Christmas...A Little Late

     Ahhhh....I can breathe, finally.  We had a pretty good Christmas, but I am glad it is over.  It was just so hustle and bustle, that I'm not sure I really enjoyed it all that much until the gifts were opened and there was laughter surrounding a Bingo table.  A few nights before Christmas we went to church with my parents and saw Mikayla perform with the children's choir during one of the Christmas Eve services.  She did a great job and we were all so proud of her.  Christmas Eve I was not feeling well, so we only made it to Christmas with my parents and had to skip my great aunt's.  One of these years we will make it out there.  I ended up going to bed pretty early and waking when my mom dropped Mikayla off.  I managed to read Twas the Night Before Christmas and say goodnight to the kids then back to bed I went.  I woke up {very early} feeling much better on Christmas morning and enjoyed watching the kids open their presents.  There is just something about the expression on their faces when they open something they really want {even if Santa gets the credit}.  The rest of the morning I got to be lazy while the kids were playing with their new toys.  In the afternoon we headed out to my uncle's to have our extended family Christmas.  It never ceases to amaze me how we can fit 30 people into such a tiny house and yet not feel like we are completely stepping on each other's toes.  A lot of laughing was definitely in order.  The kids enjoyed the opportunity to play with their cousins and this year even got to get in on the Bingo action.  Noah won $10 (with the help of Mike), and Mikayla didn't win anything but my cousin was sweet enough to share his winnings with her.

Noah waiting for church service to start.

Mikayla gave Noah Mr. Pricklepants and Squeaky from Toy Story 3.

Santa got the kids new bikes.

Noah with his new book and bike.

It's not the best video, but at least we have something.

This one got cut off due to our camera powering off.

A Brief Lesson in Taxidermy

     The other night we took the kids to see Santa.  This year we chose to see the one at the Bass Pro Shops because they have a little wonderland that the kids can enjoy before and after visiting with Santa.  Since it was so close to Christmas we had to get our ticket for later, which left us with some time to explore the store.  Bass Pro Shop has been down the street for two years now {I think} and we have been to it maybe three times.  I like the store, but I have a hard time envisioning what exactly it is that I would buy there.  After a bit of looking around, Mikayla mentions that the geese look like real ones.  So I had to have a quick little lesson of how the store goes about getting the animals and preserving them for display.  Not quite sure she got all of it, because after our discussion she was putting extra gore into how they get them when she was sharing her new found knowledge with her dad.  Umm, yea, next time the taxidermy lesson can be left up to him.

Frosty Tipped Pinecones

     There is nothing like the holidays to bring out my crafty side.  I took some time this year to do a little holiday crafting with the daycare kiddos (sorry, no homemade gifts this year).  I have a few different projects that we did and will hopefully be sharing.  First up are frosty tipped pinecones.

Frosty Tipped Pinecones
Supplies:
Pinecones
White paint
Glitter
2 plates


1. Gather supplies.

2.  Place a generous amount of paint and glitter on plates or other flat surface.  Holding onto the bottom of the pinecone, twirl it in the paint until all the tips are coated with paint.

 3.  Once all tips are coated in paint, you twirl the pinecone in the glitter covering all the paint with glitter.

 4.  Let dry.

Finished product.

By the batch.

     A few notes about this craft.  You can use any color paint to do the tips, I just liked the white because it was snow-like.  I also used a sparkly white glitter, but again you can use any color to get a more festive arrangement.  You can even use the scented ones from the craft store to add a little more of a holiday touch to them.  As a final note, I created these as ornaments for the kids by adding a string of yarn to the top but they are so quick and easy to make that you could quickly make a batch and put them out as decorations.

Where Has the Time Gone...

     Oh yeah, I know where it has gone...Time recently has been spent with a nightly trip here or there making sure we had everything ready for my brother's wedding as well as getting things done for Christmas.  We also have had weekly trips to gymnastics, choir, and soccer.  It keeps us really busy.  I am so ready for the break after the holidays when I can have my evenings back and to be able to just sit and breathe.  My brother got married on Saturday so now we have a week to spend with grandparents and finish up any last minute Christmas things.  My brother's wedding was a nice ceremony followed by a great reception.  I know I am partial, but they had the cutest little flower girls and ring bearer.  Who I might add lit up the dance floor and really got the party started.  Noah had every one cracking up with his moves.  It was just too cute and it left me wondering where he took his lessons {I'm guessing from his cousin}.  Mikayla had a few moves of her own to which I was asked if she was in a dance class.  She hasn't been in dance for a few years, but the girl sure knows how to improv.  I wish I could have gotten video, it would have been great to show them when they get older. 

A flower girl and the ring bearer.

I loved him in his little tux.  He was just so handsome. 

Me, my brother, and my sister.  The photographer was going for a little bit of flare here.

My sister and I with the bride and groom.

I snapped the pic just as he was going down to the floor.

My mom and dad.

The two flower girls dancing the night away.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

     I love comfort food.  But I am also busy and don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen, so I am all for quick and easy meals.  Recently I made this chicken pot pie that is one of my favorite winter-time meals.  It definitely falls in the quick and easy recipe category.  So yummy!

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

1/2 lb. Cooked diced chicken (you can use the Tyson pre-cooked chicken to make it even easier)
2 C Frozen mixed veggies
1 C Sour Cream
1 Jar of chicken flavored gravy
1 Box of pie crust

Remove the pie crust from the fridge according to the package.  Preheat the oven to 425.  In a bowl combine the cooked chicken, mixed veggies, sour cream and gravy.  Roll one of the crusts in the bottom of a pie pan.  Pour in the chicken mixture and spread evenly.  Roll the second crust on top and seal prior to pinching the crusts.  Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.  After about 15 minutes cover the edge of the crust to prevent burning.  Allow the pot pie to cool a little prior to serving.

Not the prettiest, but it sure is yummy.  {You can see the importance of the foil.}

Things They Say Thursday--Dec. 8th

     This past weekend we went and saw "The Muppets" at the theater.  Both kids seemed to enjoy most of the movie, but there were some parts that Noah deemed scary.  Nonetheless, it left him the next morning say "Mah-na, Mah-na."  Now I can't get it out of my head. 

Packers Quest

     I've been a {big} Green Bay Packers fan for a while now.  I actually got my first Green Bay jersey back in middle school {eeks...to think of how long ago that was}.  I have since somewhat got my husband on board, but the kids definitely feel the love.  We travelled to Minnesota for Thanksgiving and had a great time visiting family.  We also went with a promise to Mikayla that we would get her a Green Bay Packers shirt.  She had been asking for weeks months if she could have one and we looked everywhere around here to no avail.  We thought with Minnesota being closer and a fan base there we would have better luck.  Yea, not much better luck but alas we got her one.  At what is most important is that she loves it!

Um, yea, the girl has a style all her own. :)

True 'Dat

Creating Memories...

    Recently I have been thinking a lot about the legacy I will be leaving for my children and what memories and traditions they will remember when they are grown.  Some of my memories I have of my own childhood are baking with my mom, Christmas with my extended family, and an annual trip to go look at Christmas lights.  Over the weekend I decided I would carry on the tradition of taking the kids to look at Christmas lights.  We are lucky enough to have a great display just down the street called Christmas Card Lane.  But before we went to see those, we made a quick stop to drive down Jingle Bell Drive at our local mall.  It is a light display set up in the parking lot that you drive through listening to Christmas music.  Once through there we made our way to Christmas Card Lane.  Mikayla really enjoyed reading all the Christmas cards on the lawns and telling me all the different ways I should turn.  Noah had fallen asleep before we got to Christmas Card Lane, but before that each light set he would see he would say "that's interesting."  He was sure to emphasize each syllable of the word which had me smiling.  On the way home we made a quick pass by a local home that has a walk-through display of Christmas inflatables.  We ended the evening with all of us watching a movie in Mike and I's bed in our pjs.  It was a great nightcap cuddling with my little ones.

Turkey Hands

     For the unit of Thanksgiving I did with the daycare kids I decided I would make the very common/popular/easy to make turkey handprints.  I painted each of the kids' palms and thumbs brown and then each of their other fingers a different color.  When they were dry I added the beak and legs.  I love quick little projects like this that I get to do with the kids.  Makes my day!