The Xmas Party We Missed and Then...

We were planning on going to Cincinnati to join this party, but work commitments got in the way and we had to stay home. Normally a 6 hour trip with holiday sugar rushed kids doesn't sound too pleasant, but I actually look forward to this trip because of the people. This is my MIL's family and are they ever a FUN bunch! So we missed a good time, but in the end I think it worked out for the best...

Annie has been running a temp of 101+ since the 23rd- not eating well, cranky, tired and when she let's me see in her mouth, it looks bright red back there. So off to the doctor's office we go. The rapid strep test came back negative, but they still send it to the lab. So they are thinking it is something viral and to just keep nursing it with fluids. All week, she has been a feisty little thing, not very pleasant and we have all tolerated it pretty well being sympathetic to her not feeling well. I'VE HAD IT!! I'm done, the child is cranky crying fussy little twerp and the moment we step into the doctor's office.... SHE SMILED!!! WHAT?!! She's happy, being silly, giggling, interacting normally with no yelling, crankiness...nothing. Ok, so why does this happen? Is there special dust in the air that makes my children feel better and make me look like the goof that doesn't know what she's talking about? Really doctor, she's been miserable... look at the cute smile she is displaying now...that's not real, she's acting and what a good little actress she is being! Augh! So anyways, Annie completely did a full recovery right before my eyes, she is now a hungry feisty girl after not eating much lately I have a feeling she will be making up for it today...2 poptarts later. (Yes she normally eats a healthier breakfast, but today I didn't care what she wanted, at least she's eating!)

We have been working hard on the potty training with her and it is going well- mostly. On Christmas Day she was at her highest temp 104 and very VERY tired. This is what happened...

Notice she cannot be parted from her new Dora backpack! She really did fall asleep, she was falling over and nobody ran to her rescue, we all watched laughing and video taping, I know- we are cruel laughing adults! She's not going to like this picture in 10 years!! Hee hee hee! Have a great day everyone!

Xmas with the Cousins

Ok, so this isn't even ALL of them!! My Hubby is one of 11 children! There are 7 full brothers and sisters, and 4 half, although the family is VERY close you would never know the split, they are called the 7/11 gang! So these are the cousins from the group of 7, missing the 2 babies who I am sure were busy eating since that is all the baby Dels seems to be doing lately.

Ok, so here are the babies...
This is the newest cousin, isn't she a sweety! She looks sooo much like her big sister. We are going to have so much fun with all these cousins growing up together! She makes Dels look huge now, I thought she was still my little newborn teeny tiny baby, but now she looks like a toddler ready to run! Ok, so maybe that would be a bit of an overachiever at 3 months old, but seriously she does look so much bigger now. I remember when I brought Lolo home from the hospital, Molly was only 20 months old and the first time I changed Molly's diaper was the day I realized she wasn't my baby anymore- she was HUGE!

Here's Baby Dels in on of her many Xmas outfits! Being the youngest of 4 girls, we had our pick of the outfits, a new one for every party! It's so much fun! And because I didn't add this to my pictures yesterday, here is a picture of our cat- he enjoys the paper just as much as the kids. I can't wrap a present without him coming over to sit on the paper!

A Few Of My Favorite Pictures Of The Day!

Congrats to the New Drill Sergeant In the Family!

This is my Little Sisters Family, they live in Texas and will soon be moving closer- to Missouri. As much as it pains me to write anything ARMY on MY blog, I will make this exception. My BIL is a recent graduate and now officially a Drill Sergeant! He has worked very hard for this accomplishment. He's been away from his family, his adorable son who's almost 18 months old now and his beautiful wife :) This new job position means a lot of long hours, hectic days, stressful conditions, but he will be home for the next 2-3 years and not overseas again. We called last night to say a Congrats phone call, but I didn't feel like my true admiration and pride showed through on the phone, I tend to get a bit tongue tied. So in honor of our new family Drill Sergeant- I would like to dedicate my post to him today and if everyone could write in a comment I will be sure that he reads them. He will be with his family for Christmas this year, what a gift! Thank you J for your hard work, the sacrifices that you make in order to have a better life for your family.

We Love You!

J- I really like this drill sergeant- so nice and cuddly, I think I can even call him cute!

This on the other hand I think is a bit more realistic. Hope the new job goes well and you don't loose your voice! :)

Hat Day?

Ok, so here's the story...

Last night I was in the kitchen making my pot pie recipe. (see recipe blog) As I am mixing the soups together a herd of elephants comes running into the room.

"MOOOOM, MOM, MOM- LOOK AT US!!!"

I turn around and all three girls have hats on and are they ever GIGGLY! I ask them what is going on, they hand me my camara and inform me that it is HAT DAY. (I think they have caught on to my blogging, they even remembered to bring me the camara!)

"Take picture me mom, peas mom, peas" -Annie (big toothy grin, so happy her eyes are shut)

"Ok, ok, everyone squish together and I will take your picture, little closer, c'mon...squish!"

And there you have it- the reason my dinner is never on time, the reason my house is always a mess, the reason my girls get along (mostly) and the reason I stay home everyday. I love Hat Day!

What Santa Goes Through...

Lolo's Christmas Program

See that Star all the way to the left? That's my little Star shining bright. She held that star up so proud, she wanted everyone to see it. She has been practicing everyday and she sure did great!

I'm right here MOM! Can you see me among all these kid, it's me- LOLO!!! She was waving frantically for the first 5-10 minutes of the program- we definitely saw her! But then if I could turn the camera around to show what she was looking at, it would have been a whole pew of Lolo fans, standing up waving at her as well!

Here she is, my little Star of the night! Lolo!!! She is doing her weird smile here, I keep telling her to smile nice not scary, she has such a beautiful smile- if I can get her to show it! Check out those eyes though- WOW- I love 'em!!

Let me introduce you to Bella. Lolo and Bella just met this year in preschool and have been inseparable. All we hear about is Bella, Bella this, Bella that. "Lolo what did you learn about in school today?" "I dunno...but Bella was there and she was wearing......" (head to toe description of every detail of clothing about...Bella! I love that she has found such a great friend.

Her program went really well, the kids all sang their songs really nicely. There was of course the one REALLY loud child, and then the kids who are staring off into space, the ones who are wishing they were anywhere else and then LOLO who was singing to her hearts content. I am really glad I have her in dance classes, she loves to perform and has no fear of being in front of people. Although my favorite and my families favorite performance is the songs she sings in the bathroom at the top of her lungs. "You get a line, I'll get a pole, we'll go fishing in the craw fish hole, 5 card poker on Saturday night, Church on Sunday morn." and again Louder and Louder. The bathroom echoes, it is the longest bathroom trips she takes! Listen to it below....

Boondocks

Lolo's Song!

Xmas Funnies

LESS THAN A WEEK

So I went Xmas shopping last night. My mom has a credit card to Meijers and they offer an additional 15% off general merchandise on certain days- yesterday was one of those days. Littlest Sis came over to play with my oldest 2 children, bringing along family friend Chels who recently got a puppy. The kids had a blast- it's just like grandkids, play with the puppy, enjoy how cute it is and then it goes home! I snuck out the door with the youngest 2 children and met Hubby at the store. Once we were close to being done I called my mom and she came and checked us out, now I owe her a check...*tie little ribbon around finger* She did have some shopping to do, but I have to say thanks to her for being willing to drive in and save us that 15% (HI MOM- THANKS) So anyways, this is all leading up to my question. We drew names for an Aunt and Uncle who's kids are grown, the kids are into acting, comedy, theater- he likes history, factual things, she likes anything you give her...not kidding, she will smile and be happy with anything- the theme this year is games or toys....any ideas??? I am having trouble with this one. Do you know any fun games? I heard Cranium was fun, but I got that for another Aunt. Hmmmm. Ok, so if you know any-HELP!!!
Lolo has her school Xmas program tonight. I am really looking forward to it because she has been practicing so hard and is so excited. This is the kickoff to our school parties. Lolo's is on Wednesday- I have offered to help out, not sure what I just got myself into, but hopefully it will be fun. We are MAKING a nativity scene- I am a self proclaimed two left thumbs crafty person. It's not for lack of trying. See my picture of my front door...I made that door hanger...yup me- well kinda...my mom says that I made it, but in all honesty she brought over all the supplies, the basket, the foamy stuff inside and then helped me put it all together. So I literally stuck the things in the basket, but she helped me decide where to put it all. Then she is declaring to everyone that I MADE IT- she is trying to boost my craft esteem- she knows I am not crafty- I'm on to you MOM! :) Back to the parties... Maddy's is on Thursday and again I have offered to help...I still have 13 days left to get the MOM OF THE YEAR AWARD... wanna know how I am going to get it- Littlest Sis, yup she is babysitting for me so I can attend all of these parties with limited kids in tow- isn't she great! After the school parties we head into the family parties. We party everyday from the 22nd till the 26th, then again on the 30th and the 1st. Let's Count...that's 7 Parties (Xmas Eve isn't technically a party but we go to the children's mass and usually go around seeing people before or after- enough work associated to count as a party) I was telling Molly and Lolo about all of these parties that we are going to and they had the nerve to reply... "That's it!!"

THAT'S IT- WHAT?? 9 parties isn't enough, and I am not even including last weekends parties, so I have decided that this year, they can do all the food prep, gift wrapping, party dress, hair bow wearing prep work and I will sit down and play with the toys ( I do love my laptop)

The funny thing is, even with all the work that goes into Christmas, I wouldn't want it any other way. With all the kids in bed on Christmas night, I always stand in front of the tree and think back through the day, the year, the kids' faces and reactions and think to myself...it was worth it. It never fails, a few tears fall down my cheeks as I turn off the lights and anticipate next year.

Remember to check this out... http://thereddooreats.blogspot.com/

Let's Get This Started

I started a new blog for The Recipe Exchange- come visit and get a few ideas for your Xmas parties! Add a few recipes of your own or let me know if you have posted one, I will post your link. Also if you have a request for a recipe, I will post it up and see if we can get some interaction between all of our wonderful blogging friends. I hope you find one you like, come back often, I'll be adding more as time permits. Enjoy!

THE RED DOOR EATS

http://thereddooreats.blogspot.com/

Appetizers

PEPPERONI SWIRLS

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from 17.3-oz package) thawed

3 tablespoons country-style Dijon mustard

4 oz pepperoni chopped

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves

1. On lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry into a 16x14 inch rectangle. Spread mustard over all of the pastry. Sprinkle pepperoni evenly over the mustard. Sprinkle cheese and oregano over the pepperoni.

2. Starting at the 16 inch side, tightly roll up the pastry; gently pinch edge into roll to seal. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2-3 hours.

3. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line cookie sheet with foil; lightly spray foil with cooking spray. Cut pastry into 1/2- inch slices. Place on cookie sheet.

4. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and slightly puffed. Serve warm.

32 appetizers

Prep time: 20 minutes Start to Finish: 3 Hr. 40 Min.

I was a bit worried it wouldn't stay warm enough, but everyone ate them so quickly they didn't have a chance to get cold. Yum- Yum!!

I'll be posting more recipes on my other blog********The Red Door Eats****** come check it out, add to it and enjoy!

Xmas Cats

Just a few funny Xmas animals. I made some chicken soup yesterday and Hubby made a stuffed pork roast- we had so much we called my parents and sister over to join. (his parents already had plans) I am still working on my recipes, I got a bit behind. This is how I made my soup...
I boiled 3 chicken breast (frozen family bag kind) for about 10 minutes.
Chopped 2 large carrots, about 4 stalks of celery, one huge potato, and about 1/3 of a large onion. I put all of this in the crock pot on high, poured in a can of chicken broth and about 3 cans of water. Added a can of cream of chicken soup. Oh and after the chicken was done boiling I chopped the chicken and then added some of the water from that. Threw in some frozen peas, some crushed rosemary, salt and pepper- the amounts are to your liking. I let this sit all day 11:00-5:30- stirred every once in awhile, mostly out of curiosity. You can add lots of other things to your liking, but I like to use this as a base and go from there. This is a nice soup to warm the tummy, it freezes well, reheats well. I will be back with some more recipes- good ones to take to parties, maybe a few drinks ones too. Remember to let me know if you posted any on your blog, I'm making a list. Thanks!

Celebrate with Me!

We are currently inbetween Xmas festivites, only home for about 20 more minutes and then off to the next event- and I felt the need to blog! Today is December 15th- my Littlest Sis graduated from Michigan State University TODAY!!! Not only that, but she called me this morning and informed me that she bought THE dress. She decided on her wedding dress and made the big decision today. So I am blogging all about her and want to tell everyone just how proud I am of her. She is my first child after all! (baby bro born very sick, I raised little sis-at least I claim to) This picture is of Tall Fiance and Littlest Sis- yes he is a foot taller- yes she is short! They are a really cute couple. He will be flying into town on the 22nd till the 5th. Littlest Sis will be in town till the 6th, then I have to let her go- she's movin to Cali. She is a horse fanatic, worked at the MSU horse farm, bred horses, delivered horses, and some details I don't care to get into. She has been offered a great job out west and hopefully will remember us little people back in this little town and will come back often. So for now, we are celebrating- raise a glass in her honor, she has worked hard and today is a great day! (too bad I can't see her till tomorrow) Bummer.

Merry Xmas to the City

It's Friday right? It HAS to be a good day. I have to turn around this morning, it cannot be a bad luck day today. We had our furnace inspected last night, that went well. We found out the furnace is working fine, humidifier could use a new filter, but overall, no bad news. I have been looking into a new water heater and the guy who came last night is getting a bunch of quotes for me. This is kinda nice because everyone I have talked to has been a hassle. Hubby was stuck in traffic and I was at dance, so my dad came over and got the inspection started...thanks dad! Turns out they played softball together. My dad told me he is a good guy, which is kinda nice, because in the future we are going to need new equipment and it is nice to know an honest guy to help us with it all. Ok, so I am rambling...back on topic... good day today... ok, so this furnace guy parked in our driveway last night. We have a single lane driveway that runs next to our neighbors driveway with a crack of grass between the two. So when I pulled up, I went into the neighbors driveway and up and around the furnace guys van, so now I am parked in front of him. Hubby comes home and parks in the road. After everyone left last night, we were hungry, kids were loud and we never once thought about the cars again. Well...on Dec. 1st the parking rules in the City went into effect- no parking on the street between 2am-6am. YUP- we woke up to a $25 ticket on the car. Ok, I am sorry, I am all about law enforcement, we have law enforcement in the family- but C'mon, we forgot once, no warning- nothing. Bam straight to a ticket...a $25 ticket. My stinkin neighbor and his trashy truck parked in front of my house all stinkin summer- till we finally made a complaint and he finally moved it. There is also a law that you can't park on the street for more than 4 days without moving your vehicle. WHY can HE park there for weeks at a time and not get a ticket...he got 3 warnings- NO TICKET. WHY WHY WHY???

Ok, with that off my chest I feel better. Today will be a GREAT day. After all I am sitting here blogging my new bloggy friends, my kitty sitting on my feet keeping them warm, baby sleeping in the swing, Annie and Molly watching the Wiggles, and Lolo...the early bird is still sleeping. Today is catch up day, finish the laundry I started on Monday, lick the Xmas card envelopes and get them out of here, vacuum up the floors... you know what this list is like. It will feel really great to get these things done *pat on the back* So it sounds like everyone is excited about the recipe exchange. This is really cool because I wasn't sure if I would be the only one posting them. Thanks in advance. I think if everyone shares a few favorites we will all find a few new things that might be fun to try out. I get bored with the same things over and over, new things make cooking fun again. Do your homework, find some good recipes!

On another note, I learned something new last night with the furnace guy here and immediately thought of my bloggy friends. Did you know that a carbon monoxide detector, the kind you plug into the wall, are only good for about 2-3 years. After that the whatevers on the inside wear out, but most people think they are still working because they are lit up...powered by being plugged in. So check your detectors, read the fine print, put a new one in your stocking. Furnace guy recommended one called Nighthawk. http://www.carbonmonoxidekills.com/nighthawk.htm

Additional Carbon Monoxide Concerns and Information
Don't automatically assume that you need or don't need a carbon monoxide detector. Also, don't assume that you are safe from carbon monoxide poisoning just because you have a detector installed. Carbon monoxide detectors are intended to protect healthy adults, so take the ages and health of family members into account when assessing the effectiveness of a detector. Also, be aware that the average life span of many carbon monoxide detectors is about 2 years. The 'test' feature on many detectors checks the functioning of the alarm and not the status of the detector. There are detectors that last longer, indicate when they need to be replaced, and have power supply backups -- you need to check to see whether a particular model has the features you require. When deciding whether or not to purchase a carbon monoxide detector, you need to consider not only the number and type of carbon monoxide sources, but also the construction of the building. Newer building may have more airtight construction and may be better insulated, which make it easier for carbon monoxide to accumulate.

http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingswork/a/codetectors.htm

Put 'Em Up

Next week is going to be recipe week. I need some help everyone. I am putting together a list of recipe ideas for all of our Xmas parties coming up. I tend to bring a lot of the same things. Since I have all these new blog friends I thought maybe I could ask for some new ideas. If you are interested- post a favorite recipe on your blog and let me know about it. I will make a list of links and hopefully be the end of next week, we will all have a good recipe idea list. What do you think? What are some holiday traditional foods that you make that another family might not? My sister always makes puppy chow...it's yummy! Here's the thing though...I am NOT Martha Stewart, so please for the sake of my sanity don't make it way too fancy or ingredients you have to go to Antarctica to obtain. Ok, so for homework over the weekend...think about it and let's have some fun with this.

Wordless Wednesday

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