Merry Christmas

What a great time of year!  Our Christmas is filled with so much family and so much love--I feel very blessed and thankful for everything. 

Where is the Mistle Toe??

My little angel!

My handsome son!

IT's a WODERFUL LIFE!



Christmas Chaos--So much fun



Food was WONDERFUL-as always

Meemaw and Peepaw's Christmas for Chloe......I KNOW (CRAZY) and
there were a few more boxes yet to be opened!

MeeMaw asking Chloe if she likes her gifts.  I don't know
 how MeeMaw shops and wraps for all the kids.
She is pretty incredible!

Christian got the BEETS from Meemaw and Peepaw-exactly what he wanted.
He also got a few Harry Potter collectables that night as well!

All the grandkids with their GREAT grandmaw.

Peepaw reads Chloe's favorite-Spiderman

A little Uncle Jeff time for Chloe Beth.

Michael,, Chloe, and Joyce

Let the Games BEGIN!  One of everyone's favorite (Left, Right, Center) where MONEY is
involved.  Everyone brings three dollars for the chance of winning the whole pot at the end
of the game.  Marilyn won this year and split it with all the kids--SHE IS WAY TO NICE!!

This game (thanks to my sister-in-law Kenna) is where you have to unwrap several boxes to get to a prize in the last
box.  The only thing is you have to do it with a hat, scarf, and gloves on!  The dice is passed around until a 6 is rolled and then that player gets a chance at winning the prize--VERY CRAZY but VERY FUN! Kayla is doing a great job!

The only time you will see my nephew Tyler in a cowboy hat:-)  He has his chance at tearing through
the boxes.  Sorry Tyler the winner was NICK!!

Videos that make me SMILE

Christian gets in the Christmas spirit by singing in the car.

Chloe wants to open presents before Christmas but there all Christian's. 

Caught Chloe in the laundry room singing with her reindeer. 

.
Christian give symptoms of his illness--he is so so funny! Well, I think he is anyway:-)

Chloe sings along with Grandma while we all bake and decorate.

T'is The Season....

Christian's tree has all the fun ornaments.

 Love this time of season!  I can't get enough
Christmas music and sparkles (as Chloe Beth calls all the lights that have been strung up everywhere).  Shopping is complete ( with an exception of small gift or two) which is unusual because we are always up to the last minute buying and wrapping. 
Chloe and I baked until 12:30 last night , Chloe decorated ginger bread men while I decorated my melted snowman cookies-not sure either would stand up to the pinterest recipes that was our inspiration. 
The first thing I have to do upon waking is turn all the tree lights back on, check on elf ( who has been a tradition for about four years now) and turn my Christmas music back on. So nice to have a few weeks
off from school.  I had a great time with my teammates
on our Tacky Christmas Friday.  I also had a wonderful
time at my Friend Susan's house for her second annual Christmas
Party--she is such a great host!
I posted pictures that remind me of the season.

My teammates and I dressed in our tacky Christmas Friday ensemble
If you look close you can see Mr. Cook's lights underneath his Grinch
t-shirt.  If you look even closer you will notice Mrs. Vergne and I have matching red fur socks!

Michael and Christian spent several hours hanging lights on the house.
Christian was so proud of all their handy work.

I have went back to decorating more kid friendly!  I have to say
the optic gingerbread train is a new favorite of mine.

After Chloe visited with Santa she became a groupie!
She did not want to leave and hung out at the gate.
She would wave and wave at him--so much fun!

I decided to place all the globes Michael has been collecting each Christmas on the mantle this year.
It was a nice treat to see them all together.  Some were too big to fit but I did manage to get a few of
our favorites to fit.  I also enjoy our Santa picture we hang every year.

Had a wonderful time at Susan's Christmas party. "Susan,  I am still mad
that I did not win the cute purple scarf"!  I will forgive Susam based on the fact
that she made an amazing browning trifle!

Susam is so great at putting pieces together when decorating. I love her
wreath and am so going to copy her idea!!

Susan's  Brownie dessert.

Michael trying to fit all the shopping packages inside
after a long day of shopping!  I love that he is so great about shopping-
he truly is a GREAT MAN!

Here is ELF!  He loves the ice-skating winter wonderland in our kitchen.
He doesn't move around as much as he use to when he was younger but
when he does he can be real mischievious.  Chloe doesn't pay him much mind

but Christian still finds his antics funny!

A Few of My Favorite "Things" from 2011

   My husband and I were discussing our looks when we were in our late twenties and unfortunately fortunately I could not remember much.  For example, he said that I loved the color TAN and I would search endlessly for any tan clothing items that I could purchase (black is the new tan for me).  I also wore my glasses until I was almost thirty--why it took me so long to get contacts is uncomprehensable!!  I even seen a picture of me wearing clogs! ANYWAY, I have found that by blogging this year (wow, it has been a year) I am now able to look back and reminise on what I was doing, what I was wearing, what I was or \WAS NOT eating, what my wonderful kids were up too and what continent my incredibly busy husband was on each month. 

SO....to remember more

I am also going to start adding a post every year on what products or items I just could not live without.  It will be interesting to find out years later if I am still using any or all of the items that I LOVED this year.

 I will add more things once I take more  pictures but I have a few of my all time favorites first.



My favorite perfume that my sister got me hooked on is Pink Sugar. 
It smells like cotton candy and it absolutely wonderful! 
My kids at school are always telling me I smell good
but most improtantly Michael loves it as well.

 

I just told one of my friends a few days ago that I am going to
be the little old lady that wears lip liner and that will be all that
you can see -no lipstick no lip gloss JUST LINER-- that is how
much I love it.  The two things that I cannot go without is mascara
and my lip liner!  This MERLE NORMAN lip line /lip stick
combination is perfect!  It is a contrasting color which I
love and it has been a favorite for years.  This color is Sugared Plum.

I almost  had nothing to take a picture of I have used so much of the Too Faced eye shadows.  I love it.  It gives great
techiniqes on the inside cover.  I am no make-up artist but I love trying
all the different looks-smoky eye is my favorite!

My very inexpensive Neutrogina facial buffer.  I do not have the
best skin and I am trying a lot of different things to help with the dark spots,
large pores, oily skin.......my list goes on and on BUT I feel this has made a big
difference in the brightness of my skin.  It really does help
clean your pores much better than just a facial soap alone.  It is my  at home
version of a  micro-dermabrasion
treatment.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this grooming creme from B&B.  It cost
around $30 dollars but last a long time.  I also use it on Chloe's hair for smoothing
her curls a lttle.  You just squirt a dab in your hands and rub through your
wet hair and it really does help to manage frizz and helps you style your hair.

Happy 2011 Thanksgiving

We always look forward to Thanksgiving because of the time we get to spend with my husband's aunt and uncle.  They live on a horse farm ( I guess 6 horses counts as a horse farm-it does in my book).  Anyway, Chrisitian loves to feed the horses and Chloe is now at the age that she too can start enjoying the outdoors a little more.  So for this Thanksgiving:
 Wednesday night Chloe and I made turkey cupcakes while Michael and Christian went to a UK game.  I also made two different dips and a celery spread for appetizers to take the next morning for our 12:00 Thanksgiving lunch.

Thanksgiving morning started early because Michael ran his first ever 5k.  Christian is involved in the Fitness Club at school and Mr. Eclker gets them involved in all the local races.  I ran the last one with Christian and this time Michael said he would do it.  They both did a great job and got back in time to shower and load the car.

We finally set off for our 45 minute drive to the country.  Once there, I seen Christian only while he ate because the rest of the day Michae's uncle Rick drove the kids around to help feed the horses while giving them a little tour.  Chloe joined for one of the rides around the farm before coming in to play with Hannah.

The dinner was great and the company was even better. 

That night Michael went out for the Black Friday sale at Walmart.  He left at 11:30 and did not return until 4 a.m..  He came back with a 32 inch tv to replace Christian's 22 inch ( we were giving Chloe his old one).  He also bought me two pair of boots ( which was nice but I am not so sure about (too much fur)--we'll see). 

He slept in until about 11:00 and then we all headed to Waffle House for our favorite breakfast.  I have said this  before, but I would choose Awful Waffle over Cracker Barrell or Bob Evans anytime.  IF there was an IHOP closer then I might have a decision to make. 

We went shopping for Christian's movie , " Eragon", which is an older movie and very difficult to find but finally found it at our local blockbuster in the previously viewed sale items.  MIchael had looked in every bin in Lexington ....LOL

I bought Chloe  and myself a pairs of riding boots ( they seem to be the fashionable thing right now).  Hers are so adorable ( gray with little buckles up both sides).  Christian chose a painter's hat ( that is what I call it) or maybe it is like a newspaper boy' s hat... well whatever it's called,  it made me think he might grow out of his need to want to dress in sport's attire everday. He is such a cute, kind kid! 

After we shopped a little, I stopped at Kroger and bought a few things to make dumplings for mom and dad's that evening.  We were coming over for left-overs that they had cooked with Rhonda and her kids the day before but when I found out there were no Dumplings -- NO DUMPLINGS, then I had to make a pit stop.
We typically eat Thanksgiving dinner with my parents the Sunday after Thanksgiving but this year mom had to work so they went ahead and had dinner with my sister and her kids.  Left overs were still deelish!  I helped cook the dumplings while Michael took a little nap ( much needed).  Christian was such the trooper helping make the brownies and begging to help with the dumplings.  Chloe on the other hand crumbled left over cookies all over mom's nice festive table cloth.

Here are a few pictures of 2011 Thanksgiving

Michael and Christian get pumped before their run.

Me and Chloe's turkey cupcakes! She ate about 4 --but only the icing!

She is not a morning person!!

My corn and bacon dip, celery with apricot and ricotta spread, and  lastly buffalo chicken dip--yum.

Chloe and I on the golf cart (which she called a tractor).  For us this as close as we ever get to a tractor!

Michael and I trying to rope Chloe in to eat.

Christian is so good with younger kids.  He had so much fun playing with Sam and Caleb.

Christian with his beautiful cousin Kayla- they are both so photogenic.

MeeMaw and PeePaw with all the grandkids!

Off they go to sight see.

MeeMaw and Chloe.

Nanny and Gail enjoying the day.

PeePaw and Chloe back from feeding the horse an apple.

Friday morning breakfast--look at those two fine young men! I am SO lucky!

Chloe and me ( this is only one of the 10 straws she pulled from behind the counter)

Mom over-seeing Christian's dumpling making.



He helped me put the dumplings in the water as well-- I love him!



Chloe finishes off the night at Grandma's with a little Kareoke - OF COURSE.