What New year's eve looks like at our house

It's pretty quiet...Popcorn, homemade Pizza (my side is the pretty one- fresh tomatoes, sauteed onion and bacon with a couple of cheeses, his- hamburger, jalapenos, and plain cheese).

Note the yellow dish towel in the picture... this is one of my favorite gifts this year... the Rachel Ray dish towel with the pot holders at the corners...it is wonderful.

Mike didn't get home till later in the evening, one kid is at a sleep over and one went to Main Event till 8 p.m....glad she's young enough to think that it was ok to be home by 8... and I'm glad she's home to hang out with.

The goodies I got for New Year's have been a HUGE hit with my kids!

I said I was glad the big girl was home but, she has been torturing the dogs with the noise makers and masks. Elvis really doesn't like the blowers...He's over the whole New Year's thing...

New Year's Eve thoughts

My tree is still up, I hate taking down the tree.

My last week off is flying by and I haven't gotten anything accomplished.

I love being home and not getting much accomplished but,

My family is messy.

My dogs are messy.

It was 80 degrees here yesterday and today's high is 40.

I dusted twice yesterday. Sad, just sad.

I took the girls to the mall yesterday, not my favorite activity but they had gift cards and money burning a hole in their pockets... funny to see the difference in them even in things like that. The big girl spent every dollar she had plus a few of mine. The little girl spent $3.99.

They are roofing a new house next to us and it is making my kids and dogs fuss a lot.

I planned to never leave the house today... to get the tree down, clean up after the messy people and dogs, etc., but now big girl has plans with friends and I have to take her and pick up. Wonder if she would care if I did that in my PJ's? Wait, I know the answer to that....

When we got home from Dallas I had a fun package on my doorstep. Now we have fun, shiny goodies for tonight!
Have a wonderful New Year's Eve!

Christmas time

The girls and I drove to Dallas on the 22nd. Jennifer arranged for several of my friends to go to the Melting Pot for dinner and it was absolutely my favorite evening of the holidays. We were there for about four hours eating and drinking and visiting... I loved it! I felt like we ran full speed the rest of the time we were there. I had another friend in town I didn't get to see and just hated that, there is always too much to do and not enough time!

We ran between my family and Mike's doing Christmas. We love the big get together with Mike's aunts, uncles and cousins. Every year I'm amazed at how big our kids have gotten and we that soon we'll be at the 'old people table' while our kids are the young adults... These first cousins have had their picture together every Christmas since birth... the last couple of years we have documented who has the most hair left...You know there always has to be a few odd moments in every family get together. Mike's mom invited his dad (divorced 30ish years) over for Christmas day... we rarely see him and he always brings us a random assortment of gifts. This year he gave me a lovely faux wood, mantle clock with the Lord's super on it. I guess knowing I go to church, that seemed the obvious gift...Look out, you to may get to enjoy this as I feel sure I'll need to re-gift that...

Christmas eve morning Mike's uncle passed away. I was just sick that he didn't live till after Christmas but the family really had such a sweet evening together, we all went to church together and I decided maybe it wasn't so sad he died at Christmas... we were all home, we all got to be with his wife and kids and what a peaceful time of year... what better time for him to go home to Jesus than at Christmas.

My kids had never been to a funeral with the body there so this led to many questions... after the visitation we went to dinner with a few friends which included the funeral director, I was afraid the girls were going to quiz him at dinner....after the service and burial was over the little girl talking about Mike being a pallbearer commented that "... the graveside service really isn't necessary... I think they just want someone to come carry the casket..." She isn't going to be short of opinions!

We got home about midnight last night, we still have stuff everywhere and the girls are fighting over gifts as usual, fighting over who gets the drums or the microphone... home sweet home.

Cooking, canning, and cleaning

That's my day today... I put up candied jalapenos for gifts, I'm baking a few treats for the neighbors and trying to get all of our clothes clean before we go out of town.
I love to bake and really try to not use mixes but that was until... Jennifer told me of her new love of the Magic bar mix. I've made these from scratch numerous times but I decided to try the box and guess what, it is from scratch, they just package up all the ingredients into one handy package...yep, I'm sold on this. What other conveniences are out there that I have shunned that would also be great??? I have to admit, getting them that easily may present a problem for me, knowing that they are there and only take a few minutes to whip up... not a good thing! Thanks Jennifer, thanks a lot.
and today's post at Pink Paper Peppermints was good reading... check it out.

A very Christmas evening

The girls danced at a local park in a very cute neighborhood. All the houses were decorated, two miniature horses pulled a lit up carriage, Santa was there but my girls informed me they were to big to sit on Santa's lap. I was so sad!! The dance was good, the atmosphere was so nice and winter like, I love it! We came home, warmed up and enjoyed the tree... even Elvis, he sat and stared at the tree for the longest time...he's quite the funny dog...

A little Christmas visit

Boomama is hosting the tour of homes. I love seeing other peoples Christmas decor. I didn't decorate as much as usual. We are going out of town and I didn't do the usual several trees, village, etc. One tree, that's all we have this year...Here are some of my favorite things this year.

I love my wreath on the front door. It's really cuter in person.

This is the bar between the kitchen and den, my paper whites are sprouting and I love this cross that Jennifer brought me from Guatemala.

She also brought me new nativity from Guatemala, my kids call it the big head nativity.

On the mantle, one of my favorite things is the kissing sisters pictures on the right.

I need a new tree skirt! That's it this year, wish there was more to show. Dad and the little girl are wrapping presents in the other room... I had a LONG day of shopping and I'm almost done!

Two sisters fighting and a gingerbread house

I have such control issues it is very hard for me to do projects like decorating with my kids... I want to let them do it and it not be perfect. I really do, but it is really, really hard...

my oldest has some of those issues also... So, today when I got out the gingerbread house and told them they could each decorate one half of it, the oldest almost couldn't do it... she really felt like both sides should be the same.

I was very proud of how good I did. I poured out all the candy, didn't fuss as I heard pieces of it hitting the floor and didn't clean up till after they were done. It was hard, very hard but in the end we have a lovely house to admire, the dogs got some special candy treats and we all survived. Their dad took them to Walmart later this afternoon and they almost didn't survive that! I guess he forgot that there would be pushing and shoving and name calling and fighting over buggies. And I mean just our kids, not with the crowd. They just don't shop well together....

Tomorrow I am going to try to do the majority of my shopping tomorrow... wish me speed and low prices!

Oh, weather man, you are so funny....

Snow, you promised me show... 70% chance, 1-3 inches... guess what we saw? Maybe two stray flakes from someone else's show storm...we had the clouds but not a bit of snow but man is it cold!!! I had to stay home with a sick kid today and was so looking forward to the day, the snow, the fireplace.... only one thing missing!

on the 7th day of Christmas

last night I took a church group of 6 middle school kids on a video scavenger hunt. It was really quite the adventure... I had one who folded her arms and wouldn't participate because the things we were doing might be silly...one who couldn't quit talking. Really. He couldn't quit. and 4 other pretty fun kids...
We serenaded people as they pumped gas, at the ice cream store, stopped strangers to play baby Jesus in a manger scene and more fun things. It was a good time!

there is a chance of snow tomorrow, I can't believe it! I'm praying for an unexpected blizzard! Right now a "wall of dirt" is moving across town with high winds the weather man just said...Love me a good wall of dirt! This is what was out there during the wall of dirt....

Better late than never...

The weekend after Thanksgiving I started this and got it almost completely finished... then I kept forgetting to go back to finish it or didn't make the time... so on day six of December I completed the Advent calender...

And on the sixth day of Christmas I started my shopping... I usually have a plan and have most of it done by now but this year not so much... I need to get busy but I'd really rather stay home by my tree drinking hot chocolate and such...

December

I love all things winter and Christmas! I love nothing better than spending time at home with the tree lit and I am getting a bit of that right now.

While Jennifer was here we both made a 'December book', (hers was much cuter than mine) and I have come to decide I am not cut out for anything I have to do daily. I uploaded the pictures that need to go in my book but can't seem to remember to go pick them up... I had idea's of posting a picture of the book everyday but doesn't look like I could be that organized... so here are the pic's for days 1 and 2...

Mike bought me this Nativity for Christmas last year, I was very excited to get it out finally.

The big girl had a choir concert last night... very cute little musical!

Day three, nothing happened. At all. Nothing.