To Do List: Pick Photos, Create, and Mail Christmas cards. CHECK.

I mailed my Christmas cards today. It was a record even for me. Though the only reason it got done so early was because I knew I wasn't going to have time later.


I couldn't actually decide between two designs. Even after I printed proofs of each one. So I did half and half.


I think these have to be some of my favorite cards to date.

Snail Mail

I have some Nutcracker stamps left over from last Christmas, but I can't find them. They would probably be the wrong postage amount anyways. It seems like the cost goes up every time I turn around. So I bought new stamps for my Christmas cards this year. I was a little disappointed in the selection. Especially given how long I had to wait in line.

Choices, Choices

I spent some time today sorting through a years worth of pictures trying to decide what would make the cut for the calendar this year. If there is one. I am not committing yet. Though the actual calendar pieces (the bottoms) are already done, and I swear every year that it is the hardest part - getting all those birthdays in.

Black Friday

Let it be known that I avoid Black Friday like the plague. I would rather go to the dentist and you have no idea just what that's saying...

But I just couldn't pass it up this year. The boys needed a DVD player for an upcoming trip.

Thanksgiving Taste Testers

I had several willing volunteers to help me taste test my Thanksgiving recipes like the oreo cheesecake this morning. Note to self: next year make all this stuff the day before Thanksgiving!

Harry Potter

We had a special treat today - they let us go from work at lunch so we got to go see the new Harry Potter movie at the movie theater.

A Rough Day

I was rushing the boys out the door this morning. Ryan was running full out on the sidewalk when he fell and skidded on the concrete. He cried. He bled. He saw the peroxide. He cried some more. He didn't want medicine, not even for Lightening band-aids. Poor kid.

Thanksgiving, already??

I am not sure where November went. I can't believe it is already [past] time to decide what I am going to make for Thanksgiving.

How could I go wrong with these *SWEET* potatoes? Nantucket cranberry pie, oreo cheesecake, and peanut butter crunch are also on the list. My mouth is already watering just thinking about it.

Vice

I love croissants. I am pretty sure I polished off the entire box almost entirely by myself.

The Little Thief

The little thief had a plate full of food. Yet he kept stealing and devouring my green beans and enormous heads of broccoli.

I am so glad he has a love of veggies. He certainly didn't get it from me. Or school.

Stocking Stuffers

I pulled out the vinyl stickers tonight and played with personalizing some aluminum water bottles. I really thought they turned out cute.

Otis Spunkmeyer Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

I love Otis Spunkmeyer. Especially the 3oz Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies. Mostly I love the fact that I can keep pre-cut cookies in the freezer and pull out just a few whenever the mood strikes me. And in that Breville Toaster Oven I can go from a hankering to delicious ooey gooey goodness in 13 minutes.

Another Super Spud

My husband has the memory of an elephant. Except when it comes to food orders. There have been dozens of examples over the years including what I have come to call the Super Spud incident. I couldn't even tell you what I actually ordered - a fiesta spud maybe? But I ended up with a super spud. It was nothing at all like what I had requested be ordered other than the fact that it was indeed a potato, but that was where the similarities ended.

Tonight I can add another item to the super spud list. I came home and promptly went to bed with a fever. I sent Kevin to the store for Cran Raspberry juice later in the evening. When I woke up he brought me a glass. It was sweet. Much sweeter than my normal Cran Raspberry. I asked him what it was and he insisted it was exactly what I asked for. I knew it wasn't, but was too tired to go look.

And sure enough, come morning I discovered that had gotten Cran Cherry instead. I polished off the bottle and sent him back to the store for more. He came home with a little of Cran Everything. I am guessing he once again forgot which one I wanted and got one of each just in case...

For the record..

For the record the upstairs hallway still looks like it did when the furniture people arrived... And I am coming to the realization that Christmas might as well be next week given the number of things I still have left to do and the amount of time which I am going to have to do it.

Dollar Store Finds

I found these penguins. At the dollar store. I couldn't help myself. Christmas next year, maybe?

I am having an affair...

It's a love affair. With my Breville toaster oven.

Today it produced muffins, and absolutely delicious chicken enchiladas. I only used 1/2 the whipping cream, but otherwise followed the recipe to a T. Next time I will cut the cream cheese to 2/3 or add more chicken, but otherwise, it's absolutely perfect.

I don't know how I lived without a toaster oven for so long, but I am definitely a convert now.

The best of friends

A few weeks ago I took the boys to Walmart. We spotted the pillow-pals. I was sure both of the boys would want a panda, but instead Connor was set on the penguin. I tried to talk him out of it several times, but he was adamant.


The boys love the pillow pals. They would take them everywhere if they could.

Eureka!

I wanted to do something personalized for the kid's Christmas goodie bags. I have looked for a few days to no avail. I was ecstatic when I stumbled on these tonight.


As the boys have learned their letters they get so excited to see the letters of their names. "R" is for RYAN! And "C" is for CONNNOR! Ryan helped me pick all the right letters. A is for Ashton. B is for Bryce. C is for Connor (and Carly). D is for Dean. E is for Elise. F?? Apparently there are no F's in his class that he remembers. The only problem we had was when there was more than 1 child with the same letter - like "L." Thankfully Connor was good at remembering his other friends name with the same letter.

Pure Madness

I have been popping into the dollar store every couple of weeks waiting for them to get their Christmas coloring books in. I found 3 different varieties with elves on them.

The Madness is Starting Again

Good Names

I hope the people who live here after us like these names. Because I am pretty sure these are here to stay. Forever. Unless of course you want to replace the sheetrock.

Kevin doesn't know that yet. It is something my mom and I discovered. And after laughing and sharing a conspiratorial look agreed to keep it our secret.

Just Yesterday

It seems like just yesterday we were looking at cribs. And this room existed only in my imagination. It is hard to believe it's been 3 years since this room was finished.

A fine line...

It's a fine line... We want to encourage the kids to try new things. To be independent, and confident. But we also want them to survive to try the next thing...

Kevin wasn't encouraging Ryan to try the rock wall. Nor was he helping him to the top. Oh, no. He was holding on for dear life to keep him from going OVER the top to who knows what on the other side.

Happy Birthday, Kendall

The boys helped Kendall celebrate her 5th birthday at the Children's Museum. The girls made princess crowns, and the boys made pirate hats.

Special Delivery

I should have started 6 months ago. Because I am pretty sure that's how long it is going to take to get this room cleaned out, painted and ready for the boys. Their furniture arrived today. Thank goodness they deliver. Upstairs. And assemble - or they would have had there been room for all of it.


I had high hopes of moving the boys to this room, and big boy beds and everything else when they turned 3 in just a few months. I went ahead and bought the furniture because it was on sale. And put off the delivery as long as possible, not apparently not long enough.

Connor crawled right on up and made himself at home. He was ready to try it out tonight. Ryan on the other hand looked tiny and out of place. He asked if he could sleep in his green bed instead.

Now, I am not so sure. They will have years of sleeping in big boy beds. They are only little boys for such a short time as it is. I am no hurry to rush them along. They are growing up far too fast as it is.

Disassembling

I spent the better part of the evening disassembling the boys' old baby toys making room for a special delivery tomorrow.

I tattoed a 2 year old

I love the dollar store. And the dollar bin. I might even have an itty bitty "It's only a dollar!" issue... I found a package of Halloween themed tattoos in the Target dollar bin. The boys loved them. Apparently I needed one, too. :)

Coloring

As Great Grannie wasn't here to celebrate Halloween with us the boys colored some Mickey Halloween themed coloring pages to send to her.

The Road

The boys stayed home and hung out with Grannie today. Apparently Ryan decided to get out a bunch of his cars and put them on "the road" as he calls our couch.


Despite what you think this couch is not for sitting. Or for leaving anything of yours. It's for Ryan. And his road.

Trick-or-Treat