Christmas Weekend

Yesterday afternoon it started to snow. Oh, it was so pretty!

We had no where to go so I was able to snuggle up with a good book while Megan and Daddy played games. After a few day of running here and there it was pure joy!

I hope that you all had a very nice Christmas. Ours was great. Megan received so many great things. A Jack in the Box which was on the top of her list and a workbench.


She is always Daddy's helper while he works in the garage and this was a big hit.

You can see her excitement while opening this package.


It warmed my heart to know she found so much joy in a simple slinky.

Besides Christmas morning at our home we had three other get togethers. All the kids at my father-in-laws are three and under. I was impressed with how much self control they had while waiting for present time. It was very hard on my nephew.


Megan was having more fun playing with the bows and ribbon.

She keep taking the bows off of everyone's present. I was so happy to see that it wasn't all about the presents for her.

I won't be posting anymore this week. Chuck is on vacation this week. We have a couple of small projects to complete. Some good ole' fashioned family time is on the agenda also.

Wishing all of you a New Year full of health, peace, love and faith.

My hope...

is that you cherish quiet moments and enjoy the true meaning of Christmas.

Merry Christmas

From my family to yours!

Poinsettia

Brought home by Chuck last night. A simple gesture that tickled me pink!

My Favorite Christmas Cookie...

Mexican Wedding Cake

or Russian Tea Cookies. Whatever you call them they are my favorite! They are only made at Christmas and that makes so special. Mom came over yesterday and we whipped up a batch.

Preheat oven to 350*
Cream 1 cup butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Add remaining ingredients. 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 cup chopped pecans. Roll into balls about the size of a small walnut. Bake for 12 15 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar while still warm.

I usually roll them about three times and then sprinkle extra powdered sugar over the top when storing. What is your favorite Christmas cookie?

Feeling Crafty

I have been in a crafty mood the last few days. I made this as a gift for the little guy I babysit for to his Mommy and Daddy.

It was inspired by Monica.

Megan and I made ornaments out of plain glass bulbs. We decoupaged wrapping paper scraps on the first one. This was not easy since it was hard to get the paper to conform to the circle.

Next we tried squares of tissue paper.

This worked much better.

Then it was time to finish making scripture/picture coasters. This pretty little thing is my youngest niece, Faith.

All that is left to do is box them up.

There are more things I would like to complete, but have decided that I am done until after Christmas. There are just so many great ideas that I keep seeing. I have started to compile a list and I plan to make time for Christmas crafting at least once a month.

Santa Claus

Over the weekend Megan went to visit Santa. She was having nothing to do with sitting on his lap. She finally agreed to stand next to his chair. The lady taking the picture was great and managed to snap a couple of quick shots.

When asked what she wants she will whisper Jack in the Box. Just a Jack in the Box. It is so cute. I just love that something so simple will delight her.

Family Fun: Christmas Light Drive

Saturday night we went for a drive to look at Christmas lights. Before leaving I made up a snack bag for everyone; popcorn and m&m's.

Megan was all snug in her jammies with her friends, a nice warm blanket and a snack.

We then drove for about 45 minutes through some neighborhoods close to ours.

Our last stop was at a neighboring church. After taking in the real reason for the season we headed home. A night of simple, fun, relaxing and frugal fun!

Christmas Countdown

Megan has been asking me about everyday when Christmas is. The solution was to make a countdown chain.

Each night at bedtime Megan cuts off the lowest link. When Christmas arrives all that will be left is the star at the top.


Luke 2:11 is written on the star. After we read The Story of Christmas by Patricia A. Pingry we then read the scripture. This is working so well that I plan to make it an annual tradition.

Family Fun: Night at the Museum

We received an invitation to attend the local Children's Museum after hours. It is great because they only had 1000 tickets so it wasn't crowded.

There are tons of interactive things to do.

Climbing inside of a "rock" and then getting to slide out.

A carousel ride with my best girl.

Pretending to be the Mama Dinosaur.

The train exhibit is so neat.

We could have stayed there for hours watching it.

Unfortunately the batteries died in my camera shortly after we arrived. This is the second year we have been able to attend this outing. We hope to make it an annual trip.

Snow!

We woke up to our first snowfall yesterday. Just a light snowfall; about an inch.




Just enough to make one little girl very happy!

I hear more is on it's way... Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods:
Cold. The high will be about 35* and there is snow in the forecast. Yeah!

One of my simple pleasures:
To snuggle under a warm blanket on a chilly night.

On my bedside table:
Summer by Karen Kingsbury

On my TV:
Some Disney or PBS this morning, then nothing.

On the menu for tonight:
Tacos

On my To Do List:
Laundry
Clean Kitchen

Schooling
Babysit
Wrap presents

Order a few things from Amazon
Finish some homemade gifts

New Recipe I tried last week:
None

In the craft basket:
Finish scripture & photo coaster gifts

Make a garland with homespun trees

Looking forward to:
Having all of the Christmas shopping finished this week.



Homemaking Tip for this week:
Keep stain remover close to the hamper. That way you can treat a stain as you put the item in the hamper and not have to remember to take the item to the laundry room.


Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
This post from Heather about a Simple Christmas.

Favorite photo from last week:


Lesson learned the past few days:

I don't do well with chaos. I need to have a to list and have things in order. Flying by the seat of my pants just doesn't work for me. It really causes me stress.

On my Prayer List:
My husband and daughter
My brother-in-law Brian. He is serving in Afghanistan.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
For I know the thougts that I think toward you, says the LORd, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Please stop by and visit Sandra to see what other Happy Homemakers are up to. Have a great Monday!

Christmas from the Heart: Photobooks

I wanted to share with you another personal and inexpensive gift idea. I made this photo book through Snapfish. I titled it the 12 Months of Megan.


I choose a handful of pictures from each month for the last year.

I then went in and created a page or two for each month.

I hope you are able to tell that there is a variety of layouts you can choose from.

I started with December of last year and then moved forward. This book is a gift for Megan's grandma & grandpa (Chuck's mom & stepdad). I keep that in mind while making the book and tried to include photos of them with Megan. I know without a doubt that they will love this gift. The best part is that it cost less then $8.00 to make this.

How many of you Coke drinkers are doing the my coke reward program? If not, I would encourage you to. We have been trading in our points for snapfish products. We are able to print 4x6 photos for free and then I think we were able to print two photobooks this year. There are some limits of what you can do, but to only pay shipping I am willing to jump through a few hoops.

I am off to start my day with a trip to the grocery store. I want to beat the Arctic cold front that is on it's way. I am not quite ready to shop in 20* weather yet. Brrrr! Have a great day.