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.