Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope you all have a wonderful 2009!!!!!!!!

Have a very wonderful Christmas!

Toffee Bark

This is really good! My mom got the recipe from her Church's Christmas Bazaar. So I thought I would share. It sounds kinda weird because of the crackers but it is delicious. It seems pretty easy too.

Toffee Bark
Preheat oven to 350
Line jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Cover sheet with 40 saltine crackers. Melt 2 sticks of butter and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Boil for 3 minutes. Pour over crackers. Bake 15 minutes. Spread 12 oz. semi sweet chocolate morsels over the crackers. Top with chopped nuts. Store in airtight container.

Getting to know you 2...

Welcome to the 2nd Edition of Getting To Know Your Family and Friends, Christmas Style. You know the drill.
Get crack-a-lackin'!

1. Do you put up outdoor Christmas decorations? Sometimes but not every year.

2. Do you have a favorite Christmas cookie? I love homemade sugar cookies(Grammy's recipe)

3. What is the best gift you ever gave someone? I really can't think of one.

4. Do you like fruitcake? I only like the one my mom makes otherwise I don't like it.

5. What is your least favorite Christmas song? I know this probably is awful but I hate Silent Night.

6. Do you go to church on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day? Not usually but we have gone in the past.

7. Do you hang Christmas stockings? Where? We hang them around the fireplace.

8. Do you truly believe "it's the most wonderful time of the year"? Yes there is just a different feel in the air.

9. Have you ever worn a Santa hat? no

10. Are you more like Scrooge or Father Christmas? Definitely not a Scrooge

11. Do you hang mistletoe? no

12. Does Santa wrap presents or just place them under your tree?I wrap but Santa leaves his gifts unwrapped.

13. Can you ice skate? NO and I don't really care to learn, I'm an 80's girl and will stick to roller skating.

14. Do you love snow? I do but lately I can't take the cold at all.

15. Which do you prefer--giving or receiving? giving

16. Candy Canes--yuck or yum? Yum but I don't really eat them, although I just bought some chocolate mint ones for the tree.

17. The 3 best things about Christmas? The delight in my little ones faces, their excitement, and just being with my family.

18. What type of decoration should stop being made? The inflatable yard thingys. I've seen only one that is cute and it is a Polar Bear otherwise I think they look cheeseball. Oh and during the day when they're not inflated it looks like someone threw laundry all over the yard.

19. Do you listen to 24/7 holiday radio? I listen to cd's that I have put all my favorites on. The songs change from year to year, so I usually make a new one each year.

20. Rudolph or Frosty? Rudolph, of course.

Kris Kringle Parade

Downtown Frederick has a Kris Kringle parade every year and we just found out about it. We've only lived here for 5 years now. It was freezing cold, so cold I didn't even want to hold the camera for pictures, God forbid! The parade was really awesome and longer than we had expected. The two little ones had an absolute blast! We saw Rudolph, Scrooge and Tiny Tim (no not the weird guy with the ukelele), Gingerbread man, Father Christmas, the Snow Queen, Frosty(whom Emma gave a huge high five to), and of course Santa. Definitely doing this every year from now on.

Family pics from Thanksgiving

Latest creation

He's very photogenic, don't ya think? I got the pattern for him off of a yarn label and then embellished him with the hat and scarf and the patch. I still want to give him some twig arms but I haven't gone outside stick hunting yet.

Stopping for a little Spongebob

This kid cracks me up!

Fun with paint

Bob, as always, being a silly boy!

It was as if he was being shy. What a goofy dog!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Have a yummy day!

The Pilgrims have landed...

Emma came home in her pilgrim hat today from preschool. Cutest pilgrim I've ever seen!

New pics

A mugshot of Katty. Haha!

The bookends

Two roomies watching spongebob.

Getting to know you...

Welcome to the Christmas Edition of Getting To Know Your Family and Friends...you know the drill. Get to bloggin'.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? both but I prefer wrapping paper

2. Real tree or Artificial? artificial

3. When do you put up the tree? varies every year just depends on how early we get in the Christmas spirit.

4. When do you take the tree down? the day after Christmas ( can't stand it by that time)

5. Do you like eggnog? yes but it has to be cut with a little milk, much to thick

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Tape player/radio

7. Hardest person to buy for? my dad, his birthday is the day after and I never know what to get him.

8. Easiest person to buy for? all my girls

9. Do you have a nativity scene? yes

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? can't think of one

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I try to start in September or October

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My Grammy's mincemeat pies. Love them!!!

16. Lights on the tree? Colored lights but I like white

17. Favorite Christmas song? Happy Holidays by Andy William ( I know it's really gay but I like it)

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? stay home

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? of course

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angels I have 2 and we switch between them each year, but I don't mind stars

21. Presents on Christmas Eve or morning? one gift (pj's) for the kids on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? the last minute gifts I end up having to pick up

23. Favorite Ornament theme or color? I love the ones my kiddos have made they are the most special one to me

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? prime rib and yorkshire pudding (can you see the english influence?)

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? nothing really big just little things

Survey

Survey Time

10 YEARS AGO I . . .
1.) was 27
2.) had a 4 year old and a 4 month old
3.) was living in Virginia
4.) was overwhelmed with having 2 kids
5.) wishing Kevin and I had our own place to live

5 THINGS ON TODAY'S TO-DO LIST
1.) prepare lunch for kids
2.) take Emma to preschool
3.) take the 2 big girls to play practice
4.) exercise
5.) go to JoAnn's for different size needles

5 THINGS I WOULD DO IF I WERE A MILLIONAIRE
1.) Have a villa in Italy
2.) have a cottage in the Cotswolds in England
3.) buy a new wardrobe
4.) give money to my family
5.) buy '69 Mustang fastback

5 PLACES I HAVE LIVED
1.) Yuma, Arizona
2.) Dickinson, Texas
3.) Heidelberg, Germany
4.) Flagstaff, Arizona
5.) Jefferson, Maryland

5 JOBS I'VE HAD
1.) Mom
2.) House of Fabrics
3.) Boston House of Pizza
4.) Hastings Books Music and Video
5.) Shop and Save (for about a week)

Makeovers

These are from last Saturday night. I had been gone all day and that evening I let the girls get into my make-up and do makeovers. The two little ones had a ball! They both took turns putting make-up on me and then they did themselves.

Happy Birthday Auntie Mary!

Yummy chocolate for your birthday! We love you and miss you!

A warm fall day

Silly Mag

Happy Birthday Kevin!

We love you! Have a great day!

Happy Halloween!

An unhappy Alice in Wonderland, Katty doesn't like Halloween at all! Yet she still has to have a costume.

Snow White had a great time! We took the wagon around the neighborhood but she didn't use it much until the end.
The little blue witch navigated us to the houses she wanted to go to. Surprisingly all three of them only wanted to do about half the neighborhood and then were ready to go home.

Emma's Halloween Party

Emma and her teacher, Mrs. Csordas, telling about her costume.