they were grinning from ear to ear with joy that only children have as they anticipate something with such excitement.

the day was cold and crisp, and we were set to board the train at dusk.  when the conductor announced "all aboard!" we excitedly dashed to our car, music playing overhead and the steam from the train blanketing the ground.  we were in the caboose, and sat way near the back so we could peek out the back door as we rode.  

over the loudspeaker, the story of the polar express was read and christmas music flooded the train.  at our first stop, a flood of people dressed in white coats and tall chef hats descended upon our car to pass out cups of hot chocolate and passed baskets of cookies.  

they danced and got the kids to dance with them.  the girls absolutely loved this part... see for yourself:

the next stop was the north pole, and there was santa, in all his glory, waving to the passing train before getting on to greet every single child.  the girls loved him.  bella gave him a huge hug, and meme had to hold emmy back from running right down the aisle to him!

after santa's exit, the conductor came through and punched every child's initials in their golden ticket.  then each child was given a silver bell from santa's sleigh.

that night as we drove home, our hearts were full.  there's nothing like seeing christmas through the eyes of your children.  every christmas since becoming a mom, the verse luke 2:19 plays over and over in my head "and mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."  as i watch them and try so desperately to soak in everything about their little faces, their eyes lit with wonder, i think about that verse and what it means about motherhood.  all of these moments at christmastime make me stop and treasure, storing these memories in my heart to last a lifetime.