What I've been up to

Since Christmas I have been trying to take it easy in the evenings and read for a while.  Sometimes I fall asleep in this comfy bedroom chair with my book on my lap, a victim of sitting still for too long...

I have been picking up some extra hours at work, then rushing home to spend time with the peeps - making them a lunch, taking them to a movie or shopping, working on the odd task, doing laundry and dishes and getting dinner on, cleaning up the kitchen and getting ready to go to work again the next day...by the time I sit down, I'm pooped!  

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Hopefully next week, when I'm back on a regular schedule (and so are they, by the way), I'll do some creative things - scanning in old photos, blogging, trying a new recipe or two, getting some closet and storage organization and de-crapification underway...

...just thinking about all I want and need to do makes me drowsy...

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Weekend Bloggy Reading at

Serenity Now

Monday dawns...day after Christmas

What's your tradition for "Day After"?  Here it involves sleeping in, drinking coffee, and wondering what's to eat...I told Hubby I think our new tradition should be going to pizza buffet at Double Dave's!  (:  While we wait for everyone to actually GET UP and get going I can haul out the leftover snacks from Christmas Eve...including this dip I made from the last can of pumpkin from Thanksgiving:

I served it with graham crackers - yummy.  Even good for after Christmas breakfast!  (:  Go here for the recipe.  I made it in my new Pampered Chef stoneware pie plate from my sister - so pretty! 

I see  Chicken Pot Pies in my future in 2012...

Now to rouse everyone into getting dressed...pizza rolls and salad are calling my name...

A very Cannary Christmas Eve...

Hello!  What had you been up to today?

We've had a very rainy and cold day here at Camp Rustown...but hearts are warm. 

We enjoyed Overnight French Toast with bacon for a late breakfast..

Did a little last minute shopping at World Market and HEB.   Got the fixin's for dirty martini's...

...and enjoyed them with hot Artichoke Heart Dip...yuuuum...

Hubby finished up all last minute gift buying and we finished wrapping the gifts - each child gets  a different wrap.  No one will know which is theirs until Christmas morning!  

...and Santa doesn't wrap. FYI...so there will be more added to this pile...

Then we set a beautiful last minute table with things we already had, 

added some white napkins and gold chargers...

We will eat by candlelight...magic!  Chicken enchiladas, salad, and wine.  It will seem like a four star restaurant and we will all be hungry after church gets out around 8 p.m.

As the day winds down, I reflect on how fast the season goes by, and how I can slow it down, just a little, and truly live in the moment.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Wimberley Winter Wonderland

We took a trip to the hill country to visit Maggie's shop and bop around for  the day.

It was an overcast and chilly day - perfect for Christmas shopping!

 So many fun shops with local art

 Lights and greenery strung everwhere

 Quaint little houses turned into gift shops on the square

 

 We got our exercise walking everywhere!

 

We stopped at Wimberley Cafe for lunch.

 

The boys enjoyed just hanging out together and we tore up some delicious burgers!

 We had just missed a big Christmas "To Do" on the square a few days before, 

but found plenty of fun places to pose for pics.

My sister's shop is all decked out in tiny white lights and has the most amazing salsa, sauces, treats, wine...

...and lots of samples to try...

We got Hubby some treats for his stocking.  Fun!  Can't wait to go back soon!

In just three days...

You will be a teenager!  

 Thirteen years have gone by in a flash - so hard to believe I actually blinked...

I will remember that Christmas forever - the sense that we were finally completing a group of people to love and cherish and call a family.  A day that all of us welcomed you as a gift of love to our family. 

 Happy Birthday, Bubbie!  

We will never forget that Christmas is your special day, too because having you as a part of our family means so much to all of us 

Christmas cookie tray

I made a last minute cookie tray for Hubby to take to work one day last week.  Just found the ingredients for some basic stuff and ran with it!

Chocolate Pretzel peanut clusters, Russian Teacakes, and Jam Pastries.  YUM.

The clusters were made using the recipe off the package of some chocolate bark I've been wanting to use.  I subbed in pretzels for the chow mein noodles since I already had pretsels on hand.  They also have peanut butter in them - they were so easy and really good!

These Russian Teacakes go by many names - Sandies, Mexican Wedding Cakes, etc.  I made mine with walnuts as pecans have priced themselves waaay out of my budget.  They are simple to make - here is a recipe that's very similar to mine.

I lined them up next to the pile of clusters and kept baking...

Last but not least were the jam pastries.  This recipe called for pie crust, jam, cinnamon sugar, and nuts.

You roll out the dough onto the sugar and press it in.  Then spread the jam on, sprinkle the nuts, roll the whole thing up, and slice to bake.

I think they came out so pretty!  Looks like I slaved for hours, but really,

I spent maybe one hour total on the whole thing!

YUM.  I think these would be good for breakfast, too.  Today is another baking day at my house in preparation for the cookies we leave out for the Fat Man  (:  

What's on your last minute agenda?  Any cookie baking?

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Kitchen swag

One of my favorite Christmas spaces in the house!

 The garland swag that hangs in the kitchen window.

 FULL of ornaments the kids have made over the years.  In fact, some of them don't fit, so they get alternated! And at the bottom are the tiny trees they made one Thanksgiving.  I love these!

 There are ornaments here that are irreplacable, so they don't go on the Christmas trees. I think of this as a different shaped tree!  One I can see every day as I'm in the kitchen, cooking, cleaning, or helping someone with a homework project. It's true that the kitchen is the heart of the home...

 

A lot of them have school pictures, but some of them have candid shots;  those are the ones we made at home.   It makes the window seat such a happy place!

 It takes me back to when they were all little...

 ...and actually smiled for photos (:

 This is my favorite - made by Firstborn in pre-K.  Everyone needs a macaroni bell!

 Were they ever that little?  Was my hair ever that brown?

 And The Girl's that short?

 Sweet Scout!

 Popsicle tree made by The Girl in Brownies.

 

 Puzzle ornament made by Bubbie in Mothers Day Out.

I love all of them and look forward to seeing this sight every Christmas!

Do you have a spot like this for your kid's Christmas art?