Merry Christmas!

As we near Christmas day, we just wanted to wish our extended friends and family a very Merry Christmas!

Cookie Baking has Begun!

Until today, I have been lacking the motivation to get started on some Christmas cookie baking.  Well, actually, maybe I'm still lacking on the motivation, but I did it anyway.  :)

Lily and I started some of it while Abby was at school.  We made sure that we did things that Abby said she didn't mind missing... or things that we're just beginnings of the process.

First, we made snickerdoodles.  I have to admit, I've only ever made them when I lived at home with MY mom.  I looked for the recipe online.  I didn't have Cream of Tartar, which it calls for, so I googled what to do.  Do you know?  It turns out that it works with Baking Soda to rise.  The only suggestion I could find was to use vinegar or lemon juice instead in a certain proportion.  I tried vinegar.  They taste great, but I'm not totally happy with how they look after they baked.  They are a little flat.  Next time I need to make sure I just buy some Cream of Tartar.  

We also made sugar cookie dough for cut-out cookies.  It's now in the fridge cooling so that we can make those later with Abby.  Not sure if that will happen today or tomorrow.  We've been so busy.

I'm not sure if any other cookies will be made.  What about you?  What cookies are on your annual list?

Getting in the Spirit with Santa

We've been getting into the Christmas Spirit around here.  I'm finding, however, as I get older that Christmas sneaks up on you even when you feel like you get prepared for it early.  Why is that?

We now have our decorations all up, including our tree.  It's beautiful.  This is our first Christmas/winter in the new house so decorating it was a new experience.  The tree fits so much better in our new house.  It felt like it took up the whole living room in our old house.

On Saturday, we got up early and headed to Conner Prairie for Breakfast with Santa.  Conner Prairie is a living historical museum.  They have a great event, and we went for the first time last year.  It is a members only event, but since we are members we wanted to take advantage again this year.  

Best song ever on the way there in the car...  :)

Delicious breakfast.  They have great food, it's a buffet with lots of choices.  Matt and I pigged out and the the girls did okay.

And, the main event, Santa!  

I love how you can see the girls really talking to him in the pictures.

When we got home, the girls got a little lesson in shoveling, the extra inch we had gotten since Matt had last shoveled.

And, this afternoon we are heading to see Frozen.  We CAN'T wait!!!

I hope you are having a great weekend too!

This year's Lego Friends Advent Calendar

Last year, for the first time, we bought a Lego Advent calendar and it was so much fun.  We bought the more traditional City version.  It has a little window that you open each day with a small little lego "trinket" that you put together, and by the end you have a whole scene, with the last day being Santa.  Of course, some days are better than others.

This year I bought early and got the Friends version.  We have only opened the first three so far, but they are so cute!

Day 1 was the character, Day 2 was the snowmobile:

Day 3 was the light post with holly on it:

If you are interested, the City site also has games and an advent mini-video for each day of their advent calendar (even if you don't have it, it would be fun).  We did it last year- here is the link.

You can also MiniFig your family, which I did, because it was fun.  :)  (and no, I'm not working for Lego, it's just fun)

What are you doing for fun around the house to prepare?

Breakfast with Santa

Saturday morning we made the trek to Conner Prairie for a very special breakfast...

stuffing their faces

(there was some pretty good food for a buffet:  french toast sticks, 2 kinds of eggs, potatoes, muffins, biscuits & gravy, etc.)

cookie decorating

(Lily was all about the sprinkles.  To an extreme level.)

(this was before the extreme sprinkling)

Santa!!!

(I know him!  -"elf" reference.  Anyone?)

All I Want For Christmas is You

One of the best Christmas songs ever + Jimmy Fallon & the Roots = Brilliant

Let it Snow Baby

Our favorite Christmas albums right now....

We love them.   You must download or buy.  :)  

What do you recommend?

My latest Pinterest knock-off

With Christmas season upon us and Pinterest browsing, I've been getting the crafting itch. I found a pin I wanted to try to recreate.

My latest project inspiration:

Source: ikea-download.de via Carrie on Pinterest

I visited The Dollar Tree for my supplies.  I didn't find "exactly" what I wanted, so it took me a few minutes to think through what colors I wanted to use. I ended up spending a grand total of $2 on ornaments.  -and I picked up some ribbon for $3 at Target (which I came no where close to using all of it).  Milo (the cat) can't be far away if there is ribbon out to gnaw on.


Yes, that means it cost me $5 to do this and I think it looks pretty good. :)

I did buy 2 other large ornaments that I use in the project. I ended up trying something new and hanging them outside in one of our small trees. We'll see how they last....

Any crafting at your house?

Pictures Downtown

We had "Christmas" family pictures taken the weekend before Thanksgiving.  They turned out beautiful.  We had a hard time deciding where we wanted to take them.  A park?  Downtown?  We ended up starting on the canal downtown, which is where Matt and I lived when we first moved to the city.  It is a beautiful area and we got really lucky on the weather.  We walked around a little and even ended up with some pictures with the Statehouse as our backdrop.  I don't want to share all of the pictures because some are on our Christmas cards, but here is one of my favorites that I just got put on a big canvas.

I love Lily's face in it.

And, my two beautiful girls.  We are so blessed.

Abby Hacker Photography

Merry Christmas!

It's early! Santa has been to our house and the girls got open one special gift from Mommy and Daddy right away. Their American Girl dolls:







It's a very happy day here and it's only begun. Merry Christmas!!!!

The Nativity

(from Luke 1-2)

God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in clothes and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying , "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen them, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who had heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

(from Matthew 2)

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born kind of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

...they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the chid was When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then the opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

Christmas at the Zoo