Bananas About Bananas ...

What can I say?
The boy LOVES bananas ...
And now ... he's figured out how to get them by himself.

Baby Jesus ...

A few years ago when Mike and I first moved to Virginia our new neighbor Melinda presented this lovely lighted nativity scene for Christmas. Since then each year at Christmas we proudly display it in our entryway so we can share it with all of our visitors.

This year Griffin took notice of it for the first time.

Everyday he would run over to it and I would explain that it was Baby Jesus and soon we would be celebrating Baby Jesus' birthday. I honestly didn't think he had a clue what I was saying and he just liked it because it was lit up and pretty.

Christmas Eve night Mike and I were walking Griffin upstairs to go night-night. He got to the stairs, turned around and ran over to the nativity and said "Bye Bye Baby Jesus" ... oh my gosh ... Mike and I just looked at each other like ... did he REALLY just say what we think he said.

It was the sweetest thing I've ever heard.

Such a sweet little gift of a memory from Griffin.

Sharing Christmas Memories ...

We had a such a wonderful Christmas this year. No pressures. We stayed around the house and just enjoyed each otherw company. We had a fabulous brunch and then a wonderful dinner together ... just the three of us. Most of the day was spent playing with Griffin and watching movies. We watched four movies ... Beetlejuice, Talledega Nights, Polar Express, and Jingle All The Way.

Simple. Sweet. Fulfilling.

Here's a few photos from our day ...


Christmas morning begins with a climb down the stairs


Griffin gets his first glimpse at all of the presents under the tree ... Santa messed up and accidentally wrapped all the gifts this year. He will remember to do it the right way next year and just lay them out under the tree


Choooo .... Choooo .... it's Thomas The Train!


Oh my goodness ... what could that be????
It's Elmo!
(Click on this photo for a bigger few ... G's face is priceless!)


Looky ... Looky ... all kinds of Elmo books, a bag and crayons!


Daddy and Griffin putting together the Sesame Street Tool Bench ... which he loves and I highly recommend it!


Griffin is a boy in motion and I rarely get a face shot of him anymore ... most pictures these days are the side or back of his head. Finally ... a full on face shot.


Tickle Me Elmo tickling our G!

Can't Load To Blogger ...

Well ... I've taken the time to sit down and share some Christmas photos ... but Blogger will not let me load them.

I will try again tomorrow as Griffin will probably be waking up from his nap soon and I will not be able to do so. We had a really sweet, fun Christmas and I would love to share them with you.

And ... Blogger will not allow me to leave comments right now either. I'm visiting all of my daily blogger stops ... but I can't leave you a comment. Ughhh!!!

Until Thursday ...
M

Merry Day After Christmas!

We had a *wonderful* Christmas ... it was just right.

I just wanted to pop in to say hello as it may be Wednesday before I have an opporunity to load pictures.

We hope you too had a very Merry Christmas!!

24 Hour Bug ...

(This picture just makes me happy)

Saturday morning I woke up sick ... sick, sick, sick with diarrhea and throwing up. My body ached and all I wanted to do was sleep. This was not good as it is the day Mike and I planned to go Christmas shopping. After finally dragging myself off the couch at 10 am for a shower we headed out shopping. Mike kept telling me it wasn't a good idea to go. He said we could always go on Sunday. But, I insisted on going because I have been looking forward to it all week.

We went to Walmart and surprisingly they were not too busy. We found the loaf pan and bundt cake pan we needed, but did not find the Shake 'N Go Race Track we were looking for.

Then we went to Lowe's to check the prices on garage door openers since it was right there. I really wanted to walk over to the Christmas stuff to see if they had anything on clearance, but I just didn't have the energy. I could not even lift Griffin out of the shopping cart because I was so sore and drained.

Then we went to Target. By the time we hit Target's doors I was ready to go home ... but we still had to find the Race Track. Bingo ... Target had it. And we picked up a few more "Santa" gifts as well. And I found the movie "Jingle All The Way" that I've been looking for. It's hilarious and we will watch that tonight. Before heading out of the store I was determined to check out their Christmas stuff ... bargain shopper that I am ... nothing was going to keep me down. We walked clear across the store and found nothing in the Christmas section that we needed. But then, as we were passing the children's clothing section a sign caught my eye ... Clearance 75% off ... woo hoo ... we found Griffin some of the cutest shirts for only $1.24 and sweat pants for only $2.00. We went to check out and I realized how very sick and tired I really was. I had already overdone it and we still had plans to go to Home Depot, Sam's and to have lunch. I told Mike that I really needed to go home. I felt really bad about asking to go home because Mike really wanted Mexican from Casa Grande for lunch ... but honestly I couldn't handle it. The only thing I ate yesterday was 1/2 a piece of bread for breakfast and 1/2 a can of soup for dinner.

We came home ... I went to sleep and Mike took care of Griffin the entire day. We arrived home about 12:30 and I slept until 7:00 when the phone rang and it was one of our neighbors. Our other neighbor's fire alarm was sounding and the alarm company just called them as they were a contact. The homeowner neighbor had left earlier in the day for Tennessee and could not be reached. Oh gosh ... we were so worried their house was burning down. Finally I was able to reach them by cell phone and she said it was probably just malfunctioning because it had done the same thing a few weeks ago. I asked Mike to go down just to check things out and by the time he got down there the fire department was breaking into their garage doors. They had to confirm there was no fire. Thank goodness there wasn't ... and honestly the price of a garage door is well worth the peace of mind.

So ... I am up bright and early this morning with coffee in hand. I had no coffee yesterday ... and it's really, really delicious this morning. I am feeling 100% better today ... and I have alot to do. Between a trip to Sam's, wrapping gifts, and baking cookies my day is full.

I hope everyone has a very happy Christmas Eve ... and a Merry Christmas!

Sweet Gift & The Easiest Pie In The World!

This was going to be my Saturday post ... but I decided to share a recipe and thought I would go ahead and share now in case anyone wants to make it for Christmas ... as it is indeed ... the easiest pie in the world!

But first ... looky what I got in the mail today!! A gift from my very dear friend Julie. I couldn't believe all the stuff she sent me ... let's see ... she KNOWS how much I looove Coca-Cola stuff ... so she sent me a 2007 calendar, a collection of Coca-Cola ornies, some fluffy warm socks, some cool Sensaria product, a delicious smelling candle and a bag of homemade bread recipe ... so I can bake it at home. Julie and I have been great online friends for many years now. She started out as a customer of mine (anyone remember Jangle?) and through the years our relationship has developed into one of my dearest, deepest friendships ever. She still buys my stuff ... and quite honestly I feel VERY funny about that ... but it brings a little smile to my heart when she does ... ... she's such a sweetie! Thank you Julie ... I already called and told you ... but I *LOVE* EVERYTHING!!


Okay ... now on to the easiest pie in the world ... it's called ...
A Hershey Bar Pie ...
Very simple ... very easy ... very few ingredients


Really all you need is
- One small bowl of Cool Whip - thawed
- A graham cracker pie crust - or better yet an Oreo Cookie Chocolate Pie Crust
- 4 Hershey Bars (or more if you want it more chocolately)

And that's it ...


Break the Hershey Bars up and melt them over low heat in a sauce pan ...


Get them good and melted ...


Fold in the Cool Whip ...


Then pour into your graham cracker pie crust.

Then just pop it in the freezer and after a few hours it is ready to serve.

In years past, I poured the pie mixture into an Oreo Cookie Chocolate Pie Crust ... but my grocery store was sold out of them when I went. And then you can top the pie with Hershey Kisses to dress it up ... I forgot those.

This is one *DELICIOUS* pie ... and just too easy to make.

Let me know if you make it!!

Angels & Fried Green Tomatos

What a GREAT Thursday ... it was just one of those great days!

We went out for a little while and when we got home I had 6 Christmas cards and a box from Teresa in my mailbox ... what did I get from my good friend Teresa??


These darling handmade angel ornaments!! They are so sweet and cute!! I've already hung them on my tree and they brighten it up considerably. Thank you Teresa!


While I Walmart I found ... get this ... FROZEN fried green tomatos. I was literally beside myself with joy. This made me so, so happy! I love fried green tomatos. The only time I get to have them in when we go to Nell's in Florida. Now ... I can have them anytime I want them!! These will definately be part of our Christmas meal on Monday!

Yesterday we had Christmas with our neighbors Melinda and Grayson. It was alot of fun getting together (sorry no pictures). We exchanged gifts and spent a little time together. Melinda and Grayson bought us the nicest gifts!! Griffin got an Elmo Pop-Up Toy (perfect!) and a tractor book. I've been looking everywhere for a tractor book and she found one!! I got Robin McGraw's new book and a sweet Reindeer Crossing sign. So, so sweet! For Grayson we got him two Spiderman action figures (Spiderman & a bad man as he requested) and a Spiderman watch. We got Melinda one of those nifty new Crockpots ... and she loved it!! I was so pleased to be able to give gifts that they really wanted ... and it was so very nice to receive such wonderful, thoughtful gifts.

I'm not sure what is on the agenda today. I have nothing planned and there is no where we need to go. Mike will be home this afternoon and our big shopping trip is planned for Saturday. So until then, I may stay home ... wrap gifts, bake ... and be Mommy. Hope you all have a great day!

On A Quest ....

This is the Shake 'n Go Racetrack by Fisher Price.

We really would like Santa Claus to bring this to Griffin for Christmas. Mike was in Danville last night and looked at Walmart and Toys R Us. Neither of them have it. I've seen it in our local Walmart, Target and Kohl's ... it may be sold out though.

Here's the thing ... I may be able to go to any of the above mentioned stores today and find it. But Mike said we could go shopping together on Saturday and look for it. That's what I want to do. We rarely do that sort of thing together. I want it to be fun and a true family Christmas shopping event. I'm going to wait.

You know ... Griffin hasn't asked for this. He's not asked for anything. He does not "get" Christmas yet. If we do not find it for Christmas we will get him something equally as fun and maybe get him this for his birthday in February.

Whatever we get him, he will be delighted and soooooo excited to have new toys.

Whadda Wednesday ...

It's Wednesday ... hump day ... and I am DEAD tired. I've been up since 5:00 am ... can't sleep any later than that lately.

Today was "Mommy & Me" at the gym ... we get to the gym and the gym doors are chained shut. I went into the office and asked if they were not having playtime today and the man said yes ... but we have you all set up in the aerobics room because they just had the gym floor redone and no one can walk on it for two weeks. Ugggggh. I hate the aerobics room. It is tiny and dirty and all of the aerobic steps and equipment is everywhere ... not a nice play area for children really. So I decided ... it's okay ... we'll still play. Then it hit me ... the FUMES!! The fumes from when they had the gym floor redone were nauseating. No one else showed up and after only 20 minutes I too decided to leave. As I was leaving my friend Carol and her son Sam showed up. I explained the gym situation and we decided to head to Short Pump Towne Center to let the boys play in the play area and to have lunch. It was sooooooooooo nice. That's the first time we've had a "playdate" with Carol and Sam. She's such a nice lady and Sam is soooooooo cute and well behaved. After enjoying lunch together and saying our good-byes Griffin and I headed to the Scrapbook Store.

I went to Memories Galore to get a snowflake punch. They have sooo much cool stuff in there ... I had to look at it all. I really want to get some of those Prima Flowers ... but I just do not see spending $10 on a bottle of them. Heck, I can go to Walmart, buy a whole bush of flowers, tear them apart and use them the same way for what ... $3? Maybe after the new year I'll break down and buy me some Prima's ...

After Memories Galore we headed to Michael's. I was looking for some stocking stuffers, wrapping paper and a couple of "crafty" kind of gifts for my neighbor boys. Found the wrapping paper, crafty gifts for the kids ... but stocking stuffers. Not really. I'm looking for stocking stuffers for Mike and Griffin. I did find a couple of cute things for Griffin ... but nothing for Mike. Guess I will have to make that Walmart and Target trip after all.

But not today ...

I loaded Griffin in the car and he fell right to sleep. It was 2:00 ... so we headed home. He's still sleeping ... he was one tired little fella.

The picture I posted up above is of our mantle and our stockings ... just thought I would share.

Happy Birthday Jen ...

Happy Birthday to you ...
Happy Birthday to you ...
Happy Birthday Dear Jennnn-i-ferrrr ...
Happy Birthday to you ...

Hey ... why don't you stop by Jen's Blog and wish her a
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

My New Banner ...

Hey ... do you see it?
My *new* banner ...
Thanks to my wonderful friend TERESA ...
I have this wonderful new banner for my blog!!
And ... she helped me with the HTML code to get it added.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Teresa!!!

My Cousin Kim ...

A bit of sad news to share ... my cousin Kim passed away yesterday.

She was only 39 years old ...

We grew up together ... we lived right beside each other ... we were only 3 months apart in age. We were often in the same classes, shared summers together and were the best of friends growing up ... heck we even worked at McDonald's together. As we got older, we grew apart ... and the sad reality is ... I haven't seen her in years.

I really wish I had a picture of Kim I could share with you. She had what I call "Bambi Eyes" ... you know those deep, soulful, brown eyes. She was a beautiful girl ... smart ... bright ... and tormented.

The last time I saw Kim was a few years ago ... she was getting married again and was very, very happy. *THAT* is the Kim I choose to remember.

May you rest in peace Kim. I Love You.

Oh Christmas Tree ... Oh Christmas Tree ...

I would like to start off by saying that my Christmas Tree has ALWAYS been my pride and joy. Each year I lovingly decorate it with our special ornaments and handmade dolls and finish it off with colorful glass balls for fillers.

This year ... not so much ...

Reality sets in pretty quickly when you have a 22-month old that likes to touch, feel and pull on everything. This year ... our Christmas Tree is about letting Griffin do just that. I've put SOME of our ornaments and SOME of our dolls on it ... but pretty much, it's a blank canvas this year. No shiny glass balls nestle within the branches to add color and sparkle. But it's decorated ... and here it is ...


This is a picture of the top half of the tree ... it really is pretty all lit up ... here it just looks like ornaments placed about ... well, I guess that's pretty much what it really is ... but it will do for this year.


Okay ... so this is the REALITY I was telling you about. There were ornaments on the bottom half of the tree. But Griffin has re-decorated for me. They are pushed into the branches, on the tree skirt, in his hands ...


And this folks ... this is PROOF of why our tree is semi-decorated this year ...

I did put a few of my favorite Christmas ornaments on the tree this year, hoping they will not be broken or damaged. I thought I would share just a few of my favorites ... I have many, many more favorites that I chose not to put out this year ... maybe next year when little hands aren't so touchy.


This is a Ty Bear that I've had for years ... it reminds me so much of my husband


Last year my mother-in-law gave us this ornament ... my how things change in a year


I have a yearly collection of this particular ornament. When I lived in Florida they have an event called "Mistletoe Marketplace" each year in Eagle Lake. I would always go and buy this ornament from the same lady every year. Of course each year is customized with the year that I purchased it. I love these ornaments.


One of my many handmade Raggedy Annie dolls I put on my tree every year.


This is a picture of many of my favorite ornaments all together ... but the focus is on the angel bunny. I bought her several years ago and she only graces our house during the holiday season. I just love her grungy, sweet country look.


And this one ... has to be my all time favorite!! This is last years picture of Griffin with Santa Claus. His first Christmas!! I haven't framed this years picture yet ... but I will soon!

And that my dear friends ... is my decorating so far. I do have my mantle finished, a wreath on the front door and our nativity out on the entry way table. I didn't really "decorate up" this year ... just a few simple touches to get us in the holiday spirit.

The Christmas Decorating Begins ...

Well ... the Christmas tree is up ... not finished, but it's up. When Griffin was napping yesterday, Mike and I put the Christmas tree up. I put just a few ornaments on it because we have a very touchy/feely child and I wanted to see how he would react to the tree. When he came down the stairs from his nap, he was soooo excited!! Of course he touched the tree and proceeded to take the ornaments off of the bottom branches. We explained the ornaments needed to stay on the tree and he could only touch them while they were on the tree. Boy ... did we go 'round and 'round with that. We are still in the learning stage here. I'm hoping to finish the tree up today ... and hoping even more he will be "over" the tree and not touch it anymore. When the tree is finished, I will take pictures. Right now it looks like a mish-mash due to Griffin's re-decorating.


I did a little more island scrapbooking ... this time with a Christmas twist.

Happy Sunday Everyone!!

Gooey, Sticky & Icky

How can something so cute be so gooey, sticky and icky? Griffin's nose is just that ... goooooey, stiiiiicky, and iiiiiicky. Good thing though, when it does start running, he comes running to me to take care of it. I've finally figured out if I give him a Kleenex to hold while I'm cleaning his nose, he won't scream ... well, not as much. My guys have GOT to feel better before Christmas.

Okay ... so I have two REALLY important decisions to make today.

1. Eggs or oatmeal for breakfast
2. What to do with all of these toys to make room for our Christmas tree

LOL ... pretty tough decions, huh?

Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!! ~ M ~ *Ü*

Little Bit Of This 'N That ...

Mike is sick with a cold

Griffin is sick with a cold

I am NOT sick ... thank goodness!

Woo Hoo ... all Christmas gifts that have to be mailed and shipped to other states are packed, tracked and shipped

I really would LOVE an Outback Steak for dinner ... not gonna happen

Griffin napped from 10:30 - 1:00 today ... much too early to nap

G loves those Maruchan noodles ... hence the picture above ... I think he really likes playing with them more than eating them though

It's 50 degrees outside ... so nice this time of year

It's Friday ... so nice to have two "family days" coming

Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, Men In Trees ... Thursday's ABC line-up best night of television hands down

Ghost Whisperer is back on tonight, hope it's a new one

I'm going to make brownies ... because I really NEED them!

I've created a banner (of sorts) for my blog ... I did the best I could with the minimal knowledge I have with this sort of thing. Does anyone know where to type the html code in the template for it to end up in the right place? I've tried a couple of different places, but it ends up in the wrong place. If someone knows ... can you please, please share? Thanks M

Island Scrapbooking ...

I've been island scrapbooking ... sounds EXOTIC doesn't it?

In reality ... it's KITCHEN island scrapbooking ... so NOOOOO, it's not very exotic. After two years of trying to get things where I can work AND still be the Mommy that I want to be to Griffin ... I've discovered island scrapbooking.


Mainly I work while Griffin is napping during the day, or asleep at night. But I've also found a way to do a little bit while he's awake during the day. I collect whatever I need to work on and just leave it on the island and then I work on it when I can here and there. He can't reach the top of the island, so I do not have to worry about "little hands" touching or grabbing things. It gives me so much comfort to know I can work a little bit throughout the day.


See ... actually PRE-MADE stuff. Pure Bliss.

2nd post today ...

My second post today ... does anything look different? I changed my blog to the black template. Honestly when I visit my friend's blogs that use the black background, I find it very easy on the eyes and the photos just "pop". So, I was a bit of a copy cat and decided to use the black background for awhile.

I wanted to welcome the newest visitors to my blog ... it's so nice of you to visit and leave comments ... thank you!

I wanted to let Amy, Julie, Bethany, Heidi and Susie Q know that I have visited your blogs, and I've TRIED leaving comments, but Blogger will not let me. I won't give up ... I will try again.

Take care everyone ... and happy Wednesday.

way off schedule ...

I woke up at 5:00 this morning and could not go back to sleep. It's been months since this has happened. I decided to come on downstairs and make Mike's lunch and then have a cup of coffee. As I'm making Mike's sandwich I hear Griffin crying. Not a good sign. I go back upstairs and try to soothe him ... he layed back down but as soon as I walked out of the room the crying began again ... this was 5:15, mind you. He's been sleeping in until 6:30. So, we both come downstairs. I give him his morning drink (water mixed with a splash of apple juice) and he settles down to watch Sesame Street. At 5:45 he runs to the pantry ... he's hungry. I get him a breakfast bar ... and he devoured it. He really was hungry. He finished the whole breakfast bar and ran back to the pantry for another. It's 1/2 gone too. He's settled down again. He normally eats breakfast around 8:30. I'm not really sure if I should feed him his normal breakfast now or not. Decisions, decisions ... lol.

I do have some good news though. It's Wednesday of "that" time of the month ... and I do NOT have a sick period headache. These new pills are working ... YEAH!! I am so, so happy.

The picture up above was taken a few weeks ago. I just love the relaxed, non-chalant way he's looking. The sun is in his eyes ... but still ... he looks pretty relaxed. Just thought I would share.

Also ... I am having trouble leaving comments on some blogs. Please know if I'm a regular visitor, comment leaver on your blog ... I'm still visiting. For some reason I just can't leave comments. I think it's the newer beta version of Blogger that I'm having trouble with.

It's gym day for us ... exciting! We get to be with other Mommies and kids. I'm really looking forward to it. Hope you all have a GREAT day!