Keeping it Real ...

Remember when I posted my Christmas Card pic last month?

Thought you might like to see a FEW of the 147 outtakes from the day.

Santa

We take the kids to have their pictures taken with Santa every year. It has now become a tradition of sorts and even though we have tried to put less emphasis on Santa, the whole "visit with Santa" is still precious to me.

The wait was short ... which made the wait nice as well ;)


Oh, Santa. Do we ever think alike! I have been eye-ballin' that Pretzel Time and it's buttery goodness, since we walked in the door!

Excuse me. Did someone snatch my precious boy and replace him with this man-child?

Ah. At least there is still one baby boy left ... for now.

The finished product! Even my big girls were willing participants. You can see some other Santa pics here.

Yummies ...

Every year we make Almond Bark Popcorn, Muddy Buddies, Covered Pretzels, and Sugar Cookies. We change things up and try different goodies but these are the staples :)

Popcorn:

One Bag Popcorn (remove kernels after popping)
1/2 block of White Almond Bark

*Melt the bark in a large microwavable bowl and add the popcorn. Stir until it is blended together. Spread across wax paper to harden. While it is still wet you can shake on colored sprinkles.

Here is the recipe for the Muddy Buddies. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas ... We Made Cookies

Once Again ... His Provision

We are hustling around finishing the time-honored and traditional "to-do's" in these last few days before Christmas. Lately, I have mostly posted pictures, because the other hot topics in my life (homeschooling, raising teenagers, our church search) would require a block of my undivided attention ... Even this one post has been interrupted five six seven times.

I thought it would serve to enlighten any new readers about what kind of state I was in a couple years ago around this time of year. You should also read this post, just in case you ever get the cu-hu-razee notion that I have it all together and sweet joy springs forth from my home, each and every day.

A couple of warnings. This is an extremely long post and it carries with it a very "woe is me" theme.

Oh, and when I read through it, I wanted to edit it for content and grammatical mistakes at least 27 times. But I didn't. I have to really weigh my choices carefully and be wise and discerning in my decisions so that I am a good steward of my time.

See how much I've grown?

Here's the post.

Merry Christmas!

Later I'll post the outtakes ;)

Christmas Tree, OH Christmas Tree

How yummy are your branches?

The Illegal Shots

HO! HO! HO!

It's a tradition. It may have scarred my oldest child and quite possibly the youngest (who moonlights as a lumberjack; hence the britches).

The two-hour wait? ... Ridiculous
The lady telling me I could not let people see me use my video camera? ... Absurd
The Auntie Anne's booth that was 5-feet away from my nose the entire time? ... Torture

All my precious babies together with "Ho-Ho" one more time? ... Priceless


Let's take a walk down memory lane ...

Hannah with "Ho-Ho"
1995

Hannah & Mommy (pregnant with Emma)
1996

Hannah & Emma
1997

Emma refused to partake this year
1998

The famous 70+ year tradition of "Legendary Santa" in Virginia
1999

Samuel's First "Ho-Ho" Picture
2002

Samuel refused to partake this year
2004

Back when they let me take my own pictures!
2005

2006

2007