Holiday Happenings

Why is it that I can't, for the life of me, remember how to create a blog button from year to year?  Thought I was going to pull out my hair when I tried to follow a tutorial that wasn't workin' for me :/ 

But . . .
Here we are, y'all!
 Countdown to Christmas!

One activity, outing, or craft a day for the days leading up to Christmas.



If you'd like to link up your happenings, we will be doing so on Friday!  You'll definitely want to be here to get some ideas for your own littles.

Our Countdown is in full swing!  We have dear friends coming to help us craft and bake today {YAY!}

And we kept very busy over the weekend.

The girls had their first performance of the season.

Warning:  Cuteness Overload!





Have a blessed week! 

 

 

 

Christmas Lights

Last night we went to Portland International Raceway to see the lights.  It took us nearly two hours to get there {lotsa traffic}, but I'm so glad we went.





Of course, on the way home we had two sickies {Kam is finally getting the virus that everyone else had a week or two ago, and Kenners has some sort of stomach bug}.  I can deal with colds.  But PLEASE no stomach flu.  Please.  After last year's bout {when I thought I might die}, vomiting is seriously on my list of greatest fears.

So today we are resting up.  Hanging out in our comfies, and watching movies.  Tomorrow is the girls' dance recital, and we want to be in tip top condition!

Countdown to Christmas 2010 ~ Week 3

Welcome to Week 3 of Countdown to Christmas! Not quite sure how a whole week passed before my very eyes, but ohhhkay.

Here's a brief recap of our week:

Last Thursday we made hair clips for gifting. That was the idea, anyway. Kenners was pretty happy with the one she made, and she decided she wanted to keep it for herself. The one below Sierra made for her cousin.

Friday we made snowflake decorations.

Saturday we were supposed to attend a Follow the Star event, but the weather was HORRIBLE. Flooding, cold, and pouring down rain, we decided we didn't want to hang out in it for any length of time, no matter how cool the live nativity was. Sooooo, instead we invited Nana and Grandma over to bake cookies. We made a LOT of them! Oatmeal, Gingersnap, Jam Thumbprint, and Sugar . . . just to name a few.

Sunday we helped Grandma and Grandpa decorate their tree, and afterward Jeremy took Sierra and Makenna to see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The following photos crack me up. Jeremy was Sierra's "lifter" and Grandpa was Makenna's.

A little friendly competition ensued.

Look how high I can hang my ornament!

Woohoo! Mine's the highest!

Oh yeah? Top this!

Alright, how about tree topper?!

All the while Daddy and Grandpa were commanded to "lift higher!"

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Monday we visited Geri {Grandma} at work for donuts and hot cocoa

And a few photos by the tree

Tuesday we met up again with Grandma and Nana, and we went to see Tangled.

But not before a bite to eat . . .

Mostly just slurpin' on Flurries

And Yesterday was the start of our Danish Christmas {the girls find a small gift in their stocking each day from December 15th through the 24th}. They each found beads in which to use during our activity: making Christmas bracelets.

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There you have it! We had quite a busy week. Now if I can just get through the rest of this week, I might be able to breathe a sigh of relief.

So . . . . what have you all been up to? Any crafts, recipes, or activities you'd like to share? Link up below. And don't forget to visit others! It's more fun that way ;)

Countdown to Christmas ~ 2010, ♥ Week 1 ♥

It's only day 2 of December, but Christmas cheer is in high doses around these parts! The girls were so excited yesterday about the start of Countdown to Christmas. No surprises, though. They knew what our activity would be:

Making Hershey's Advent Calendars.

Even Kam helped {by eating the leftover chocolates}.

Check out yesterday's post for details for making your own.

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The rest of our week will be filled with fairly typical holiday activities.

Today, after homeschool, we will be decorating the house. The Rubbermaid tubs were brought down from the shop yesterday, and you should've seen the girls ooohing and ahhhing over all of the decorations. They are so excited to put them up.

Friday we are going Christmas shopping. I had wanted to finish up before Thanksgiving, but that didn't happen. We'll see what we can get done on Friday. My girls love to shop, so this will definitely be a treat for them. Hopefully our day will include a nice lunch out :) {And I don't mean McDonald's. Mmkay}.

Saturday we will get a tree! If you've been around here for a Christmas season you may know that this is an area of contention ;) Jeremy would love to wait as long as possible to put a tree up. He claims this is because of safety issues {the tree drying out, etc.}, but I dunno. I, on the other hand, would be happy to put a tree up the day after Thanksgiving. Once we are through eating Turkey, I'm ready to celebrate Christmas as long as possible. I don't, however, keep the tree up for long after Christmas. Typically I'm taking it all down on December 26th.

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And the rest I'll leave for next week!

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How about y'all? What do your holiday plans look like? Are you celebrating already? Or is it taking awhile to get into the spirit? Link up your activities, traditions, crafts, outings, recipes, whatever! We'd love to read about what you're doing!

Need an incentive?

Oh, alright. Twist my arm.

I found this adorable little plate {perfect for small candies, nuts, etc.} when I was shopping, and fell in love with it. I thought one of you might like to have it.

And also a cookie cutter. Because we ♥ LOVE ♥ making cookies, and I thought you might too :)

So . . . . . . .

Leave me a comment on this post . . . and you'll receive 1 entry to win 'em

Leave a separate comment if you're a follower . . . and you'll receive 1 extra entry

and if you link up to Countdown to Christmas this week . . . leave me 2 separate comments . . . and you'll receive 2 extra entries

♥ Oh, and please leave your email address in your comment. If I can't get in contact with you, you can't win, and that's just sad. ♥

*The giveaway will end at Midnight EST on Sunday, December 5th*

Hugs!

Liz

It's almost Valentine's Day! I'll admit, I'd never been a big fan of the holiday. I didn't dislike Valentine's Day, but I certainly didn't get excited about it. But over the last few years this holiday has come to grow on me. I mean, really, how can you not like a day that's devoted to love and hearts and pink froufy stuff? {And let's not forget cookies and chocolate! Mmmm cookies. And chocolate.}

So, we've been baking.

And decorating.

And yay me! I found something to do with the {many} pounds of M&Ms left over from Kameryn's birthday! {You know, besides eating them myself, one by one.}

And since I will eat each and every cookie in the house all by myself, it was necessary to gift some of the cookies we baked. {You're welcome, Dad.}

We've been busy making Valentine's cards too. You know, I think this is the first year we've made our own. And it was fun. I found the most adorable idea on The Maternal Lens for super cute Valentine's cards. We sent them off yesterday ;)

Cute, right? The girls loved decorating them and choosing who to send them off to. Such fun! I'm beginning to LOVE this holiday!

What kinds of pink fluffery heart activities have y'all been up to?

And, is time totally getting away from you too? Ugh, I don't know where the days go!

Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland . . .

We've been so busy this week, there's been little time for blogging :)

A quick glimpse:

We've been making Gingerbread Houses

Attending church services and Christmas programs

Visiting with family

{My sis came up for a very quick visit last weekend. We got to spend the evening catching up with her. Sierra loved her "Aunt Annie Time". Can ya tell?

Last night we visited a Christmas light display near our home. As always, it was gorgeous.

Check out these beauties. They were hung all.over.the.property. So beautiful.

A village display. So much to look at!

I wish this picture had turned out better. It would've been so cute. But I was holding Kam, and she was being a wiggle britches as I tried to snap.

Lights, lights, more lights.

The girls were in awe, as you can probably imagine.

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And that's all the time I have ;) Today we're baking {more} cookies, preparing for dinner with Jeremy's parents and my parents this evening, wrapping the last few presents, and trying to get organized! How 'bout you? What are you up to??? Only two days to go!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Mmmm, McDonalds

Nothing like McDonald's after a long morning of hustle and bustle ;)