MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I'm running around crazy, busy today preparing for our trip to AZ.

I'm looking forward to spending more quiet time with my family and even some friends.

Today I've got last minute gift wrapping going on.

Laundry.

Christmas music playing in the background.

Laundry.

Packing.

A little baking, too.

And, I'm sure I mentioned laundry.

While I'm away, I'll be checking in on my favorite blogs.

However, I will not be able to get my fix and post good tidbits on mine.

I may go through blog-detox.

Does anyone know of a remedy for that??

Can't wait til January when we'll be home and I'll be back to blogland.

In all this chaos, I'm remembering one thing:

The birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:16

Merry Christmas!

I hope you and your family enjoy every minute of your time together!!

Cute ornaments in the making

My house has been a disaster for the past week, mostly due to Christmas prep.

The dining room table has looked like a craft bomb went off.

All for a good reason.

We had everything in place to make homemade ornaments.
We do this every year as our family tradition.

I've blogged about this a bit before showing you some of the previous years models.

So, I thought and thought....and finally came up with this year's plan.

Letters!

Bought a bunch of letters and other christmasy ornaments (since all the letters that I needed were not available) to paint and decorate.

Also bought ribbon to glue gun to the back.

Cover your table with newspaper, grab your paint, brushes, puffy paint/fabric paint, glitter and extra bling to create a one-of-a-kind ornament for someone special; family members, close friends or teachers.

First, paint the base color on the ornament.  Let dry.

Add extra embellishments and your own decorative flair.

You can also just use glitter by covering the letter with glue, then dump the glitter on top.  They come out beautifully.

This little elf joins in for a bit, finishes painting quicky and then
creates her own black magic art.  Ta da!!  It's Spongebob and Patrick!
I encourage her to come back to the ornaments but she dances to her own tune, escapes...and tries to hide.
When the camera is out - there's no getting away!

We make homemade tags and place them on the back of each ornament, too.
Always put the year on the label for future reminiscing.

Here are just a few of the finished product.

It's easy.
It's affordable.
It's personal!

Man playdate = Mandate

Yes - these 2 guys are real men, dads and husbands...

oh, and did I mention that they are gainfully employed?

So, check this out!!

Two manly men playing hard....

Follow these steps:

1.  Neighbor comes to pick up his girls from a playdate.

2.  Neighbor asks me where the man of the house is.

3.  Looks sad when he's not here.

4.  Man of the house arrives with groceries in hand.

5.  Neighbor is happy to see him.

6.  Neighbor asks him "hey - how's your Star Wars game?"

7.  Put Wii DVD in game slot.

8.  Grab your light saber that glows and makes cool sounds.

9.  Turn on the button.

We are Jedis.

We will fight the empire.

Ring, ring...

Neighbor's wife calls and says "Obi wan kenobi needs to come home.
Dinner's ready."

Playdate over.

The clock

I received an email from my good friend, Lori.

She and I rarely see each other or talk.

We started out as friends in elementary school and

throughout high school.

Life took us different directions after, but we always stayed in touch.

Even if only once a year by email.

We are still friends.

I could count on her to help me through anything.

Do you have friends like that??

I know you do.

Send them this.

The Clock

tick....tick...tick...

God doesn't give you the people you want;
He gives you the people you NEED.... to help you,
to hurt you, to leave you, to love you
and to make you into the person you were meant to be.

I LOVE YOU!!!!!

NOW, YOU'RE ON THE CLOCK!!!!

IN 9 MINUTES SOMETHING WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY,

BUT YOU HAVE TO TELL 9 SISTERS YOU LOVE THEM .. GO!!!!

One Flaw In Women

Women have strengths that amaze men...

They bear hardships and they carry burdens, 

but they hold happiness, love and joy.

They smile when they want to scream.

They sing when they want to cry.

They cry when they are happy

and laugh when they are nervous.

They fight for what they believe in...

They stand up to injustice.

They don't take "no" for an answer

when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have.

They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.

They love unconditionally.

They cry when their children excel

and cheer when their friends get awards.

They are happy when they hear about

a birth or a wedding.

Their hearts break when a friend dies.

They grieve at the loss of a family member,

yet they are strong when they

think there is no strength left.

They know that a hug and a kiss

can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you

to show how much they care about you.

The heart of a woman is what

makes the world keep turning.

They bring joy, hope and love.

They have compassion and ideas.

They give moral support to their

family and friends.

Women have vital things to say

and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,

IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

Please pass this along to all your women friends and
relatives to remind them just how amazing they are.

A simple thank you

I had the greatest morning today spending time with 3 fun, crafty ladies.

Kristy, our host, had some easy...and cute crafts for us to make to use as teacher gifts.

Well, that's not the point of this blog but had to give you a bit of info

as I segway into the story....

I offered to bring coffee and creamer, so I made a quick stop at

Starbucks for a big 12-cup to go box of fully leaded, get your craft on black goodness.

As I waited for the pot to brew, a young woman got in line for her coffee.

She was wearing the typical Air Force garb.

I reached into my pocket and grabbed a $5 bill and handed it

to her saying I'd like to buy her a cup of coffee as a very small

token of her great work for our Country.

At first, she was reluctant but accepted the token.

She thanked me, said Merry Christmas and gave me a grand smile!

I could never do what they do.

Thank God for our Soldiers!

Happy Things

My great friend, Nancy of The Goat and the Kid, tagged me on this.

I'm so happy!! (no pun intended).
Thanks, Nancy.  You definitely make me smile.

So, I have to list 10 things that make me happy,

smile or just make me feel good.
It was hard to limit this to 10 items, so here goes.

#1 Without a doubt it's my happy family.

I have an awesome husband, completely understanding and supportive,
smart, funny and handsome.

We don't spend a lot of time alone together.

What am I saying?

We spend a lot...A LOT...of time together because we both work from home....

in the same office space....

in the same kitchen area....

in the same bed every night!

It's all good.

When we do get away for a quick weekend, it's well worth it.

I actually begin to feel like a woman - not a Mom.

(I'm thinking about Shania Twain's song "Feel Like a Woman".)

You'll understand this reference soon.  Keep reading.

Oh, and my 2 adorable, sweet, healthy daughters.

Being Mom to these special little people is truly a blessing.

#2 Coffee...anytime, any day...all day!

You may be thinking - oh, she's a caffeine-a-holic just like me.
We do decaf over here, ladies.
I like to think that I'm naturally high!
John Denver's Rocky mountain high just popped into my head.
Sing it with me.

To give you a taste of my coffee, I'll tell you what my hubby thinks about it.
T-Bone calls my coffee a coffee-like-beverage because it's about 1/2 coffee with 1/4 milk + 1/4 hazelnut creamer...and 2 Spendas.

YUMMY!!!

Everyone can't do it black!
(that looks funny but I'm going to leave it there.)

This is a picture that Sugar Nugget drew of me with my coffee.

It's quite artistic, don't you think?

#3 Our new backyard pool with fantastic bbq and festive palapa.
This investment in our backyard has brought a lot of good times.
(Sng reference:  Let the good times roll.)
Can't wait until spring and summer.

Not the best photo, but it's too dark right now to take another.

#4  Flannel PJs and warm, fuzzy socks!
I do most of my bloggin while wearing these babies.

Oh, they are so comfy and warm.
I literally wear them more than 1/2 of the year because
we keep our house a toasty 67 degrees (sometimes cooler).
Oh yeah - note my sarcasm on the toasty reference above.

#5  Reality shows, snacking in front of the TV and sleeping.
Wait a minute...that's 3 things.
Well, not really.  I'll explain.
After the girls go to bed, T-Bone and I have our nighttime,
relaxation ritual, as follows:
get a snack,
choose reality show from Tivo'd list
watch and munch
go to bed
You see, it really is just one thing.

#6  My Dogs

Yes - all 3 of them.  Call me crazy but I love the furry critters.
Bailey, Max and Carly have a GREAT life here!

Bailey - age 11

Max - age 3

and our little rascal, Carly.

#7  Singing

For those of you who have heard my lovely voice, you're
probably saying "oh, no she did-n't".
Yes - I love belting out a tune.
Any tune.  Any time.  Made up or the real thing.
Mimicking a tune that springs to mind when I'm doing
something is a daily occurence.
I even made up a song that I sing while preparing the dog food.
Weird, huh?

#8  Having a glass-half-full mentality.

It sure makes life brighter.

#9  Sweet Treats
I'm not picky.
Cake.
Pie.
Ice Cream.
Candy.
Chocolate.
Baked goods.
Carb-o-li-cious!

#10  Blogging!
Why is it so addictive?
Who cares.
Just do it, I say!


Well, this was fun!!!

Some of my favorite blogs that make me smile have already been tagged.
They are:
The Goat and the Kid
SoSoBella
2 Cool for my Mini Van
Lemonade Makin' Mama
All a Flutter
Flower Patch Farmgirl
oh, there are many more.

These are the blogs that I enjoy and would love to hear from:

Tag, you're it...
No, really, I'm just saying
On the Bright Side
No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane
Whatever
With Enough Coffee I could rule the World
Definitely, Maybe


Copy and paste the above Happy 101 header to your blog.
Tell me who and what makes you happy.

Have a happy day!

Crafty? NOT!

We have a Christmastime tradition to make one of these cute houses.

We lay out a table cloth, separate the candy into individual dishes,

get the icing ready and begin.

You would think that putting this pre-baked gingerbread house

would be easy to put together, right?

Not in our house.

The directions are simple.

Step 1: use icing to put the 4 walls of gingerbread together to form the house.

Step 2: more icing to put on the roof.

Gotta taste it, too.

Step 3:  Put icing on other parts of the house

so we can put some candies all around.

Then - BOOM, BANG...

The roof begins sliding off.

Gravity.  Uuurgh!

It's like a slow-motion, bad movie.

The girls have become accustomed to this action over the years.

They don't panic.

They simply start packing on more icing to put it back together.

We try again.

Back to the candy application...

Things are looking up.

We think it's going to stay put.

NOPE.

More icing, please.

Bet you can't figure out which is our house

and which is the picture of the manufacturer's box.

Maybe I need some new kitchen tools to help us out.

Even though our tradition doesn't offer perfection,

it's fun!!

What are your family traditions?

The cutest holiday performance

My 7 year old, Sugar Nugget, had her 2nd grade performance tonight.

It was A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E.

The kids performed every holiday song in the book.

She did her thing on stage.

She worked it.

Sang her heart out and did the motions.

She kept looking right at us with a big smile.

I truly appreciate every performance my girls are in.

I embrace where they are in their lives.

Literally, my eyes well up when I'm watching them.

Is that normal??

Why do I love these performances so much?

Because the kids are full of life!

Smiling.

Singing.

Doing their individual parts.

They are proud.

All their hard work has paid off.

They have a feeling of accomplishment.

Sugar Nugget played an Angel for her part.

Don't know the title of the song but it was spelling out the word Christmas

and saying something about each letter.

She was for "A" - the angel.

So glad she performed a Christmas song.

We continue to spell out the true meaning of Christmas to our girls.

We also teach them to respect the beliefs of others, as others should respect ours.

T-Bone and I are proud.

She is our baby.

This is the last 2nd grade performance we'll be seeing.

I will appreciate these times and be grateful to have them.

Christmastime bling

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR.

My hubby and I dig the decorating.
Sometimes we just do too much.
It looks like Santa threw up on our house.

So, this year, we're keepin' it simple.
Mmmmm-huh!
Our house is blinged!!

The tree corner looks nice and not too cluttered.

The lights on the tree are shinin' all day long.

Sugar Nugget turns them on as soon as she wakes every morning.

I just LoVe pulling out all the ornaments and taking a moment

to remember where it came from, who made it or why we bought it.

T-Bone and I have a tradition where we buy one new ornament every year.
He usually buys a really cool lookin' one and I usually buy a cutesy Santa-looking ornament.

We've made some homemade decorations throughout the years.
It started out very simply when the girls were young and couldn't do much.
The ornaments make great gifts for family and friends who won't judge
and can appreciate the "home made" stuff.
(Just another reminder that I am not a crafty chick.)

One of our firsts was a glass ornament.
Sweet Cheeks was only 2 1/2 at the time and took red & green permanent markers
and just scribbled on it.
It's hard to see because the marker was green.
Sugar Nugget was only 6 months and just sat around
looking like a cute blob of a baby.

Here they are at ages 2 and 6 months.

I miss those days.

This cute snowman was made from the foam-like clay.
I think the manufacturer is Playdough.
It was easy for the kids to shape and hardened up nicely.
We used assorted sizes of beads on the mouth and eyes.

I like this one.
It was a simple, clear, glass ornament.
We poured a variety of paint colors inside and rolled the paint around.
Each ornament came out really pretty!

Ah, the wood-shaped ornaments.

They were the kids favorites.

We painted the entire ornament and let it dry.

Came back to it with the puffy paints to add some style and flair.

Ah, last but not least...
The white glass bulb with permanent markers to do the trick.
It's a great classroom craft, too.

These intricate ornaments are homemade by our good friends, Julie and Eric. 
They took beautiful shells and made them into Christmas art!
Truly amazing!

With such a great season and fun decorating, my favorite is when
the girls decorate their trees.  They each have one in their bedroom.

This was a tradition we started about 4 years ago.
They've got a box of ornaments that includes hello kitty, shrek, plastic balls, dora, etc.

This year came as a surprise to me when Sweet Cheeks
didn't want any of those decorations for HER tree.
She wanted to classy-it-up by choosing only balls, colorful crystal acryllics and beads.

Again...another sign that she's growing up!

I'm not surprised but truly want to take it a bit slower, please.

Sugar Nugget went for the cute, kid-friendly ornaments and enjoyed tree time.

Trees, decorations, lights and all....when all is said and done,

our girls now the true meaning of Christmas.
The birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.