Party Pooped!!!

What a holiday season! This was the year of the party.

We started with pajama day in J-Man's classroom and the arrival of The Polar Express. Do you see the children sitting on the train? Their second grade book buddies joined us for the party.

After Ms. Corrigan read The Polar Express to the class, the teachers served a hot cocoa bar with fresh whipped cream, mini marshmellows, crushed peppermint, and colored sprinkles.
One second greader declared it "the best hot chocolate" he had ever tasted! Thanks, Buddy!
After hot cocoa, we got a call from the office that a very cold package had arrived from the North Pole. Our jingle bell necklaces had been shipped via magic straight to our school. They were still cold even!

Next was D's holiday party at school, in which all I had to do was send in a couple of boxes of graham crackers. Whew!

Check out this cute kiddo in the Santa hat.

Next was J-Man's school party. We decorated the teachers,decorated cookies for our snack,played a little bingo and M&M straw grab,made reindeer food to leave out for Rudolph on Christmas Eve,and made adorable snowman pins out of buttons (sorry no close up photo), and jingle bell door hangers.Somewhere in those days, we even managed to decorate gingerbread houses at homeand our family Christmas tree.


There was also a grown- up dinner party complete with leg of lamb, cocktails, and peppermint ice cream cake somewhere in the mix. How did I miss getting photos of that? Hmmmm......


We then celebrated Christmas with The Man's fam.

Complete with cul-de-sac football.

What a grab!

One of my favorite parties of the year is our annual Happy Birthday Jesus Party. Our craft this year was a terra cotta nativity.

The Force was with D-Man's Mary and Joseph. I did not, however, allow him to glue them there like he wanted.

We read the Christmas Story and decorated our small tree with nativity ornaments,

and we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus (even though I am pretty sure D thinks we are singing to him here).

Finally, two days before Christmas. we had our home Polar Express party with the Sanfords.
Palette...Poses...
Popcorn and cocoa...
and Jaxon's constant reminders that the movie is about a train!

Wow! What a fun and exciting holiday season, and all of this took place before Christmas day!!! I'm settling down for a long winters nap!!!

...and to all a Good Night!

I Corinthians 13- Christmas Style

I usually think these kinds of things are pretty cheesy- and they are- but I really liked this one, and I wanted to share it with you.

Corinthians 13 Christmas Version
If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, Strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, But do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, Preparing gourmet meals And arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, But do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home And give all that I have to charity, But do not show love to my family, It profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, Attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata, But do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, But is thankful they are there to be in the way.
Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, But rejoices in giving to those who can't.
Love bears all things, believes all things, Hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, Golf clubs will rust&But giving the gift of love will endure. You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.

I'm posting this as my Works for Me Wednesday as a reminder to all of us-ahem, I mean myself- that my Christmas focus should not be on the hustle and bustle, but on HIM and others around us! Head on over to Rocks in My Dryer for more WFMW tips.

In joy, Troye

Open House

It's BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes, so I want to take you on a very short tour of my Christmas Decor. Come on in the front door (complete with fingerprints because I want you to have the full effect)...

Say hello to Santa and Mrs. Claus. They welcome you to our home where they sit atop the piano and cheer for our Dawgs (next season). Ahem!!!

Stop by the kitchen table for a snack.The Man is making Stadler Christmas Candies in the kitchen (recipe below).

Or enjoy some Ranger Cookies (recipe below) or Muffins as you gaze upon our Christmas Tree in the Morning Room.

Don't forget to check out the boys' homemade nativities from last year's Happy Birthday Jesus Party. And visit us next week to see this year's homemade nativity.

Take a glance at our Christmas cards on the basement door that is covered in wrapping paper, and then...

...have a seat in front of the fire place and enjoy some homemade hot cocoa (recipe below).

Here are the recipes:

Stadler Christmas Candies:

1 stick butter, softened

4 cups confectioners sugar

1 cup coconut flakes

1 qt nuts, chopped

1 small can sweetened condensed milk

2 bags semisweet chocolate chips

Mix ingredients together, excluding chocolate. Make into 1 in. balls. Melt chocolate in microwave and dip balls into chocolate thoroughly coating each candy. You may add parafin wax to your chips help the chocolate adhere to the candies. Dry on wax paper.

Ranger Cookies:
1 cup (2 sticks) Butter
1 cup Sucanat w/ Honey
1 cup Sucanat
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 ½ cups Soft Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups Rolled Oats
½ cup Shredded Coconut
½ cup Chopped Nuts
Preheat oven to 350.
Cream butter, sucanat w/ honey, and sucanat until creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
Add combined flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; mix well. Stir in rolled oats, coconut and nuts; mix well.
Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.
Makes 2 dozen large cookies.

Stovetop Hot Cocoa

Mix 1/2 cup sugar (I use sucanot a brown sugar equivalent), 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa, and a dash of salt in saucepan. Add 1/3 cup water and heat over medium until mixture boils for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Then add 4 cups whole milk and heat until almost boiling. Remove from heat and add 1tsp vanilla.

Serve with cinnamon sticks, peppermint sticks, marshmellows or whipped cream and sprinkles. Caramel makes this an extra special treat as well. See previous post for salted caramel hot chocolate recipe.

Merry Christmas!
In joy, Troye

Mood Music

Jonah at the dinner table:

"We wish you a Merry August, We wish you a Merry August..."

And, yes, we allow singing at the table. I never understood why that was considered rude. ?

Merry August Everyone!!!!!

In joy, Troye

Wish Books Work For Me

Last year for the boys' Christmas wish lists, we got them each a poster board to glue cut out pictures of what they wanted for Christmas to. It worked well, but they were rather large and bulky (just in case you hadn't noticed that about poster board).

This year The Man came up with the great idea to change our format to a composition notebook so that they could carry it around. Because I told them they could not start their wish lists until after Halloween, on November 1, I wrapped two composition in wrapping paper and then wrapped clear contact paper around that. This has been a sufficient covering for J-Man, my oldest.

I will upload a photo after they wake up because they sleep with these books. My youngest carries his with him everywhere! Therefore I have had to re-tape his a couple of times.

They know that the Sunday paper contains the wish papers, and they destroy my house every Sunday cutting out pictures of things to go in their wish book.

And, poor D-Man has things in his wish book like Cheetos, Pop Tarts, and Chips Ahoy. Sad, deprived little child gets homemade treats, and he wants the store bought stuff.

So, that Works For Me. I hope you get some use out of it too. Head on over to Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer and check out some other Works For Me Wednesday tips.

Life with Boys

Getting ready for bed...
J-Man is jumping on his bed- it is such a calming process- and yelling "Poop" into our faces.
Repeatedly.
Over and Over Again.
J-Man: "Poop! Poop! Poop!"
The Man: "If you say poop one more time, I'm going to spank you!"
J-Man: "Pee!"

I betcha that doesn't happen in houses with all girls.

In joy, Troye!

D preformed for the group during his holiday luncheon.

In joy, Troye!

Highly Recommended

If you live within driving distance of Stone Mountain, their Christmas celebration should be top on your list of things to do this holiday season. It's not cheap, but even The Man said it was worth the money!!!!! For those of you who do not know my man, that is saying a lot.

Sorry, Baby. You're not "cheap" you're just money wise. :)
Here we are looking all cute and warm. A photo of us? What is that doing in here?


All bundled up for the train ride. When you take the train around the base of the mountain, you see a light show, and the train stops for telling of the real Christmas story. They even talk about the angels and baby Jesus. I was blown away.

J-Man on top of the mountain. They rode the cable car up to the very cold mountain top. Brrrrrr..........

For indoor fun, there is a super cool play area complete with foam ball guns and three story twisty slides. And, yes, that is the technical term.

The evening began with a small parade where Mr and Mrs Clause were introduced.

And, we ended the evening by visiting Santa to tell him about our list. J-Man wants a Transformer and a kid sized ping pong table- this was news to me. And, D wants a "big bus." No surprises there.

There is also a Polar Express 4D experience and the laser show is presented several times throughout the night. If that is not enough excitement there is also miniature golf.

And, this is what your children look like on the way home from Stone Mountain Christmas!

In joy, Troye!

On the Second Day of Christmas

Friday, the boys gave each of their teachers a pair of gloves for the second day of Christmas give-a-thon. An extra pair of gloves for them to keep at school so that they always have a pair for the playground is always a fun gift. It doesn't make for a very exciting blog post though. Sorry!

In joy, Troye!

On the First Day of Christmas

I have always wanted to participate in 12 Days of Christmas for the boys' teachers. Thanks to some encouragement from my friend, Kimberly, and some help from my friend, Amy, I am going for it this year.

Because there are only 12 school day left before the Christmas break, our 12 days begin today.

Day 1: Candied CranberriesThese are so stinking yummy if you enjoy cranberries, and they have a really pretty presentation. I will be making these for holiday parties this season.

Here is the recipe if you would like to make them as well...

Candied Cranberries

Bring 2 cups of water and two cups of sugar to simmer in a medium saucepan over low heat (do not boil because cranberries will pop). Remove simple syrup from heat and stir 2 cups of cranberries into the liquid. Pour into a bowl, and refrigerate overnight (at least 8 hours). Drain cranberries, reserving liquid, and roll them in 3/4 cup of superfine sugar. If you cannot find superfine sugar, just put your sugar in the food processor for a minute or two. Spread into a single layer on a cookie sheet and let dry for 1 hour.

Important: Use the reserved liquid for a fun Holiday cocktail and garnish with your candied cranberries.

Merry Christmas!

In joy, Troye!

WARNING! This post is Rated M for mature!

Update: I've been censored!

Cover your children's eyes.

My boys are early risers. They come by it honestly. I haven't slept past 8am since college, and I really can't even remember when the last time was that I even slept until 8am.

But, the rule in our house is that they cannot come out of their bedroom until 7am.

No matter what time they wake up.

Today, they were up at 5:45. Fortunately, that is early even for them.

That means they had a lot of time to their own devices in their bedroom.

This is what I found at 7am...

I didn't ask any questions, and neither should you.

It's just another day in the life.

In joy, Troye!

Gift Card Giveaway!

Wouldn't a $500 Wal-Mart gift card come in handy this time of year?
I thought so.
Head on over here and enter to win... Just leave a comment to enter.

Thankful Day 30

This photo has nothing to do with the rest of the post. I just think it is funny. The boys and their cousin JT played costumes all weekend, and this is one of them. J takes it very seriously.

Sunday is Kids Eat Free at Buffalos. I am very thankful for that. Here is what J Man is thankful for.

His prayer at supper: "Dear Jesus, thank you for this food, and [peeking with one eye] thank you for the robot on that t.v. Amen."

In joy, Troye

Thankful Days

Catching up...

Day 19. Friends- wow! I am overwhelmed just thinking about all of the amazing friends that I have.
Day 20. My kitchen- I spend the majority of my day there and love every minute of it. Okay, so I wish it was self cleaning. I don't enjoy that part, but every other moment I love my kitchen.
Day 21. My Kitchenaid mixer
Day 22. My Kitchenaid food Processor- I REALLY do not know how I EVER survived before I had this. The Man got this for me for Christmas about three years ago, and it was my favorite Christmas present ever. I know most of you would prefer jewelry or chocolates, but give me a kitchen tool any day of the week, and I am putty in your hands, Baby. I use the food processor on a daily basis often cleaning it and using it multiple times for one meal. There are so many things that I never even attempted in the kitchen that are now so easy and I do on a regular basis. Love it love it love it!!! If you don't have one, put a GOOD one on your Christmas list this year. You will not regret it!!!
Day 23. DVR- I love never having to watch commercials and being able to sit down at the telly and watch what I want to watch whenever I want to watch it.
Day 24. Wood burning fireplace.
Day 25. A gas starter on the wood burning fire place! I would never build a fire by myself if I had to build it from "scratch."
Day 26. Sewing Machine and Embroidery Machine- my creative outlets. I don't use them as often as I would like, but I am very thankful to have them when I am feeling crafty.
Day 27. The unsewer (otherwise known as a seam ripper). I would NEVER be able to use the items listed on Day 26 if it were not for the unsewer. I am even better at unsewing as I am at sewing.
Day 28. See yesterday's post... I'm thankful for food!!!!!
Today. I am thankful for lazy days to hang out with my family and play!

In joy, Troye

in one word...

This is a one word meme from my friend Laura. She and I went to high school together, and although we were friends, we never really knew that we had anything specific in common- and we might not have Then. We have recently reconnected via the almighty Facebook, and have realized that we have very similar interests. It has been so much fun reconnecting with her. You can meet her too... Check out her super fun blog!!!

And, Nikki, Kristina, Andrea, Amy, Susannah, Kimberly, Sharon, and Anna, consider yourselves tagged!



Where is your mobile phone? purse

Where is your significant other? basement

Your hair color? brown

Your mother? do-er

Your father? giver

Your favorite thing? kiddos

Your dream last night? nada

Your dream goal? happiness

The room you’re in? living room

Your hobby? one?

Your fear? rejection

Where do you want to be in 6 years? here

Where were you last night? home

What you’re not? compassionate

One of your wish-list items? grain mill

Where you grew up? Athens

The last thing you did? cook

What are you wearing? glasses

Your TV? tube

Your pets? crazy

Your computer? laptop

Your mood? drained

Missing someone? friends

Your car? mom

Something you’re not wearing? earrings

Favorite shop? Williams-Sonoma

Your summer? short

Love someone? yep

Your favorite color? can't

When is the last time you laughed? today

When is the last time you cried? clueless



In joy, Troye

Thanksgiving Day Fun

Since I have gotten REALLY behind on my thankfulness month, I just decided to fill you in on my Thanksgiving day and play catch up later. But yesterday, I was thankful for SO many things, but i must admit that one of them was yummy, yummy, good food. Anyone who knows me knows that I like- no LOVE- to eat!!! I will try to list all the things that I ate yesterday- and not sit here and feel bloated...

Turkey

Dressing (twice)

Gravy (twice)

Cranberry sauce (twice)

Sweet Potato casserole

Stuffed olives

Green bean casserole (twice)

Mashed potatoes

apple pie

pecan pie

Butter beans

Corn

Scalloped apples

pumpkin pie

Macaroni and cheese

Fried Okra

That might be it. I'm not sure. I'm going for a run now!!!

My youngest child also LOVES to eat. He might even have me beat in the appreciation of food category. He also loves to play- and this motorized Dora car was a rip- roaring good time yesterday. But one would hate to have to stop eating to drive. :) Check it out!!! Enjoy!

In joy, Troye!

Finally...Susannah's Fave Things

All rightie Girls! Here is is finally. It has only taken me two weeks to get this together.

And, by the way, today I am thankful for finally finishing this post. So, here goes...

My friend Susannah moved to California two weeks ago.

On her last Girls' Night, she made us promise not to do anything special. "No goodbyes." So, we didn't say goodbye, we just hosted "Susannah's Favorite Things."While we ate dinner (chicken lettuce wraps and egg rolls), we brought out her first box of her favorite things.

Mango Body Butter from The Body Shop (and I must agree it is a little slice of heaven!)

And Sea Salt Caramel Truffles from Scoops.

After dinner, we brought out round 2.

A chick-fil-a pez dispenser

Cute kitchen gloves

Cranberry room spray

And, cute gift cards.

After supper, we all sat around the coffee table and shared a variety of cakes from a local bakery. Chocolate Raspberry. Chocolate Chocolate. Some other Chocolate. And, Banana Cream.
The finale...

A Williams-Sonoma Holiday Cookbook.

A set of ramekins.

And, a recipe book full of Susannah's favorite recipes that we each contributed.



Here is the gang.


Susannah, Anna (and Dylan), Amy, Kimberly, Kristina, and me.