Our Christmas festivities started way back at the beginning of December. But with Christmas falling on a Tuesday, the weekend before was packed full of fun with our friends and family. I can't tell you how much love and Christmas spirit filled that short span, it was enough to make my heart full before the 25th even arrived. On Friday, we had dinner with Allen's family. Braylen was looking forward to this all week long. She kept asking, How much more days 'til I see Bailey and Lawson? She adores her cousins and I love how happy she is to be able to spend time with them. I grabbed my camera on the way out and failed to include my memory card. I try to maintain this cool and calm, … [Read more...]
12 Days of Christmas: Christmas Goodies
My mom, grandmother and I hold annual bake sessions each year around Christmas. We get together and make delicious things all day long to give out to family and friends. It's one of my favorite things to do, especially since it means I get to spend the entire day snacking on the goods. I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite things we make. Chocolate Peppermint Cake Balls You've all seen cake balls, right? Just a boxed cake mix, prepared as directed on box and mixed with 1 container of icing. Form into balls and refrigerate until they are firm. Then dip into melting chocolate. Before the chocolate cools, sprinkle crushed peppermint on top. The peppermint is a simple … [Read more...]
thanksgiving 2012
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and it went so smoothly. We had nearly 30 people in our house, but I didn't have to cook all of the food. Each family member brought something different and we ended up with a ton of food. Which equals leftovers, which means I ate entirely too much on several occasions. My mom snapped this picture of all of the food on the island. Maybe a little excessive, but Thanksgiving only comes once a year. Since everyone brings their own signature dish we end up with a ton of yummy food on the table. And of course, desserts! Butternut cake, banana pudding, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie bars, mini-apple pies and chocolate cakes and grape … [Read more...]