We're Getting Ready...

for Christmas!!!

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. We have our tree up in the Christmas tree room, a blue tinsel itty bitty Christmas tree up in Luke's room, our fiber optic snowman shining on the mantle, Santa kneeling to baby Jesus on our table, Christmas cards up on the shelf, and a wreath on our front door. No outside lights this year except for on the wreath. This is the first year we haven't had outdoor Christmas lights in a long time (perhaps since Brad's first Christmas here when he had just bought the house!) but, alas, we are busy this year. It seems like a lot of people cut the outdoor decorating this year.

Christmas cards are in the making. It is such a long process to make those babies! Printing labels, finding addresses for people who have moved, writing our Christmas letter, sending it to my editor (thanks, Vicki), picking a photo, making the cards, picking them up, stuffing them, stamping them, etc. Oy. But I do love having them from each year and letting everyone catch up on what we've been up to! I always love to get Christmas letters...always a nice surprise to get one in the mail!!

We are planning to take Mr. Luke out to see some Christmas lights tonight. Since he still has to face backwards in his car seat he can't see all the wonderful lights...so we're going to put him in his stroller so that he can see all the lights :) I think he is going to be really excited! He loved the Christmas stroll last week...all the lights...all the people! He was in heaven! Thankfully, he is finally over his sickness (He has been congested lately...as am I! I had a terrible virus for 4 days last week...it was so sad to miss out on 4 days in the month of December!!!) and we are hoping that he won't get it again! It is supposed to be warmer out tonight so he won't be a little block of ice! :)

As for Christmas shopping...I am slowly but surely getting it knocked out. I still have 10 or so people to shop for though! But I have mostly wrapped the presents that I have purchased so far. I have done almost all of my shopping at Target this year....boy do I ever love that store!!

Well, just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas...hope that you are enjoying this season as much as we are!!!! :)

Had a Fabulous Christmas & New Years...

Did a lot of celebrating and eating :) Got loads of goodies from family and friends...

*new Adidas shoes (though I am without one shoe because it fell out of my bag in the parking lot of Alyssa and Josh's apartment on New Years Day...bummer...I hope to get shoe #2 from Lyss on Tuesday),
*a Cricut from my Bradley (you can program it to cut all kinds of cool stuff...I am loving this little machine!),
*Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 from my in laws (I am still trying to figure out how to use all of the little gadets...I did make a little digital layout - my first one ever! - with some New Years photos. It seemed realtively easy but all the layers confuse me. I really want to learn how to make only part of a photo black and white...can anyone help me?),
*all kinds of cool scrapping stuff that I am dying to use!!,
*a Napoleon Dynamite calendar (from MAM that I keep at work and brings me - and my coworkers - much joy each day!),
*a scrappy calendar ( from Vick that I keep in my scrap room),
*a cool green purse (courtesy of Mel) from Peru,
*Christmas socks & coasters (from MAM and Riss),
*Harry and David Blueberry Chocolates (from Perez and Josh...if you have not tried these, you should!! They are so amazingly good!),
*bath fizzies (from Liesel...if I could only find the time to use them!),
*a Razzles shirt and a Pluto shirt (from Perez and Josh...it says "When I was your age Pluto was a planet"),
*JCPenney gift card and clothes (from mom & dad),
*a cow that sings Christmas carols (from Val & Jacob),
*candy (from a lot of people...they know me so well :) I love candy!)
*and probably more that I can't remember...I was so spoiled this year!!

Our first Christmas celebration was held at mom and dad's house out in the corn. We ate enchiladas and stew and I enjoyed the pecan pie that Dave made :) We tried to get some photos of the gals in Santa hats and then the guys in Santa hats...didn't have much luck with the men!! The picture that is in the collage is the best one of the evening.

After Christmas at mom and dad's, we headed over to Wayne and James' (my uncles') house for Christmas with daddy's side of the family. Lots of cutie pie kids to keep us entertained. Got some cute photos of my cousin Deborah and her hubby Tommy with their two kiddos. Had a lovely evening there. Laughed about Josh getting so many more presents than Perez (I suppose everyone is trying to encourage him to stay?...and think that our family=good people). The big toys of the year included marshmellow shooters (guns you load with marshmellows courtesy of the candy shop gal Perez & her hubby), Cars toys (books, cars, shirts, etc), and the science set was a loved gift by little Huston (as pictured in the collage with Tommy).

Our next Christmas celebration was just the two of us on Christmas morning. (I wonder if our kids will be willing to wait that long to open presents! I always opened them up on Christmas Eve growing up and Brad opened them on Christmas morning when he was a kid). I know our Christmas celebration will be much more lively once we have some little ones to watch :) Christmas just isn't the same without kids around. I made cinnamon toast for Brad (a Christmas tradition) and then we opened presents.

Presents for Brad (from me) included some new socks (lol...it always makes me think of the lottery ticket commercial "buy a gift...maybe even socks..."), an organizer for the Jeep, a belt from Old Navy, and the New Testament on CD (he has been wanting this for a while...he hates to read) and some more random goodies (like candy and ladybugs from the candy shop so we can race them!).

Brad gave me some scrapping goodies from my wishlist at the local scrapbook store and a Cricut...YAY! I didn't know he was going to get me that. We were at Michael's one day and he noticed it and asked me about it. Then he shows up with one on Christmas morning! That boy! He always spends too much on my presents!! After we opened presents we took a little nap and then got ready for Christmas at Brad's parents' house.

The next celebration was held at Brad's parents' house on Christmas day at lunch. We were missing Val & Jacob and Kellie, Carter, Logan, & Caden because they were all at other family gatherings. So not as much fun without the kids there. At least Alicia and Daniel brought a little silliness. :)

Highlights of our Christmas celebration include yummy ham and corn, getting Photoshop (everyone was envious that I can take wrinkles out and make people look skinnier!), watching Gene open his surround sound system, and watching the boys try to set up the system in the living room (crawling up in the attic and everything!). Was glad that Alicia & Daniel and both grannies could attend.

We also had another celebration at mom and dad's house on Christmas day but I didn't take any photos. (I know, you are shocked). I was pictured out and the lighting is bad so I figured it was okay.

The few days in between the holidays were spent getting some extra sleep, being sad that Christmas was over, playing with my new toys, organizing my scraproom (it is a lot more organized now!), cleaning, and hanging out with family. I am always a little depressed the days following Christmas. Ever since I was little I can remember just laying around and moping after Christmas was over. I have always loved the holiday so much and hate to see it go...that means I have to wait 365 days till it comes again!!

New Years was spent at Perez & Josh's really cute apartment. We all learned that Perez is quite a cook and very good at throwing an excellent party with very short notice! She made all kinds of yummy goodies. Gotta love that girl.

Josh was the bartender for the evening. They made me virgin strawberry daquiris :) Yum! We watched Just Like Heaven and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I got a good hour of sleep during the last one...not my kind of movie. But I like sleep so it was okay :) Got a call from Amanda who left a voice message for Vicki at 9:17 saying happy new year...we all laughed at her celebrating the new year at 9:17. They had a church party that ended at 9:00 and then barely stayed awake for the new year...lol...old people (but you've got to love them!).

We proabably went to sleep around 2:30 or 3:00 and got to sleep in till 11:00...then Brad and I headed over to Brad's parents' house for lunch.

So we kind of missed lunch at Brad's parents' house but still got to see the family. Caden & Logan enjoyed opening their Christmas presents from Aunt Valerie and Uncle Jacob (since they weren't there for Christmas). Caden got a two cool wooden puzzles that made noise and Logan got some kind of Superman game. Looked like fun.

We attempted to get a family picture of Carter, Kellie, Logan & Caden but had no luck. Caden wasn't having it (even though he is usually a ham for the camera) and Logan hates having his picture taken now (though he was just like Caden when he was younger, always wanting to be the center of attention). Gene took the boys out on the John Deere...a family tradition and favorite of Caden.

I am in the middle of taking all of our Christmas decorations down. Kinda sad. I am looking forward to seeing the house decorated for Valentine's Day though :) Love that holiday!! (It will be 7 years since our first kiss...and the first day I met Brad's parents! Time surely does fly.)

I had the day off today and spent it with mom shopping...then cutting out memory verses for CBS...wishing I had a bunch of days off to clean and organize the house...

One of my goals for the new year is a place for everything and everything in its place. The house has been disorganized for way too long now. I really wanted it to be organized by the time we headed back to school (for our last semester-wow!) but not so much do I see that happening.

Will hopefully update again soon!

BVOTD: "Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!" Neh 8:10 NLT

Merry Christmas!

In case you need a good laugh today...

check out this and this and this and, last but not least, this and vote for your favorite :) They had us laughing out loud last night...

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and gets to spend lots of time with loved ones!! And if you get a chance, go see The Nativity Story. We went to see it this morning. Excellent movie.

BVOTD: "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.'" Luke 2:12 NIV

A Christmas Quiz Just for Fun...

1. Eggnog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate...definitely!! Eggnog is GROSS!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wrap...he used to ring the doorbell and deliver them to the front door...

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White icicle lights on the outside (according to mom, we lack pizzazz!) and white garland lights on the tree! Multi-colored lights on the tv...

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope, never have! Wouldn't mind having some, though!

5. When do you put your decorations up? Well, the tree is up all year but we decorated it for Christmas at the beginning of December...

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? oh goodness...lots! Probably mom & dad's ham and my MIL's dressing

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Being sooo excited that it was finally Christmas!! I remember getting a lil kitchen oven and being so excited...and a microphone. I thought that thing was the coolest ever. I got really cool toys when I was little! Mom and dad always made the holidays really special!

8. What is your favorite Christmas movie? I can't pick just one...Elf, Home Alone, and It's a Wonderful Life

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? My side of the family opens all of our gifts on Christmas Eve...and with Brad's side we always open on Christmas Day early afternoon...Brad and I open ours on Christmas morning...

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Snowman fabric, white ribbon, white cluster lights, rust crosses, and some assorted ornaments we have received over our last four Christmases together.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it, just wish we got it more!

12. Can you ice skate? Not well...last time I went I bit it bad and ended up with a large bruise on my behind.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? There are so many things that I've loved...my engagement ring was a really awesome Christmas day present! Growing up, all my toys were so cool!

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? I love being with family...love the food...giving gifts...doing nice things for others...

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? I love all the Christmas baking...too many to pick just one!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I have a ton! We attend many Christmas outings to see Christmas lights, pageants, etc. We bake Christmas goodies and spend time shopping and wrapping. Oh, and we watch a lot of Christmas movies!

17. What tops your tree? Just a bow...I need to get a tree topper!!

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Definitely giving...I love shopping for other people.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I love the Hippotpotamous song, "Baby It's Cold Outside", and almost all of the songs on the Third Day Christmas CD!!

20. What is your favorite Christmas story? Luke 2:1-20!

Gotta Love Christmas Cookies...

Had a lot of fun with my boy tonight decorating some Christmas cookies...he is quite the creative cookie decorator if I may so say myself. Love that I got to spend the whole night with him tonight...he didn't have any jobs after work today!!

We made a deal - if I made him Tomato Basil Squares for dinner, he would go to the grocery store with me (I HATE going alone!) and decorate Christmas cookies with me. We didn't get to start the cookies till around 10:00 but we are both quite happy...he has a full belly and I have a lot of pretty cookies to share tomorrow!

I thought I would share the recipe in case anyone is looking for a really simple (and yummy!) sugar cookie recipe...

Mrs. Field's Christmas Sugar Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) salted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Colored sugars or sprinkles

Yield: About 3 dozen

*Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

*In a medium bowl, comine the flour and salt with a wire whisk.

*In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until well mixed. Scrape down sides of the bowl, then add the flour mixture. Blend on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix.

*Gather dough into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Refrigerate one hour or until firm.

*On a floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. With cookie cutters, cut dough into desired shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Decorate with colored sugars or sprinkles.

*Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, being careful not to brown. Immediately transfer cookies with a spatula to a cool, flat surface.

The recipe is from the "Mrs. Fields Best Ever Cookie Book!" and the title is no lie. It really is the best cookie book ever! Lots of yummy recipes in there. I should share the Blue Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe sometime...I use Andes mints instead of regular chocolate chips and it is so good!

For the sugar cookie recipe I doubled it and it made over 50 cookies. I didn't cool them for an hour...I popped them into the freezer for like 10 minutes and they were good to go. I more than doubled the amount of vanilla the recipe calls for.

Hope you are all getting to spend time with your loved ones! I get to spend the whole day tomorrow with my mommy! We are going Christmas shopping, probably to Chilis for lunch (her fave) and I may even drag her to Starbucks. Have a fabulous Friday! I LOVE days off!!!! I hope to have everyone crossed off of my Christmas list and have all of my presents wrapped by tomorrow! :)

BVOTD: "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." 1 Corinthians 8:1b NIV

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime...

I simply love Christmas. Love it. I have so many things that I love to during the holidays...

Old Mill Pizza & the Christmas Stroll (usually twice a year),

the Christmas play at church,

going to a reenactment of Bethlehem,

Great Hills Church play,

riding around looking at lights,

eating Stoll candy (yummy, homemade goodies that one of the vendors at work ships us every Christmas...it just came in today and it is heaven!!!)

making Divinity with mom and dad,

drinking hot cocoa with friends,

making gifts for family and friends,

watching as many Christmas movies as is feasibly possible,

creating the annual "Christmas card" (I have big plans to have a large display of them with every year represented that goes from our wedding photo of just the two of us to our family throughout the years...I got the idea from Dayna's parents...I just loved it!),

shopping for the "perfect" presents for loved ones,

wrapping presents like a crazy person,

making a gingerbread house (a new tradition this year!),

the annual shopping trip to the outlet mall with the gals (P.S. can you guys go this year??),

the annual CBS Christmas party,

and many, many more!!

A photo from our annual Christmas card photo shoot this year (not the one we picked this year, though!)

Me and my Aunt Newlyn taken at the Christmas Stroll 12.9.06

At the Christmas Stroll...we really didn't want to sit on Santa's lap but he made us!!

Me and two of my fave CBS gals...Brooklyn & Aimee!

With MAM and Perez after the Christmas Stroll!

Strolling with pretty angels :)

A nativity scene in town...we came across it on Saturday night while driving around looking at Christmas lights.

Perez with the Christmas ornament I made her :)

Me & Vick at the Stroll...amongst really cute Christmas trees

Beginning the gingerbread house tradition!!

I hope you are all enjoying this wonderful season and spending lots of time with family and friends...may you have peace in your hearts and quiet in your household as you celebrate the birth of Jesus!!!

The Birth of Jesus - Luke 2:1-20 NIV
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ* the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Just Checking In...

to say that I am alive and I believe I will survive finals. The last three days have been crazy with two big group papers being due, the CBS Christmas party on Monday night (that was fabulously fun - I will try to post pics that MAM took soon!), and my Human Resources final tonight. I have been typing for most of the day and, in general, am sick of school right now. Can't wait till next December when I can totally enjoy the season without having to worry about papers, presentations, tests, and finals!!!

I did get a nice break today when I went to eat lunch with Mary Anna and Dayna...it just feels so good to laugh so hard (especially when MAM was backing out of her parking spot, noticed that a woman was backing out right behind her, exclaimed "UH OH! UH OH!", and then proceeded to honk the horn like crazy! Apparently her horn is not very loud and the woman did not hear it...she backed up and hit MAM's car. There weren't any marks on either vehicle though. We laughed about it most of the way back to school!!). Those girls are so much fun! Thank the Lord for good friends!! :)

Many of you will be shocked to hear this...but my tree is not even decorated yet! ::GASP:: Of course I kept the tree up all year and then when it is finally Christmastime, the tree base breaks! Brad got me a broken umbrella base (one of the perks of working at a patio store!) to fix the problem. I didn't want to decorate the poor tree while it was leaning against the wall for stability. I have big plans to decorate it soon, though...can't wait! :)

Hope you are enjoying this wonderful season. I know I will definitely be enjoying it more after next Tuesday (my last presentation!).

Side note: A couple of weeks ago, Brad brought up the idea of posting a Bible verse on my blog...I really liked that idea so here is the Bible verse of the day (which may actually have to cover a few days depending on when I post again!)

BVOTD: "And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful." Colossians 3:15 NLT