A little Christmas something

My family has come from the tradtion of getting everyone something for Christmas to the sad reality of drawing names, but I think we all still like to get each other a little something.  I thought this year coaster would be the perfect gift to give.  Fun to make!  Fun to give! 

Here's what you need:
4x4 tiles from lowes or home depot I paid 34cents a piece
Matte Modge Podge
Sponge for application
Glue Gun
Felt to attach to the back of the tile
Pictures for the project, doesn't have to be on photo paper

Pictures for the coasters

Modge Podge Matte

                            

Apply a thin coat of modge podge to coasters

Apply a thin coat of modge podge over picture and let dry before you apply 2nd coat

               After modge podge drys apply clear acrylic matte spray onto the coasters and allow to dry.

                                  add felt to the back so they won't scratch or slide  on any surface

I hope my family enjoys them.  If you are my family and you've seen this just ignore it.  I just couldn't go without sharing this cost friendly yet sentimental gift with everyone.

Angela

So much to be thankful for....

If I could describe the holiday season in one word,  tradition would just about sum it up for me.  It's all about past tradtions and the new traditions we make each year.  Whether it's eating at Grandma's for Thanksgiving lunch or making that countdown chain to Christmas with the kids.  I eat it all up.  Someone once told me that I needed to grow out of some of my traditions and I just thought it would be the saddest thing to let go of something I hold so dear.  So this year as tradition would have it we had Thanksgiving dinner at Grandmas.  Besides the normal stuff to be thankful for, this year our family welcomed 3 new lives into it.  Each came with thier own set of difficulties but all 3 have over came them and we are all so very thankful for that.  Tradionally I make greenbean casserole for anything we have at Grandmas.  I've made up my own recipe and I guess it's a hit bc I've been making it for years.  This year though I was told to cook for 26 people.  How on earth was I supposed to know how many cans of green beans to buy. lol!  I bought 12 and inlisted the help of one eager little girl to help me cook mom's specialty.

Another tradion past on from my childhood is watching Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  This year Emma and Emerson really got into it.  I was so excited for them as they jumped up and down when they saw Dora or Mickey Mouse Balloon.  Of course Santa at the end for my family tradionally marks the beginning of the Christmas holiday season. 

It's the Great Pumpkin

I was so excited to get to spend family time with the kids and watch "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown". 

 Little did I know that my children had other things on their minds like...being kids. I guess I live in a dream world where I thought that we would sit in front of the tv and eat the cookies I made and cuddle and watch Charlie Brown.  Emerson opted for a jacuzzi bath with his dad.  Emma decided to play dress up. Drew, well he just wasn't a happy camper at all, so he got sent to bed.  My night was ruined, so I went to bed and watched Charlie Brown by myself.  Poor Jeff knew I was upset with what was happening so he took care of the kids and let me get some shut eye.  So come Friday morning Emma wakes up and says are we watching Charlie Brown tonight?  Seriously!  I love these kids!  They have such a mind of their own though.  As soon as they left the wheels started turning in my head.  We'd have a pumpkin carving/painting night and have my nephew over so Drew would have someone his age to carve with.  Yes, that's what we'd do and we'd watch Charlie Brown.

I made more Ghosts cookies, searched the web for the perfect stencils for the kids pumpkins.


A boxer for Isaac



A pug for Drew

Owl for me

So Emerson got to paint his pumpkin first.  He didn't know what to think.  Jeff had left his phone outside at the shop so Emma went with Daddy and Emerson stayed and painted his pumpkin by himself.  Drew kept wanting to carve his but I wouldn't let him until his surprise came...he didn't know about Isaac.

                            Emerson's Pumpkin

                     Issac

                   Emma

I have lots more I could add and probably should add but I'v been so busy I forgot about this half done blog so I'm just going to leave it for now.  Maybe someday when I'm less busy I will come back and add more pictures.  
Angela
 




Fall Festival

Did someone mention a fall festival?  Well of course we are going to be there.  By now you know fall is our favorite time of year.  Well,  besides Christmas of course.  We had our first fall festival to attend today and it was loads of fun.  All the hype leading up to it was just as exciting as the festival itself.  We had to get our costumes lined out, treats picked out to make, making the treats and finally getting ready for the big shin dig. This shin dig just so happens to be for my kiddos school.  So it's all about them.  I wanted to make the perfect little treats for them to take for their friends.   I'm always on the lookout for cute things to bake or make for the kids school or for our treats at home and a friend of mine made the cutest little ghost cookies ever and posted them on her blog so I thought I'd give them a try and let them be our treats for the festival.  They are super easy and so cute I thought I'd share them with you as well.

So this is pretty self explainatory but here are the instructions just in case. 
1. Melt your almond bark
2. Roll your cookie in almond bark
3. Place two chocolate chips for the eyes
4. Place on wax paper to dry
We packaged the cookies in little individual packages after they set and added gift tags to add a special touch.

Now that we have the perfect treats it's time to start getting ready for the party.  Drew went fishing with G-Pa and we didn't have a costume for Braden but Emma and Emerson both wore their Halloween costumes.  Emma was so excited to finally get to wear makeup and fix her hair.  It's been weeks since we've done a pageant and she's chomping at the bit to do one.   Here are a few pictures we snapped as we were getting ready.

Getting Ready

It's a most that she lay in my lap as I do her eye liner.

Wish her hair was this thick naturally!

Ready and Waiting

Fall Festival

Off to get the goodies.

Our Friends

Home Sweet Home

The day was a success.  Everyone had a great time.  Little Treasure's put on one great Fall Festival for all the kidos.  If T is going to have a party it's going to be done right.  Emerson's favorite was the pumkin bozo game.  When we got home he decided that he would throw all my little pumkins like balls.  Oh the joys have a boy.  The kids were worn out from all the funa and they crashed.  While they slept I edited pics and made Jeff and I a little snack.  Here's the recipe.  Thanks for checking in with us!

Angela

Rolo Pretzals

Ingredients:  Twisted Pretzals, Rolos, Pecan Halves

Place pretzals on a baking sheet

Place rolo's on pretzals and bake at 350 for 5 mins

Press Pecan half onto melted rolo

Reindeer Games? I don't think so!

So yesterday morning I slept in bc I have been in deep need of mommy time to catch up on lost sleep and I've been sick and needed to try and shake it.  Too put it plainly I was in bed sick when I got a phone call that all parents don't want to get.  It was Aunt T, she said I needed to come check Emma out that her and Emerson had been playing "reindeer games" and Emerson jumped into Emma's arms and that now  Emma won't use her left arm.  So I rolled out of bed thinking well I will just go get her and watch her at the house for a while and take her in to Dr. Moore in the afternoon.  Wrongo!  At first sight the little Diva looked to be in terrible distress.  Emma isn't one to cry or whine when she feels bad, she just keeps it to herself but mommy could tell in her eyes she hurt.  So our quick trip right back home turned into a four hour ordeal at the emergency room.

Even in pain the little diva managed to take care of her lips!

Dad soon came to her rescue.  He has always been there for her and she was asking for her Daddy!  She maynot be a Daddy's girl right now but she knows how much he loves her and she needs him.

Daddy giving her noggins trying to make things better for her.

We waited and waited in the little room for 4 hours.  We would have taken her to Dr. Moore but it was right in the middle of lunch.  By the time we got done though we could have seen Dr. Moore and been out.  Anyways....Ends up she kept saying her elbow hurt and complained everytime the Dr. turned it.  They did x-rays and determined that there could be a possible fracture in her growth plate so she has to wear a splint for a week until she see's a doctor at Children's who will determine if she needs a permanent cast.  It took a team of 4 nurses, her dad, and I to splint her arm.  She was in a lot of pain.  After we got her doctored up she wanted to go eat at Chilli's so that's what we did.

The past few days Emma has been stuck at home with Mommy.  We have had a lot of fun together and have had lots of time to bond.  The poor thing hasn't been able to enjoy her favorite past time, playing dress up.  So we have resorted to other fun stuff like coloring, painting our nails, and cooking.  And of course Miss Emma Belle couldn't walk around with an ugly brown ace bandage showing all the time, so we covered it with her favorite leg warmers.  Easier on the eyes plus keeps her from picking at the bandage and we can wash the leg warmers.  Yeah for creativity.

Poor Emma with the "reindeer" aka Bubby,  that knocked her down.

Emma before we made her splint fashionable.

                                  A little more fashionable.  Sleeping with her puppy Prada.

     There's a half of a smile.  All we can get right now.  But she is loving her time with Prada.

So until next week.  We are going to be spending a lot of time together playing and doing Mother/Daughter stuff.  We have a fall festival this weekend and I'm hoping she can fit her big arm threw her costume.  I know it's been a little long but I had a lot to get it.  Thanks for reading!

Angela