A White Christmas

You would not believe the giant white fluffy flakes coming down right now!! It is absolutely gorgeous to look at, however, I fear it may keep our company from coming today. My husband's two sisters and their families are suppose to drive up from Naperville, IL - not too far, but still, not fun driving in this kind of weather. At least it is suppose to stop around 3PM - finally (has snowed past three days here).

I spent most of the day cleaning yesterday and grocery shopping for our Christmas Eve munch fest!! Today, the kids and I plan to bake Santa's favorite Snickerdoodle Cookies and try not to eat them all, so we have some left to leave for Santa tonight. Trey is at work and they are having a holiday luncheon that he set up for the plant - he loves to plan those sort of things. He's a good man!! I am praying for his safe trip home from work. He is suppose to start heading home right after the luncheon, but his normal commute without poor weather conditions is over an hour one way, so who knows what it will be like today??!!

Hoping to get caught up on my Dec. Daily maybe sometime today. I have all my photos printed out and stuffed in the album. Just need to adhere and journal. It has been a fun project, but hard to keep up with over the holidays - even though I made the album in advance.

Well, off to get the butter our to start softening for our cookie baking. Warmest wishes to you all this Christmas Eve and a very Merry Christmas to you tomorrow!!

EWE!!!...Yellow Snow

I absolutely hate it - in my yard!! Yellow snow!! Ick!! However, when you have two big dogs, there is really no way around it - I guess, unless you let them go in someone else's yard!! BUT I WOULD NEVER DO THAT - FOR THE RECORD!! I just want my yard to look pristine and white - no track marks, no brown or yellow snow - just beautiful and untouched. I get maybe a glimpse of that, then the kids are out, the dogs are out, and everyone is having a grand time. Well, at least the kids play across the way in the green space on the hill - don't want them playing in yellow snow - DOUBLE EWE!! Each year, I try to keep the dogs in one area, so as to not make a mess everywhere, but that never seems to work either. We take walks too, but when we have a lot of snow, they get pretty paticular about where they will go, and their favorite spot seems to be right back in our yard. What a picture I must make trudging around in the snow with a pooper scooper!! Oh well, enough potty talk.

Yesterday was a big snow day for us - 14" as per the weatherman - the most recorded snow of the day in Wisconsin. Everyone got to stay home for the day, including hubby! Some pics of everyone outside having some fun.




I stayed inside working on Christmas cards still!! I know, I know - they are getting mailed no matter what on Monday. If they arrive late - it's the thought that counts!!! I cannot just make one style and stick to it - I get too bored, so I made four different styles - mix up the process a little for me. No rhyme or reason as to who gets what - they just get one!!





Still trying to knock out the last of my cards today and doing laundry - mostly drying the kids snow pants and mittens, as they go out then in, then out then in - over and over again!!! Tonight we have my oldest daughter's (Abbey) Holiday Ice Show to go to. Expecting more snow too - 3 to 5 inches tonight. That's nothing compared to what we just had, still - soooo cold, none of it looks to be melting anytime in the near future.

I have the SNEEZLES!!

Just like Chrisopher Robin who had the sneezles, and the wheezles. They bundled him into his bed (wish someone would do that for me). They gave him what goes with a cold in the nose (well, what I'm taking sure isn't working), and some more for a cold in the head (oh yah - definitely got that!!).

Oh well, just when I was already a little behind, now I am a lot behind. May not be making home made Challah bread for the teachers this year. Probably will do the ole' Starbucks giftcard standby.

Did get caught up on my Dec. Daily. Here are some pics. Hope to post some pics of the Christmas cards I have been making tomorrow.

Belated December Daily Posts

Ready for some more pictures??!! Just getting caught up on what I've done so far.

I'm Here, I'm Here, I'm Here!!!

Wow!! I cannot believe I have not posted in so long. I have been keeping up with my Dec. Daily Journal, and really enjoying it, however, I just haven't had much time to post on my blog, or read anyone else's for that matter!! Hopefully, that will soon change.

In today's entry, I included pictures of the Christmas trees my kids put up in their rooms. They love having their very own little tree in the rooms and are anxious to get them up as soon as we are done with Thanksgiving. I just realized now, that I did not journal on this entry. Arghhhh - so tired tonight!! I will probably add a tag in with some journaling.

Weekend Update & More This and That

Had lots of fun this weekend at a SISters crop where I finally got started on my Dec. Journal!! Mine is about half way finished now. I did it pretty much "bare bones" and plan to embellish more each day as I add photos and do my journaling day by day in December. I used a 7 Gypsies chipboard album I already had on hand and Scenic Route's Holiday line from last year - Roxbury. I got bored working with just one paper line and the ended up purchasing some of the new Good Cheer line from October Afternoon to mix in. I was trying to work with stash that I had on hand, but I couldn't resist a little more October Afternoon -swoon!! Also using some KI Memories, Hambly of course, and probably some Jenni Bowlin, Making Memories and whatever else suits my fancy at the moment. Starting to get in the Christmas spirit, but refuse to pull out and decor or play the holiday tunes until the day after Thanksgiving.


Made some really yummy cookies to for the crop. They are called Ranger Cookies. This has to be one of my all time favorite cookie recipes. If you know me at all, you know I have a love/hate relationship with cookies - I absolutely LOVE to eat cookies, but HATE that I have no willpower and cannot stop eating them!! Anyhow, not sure where this recipe came from, maybe my old Ranger Rick Magazines I used to get as a kid. I know I have had the recipe a very long time. Here it is:

Ranger Cookies sorry no pics - they have all been eaten!!
1 3/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks softened butter
1 c granulated sugar
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 c flaked coconut
1 c old fashion oats
2 c crushed corn flakes or Rice Krispies cereal
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Cream butter, eggs, both sugars and vanilla in separate bowl. Add flour mixture to creamed butter/egg/sugar mixture and stir. Stir in coconut, oats and cereal. Bake 10 to 12 minutes (until golden brown)on ungreased cookie sheet. Makes about 60 cookies.

And last but not least - I FINALLY finished my Halloween House!! I had to finish it. I cannot bring myself to leave a project unfinished. At least next year, it will look real cute sitting next to my Halloween Tree.

I'm Back!!

I'm back from a most excellent weekend crop retreat in Lake Geneva with some great friends and from having my knee surgery yesterday. Ready to get back to norm here!! The crop weekend was sooo much fun. I have a picture of all of us to share - having dinner and visiting before our first night of scrapbooking...(L to R standing: Tracy, Carla, me, Cathy and Cricket; seated: Pat).

That's the only pic I took. Too much serious scrapbooking going on, and lots of chat. Got four LO's done and that is pretty good for me. The first three were done with a couple Studio Calico Kits I brought and the last LO was done with some of my fav. October Afternoon papers/stamps and embellies from my own stash. Sorry - not sure why one image is sideways. I attempted to fix with no luck. ARRRGGGHHH!

Barely Broken-In

My running shoes that is. I just got a new pair because my shins starting hurting - usually a sign it's a little past the right time to get new running shoes. However, pain in my legs, my left knee primarily, kept getting worse. Long story short, after a Dr. visit Monday, to follow up with trouble I have had with my left knee in the past, I am now having surgery Tues. - just a knee scope and possibly repair of some tearing. I am not too worried about it, and should be home the same day, but I am more bummed about the fact the Doc told me I need to give up running. I've always been very careful, because I know I have bad knees/arthritis. I only run on the treadmill, am conscious of doing strength exercises the correct way, and don't do any other high impact exercising, other than running anymore (I used to be big into step aerobics - not good for the ole' knees). I've become very passionate about running - I like the way it makes me feel - free, challenged, time just for me to think, contemplate, the euphoric high it gives me. I have never sensed that with any other exercise and I have been into a lot of things - Jazzercise, aerobics, pilates, yoga, weigh lifting, spin - tried just about everything in the quest to lose weight and keep it off. Running really did do just that for me as far as the weight thing goes - better than anything else I have tried in the past.

OK, OK - enough of my whining. At least I will have more time to scrap while I recover - will need to stay off the leg for a little while. Walking is still OK, and after a recent trip with my dogs to the vet - they both need to lose some weight, so we can all enjoy some walks around the lake. Speaking of my boys - I gave them both a bath the other day. They are all clean and smelly-good. Ahhh - they look like they have no worries...Lafferty and Gulliver.

Zero is OUT!! - in case you haven't heard

Well, you probably have heard since it happened last Thursday. We did not know thought when we went to see him at the Milwaukee Zoo on Halloween Day, Friday. Zero, the polar bear, had fallen into his moat and had been hanging out down there, unharmed, for quite some time. Updates on Zero's progress were on the local news just about everyday. The kids were anxious to go see him, so since we had off school Friday, we decided to go visit Zero at the Zoo. It was all they could talk about the whole way to the Zoo, and once we arrived, we could not get to Zero's exhibit fast enough. Fortunately for Zero, but unfortunately for us, Zero was finally out of his moat and taking a rest, off exhibit, for the day. I had heard on Thurs. AM that he was still in the moat, but had not heard that zookeepers were planning to get him out with a crane that day. They made several attempts to entice Zero to get out on his own, since they knew he could climb out if he wanted to, but it wasn't happening, and I guess they felt he had been down there long enough. After seeing the moat up close, I cannot believe he stayed down there so long. Pretty small area for such a big polar bear. Well, I am glad he made it out, and we plan to get back to see him soon.

Just thought I'd share some photos from our Zoo trip and of Trey and I dressed up for our Halloween party Friday eve.

I'm a Bella

Couldn't sleep tonight and have been up surfing the net. Ran across this. If you are a Twilight series fan, it's a must to try. Can't wait for the movie!!!


Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

The Princess and the Pea

Or in my house...The Mom and the Tooth. For those of you not familiar with the story here is a link, but if you are familiar, you know the princess could not sleep because of that pea under her mattress. Well in my case it was a tooth in a box, and not a mattress, but my pillow. My youngest daughter Isabelle, who has lost 2 teeth already, is still afraid of the tooth fairy. About 5AM she came into my bedside to tell me her tooth had fallen out while she was sleeping, but that she had found it. Thank goodness she hadn't swallowed it - would not be the first time this has happened in our house. Usually, our procedure is to put the lost tooth in the special tooth fairy box and place it on mom and dad's night table (remember - no tooth fairy is allowed in Isabelle's room), but on this occasion, Isabelle insisted the tooth fairy box had to go under MY pillow - OK. Just get this child back to bed so I can sleep!! Who would a thought a small porcelain box under your pillow could cause so much unrest, but IT DID!! Or at least that is what I am blaming my remaining uncomfortable night's rest on and neck pain this morning. On the brighter side, at least the tooth fairy did not FORGET to visit this time.
OK - not related to the tooth fairy or the princess and the pea...here are some LO's I did recently using the Sept. Studio Calico Kit Iconic and a few items in my own stash.

Halloween Day 1

Since our community always does trick or treating the Sunday before Halloween, we had our first Halloween celebration yesterday. After our trip to Apple Holler, picking out pumpkins and having lunch, we came home to start carving our pumpkin picks. Soon it was time go get ready to go trick or treating. It was a blustery cold day here, so we had to layer up and pin a few costume accessories on for fear they'd be lost in the wind, but the kids still managed to come home with quite a bit of loot!! For the first year, my older daughter went trick or treating with her girlfriends - they all were hippie chicks. Still can't figure out where she hid all her candy!! She came home with the MOST and quickly stashed it!! She knows her Mom too well!!