Cookie Decorating Party!

Last Saturday, I hosted a cookie decorating party for my favorite little girls!  I pre-made cut-out sugar cookies and was working on making my family's traditional Italian Egg Cookies when the girls came.  I made plenty of sprinkles and frosting in squeeze tubes and protected my table with a  disposable table cloth which I later tossed.

 

Alexa making Italian Egg Cookies...carrying on a tradition.

Ryleigh decorating her sugar cookies

Dipping Italian egg cookies in frosting

Italian egg cookies all frosted and sprinkled.  Look at that mess! 

The girl's sugar cookie masterpiece!  They turned out so cute and yummy!

 

We finished things off by decorating a gingerbread house.

 

The girls said they had a lot of fun!  I had fun too even though I literally spent all day in the kitchen and was cleaning up sprinkles for quite a while.  Watching them decorate and sprinkle and dip was worth everything.  I hope they have good memories of this as I had good memories of making cookies for Christmas as well.  We will have to make this a tradition!!!!  I love you girls!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Where have I been for the last 3 weeks or so?  Well, I've been shopping 'till I dropped, baking up a storm, and wrapping, wrapping, wrapping!!!  Things have been busy but here is an update.

Clay and I enjoyed a night out at the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra's Christmas concert.  We got all dressed up and enjoyed the show! 

This is our Christmas picture that I used on all of our Christmas cards we sent out.  Note the cute little scarves I crochet for the girls.  Emmi was a little upset about wearing her scarf and being contained while the camera flashed at her again and again.  We overcame the challenge and here is the product!

 

This is Nugget being tortured by Mommy.  The purple toy you see in the stocking is Nugget's baby.  I crochet it a while back and it is her all-time favorite toy.  She loves, loves her baby!  Well, I think it is quite amusing to put her baby in places that are challenging to get to and just watch the show.  Sometimes it takes Nuggie a while but she usually figures it out.  Here she is standing up to reach her beloved toy and she eventually saves it from the stocking!!!

The hutch decorated. 

The tree, bursting with presents.  We are truly blessed!  Let me tell you a story about our tree.  My dear friends and neighbors Sarah and Andy were tree hunting in the mountains and picked us out a tree while they were there.  I told her that I like fat trees and a fat tree is what I got.  It is the biggest, most beautiful tree that I have ever had and I am grateful to have such thoughtful, special friends.  Thank you!

Our mantle.  Clay had to hang my stocking on the fire screen because it is so stuffed with amazing presents that the stocking holder won't hold it!!!

Stars I painted a while ago.  I put out red, green and white but I have other colors for other times of the year.  I gave them a distressed look.

This is my all-time favorite Christmas decoration.  It is a gift from my mom who gives me an ornament/decoration each Christmas and had done so since I was born.  It says, "They came upon a midnight clear to tell us that the Child is here."

A group shot of Christmas at Roger and Belinda's house.  We celebrated early because they go to Texas each year to spend time with Belinda's family.  I am so thankful to have such a wonderful family!

A lot to be Thankful for

I know everyone has been on the edge of their seats waiting for me to post again!  What can I say?  I've been a busy girl.  From Thanksgiving, to Christmas shopping, to currently having the flu, I've been tied up.  What better time to catch up with the blog than when I risk throwing up doing anything but sitting and not eating?

Concord Christmas Parade:  my first time attending this event.  It was delightful!  I enjoyed the floats and the bands and everything about it.  By the end, I was frozen but thoroughly entertained.  Nugget got a lot of attention too.  We can't bring her to any public event without everyone saying, "Oh my goodness!  Look at that dog!!!"

 

 

Thanksgiving:  Clay and I hosted Thanksgiving at our house again on Thursday.  It was great because that way, we can have both sides of our families together :)  Clay brined and cooked the turkey like a pro.  We had the traditional sides and everything was wonderful.  My favorite was probably the corn pudding that Lisa made...I'm going to have to get that recipe :)  Clay made a pumpkin pie and I made an apple pie and we feasted until we could feast no more!  Thank goodness for good friends and neighbors like Sarah, who made the apple pie possible by lending me her pie dish last minute.  Somehow it didn't cross my mind until Wednesday that you need 2 pie dishes for 2 pies.  I enjoyed the time with family and friends!!!



To top the most wonderful Thanksgiving off, we spent Friday at Roger and Belinda's house, feasting again on the most amazing soup.  She made kale and sausage soup and chicken noodle.  Both were good but the chicken noodle was to die for!!!  Another recipe I must have.  Roger also made his famous cheesecake which was the best yet!


Shop 'till we drop:  it turns out that we did not go Black Friday shopping but were forced into cyber Monday shopping.  My laptop had been breaking for quite some time.  The hinge where the screen attached to the base of the computer was literally falling off.  We knew we would have to replace it before long.  It ended up being sooner than later.  My computer crashed and we lost about 3 weeks worth of pictures (which pretty much consisted of pics of Nugget and Emmi) and we lost my most updated Christmas list.  What is a type A girl to do without her Christmas list?  So, prince charming came to the rescue and resurrected my laptop long enough to back up a few files and pictures.

The best news of all:  Julie and Josh had their baby boy:  Caleb Joshua Sutton.  She ended up having to have an emergency C-section but overall, all is well.  Caleb has had to be monitored for a while but he is holding his own and doing well!!  God is good and has given Julie and Josh and awesome testimony to His hand in their life.

Well, that is that.  More to come about decorating for Christmas.  Clay and I are just working on getting better (he had 2 different types of the flu, which is clearly why I'm sick too).  We had to put decorating and other Christmas traditions on hold for now.  Stay tuned!!!