Christmas Morn....

Back from Maryland... wow was Christmas GREAT! We had such a wonderful day! Here are some pics Galore for you! I got the new Nikon D80... and HOLY! I LOVE this camera! It by far outshines the old D70s!

A CHRISTmas Story

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to the city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the House of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her,

"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His Kingdom there will be no end."

Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"

And the angel answered and said unto her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you , and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God."

Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, and angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, Son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name, Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

So this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet, saying: "Behold a virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Emanuel, which is translated, God with us."

Then Joseph being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And called His name, Jesus.

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirnius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up out of Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and of the lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea on the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who had been born the King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered together all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So the said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the Prophet: "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel." Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found him, bring back word to me, the I may come and worship Him also."
When they heard the king, they departed; and behold the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the manger, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, the presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, the departed for the own country another way.

Now there were in the country, shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, the angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring great tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in the manger. Now when they had seen Him, the made widely known the saying which was told to them concerning the Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told them.


"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, And the government shall be upon His shoulders. And His name will be called, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice, from that time forward, even forever."

3 More Sleeps....

Let me tell you, its been a crazy house here the past 15 hours or so. Last night Seth had a fever, but he seems to feel much better and is acting fine this morning. So "fine" in fact that he has leaked pen ink on my carpet and spilled bath beads all on top of that. Nate will be home for lunch, for the day! That is what I keep telling myself, LOL! The Carpet Shampooer is his baby, so Nate gets to tackle that task.

We also have to clean the house some, get all the laundry done, pack, and I have to get in most of my baking. Tomorrow we head to Nate's family's to have "Christmas" with them. Then Sunday we leave and are driving the 6 hours to spend the Holidays with my family in Maryland. Complete with an 11 pm Christmas Eve service.... yeah. Umm... we'll see how that goes. LOL!

I will be without Internet Acccess, so tomorrow's post will be the last for a week or so.

This LO was done 2 or 3 different times! I think I finally got it, LOL!

Michelle Colemen Merry Little Christmas, lace, and beads. Nancie Rowe Janitz Frosty Flourishes, Holly McCaig photo negative sleeves, photo tab, sequins, and word tags. Susie's Hand font.

Journaling reads: It was our first family trip to the Christmas Tree Farm.. We had such a good time! We loved looking at the trees and when Seth spotted this one, he declared loudly, “Nice Tree!” We knew it was ours after that. And you know something? He was right! It was the right tree.

As for my baking, I'll leave you with 3 of our Holiday Treats. These are soooo good!


White Chocolate Chunks

1 bag- 2 bags white chocolate morsels
1 bag straight pretzels
1 bag peanuts
1 bag raisins

Double melt white chocolate on the stovetop (or melt in microwave). Mix in remaining ingredients, until evenly coated. Spoon out onto wax paper to cool.

note: You may not need entire bags of pretzels, peanuts, or raisins. Do break the pretzels you use in half.


Special K Fruit Cookies (my fave)

2 c. self rising flour
2 sticks margerine
2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 c. flakes coconut
1 c. chopped nuts
1/2 c. raisins
4 c. Special K cereal

Beat sugar and margerine until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Mix in coconut, nuts, raisins, and cereal. Drop by measuring tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.


Fudge Nut Bars (Nate's fave)

1 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp soda
3 c. oats

Filling** double heat on stovetop

1/2 pack of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. sweetened condensed milk
2 T butter
1 tsp salt
1 c. nuts
2 tsp vanilla

Mix well, spread 2/3 of oatmeal mixture in bottom of PAMed 13x9 pan. Cover with chocolate filling mixture. Dot with remainder of oatmeal mixture and swirl over filling. Oven 350 minutes, approx. 20-30 minutes.

Happy First Day of Winter!

A couple weeks ago I was asked to speak to the Women's Group that also meets at church on Wednesday night. They wanted me to speak about my dad's ministry when we lived in Peru, the first 5 years of my life. I spoke on my Dad's ministry, my mom's perspective, and some of the memories I had.

I typed up my notes and shared pictures and a piece of pottery I had. It went well! I think I'll share those notes with ya'll soon! LOL!

I was also able to give Pam her 3 ornaments last night. She had also asked me to do some photo restoration so I was giving her back her frame and originals at the same time. Then I handed her the gift of ornaments. She looked really confused. Her husband (who knew what I was doing) walked by and stopped to see. As soon as she saw the first one, the one of her kids as small children, she burst into tears! She continued to cry as she looked at the other 2, and of course I got all teary eyed. Her husband is a big guy, and he's deffinitely ALL MAN, but he even got emotional! It felt really good to touch her heart that way. I just felt so aweful when I realized that she lost all of her ornaments in their fire. They didn't even want a tree this year because of their lack of ornies.

She looked at me and said that this was the best Christmas present ever. She said she didn't care if she got another gift this year, this was the best thing she could have gotten. Of course that choked me up even more!

Here's a picture of the 3 Ornies I made her~

Snowflake Photo Ornies

Supplies Needed: Glitter Snowflake ornaments from Target. 3 inch flat glass ornie, 3x3 inch photo, decorative ribbon, some small rhinestones. Diamond Glaze Glue for gluing photo to glass, and I used Gel Medium to glue everything else.

Just assemble as seen!

Happy Thursday all! I have so much to do! Make a run to Walmart, and maybe start some baking so I'm not doing it all tomorrow.... the list goes on....

5 More Sleeps....

Had my 28 week appoinment yesterday (a week early, because of Christmas.)

I've gained 4 lbs, for a total of 25 lbs so far. YIKES!

HeartBeat was 166bpm, and my fundal height was right on the money.

My bloodwork was just fine, "Great!" was the term my OB used. So I guess its just "normal pregnancy tiredness." LOL!

She gave me a prescription for my heartburn that is getting worse, and I mentioned that I am having a touch of restless leg syndrome. (It only happens when Nate rubs my back at night... its strange, like he's stimulating nerves in my legs. I can't just can't keep them still!)

Other than that, I am great! I go for my glucose test and Rhogam shot next friday, see her again in 3 weeks, AND I get a 3D U/S the first week of Jan! YAY!

(For those of you "lucky ones" who don't have to have the Rhogam shot... its b/c I am O negative bloodtype, and Nate is O positive. So if the baby has his blood type, my body could try to reject him. This shot prevents the rejection. If the baby does have Nate's blood type both baby and I get another shot after he's born. I did get the shot with Seth, but he ended up O neg like me, so we didn't need the second series after his birth.)

Yesterday I also got ALL of my presents wrapped! Woohoo! I am done. I just have to do some baking on Friday, but other than that, I'm good to go!

I am in the middle of making some more ornaments. This time I am having all kinds of trouble. I am not originally a crafter. Yes, I know my way around a dark room.... I can even cross stitch! But, I wasn't one to craft away, so to speak.

There is this family in my church who lost their house and all of their posessions in a fire last May. This includes all of their sentimental Christmas Ornaments. So I got a hold of one of the daughters and she lent me a picture of the 3 kids way back when they were tiny, and a current one of them now. So I'm trying to create 2 photo ornaments for the tree, and I am cross-stitcing one with their family name, over some holly.

Their last ornament is drying right now, and I'll finish their name one later this afternoon. Pictures tomorrow, I promise!

I do have one picture I can share today... ROFLOL!

Seth, complete with nap hair, crusty nose, and a just-woken-up expression. This makes me giggle!

Brain Cramps....

Something to make you feel good about yourself today:

BRAIN CRAMPS

Question: If you could live forever, would you and why? Answer: "I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever."
Miss America 1995 from Alabama Heather Whitestone

"Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff."
Popular Pop Singer Mariah Carey

"Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life," (During an interview to become Spokesperson for federal anti-smoking campaign.)
Model, movie and TV actress Brooke Shields

" Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country,"
Washington DC Mayor Marion Barry

"I'm not going to have some reporters pawing through our papers. We are the president." (Commenting on the release of subpoenaed documents.)
First Lady andDemocratic Senator from New York Hillary Clinton

"Half this game is ninety percent mental."
Philadelphia Phillies™ Manager Danny Ozark

"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."
Vice PresidentAl Gore

"We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur."
Vice President Al Gore

"I love California . I practically grew up in Phoenix."
Vice President Dan Quayle

"We've got to pause and ask ourselves, How much clean air do we need?"
Chrysler Chairman and CEO Lee Iacocca

"The word "genius" isn't applicable in football. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein."
NFL Quarterback and Sports Analyst Joe Theisman

"We don't necessarily discriminate. We simply exclude certain types of people."
ROTC Instructor Colonel Gerald Wellman

"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure."
President Bill Clinton

"Traditionally, most of Australia 's imports come from overseas."
Keppel Enderbery

"Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances."
Greenville , South Carolina Department of Social Services

"If somebody has a bad heart, they can plug this jack in at night as they go to bed and it will monitor their heart throughout the night. And the next morning, when they wake up dead, there'll be a record."
FCC Chairman Mark S. Fowler

Feeling smarter yet?

Monday, Here We Are....

This morning I am beat. It's 10:30 am and I'm wondering when I can get a nap in, LOL! The sad part is, I've only been up for an hour and a half too!

Friday we had an event at the church for the Youth we call "Friday Night Live." Basically it is an open gym with basketball. We set up the lounge with a screen and a projector and they play video games. We have a room set up with foosball and air hocky table. And another room that is the "coffee" room, where there are board games, and this week, we had Home Alone playing on a TV.

Friday Night Live is one of the ways we are tryong to teach the Youth about Outreach. It is set up to be a non-threatening way to introduce friends to church. We don't ever do a message or anything. We just have hopes that this is a way to get them in the church and to feel comfortable. And then, hopefully see them again for Youth Group or at church later.

In years past it has been really well attended. We're talking between 30- 50 kids. Yet for some reason this year, it is just not. We only had 10 kids last Friday night. And only 5 the time before. Frustrations aside, Nate and I think that we are just going to give the even a break for awhile. I guess the novelty has worn off. Its alot of set up and upkeep for just the 2 of us (and MOSTLY Nate) to run.

Saturday I worked my LAST Baby Gap shift. Say it with me.... YAY! I had to be there at 7 am, which meant I had to get up at the un-godly hour of 5:30 on a Saturday morning. All of the stores opened at 8 for the day, but for some reason there were a couple stores like Gap and Nike that opened at 7.

Except, we didn't see a single soul till 9 am, LOL! AND, there was nothing to do, since there was a perfect close the night before. Even though I hated getting up so early, it was really nice to get off at 4 pm. I still had the afternoon and evening with my boys at home.

I ended up taking advantage of my discount and bought some nice things for Seth & Bean for next winter. So they can match.... (say it with me.... ) AWWW! LOL!

When I got home I had gotten my Secret Sister reveal from a dear mommy-friend of mine. I belong to a private mommy-board, where we have been very close for 3 years now. We had been doing this Secret Sister stuff for an entire year, with Dec. as the reveal month. My lovely friend Tara was my secret sister! (I had my lovely friend Sarah. It was so nice to buy girly things every once in a while, LOL!) She packed my box with so many goodies! Chocolate covered Oreos, a Willow Tree figurine, the softest afghan imagineable. So nice! THANK YOU TARA! I know you stop in from time to time. I really appreciate everything Sweets! ((HUGS))

That night Nate and I watched "Its a Wonderful Life" that night, and it was just as sentimental as ever. I LOVE that movie! It just isn't Christmas without it. I was struggling towards the end to stay awake, but I managed to get it all in.

Sunday morning during our Sunday School hour was the Children's Christmas Program. Being in the 2 year old class, Seth marched up the isle with everyone, and stood on stage briefly. He clapped during their song, and surprisingly stayed still! LOL~ I had visions of him jumping in the baptismal! We had practiced him saying "Merry Christmas" ("merry kiss-kiss") for his stage debut, but he ended up not getting any mic time. Thats Ok, LOL! Next year! He was still oh-so-cute and he seemed like such a big boy!

Sunday afternoon Nate and I were busy cleaning our house and baking goodies for our Youth Group Christmas Party that night. I made my Cake Balls, a Red Velvet/ Cream Cheese/ White Almond combo. (Another THREAD HERE.)I thought they were good, but they weren't Nate's favorite. I also had some italian sandwich rolls. A couple other families contributed, so we had pull-apart pepperoni bread, various cookies, chips, and such.

We played the White Elephant gift exchange, or also known as Evil Santa or Chinese Gift Giving. We really had a great time! I won a $10 gas card and some M&M's. YAY!

All of us in the Burns' house got to bed late last night, but we all stayed conked out till 9 am. Fantastic! No plans today. Just rest and relax, LOL!

Welp, that book I just wrote was my weekend, LOL! Thanks for stopping by!

Party Anyone?

Come join the fun at The Digi Chick!

Christmas Tag....

Thanks to Stephanie, you get to read 20 Christmas things about me.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate most of the time, but I don't mind some Egg Nog close to Christmas. It's been a while though!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Gifts must be wrapped! And "Santa Gifts" only come wrapped in Santa Paper! All other gifts are in regular Holiday paper.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Red and white on the tree, red candles in the windows, but white lights on my galrnads in the house and on the icicle lights outside!

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope

5. When do you put your decorations up? The first weekend in December.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Cranberry Sweet Potato casserole.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child. Just the whole anxious to get everyone up and get Christmas morning going... LOL! All 3 of us girls had to get dressed and wait for our parents to call us out to the living room. Then we'd spend the day together as a family playing games or watching Christmas movies. Of course the Christmas feast too!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I must have been 8 or so... But I didn't mind. I kinda liked the idea of helping my parents keep the secret with my younger sisters.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Not as a kid, no. But I am thinking of starting a tradition with my own family... maybe new jammies to open on Christmas Eve?

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? We picked out a gorgeous Douglas Fir and we have a vintage and crafty/ country type theme going on. The vintage are the old blown glass ornaments, and my crafty are some cross-stitched religious themed scenes ornaments that my mom made when I was a kid, then when I got married I made some for our tree. I really need to do a few more, LOL! I have some various ornaments I've picked up from the stores that I like, whatever catches my eye.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it! Well, till about Valentine's, then I'm ready for signs of Spring.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes! Not great or anything, but I can stay up and not fall the whole time, LOL!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? As a kid, it must have been my Pillow Person "Baby".... she turned out to be my lovey for the next 15 years... LOL! (Sssssh... I still sleep with her when Nate's out of town, LOL!)

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Spending time with loved ones and making their faces light with joy from their gifts.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Mincemeat pie and my family's 100 yr ood recipe for some GREAT fruitcake! We make it at Thanksgiving, and it takes the next month to age well and taste sooo good!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? We really love our candlelight Christmas Eve Service. I love watching the Holy Family walk up the church isle during an acapella "Silent Night" to only candle light.... As for a family tradition, I love to make Christmas Bear cookies! (coming soon to a bloggie near you, LOL!) And I hope to start the jammies tradition this year....

17. What tops your tree? A hand-blown glass angel.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Both!

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Can I have a few? Silent Night, O Holy Night, and Mary Did You Know. While You Were Sleeping by Casting Crowns gets me every time too!

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? YUMM if they are the cinnamon kind.

I'm supposed to tag some people now. How about: Kimberly, Val, and Jenn! (LOL Jenn! I think I always tag you... LOVE ya girlie!)

Milk Lumps & Batteries.....

Thank you everyone for such nice and endearing comments! I LOVE my blog comments, so yesterday was such a treat. You are all more than welcome for the gift... I really should try and do those a bit more often!

Monday morning we all slept in till about 9 am. It was great, and long overdue! As soon as we got up, we got ready to go. See, Seth's face finally was without any stitches or bruises or scabs... LOL~ ya'll know what that's like. Anyways, we went to the Mall to one of the Picture Peoples and had his 2 yr portrait finally made. I am really pleased with how they turned out.

I am not big on props, but I thought the wooden motorcycle was really cute, and it was classy. I hate their plastic props! Sorry the scan isn't the best. His cheesy half-fake smile makes Nate and I bust out laughing... its great! And his lip is barely noticeable!

I'm really hoping that this is the year I can invest in some backdrops and some lights and do some of this stuff myself. We'll see! I've been pricing what I need over at Alien Bees, and it is going to take me a while to save up. It doesn't help that I am a bit confused to what I'll need, LOL!

After the photos, we rushed home, because Nate and I had this District Pastor and Pastor's Wive's Christmas Banquet, complete with Christmas Family Fued. It was alright... we ususally tend to be the youngest ones there, LOL!

Next, we picked Seth up from the family watching him, and was home by 8 pm. Looong day.

I had a terrible night's sleep. We went to bed as usual around midnight, but I didn't fall asleep till close to one. I had to get up and p.e.e about 4. And then I was wide-eyed awake around 6:30 (Bean was having a party!). I finally fell sleep right before Nate's 8 am alarm went off.

(sigh)

That was my day Monday, LOL!

Oh! Photog related that made me feel good, LOL~My friend that I took photos for, the little blonde girl in my Dec 1st entry? Anyways, she took them to Walmart to get printed out, and they hasseled her about whether or not they were professional, and was she "sure she had permission to print them out" and such! YAY! LOL! They finally let her, but it made me feel good!

Yesterday was another hair raising day. Our dryer quit working, so I have all this laundry on the floor downstairs, and I had a full load of clothes drying in various places around the house. The Fix-It man is coming today. I got all of my Christmas Cards addressed and mailed. Then last night Nate and I wrapped up all of our family's gifts. While that happened an important stack of Nate's papers disappeared. He had just brought them in from his meeting.

He spent the next half hour or so looking for them... and mind you this was after Seth went to bed. I couldn't help but giggle. Anyways, he found a few interesting things. One... he found the GROSS sippy of milk in the entertainment center. It had been there for a while. Both of our nasal passages are clogged at the moment, so we never smelled it. Nate certainly got some good whiffs pouring the "Lump" down the drain. ICK!

Next, we found out that YES, Seth is indeed trying to burn down the house. Nate opened the oven, and found his papers in there... along with a new pack of batteries I had just bought at WalMart. Can you imagine, had I turned that on? BOOM!

Lesson of the day.... check your oven before turning it on.

I slept really well last nigt, but this morning I find myself very cranky. Nate ate the last Apple Struedel Pop Tarts for breakfast this morning. The ones I started craving last night, and totally had plans to eat myself this morning. I get up this morning... waddle downstairs.... and empty box and wrapper. Meanie! He doesn't even like them! Doesn't he realize what this does to a pregnant woman? I had to settle for oatmeal...

And now I'm waiting on the Fix-It man. Also~ my mother in law is having the hardest time finding that Little People Ramps Around Garage for Seth's Christmas gift. We are both so disappointed. Neither of us can find it in stock anywhere, and of course it's twice the price on Ebay.

Happy Birthday Bloggie!!

These are from last week's snowfall....


LOL! He had a great time and didn't want to come in! We need to get him some snowpants and some snowboots soon!Look at our ornaments we made yesterday! So much fun, and not hard! Though, I may go buy orange acrylic paint and redo the noses....(I had used an orange sharpie)

Please feel free to right click and save if you want the pictures for future reference.

Supplies Needed: Plain Glass Ornament, white, orange, and black acrylic paints, decorative ribbon.

Directions: Dip child's hand in white paint and carefully place handprint on ornament. Wait till dry. Paint on hat, mouth, buttons, and arms with black paint, and paint carrot nose in orange paint.Wait till dry. Tie ribbon at top of ornament.

Optional: I painted the name and year on the back of the ornament.

This was on a little business size card and tied with a ribbon to the top of the bulb... I left it on and hang it with the poem and all..

These aren't just 5 snowmen as anyone can see
I made them with my hand,Which is a part of me.
Now each year when you trim the tree
You'll look back and recallChristmas of 200_
When my hand was just this small.
Merry Christmas

****************

Happy Birthday Bloggie! I noticed that Embellish Blog has been open for a year now! And I've had almost 100,000 visits. THANK YOU! What a neat thing this "blogging", this online- journaling has been.

For your friendship, for your input and advice, and plain just for fun~ here is a wee giftie from me to you!

Download LINK ONE

Download LINK TWO

First come first serve! When the links run out, I'm sorry! Please leave me a note if you do take it, I LOVE my blog replies! Have a great Tuesday, and I'll see you tomorrow!

:)

A "Hairy" Thursday Recap....

Morning friends! We got 6-7 inches of snow yesterday and last night. There's a couple flakes floating in the air right now, but for the most part its fairly clear. Everything looks beautiful though!

Yesterday I was sitting here in front of the computer... and all of a sudden I smell something burning.

Afraid that Seth plugged in my hair iron, I went to the bathroom... but it wasn't on, and no smell.Man! It stunk like hair though!

I walk into his room, and the smell is very strong. Now I'm afraid, because there is something very wrong here.

My Kid, turned on his side table lamp, the one that has been there since before his birth, and knocked it to the ground. The 40 watt light then BURNED through the lamp cord it landed on, AND put a big black Burn in my CARPET!

Now his special story lamp is broken.... and my carpet is destroyed. I couldn't do anything but explain to Seth he can't touch the lamp, because now its broken and the carpet has a boo boo.


See the melted wire?



I guess it could have been worse.... Much worse. I am really thankful that I found it in time. I tell you what though, My heart raced and it stunk like burned hair for a couple hours after. At the time it also knocked out some power to the house, and I had to have Nate come home and fix it for me.

In the afternoon, Seth and I made some really cute snowmen ornaments. Super easy, and I just know that Nana & Gramma will love theirs.

Finally it came time to go to the salon. It was sooooo time to cut!

Before the salon.......



And 5 to 6 inches later.... LOL! So not the best pics of me but....



I'm dealing with "Oh-my-word... my hair is short" syndrome this morning, LOL! I LOVED how it looked yesterday, and I am HAPPY I did it, but this morning I am mourning just a bit. I need to wash and style myself. She curled it a bit, so I bet it looks a tiny bit longer when not curled. I am LOL at the "You look younger" compliments. I actually did it to look a little more my ripe age of 27! I thought my long hair was making me look young... and with my preggo belly..... LOL!

I've already been called off work for tonight. All that snow means hardly any business. I guess I'll turn in my two weeks tomorrow!

I made a couple tumblers for Christmas gifts yesterday. All the ladies in my family got one for either mother's day or their Bdays, and apparently, a couple men felt left out! I didn't figure the tumblers to be manly... but here we go!

For my Dad~
For my brother-in-law~


TGIF!

Big Trucks and Merry Gentlemen....

We took Seth to see Santa the other night. It couldn't have gone any better! He marched right up to Santa, and sat right on his lap. Santa asked him "How are you doing?" Seth beamed this huge grin at him, pumped his hand into the air and yelled "BIG TRUCK!!!"

I literally bent over with laughter. It was sooo funny. Now to be honest, Seth was most likely telling Santa that he'd seen the Big Truck, but it sounded like he was asking for it. It was so cute. Sadly we didn't get any pictures, because they were asking $11 for a polaroid. Riiiight..... And they wouldnt let you take your own.

And without further adieu~ Here is our 2006 Christmas Card~


Inspired by Jenn's card HERE. Holly McCaig's Good Tidings kit. The bow is Anita Stergiou, but I modified it and recolored it. Font is Albemarle Swash.

I Love how it turned out, and can't wait to send it out. I'll be busy addressing envelopes this weekend, and will put them in the mail sometime next week... I think.

NEW! Now at The Digi Chick.... Ye Merry Gentlemen!



Ye Merry Gentlemen is the perfect digital kit for the gaming men in your life. There are even Cigar Labels for those special afficianados! This kit is perfectly masculine with dark and rich tones, inspired by mahagony wood.

Included in Ye Merry Gentlemen are 8 worn and textured papers, 3 cigar labels, 3 ric racs, 3 playing card pieces, 2 poker chips, 2 chess pieces, 2 silver brads, and 2 dice. Also included is a full wooden alpha, numeral, and symbol set.

You can find it HERE at the Digi Chick.

*** Hurry! 20% off today only, till Midnight CST!

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I am so excited! I am going to the salon today. I am getting my hair cut. And I mean CUT! 4 inches? 6 inches? We'll see when we get there. I am soooo ready for it to not be so long!

Decorated for Christmas ....

Like I mentioned yesterday, going to the tree farm yesterday was excellent! We had a fantastic time together as a family. It was really nice on so many levels. Here is our day in pictures.

See Seth's scratch? :( He got that while with Gramma. Pack-n-Plays can be dangerous, you know!

At the Tree Farm! Daddy and Seth searching for just the right tree. Actually it was Mama who nixed this one or that one because it didn't seem tall enough, or full enough. LOL!

Upon discovery of this tree, Seth declared, "NICE TREE!" So we made it ours! LOL!

We brought it home, set it up, and decorated all afternoon. I am so pleased with how our tree turned out! It is nice and tall and full! No gapey-spots, AND it actually had a deffinitive top for our angel. LOL~ Our last 2 trees from Lowe's, the top was either way off on the side and not in the middle... or there were 2 to choose from. And for the same price, you really couldn't beat going to a farm to pick it out! And BONUS! It'll stay fresh longer since it wasn't cut 2 weeks ago.

We use red and white lights on our Christmas tree.

And here is our house from the outside... I love our red and white theme! One of these years I AM going to get some of those lit-trees and a deer or two.....

Thanks for stopping by and looking!

24 Weeks....

Going to the tree farm yesterday was excellent! How much fun was that?!?! I will have lots of pictures to share tomorrow. I wanted to share the finished house afterwards... and well, we only got 80% done yesterday, LOL! I'll finish the final touches today, and share everything tomorrow. Our tree is gorgeous, if I say so myself.

Well, it's been 4 weeks since my last belly shot. So here you go.... I am 24 weeks here. This was taken on Saturday.

And the progression....

16, 20, and 24 weeks.

After The Nativity Movie the other night, we stopped at the local Christmas display- slash- Christmas store, and what did I find?????? A Brown puppy just like Seth's Blue puppy! Awesome! I picked one up for Bean! Now both my boys will have the same puppy, but in different colors! These are the Gund Spunky line.

Here's Seth's.....

Here's Bean's.....

Hopefully he'll love him just as much as Seth loves Blue Dog. I was joking with Nate that we deffinitely HAVE to have a girl next. (Yes, we do want 3 :) You see... they only have a pink dog left in the Spunky line, LOL! Its a sign, I tell ya!

I think we might take Seth to see that Christmas display tonight. This store decorates, like you wouldn't believe. They start in Septemeber, and have this HUGE inside walk through display of what seems to be a hundred themes and a million trees, and a bazillion ornaments and lights. It really is something, and we know that Seth will enjoy it. The only pitfall is that they put the entrance right in the back of the toy section of the store. Stinkers...

Seth's Christmas....

I went into work Friday night, and they actually trained me on register! Wahoo! So I'll get a break from folding every now and then. I also get to hand in my 2 week notice this coming Friday. Double Wahoo!

I went in Saturday to work a well, but we were a bit slow, for Saturday Standards, so they let me come home early. I pounded out some Christmas shopping, and I only have a couple things to get to be finished. Seth and Nate are DONE! I just have to finish my dad and mom.

Then Saturday night, Nate and I took some of the Youth Group to go see The Nativity movie. It was pretty darn good. For the most part it stayed fairly acurate. There were a few creative liscenses, but nothing that really stuck out terribly to me. Except One thing. In the field on the night of Christ's birth, a Heavenly "Host" appeared to the Shepherds. "Host" meaning choir or army, and they sang Glory to His name. In the movie, it was just one angel who appeared and said "Do not be afraid." Huh? Anyways, We liked the movie, and besides the one part were very pleased with it. We recommend it! :)

Seth was away with Gramma this weekend playing with the cousins and taking in a Christmas Parade. I missed him! Friday night was OK without him, but the mornings were weird! Getting ready for the day with silence from his room was really sad for me. It was so good to have him home. It never fails though..... I was thinking of taking him for pictures (we STILL haven't gotten his 2 yrs done, DARN stitches) but he hit his eye and scratched his eyelid pretty bad on the pack and play. Guess we'll wait some more, LOL!

Seth is having a pretty nice Christmas this year. I am SO excited. He still doesn't "get" Santa, but I am anxious to see his face at all the goodies that he's going to get!

From "Santa"~ He's getting the Sesame Street Sing and Giggle Toolbench and accessories.






From Mama and Daddy he's getting Fridge Phonics, The Cars DVD, a Bob the Builder Workshop thing (see my Nov 14th Entry) 3 Bob the Builder trucks, 3 Cars movie cars, a Nemo Coloring pack, and an outfit.





From Nana and Abuelo, they are getting him the Fisher Price action sounds trike.



And from Gramma and Grampa, the Little People Ramps Around Garage.

I have no clue what the aunts and uncles are getting him, LOL! I stuggle with wanting to buy him more... but he doesn't need any "more" and I really shouldn't spoil him....

I'm excited! We are decorating the Christmas tree today, and getting the house all Christmas-fied. We are doing something new this year and actually going to a tree farm to cut down our own tree. Usually we just headed to Lowe's a picked out a pre-cut, but not today! YAY! Should be fun.