Let it Snow..

It's snowing (flurries at least).. on Christmas! (two years in a row, really?) However, this year's snow isn't near as epic as last. For the south, snow at all is pretty incredible.

Christmas 2009 in Oklahoma

I bet that RV Dealership is realllllly regretting their '$10,000 back towards the loan on your new RV if it snows on Christmas when you buy now!' gimmick.. because there are definite snow flurries outside.

Anyhoodle, as a gift this year to Chase (and myself, who are we kidding) I got one of these. Battery life aside, it's pretty wonderful! So to share our first Christmas at home together, we recorded it.

We really miss our family, but travelling is a huge pain for me right now (imagine my already terrible car sickness magnified by 1000x). It was pretty hard talking to my dad,  mom, bub, nieces, nephews, and sister without completely busting into tears yesterday and today. They all had dinner together yesterday and got to be together though- which is awesome. Today they are all over at my brother's house celebrating together today. Next year we'll so be there (+1) I missed you guys (if you read this!). K, I promise to stop talking in parenthesis now.

Just in case the video was too boring for you,  here are some photos instead!

The end!

Merry Christmas!

I love..

this time of year. It's simply fantastic. I love making delish treats for my family and friends and I love my family and friends!

I feel blessed to have so many people in my life that care so much.

Here's the last of the holiday baking. Everything is packaged up except the party mix- which is in the oven currently. The brownies were MUCH easier to cut after being chilled over night. They sure do smell great, too! (all peppermint patty like).

Last photo op/post until probably Monday! I may have to work on Monday as well so, we'll see how the next round of baking turns out. I think I may make a few slight changes to the menu for easier packing and ease of preparing. The chocolate covered pretzels are just time consuming but the peppermint bark is a winner. It's my favorite new creation this year!

Anyhoodle- pictures! Now!

I can't get enough of these cute treats.

My 1/2 price finds from Hobby Lobby! A package of 20 of the little snowmen tags were only $1.25 and the take-out boxes were $2.50 for a pack of six!

They sparkle :)

L to R: Chocolate covered pretzels, peppermint brownies and peppermint bark.

Give thanks.

Mm Mm Good!

For family Christmas gifts this year, we opted for a more personal gift. The gift of baked goods! They're delicious, and embody the sense of giving of yourself and you time. I am very excited about baking! Here's a list of what I'm baking/cooking/preparing. In between, I'm making dinner tonight and tomorrow, but that is easy with the help of E-Mealz!!! :)

* Chex Mix (or Trash as my Mamaw called it)
* Chocolate covered pretzels (again)
* Peppermint Bark
* York Peppermint Brownies
* Sugar cookies with the kids' names on them
* Super easy fudge

I also made another batch of Puppy Chow last night for small snack bags.

Tonight we're having something called "Company Chicken" and it sounds delicious! On a really really cool note, Chase got an unexpected bonus this month at work, and we are saving most of it for our snowball, but Chase surprised me with a few really, really sweet gifts.

First was the Harry Potter DVD which we watched last night.. love it! Second was a new yoga mat, because I am really into yoga these days (so is Bailey lol). The next one was a seriously cool temperature gauge that tells the outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, weather forecast, time and date. I usually always ask Chase what the weather is like in the morning. :) Last was my favorite because I have wanted one for quite some time!
*drum roll*

a Crock Pot!!!!

Here's a picture of my loot. Hubs really went above and beyond. What a surprise it was to come home from a long day to this.

What's Happening:

So during the midsts of the below mentioned activites, Chase and I have been pretty busy with things here at home! Chase bought a metal lathe and has been working hard trying to learn all about making neat things like... stuff. I got a treadmill and am loving it (recently too cold to run outside) and we have been staying busy with various extra musical performances and holiday plans!

Chase's Lathe.. that he makes stuff with :)

He's so cute..

My treadmill- that I run on!

Yummy turkey sausage, bell pepper, and onion for my rigatoni.

....

Tonight's dinner. Rigatoni and salad!

I cook and he cleans... sometimes. :-D

Love my hubs.

Every Christmas we have been together we have made an ornament. This makes our third ornament!

I'll try to get pictures of all of the past ones we have made. They're pretty cute. The first one Chase made as a gift to me. It's the Empire State Building + 2007 made out of the little melty beads. Last year I made a Santa hat wit our initials and the date 2008 and this year is Mr. Gingerbread man.

That's all folks! I'll keep my extreme list updated! Stay tuned.

Holiday Time!

I feel guilty... like really guilty!
As we approach the next three weeks, I have realized that Chase and I are going to be busy.  So. busy. that we won't see each other at home for almost a week straight (sigh) :(  He and I have quite a few church performances for the Hanging of the Greens and Dinner Theater. Then, he is performing with the "Rat Pack" musical at the WAC and I have the Arkansas Philharmonic rehearsals/performance as well as finals week. Ugh! It will be worth it though- extra cash/Christmas money!

However, in order to make sure we will be able to enjoy Christmas decorations, music, festivities in our new home the first year, I have already begun decorating, and yes... with the wonders of Harry and Bing.

The best part though is that I am able to use some decorations of my Mamaw's that we have never had room for before.

Here are some photos of the rad decor as well as from my family's visit for my recital!