Christmas Home Tour

Yesterday I mentioned that my moms sister and my cousins were in town...

we had an awesome time doing gingerbread house together.

We also had everyone over to our house for hot chocolate and snacks on Sunday night.

I didn't realize that it was the first time anyone from my moms side had been here...

they don't get to the southside much.

This gave me a good reason to give a Christmas Home Tour today... 

and share our decorations with everyone.

only 4 more sleeps till Christmas!!

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click photos for larger view...


One of my favorite things about Christmas, the cards!

We've received about 6 more since I took this photo...

 the tree in our bedroom... and the puppy.

an updated kitchen shelf...

a few free printables, wrapping paper that looks like a sweater, 

and my favorite picture of Jackson.

Chalk board in the kitchen... 

and gumdrop wreath.

The hubs favorite... our tree.

Such warmth it brings to our home, I'm always sad to take it down when the season is over.

It's filled with meaningful ornaments. We put them on each year and talk about "we got this one on vacation here" or "Daryl & Shanna got this one on their honeymoon" or "this was J's first Christmas"... they are each so special to us.

Glittery garland on the mantel

{which we don't decorate because it just holds our TV}

Entry way table...

with a yarn wreath I never blogged about...

Thanks for stopping by...

hope you are settling in for the holidays...

lots of time with friends and family...

special memories and snuggles.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tradition

One of my very favorite Christmas Traditions is decorating a gingerbread house at my parents...

we have done this every year since my brother and I were toddlers...

and it is a tradition that I can't wait to share with our own kids someday.

here are the past few years:

 2008

2009

 2010

This year was so nice because my moms sister and her 2 kids were visiting...

we had a blast decorating our HOME BAKED house that mom made.

That's right, no box kit for us this year.... we had a special house built with love.

{thanks mom}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas from our home to yours....

posts may be sporadic this week as we spend time with friends and family

who am I kidding

as I work my hiney off! 

 Pray for me... last minute shoppers can be brutal!

Christmas Card display and a yummy treat

One of my top 5 favorite things about Christmas is getting everyones Christmas cards! I love them all... 

especially the ones with long letters describing what everyone has been doing for the past year

(like the kind my mom sends out)... 

Sometimes I wonder if we will ever write a long letter Christmas card...

I read them over and over thru the season and each time I am filled with thankfulness for these people... 

these people who have loved us for a long time or a short time...

these people that care for us and pray for us...

these people I may only hear from at this special time of year...

I cherish these people. They are OUR people. and I love them.

I hang them in the kitchen, the most used room in our house... 

a little bakers twine and some mini clothes pins.

 {my sweet Godson}

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This is my favorite holiday treat

besides fire candy, moms homemade chex mix, caramel corn and divinity...

ok, so maybe my 5th favorite. haha

Saltine Toffee

All you need:

1.5 sleeves of saltine crackers
1 stick (4 oz) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips

nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the crackers in a single layer on the baking sheet so that there are no empty spaces in between them. 

Place the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir while the butter melts, and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Once boiling, carefully pour the sugar-butter mixture over the crackers trying to cover most of the crackers. 

Bake at 350 degrees for five minutes, until the toffee is bubbling all over. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for one minute. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the hot toffee, and allow them to sit for one minute to soften and melt. Once softened, use a knife to spread the melted chocolate over the entire surface of the toffee in an even layer. While the chocolate is still sticky, sprinkle the top with nuts or leave plain. Let it set and break into pieces. Enjoy!

Q: & A: (actually, just A)

I've had a quite a few questions on similar topics so I thought I would just address everything I can in this post... if there is anything else you've been itching to ask... please do.  

but, keep it family friendly!

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Q: Who designed our Christmas Cards?

A: my BFF extraordinaire snapped our picture and I made 2 different cards. Number one is the design I picked from the "Bloggers get 50 free Cards from Shutterfly" thing that everybody and their momma was doing. and Number two is from TinyPrints.

Q: Where did you get the pecan cake mix? (from this post)

A: Kroger. bleh. I dis-like the Kroger where we live, but it is where I got the cake mix. ::sigh::

Q: What frosting tip do you use for your cupcakes?

A: The Wilton 1A. I got mine at Cake Art in Atlanta, but you can get them at most specialty cake stores and of course on line.

{yikes, smudgy anyone?}

Q: Where do you get all your cute containers?

A: ANYWHERE I can find them on sale! Usually Michaels or Hobby Lobby with coupons, and even the grocery store has cellophane and ribbon. One of my associates found a huge box of the clear cupcake carriers I've been using recently at a discount grocery store. Lucky me.

Have a Fantastic Thursday!

Only 9 more sleeps till Christmas!

Melting snowman smores...

I saw some super cute melting snowman cookies over at Christine & Co the other day 

and I decided I HAD to try some... so easy and so cute!

The eyes, carrot nose, buttons, and twig hands are all made with melted chocolate.... 

I wanted them to dry super hard so I could package and give to the little kiddos in my life.

The scarf is fruit roll up (tip: cut it with a pizza cutter) and of course everything is sitting on graham cracker and Hersey's bar!

Happy Wednesday! Only 10 more sleeps till Christmas!!