Christmas cheer

This year my sister Paige, who usually brings all the traditional goodies to our Christmas Eve celebration is with her family in beautiful Hawaii for Christmas. So, I stepped it up a notch and did a ton of baking. It sure helped being 'stuck' at home due to the snow, with lots of time on my hands.

This is pretty much the only Santa thing we do with the kids. I made these Santa cookies with my mom growing up, and they are a fun family tradition.

You buy (or make your own) sugar cookie dough in the roll. Since I had lots of time on my hands I made the dough and rolled it up in wax paper and put it in the freezer til I was ready to use it. When you are ready to make your Santa's you slice it. Each Santa takes two circles. One for the head and the other makes up the whiskers and hat. You cut the sides off the circle, angled in a little, to form one triangle and two sort of semi-circle wedges. I should have taken pictures since I'm not sure that makes sense.

But anyway, then you put his triangle hat on his head and place the semi-circle whisker wedges down on his face. Bake at 350 for about 8-9 minutes and cool. Have fun decorating. I use chocolate chips for eyes and frost the hat and whiskers white. We used heart shaped candies for the lips, but you could do red gel frosting.

Be creative!

We also carried on the gingerbread house tradition. Wyatt made one at his one day of school last week, but it was falling apart when he brought it home. So we used the milk carton from his house and "re-constructed" it. Extreme Home makeover would be proud. Above is the completed house with a sled, snowman, mushroom patch, flower patch, and slide. Very fun!!

All three working together was a little interesting.....but we managed.

Merry Christmas!!

the best birthday present...

Craig painted our bedroom walls this beachy green/blue color I have been dreaming about for a while, and I wanted to post a picture of the result. I love the color and it really is a wonderful bday present. I pretty much sat around on the computer and did some organizing back here while he painted. He's the best.

This morning I open a package from my friend Jessie. Late this summer she took pictures of us on the beach and she surprised me with the folio of two of her favorites of Craig and I. I really treasure it because it is so seldom we get pictures taken of just the two of us and they were taken shortly after our 10 year anniversary. She did an awesome job of picking out the color on the outside. It totally matches our new paint color and is now on a little shelf above our bed.
It's been a fantastic day!

I {heart} snow days...

We spent part of the day at our friend's home, playing in the snow and sliding down hills. Next we rented 4 movies to keep us occupied for the next few days.

I've also been baking Christmas cookies like crazy. It sure helps to have another adult around to coral the kiddos while I'm in the kitchen! He also did the dishes and folded three loads of laundry. What a guy!

Tomorrow is another "day off" and Craig has mentioned painting the ceilings throughout the house and our bedroom walls a new color. Something I have been wanting to do for at least a couple years now, and I even have a color picked out, ready and waiting for an opportunity such as this.

I'm excited to see what we will accomplish this week around here. Getting this unexpected family time together is so much fun.

Enjoy this winter weather and stay warm!

The tree is up!

I have to say I am really fortunate this year to have a "pretty" tree. We usually have fun cutting one down in the woods or going to a cheep tree farm (and trying to find the BEST $10 tree), but this year we were offered a free Noble Fir! I have learned that once we get all our special decorations on it, the tree doesn't really matter so much to me. But I AM enjoying the nice trimmed look of this tree!

Here's the three after we decorated LATE friday night. This picture cracks me up. Wyatt has his basketball gear on and Anna's in her princess dress. Fun times!

Every year the kids get a new ornament and our tree is becoming pretty loaded. It was fun to see the kids pull out their ornaments and actually remember which ones were theirs from years past. (I don't even remember without looking on the backs!) We usually do a tree in the boys bedroom, but didn't this year....I think next year it will be a must with the amount of ornaments we have.
Joe Montana even made in on our tree this year! When Craig and I married his mom gave us a big box of all his ornaments growing up. Along with Joe, we had a fisherman Santa and several basketball themed ornaments. I remember going out and buying a box of sparkly gold balls and a box of little gold churches to add to our collection. Now we have one church and one of those gold balls left! I admit, I struggled with Joe Montana on my Christmas tree for a while, but now he, and a red 49ers ball hang proudly on our tree interspersed with my snowman collection and all my white ornaments. And I've come to realize it's just a reflection of us!

I guess I put these in the wrong order but here's my strong husband hauling the tree out. The sun was setting and I couldn't resist snapping this shot.

Hooray, we finally decided on one. After searching for about and hour they all started looking the same. The kids were tired and cold and we headed back for some hot chocolate around the fire.

It's looking more and more like Christmas around here!

More on Annie....

I would love to post pictures of Anna's birthday party. I would love to show you how hilarious she looked in her sleeping beauty wig. How precious she was in her new dress up clothes blowing out the candle on her cake with Disney princesses on it. But instead, I have only this one picture of her unwrapping her first gift because right after I took it my battery died.

My sister's each had their cameras out so, not to worry, I will get some copies for her scrapbook. We celebrated with Craig's fam on Thanksgiving Day at our house. We hosted Turkey dinner and I had made this princess cake for Anna the day before. She was so excited about the cake. Her reaction when I first showed it to her says it all:
Then we had a joint party with my side of the fam on Sunday evening for Anna and her cousin Halle who is turning 8. The girls had a blast opening presents and Anna got so many nice new things, which she is enjoying greatly.

I am so thankful for my little girl. Parenting Anna is so different than the boys, and it can be challenging, but she is so full of love and brings joy to my heart everyday. She's sweet and spunky and loved being the center of attention on her special day. I'm still in awe of how fast she is growing. I am so excited for all we'll get to experience together as mother and daughter in the years to come....yet I can't believe she's three already!

In my heart I knew I wanted another baby about a year before I became pregnant with Anna. The Lord worked on Craig's heart and I'll never forget the day he came to me and said, "let's have another"...it was Thanksgiving Day 2004. Anna was born 4 days after Thanksgiving 2005. She is indeed an answer to my prayers. She blesses me daily and completes our family perfectly!

We love you Annie-Beth!

Pictures of my 3 year old "baby".....

Three years ago this morning she came out screaming. She's been a blessing and joy ever since.....

Happy birthday Anna! We love you sooooo much!

(More b'day pics to come...)

The day after.....

I look forward to the day after Thanksgiving all year. But for me, it's not about shop, shop shop and spend, spend spend..... it's about family, friends, making memories and, screamin' deals.

We draw names of both sides of our family so I have three children's gifts and two grown-up gift to buy for each side. I buy one "bigger" item for the kids, then just stocking stuffers. Same for Craig and I. This year we are not spending more than what is in our bank account. Just a bit of money set aside, so you can rest easy, I'm not going into debt over Christmas gifts.. Now, here are the reasons I look forward to this day in the same way Craig looks forward to opening morning of hunting season:

My Dad- yes, MY DAD, comes shopping with us. My dad mostly goes for the stories and he's a real conversationalist. We'll be waiting in line for doors to open and before you know it we have found out what deals the people behind us in line are after. Last year while my mom and I were in Sears my dad waited for 45 minutes in line at Sports Authority for a $10 gift card. While he was waiting he got to talking with two gals behind him in line. It turned out that my dad and one of the gals were the last to get the gift card. So my dad GAVE his gift card to the other lady! When he told us he said, "there wasn't really anything I needed in there anyway." My dad cracks me up. He also treats us all to breakfast later that morning. He's the best.

My Mom- my mom tags along because she doesn't want to miss out on the fun. She's not as into it, but she'll gladly stand in line while I race around the store gathering items on my list. She is friendly and never gets impatient. I'm sure the retail employees love her, as do I.

My sister and her friend- We usually have separate routes. I'm usually at Freddies while they're at Toys-R-Us. They'll pick up something for me off my list and I'll do the same for them. We communicate via cell phone multiple times that morning. They are great!

My other sister and niece- Last year they called us from Kohls while we were in JCPenny and warned us "DO NOT COME TO KOHLS, IT IS A MADHOUSE HERE!" It's was nice to be forewarned and we moved along to the next stop while they were trapped in a crazy Kohls.

My mother-in-law- This year she'll be accompanying my on my 3:30am drive into town. I love her because she's just as into it as I am. A few years ago she went with me and I met her in the kitchen in the wee hours of the morning as we were preparing to leave. I was giddy with anticipation and excitement (for the big hunt) and she looks up at me and inquires, "every hour?" Meaning we have so much trouble sleeping the night before, that we are up every hour checking the clock. I burst into laughter. She's a girl after my own heart.

Breakfast- after about 4-5 hours of shopping we all gather for breakfast to rehash our deals and tell our best stories over a yummy omelet. Usually my dad invites whoever else he knows is out shopping and wants a break. It's tons of fun.

Nap- Once back home sleep usually find me in the form of a nap. It is a peaceful slumber, much different than the night before, as I dream about all the great buys I got and how my Christmas shopping is done!

So, do you still call me crazy.....of are you a die-hard just like me??

Traditions

Welcome to Company Girl Coffee!

This week Rachel Anne had me thinking about HOLIDAY TRADITIONS.

I have to admit, I think I have been kind of lacking in that area. I hear of all these neat ideas for a tradition and I think, "I want to start doing that" but then I never actually make it happen. But I did think of one thing that we have done every year for at least the past 4 years.

Make a gingerbread house.

I'm not talking real gingerbread, just the easy graham cracker stuck on a milk carton kind of gingerbread house. Above is Christmas 2004, Will was 3 1/2 (sniff, sniff) and Wyatt (not pictured....did we let him partake in the decorating that year? Maybe he went to bed early....) was 1 1/2.

I always look forward to this fun activity. We get a ton of different candy, put on some Christmas music and go to town. I love watching my kids creativity and their different personalities emerge as they decorate. Let me tell you, watching your child decorate a gingerbread house will tell you a lot about their personality!

We talk and take our time. Last year they boys got so creative. They did the whole gingerbread house and then added a yard complete with a hill of snow, a sled, a lamp post and trees. All while Anna was busy shoving candy into her mouth! A lot of times this tradition will fall around my birthday (Dec. 17) and so that makes it extra special.

It's funny because this tradition just kinda happened! It first started when we were given a gingerbread house "kit" and we just took it from there. I think we are sticking with this one. I'd love to see my boys as teenagers decorating a gingerbread house!

So what about you? What's your favorite holiday tradition? Please share!

Quote of the day...

Monday I picked up a devotional book of ours and read a quote that has stuck with me all week,

"The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is today."

-Chinese Proverb

The author was referring to teaching our children and it really struck a chord with me. So this week, I have been focusing on this verse and trying to make the most of every teaching opportunity....TODAY, and everyday.

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou, liest down, and when thou risest up.

-Dueteronomy 6:5-7

Scrappin' weekend

This weekend three of my scrapbook crazy friends and I went away to the coast for our 5th annual scrapbook weekend. We spent a lot of time around this ginormous table and if this picture is any indication, it was well used....

I finished 16 layouts and it was so nice to get a break, do some shopping, and get a bit more caught up in the kiddos scrapbooks. Craig and the kids had a great time. He built a little fire in the backyard and they roasted hot dogs which was the highlight of their weekend.

Thanks for a fun weekend, girls! I'm already looking forward to next year!

This is my "new" red table. It was free because I spotted it in my in-laws garage and asked if I could have it. For nearly a year it had a white cracked coat of paint on top with black showing through. I liked it. I thought it added to my miss-matched, shabby-chic, kid friendly home. And I didn't have to worry about nicks, scratches or permanent black sharpie. Those all just added to it's "character". But I'm guessing other people just thought it looked like a crappy, paint chipped table. So I finally decided on a color...."ready to dance" red. Craig, my painter, put 7 coats of paint on this baby and two coats of sealer.

It turned out really nice and adds a good amount of color to our kitchen/dining area. I used to like to say I had a yellow, red and blue kitchen. But in all actuality the only red I had in my kitchen was this red bowl, which was my inspiration color for my red table. Now I can honestly say I have a yellow, red and blue kitchen.
Speaking of bowls....these are my fruit bowls and they are one my most prized possessions. They are something I really wanted but would never buy for myself because they are expensive and frivolous, but a good friend of ours knew I liked them and surprised me with them. So nice! Tuesday afternoon I went grocery shopping and filled these with produce. About 10-12 apples, 6 pears, and a big bunch of bananas. Today, less than 48 hours later there are two pears and two apples left! Does anyone else constantly hear, "mom, I'm hungry??" I feed my kids, I tell you but they devour this fruit.


On, another note. I cut bangs. I was getting frustrated with my hair, and have no patience so I grabbed my scissors and went to town. I'm liking them, but It's always a little awkward to have to explain to my hairdresser next time I go in that yes, it was me who tried to cut my hair and not some ill-trained professional.




And last, but not least. I had this great idea to video the kids doing something cute at the new red table. I must have taken 10 out-takes, deleting them, and I finally just decided to stop with this one. One of my problems was trying to manufacture the spontaneous cuteness, another was I only have 30 something seconds on my memory card to record something. But this one turned out a little humorous as Anna "christened" the new red table with water, and then she gets really distracted, and the time runs out. Note: notice how nicely it beads up on the new table.

Enjoy! :)

Today I was a fun mom

This week Rachel Anne blogged about speaking with kindness. When I first read her post I though, "oh, that's good one, I can do that, how hard can it be, I'm a pretty kind person aren't I?" Well, sure, I'm kind and polite to the gas station attendant and the clerk at the grocery store, my neighbor, and my son's teacher. But what about my own family? As I listened to my words throughout the day with a new perspective I realized how harsh I can be at times with my kids, the ones I love so much.



"Sit down and eat your breakfast!"



"Get your shoes, on.....we have to go NOW!"



"Pick up the junk all over the kitchen floor!"



I worked on it all day....but boy was it sure eye opening!



So I'm continuing to strive for kind words. It will be a daily challenge, I'm sure.



Today the kids and I just had fun. It seems to me that kindness flows naturally when I choose a good attitude and embrace joy everyday. It started when Anna came in my room this morning at 6:15. I was awake but not out of bed yet. We snuggled and talked for about 20 minutes. I asked her lots of questions and we chatted over the fact that we are both girls with blonde hair. She really gets a kick out of that for some reason. Then:



We picked raspberries

We colored with chalk on the sidewalk

I let Anna use scissors to cut a piece of paper into a million pieces of paper

We made mini english muffin pizzas and smoothies for lunch to surprise Wyatt

We read books

We talked some more

We went to Walmart and I tried not to freak out (kind words, kind words) when Anna tried to climb out of the cart multiple times and Wyatt hid on the shelving behind the vacuum cleaners....



You get my drift. Challenging? Yes, everyday. Rewarding? Absolutely!

She opens her mouth with wisdom; and on her tongue is the law of kindness. ~Proverbs 31:26

Family of Mushrooms

This family of mushrooms decided to grow in our front yard. The kids and I realized the other day that it is an awful lot like our family. They must have known we lived here. Makes me smile.

L-R: Wyatt, Will, Mom, Anna, Dad

The worlds easiest cookie recipe

My friend, McKenzie called me to share this recipe a few weeks back. I finally remembered to buy a can of pumpkin, and had stocked up on $.59 cake mixes from Safeway this week. So I tried it and they turned out pretty good.

1 boxed cake mix

1 small can (15oz) pumpkin

That's all!

Beat together with mixer and drop by tablespoons on greased cookie sheet or Silpat. Bake at 375 for about 9-10 minutes.

I used a yellow cake mix and added chocolate chunks. I didn't have any chocolate chips on hand but I had a bunch of mini chocolate bars from Halloween that I chopped up and threw in. Which could very well make them not only the easiest cookies but the cheapest, too. I think they'd be good without the chocolate and with a generous shaking of cinnamon. Or use a chocolate cake mix to disguise the pumpkin from your kids.

My kids gobbled them down. Wyatt loved them so much he named them "Dream Cookies" so I guess that's what they will be called around here. I justify "Dream Cookies" as a good way to get your veggies. Or wait, I think pumpkin is a fruit. Oh, well.

They made my house smell good!

Cute Costumes

Will has wanted to be Indiana Jones since September.....we found this princess dress for Anna at a kids re-sale shop back toward the beginning of the month, too. And Wyatt.....well Wyatt always keeps us on our toes. Thursday night he came up with a new idea.

Can you guess what he was? A Shepard! I spent Friday morning fashioning him a tunic from and old brown skirt. When he got home from school I showed him, what I'd made and his response was, "no, mom I wanted to be a Shepard from Heidi, not a Shepard from Israel!!"

Sheesh!

I had him try it on and said he could wear a vest (like the Shepard from Heidi) and then he was convinced. He even pinned his stuffed lamb to his shoulder!

If you think we could have convinced her to be anything but a princess, you'd be wrong! I had fun curling her hair for the first time and even let her wear lip gloss. She loved every minute of it!


And last but not least, our handsome Indiana!



A fun night was had by all! Now I'm off to raid all the dark chocolate!

Better and Faster

One of my most favorite kids book is "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel". I love how even though all the steam shovels get cast aside for the newer and better models, Mike keeps his Maryann. And how a re-occurring line is "we always work better and faster when someone is watching us". And how the town mayor "smiles in a rather mean way" until the very end when he smiles in a way that is not mean at all. I never really thought about WHY I like the book so much, I just knew I did.

Well, yesterday Craig was home sick and so it was a really awkward day. First of all, he never gets sick, and second of all he's never home when the kids are in school and I'm going about my daily routine. It just doesn't happen so it felt kind of weird. But I continued as I would on any other day, and at the end of the day I was reflecting on just how much I accomplished. I folded clothes, I cleaned both bathrooms, the kitchen was tidy, I practiced piano with Wyatt, I went grocery shopping.....it was just a good day. I kinda realized that part of it was because I had someone watching me (even though he was napping 1/2 the time :). Then I thought of good ol' Mike Mulligan and Maryann and realized that I, too, work a little better and a little faster when someone is watching me.

There are days I feel lazy and the daily tasks around the house seem very unappealing. But what I realized is that even though no one may be here to watch me, I can still take every day as an opportunity to work a little better and a little faster.....cause God sees.

Enough of my rambling. Just go check out the book. Maybe you'll love it as much as I do!

The costume saga...

Wyatt is an imaginative and creative child and he really likes to do things "outside the box". So coming up with a Halloween costume he's happy with seems like a saga every year. We have half a dozen costumes here at home that he could choose from, but like I said he has his own ideas. His first one was an artist. I thought that could be doable but Craig wasn't real excited about his son wearing a beret and Wyatt quickly moved on with his ideas, anyway. Since then he has suggested:

The statue of liberty (cute idea, but she's a girl)
St. Patrick
A yodeler (I'm not kidding, he begged on this one saying he really wanted to wear knickers and a purple vest)
A person from China
A Duke or Knight or Prince (but once he's heard that Anna was really excited about him being a prince he changed his mind)

Our most current idea was a mouse, more specifically fieval (sp?) the mouse from An American Tale. I tried making him a mouse costume by sewing felt ears on a gray hooded sweatshirt....but then I realized fieval wears clothes and hat....so would anyone be able to tell what he was?? It just wasn't working out for me and I need simple this year.

I think I have finally convinced him to be a ninja (a costume from our trunk). I just hope he can stay convinced of that idea for another two days!

Company girl friday......

I couldn't get the company girl coffee logo to post, but if your here from Home Sanctuary you're at the right place. I am slowly getting used to fall and settling into a routine. My body is adjusting to the cold and it's kinda fun to pull out sweaters and sweatshirts I haven't seen for a year! This past weekend I took the boys down to the park for some photo's. I only order the smallest package of school photos cause they usually don't turn out so good....but ya gotta have at least one for the scrapbook, right?

So I took a few fall pictures to give to family. And, today I need your help. I picked the best ones and you get to vote on your fav:

Wyatt #1

Wyatt #2


Wyatt #3


Will #1




Will #2





Will #3

Pick one favorite of each boy and post it in a comment. I'm making reprints, but I'm having trouble deciding which ones.....

I've also caught the sewing bug again lately and have been whipping up a bunch of these re-use able grocery bags. I'm intending on giving a lot away as gifts, but I got to thinking....what if I could sew up even more and try to sell them at a Holiday Bazaar? That is where I need your help. I am terrible at deciding how to price things. So, if this were something you would buy, how much would you pay for it? It's lined inside with a coordinating fabric and the dimensions are very similar to a brown paper grocery bag. But it's easier to carry, holds a lot, and is way cuter. And what mommy doesn't want to look fashionable while carrying their groceries from their mini van to their kitchen?

Leave me a post of what you think would be a reasonable asking price. Anything goes....I won't be offended!



The inside lining and straps....

Ready to put those groceries into your pantry!

I'm continually inspired by Home Sanctuary to create one of my own. My favorite place to decorate is the top of my piano. It's kinda like my mantle since we don't have a fireplace. I found these little tea light holders at Wal-mart for $.50 after a friend told me about them. Actually she and Craig conspired a plan in which she had our whole house filled with glowing tea lights right before we came home from a date! They are great for adding a little glow at a low cost (and they can be quite romantic as well!)

The kids and I gathered leaves on a walk the other day so I scattered them about, too. And a few weeks ago I used some old wood Craig had snagged for me to make the "Faith Hope Love" sign above the piano.

Now, don't forget to vote!! :)

crashed

Monday's are early release days for Will so he gets out at 1:40. I love having a longer afternoon at home with the kids, but it sure messes with Anna's nap schedule. Sometimes I put her down a little early and she squeezes in a nap before we leave. Or sometimes she'll fall asleep in the car for a bit if we have to run into town after picking him up. But yesterday her and Wyatt were playing well together and time got away from me, so I never put her down for a nap. Craig had to ref a volleyball game and then go straight into Salem so he wouldn't be home til late, anyway. So, I decided to let her skip the nap and put them all to bed early and have a night of peace and quiet to sit on the couch and read my book. Around 4:00 I came out to the family room where the 3 were watching a cartoon and found this.......

She likes to lay under the coffee table and watch TV....
But apparently she is not quite ready to give up her naps!

My plan didn't work out like I'd hoped. While the boys watched TV and banged around on the piano....Anna slept. I woke her up around 5:00 and she was crabby! She's one of those kids who I try to avoid waking up from a nap! So, much for my quiet evening with kids in bed at 7:00. She finally fell asleep around 8:30 or so. But I did get some cute pictures of my sleeping beauty!

Better luck next Monday!

Cider

This was cider pressin' weekend for us! Everyone in my family has been scrounging apples this past week and we all got together on Saturday to use them up. We ended up with about 12 gallons of cider and it sure is yummy! My mom reminisced about how the year they bought this apple cider press I was 10 months old and watched them make cider from a play-pen! That was a little nostalgic for me as I realized my kids are now older then I was then, and they are participating in the cider tradition.

Here's grandpa giving Will a lesson on tossing in the apples:

Wyatt putting one down the chute!
Sampling the juice.....
Pressing the juice! Each kid got a chance to fill a barrel and then press the juice, with a little help from the strong daddy's, if needed.
Look at the color! We had a good variety of apples to mix in.
We finished up and headed inside for some warm soup. It was another fun fall day!