Happy New Year

Image courtesy Google Images

Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!
Be safe tonight!

Christmas Wrap-up

We had a lovely Christmas morning.
Christmas afternoon---eh'! I had to work. (And people were NOT nice on Christmas day, I don't get it).
Anyhow, it was a nice morning. We opened gifts and snacked on junk food and played with toys.
Here's the calm before the storm....

Our ROARING fireplace. Nice huh'?

Jon got me a Denver Broncos shirt. It's pretty cute, he even personalized it. Too bad I won't be able to fit into it until I lose about thirty pounds. This is the extra large size. No worries. I'll get there.

My favorite kind of gift. We load these puppies onto the computer and they get a month membership to Club Penguin. No mess for me to yell at them about when they're done playing. Sweet!

The boys love choo choo trains, thank goodness Santa brought one for each of them.

One of Justin's happier shots. He wasn't too sure about all the craziness. He was great though once we started putting his toys together.

Kristina, this one's for you. It's got arms like a Snuggie!!! I really didn't realize that when I bought it for him. I thought it was just a throw. I know, it's not a real Snuggie, but he likes it.

Some of the aftermath.

How's this for a great picture?

My camera kind of sucks. It takes a lot of blurry shots.

Hmmm, not sure what it's supposed to be but I do like the colors.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all have a beautiful, cozy, wonderful and family filled day.

More Christmas Deco and a Recipe

Here's our Christmas tree. The boys have taken great delight in rearranging the bottom ornaments, it looks all askew when the lights aren't on. The kitty has been pretty good. She crawls around underneath, but hasn't attempted climbin it or bothering the ornaments too much. I think our sweet Shrek would have been all into it if he was still with us.

One more Nativity...the boys love to rearrange the figures. The girls did too, they've finally learned to leave them be. It's sweet though, to watch them look at each figure and try to explain to them their meaning.

Our new-ish advent calendar. Bought the wooden tree at the DI for like $3, and bought some cheap $1 store ornaments. Sweet.

I make these every year for Christmas.

Super Easy, Super yummy Peanut Butter Kiss BlossomsHere's what ya' need:

1 can condensed milk

3/4c. peanut butter (I mix a little plain and a little crunchy)

2c. bisquick

1t. vanilla

sugar
A bag of Hershey's kisses (I use plain and the ones with the almonds in the middle)

Here's what you do:

Blend together the condensed milk and peanut butter

Add 2 cups Bisquick and 1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix it up real good. Get your hands in there if you have to.

Roll into small balls, then roll the balls in the sugar.

They'll look like this.

Bake at 375* for 5-6 minutes. I usually take them out at five.

Immediately press a kiss into each cookie.

Let 'em cool and transfer to a cooling rack or towel.

Eat and enjoy...
Yummy!!

My Christmas Wishlist

Dear Santa,
Can't say that I've been a very good girl this year. Sorry. Can't say that I've really tried hard either. My bad.
In case you might take sympathy on my pathetic soul anyhow and see fit to put something beneath the tree for me, here's my list:

• a new sewing machine (not that I really have time to do much sewing these days-which brings me to the next one...)
• more time
• or, if you can't increase the number of hours in a day, maybe you could just get my hubby a job that pays twice the current amount--then at least I could stay at home and get a wee bit more done :)
• a fashion intervention
• no, seriously--someone please call Stacey and Clinton now!! I'm a mess.
• patience--I refuse to pray for this. It only gets me in more trouble.
• a magic wand (you know, so I can just wave it around and my house becomes clean)
• a magically disappearing laundry pile!
• perfectly pedicured feet and manicured hands
• Money $en$e
• a bigger house, without a bigger mortgage

That's all.

Thank you!!

Sincerely,

take pause

I hope that this week, as we're all so very busy with those last minute preparations, that everyone gets the chance to pause and reflect on the precious gift bestowed upon us two thousand years ago.

Hope you have a blessed week.

Picture Perfect?

Proof positive that sometimes you should just go with the first shot.....

No! Justin, come back! Girls, you're squeezing Jason!

Uh! Could you just stop acting goofy?

Jason! Look at the camera!

sigh.

Jason! Look up!!

Hmmmm.....

Yup, I think the first one was the best.

Looking for it

Disturbing

Jeri drew my attention to this.
I am very disappointed by this. Why do they need to add a gratuitious sex scene to a Harry Potter movie? There is no need or place for it in what is essentially a childrens movie. And yes, it is a childrens movie, or at least it should be.
I hope enough people raise a stink about this, that the director will change his mind.

Christmas deco

I've gone decoration crazy at my house. Thought I'd share a little with you.
I was inspired by Cherie to create this wreath. Hers came out truly beautiful. My mom liked this so much I gave this particular one to her, so now I need to go buy some more ornaments to do my own.

Our "mantle". We have bigger stockings, but they're too big and block the oh so important electronics, so they'll come out on Christmas eve.

A few of my Nativity's. I have a couple more as well. I want a really big, beautiful one; perhaps one done by Willow Tree (they're so pretty). I'm going to have to check out clearance deals this year.

I bought some inexpensive frames at the dollar store for my girls artwork from past years.

My sweet neighbor passed these adorable ornaments on to me, but our tree is already full. So I strung them on some ribbon and I love what they add to my valance.

My mom used to have a wreath like this one, and I wanted one too. Super easy to make. Just a wire coat hanger and a lot of plastic sandwich bags tied around it.

Walmart has some really cute stuff this year. I liked this sweet sign. I wasn't crazy about the black ornaments I saw though. Doesn't that seem a little sacrilege? Black Christmas ornaments??

Can't forget the kitchen...

I found this cute idea in one of this years BH&G christmas publications. Three dollar store plates and a little red paint and voila'!! (my "O" is kind of crooked though)



Now seriously, I hope by this time next year my orange walls will be sporting a new toned down shade of beige.