Our Angel

I still check on my baby before I go to bed. I tuck him in and give him a little kiss. Sometimes I still check to make sure he's breathing. Do you still do this or am I crazy???

How could Santa pass up this little guy's house? If only he was this sweet during the day!

Whisk It! Whisk it Good!

For the past few years I've had a teeny tiny kitchen (the trade off of living in an awesome neighborhood) but now I've got a nice big kitchen so I wasted no time. I've been cook cook cooking and even tried my hand at baking and candy making for Christmas. I'm just not good at baking and I know that. Or am I? By the time Baby A is big enough to truly help in the kitchen, we'll be pros! Since I haven't done much baking I never pulled out the ol whisk attachment. I am IN LOVE! I'm never buying store bought frosting again. I'm going to make it in every color and every flavor. I made a mint icing for my cute little Christmas tree brownies* and I know it would not have been so absolutely perfect if not for this little piece of magic.

So I have a question for you. If I use this on eggs for a casserole or souffle will it make them super duper fluffy, ruin them, or will I not notice a difference? You know what I want the answer to be! And gimmie some more uses for this thing! I love it, love it love it! I sang that last part.

*Shame shame shame on the very old famous cookbook/food company where I got the recipie for the CHRISTMAS tree brownies. They have an older recipie for Christmas tree brownies and a more recent one (the one I used because they were cuter) where they referred to them as holiday tree brownies. I'm disappointed to see a company as American as apple pie going the way of the ultra liberal "politcally correct" by denying the name which describes the reason for the season. Yea Christ!

Which One Is the SWF?

I saw this in a store the other day. It says "The ORIGINAL Blanket with Sleeves!" Sooo, which one is it. Slanket or Snuggie. They both have dirty names. The Slanket seems softer and has a prettier color. Snuggie's packaging design is better (barely). You can get the Snuggie on the clearance rack at Target. You can get the Slanket at HomeGoods. One is an impostor but which one? Will the mystery ever be solved? Why oh why am I still so fascinated by this craze?

Santa Eats Too Much Candy

This is our attempt at a Santa photo. Every year we go to Crown Center and get a great shot with that darling Santa. This year we visited the Santa in Kentucky. He's got ONE big tooth. Lovely. And B still can't shake that fake smile. And poor Baby A needs some neck support. Good times.

(This fuzzy one was taken from my phone since I'm too lazy to scan in the real thing)

Who Doesn't Love a Bath?

Who Doesn't Love a Bath?

THIS GIRL!

But when it's done we get a soft warm baby that I can't resist sniffing and kissing.

Christmas Fun in KC

Oh how I love the Mayor's Christmas Tree! So pretty and grand.

B loves playing on all the wooden toys at Crown Center. It was 70 degrees this day! Usually he just gets to play a couple minutes before the frostbite sets in.

Crayola Christmas Town is great! Thanks Hallmark!

And of course we did Fritz's for lunch but who needs yet another picture of that!

What a Difference a Month Makes

One Day

One Month

Construction Junction

The third and last state I'd like to talk about is Indiana.

The entire state is a construction zone. That's 30 miles of cones and 45 mph for 200 yards of work followed by 10 miles of normal speeds only to be met by the next 30 mile stretch of cones. What's up with that? I'm all for improvements but let's not bite off more than we can chew. And the cones! Don't you know there are people in less fortunate countries who have no cones at all? Think about donating. Think about it.

Hoosier National Forest is a very pretty place to drive through. But remember to stop off at Highway 164 to potty first. Otherwise you are going to be in pain for many many miles.

There you have it. Three states, 10 hours (counting stops for the kiddies), so much fun!

Illinois Decoy

I know a lot of you have driven through Kansas or at least heard that Kansas is sooo boring. You might change your mind once you drive through southern Illinois. There is one decent city to stop in so when you come to it, stop, eat, potty, stretch. You've got a long ways to go.

And something that doesn't help snoozeville is that the speed limit is 65. In a place with no civilization, 65. And 55 for truckers. So truckers, stay in the right lane for Pete's sake. It is cruel and unusual punishment to be stuck behind you and your buddy hogging up the lanes at a snails pace.

And for everyone else, we all go 70-80 despite that limit. I haven't received a ticket yet (knock on wood) but can we devise a plan where one brave soul is ahead, but in sight of the others and when they see the trooper they sloooow down as to warn everyone else? I know that is devious but seriously, have you seen this state?

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Show Me This Driving Test!

As you know, we recently moved to Louisville, Kentucky. With so much family and other less fun business to attend to in KC we have been driving back and forth...A LOT! This trip requires a drive through all of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana.

And so begins my three day tutorial on what the heck is wrong with drivers in these states. I'm a bit perturbed. Afterall, I'm sure many of these folks are just passing through so why do so many seem to adopt these bad habits?

Day 1: Missouri Mayhem

Hi Missourians, I don't mean to be rude but I'm embarassed to say I was once a resident of this state. Here are my suggestions for you:

1. Use your turn signal when changing lanes, it's the law.

2. Turn your headlights on when your wipers are on, it's the law.

3. Commit to a lane. You should have learned by now that the other lane is always faster.

4. Open glove compartment, pull out drivers manual and read up on setting cruise control. My breaking and resetting is getting old. Oh, and don't read that thar manual until you are in park.

5. When someone lets you over instead of acting like the 10 jerks who didn't let you over, use the "thank you" hand gesture. Manners people!

6. Going 70? That means stay 7 car lengths behind the car in front of you. When you don't, others behind you follow suit then when someone needs to break you are all in quite a pickle or at the very least, causes a back up. I've got a 10 hour goal people, no time for your riding bumpers. Oh, and IT'S THE LAW!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Stranger Manger

Don't you love pulling out all the holiday decorations and decking your halls? I'm sure most of you have nativity scenes at your house and your oddball kids probably make a mockery of them. Here are some fun things Caleb has enjoyed doing:

The three kings fly to Bethlehem.
The kings find a tasty looking camel and shoot him.
The kings eat what they kill so they slice up the camel for the shepherds to enjoy for dinner.
Baby Jesus steals the Kings' robes.
Joseph is beheaded then surgery is performed to reattach his head but uh oh, they accidentally attached Mary's head!
Away in the manger no crib for his head. The little um cow laid down her sweet head???

I'd tell you what the advent characters are doing but Santa and the angel have them all hostage.

So, is mine the only weirdo or do your kids do strange things? Comment to tell me. And if you are footloose and fancy free (no kids) tell me what you or your siblings used to do with your nativity scene.

Amma, You're In

That's right, I'm back in the game but I'm still a little bummed so I'll be in and out. So goodbye Talk to Me Tuesdays and goodbye Random Picture Saturday. I just can't commit to consistency right now! I've missed you, both of you. And I hope I didn't lose anyone since it's been so boring over here for oh so long. Come back tomorrow for a little bit of my life.