Santa's Helper

Santa's workshop was in full swing today! It was a perfect day to be inside working on that those special 'hand made' gifts. It's so much more fun when the elves are willing to help and today, Cierra was all about working with me... my grandma (we call her MA) is always cold and we haven't done much in the way of gifts for over the past few years so it was very fitting to make her a rag quilt. She loves green so I visited my my favorite quilt store and picked up some soft, woven flannels that make a perfect frayed quilt. So here's where we started...
Here's our stack of material -
Cierra marked the squares -
Next she sewed.....
Now they're all ready to line up!
Is there a pattern? Let's switch them around :)
Our first row -
We're getting there!
And finally, here it is!

But wait! There's still SEVERAL hours of snipping. Then wash and dry; repeat; repeat! (to get it to fray). We had a lot of fun today working on a special Christmas present.

Updated pictures of the SNOW!

When we went to bed last night we had a feeling the parade was NOT going to happen today. We woke up around 8:30 and found this......(earlier than anticipated, YAY!)
One of my favorite 'photo' spots is the covered bridge that leads to my parent's home. This one was just taken....
the forecast is calling for snow ALL day so check back, we're hoping for a beautiful winter scene!

So here's what we got - 4". It was a very heavy, wet snow and somewhat messy. The covered bridge didn't end up 'picture perfect' but there is something to be said about the first snow of the winter...

Oh Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

Christmas is definitely in the air around here as well as Kelly's Korner ...and Christmas Trees come in all sizes, shapes and types at Crockett's Corner. It seems like each year we add to our collection so pretty soon we will have one in every room plus some, ha!

We haven't gotten our biggest one up yet this year but everything else is pretty much ready - This one is in our living room..


And here's the one in our "powder room"
and these elves are peeking out the window of our breakfast nookThis one is the last one to get turned out at night....right beside our bed.


And last but not least....Kayden Brooke's 1st Christmas tree!

So check back to see the rest of our trees - we still have the one in our family room and the one upstairs in the bar that is done in a Nascar theme...

How many trees are in your house? Any in an 'unusual' place?!

Thursday's Thoughts!

An evening of Christmas shopping with the kids and we didn't even leave our kitchen! How about that?! We had a great time - no lines, parking spots to find or bags to carry just two laptops and four cell phones worked just great! Seriously, what did we really do before laptops?! I made some serious progress with my Christmas list and had help from Chase and Cierra. Ashley and Britt even worked with us via text messages :)


Ronnie helped out with dinner and even squeezed in finishing up the turkey salad with our leftovers from last Thursday!
Another tradition that I neglected to include in Kelly's post was Chase's LEGO Advent calendar. This is his 2nd year and even though he's 11 now, he still loves putting together the 'daily' piece that will result in 24 days in LEGO land!



Meanwhile, Cierra is so 'not' into LEGOS....she likes to just watch :)

Wordless Wednesday - Think WARM!

Catchin' up!

Thanksgiving was great and the weekend was very relaxing! On Friday we kept Kayden while the 'gang' went "Black Friday" shopping at midnight - she is just the best!


Since we were 'kid less' we decided to head out for the evening. We stopped at Walmart and picked up some decorations, presents and basic needs then stopped by the mall just before closing. I wanted an attachment for my Kitchenaid to make turkey salad (never made it before but love it with leftover turkey). I ran in Country Treasures for some lights and garland for the railing then off to eat. We decided on TGIFriday's because I love the fried green beans! It was a nice night out.
On Saturday, we remained kid less and literally did NOTHING! We slept in, watched many, many episodes of Seinfeld then decided to pick up some seafood and ice cream (not sure where that combination came from but it was good).

Sunday was another lazy day however I did get all the laundry done, one of our Christmas trees up, all of Kayden's bows finished and the railing wrapped.
The kids were both here for most of the day so were energized to get their rooms moved around. Wow, what work! Cierra is all settled in Britt's room (all except the bed which will be here Friday) but we're making Chase wait until after Christmas to move into the other 1/2 of the basement. They are like twins when it comes to this kind of stuff. What one has, the other wants. Oh well, it keeps things interesting!

I also decided to try my hand at using my Cricut for vinyl lettering for my walls....

Here's a blast from the past - when we first bought this for Cierra some people (won't name) thought we were crazy for spending all that money on a quilt. Since I have gotten into quilting I totally appreciate the value of a quilt now though. But hey, I was able to recycle it for Kayden's room. I still love it!

Spaghetti was on the menu for dinner so Britt and Brandon stopped by for the leftovers. I have to admit that it seems really weird not having her around. Don't you agree 21 years is a long time to be around then 'poof', she's gone? :)

I have such a personality

Yes, I had a little bit of fun today with Kayden and her pink bow..

Show Us Your Life - Christmas Traditions!

Christmas has always been a very special time for our family. From a very young age my parents have always made it a time of excitement and adventure but they never let us forget what it is really all about.

Traditionally we go to church on Christmas Eve then have dinner with family. Last year with the excitement of our new grandchild 'on her way', we decided to change it up a bit and have Christmas Eve dinner at home. It worked out really nice and allowed the kids to get everything ready (cookies and milk, notes to Santa then read "Twas the Night Before Christmas") before heading to bed. The kids always get to open one present on Christmas eve which is one of their favorite things.

One of the joys I also love about the season is the annual Christmas program at Church. Last year it was really special because we used live animals and presented a slideshow as Cierra narrated the birth of baby Jesus. This year the theme is really cute, too! Cierra and Chase love to participate in that.



Then there's the Christmas parade! Last year it was really, really cold....Chase and Ronnie are usually with the Cub Scouts while Cierra and I are with the 4H group but once again, this year just might be different (you'll have to wait and see:)



Baking cookies is also one of the traditions that seems to get harder and harder as everyone is so busy but this year we have planned a 'baking Saturday' for all of us to get together and bring recipes to share then just bake all day! (Ronnie has also agreed to get a 2nd oven up and running, yay!)

Every Christmas morning after gifts are opened at home, we head 'over the creek and through the woods' to Grandma and Butch's home and literally, let the fun begin! Breakfast is then served then we head back over the bridge. While the kids are playing with their new stuff, we usually sort and organize then sneak in a nap.

In years past we have always joined in the 'after Christmas' madness! Never know what you're gonna find, right?!

This year is going to be different for a couple reasons - first it will be Kayden's 1st Christmas!! and, she's at such a great age! Just think of all the toys she'll get. This will also be Britt's first Christmas in her new home. Wow, things sure do change quick, don't they?! One other good thing is that Mom is healthy this year. Last year just before Christmas she fell and broke her hip. That changed not only the activities of Christmas but put it all into perspective for our family. So, we're really hoping everyone is healthy this year!

We also started another tradition last year. I have a great group of people that work with/for me so we thought it would be fun to have an annual holiday party. We were successful (however it was actually after the holidays) and have this year's planning underway (and I think there might even be some new faces there, too)....
So, HAPPY HOLIDAYS all my blogger friends!

Where do I start?

There is SO MUCH to be thankful for! I don't think I can top Ronnie's post and have to admit I was very surprised. When I first logged on and saw that picture, I was certain my "blog" had a virus....where did that picture come from?! Then as I began to read I realized all the thought that went into a few paragraphs for all my blogging friends to read. Wow - I too, am very thankful for my life with Ronnie and do realize we are very blessed as well as 'fortunate'. The world is a tough place these days but our journey just keeps getting better. There have been some remarks out there calling us "Barbie and Ken". Call it what you want but we do have a pretty good life and don't take it for granted, ever.

Today was full of traditions; fried turkey, dinner at our home, family around the table, talk about Christmas and then there are those sales that start at midnight. We also started some new traditions, had some new faces and even some new food! Yeah for Paula Dean, right?!

Cierra, Kayden and I even ventured out to Michael's tonight to pick up some things for those 'hand made' gifts.

Now Kayden's in bed, Cierra is napping until she's picked up at 11:30 (for a night of shopping) and Ronnie and I would be relaxing.

I hope everyone out there had a blessed, memorable and thankful day!

Here's a run through of our day -

Our morning tradition - It's hard to believe it's been 6 years since Britt was in the parade...
Our family...
The 'bird' getting ready be dropped in the fryer. Ronnie says this is the only day of the year he drinks a beer before noon, lol! Yum...all golden brown..Lord, please bless this food....Now it's time to exchange names....All the grandkids w/Grandma and Butch....And here's the smallest blessing that means so much to all of us!

Thanks givin’ To My Wife

I may be stepping over my boundaries, but that’s nothing unusual for me, so here it goes. Anyone that knows me knows that I let you know up front and honestly how I feel. Now it’s time to touch on a subject that usually escapes the conversation in many households these days… the importance of the wife in our life. Speaking for myself, my wife is my best friend, my lover, the best mom to 4 children (5 counting you Ash), and doing a wonderful justice to the newly coined phrase in our house, “GiGi”. Making sure all are treated equally and being involved and supportive is always at the forefront of her mind. She strives to capture the moments that they will one day cherish, whether it be in her still photos on paper, on video, or on the blog which you are reading now. Anyone (who truly knows her) knows that she blogs to archive the now for the later for those who are the nearest to her heart, her children and grandchild. She wears many hats and never fails at anything she does. She is our Thanksgiving and why I wrote this. There’s nobody else, no other role in the world, where a person sacrifices so much for others. So, on this 19th Thanksgiving we’ve spent together I say “Thank you Lord above for blessing me with such a wonderful wife for whom I’m so thankful." Have a great day, Bev!

Love,

Husband