Crickets.

Do you hear that?

Crickets, I think.

Because the ol blog has been quiet over the holidays!

Rest assured, our house has been anything but!

I've got a lot of blog ideas rolling around in my head, but don't have time to get a one of them done right this second. I've got a headache, a movie to watch with my husband, a house to clean, Disney quotes to work on, and fondant Winnie the Pooh characters to make for a cake for this weekend.

But I promise.... a post recapping/highlighting some of my favorite things from 2010 before it turns to 2011. Pinky swear. Because I know you can't possibly ring in the new year without some highlights from me.

In the meantime, a few images from our Christmas celebrations. I hope yours was wonderful!

The girls with Grandma and Grandpa after Christmas eve services, before they ditched their dresses.

Matt and I on Christmas Eve.

The girls in the jammies they opened on Christmas Eve. My family was always an "open all gifts but Santa stuff on Christmas eve" whereas Matt's family has always done the whole lot on Christmas morning. The compromise is that every Christmas Eve, whomever is at our house opens some jammies, and the kids get a book or puzzle to open also. Next year I might have to do something besides jammies for the adults, because we only need so many.

Brooke opening her American Girl doll from Grandma and Grandpa. She was a little bit excited! This was snapped in mid of her leaping to her feet and jumping for joy.

Hannah got the American Girl Bitty Baby Twins. I think she was excited too, but by this time she was ready for a nap and I think a little dazed!

Playing with their new play-dough sets on Christmas night.

The girls in their matching PJs made by grandma. Brooke's doll has some on too, Hannah's doll's are still in Grandma's Sweat Shop sewing room getting the finishing touches :)

Christmas Cooking with the Girls

This past Sunday I declared family day, and we spent the day making some Christmas goodies, doing a little cleaning together (because, let's face it, we all made the mess in this house), and ending the day with some family game time. It was a great day. I've declared lazy Sunday mornings the best perk to going to a church that has Saturday night services.

I love to worship me some Jesus, but I love it best when I don't have to set the alarm to do it.

Amen.

This cooking endeavor shall be called, "So easy, your kids can do it". Where it says 'your kids', insert the name of any person you know that cannot cook a bit.

Oreo Bark. Falalallaala. Break up most of a package of oreos. You can use plain oreos, but the seasonal ones with red or green filling make the bark look pretty. We actually used the peppermint oreos this time around, which made for pretty, and mildly minty. Don't pulverize the oreos, chunks are good.

Melt some white almond bark. Dump in crushed oreos. Stir. Spread on cookie sheet covered with waxed paper. Let dry/harden. Break up. Eat. Yum.

See. So easy, the kids did it. Check out the pictures:

after the crushing of the oreos:

Stirring into melted bark (I think I did about 12 ounces):

Poured into the pan:

Cooking with the girls also included peanut clusters. Very easy as well, albeit messy when involving a two year old and a six year old. 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, 6 ounces chocolate bark, 6 ounces peanut butter chips and 24 ounces dry roasted peanuts. Melt the melty stuff, stir in the peanuts. (or you can just do 12 ounces bark and skip the pb chips but i like it best with those).

Evidence of the mess:

And this little pile of goodness was something I did yesterday for Brooke's class. It should be called "why would you do this to yourself when you are already doing 3 dozen cupcakes and 8 pans of cinnamon rolls" but really it's called Santa Hat mix.

Because if you're busy....busy...busy....why would you take caramel bugles, dip them in red candy melts, let them dry, dip the ends in candy melts again and then in white sprinkles, and then dip the tip and put a marshmallow on it?

To throw into baggies for your daughter's class, that's why. With some rice chex and pretzels that have been tosed with almond bark. allowed to dry, and tossed more with chocolate chips and mms.

Because it might be the only way you may possibly get a nomination for mother of the year. I mean, hello. I made santa hats.

They're cute after all:

mix up some fun with your kiddos today. They'll love you for it.

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now a little side note. are you reading this post? I'd love to hear from you if you're reading this. Because I think i have a few more readers than i thought. Which is quite lovely. So.... would you please drop me a comment to let me know you're out there? I'd love the surprise! Consider it my Christmas gift. Just leave me a little hello, how you found me, what you're doing Christmas Eve...blahblahblah. Just checking up on my readers is all. Click the little word comments below and give me a shout out.

off to bake some mini rum cakes. I was calling them baby rum cakes but that just sounds wrong.

Busy week

This has been a crazy week and it's not even over yet! It seems to be bookended with sickness- Hannah was sick on Monday and I am sick today. Blech.

In the middle though, we enjoyed a wonderful "curriculum night" /ie Program for Brooke. The first graders did reports on different countries that were on display-- Brooke wrote a book filled with facts about Germany. They performed several wonderful songs.

Let me tell ya, it does your heart good to hear a bunch of first graders sing "It's a Wonderful World." Sweet and touching.

Here are a few pics from that evening. I don't know what it is about pics in a gym that never turn out great.

Beautiful girl:

of course, being one of the tallest in her grade, Brooke was in the back row.

Brooke and two of her buddies:

B and her teacher, Mrs. Miller:

Tea, anyone?

Hannah loves to play with the new tea set she got from Papa Terry and Grandma Diane. She's always loved playing with stuff like that, and the new set has really kept her busy. She tends, however, to think she must serve Matt and I tea all the time. The other day Brooke was playing with her too (they were playing, not screaming at each other). We finally convinced them that perhaps their dolls and stuffed animals might want some tea.

Suddenly we had some peace to have a conversation while the girls kept themselves busy in the living room. After we got them down for rest time, this is what we found:

Donald gives the tea party a thumbs up!

Buzz was particularly thrilled with the event!

Fun was had by all!

Later that day it was time for church. Hannah got all dolled up in a cute little outfit:

Brooke was a little peeved that Hannah was all dolled up and she wasn't... just the way the cookie crumbled that evening. Plus Brooke's class at church has slides, climbers, etc. Not real good for cute little dresses. But I got her to pose for a pic in her new coat:

This morning we had a relaxing start to the day, then took the girls to see "Tangled" at the movie theater! We enjoyed popcorn, pop, MMs, and a great movie together! Hope you had a great weekend too!

A few things about me

I was thinking today about a few of my favorite things (trying to figure out a Christmas card/letter theme), and that thought train went down a little path. Let me share the thought journey with you.

I thought, "I love smutty romance novels."

Did you know that? Well, I do. I've been reading them since high school. I am a Harlequin romance junkie. When I thought about how long I've been reading them, I took a mental trip back to high school. When I had one with me in Spanish class. I always kept them so the front cover was face down on the desk. I was a closet junkie then. Until Matt Haufle picked my book up off my desk, teased me by saying "Angie, what smut!!!"...and proceeding to thumb through the book to a steamy scene and start reading it out loud. I wanted to disappear into the crack on the floor.

I thought, "I love crab legs."

Did you know that? I love love love love crab legs. If you ask my favorite foods, I will answer crab legs and tacos. Now you know. I thought of a time when Matt and I were at Red Lobster. I was enjoying my crab, digging it out of the shell. I had a "slippery-little-suckers" julia roberts/pretty woman moment when my crab shell went flying across the room. It landed, I kid you not, right next to a gift bag at a nearby table where they were having some sort of shower. Some chic almost got a crab shell in her present. Matt still talks about this.

I thought, "I love sledding."

If you know me at all, you know I grew up in Iowa and that I love snow. I love sledding. You may not know that in this Kansas neck of the woods, there's almost no hills at all. We sled down our driveway now. Pooh. Then my thought train went on to think that although I love snow and sledding, I hate skiing. I've been one time. I took the youth group I worked with in Great Bend. I fell getting off the ski lift, rolled down the hill a ways, and took AN HOUR to come down the easiest green run. My legs were so sore the next day, and I hope to never "snow plow" wearing skis ever again.

I thought, "I love my bed. I'm so tired!"

But maybe not as tired as I was one day when Matt and I were at Disney World. It was one of our pre-kids visits. I was getting off the bus at the hotel, and I fell flat on my face. Matt, ever stating the obvious and in a particularly helpful moment, stands there looking at me completely dumbfounded, and asks--not "are you okay?"--but "What are you doing?" Hellloooo. THAT is a moment that I will forever talk about...lol.

Isn't it funny how our thought trains progress?

What are you thinking about now?

This One Is For You, Aunt Debbie

My aunt Debbie (on my dad's side, I've got one on each side) has been telling me she's ready for another blog post. I'm eyeballs deep in flour, sugar, and chocolate, and that's the extent of life right now...so this post is going to be all about HER :)

I adore my aunt Debbie. She's the baby of the four siblings (my dad is 2nd oldest). I'm not sure how old she is...She's close to cracking 50 if she hasn't yet. But she doesn't look a day older than.... 39. :) heehee. (That's a compliment, by the way!).

We have been close for as long as I can remember....though as with all relationships, there has been various ebb and flow to how much we talk, etc. We're on a roll these days which I am loving.

We spent a lot of time together back when I was very little. She still lived in the same town I did (I think), and she hadn't yet met this hairy guy, Gary:

Somewhere in this disaster pit lovely home of mine, there is this cute picture of she and I together when I was her flower girl. I was about four or five years old. I'm sure as soon as I post this entry, I'll find it. I found this one instead:

A few years ago, Brooke was the flower girl in Debbie's son/daughter in law's wedding. I loved that I was hers, and Brooke was theirs. Hopefully Lindsey, her daughter (who is soon to graduate from the best school in Iowa- ISU) will get hitched while Hannah is still of flower-girl age (hint hint) so she'll get a turn too! Here's a few pics from that wedding. Better pics, cuter flower girl if you ask me.

I think the Adams' family gene runs strong in my veins and in my girls. She told me that some people have said that my girls look like they could be her grandkids.

A few other shots of us in more recent years:

Anytime there is a family get together, she makes sure she has something special for the kids. She did it when my cousins, brother and I were the "kids" and she does it now with our kids. The last time we got together, she brought a Pinata for the kids to do. She is so fun and thoughtful that way.

Here are some things I LOVE about my aunt Debbie.
1. She's fun and funny.
2. She and I have always connected in a special way.
3. She loves me (almost) like one of her own.
4. She adores my girls.
5. I'm not sure there is anyone else in my life who makes me feel as encouraged/affirmed/ complimented than she does. She's so sweet in how much she...gushes...to me. Which I love. It fills my love tank. She is good for my self esteem.
6. She doesn't blow sunshine up your ass is genuine. Even when she's gushing over me, I know she means it. She just knows how to make a person know they are loved.

7. She loves to shop, decorate, cook, etc. We have all those things in common.

8. She thinks I am her go-to girl on recipes. I think she is my go-to girl on recipes.

9. The great thing about an aunt that is the baby of the family, she's almost close enough in age to you to really feel like a sister sometimes.

10. She is a happy chic.

Here are the things I do not love about my aunt Debbie:

1. She lives 6 hours away.

2. She is a road-trip/vacation wuss. Meaning she has not brought herself to drag her happy butt down here to visit me.

3. She lives 6 hours away.

4. She laughs when I suggest she spend big money on me for Christmas/ Birthday. (refer to #3 above haha).

5. She's skinnier than me.

A conversation with Debbie that I will never forget, circa 1985:

We were driving in her car up to my parents house. This was a short drive because I'm from a little bitty small town.

Debbie "Have you had a Blizzard yet?"

Me "Mmm, not really, but we have had a lot of snow"

Debbie, laughing "No, I meant the new Blizzard ice cream thing that Dairy Queen has!"

I think of her almost every time I get a Blizzard at DQ.

My dear Debbie V.... I love you very much and am so glad for all the memories, chats, and emails we have shared over the years. Thank you for loving me like you do!

Busy recap

December is kicking my butt, let me tell ya!

things have been so busy and to top it off, I have not been feeling well the last few days. I do not have time to not feel well, my friends.

Dear body- you must get better tomorrow. Brooke prayed it to be so, and I'm saying it needs to happen. Busy week ahead.

This is how busy I have been. My dad and his wife are in town this weekend for our christmas with them. They got here on Friday at 2:30. I finished shopping for them on Friday at 11:30.

We opened gifts tonight at 7p.m. I wrapped their gifts this afternoon at 2p.m.

I got my first Christmas card in the mail today. Until I opened it, I had completely forgotten that Christmas cards is something I need to be working on. I've sent out Christmas cards since I was a freshman in high school, I am not going to drop the ball this year. Right now the ball just seems to be missing in action or something!

This week I have 6 pans of cinnamon rolls, a 2 layer cake, and 20 dozen mini cookies to bake...along with a Hawaii trip to quote for someone, and all the usual household stuff.

I must be feeling better tomorrow.

I think perhaps now is a good time for me to go to sleep. I must be feeling better tomorrow.