Happy Friday!

Ok, so I started out the morning in "mood de crappie" and was going to post in that particular frame of mind. Then I got busy and never finished my post. Boy, am I glad I waited! It gave me time to reflect, remove all of the "me" thoughts, and focus on trying to make everyone's day better than it was when they woke up. You know what??? It turned my mood around! Not because anything spectacular happened...or because I found that money tree growing out back...or life's stresses about work and family vanished...or my house magically cleaned itself while I was away...it was just because I realized throwing myself a pity party was more work than just being happy. So, I'm being thankful for my health, my family, the nice sunshine outside, for making kids smile at school today because I was being a goofball(it was "Latte Friday" after all and I was buzzed on espresso), for busting my butt every day before sun up this week at the gym so I could have "Latte Friday", for my critters, for the new big critter at my mamma's house that I want to play with this weekend if I can find the time(so excited about that...hint: it's got a mane and tail), and for you all! Have a fantastic weekend!!!

Christmas Eve

The countdown is complete! You can feel, and thanks to wound up kids, hear the energy in the air.







Not a creature was stirring this rainy night. These guys were the only ones behaving. They've grown tired of chewing up and climbing in the Christmas tree. They must know Santa will be here soon.

The kids did some final touches to their lists after opening their "shirt box" containing jammies from under the tree. They got the cookies frosted and the milk poured for their important visitor. They even remembered to set out the reindeer food before heading to bed.

I think next year I'm wrapping all of the cool stuff in shirt boxes and the jammies and such in huge, shiney boxes with tons of ribbon.

The kids finally wound down and went to sleep so Santa could leave their treats. Santa was a bad boy this year. I got very annoyed at Santa. More to come on that in later posts.

Christmas Traditions

I've decided to take the rest of this week to catch up on Christmas posts. It takes a month to prepare for Christmas at our house, so I'm going to give it a week to wrap up thoughts and pictures. A tradition my Grammie Crabtree started one year while visiting from Maine was making braided Christmas wreath bread. It is a yummy yeast bread she found a recipe for that combines cardamon, candied cherries, almond extract, and almonds. My favorite holiday flavor is almond. Probably because my favorite holiday cookie is a spritz cookie with almond extract in it. Yum! Anyhoo...this year I asked Amanda if she wanted to help make it. She just turned 9, and really wants to learn her way around the kitchen. I've always been a bit stand offish when it comes to helping in the kitchen. Don't get me wrong, I do let my kids help. I just have a hard time with the mess they make when they do help. They start playing with the flour, spilling the egg everywhere, losing their focus, you get the idea. So, this year I plan to be more patient, more inviting, and let them help me more.

I just realized I posted these pictures in the wrong order but don't feel like redoing it. So, here is the roll right before cutting and twisting it. Amanda learned how to seal the bread and loved the twisting part. It really looks neat.

The filling is so yummy! I could eat it plain. Amanda listened very intently to directions and did a great job spreading it almost up to the edge.

She got tired of rolling and decided she'd rather work on the filling. Although I love my rolling pin, it weighs about 15 pounds and is rather heavy for a kid. Chris got it for me a couple of years ago. Solid maple and just the right size to whack anyone that gets out of line. Some like a frying pan, I'll take my rolling pin!

I completely forgot to take a picture of the bread when it was nice a brown, sitting there waiting for it's glaze. I really enjoyed Amanda helping me with it. It reminded me of spending time with my mom in the kitchen during the holidays. This type of event really made the holidays what they should be...spending time with the ones we love. Mommy's little girl is growing up!

Too cute!

The babies are all out and about. Mama keeps a close eye on them. So far the other chickens aren't picking on the babies, just mom. They also love to eat all of the chick starter out of the feeder. Grrrr.


Mama has been teaching them where to get water and how to scratch. She makes clucking noises and the babies all come running to see what she's doing. It's really cute. That is one nice thing about having the mom around verses just getting chicks from the hatchery. The mom teaches them everything!

The kids love to catch them and let them fall to sleep in their warm hands. It is so cute. Although the chicks are getting big enough now that it's quite a challenge to catch them. They are starting to get little tail puffs now and their wing feathers.

I love this part of "farm life". Going outside when it's 29 degrees to fill up the water and clean out the boxes isn't so fun. I think my hands are still frozen! At least the mud was frozen too.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! When I look back at this past year I really have to pause for the events to really sink in. It has been a year filled with triumphs and many trials. While we've had lots of stresses, it's also been filled with many relaxed and joyful occasions as well. It made my husband and I closer and our children more appreciative of their family and surroundings. It's brought me closer to my faith and given me a clearer vision of what the important things in my life are. It also reminded me of what things I've lost my grips on and what I need to refocus on in the NEW YEAR! I won't say it's a resolution thing, but more of an awareness of my goals.

The kids and I made a special New Year's Eve party for Daddy. We planned, shopped, and made Dad a special dinner at "Chez Toma's" restaurant.


We printed up a menu with our dinner and salad choices.

Our sign board had the specials. We had coconut shrimp appetizers, our special favorite house champagne, and a featured ice crem to go with dessert, which was gourmet chocolates that we picked up at a local shop in Down Town Auburn. The kids made meatballs to go with our spaghetti and mixed green salads.

Amanda was the hostess and seated Daddy, took his beverage selection for the evening, and told him he'd let him know when the rest of his party arrived.

Evan took his order and delivered his shrimp appetizer. He also said he would prepare his salad now.

The kids and I finally made it to the restaurant after all of the food was on the table. Then I had to go to the "bathroom". While I was gone the waitstaff cleaned up the table and prepared the dishes of special ice cream and chocolate truffles. When I came back from the "bathroom" we had a nice time of coloring on the paper tablecloth like they do at Macaroni Grill while eating our yummy dessert. The kids had so much fun giving dad a special evening at home. They were so polite and took it so seriously. Amanda even practiced her lines and wrote them down.

Then we watched my FAVORITE movie of all time after dinner with a nice fire in the fireplace. There is nothing like watching The Man From Snowy River after a nice meal with the most important people in my life. It was the first time I'd let Amanda watch it. She now says horses are her favorite animal. It still chokes me up when I watch that movie. I've seen it so many times! It is my sappy reminder that I would have loved to try to fit in on a ranch 150 years ago. Heck! Give me a ranch right now with horses and unlimited income to take care of it and I'd be happy. Is that too much to ask? It really makes me realize how much I miss my horse I had growing up. That was another time and place. Then I fell asleep in the chair, awaking just prior to the ball drop and the kiss from my husband welcoming in the new year. Hello 2009. Hello to another year and wishing for much health and happiness together.

Animals gone wild

"Left paw blue..."



Oh hurry up already!!! I'm tired of spinning!

Bad spinner, bad spinner.

Dumb cats. I think I'm just going to sit here in mom's pile of freshly washed, warm, new polar fleece. She won't mind a little more fuzz on her fabric...

I kid you not. This was the scene I walked in on a couple of days ago. It started to scare me! It was like I walked in on the toys and they forgot to play dead like they do in Toy Story. Who knew cats liked to play Twister? And Sophie hates the cats so what was she doing watching??? They are all a bunch of posers! What would my blog be if I don't show some animal picture at least once a week? I think they consume way too much of my life. It's a sickness.

Christmas festivities

Hey! I actually remembered to snap a couple of pictures at my Christmas party. Of course, it's of the kids. They don't have issues with pictures being taken of them like adults do...well like I do. My mom helped the kids make Christmas blocks. I didn't realize that I don't have a picture of them all aglow and now they are packed up for next year! Oops! The kids loved having them in their rooms. They are glass blocks that are use in bathrooms and as dividers that my dad drilled a hole in. Then you shove a strand of lights through the hole and decorate the outside of the block. Viola! A cute little Christmas decoration!

We had a cookie decorating area in the garage for the kids. They went nuts putting toppings on and ate up a sugary storm! Then the dog went around and cleaned up every sprinkle and candy piece within her reach.

Sadly, there is no evidence of any adults here, but there were quite a few of them here...they were in the house eating sushi with Chris. He busted out the sushi gear and made up some appetizers for everyone to try. I stayed in cookie land. Yum! Mike(my BIL) made a pot of spicy chili to cut the sweet overload. We also did a little cookie/candy exchange and although I'd like to say I passed out the little boxes of cookies that I made up...we ate it. All of it. THATS why my pants are tight and I'm slowly coming down off of my Christmas sugar high. I feel yucky!