Happy 17th Birthday Brittany!

Happy 17th Birthday to our darling daughter Brittany!  We don't know where the time has gone but you have turned into a beautiful young woman with a good head on your shoulders.

 

We Love You!!!!

 

 



Edward the Elf

I would like to introduce to you our Elf on the Shelf.  His name is Edward.  (Yes, I have to admit that his name takes after Edward from the Twighlight Movies!)

He visits us every year starting on December 1st and he arrives hiding in various places in the house.  He is suppose to report back to Santa every night with the status of the behavior of the kiddos but sometimes he ends up getting lazy and stays an extra night in the same spot.  And it just so happens to have happened this year right after the first night of arriving.  Argh!

The kids absolutely love him and it's the first thing they do in the morning is to search high and low looking for him.  Sometimes he just creeps them out when he ends up in very unusual places. :) 

Here are some pictures of a few places that he has been.

Edward hugging a can of frosting in our pantry.

Here he is hiding in our refridgerator in the butter holder eating a brownie.

He even manages to make himself hang on for a whole day on the wall.



Does anyone have a Elf that visits every year?  If you don't, you have to get one.  They are alot of fun.  What places has yours shown up in?  Edward tries hard to find new places to hid but sometimes he just ends up in a spot that he had once been in before.

Cookie Exchnage Party

My friend Lisa and I held our Annual Christmas Cookie Exchange Party last evening.  This year was our 5th year having this party.  We put this on with 10 other friends.   Everyone gathers to fight for the Cookie Queen Award and I will tell you they put on a good challenge.

Here is a picture of our cookie table from a previous year.  You can see all the great cookies we get to bring home.  Timmy usually can't wait for me to get home so he can dive into the cookies.

Everyone is responsible to bake 7-1/2 dozen cookies and follow our special cookie rules.  One dozen is for our sample table and you package the others by the 1/2 dozen in your best packaging.  The best part is that you get to leave with 6 1/2 dozen different cookies along with the recipes.  We all bring a warm appetizer to share and we be all buy an ornament for a gift exchange.  We have so much fun with games and prizes and its just a great time for a girls night out with no kids!  This year we had a pajama theme and had a BLAST! 

Here are some photos from our party!  Enjoy!!! :) 



Pretty packaging.

More pretty packaging.

Leeann, Charline and Kathy.  You need to watch out for Kathy in the corner....she is our biggest competitor! :)

Stacy

Kathy and Alyce

Kathy and Lisa

Lisa being funny.

Charline

Our sample table which was our dessert. Yummy!!!!  We had lots of really good cookies.

Girls playing our Reindeer Game!  Boy did they get serious...I thought they were going to take each other out fighting over the balloons. 

The object of the game was to blow up balloons and stuff them all the way down a pair of pantyhose legs and then when done they had to put it on there head and sing Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer all the way through.

Kathy & Kathy won this game and she was laughing so hard that she kept yelling "I have to Pee!"
Way to funny!

Our Second Runner-Ups!

Our New Cookie Queen "Stacy"

Stacy and her footy PJ's

Kathy

Kathy

Leeann

Stacy & Charline

Charline

Alyce

I had to add a picture of me.  I had my daughter take it for me.  I was too busy being the photographer that I never ended up in any of the photos from the party.  So...here I am. 

Now that I embarrassed everyone. :)  We all did have a great time didn't we?  I'm already looking forward to next year.

 

Start looking for a new cookie recipe for next year.  Let's see who will be our next Cookie Queen.  I have to look for some more really fun games that we can put you girls through. :)

 

Black Friday

Okay I'm one of those crazy people that goes out shopping the day after Thanksgiving.  I have been doing this tradition for almost 25 years. 

For about the past 10 years my girlfriend Charline and I head off early in the morning to fight the crowds and to see if we can get really good sale prices on our Christmas Shopping lists.  Yes, it takes alot of patience to do this because there is tons of people and it can get overwhelming and you just want to get out of there.  I put on a BIG SMILE and just try to remember that it's only once a year.  I'm at that point now that if it's all gone at the store then it wasn't meant to be.

This year Charline thought she'd be funny and ask if we were going out at midnight when some of the stores open.  I just laughed.  I couldn't make it out there in the middle of the night.  I can't function at that hour of the day.  We decided on meeting at 5:45am which still means I  still have to get up around 4:30 to be able to leave the house at 5:00 to make it to the mall area.

I've already seen some of the store flyers that they have online but I'm waiting to get the actual flyer in my hand so I can mark the papers and plan our strategy for the day.  I already have most of my shopping done but have been waiting for some better sales and I hope to have it all done if not most of it by the end of the day. 

I'm happy that the weather is going to be great.  Sunny and around 50 degrees which will be great.  There is nothing like shopping in the rain when you have to wait for a parking spot and run through the parking lot to get to the store and then to find out that there are no more carts inside and you have to go back outside to find one before someone else.  Been there and done that! :)

We usually end up somewhere to have a good lunch to replenish our energy and catch our breath and go over what we've done.

We have a great time and help each other find the things we are after.  I can't mention what I'm looking for because I have other eyes that read this blog and I don't want to give anything away. 

All I can say is that when I get home I can barely walk and I usually fall asleep really early that night. ZZZzzzzzz

Does anyone else shop on this day!  What experiences have you had and do you find it worth it.  Let me know.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
  
I am thankful that God gives us each day to enjoy and live to your fullest.  Be grateful and cherish everything he has given you. 

I am so thankful for all my girls and for my husband that works hard for us to keep food on the table and put a roof over our heads. 

I am thankful for our health.

I am thankful for our families and friends.

I am also thankful to all our soldiers that are fighting for our country. 

I could go on forever here but you get the picture.  Have a safe and wonderful day everyone!

God Bless!!!!

Happy 21st Birthday Meagan

Happy Birthday to my first born, Meagan!  I can't believe you are 21 today.  I still remember the day you were born just like it was yesterday.  All 18 1/2 hours of labor till you came into this world and changed our lives forever.

You have turned into a beautiful woman and we are so proud of you. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGGIE POOH!

WE LOVE YOU!!!!

MOM & DAD

Missing You!

Nana, I can't believe that 7 years have passed by already.  We miss you so very much.  You touched all our lives in a special way and we will always remember you and all the wonderful memories and fun times that we had together.  Love you Always!

Timmy, Dianna & Nana

Dianna & Nana

She loved Christmas even though at times she would say eh with Christmas! :)

She even can manage to hold a cigarette while riding. :)

Nana & Grampy at Mom's Wedding

Glamore Shot Picture!

Nana & My Mom in Florida

Nana & Grampy with their Children

Last Photo Taken

She loved her beer and cigarettes.

Linda, Nana, Carol and Sharon