CHRISTMAS MEMORIES 2010

Is this a face of pure joy or what! I love babies at Christmas time. They have no clue what is going on, but enjoy paper, ribbons, and being the center of attention. Emme is no exception!

Jim's Mom and Dad host their annual after Christmas family event. It is quite a houseful of friends and family, but gives everyone a chance to reconnect.
Once there were two; now there are three! Becky, Barry, and Emme!

Last year Dixon was the youngest "elf"; this year he was ultra mobile and trying to steal everyone's drinks!

My son-in-law Cory spent the evening enjoying his wine and "women"!
Jim rescued Pickles years ago from abusive neighbors and they have been best buds ever since!
Snuggies for kids! Aidan and Ryan sure loved snuggling with their DSs and playing their new games. I think I am jealous - not about the games - just the relaxin!
Uncle Adam and Emme shared some special bonding moments sticking their tongues out at each other. She is quite the imitator!
We got Dixon his first Penn State football this year when we were in Happy Valley for the first home game. He loved it!
Clara and Sasha are quite the budding artists and I have several of their art pieces hung in my house - now they have their own easels for creating more awesome art!
There's nothing like wrapping paper to entertain the wee one!
For our soon-to-be eighth grandchild, I made a blanket for her - his (?!?) homecoming in early February.
Kari had so much fun with her gifts and LOVED this Barbie Pampered Pets Salon.
Paper Jamz is the new craze! Aidan got the drum set and Ryan got a guitar. We have been entertained by the Andersen Rock Band!
Aidan has been a LEGO fanatic for years. This year he asked for the Creationary game. It is really cool, creative, and fun!
My eighty-one year young mother always hosts Christmas Eve with our traditional spaghetti dinner. Doesn't she look fabulous?
Her constant sidekick is Sophie. This gorgeous cat loves my mom's elephant tree!
The Meyers family. Check out the ties! Like father, like son!
Jim and I feel so blessed not just this time of year, when we all are gathered together for the holidays, but every day of the year. I never would have dreamed we would have three such amazing and unique daughters and seven precious grandchildren.
Our family wishes you a New Year blessed with family, friends, and fun! May 2011 be your best year ever! Our prayers are with our troops at home and abroad and their families. These special people make the ultimate sacrifice so that we enjoy the freedoms and protections that we do. God Bless America!

TIS THE SEASON!

The past week has been hectic, but we are definitely feeling the holiday spirit! Tonight we spent time at Julie and Dave's open house. Julie made quite a feast of food for her guests to enjoy and her home was beautifully decorated! We couldn't resist taking a picture of Emme in front of one of the many trees throughout the house.

Emme was dazzled by the gorgeous white tree with a variety of bright red and green decorations! She wanted to touch each one!
Earlier this month we took Sasha and Clara to the Lion's Club Christmas party, which has been a tradition since my daughters were babies!
It is hard to believe that I am bringing grandchildren to the annual party. I remember when I brought their Aunt Jen when she was just three months old! Where does the time go?

Last Sunday the girls were in a Christmas pageant. Sasha is the first angel on the left. The kids did a beautiful job and were so patient while cameras were flashing.

Clara's class sang songs before the pageant. She is the little blond angel, 4th from the right. I hope everyone is getting in the holiday spirit and ready to spend time with family and friends.

HOLIDAY FUN & FOOD!

I love this time of year and with seven grandchildren, I get to be like a kid again through them. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Annisa brought all the ingredients for the kids to make gingerbread houses - kid style!

Using orange juice cartoons as a base, they covered the cartoons in icing and then began creating their houses with all kinds of goodies!
Even little Emme got in on the action! She was fascinated with the marshmallows!
Kari was so focused on creating her house and surprisingly, most of the icing went on the carton and not on her!Our budding engineer, Aidan, definitely had a plan in mind in designing his creation. Note the smiley face he created on the side of the house!
Sasha created quite an entrance to her house! Love the peppermint walkway!
The kiddos designed and created quite a village of unique designs. The sign that Aidan drew and placed strategically in the center of town reads: "Candy Land." We didn't know that he did it until later. How appropriate!This weekend while Cory and Annisa were in New York City for the weekend, Jim and I were in charge of the Meyers brood. Yes, that is a tent in the middle of our family room! On Saturday, they stayed in their Pjs for movie viewing day from the tent!
We also spent time making Christmas tree ornaments and coloring poster pictures. The girls love to do anything artistic and creative.
Little Dixon also joined in with artwork while Pap read his book!Later we discovered that Dixon found the perfect spot to munch on his yogurt cherrios! Check out those cool Pjs!
I spent some time baking. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Tastefully Simple's creamy caramel sauce. So I created my own version of a one crust apple pie. I used a ready made pie crust for the bottom. Tossed sliced apples with cornstarch, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and two Tbsp. of the Creamy Caramel Sauce. Then I dotted the top with butter and baked for about 45 minutes at 375 degrees. After I pulled my creation from the oven, I drizzled more caramel sauce over the top. The only sugar in the pie is the natural sugar of the apples and a little caramel sauce. It was absolutely DELICIOUS!
I can't take credit for these phenomenal truffles made with Tastefully Simple's Triple Fudge Brownie mix. (Recipe is on the website). Becky made these for her holiday Tastefully Simple Open House this weekend. OMG - these are ridiculously good!
I am so glad all three daughters sell Tastefully Simple, so I never run out of my favorite products like these! Tonight I made the Potato soup and threw in leftover chicken and veges. What a wonderfully easy dinner for a cold winter night! I don't think a day goes by that I am not using a TS product. I think Flavors Of India chicken will be on the menu this week.
This is such a hectic, but wonderful time of the year. Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends all over the world! Next post will include some funny holiday pictures!

THANKSGIVING FUN !

Thanksgiving sets the tone for the holidays for our family. This year Sasha marched with her Daisy troop in the Thanksgiving parade and her troop won second place! Sasha smiled and waved to the crowd like a real parade pro!

It was fun watching the bands, clowns, and floats parade by. Even McDonald's had a float! Although it can't compare to the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, there is something about small town parades that warm the heart.Emme was all bundled up and had a curb row seat. She loved every minute!
On Thanksgiving Eve, Aidan and Ryan created the pumpkin place cards for our Thanksgiving table. Making place cards has become a tradition in our family for all major holidays.This is an example of the final product! Cute, huh!
My beautiful Mom was one of the first to arrive for lunch! We are so thankful that she is healthy and active and so much fun to be with.
When the cousins get together it is chaos central! They have so much fun together. The kiddos took a few minutes for some photos. Annisa got a new camera and took some great shots of these beautiful (if I do say so myself!) kids.

Ryan is such a freckle-faced cutie!

This blue-eyed little boy is a fireball! Dixon has changed so much since last Thanksgiving.

Sasha is always smiling! Such a girlie-girl, she loves to "mother" her little brother.

Little Emme spent Thanksgiving with her dad's side of the family. So I shot this picture of her wearing the hat that I won from a blog, "Laura's Daily Madness." Isn't the hat adorable - just like little Emme!
Okay - look at this handsome dude! What sultry eyes! He's only eight ( nine in February) - look out girls - he is going to break some hearts!

Check out Clara's baby blues! She looks so much like her mother! Love the smile, which lights up her whole face!

Now, for our birthday girl! Our little Diva, Kari, will be celebrating her 4th birthday on Saturday! She rules the roost in her house - who could resist this little brown-eyed girl!
These seven grandchildren are what make each and every holiday extra special. Although it is chaos central when we are all together, it is a time filled with joy, love, and so much fun. We have so much to be thankful for and these seven beautiful children make me thankful 365 days a year!