Random stories

Wow, I have no time to be writing on here, but I feel like updating since all I really did the other day was post some pictures! There’s so much to share & my brain is just frazzled since I’m overwhelmed at work, so I think I’m just going to share random happenings in our lives in no particular order! Here goes..

So I feel like Christmas is coming way too fast and there is so much to do! This year I want to make up plates of various cookies & goodies to give to neighbors and some close friends - but when I’m going to have time to do that, I don’t know! I guess if I spent my Tuesday next week baking all day long, I might accomplish it. As we get closer to Christmas, though, my work schedule begins to get all messed up and our normal routines at home are just going to fly out the window it seems. Next Monday I am working because I’m taking Thursday off to go to Chloe’s preschool Christmas program. They’re just going to sing some songs in the sanctuary for the last half hour of their usual preschool day. I’m looking forward to it, though!

So Chris and I were trying to find a time to go to Toys ‘R Us together to look at kitchens for the girls, but it was impossible finding a time we were free and someone could watch them for us, so we simply did lots of looking/reading reviews on the various kitchens out there online and picked one we both liked and then Chris went shopping and bought it. You can copy & paste the link below to see the one we got them!

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2316877

So the kitchen purchase just about spent our $200 in gift cards - I think I might use what is left to just buy diapers & wipes instead of more toys we don’t really need! I finally gathered & sorted presents the other night, since they’re hidden all over the place, and I realized just how much I’ve bought the girls! Half the stuff they probably won’t get excited about, since it’s shirts & coats & sandals and other things I found on clearance at Wal-Mart :) but oh well! It’s stuff they need.

So tonight I’m going to spend the evening baking/making desserts. (yea - my favorite thing to do!) Tomorrow, Friday, we are having our first ever Christmas Party for Chris’ companies - how fun is that!? We have 7 employee’s currently and we invited them, along with their wives or girlfriends, to our favorite Mediterranean restaurant for dinner and then to come back to our house afterward for dessert. We’re going to the restaurant owned by the guy Chris does lots of work for, so we’ll be paying next to nothing for the food (otherwise we couldn’t afford to take 16 people out to dinner!) :) So I went to Kroger on my lunch break today and came up with my assortment of desserts I’ll be making… I bought that chocolate that comes in bars which you melt and can dip things in... but they were out of milk chocolate, so I had to buy white chocolate (Chris’ favorite anyhow!) and they had vanilla wafers on sale so I’m going to dip those in the white chocolate half-way and then put some festive sprinkles on them, and then I also have little pretzels we’re going to dip in the chocolate, too. And then I’m going to make chocolate éclair cake (in a 9 x 13 pan you layer a van. pudding/cool whip mixture and graham crackers and then the top layer is chocolate frosting!) and then I’m also going to make a homemade apple pie! I was going to go easy and buy the can of pie filling, but I saw apples on sale for $1/lb. so I thought I’d do it from scratch. Too bad I don’t know where my apple pie recipe is, though! So yes, I’m out to impress the guys & their wives with my baking skills. haha.

So, other than that… life is busy with our normal routines… I had my monthly Church meeting on Monday night which I love going to… it is nice to get out of the house and enjoy fellowship with other awesome Christians, and we eat dinner together as well.. the one Pastor’s wife always brings dessert and no matter what she makes, it’s always SO good.

So I also have to find time to send my Christmas cards! I’m one step closer now, since I finally bought stamps today! Now I just have to address them...

Tomorrow I get to attend the yearly “Women’s Christmas Luncheon” with the Church I work at - I’ve only went once before… It was interesting. Most of the people who belong to this Church have lots of money so the meal is always catered in someone’s big fancy house and they only serve wine with the meal! (I usually search for a glass of water since I’m not a wine drinker, or any kind of drinker!) And all the women stand around & chat and then we sing Christmas carols after eating. At least I know most everyone, but some are a little ‘snootier’ than others. haha.

Oh, last week my Mom did an awesome project with the girls! They made homemade dough and used cookie cutters to make homemade Christmas ornaments! I was SOO impressed - you have to bake them in the oven and then they decorated them with glitter. They each made little handprints which are SOO adorable & such a wonderful keepsake and then they made other little random shapes - a Christmas tree, teddy bear… I felt so blessed to have such an awesome Mom. :)

Well, I really need to get back to work… Hope you enjoyed my random updates! Oh, and I hope to try & post pictures of our Christmas tree & it’s decorations soon!! :)