So, does everyone have big plans for New Year's Eve? Do you have plans to party in Times Square?
Or maybe a night with friends playing a few games?
Or maybe you're attending a BIG party where you get to dress up, dance all night, eat some really good food and have a midnight champagne toast.
Wanna know how I'll be spending my New Year's Eve?
That's right. A stack of DVD's and a new pasta recipe I hope to share with y'all next week.
Wanna know what we'll be doing at midnight?
Yes, we lead very exciting lives. It's okay to be a little jealous. Hee! Hee!
Also, I want to wish my parents a very Happy Anniversary!!!! Love you mom and dad!
Happy New Year Bloggy Friends!!! Hope everyone has a great night. If you are going out, be careful and watch for those who may have had a little too much champagne!
* All photos are courtesy of Google Images, except for the wedding picture, which I totally stole from my parents' wedding pictures.
Name that tune! That's right, it's time for My Favorite Things. The year of 2010 is coming to an end so I thought a little reflection on my favorite things of 2010 would be fitting. Here are a few of my favorite projects:
So, 2010 was a pretty good year overall. Of course, the best parts of the year were spent with the people I love most in the world, my family. These are some of our fun moments.
Well, it's now a few days after Christmas and things are starting to get back to normal, well, our normal anyway. We had a wonderful, semi-relaxing few days together. Everyone's schedules were a little off kilter this year so we opted to change our celebration schedule. We went to Hubby's dad's house in Dallas a few weeks ago and celebrated there. The kids had a great time with their grandparent's. I'll tell ya more about our trip there later, but did want to share our one family picture that was taken during the Christmas season.
Hmmmmm.....not great. Obviously, we didn't send out Christmas cards this year.
Christmas Eve was pretty fun. My oldest daughter was at her dad's so the rest of us hung out and tracked Santa on NORAD and watched White Christmas. The plan was to sleep as late as the kids would let us Christmas morning because is this the first year I remember when we had no specific place to be on Christmas Day. So, I fully expected the kids to wake us up at the crack of dawn, but instead it was the doorbell that woke us up at 7:30. I got up and peeked out the window to see two policemen standing at my door. When the cops wake you up first thing in the morning, it can't be good news, right? "What's wrong?" I asked as I opened the door. He explained that apparently someone had taken out our mailbox. The neighbor, who shares our bricked formation, had called to report it.
Nice, huh? Merry Christmas to me!
Anyway, we spent the morning letting the kids open their presents and playing. We spent the whole day in our jammies. We did go over to visit my MIL for a few hours, but we went in our jammies. I love pajama days!
The morning after Christmas, my daugher came home and we all left to go to my mom and dad's house for Christmas with them. Mom made a ham and we brought a turkey to fry. The kids were playing, the girls were in the kitchen and the men were in charge of the turkey. Hubby had injected and seasoned it and it was ready to go. Only problem was, there was a little problem with the turkey fryer. It wouldn't get hot enough so they finally decided to put the big pot of oil on the grill. It took a little while, actually a long while, but the turkey finally got done about the time everyone was finished eating. Luckily, my mom had a ham cooked too. YAY Mom! The food was delicious!
The kids were semi patient while waiting to open their presents.
Everyone has a great time opening their presents, me included. My parents got Hubby and I a wonderful gift......a trip for two to our favorite getaway cabin for two. No kids allowed! I was so excited that I cried.
Why, yes, that is a huge jacuzzi tub in the corner of the cabin over looking the lake. GORGEOUS!
So, how was your Christmas?
**I apologize in advance for my lack of blogging the next week or so. My kids are all home until the 6th, which means my days will be filled with the joys of motherhood, ya know things like breaking up arguments, filling cups, making snacks, playing their new games, making reservatuions at the crazy house, begging them to take a nap every once in awhile, doing laundry, stuff like that. Ah, motherhood. Gotta love it!
Well, it's Christmas Eve. Tomorrow as we celebrate with our families and open presents with the ones we love, let us all remember the reason we celebrate. Christmas is celebrated because God gave us the ultimate gift, his only son, who would save us all.
This is our Christmas card picture from 5 years ago, pre-E.
Hello friends. Hubby is still working on my computer so I apologize if I don't get to visit everyone for a few days. BUT, I couldn't let another day go by without sharing one of my favorite holiday recipes. I still remember the first moment I tried these little bites of heaven. MMMM! I was at my mom's when her neighbor Eric stopped by with a plate Christmas goodies. He pointed out the Georgia Crackers and said they were his favorites. I took one bite and marched right across the street and into the kitchen where his sweet wife was taking some out of the oven. She gave me the recipe and we've been making them ever since. I ALWAYS get asked for the recipe. So, you ready for this?
Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 stick margerine
1/2 - 1 cup sugar (I use 3/4 cup)
Club crackers
chopped pecans (1/2 - 3/4 cup)
heat oven to 375 degrees. Put crackers, in a single layer, out on a jelly roll pan. Melt butter and margerine together in a saucepan on medium heat. Add sugar and slowly bring to a full boil. Boil for 1 minute. Pour on top of crackers and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Bake for 7-9 minutes.
Put down some wax paper or parchment paper on the counter and if you have one, put a wire rack on top of the paper. Take the pan out of the oven and allow to cool for about a minute. Working quickly, transfer the crackers to the rack with a spatula. Allow to cool completely.
Good luck eating just one. MMMMM!
Okay, this is one of those posts where you have to use your imagination. Just imagine for a moment that this is a really beautiful photo taken with my really fancy camera. The crackers look so pretty and buttery that you can almost taste the good salty butter with the sweetness of the sugar. Can you taste it? .....Okay. Good job! Thanks for that.
These crackers are so yummy. I give them to my kids' teachers EVERY year along with a few other goodies.
MMMMMMMM good! Happy baking!
P.S. I would just like to point out that if you try this recipe and gain a few pounds over Christmas, that you cannot hold me liable. It's almost impossible to eat just one. It's highly addictive, hence the "crack" in the name. So, if you make a few batches before Christmas and your Christmas outfit doesn't fit by Christmas day.......it's not my fault. That's what Spanx are for, right? Hee Hee!
Hello Friends! Wow, how I have missed you. It's been one of those weeks! As I mentioned, I am having computer problems. I hijacked Hubby's work computer for a few days until he can figure out what's wrong with mine (say a little prayer, please), but then yesterday something else broke. I was just about to finish my last Christmas present when my sewing machine broke. BROKE! As in, doesn't work anymore. As in, it won't load my thread. As in, B.R.O.K.E. I seriously called my Hubby almost in tears. I feel like I lost an arm. UGH!
Anyway, please forgive my absence this week and tomorrow also. We are heading to visit Hubby's dad and stepmom in Big D. We are pretty excited to see everyone. YEA! Usually a car trip with six people is not a good time, but one good bonus at this time of year is that there will be no fighting over the radio. Why? Well, because it's Christmas time, which means Christmas music. That's the kind of music we can all agree on.
We love all kinds of Christmas music. I think my favorite Christmas carol would be O Holy Night. I love that song. The kids love all the usual favorites....Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman, Up On the Housetop, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, etc. There are also tons of great old favorites such as, Bing Crosby's White Christmas, Brenda Lee's Rockin Around the Christmas Tree and Jingle Bell Rock. I also love Gene Autry's version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I played my Time Life Christmas Treasury so much that I literally wore it out. It had everything on it, including The Chipmunk Song, which is definitely one of their favorites.
Another one of my favorites is from my teenage years. Yes, I grew up in the 80's. One of my favorite songs is Do They Know It's Christmas by Band Aid. I mean, Duran Duran, Bono and Bananarama - how could any self-respecting 80's kids not love that?
Then there is Amy Grant's Breath of Heaven, which is in a class all by itself. The youtube video is below and it's amazing. It's a wonderful partner to Mary Joy's study on Mary. I don't think you can hear that song and watch that video and not celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.
I've mentioned many times of my love for Hallmark movies. Well, today I thought I would share a couple of my favorite Hallmark Christmas commercials. I hope you love them as much as I do.
Durn Hallmark! I gotta go blow my durn nose! Hope y'all have a great day!
So, I may have mentioned before my obsession love of Christmas movies. I love them! I love to have them on when I'm decorating the tree. I love to have them on when I'm sewing or crafting. I just love to have them on, all the time! In fact, I have The Most Wonderful Time of The Year on right now. So, today I am wondering if everyone is obsessed with Christmas movies, or if it's just me. What type of Christmas movies do you like? Do you like the big blockbuster movies or the made for TV Christmas movies?
There are several catagories for Christmas movies and some movies fall into more than one catagory. There are the original versions and of course, the remakes.
OLD CLASSICS
These are the movies that everyone has seen at least once in their lifetime. These movies include movies like It's a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Christmas in Connecticut, The Bells of St. Mary's, The Bishop's Wife, A Christmas Carol, Holiday Inn and Miracle on 34th Street.
Danny Kaye and Bring Crosby, does is get any better than that? Love Bing Crosby!!!
CHRISTMAS MOVIES - COMEDY
This category is reserved for movies such as Elf, Christmas Vacation, The Santa Clause, Home Alone and A Christmas Story.
CHRISTMAS ROMANCE
These are the romantic comedies and dramas movies that happen to come out at Christmas - like Four Christmases, Sleepless in Seatlle, Love Actually, You've Got Mail, While You Were Sleeping, Serendipity, and When Harry Met Sally.
MADE FOR TV CHRISTMAS MOVIES
Okay, let's be honest here. Most of these movies are really cheesey, but I love them. ABC Family plays lots of them. Some of my favorites are The Three Christmas Gifts, A Season for Miracles, The Night Before the Night Before Christmas, The Christmas List, Holiday in Handcuffs, Christmas Do-Over, 12 Men of Christmas, Santa Baby, All I Want for Christmas, A Home for Christmas and the list goes on and on. I love these movies. About 99% of them are produced my Larry Levinson. He must be a kajillionaire!!!
HALLMARK CHRISTMAS MOVIES
I will admit that I am totally addicted to The Hallmark Channel. The Hallmark movies, at least in my opinion, deserve their own category. They are all touching stories of family and love. I believe I have seen every Christmas movie the Hallmark Channel plays. I love them all. My new favorite is a movie from last year called Christmas in Canaan. It is a wonderfully touching movie starring Billy Ray Cyrus. I also love Silver Bells, The National Tree, Under the Mistletoe, The Christmas Card, A Grandpa for Christmas, Our First Christmas, Finding John Christmas, and the list goes on and on. Hallmark also has several new movies coming out this month including The Gift of the Magi and The Santa Incident. You can find more information about Hallmark Christmas movies here.
CHRISTMAS SPECIALS
These are the specials we all grew up watching. A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and new classics like Shrek The Halls, Yes Virginia, Their Is A Santa Claus and Merry Madagascar.
Lots of these movies are remakes or "loose interpretations" of older classics. You've Got Mail is actually a remake of The Shop Around the Corner (1940 with Jimmy Stewart - sweet movie) and It's a Wonderful Life is a classic that is loosely based on A Christmas Carol. Of course, Sleepless in Seattle was inspired by An Affair To Remember.
My favorite movies that I cannot get through the season without watching are: Whhite Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, Christmas in Canaan, and basically any Christmas movies on The Hallmark Channel.
What is your favorite Christmas movie? Do you watch them as a family? Do you watch them other than during Chrismtas? Do you keep them on in the background while doing other things or do you prefer background Christmas music like my Hubby?
Amanda shared this link to Chiff with her readers. It's a site that lists all the upcoming Christmas specials on TV. Pretty cool, huh? Thanks Amanda!
Good morning Bloggy Friends!!! I am half asleep today because I had such a late night last night. I just wanted to share a few things with y'all. As I mentioned on Friday's post, I won front row Michael Buble tickets from http://www.b98.com/showdj.asp?DJID=28644, which is my favorite radio station. We were so excited. We've never been in the front row for ANYTHING! I had no idea what a huge difference there is between being in the front row and being in the nosebleed section. I knew I would be able to see a lot more without watching the huge screens, but it's hard to imagine how close the front row really is.
A group called Naturally 7 opened for Michael Buble. I had never heard of them before, but they were AMAZING! They are a "vocal play" group, which basically means they not only sing, but make all the instrumental music, vocally. No instruments at all! My favorites were the two guys who did the guitar and vocals (Polo) and the guy who did the bass (Hops). We had the chance to meet them after the show. Unfortunately, I ran down the battery on Hubby's iphone so I only had the film camera with pictures of the guys and therefore no photos to share. They were incredibly nice guys and so talented! I included one of their videos below. Y'all should definitely check them out. Again, AMAZING!
Now, for Michael Buble. Man, does he put on a good show! He is funny, although there were some highly inappropriate comments when he was introducing his band, but still funny. I had no idea he was funny, did you? Some of you may have been in the front row before, but it was a totally once in a lifetime new experience for me. We were on the front row, almost all the way to the left side of the stage. He was very good about working the stage and not staying in one spot the whole time. Wanna see how close?
Photo by Maria Gray, the sweet girl sitting beside me with her new iphone. She emailed it to me last night. Thanks Maria!
Nice, right? He was about five feet from us when this was taken. So awesome. I realized about five songs in to his set, that my face was killing me. L is sick, so for a moment I was thinking I might be catching his cold, but then I realized it was because I had been smiling nonstop for an hour! I don't think I've ever smiled so much that my face hurt!
The other funny thing about being in the front row is that when they do the pyrotechnics, throw out the balls to bounce around and throw out the sweaty towels, you are RIGHT THERE! So cool! This is the picture I got with Hubby's phone when the confetti (fake snow) fell during Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow.
I even kept some "snow". Yep, I'm a dork. Anyway, it was amazing! Have I mentioned that I had a GREAT time? Best time I've had in YEARS!!!! And just for the record, Hubby had a really great time too. He is a big fan of acapella groups so he loved Naturally 7 as well as Michael Buble.
Here is the picture Hubby took of me. You can see Michael behind me on center stage.
Thanks again to Jeff and Lisa for the tickets. It was a once in a lifetime experience.
So, as I mentioned yesterday, Hubby was sick this weekend so we didn't get to attend his Nannie's 85th birthday party OR his cousin Amy's Christmas party, as we had planned. We really hated to miss it. Amy had mentioned that at her party, we were to bring White Elephant/Dirty Santa gifts. Y'all know that game, right? Where everyone opens a gift one at a time and then you can trade depending on what number you draw? Y'all know that game? Anyway, lots of people bring silly gifts, like rolls of toilet paper or a Slinky, but I always want to bring something nice, maybe a nice candle or a cute mug with a Starbucks gift card. I decided that I would make something this year. This is what I decided on.
An applique Christmas tree towel. Isn't it cute? I got decent reviews for the DishWitchy Towel I made for Halloween, so why not a Christmas one, right? Anyway, since the party was last weekend, I thought it would be plenty of time to display it for Christmas. Too bad we missed the party, but I still love the towel. Wouldn't they make great gifts for teachers or neighbors or just anybody who has a kitchen? I always cook for teachers so this would be great along with their cookies and candy! I gotta get busy making more. Christmas is just around the corner.
Okay, friends, gotta go get ready to see Michael Buble tonight. WOO HOO!
Hello friends. I hope everyone had a good weekend. We had planned to go to Dallas for Hubby's Nannie's surprise 85th birthday party. Unfortunately, Hubby came down with the virus that his work people have been passing around. Gee, thanks Jack! Hubby has been spraying Lysol for two weeks, but to no avail. So, we did not get to attend Nannie's party. Being sick when you're over four hours from home is NOT fun. We were very disappointed that we didn't get to party with Hubby's family. But, this did free up a few hours on Saturday so that I could take E to see Santa Claus.
E is a funny little creature. She does not talk to strangers unless it's her idea. If anyone at the grocery store or Wal-Mart or the library speaks to her, she immediately ducks her head, hides her eyes and won't speak. If they completely ignore her, she'll say, "Mom, I want to talk to her". Yep, she's fickle. Anway, for weeks she has been talking about going to see Santa Claus. At least ten times a day she'll say, "Mom, I want to go see Santa Claus and tell him I want a Baby All Gone and I'll say please, and he'll say yes." My answer, "We'll see." and she responds with something like, "Oh, boy!"
I did not take her to the mall to see Santa, because I did have a sick Hubby at home to take care of and because, well, I'm not crazy enough to stand in line for an hour. Santa was to be at Wal-Mart from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. I'm not sure if the scheduler people are completely nuts or just not parents or what. WHY on earth would they schedule Santa during lunch and naptime when kids were at the crabbiest? DUH! Anyway, I dressed her in her Zebra Christmas Outfit and her over the top bows and off to see Santa we went.
This is her picture with Santa from last year. Sweet, right? Shocked us all for her to go right up to him and hug him. I couldn't believe it and she loves to carry around her picture with Santa. So, here she is all cheery and decked out Saturday. She couldn't wait to see Santa.
Wanna see the picture with Santa? Yeah, me too! She took one look at him, turned around and said, "Nope, I don't want it!" There was absolutely no talking her into sitting in his lap. She refused to go within 15 yards of him. That is exactly why we don't wait an hour in line to see Santa. She hasn't said a word about Baby All Gone since Saturday. UGH!
