2011/365: Thank You
Thank you to all my readers, for making this another great blogging year. It wouldn’t be half the fun without you! It’s been an exciting year, with my blog subscribers growing to more than 80! Of course being featured on WordPress’ Freshly Pressed had a lot to do with that 😉
It was so nice, making a few new friends, and I’m ever so greatful for all my longtime readers who keep sticking around.
I’m so excited to officially start my 5th blogging year tomorrow!
Last but not least, I also want to wish my hubby a very Happy Bithday! Love You!
2011/364 December Photo Hunt
Whew! Just made it for Karen’s December Photo Hunt. It’s been one crazy month around here, with the kids taking turns getting sick, and enough trips to the pediatrician’s office to consider permanently moving into the waiting area. I really didn’t think I would have time to get all the pictures together, and went ahead and posted the one for Frost, that I already had (and then gave Scott permission to link to it for his photo hunt submission). But, on Wednesday I decided to try to get my act together and play along, so here goes…
1. Lights  This is actually a reflection of some Christmas lights on my living room wall. I noticed them Tuesday evening, but was too lazy to go and get the camera, and put it off until (not so) bright and (way too) early Wednesday morning.
2. Ornament  This was one of my Christmas presents this year. From my best friend in Germany of course! She sent several more, but you’ll have to wait until another time to see them.
3. Card A little peek into the basket where I have all of our Christmas cards.
4. Frost Wednesday must have been my lucky day, because we actually did have some frost in the morning! As soon as it was light enough outside, I ventured into the yard with my camera to see what I could find (more to come at a later date!). This is the cover of our fire pit, covered with frost.
5. Treat The treat I had in mind, was sneaking off alone to my favorite coffee place (Saxby’s – so much better than Starbucks!), but that never happened, so here’s the next best thing: cookies, baked by Greg and Sara. Peanut Butter, Molasses, and Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies Cakeys (I think me mis-measured the baking soda, and they puffed up like this. I actually like them better than the original recipe)
6. Family No sense even trying to get a picture of my family, so here’s a picture of the Family ornament I made several years ago. It has all our names on it, too.
As for the bonus, show me the winter holiday of your choice, I think most of these cover Christmas pretty well 😉
2011/363: Christmas Non-Surprise
Unfortunately Santa didn’t get to surprise Melissa with her gift, because she got a choice of either a netbook, or a keyboard, and… she chose the keyboard. We made sure to ask her several times before giving Santa the go-ahead to buy it. Wouldn’t have been the first time that she changed her mind about something 😉
She got to try it out at the store, and then look at it in the dining room for over a month (at least it was wrapped in wrapping paper most of that time, although I’m not sure that this made the torture any less for her).
We went and got a stand for it yesterday, after cleaning out her room to make space for it on Tuesday, and now it’s all set up in her room. She’s pretty good, too! (Now I guess I’m waiting for her to come home from school one day and announce Mom!! Dad!! My friends and I started a band!! )
2011/362: Christmas Surprise
The girls each had one big gift under the tree this year. Melissa’s was a keyboard, which she knew about, because she was with us when we bought it, and Sara got a new camera. She had been using my old point & shoot, and she loved taking pictures with Melissa’s Nikon D70s a few months ago, so Santa thought a new camera was perfect for her this year.
Sara opened the new camera bag first, and I’m sure she was wondering what she needed a new camera bag for, when she already had one. Then she reached for the camera… tore the paper off, and at first she thought it was a box of puzzles. Then she realized what it really was….
2011/359: Merry Christmas
Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas, and a beautiful Sunday to all of you who don’t celebrate Christmas.
We are off to see family in Oklahoma, and see a Christmas Light Display on our way to the hotel.
2011/358: Bonus – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Merry Christmas to all my family, friends, and readers who celebrate Christmas today!
We are off to The Olive Garden for dinner, to give Santa a chance to come to our house. I’m sure the girls can’t wait to find out if they’ve been on the naughty or nice list 😉
Photo taken with my iPad
2011/357: Bonus – Souvenir Ornament
Silent Night Chapel at Bronner’s in Frankenmuth, Michigan.
Replica of Oberndorf, Austria.
2011/357: Holiday Card
Hopefully everyone on my list has gotten their card by now, and I’m not ruining the surprise…
If you weren’t on my list (this year… there’s always next year), this is the card we sent out. With snowflakes, so everyone has a bit of a white Christmas, or Hanukkah, even if there wasn’t any real snow.
On Tuesday, I received an e-mail from my best friend (she lives in Germany), telling me that the card arrived that day, AND that it was snowing for the first time this season! Perfect timing! 🙂
2011/356: Bonus – Cuckoo
One of the little souvenirs I picked up at Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, Michigan last summer.
2011/356: Aus Dem Erzgebirge (2)
From the Ore MountainsÂ
There had to be snowmen! ♥
This was a set of three snowmen, but unfortunately there was a piece of the baby snowman missing from the kit. I’ll have to make a trip to the craft store and see if I can find something that fits.
2011/355: Aus Dem Erzgebirge (1)
From the Ore Mountains (Don’t worry, this blog has not switched to German! 😉 )
Some souvenirs from Germany. These came in little kits with all the pieces, that you can arrange and glue together. It was a fun and quick little craft project (Thank you, Heike! ♥).
I chose not to paint them, because I thought they looked really pretty au natural.
2011/354: Smokey, The… Snowman?
Isn’t he cute?
The snowman lifts up and you put a cone-shaped thingie* on the small piece of metal, and light it.
* I don’t know what this cone-shaped thingie is called. The German word is Räucherkerze. I guess it’s like incense??
2011/353: Advent Calendar
“Oh Christmas Tree Tea, oh Christmas Tree Tea…”
My best friend sent me a little surprise recently…. this tea advent calendar. She had sent one a few years ago and I really loved the idea. It’s fun to drink a different type of tea every day, while counting down to Christmas.
Today’s tea was “sweet chili tea”. Delicious! Definitely one of my favorites.
2011/352: Glowflakes
No worries, these aren’t “blurry” because I had too much eggnogg, they’re pictures of a votive candle holder, that’s made of thick, frosted glass.
2011/351: Christmas Card Outtakes
They didn’t quite make it onto the card…
At least one of them cooperated here!
And here… I don’t know what they thought they were modelling for…
Can’t wait to do this again next year!
2011/349: Plan B
This is the Holiday card that I would have sent out, if the torture photo session with the girls didn’t work out, but thankfully, the weather played along.
The first two stacks of cards went out on Monday, and the last stack went out yesterday, so they should (hopefully) start arriving soon.
2011/348: Flu Season
Making a trip to the pediatrician for the third week in a row! Two weeks ago it was with Melissa (strep), last week it was with Sara (strep), and this week it was with Sara again! This time she hit the jackpot with strep and the flu! Poor girl. Not sure if the strep is still hanging around, or if she got it again. Thankfully we caught the flu early, and she wasn’t feeling too miserable yet. Just a little tummy trouble, very tired, and not much appetite. With any luck she’ll be back at school on Thursday.
Sara wanted me to bring the iPad so she could play while we waited for the doctor, so this photo was taken with my iPad (Instagram app).
There’s a TV on the wall in every exam room, and she was watching the movie, while trying to ignore the shutterbug in the room.
2011/347: Dreaming Of A White Christmas
With temperatures well above freezing, I guess I can keep dreaming….unless I sprinkle enough of these!
2011/346: On The Naughty List
Don’t you agree? 😉
Just one of the wonderful shots I got at Saturday’s torture photo session. Bet you can’t wait to see what made it onto this year’s Holiday card!
2011/345: Candy Cane Hershey Kisses
The kids talked me into trying these, although most of them got to travel overseas to my best friend.
We did keep a few to try, and they were really good, with little bits of candy canes.
The Daily Click 