What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Here is what I'm loving on the last Wednesday of 2011

Hosted by Jamie

1. I'm loving that I got to spend Christmas with my family this year. It was so great to see them and enjoy time together. I miss them already. 

2. I'm loving that I got a white Christmas this year! We had almost 5 inches of snowfall and I was loving every minute of it. I may have even made a snow angel!

3. I'm loving that I got to have dinner with a whole bunch of high school friends while back at home. It was so great to catch up and can't wait to do it again.

4. I'm loving the sewing machine that Jason got me and the Kitchen Aid my parents got me for Christmas! I can't wait to use them! 

5. I'm loving that I only have two days of work this week. Today and tomorrow and then I am off for another three day holiday!

6. I'm loving all the Christmas cards we have gotten this year. I just love going to the mail in December and seeing all the fun cards. I can't wait to add all the ones I have this year to my Christmas card photo album!

What are you loving today? Head over to Jamie's blog and tell us! Happy New Year!

White Christmas

The night before Christmas I dreamt that it snowed. I woke up on Christmas morning and little flakes were beginning to appear! Little snowflakes turned into big snowflakes and by then end of the day it looked like this:

5 inches of snow on Christmas day!! What a wonderful way to spend Christmas! I was so excited!!!!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas with your families and enjoyed spending the day together.

I'll be back later with a detailed recap of the Christmas festivities!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!!

Here is what I'm loving on the Wednesday before CHRISTMAS!

Hosted by Jamie

1. I'm loving that Christmas is almost here!! I am so excited to spend time with my family, eat lots of yummy food, and celebrate the true reason for Christmas.

Source: google.com  on Pinterest

2. I'm loving that I won the book One Thousand Gifts from Becky Jo at Welcome to the Good Life. I never win anything so I am really excited. I can't wait to read it.

Source: google.com 

3. I'm loving that my cookie exchange party went well this past weekend. I now have some yummy cookies on my counter just waiting to be eaten. To see more about the cookie exchange go HERE. 

4. I'm loving the cookie recipe that I got from Kristen for my cookie exchange. Double Chocolate Peppermint cookies! They were so yummy! Thanks for the idea!

Source: tasteandtellblog.com  

5. I'm loving the 12 days of Christmas giveaways that the Pioneer Woman is hosting. I haven't won any yet but I'm hoping it's only a matter of time.

6. I'm also loving that the Pioneer Women's new cookbook will be coming out in March. I can't wait to get it and to meet her again because you know she is going on a book tour.

Source: thepioneerwoman.com  on Pinterest

Cookie Exchange Party!!

This weekend I hosted my first cookie exchange party!!! I think it was a success, and I hope that next year I can do it again in our new bigger place =). I invited about 14 people this year because I didn't want it to get too crowded in our 2 bedroom apartment and 7 people came. A good turn out for it being the weekend before Christmas! I invited people about 2 1/2 weeks ago to give them time to check their calendars. I asked each guest to bring 3 dozen cookies for exchanging and to send me their recipes a couple days in advance so I could make sure there would be no duplicates and so that I could print out the recipes for each person to take home.

Sunday morning, I got up way early to make my cookies and to decorate the apartment for the cookie exchange. The party was from 2-4 and I was busy all morning! I made Double Chocolate Peppermint Surprise cookies. They are really yummy but tedious to make. They each have a mini individual peppermint patties inside of them.

Here's the spread of yummies I had for everyone to munch on:

I made BBQ chicken and bacon wraps, and a cranberry relish that goes over cream cheese that you eat with crackers. Trust me when I say that the cream cheese and cranberry dish is amazing! There was none left after the party. I also had chips and dip and a vegetable and cheese tray.

I also had a hot chocolate bar. I had marshmellows and peppermint sticks to put in the hot chocolate.

I bought these stickers to put on people's drinks at Target. I got a kick out of them for sure.

Hehe...

When everybody arrived, we put the cookies on my table and then mingled and talked for a bit!

All the yummy cookies ready to be exchanged 

When we were ready to exchange cookies, everyone introduced what cookie they had brought, and then each of us took about 4 cookies from each batch to put on our plate to take home.

My loot after going around the table

After we exchanged cookies, we played a little game that I found on Pinterest. You had to guess the Christmas song by the picture. The person who won got a yummy smelling candle!

Source: flickr.com on Pinterest

Before each person left, they got a Christmas towel and all of the recipes on cute cardstock that I put together so that they could make the cookies at home!

I can't wait til next year!! Thank you girls for coming and for bringing yummy cookies! I may have to run on a treadmill for months to come but they sure are worth it!!

Weekend Update

I'm really tired tonight so my recap will be in a list of numbers. Here we go:

1. Friday night, a group of us met up at Fuddruckers for my friend Crystal's birthday and to see my best friend, Jacque, who was in town from Seattle. We had so much fun!!

2. On Saturday, Jason and I ran a lot of errands. We had to go grocery shopping and I had to pick up things for my cookie exchange party.

3. I mailed our Christmas cards this weekend. Latest I have ever mailed them out (hanging my head in shame)

Sorry for the bad iphone quality

4. I watched The Holiday while baking cookies last night. I just love Christmas time.

5. We finished ALL our Christmas shopping yesterday!! I am completely done. Yay!!

All of them wrapped under the tree!

6. I hosted my first cookie exchange party today, and I think it was a success. A post to follow all about it!!

Show Us Your Life - Christmas Tour of Homes!

I'm so excited to share my Christmas decorations with all you out there. I absolutely love Christmas and I don't think you can ever have enough Christmas decorations!! This year I didn't get to put up all my decorations like I wanted because we are moving in a couple of weeks but I couldn't let the season go by without decorating. Welcome to my home!!!

Before you walk in, you'll be greeted with a lovely Christmas wreath that my good friend, Jessica, made for me a couple years back.

In our living room, our stockings are hung by the chimney with care

Also in our living room we have our Christmas tree!!

Above our entertainment center, I have our nativity scene and then a fun printout I got off the internet of Luke 2:13-14

This little thing might be one of my favorite decorations. It is sitting on one of the end tables. 

This wreath is on our bedroom door. It has ornaments that my grandmother collected over the years. Last year, my aunts separated all the ornaments that my grandmother had and split them between all the grandkids and put them on wreaths. I love it because I will always have a piece of my grandmother with me. 

 I also have this little guy that sings O Christmas Tree and dances. I love it and makes me giggle every time I turn it on.

I have my photobook of my Christmas cards from previous years lying out on the console table. I'm excited to add the ones I got this year!

To see other homes go HERE. Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

What I'm loving Wednesday!!

Here is what I'm loving on this rainy Wednesday

Hosted by Jamie

1. I'm loving the note Jason left me on my car the other day when the windows had frosted over. It brightened my day!!

2. I'm loving that I have almost all my Christmas shopping done. I only have Jason and my dad left - the two hardest people to shop for. 

3. I'm loving all the Christmas movies on TV.  Just puts me more in a Christmas mood when you can come home every night and watch them. These are some of my favorites:

 google.com 

Source: google.ca 

Source: imdb.com 

4. I'm loving that Lucye's birthday was yesterday, and we celebrated by getting her a cupcake from Three Dog Bakery. She chowed that thing down in no time =). 

5. I'm loving that I am hosting my first cookie exchange party at my house this weekend. Y'all I'm a little nervous. I'm just afraid we will exchange cookies that will take all of 10 minutes, and then we will just be staring at each other for the next hour and a half! Any suggestions??? Has anyone else ever done one?

Source: livinglocurto.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

6. I'm loving that my BFF, Jacque,  is coming into town this weekend. I haven't seen her in over a year!! She lives in Seattle so she doesn't come here very often. I see a lot of laughing, inside jokes, and hanging out this coming weekend!!

What are you loving today?