Hello 4th of July...and Hello to a New Tradition!

I'm joining CuppaKim & Katygirl today in a 4th of July link up :)

 For the last couple of years we have gone to a local parade with friends in the morning and then later in the afternoon we would go to our church which used to put on a huge carnival-like event and then everyone would watch the fireworks that were set off close by.

Last year our church decided not to have its big event and we decided to stay home.  At home, we realized that we could see a local fireworks show perfectly from our driveway (like we could see them well AND hear them!).  We said then that we should have a get together for the 4th and then watch fireworks from our house.

This year we invited a few neighbors over for some fun, food, and fireworks.  We started small this year because 1. it was our first year to have this gathering and 2. we had just gotten over having serious power outages (us included) in our area and we didn't want to go all out since there was the potential of the power going out again.

It ended up being a good time.

 There was a water balloon fight!

 My husband...the Baby Whisperer...lovin on Miss Lily.

 We let off some smoke bombs and firecrackers.

 One of my neighbors gave us some huge sparklers...those were a lot of fun. 

 Thinking cool thoughts as we waited for the fireworks to start...it was 100* that day.  It was a really good show...sorry no pictures :(

Overall we had a great time and can't wait to do it again next year!

*BONUS*  I was supposed to make these cookies on the 4th but my neighbors brought a lot of desserts to I didn't end up making them.  I made them yesterday for a cookout that we attending and they were a hit!  I saw the idea here and just used break and bake cookies (because that's how I roll).  You should try them...like right now!

My Sweet Valentine!

My FAVORITE day is here...Happy Valentine's Day Friends!

I absolutely adore this day and I enjoy spreading a little love around.

One of the things that I have done for the past few years is make Jamison's Valentine's for her school friends.  I love being able to add a little personal touch to her treats.

This year I put fun size M&M's in little jewelry baggies and just added a little label.  Jamison and I punched out hearts to add as an embellishment and then I simply stamped the sentiment.  Lastly, Jamison signed the back and we were done.  So simple!

I hope her friends enjoy the treats as much as I enjoyed making them :)

Note to Self...

Each year after Christmas is all over I think to myself all of the things I want to do differently or things I want to add to our festivities.  But that is the problem...I just think to myself and I do not write it down.  What happens then is that I forget these things & end up being frustrated with myself.

But that changes today because I am here to write a note to myself so that these thoughts are documented.

Dear Kelli:

*  Start shopping early...like September early.  The key however, is to make sure you put all of these early gifts in ONE spot so that you don't lose them before Christmas (remember the MP3 player?).  This way you will not be running all over town trying to pick up gifts in the weeks leading up to Christmas...you'll be able to relax a little and enjoy WHY we are celebrating.

*  And while you are out there shopping early, make sure to pick up a few extra gifts for that person you may have forgotten or that neighbor that needs an additional pick me up...like some gift cards, or candles, or books.

*  And while we are on the subject of early...make sure to start your Christmas cards early.  Because you waited until the last minute you were crammed and you had to limited the number that you sent out this year. If you start early you will be able to pace yourself and do small steps at a time...cut the base one day, cut the accents another day, etc.  In the end you will be much happier.

*  Remember to celebrate Him more during this time.  Read Scripture surrounding His conception and birth. Take time to make sure that you still remember the verses from Luke 2.

*  Make cookies with your children.  So what if it makes the kitchen dirty or if they don't turn out perfectly...it will be something that you will always remember...it will be something that THEY will always remember.  Remember how you loved making cookies with your mom when you were younger and how you still enjoy it even now...that's how they will feel too.

*  Go through and donate your kids' old toys before Christmas so that you have room for the new toys...you do not have enough space to double the inventory.

*  Go to the little kiosk in the mall to get the kids an ornament with his/her name on it.

*  If you host Christmas Eve again do not wait until after your family leaves to wrap gifts.  If you do, you will  have cleaning up AND wrapping to do and will be up very, very late.  Remember that Mommy and Rondell did not let you get away with not wrapping this year.

*  Buy more eggs...and paper towels...and spices...because you do not want to have to send Rondell out again on Christmas because you are short on eggs (and out of paper towels).  Luckily Mommy had pepper for your "pepper emergency" this year but you should make sure you are stocked on these things just in case.  In other words...plan your meals down to the last ingredient...even pepper.

*  Take a picture of the tree before the gifts are opened.  You always forget this.  See, if you had wrapped the gifts beforehand then you would have had more opportunities to get this shot...just sayin'.

*  Make more treats like these and these.  It was so much fun to bag up those hug treats and give them to co-workers and neighbors.  The jars were SO easy to make and also a big hit...the only change would be to maybe use smaller cards as tags or print off Mel's instructions to add as labels.

*  Lastly, make a better effort to do some fun activities leading up to Christmas...get hot chocolate, go see the lights at the zoo, make a gingerbread house, etc.  As much as you love tradition remember that you are now developing traditions for your family to cherish.

Christmas 2011 Recap

Hi Friends!  Happy Week-After-Christmas :)  Have you recovered from all of your events?  We are still in recovery mode in our house, but I'm sure it will all get taken care of by New Years (well, at least that's the plan)

We had a good Christmas weekend.  This year I hosted Christmas Eve with my family.  When my great-grandmother was alive we would always go to her house Christmas Eve and celebrate.  We have tried to carry on the tradition and this year it was my turn.

Here is my mom and her siblings (minus one)...Uncle James, Aunt Tammy & Aunt Roni

My cousin Shanette (on the right) and her niece Nikea.  Shanette has hosted the last few years, but recently had a baby & was not up for hosting (I'm sure we can all relate to that!).

Here are Shanette's husband Tim, my mom, & my cousin James (Shanette's brother).  Tim LOVES my mom's deviled eggs so she made some just for him and then gave him an OSU deviled egg carrier.

We had lots of yummy food, including the wonderful ham sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls (I have mentioned these a time or two on the blog).  I actually got this idea from Shanette when she had them at her house last year...so tasty.

It was such a nice gathering and I can't wait to do it again next year!

The next morning we all slept until 8:00!!!!  We actually had to wake up Caleb.  I guess that's what happens when you stay up super late the night before.

One of the first gifts handed out was from Jamison to my mom.  She had written a report about her & why she loves her.  I'm sorry I do not have a picture of the report because it is so beautiful...well written, with a picture that Jamison drew of my mom, & it was laminated by her teacher.

While this picture is blurry it actually really does represent what my kids looked like all day...moving around from gift to gift at lightening speed.

My mom gave Rondell a hilarious shirt:

After gifts my mom made our traditional Christmas breakfast...french toast, eggs, bacon & fried potatoes.

Check out the new skillet that my mom gave me!

French toast is just not complete for me unless it is topped with Karo syrup...just like my great-grandmother always had.

A precious moment...Rondell teaching Jamison chess.  She wanted a chess set for Christmas so that she could learn how to play.

I was supposed to make dinner on Christmas, but we ended up just snacking all day on leftovers from Christmas Eve.  I also munched on these...pistachios...with no shells!  Thanks mom :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you were all able to savor your families :)

Showing Some {Friday Favorite} Blog Love

Hi Friends & Happy Friiiiiday :)

How is December treating you so far?  Are you counting down till Christmas...are you racing around checking off your gift list...are you doing Advent activities?

There are some blogs out there that really get me into the mood of this Wonderful Season and I thought I would share a few of those favorites with you:

~  One of my favorite things to do this time of year is to make my Christmas cards.  I love looking around to come up with a design and I even enjoy staying up late to get them done {one of these years I'll have them done way ahead of time!}.  There are a few blogs that I enjoy reading as I begin my card-making process...

1.  Erin's card-making post.  Erin does a great job at explaining her process when she makes her Christmas cards.  I love the layouts that she uses and I refer back to this post often when I am thinking about what kind of card I want to design.  She even posted a cute idea of what to do with the cards each year...here.

2.  Rach.  She was my inspiration last year to do multiple designs.  I love her style and just love her to pieces overall.  I peeked at her stamping blog today and love the cards that she recently made.

3.  Heidi.  Like Rach, Heidi is another go-to gal for card designs.  I love her simple, cutesy style.  Right now on her stamping blog she is sharing different gift ideas and I have loved each one so far.

~  Another favorite thing to do during this time of year is make cookies.  Recently Mel @ The Larson Lingo hosted a cookie exchange party on her blog...how fun is that?  Now I have a few recipes to try...not just for the Christmas season but all year long.

~  A series that I have been been really enjoying this week is one that Nancy @ The Goat and the Kid is hosting...Christmas Is _______.  Christmas is first about the birth of our Savior, but it also incorporates so much more and this series highlights all of those things.  Today you too can join in on the fun :)

~  I have recently found a fun new blog to read...the tichenor family.  The blogger Meredith has been doing such a great job at documenting the fun things she is doing with her boys during this Christmas Season.  I have gotten a few ideas that I might do next year...like opening and reading a Christmas book each day.

~  One post that gives me the warm and fuzzies is this post from Darby @ Fly Through Our Window.  The first time I saw those videos I was amazed at how well her girls memorized Scripture.  Last year it inspired Jamison and I to do the same...you can see our video here.

~  Lastly, {and this is not related to Christmas blogging} I am SO excited to be able to participate in ten on ten tomorrow!  If you enjoy taking pictures I highly recommend this to you.

Thanksgiving Thoughts :)

Well Friends, Thanksgiving is one week from today...where does the time go?  Are you hosting?  I am, but that sounds fancier than it really is.  I am hosting me, Rondell, the kids & my mom.  This year I wanted to stay low-key and make a meal at home.  I can't wait to work on the preparations this week (I'm not quite as prepared as it shows here, but my "event" is much smaller)...which leads me to a few thoughts as I get things ready:

~  One of the things I will be working on this week is a deep cleaning of the house.  Come Thanksgiving Eve & Day all I want to worry about is final food preparations and spending quality time with my family.

In the next week my plan is to make my home spotless...mostly in the kitchen & my dining area (and yes, I have started working on cleaning my craft space).  I plan to clean out the fridge really good and also make sure my containers are all organized...because we'll need that in order to put food away after our dinner.  I also need to check my spices.  I think I buy sage each year and sometimes I end up with more than enough cans...so I'll be sure to check that out this year before I head to the store.

~  I told you how I started my list for Thanksgiving in my new planner...this includes a grocery list.  I've been trying to buy things here and there as I've seen them on sale.  In my mind I go through each part of the meal (for both breakfast and dinner because we're also having a yummy breakfast) and while I'm cleaning the kitchen I can look for the items that I already have...like sage :).

Oh, and I'm cheating and ordering my turkey from my local grocery store.  I have done this before and it is SO worth it...the meat is tender and I don't have to fuss with the preparation that goes along with baking a turkey.  It's a win/win for everyone! 

~  I thought it would be fun to have cute table decorations too...especially for the kids.  I have tagged this post by Just a Girl and hope to put together a cute table setting.

~  To keep the kids busy while I'm cooking I have been looking for some fun crafts for them to do. Two years ago we make these thankful turkeys:

We will probably do this again and I'm in search of a few more.  I was thinking of having them make their own placemats.

~  The last thing I was thinking about is showing others my appreciation.  I was driving by the crossing guard who works for Jamison's school this morning...she was all bundled up making sure a child got across the street safely.  My thought is to take her hot chocolate next week.  I also want to take cookies to my neighbor for staying with Jamison while she's at the bus stop each morning.

So...those are my thoughts...things I'm writing out.  You know I love a good plan :)

Merry CHRISTmas...

...from our family to yours!

For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

The Simple Woman's Eveningbook - Monday, July 5, 2010

For today...

Outside my window...dark and warm. We went to Cleveland today so I'm just now getting a chance to do my Monday post.

I am thinking...about the WONDERFUL 4th of July weekend that we had.

Gorgeous weather...check.

First up...the 4th of July Parade:

The kids were excited...and hot.

Gotta get the chairs ready...I love these little chairs. This one is my friend Amber's son's chair...Go Bucks!

Lyndsey and I getting our cameras ready!

Gotta get the perfect spot.

Here come the fire trucks...let the parade begin.

What's a parade without the clowns?

Caleb...I never did figure out why he was so mesmerized.

Next up...Food, Fun & Fireworks:

Got to hang out with lots of friends, including these two lovely ladies...Marja and Kim. Marja has been my friend for years, one of my best friends, and Kim & I met through blogging and realized we attend the same church...she's the sweetest!

Marja & Mila getting ready for the fireworks.

Mila & Jamison waiting some more for the fireworks...that was the hardest part of the evening, waiting for them to start. But, once they did...

Day Two took us to our friends Jason and Angela's for a cookout and a dip in the pool:

Then we headed to my in-laws to hang out with family and see the newest member of the clan...baby Quincy!

Day Three took us to Cleveland to see some of our favorite people:

We stopped by to say hello to my homie Kristina. We've been friends since the 3rd grade and I love her like a sister! The kids liked being there because Miss Linda gave them Popsicles.

We also got to see my dear friend Tanysha and her family. They were in town from Georgia and she asked us to come up and see them. Tanysha is another friend who is just like a sister to me.

Here are Caleb and Tanysha's son Marcus.

We also got to surprise these two:

My dad and Renee had no idea we were coming!

I am praying...still to be able to adjust to our new schedule. We've been pretty busy lately and I'm praying that this week we can sit down and figure out a good system. Order just helps me function...it just does.

I am reading...nothing. Same as last week, I haven't made the time. I have a book on reserve by James Patterson that I'm going to pick up tomorrow. I'm determined to get some reading done this week...I miss it.

From the kitchen...I haven't even thought about meals for this week!

A few plans for the rest of the week...Well since I got nothing productive done this weekend (but well worth it I must say...we had a GREAT weekend) I plan on tackling my To Do list and figuring out a good routine for us for the summer.

Tell me about you...here.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all my special Moms and to all of you Moms!