Christmas Card Photos

This is one of the contenders for this year's Christmas card. We took some amazing individuals too. How will I ever be able to decide?
PS Did you know that if you click on the pic it's gets larger? WOW!

Be Still My Heart!

I have been twisting my brain in an attempt to figure out a way to have a Christmas tea for our little girl cousins before the season gets away from us. Lo' and behold! My SIL told me today that they'll be in the weekend before Christmas! EEK! TEA TIME! YAY! Last year we started what, we hope, will be an annual spring tea for our cousins and a few little friends. It was a cute, little affair with fluffy dresses, flowers, candles, a pretty dining room, good manners and cute, cute, cute little girls. I'm am beyond excited that we'll get to have a Christmas tea now! An excuse to cruise Ebay for the perfect fru-fru dress for Sophy Claire! WHHEEEE!!!

The Green Room

Mr. Pinkie still hasn't acquired a fondness (or anything even close) for my dining room paint color choice (Sweet Annie was it's name), but I think it goes just lovely with Christmas decorations! The table will seat 6 comfortably, but I could squeeze a few more since the side seating utilizes a bench. Not your typical, formal dining room seating options, but I like it so much that I plan to use benches when I invest in my 'forever' dining room table. I measured today, and I will easily have room for a table that seats 10 in my newly down-sized dining room. YAY!! It's the little things that make me happy, you see.

What up yo?

So. No one has puked here in about 4 days. This SHOULD make me happy, but I know the real truth. It means that once my holiday is over, someone will vomit...requiring me to take a day off, etc. etc. etc. Yeah, the germs are smart. You laugh, but they plot and scheme in deviously successful ways. All we can do is stock up on the appropriate supplies...you know, paper towels, Lysol (spray and liquid), Clorox wipes, possibly a mop. One must be vigilant and prepared. That should be our mantra.

In other news, we're going to see an IMAX movie today. Jack really, really wants to see Desolation on the Moon, but I'd rather have my teeth drilled on without the benefit of anesthesia. I think we're going to see Santa vs. The Snowman. 'Cause yeah, that's just one step above unmedicated dental work. The bright spot is, we're going to Macaroni Grill afterwards to eat with Mr. Pinkie's folks, at which point I will likely partake of some nice tomato bruschetta and a ceasar salad. Uh-huh.

Yesterday we put up the Christmas lights outside, put up the dining room and living room trees, put the kid's trees in their bedrooms, and decorated the dining room (which looks soooo good). I'll post pics of as much of it as I can ASAP.

Well, I better scoot. Mr. GP, God Bless His Sweet Heart, went to Taco Bell to pick up lunch. I love him for just such a reason. Hehe. ((Side note: This wonderful fellow worked for 5 hours this morning making endless trips into the attic and to the outside shed, tossing endless amounts of accumulated fodder, sorting through tools, paint cans, etc...all in an effort to clean out our INSANELY horrendous garage. The end result is that we can now fit my vehicle and Mr. Man's Jeep into the garage...with room to spare! He even made a sports bin for the kids badminton, tennis, baseball, wiffle ball, etc. items. Siggh. I'm tellin' ya. It's love!))

Wild and Crazy Times!

So we had to cancel Sophy's bday party yesterday (and it was to be a princess tea party with fru-fru dresses and EVERYTHING) because she was still sick. Yesterday afternoon and evening, she made a big improvement and woke up this a.m. back to her old self (or so we thought.) So, we got the cousins and some friends together and headed to the Space Dome (they cared not a whit that they had just been there) and let the kids all run free, then we went to a little diner and ate breakfast for supper and opened presents. It was pretty nice, but yeah, it was crazy. Luckily, I took a bucket because Sophy decided to do the birthday celebratory puke on the way. She acted totally fine, so I think it was just too much excitement...too soon. Anywho! She is SO excited to be FIVE, and she is even more excited that she finally got Toys-es. You would think the child never gets a toy the way she has talked and dreamed of this party! I'm so glad we were able to pull it together at the last minute. It was breaking my heart to see her so sad and sick! Sniff, sniff! Here is a birthday pic!

Mr. Pinkie has a chiropracotr appointment in the morning. I guess chiropractors are legit. I've always thought they were quacks (apologies to any random chiropractor that is reading this...) We'll see. His back went out yesterday, and today he could hardly lift his feet. Let's hope relief is right around the corner (crossing my fingers and toes.) I'm making cake mix cookies tomorrow. You know the kind where you use a cake mix, an egg, and a container of cool whip and then roll them in powdered sugar then bake them? I'm using a lemon cake mix. 'Cause I'm cool like that. We're heading to mil's tomorrow for T'giving there. Sounds like we're having steak and fixings. HOOHOO!! Sounds like I'll be happy! Hehe. We'll stay the night there and then have turkey with my folks the following day. Sounds like I'll be happy! Again! HA!
Happy Turkey Day if we don't meet again before then!

Isn't she lovely.

Sophy Claire Daily
November 21, 2001
10:58 a.m.
7 pounds, 14 ounces, 19 inches long

Tag, I'm it!

((I'll have you know, CoolMama, that I tried to post this to my blog this a.m. while tending to a sick child. Apparently the process was taking so long, my computer gave up and kicked it all out. OY!)) But since you tagged me, here it is!

The Christmas Questionaire.....

1. Egg Nog or hot chocolate?
Egg nog, but don't you dare think I can't/won't guzzle a piping hot mug of hot choco. However, I'd prefer hot tea, if I am getting to choose.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Who am I to speculate on the machinations of the wise Santa? Puhlease.

3. Colored lights on the tree or white?
Blue (old-timey) on the living room tree. White ones (this year) on the dining room tree (first ever!!)

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
I once had a bad mistletoe experience. So, no.

5. When do you put your decorations up?
As soon as the turkey is off the table. HA!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
I refuse to answer this question. It's ridiculous.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?
Driving 10.5 hours to see my grandparents. And it wasn't for the presents they gave us, because they lived until I was in my late twenties, and not once did they ever get ANY of their BAZILLION grandkids a present, and it was the warmest, best holidays EVER that we spent with them.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
Not sure of the age, but I'm positive it had something to do with my brothers. Scurge of my existance.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
I would love to let the kids open one gift on Christmas Eve, but Mr. Pinkie will not have it. He is sooo anal about presents and Christmas. Really sucks the fun right out of it, if you ask me.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Very carefully.

11. Snow: love it or dread it?
Snow is a lie straight from the devil, a myth, a paradox, a fable.

12. Can you ice skate?
Like Michele Kwan.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Yes. Do you?

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Sharing the meaning of the holiday with my babes. Baking with my kids, helping them plan things that are special family traditions for OUR family now.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
D-I-V-I-N-I-T-Y!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
I can't pick one! Probably going to the Christmas Eve (night) service at church.

17. What tops your tree?
A stain-glass angel that my brother bought for Mr. Pinkie and myself on our first married Christmas. We could barely afford groceries, but he took us out for a tree and a few decorations. It's special, because at the time, he wasn't much better off than we were.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving?
Oh, alright. I'll be the bad guy and say receiving. Hehe.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
O Holy Night and Rocking Around the Christmas Tree (reminds of Home Alone)

20. Candy Canes: yuck or yum?
Yuck!

Ok. There ya go! Now...let's see. I was tagged by Terri. So I'm tagging....EJo?

I've dropped the ball...

T Poor little guy. Fever is gone this a.m., but he is so croupy. His little eyes are just running, and he's pretty miserable. Of course, he takes his illness like any man does. NOT VERY WELL! He gripes, he complains, he moans. UG! On the other hand, Sophy started vomiting (Hello E.Jo. Top that.) this a.m. at about 5:45. She only threw up twice and was talking about her bday party between spells. This morning she has rushed to the bathroom a couple of times, but nothing came out (nice visual, eh?) Totally different patient than Sam. In between MENTIONING that she doesn't feel well, she's turning somersaults, coloring, asking to paint her toenails (That's my girl!), and carrying kitty around.

Ok. So you asked for it (well, you didn't, but here it comes anyway!) House pics!
The mantle. These are black and white pics of my dad, my brothers and me, and Mr. Pinkie and his sis.

Now. Here is one side from the room divide. This daybed will eventually have a straight skirt (nnot sure what else to call that), so it will look like a sofa skirt. Also, we'll add more pillows.

The computer armoire has really pretty doors that you can't see in this pic.

This is the dining room side. Yes, it's small, but it's bigger than the pic suggests. I hope to eventually replace the table with one that seats 10, but I still plan on using benches for the side seating and chairs at the head of the table. It's still sort of junky. All of the wall stuff is lying around the room waiting to be put back up.

And!!! I am so excited about this mudroom that is about to be gutted! We'll use the shelf area that is already built in, add a built-in bench under that area, and 2 hooks for each child under one section of shelf. Each kid will have a top and bottom shelf, and 2 hooks on the wall (backpack and coat). FINALLY we'll have a place to put those lunch boxes! UG! Anyway. Paint colors are pending. But the brown is about to say AUDIOS!
My mil made these leaf sun catchers for the kids last weekend. Cute, huh?

Last, but no least. Look at this little guy! I bought him unfinished and decopauged (sp?) him. I also bought him a brother who is going to be gold and a sister who is going to be pink with baby birds!! Hehe. Did I mention that I've never actually decopauged before? HHmmm. I haven't. Hopefully, it's not THAT obvious.

Well, show and tell is over boys and girls. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

It's beginning to look a lot like....a virus.

Well, well. Remember the 'ol RotaVirus years a while back? If you still have the link to my old journal, I encourage you to take a walk down nightmare, er...memory lane. Just for funnsies. Or, you can just take my word for it when I say that every Spring Break and Thanksgiving means only one thing for us....a fever (and vomiting, coughing, sore throat, pooping, rash, etc.) Hhhmm. Sam has a fever and a sore throat. Go us. Of course, we knew this was bound to happen. How, you ask? Well, it's simple. Thanksgiving break started yesterday. We're all as good as infected with something by now, I'd bet. ((ROLLLINGG MY EEEYYYESS.) I think the only other person I know with our luck is E. Jo! Hope you're all healthy my friend.
This morning (when we thought--HA.HA. that we were all well) we went to town. We stopped at the pet store and bought Pongo a ridiculous sweater that he absolutely hates but that we put on him anyway because it was cute. Ahem.
Proof that we really shouldn't have......

Then we went to Michaels where I bought some things to decopauge (I never can spell that right) these reindeer thingys that I also bought there. HHhhmm. What else? We went to World Market and picked up some GINORMOUS pillows for the new room/daybed. Looks nice. Pics soon, I promise.
Oh. But the really big news is that on Friday eve we went to SciPort/Space Dome. If you don't have one of these near you, well...you're just missing out. It's the neatest, interactive place for kids where they can learn about science/math related things. Well, they just built this 9 million dollar space dome with all types of space/flight related activities (guess who loved this place?) as well as a planetarium. The kids had a ball, but especially Jack. See?

We went to the planetarium, saw an ENORMOUS model of the sun that reflects live images from the REAL sun onto the model. It's something to see. Jack got to land the space shuttle in a flight simulator program, build a paper airplane and launch it in this cool test launcher, ride in a vacuum chair, and tons of other cool stuff. Wanna see pics of Sam and Soph too? Alright!!
Here is Sophy riding the giant protractor thingy. Hehe.

Sam is plotting a course to somewhere warm.

Pinke Man has family portraits and senior portraits to do tomorrow. I think I will go buy somethings for our new, soon-to-be mudroom! Oh, and Sophy's birthday cake for her party!!! 5 years old this week~EEK~

Hello Strangers!

I'm sure everyone (all 4 people...hehe) have waited with bated breath for an update! Right? Don't answer that. We're still here, but we've been so busy with room remodels (the dining room divide is 99% complete). I'll post pics soon! Is it wrong that I'm more excited about the mudroom to come than the two rooms that resulted from the dining room split (which btw, looks really great to me!)
So, until I can make an official update (soon), I'll post a pic of our kind, long-suffering feline, Miss Thomas!

Behold! The pie!

Coconut Cheese Pie
1 unbaked 8/9 inch pie crust
6 oz. cream cheese softened
1/3 cup sugar
1.5 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1.5 cup heavy cream
1.5 cup flake coconut
1 can crushed pineapple drained (i served this on the side because i LOATHE. DETEST. HATE. pineapple.)
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
Bake pie crust according to directions. Cool. Beat cream cheese until fluffy; gradually blend in sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat eggs slightly; add cream, and coconut to eggs and blend into cheese mixture. Pour into pie crust. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes until firm to touch. Before serving, top with drained pineapple and toasted almonds.

I found the recipe for this pie on the back of a bag of coconut. It reminds me of a coconut cheesecake. It was seriously good, but I didn't add the pineapple like the reipe called for. Instead, I just served it on the side to our dinner guests. I HATE, HATE, HATE pineapple. As in, I will fall into a fit of gagging and convulsing just thinking of it crossing my lips. BLECH! If you like coconut pie of any type, you'll like this pie.