What it's really all about....

gluing, stringing, mixing, and baking

Here's what I've been up to:

sneak peak of the neighbor gifts
{have yet to deliver them...}

ornament wreath
{we got new ornaments this year, but I still wanted to use my old ones}

English Toffee- recipe here

Eggnog Bread- recipe here

I looked out the window and what did I see....

It's been an interesting night. Kensie came downstairs around 6:00 and told me that there was a car in the front yard. Not the driveway, the front yard. Sure enough....

I was a bit freaked out & after I made sure there was not a dead body in there I called police dispatch. As I was calling I noticed ANOTHER car in my neighbor's yard. If you know my neighbor, you know how much he loves his yard. I was more worried for the driver of that car (who was responsible and stuck around until the cops came unlike the driver of the car in my yard who just bailed after it happened, I guess) suffering the wrath of my neighbor, but he was actually really cool about it. The road was pretty icy, I guess.

We hung out while the cops tried to figure out who's car was in my yard. They searched the car, ran the plates (expired tags- registered owner had sold it) and discussed various reasons for someone just leaving the car (intoxication being #1).

Finally the owner showed up. Apparently he lives in the neighborhood and instead of knocking on my door he just decided to go home and call it in.



The tow truck arrived and {hopefully} took the car away without too much damage to our yard. We'll find out in the spring! The guy ran over the cable, phone, and power boxes. Luckily everything still works for now but there are a lot of exposed wires.....

Christmas Card photos: the bane of my existence

I've had my Christmas card made for a while now, but just thinking about taking pictures of the kids for the card has been too much for me.

I finally decided to get it over with. The results were not great. The boys were TOTALLY into it and were posing like champs, but Kensie was bitter because I was not taking her suggestions {she's a pro, you know}. Thus, a grumpy, tear-stained face. By the time Kensie finally got over it Jackson was done.

So, this is what I ended up with-
Cute pictures of the boys and cute pictures of Kensie and Lincoln. But no decent picture of the three kids together. I was so tempted to just use one of the grumpy ones and be done with it, but before church I snapped some more with THREE happy kids who looked even better in their Sunday clothes & I'm much happier with the result {which you'll see soon.....after I mail the cards}.


Here are some of the pics from the first attempt:

Santa Claus is coming to town

Last night Santa paid a visit to SunCrest. His reindeer got lost.....but we enjoyed a violin concert, treats, chatting with friends, and a game of Santa Says while we waited.

When he finally arrived the parental claws came out. The Christmas Spirit was out in full force {sarcasm font}. Despite the crazed parents, the kids finally got their turn to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas.

Kensie: an IPod
Lincoln: a remote controlled car
Jackson: cars

Beats waiting in line at the mall.....

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Makin' a List

I love Christmas music. Can't get enough of it. But there are certain Christmas songs that should be banned.

1. anything sung by Aaron Neville
2. that song with the annoying kids and Pachelbel's Canon
3. "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"- try explaining that one to the kids...
4. Dominique the Donkey- haven't heard it? Go here {and don't say I didn't warn you}
5. Feliz Navidad- repetition isn't always a good thing
6. "The Happiest Christmas Tree"- ho ho ho, he he he
7. "The Christmas Shoes"- ugh.
8. Dogs barking "Jingle Bells"- call the pound!
   
9. "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer"- for the love!
   
10. "Do They Know It's Christmas"- I need a Band Aid to cover my ears.

*what Christmas songs are like fingernails on a chalkboard to you??

it's the most wonderful time of the year!

I'm back!

And pleased to report that I have returned to the land of the living {and just in time}. The nausea has subsided for the most part, and I can feel energy starting to flow back into my veins! Blessed day!!

Now it's time to get festive. The house is decorated. The tree is trimmed. I'm in the midst of wrapping gifts and making all sorts of exciting things {including wreaths, Christmas cards, neighbor gifts, and goodies} that I'll post about when they're all finished.

Eddie the Elf arrived, and the Christmas blanket is warming the children.

There are new recipes to try and old favorites to remember.

All that's missing is the snow, which should arrive later this week.....

Beauty Is...

moving on to the regional level!

Kensie & Dr. Higgins {her principal}

Last night Kensie attended the district awards ceremony for Reflections, where she found out that she's moving on to regionals {whenever I say that I think of Glee}. She is so excited and proud of herself! She loved getting another trophy, too.

I've had requests to see the winning entry, so here it is:

Thanksgiving

We had a busy and fun Thanksgiving, as usual.

We spent the morning putting up Christmas decorations, then headed to Grandma May's for the first feast of the day. It was great to see family and eat fabulous food!

Then it was off to another meal with my family where we {of course} feasted on yummy food, shared what we are thankful for, played ping pong, and watched a very silly puppet show put on by the kids.

It was a fun and relaxing day, and we have SO MUCH to be thankful for!!

*excerpts from Kensie's Gratitude journal:

"I am grateful for my dad. He wrestles with me. He helps me when I can't open something. I love my dad."

"I am thankful for my home. It is nice and warm. Sometimes it's messy. We have a big TV. I love my home."

"I am grateful for my car. If we didn't have a car we would have to walk. I wouldn't want to walk. My car is old. I am glad that I have a car."

"I am thankful for animals. If we didn't have animals we wouldn't have meat. Animals are cute. I want a pet animal. I love animals."

Happy Thanksgiving!