Thursday, December 29, 2011

Christmas Album

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!
This year was so much fun.  
Beckett had a blast and Santa was good to him (along with everyone 
else in our families). 
We truly are blessed beyond words!  

Nonna got him another recordable Hallmark storybook this year.
I am so in love with these. 
I'm putting them up and only bringing them out at Christmas.
Something special only for the Holiday season.
Last year she gave him "The Night Before Christmas."
This year was "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

Santa came!
This little vacuum really has suction.
I've been begging Beckett to play with it. 
I vacuumed the whole living room with it on Monday to show him
how much fun vacuuming is!
He loves to have me vacuum, but when I hand it to him,
he just shakes his head no and points at it again for me to push it.


Julian, Mason and Beckett


Mouth full of food....as usual.




Happy Thursday!
Have a safe and Happy New Year!!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Basket Case

I promise I'll post Christmas pictures once I've had a chance to rummage through
the thousands I've taken over the last few days. 
4 memory cards full!
In the meantime, I'm gearing up for some
serious organizing in the next couple of weeks.
I've been dying to find a solution to our paperwork piles. 
While shopping at TJ Maxx over Christmas break, I came across this
wire hanging basket organizer. ($19.99) 
It really reminds me a lot of THESE from Ballard.
I don't know what it is really intended for since it was stocked in
the garden section, but it seemed to be a good size
for storing mass amounts of mail (at least for now).

I hung it in the pantry out of sight and off the desk. 
A magnetic clip holds coupons that I can access easily.


I grouped all our statements, bills and paperwork into three sections.
'File'
'Open' and 'Pay' 
 At least for now, this seems to be a great alternative to the stacks that keep piling up on the
desk in the kitchen and I kind of enjoy the industrial look. 

Anyone have any good ideas for organizing paperwork?  I'm all ears!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Breakfast Muffins

I haven't made these in years. 
I used to make these for Carolina Cup morning, but since we
haven't gone the last few years, I forgot about making them.
I improvised on this recipe a bit.  I like it better with sausage,
but these were pretty good.
1 pack of bacon cooked and chopped  
8-10 eggs
crescent rolls  
2 cups shredded cheese


Mix together egg, bacon and cheese.
Press small pieces of cresent rolls into the bottom of the muffin pan, then added the mixture.
350 for 25 minutes.
The other recipe called for sausage instead of bacon and biscuits instead of crescent rolls. 
Either way, quick and easy.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

We Wish You A Merry Christmas!


Christmas cards by Tiny Prints


I'll be back with plenty of updates next week!
From our family to yours, we wish you a
safe and happy holiday!

It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas

Whew!!
Today I'm wrapping up my last day of work before Christmas.
Looking forward to a few days at home with
Beckett to do a little shopping and relaxing. 
The last few weeks have been very busy, but fun.
Here's what we've been up to:
Beckett was a shepherd in his daycare Christmas production. 
I wish I could post more pictures, but I forgot to ask for permission from the other
parents to post pictures on the blog.
They all were so precious and did such a wonderful job!
Evidently Santa's sleigh was in the shop for a tune up before Christmas,
so he came on his gator!
The kids loved it!

Santa visit #2 of 2011:  Terrified!!
I didn't realize how upset he was until I looked through these.
It kind of broke my heart a little.
I can pretty much hang up a smiling Santa visit.
I did the same thing as a child.

We did Christmas with my in-laws on Saturday.
The mega blocks have been a mega hit!

So were the converse tennies they gave him!

By the time they left, he was tuckered out!





So sleepy!


Note to the parents at daycare: 
I took umpteen gazillion pics last Friday and if you would like copies, I'll
be glad to provide them. 
 After the holidays, please leave a flash drive at Ms. Pam's with your name on it
if you're interested.

Merry Christmas Everyone!


Tuesday, December 20, 2011

In The Clear

After Christmas, it's organizing time.
Our pantry is a mess of canned items, bags of food, boxes and cleaning items.
It's a catchall for everything we don't know where to put. 
I love the look of clear canisters on the counters, but had no idea how cheap they were! 
Apocathery jars can get a little pricey, even at TJ Maxx. 
While shopping at Target one day, I stumbled across these babies
$5.99 for the half gallon size!
I picked up 3 of the half gallon size and 2 of the 1 gallon size which I've
stored my rice and flour in. 
Everything's at arms reach when we need it.
Especially Beckett (and Chad's) favorite snack....oyster crackers! 
Similar canisters sell for almost double the cost:  Just look at these. 

Oh yeah, and if your'e wondering, that IS a gyrobowl in the backround.
Meh...
3.5 out of 5 stars.
My sister-in-law picks on me because I'm such a sucker for "As Seen On TV" items.

Best money spent for the house recently.
Well.....except for that tree remote!

Happy Tuesday!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Card Keepin'

I'm really not a card person.  
I usually just attach a tag with the gift and call it a day.
But Beckett's cards (especially this first year) are another story.
I made a cover using things from his party:
 The '1' from his banner, 
some scrapbook paper, a 'B' from a leftover party hat, a little ribbon, some foam letters
 and some glue.
 

So neat and tidy to have them all together where he can look through them one day.
I also wrote on the inside what gift they gave. 

I think I'll do this with the Christmas cards we received this year too. 

So neat and tidy.
So UNLIKE the rest of my house.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

A Little Christmas Magic

Bueller?  Bueller?  Ferris Bueller?
Lately, I've felt like someone is calling my name in class....
Absent.  Katie is ABSENT!
When your child is ill, it does something to you.  It makes you disengage, hurt and
heartbroken.  Beckett's been sick again and the worst part is the anitbiotic.
So, I've been a little absent as well.....lots to do though, Christmas will
be here in a little over a week. 
Overall, he's on the upswing.  Playing like usual, but we're on snot wiping patrol all day.
What is it with kids wanting to play in tight spaces?
He loves playing under the bar stools and
as you can see, the party blowers are still a hit.
Who knew such a cheapo Dollar General buy would keep him
occupied for months.  Sheesh!  
The best $9.99 we spent recently was on a remote contrrol for the tree.
Chad loves messing with Beckett.
He snaps his fingers to turn it off and on.
The little stinker can't be fooled though.
I caught him hitting buttons on the t.v. remote that he had pointed at the tree....

I asked Santa for high speed internet this year.
He shot me down. 
Evidently our neck of the woods still hasn't joined civilization.
I felt like Ralphie being told, "you'll shoot your eye out, kid" just before
Santa taps him on the forehead with his foot, sending Ralphie down the slide. 
"Ho......Ho.......Ho..."
Maybe next year.  

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Rotisserie Chicken Salad

1 store bought rotisserie chicken
chopped celery
1 tsp. oil
1 tsp. vinegar
1/2 cup mayo
salt
pepper

I'm a little picky about my chicken salad.  I like mine nice and simple.  No grapes or nuts or any
other fruits mixed in.

I chop up the bigger chunks of chicken in a mini food processor for just a sec and throw in a
mixing bowl, add chopped celery (I like a lot, but Chad picks around it). 
Mix in the rest of the ingredients.  (I add a ton of pepper!)

Serve on multi grain club crackers.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Wedding Invitation Ornament

I over-ordered Christmas cards this year.
I over-ordered Beckett's birth announcements last year.
So what would that lead you to believe?.....I over-ordered my wedding invitations in '06
From now on, I'm making a list and checking it twice....or maybe even a third time.
Pinterest helped me make an ornament with one of the 30 wedding invitations I had
leftover that I couldn't bear to throw away.
Craft Time!
Click HERE to see the pin and get directions on how to do this.
Basically, I cut the wording from the invitation into strips and wrapped them
around a skewer to make them look 'scrolled'
Then, stuffed them into a clear ornament.
This would be a fantasic quick gift for a newlywed couple or for a wedding gift!
Anyone in my family want one?
I've only got a whole box of invitations lying around.

Happy Tuesday!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Decking the Halls

I'm checking Christmas decorations off my list!
Yay! (well, except for the dead garland)
That's on the back burner for now.
Here's a tour of our house adorned for the Christmas season.

I was VERY worried how Beckett would react to the tree. 
You never know what a 12 month old boy will do to things in your house.
SO FAR he doesn't have much interest in the tree, but I wasn't going to risk piling
on the breakables just in case he took to tree climbing!
I had a bit of extra ribbon lying around, so I hung some of the
more breakable ornaments from the chandelier in the dining room.
Here's a better picture without the light on.
The bow was last years' tree topper.
We needed a revamp this year.
Hello?!! 
Can you see me?
Foyer table with some crispy garland.
Mossy monogram hanging on the china cabinet doors in the dining room
Snowflake wreath on the mirror in the foyer
Living Room decorations
 
More crispy garland
 


I absolutely adore our stockings! 
They are my favorite thing to put out every year.
I have some pretty heavy wrought iron stocking holders but I
was afraid a little blonde haired boy would yank on them and knock himself out
Again, I'm so thankful for Command Strips!

Here are a few of my favorite ornaments: 

We don't do numerous trees in the house.
When Beckett gets older and can appreciate them more, I'll probably have
one in every room, but for now, we take our favorites from the umpteen boxes
of ornaments and put them all on one tree.
One of my great aunts started a collection of these twelve days of
Christmas silver bells from Reed and Barton
when I was a baby.
I found them at my mom's last year. 
You can't see it in this picture, but they have my name and the date engraved on them.
The five golden rings bell must have been the first one she gave me.  The date is 1979.
I only had about 5 of the 12 ornaments in the set, but last year,
my mom surprised me with the complete set she found on ebay.
Seeing these make me want to start a traditional ornament for Beckett that we can give
him every Christmas.
 
Wherever we travel, Chad and I always find a Christmas store
to pick up an ornament for the tree. 
This gondola is from our trip to Aspen a few years ago.
 
I love this one too. It was a gift from my sister-in-law to Beckett last year. 
The other side has a stork on it.
So cute!
I have a few Wedgewood ornaments that I've gotten as gifts.
This one is a Wedgewood Baby's First Christmas ornament that my in-laws gave
me for Christmas last year.
Croched angel made by my granny.
Very close to my heart!

This little cradle (that's missing a side)
says "Baby's First Christmas 1979"

Everyone knows I Love NY!

That's all!  Well, except for a few things I've added downstairs, but that's for
another day!

I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to some
temperatures below the 70's.  It just doesn't feel like Christmas yet!
Happy Wednesday!