Christmas Goodies!

So, I don't usually do a lot of baking and such for the holidays, but there are some things I annually make... Fudge is one of them... dipped cookies or pretzels is another. Well, today, I went crazy! First I dipped 2 bags of Oreos in white chocolate and red and green candy melts. Katie wanted a gift to give to some friends, and we thought this was a great idea! Then I decided to make Chex Mix... cheesy ranch Chex mix to be exact. Then there was the fudge... peanut butter fudge, and then of course my favorite chocolate fudge with walnuts!

So, tell me what is your favorite Christmas treat? What do you bake? What do you have to have some the holiday season? Share with me on your blog your favorite holiday recipe.

Here is mine:

Fudge:
6 tablespoons margarine
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 pound powdered sugar
4 tabespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla

Mix all this together in a pot and bring to a boil. Once the color changes to a nice rich chocolate brown, turn it off, and remove from heat. Then you can add a cup of nuts or not... pour into buttered 8x8 or 9x9 pan and chill until set.

Here's a picture I leave with you of my Yummy dipped Oreos, (the fudge is not ready so you'll have to settle for this!) and remember please share your fave recipe and leave a comment here so I know you have done so!

Decorating the tree.... Take 2!

OK, so I have been severely "down" so far this holiday season, and I have figured a lot of it has had to do with the fact taht I was just not happy with my tree. Now now now... it is not ALLLLLL the cats fault. My tree is a live tree, and my ornaments tend to be heavy, so the whole tree was being drug down. It just looked sad, and it made me sad and I didn't even wanna look at it, or turn it on, or be near it! So today, I decided I was taking off all the ornaments, and I replaced them with lighter ornaments that fit this live tree better! Since we (Timothy and I) redecorated, I feel 100% better!!! Take a look at our new tree.... oh and don't pay attention to the crooked star, I fixed it! And if you notice to the right of the tree, someone is eyeing up to see what he is gonna tear off of it already!

Twas the Night Before Christmas!

This was shared by my great friend Joanne on our yahoo group! And sadly... how true it is! LOL Enjoy!

Twas the night before Christmas, I'm glued to the tree.
I'm wondering what Santa brought just for me.
Could it be cardstock, or chipboard or lace?
Or a Cricut, I said, with a smile on my face.
And that's when I heard him, "Hi Santa, " I said
"You know....good little girls should be in their
beds."

"I know I should Santa, and now I've got caught.
But I was just so excited, to see what you brought."
"Well, let's take a look in this room where you work.
He shook his head quickly, and left with a jerk.
I heard him exclaim as he put it in gear.
"You've got enough crap, I'll see you next year!"

Cards!

I love Christmas Cards!!! I love making Christmas Cards and sending Christmas Cards and getting Christmas cards! I love my Snowman Christmas card holder. It's feeling rather empty. The cards are sloooooooooowwwwwwlllllllllllllyyyyyy trickling in this year! This holder is usually full!!! So, I wanna see from now till Christmas just how full it gets.... so, let's compare...

Here it is today, and I will take another photo on Christmas Day to compare!



As you can see... most all of my cards are from my scrappy friends... gotta love em!!!

I also wanted to share a visitor we had today! Don't know where he (or she) came from, but my boys were quite intrigued by him(her).



A gorgeous kitty... don't know who it belongs to, but it is very skiddish. Take a closer look.... (had to get the picture through the glass, cause it ran away when it heard me making noise in the house...)

December 8 and 9

OK, so I actually missed a day.... I have just been so tired! This running back and forth to the hospital and trying to get things done around here has nearly killed me! Anyway, I was hoping tonight to have a nice post about Christmas shopping. The kids and I went to the mall with high hopes of getting a huge dent in our Christmas shopping, and all we managed to do was eat dinner and walk around for awhile and come home. I just couldn't get myself together enough to actually shop and buy things! Oh well! So tonight I will share my Winter House I have been working on for awhile. It is now 98% finished. I just need to add a couple more things, and I will be all done!!!





All I need is a little more of the Pom Pom ball ribbon, and something to look like Smoke coming out of the chimney! My awesome friend Bethany punched me out some snowflakes to add to the house! Thanks so much Beffy, it made the house look so much more awesome!!!

December 7

Short post tonight, but I didn't want to miss a day! Been at work all day, and then in the ER this evening with Dad. (he's ok, but staying overnight at the hospital..)


Today I want to share a new ornament I got this year! I just think it is absolutely adorable. I bought it at my favorite store at Myrtle Beach over Thanksgiving... The Christmas Mouse....

Here's a replica of my boys... And if they don't leave my Christmas tree alone... it may be a reminder of what they USED to look like!!! LOL

Christmas Party...

Last night I went to my WMU group Christmas Party at church. I did the decorating for this party, and if I must say so myself, it looked awesome! I had to decorate 8 long tables, and this is what I came up with for simple yet elegant looking table decor.

The centerpiece was a clear plastic plate with a candle hot glued on. Then around the candle I just randomly placed some silver and blue ornaments. I did light the candles...



On either side of the candle/plate I placed a round styrofoam disc and inserted 3 snowflake suckers I made and then between and around it all I just randomly laid silver tinsel.



At the end of the night, everyone got to take home a sucker!

Here is the full view of a table... I really love the color scheme, it is so different from the "norm" of Christmas red and green!



This was my 2nd year doing the decorating, and I am already thinking of what I should do next year!!!

As a bonus, I am throwing in a picture of me all dressed up for the evening... remember this, cause the dressing up and the picture taking do not happen often! LOL

Stay Tuned...

The December 6 post will not occur until the evening due to me working tomorrow! I guess I could post tonight, but then it doesn't seem quite right to post a day early! LOL See ya tomorrow night!

Re-Decorating the tree...

I knew this would be an issue....

I knew they wouldn't be able to resist....

The little beasts, they tried to un-decorate the tree last night! First off, I heard one of them playing with something before I went to bed. Sure enough, Garfield had an ornament and was batting it around the house. About 30 minutes later, I hear a bell jingle... I go and look and the too (not so) innocent creatures were sitting under the tree, and about 3 ornaments were on the floor. This is what I wake up to this morning....




Any suggestions for keeping 2 kitties out of the tree? HELP!!!

Our Tree

Today was the day that the tree needed decorating! Let me just start by saying I HATE putting the lights on the tree. So much so I always wonder what would happen if I just left them off? In the end the lights went on... 8 strands.... 800 little blue lights...



The kids and I all got together and put the ornaments on. This year it was Timothy who didn't wanna do it and Katie who did.. (last year, just the opposite...) but we all managed to work together.


Yes, that is Timothy in his boxers, I warned him I would be taking pictures and I warned him they would be posted on the web. LOL Oh well!!!

OK, in the end I am mostly happy with the tree. I think next year I will go back to my artificial tree, I do not like that the limbs bend when you put ornaments on. All in all, I think it is a great looking tree though, and it sure smells good!!!

December 3

Oh boy... I can't believe I have made it through day 3!!! I am definitely on a roll!!!

Today thankfully has not been as eventful as yesterday, but I did manage to get a little something done. Today I finished the decorating of the outside of the house. It is not nearly as festive as some I have seen, but I like it and it certainly won't jack my electric bill up this month! LOL

Here is the front of the hosue... all ready for the holiday season!




Oh and pay no attention to the horrid landscaping.. I need to do somethinga bout that this spring!

Let the Decorating Begin!!

So today is the day the decorating starts! I bought a new wreath and added some floral stuffs I found in the garage to it, and I put up the garland I bought today outside on the porch. Tomorrow I will finish it off by placing bows here and there and putting the garland around the mailbox. Here is my wreath...



Timothy and I also got our Christmas tree. Nothing really exciting, it is just too expensive to go to a tree farm and get a tree, so we took a lovely 3 minute trip to our local Food Lion and bought this fabulous tree... which reminds me I need to water it! Oops!!!




On a sad note, we lost our Mouser boy today. It was very hard, but I had to make the decision to let him go. I was afraid he was suffering too much. I love him too much to see him suffer any longer. He really has never been the same since Pookie died, so I feel he is much happier now! So farewell ole boy! We will always remember you and miss you!!!

My Birthday!!!

Today was my birthday! What a great day I had.... I went to Walmart, cleaned out my garage, cleaned my office, did some laundry.... see a pattern here? LOL

Actually I had a great dinner at mom and dad's house with them and the kids. Katie even made me a cake. (well, mom made the cake, Katie iced and decorated it!) It was gorgeous and delicious!



Katie gave me a great gift of a picture she painted while we were at the beach, and a gorgeous blue poinsettia and a balloon!



I have never seen a poinsettia that color! It is beautiful! Now to keep it out of reach of the kitties!

Timothy did not forget me! He couldn't wait to give me his present, so I got that yesterday.. a new wallet and inside an AC Moore Gift Card! (Guess where I am going tomorrow???)

All in all it has been a great day!

Oh... and Timothy and I played a game of Memory.... that he found in the trunk of my car tonight... I had bought it for a Christmas gift, but he found it. LOL (we had great fun at the beach playing an old Memory game that had been left there by someone else, so I thought it would be a perfect family gift!) So much for surprises huh?

Stay Tuned!

And feel free to poke me if needed! For the month of December, I plan to post a photo and some sort of journaling every day! I want to experience the holiday season to its fullest and document all the things my family enjoys! Please join me in this endeavor and document your families Christmas season as well! At the end of the month I plan to transfer all this to an album and have these memories to cherish forever! So, if you see me miss a day, give me a shout!!!

A few New Pages...

I haven't shared pages in a while, so here are a few I have done from last night through today! We are having a weekend crop at Scrap-Happy (yahoo group) and this is what I have accomplished so far!

My Scrap Space...

Have I ever mentioned I LOVE my scrap area? I think I have accomplished more since I moved my scrap area just less than a year ago, than I had in a few years prior! My Scrap area is right in my den. Right in the middle of all the action in the house. I moved it out of my office because I felt so isolated, and I got very distracted by having the computer right here as well! Here are a few photos of where I create! Why don't you share yours and leave a link in the comments here!

These are the tables I actually scrap on...
This is the entire scrap area......

Here is my favorite piece of organization... my Making Memories shelf!

So, now show me your area, and tell me what about it inspires you to scrap!

Halloween Ramblings...

First of all HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone!!! Hope you have lots of fun with your Trick-or-Treating or Fall Festivals, or whatever you do tonight!!! Here's a glimpse of my baby all dressed up...



Are you noticing a theme here? Last year she was a Princess, this year a Greek Goddess.... suits her personality just fine. Wonder what next year will bring?

So today was Day 2 of the Kitty Diet. Yes my Fat Boy was told he had to go on a diet. How do you put a cat on a diet you ask? Well, first thing you do is take away the self feeder. You put him on scheduled meals. Seems to be working fine so far. My biggest fear has not been realized... you know the one where you wake up at 2 in the morning with a 17 pound cat sitting on your chest about to eat you? He seems to be adjusting just fine to 3 scheduled meals a day. Starting Monday we will move to 2 scheduled meals a day... and that will be when if you don't see me for a week or so, do call and inquire if I am still in one piece... LOL No for reals, he's a sweetie... how can anything this cute be anything but sweet?

NEW STICKLES!!!

I just bought new stickles.....

I just bought new stickles!!!


Ye I am a bit excited! I LOVE LOVE LOVE stickles, and I so cannot wait to try out my new ones! I got *most* of the Distress colors and *most* of the new Glitz ones as well!!! They are sooooo pretty!




Now to make matters worse, I have to find new stickles storage... while they were on one shelf it was all pretty... I need more room!!!




OK, I am off to play with the new stickles!!! I'll let ya know how it turns out later!

Remember When...???

Looking at the pics of Lisa's Daisy Jane, it has left me all melancholy and missing the day when my boys were so little.... oh so sweet and precious little kitties... like this...



This picture came up on my screen saver slideshow today, and all I could say was awwwwwwwwww! He was so cute then!!! And of course you remember the now photos... this is what I deal with now... cute, yes, but not the same!!! LOL

Dinner Anyone?

You may or may not know, but I have ben trying to lose some weight lately. I have been participating in the Biggest Loser Challenge over on Scrapfreak. As of today, I have lost 14 pounds! Not a ton, but honestly I haven't been "trying" too hard! Now I have my focus back, and I am ready to let those pounds roll (right off of me that is....) Tonight I made a big dinner with enough to have for lunches over the weekend! It is a version of the recips Taco Soup (or stew, or as Rachel Ray would say Stoup). My version goes like this:

1 pound ground chicken browned.
1 package taco seasoning
(add this to the browned chicken and add 1/2 cup water. Let simmer for a few minutes.)
Then add:
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can drained corn
1 can Mexican Chili beans

Let all cook and simmer together until well heated through.

It is such a yummy and filling meal!!!

Let there be LIGHT!

So, I have been struggling for quite some time with my lighting in my scrap area. I have used a small lamp, over head light, and finally a Halogen lamp which gets hot as you-know-where. Today I finally gave in and bought myself a day light lamp. Similar to the Ott lamp, but LOTS cheaper in price. I was at Joann's today, and they had them on sale for 40% off. SOLD! Now I can see what I am working on.... and if you look close at the pic, you can see a sneaky peeky of one style of my Christmas cards this year!

A Slight Obsession?

So, I was sitting at my scrap table today, and I looked down at my new sticker letter box. I just got this system a week ago after seeing Lisa's new crate and files system at the crop. So I proceeded to do my system the same way. Little did I know I had this many letters!!! I really do think I have a bit of a Sticker letter/thicker obsession!!! This box does not include my chipboard letters... I think I need a whole box for those alone....

I took the Plunge!!!

I finally did it.... I knew it wouldn't take me long. I mean really, how long can you stand to sit at home with no car to drive?

We are now officially a TWO CAR FAMILY!!!



Today I went and looked at a car I had been eyeing on the internet all weekend. Before I knew it, I had filled out paper work, and bought myself a new (pre-owned) car!!! This one is really cute I think... it's RED RED RED!!!



Katie, well, she oooh'd and ahhhhh'd over my new one for a minute before she realized that meant my old car was technically "hers" Then I couldn't separate her from her new baby!!!

Haircut, FINALLY!

Oh I am so excited to share with you all the pictures of Timothy's new hair do!!! I really think it makes him look a little more mature, and less chubby cheeked! LOL

Here's before:



And now after...

Thursday's Thoughts...

Has it really been 2 weeks since I blogged? I guess it has! Well, these past few weeks have been a whirlwind of stuff going on! First dad had his knee surgery, and that same night we celebrated mom's birthday. I spent some time packing up and getting ready for a weekend crop... This past weekend I went to Lititz, PA for a crop at a B&B with 4 other girlfriends! It was AWESOME! Our hostess for the weekend was an wonderful woman we met last year at the Cozy Crop House. CINDY!!! You can see her in the post if you click on her name!!! Anyway, It was so great to see her again, and I feel so fortunate to have met her and get to know her and scrap with her again! The crop was truly fabulous, except for my migraine and tummy issues that unfortunately caused me to have to leave early. I was so distraught to have to do that, but was glad once I made it home that I was HOME! This week has been crazy busy with Katie having so many things going on. Next week will prove to be the same! I want to share some pictures with you from my crop, and a few pages I did! Enjoy....

Here is the B&B we stayed at...


Lisa Pouting!!! I think this is my fave picture of Lisa from the weekend!!!



Here is the Chocolate Factory we went to... the chocolates were YUMMY!!!



OK, sorry, this is all I have time for... Timothy is getting a HAIRCUT... I will definitely be posting those pictures later!!!