Patchwork Tree

Our Christmas tree is finally up! I had dreams of C helping mommy and daddy hang ornaments and having this great family moment, but it just didn't happen. Doug and I put the tree last night by ourselves (minus ornaments). C did reward me with a wonderful little gasp of delight when she came downstairs this morning and saw it all lit up. :-)

However, she wasn't interested in helping hang ornaments. So I did it during nap time by myself. It is always a fun trip down memory lane when looking at various ornaments. Thought I'd share some special ones with you:


This is an angel that I bought Doug before we started dating. He invited me (or I invited myself?) to help put up his tree shortly after we met. I brought this along as a gift for him.






My friend Leslie has an identical ornament to this. We bought them when we shared an apartment together. It was my first Christmas "on my own!"

This is one of three similar ornaments that my mom gave me the Christmas after Doug and I were married. Apparently she bought them for me back when I was in Junior High (is that right mom?) and made a comment to her that "I'd love to have a ornaments like that on my tree when I'm all grown up." She had saved them for years and I didn't even remember making the comment!


This is pretty self-explanatory. I love these picture frame ornaments!

Christmas Craftiness

Frances came to play last Tuesday and we attempted a Christmas craft. It came out pretty good! I had to coerce the girls to make green and red hand prints for me and then I cut them out when they were dry. Then, they each got to glue them onto a circle I made, forming a wreath. I attached some yarn and presto! Cute Christmas wreaths!

Tater Stampers

When F came over to play yesterday, I decided to try making some stamps out of potatoes. I cut a potato in half and used little cookie cutters (Pampered Chef) to press some shapes. Then I cut around the cookie cutter with a knife and pulled out the cutter to reveal a pretty nice stamp!


The girls liked it - C more than F. F got the neat idea of painting her potato! Unfortunately she was using brown paint at the time, so it didn't show up much. Kristi said she was probably trying to put the peel back on. :-) This was fun, and I will probably do it again!

Trick or TREAT!!!

This was C's first year to actually go Trick-or-Treat. Personally, I don't think kids who aren't old enough to eat candy should be trick-or-treating. Cause let's face it - who will be eating the candy???

Anyways, she wanted to be a "cowboy." ("Don't you mean a cow-GIRL, C?" "No. Cow-BOY.") So I purchased a hat and sheriff's badge and made her a vest and skirt. Grandpa sent a bandanna (those were hard to find!) and some garage sale "boots" completed the look:



E was the cutest little giraffe that there ever was! (Except when C was a giraffe two years ago...):



C and I practiced the "trick-or -treat" all week. However, she got a little "stage-fright" when it was time to do it for real. Doug took her around our cul-de-sac and said by the third house she was speaking up better and remembering to say "thank you!"

BAD DOG!!!

Recently we've started letting Sadie "roam free" in the house when we leave, as opposed to staying locked in her kennel. NO MORE!!! You'd think a 3 year old dog would have more sense...

This morning I found my Bluetooth wireless headset on the floor in the middle of the living room. "That's strange," I thought, and put it back on the computer desk.

After Jazzercise, this was all that was left of it:


Needless to say, all roaming privileges have been hereby REVOKED indefinitely.

Polka Dot Paradise

Thanks for the input on my template, ladies. Here is what I think I will go for, at least for now... I spent way too much time on this tonight, when I should have been packing/cleaning. Oh well! Somehow I feel like I've accomplished something, nonetheless.

It was a super busy day, but filled with super fun stuff! We went to Jazzercise in the morning, then swimming w/Julie in her neighborhood pool (way fun - thanks Jules!) and then spent the afternoon tie-dying with Sarah.  C didn't really nap, but she really enjoyed playing with her friends, including her new friend "E-tan". E is such a good baby to put up with our busy lifestyle! She's just along for the ride, taking it all in.

Tomorrow I have to take Sadie to have a tumor removed from her ear... We will be staying home the rest of the day to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't bleed all over the house. Poor dog!

Blogger Identity Crisis

Sorry for the many recent changes in my blog template... I can't decide! I know that I am happy with the photo header (yes, it is my girls' sweet little feet), but can't seem to get the colors right. I liked the blue, but felt it wasn't feminine enough. But is the pink too cheesy? Any suggestions???

First Blog

Well, I have enjoyed reading my friends' blogs for so long, that I decided to take a stab at one myself. Brief background on me: 29 yrs old, stay-at-home mom of 2, wife of 1. My hubby, Doug, and I have a red doberman named Sadie who was great practice for our little kiddos. We have C (21 months) and E (6 weeks). Yes, E is a very new addition, which is why I am not sure how often I will write in this thing.

My purpose for the blog is to try to document some of my life for far-away family and also for my own personal amusement.

Enjoy!
Lori :-)