The Gift

Guard dutyJust making sure the stocking are OK

Hey there, you need a little Christmas Cheer!The Little boy above is my Christmas Present this year. He still doesn't have a name, grand kids are working on name suggestions. He is spoiled rotten already, and a real baby. He thinks he has to be in my lap all the time. We did have a little problem the first night, we put him in our bathroom and he started to howl and cry, he did quiet after 20 minutes. The second night I decided to put him in his room early so he would calm down and go to sleep. That just didn't work as he cried, whinnied and howled until I finally had to move him to the laundry at the other end of the house. Guess he was just to used to being with me that he didn't want to be in the room by himself. So last night, I decided to give him the shirt I had been wearing all day and that seemed to work as he didn't make a peep. Guess my scent was enough to calm him. The other dogs are not happy that he is here. He tries to play with them, but they ignore the poor little guy so he will either go and get out a toy and play with it or he ends up in my lap. He is a typical Pomeranian as he doesn't walk, he prances, he doesn't run, he hops... he is three months old and he is doing really well with his potty training, he loves the big yard.

Any suggestions for a name?

All the stocking are done

The stockings are finally finished, Everyone here and in Pa have a new stocking made by Nana this year. These were kits that were started right after Halloween, I wasn't sure that I would get them all done for this year but I met that goal last night. One is Missing from the pictures, it is the one that went to Sean's Mother in Ohio. Hers was called winter birds and it was the reason I started making the stockings. Hers had a birdhouse and birds on it, and I found those kits on ebay for $179.00 If I would have know they were selling for that much I would have sold it. I found hers in a box of craft items that I had bought at a garage sale. Oh well, it is finished and his Mother loves her new Christmas Stocking.

Candy is done

Another chore off my holiday list, The Candy is done. All the candy and a lot of the cookies this year will have Pecans, Pecans, Pecans. This is due to me asking hubby if anyone at work was selling Pecans, as in past years we have bought a bag. Well, one of the girls he works with has Pecan trees and brought in two BIG bags of Pecans for him and she didn't charge him anything. We shelled and shelled and than I made two smaller bags and sent off to Melanie and Jenny (I just got tired of shelling the Pecans) Besides I had two large bags in the freezer and that would be enough for us. So now that I had so many nuts to use I needed to come up with some recipes for Pecans, Hence Pecan cookies, Pecans added to cookies, Candy with lots of Pecans, like Pecan Brittle (which is really good) Carmel Pecan nut chews coated in Chocolate (this is good too). But the third candy I tried to make was a flop. Melanie wanted Divinity and said no one would make it for her, and now I know why. This is a hard candy to have turn out right. I tried but guess I just didn't beat it long enough as it just flopped and I ended up getting upset and throwing it in the trash. I may or may not try it again, if not they sell the stuff at Wal-mart....
Packages are wrapped and under the tree, packages that were sent to other states were delivered today, cookies and candy are made, cowgirl outfit is finished and in its box, all embroidery work is done, there is only one thing left to do and that is to finish the last two stockings which I hope to get done this weekend.... Finished Kyle and Jack's last night, Just Morris and Becca's to make yet, than all the grand kids will have new stockings for Santa to fill.....

COOKIES!!!!

I am still taking the holiday preparations one day and one chore at a time. Today was cookie day, yesterday I mixed up batches of cookie dough and early this morning Melanie came to help with the baking. We worked all morning and part of the afternoon, baking tray after tray of cookies, I had Melanie do the tasting just to make sure they were OK. We got all of the batches done and even mixed up another batch of Chocolate Chip cookies. Tonight I also made a batch of Spritz cookies, these always look so festive with the colored sugars and besides I like playing with the cookie press. Tomorrow will be candy day, I have three kinds I am planning on making, Pecan brittle, Chocolate turtles and surprise. I am so tired from standing on my feet all day, just glad that I have some sit down type things that need getting done. I still have 4 more stockings to make before Christmas. Last night I finished up with the embroidery items that needed to be mailed out this week, I also finished a Santa Hat Purse for Melanie. I do have one more big sewing project which is a western outfit for one of the grand kids. I do see the light at the end of the tunnel, I am really starting to think that I will have all my chores done by Christmas.

All Wrapped Up

I am wrapping gifts today, trying to get another holiday chore off my list. I did take time to fill my bird feeders and make fruit kabobs and peanut butter seed balls for my daily feathered visitors. I think the birds are starting to tell their friends that the buffet is open at the Coleman's as we have hundreds of birds visit daily. So now that that chore is done for a week, I can start back trying to cross off holiday chores. I have a ham in the oven, gifts for the grand kids scatter all over my living room and a husband who is willing to help, what more could I want. Well, he is kinda, sorta willing to help....hehehe... He really is good with the wrapping, but he keeps asking where I intend to put it all once it gets wrapped. Guess he forgot that putting the gifts under the tree is his job as he is the one who plays Santa. I had the piles equal, yes I said equal, I try to make sure that I have the same amount of boxes and spend the same amount of money on each grandchild. Well, the piles were equal, until last night, we went to Wal-mart to pick up some gift cards and we made the mistake of walking around the store. Did you guess what happen? We spotted these little puppies that moved and whimpered and we had two little girls who wanted them, so I put them in the basket and than we had to look for items to make the other kids piles the same, not even going to mention the cost of the bill last night, hubby just gave me a look... Oh well, they are only young once and they do grow up so fast. The little ones are so easy to buy for, teens on the other hand, well, we do gift cards or take them shopping.... I do have a grand daughter who is really into Christmas this year. When I had asked for wish lists she was calling me every day to add to her list and if her sister asked for something Lizzy would tell me that she wanted that too. She thought that it was funny when I told her that her list was the biggest... She is so cute, we took Morris's birthday present over yesterday and Lizzy came running out of the house as we were leaving and she said " Nana, I need to tell you what to add to my list for Christmas, I think I told you but I want a dress up trunk." Guess this is what she really wants this year as she must have told me 10 time so far. She is getting the dress up trunk. How could I resist this beautiful little girl, asking so quietly and so many times LOL.... better stop here for now and get busy wrapping..... Oh and I do intend to stay away from the stores until after Christmas, well, we do need to make one more trip as I forgot to pick a certain item for Melanie last night. Yes I do make sure that I spend the same amount of the adult kids too, I just can't get the box number to come out the same.

Gingerbread house

The wonderful aroma of Gingerbread baking is filling my house. I am finally done with all the houses. These were made for friends and family for the holidays. Cross off another holiday chore off my list, now on to baking cookies, than candy making and in between those chores is finish making stockings and wrapping gifts. Just taking things one at a time..... I might get everthing done in time.

Warning, warning Snow is on it way

It is Winter and if I still lived in PA I would be dealing with the cold weather, Ice and Snow.... So I live in Florida, not south Florida where it is really hot, but Northwest Florida. Most of the time the weather is like a spring or fall day, what I like to call sweater weather. NOT TODAY, we were watching TV today and there was a winter warning in the corner. What state is that for I asked, had to be one of the northern states. Hubby went to work and soon he called me as he has access to really up to date weather updates and sure enough, It is snowing in New Orleans and you guessed it, Snow is heading this way.. Now, I have heard that it has snowed here, but I have been here for 11 years and have never seen the white stuff falling to the ground. Don't get me wrong, I love the look of snow falling, the crunch when you walk thru the white stuff, the crispness in the air after a snowfall. I did not like having to shovel the white stuff, the slip sliding trying to drive on the icy streets. To be truthful a snow shovel just doesn't fit my hands anymore and I would love to keep it that way, besides we don't own a snow shovel. Guess we will just have to wait and see what happens, it would be nice to have a little of the white stuff for effect on Christmas Eve, but that is all that I would like to see. Tonight I will be working on the last of the Gingerbread houses so let it snow, let snow, let it snow.

SHOPPING

This year we promised the two teen grandchildren that live here, that we would let them shop for their Christmas presents. Both had decided that clothes were what they wanted and I would never attempt to shop for a teen, style changes in the blink of an eye. Well, Heather is the Shoe girl, she just loves shoes, Emily followed her lead and also decided on a pair to go with her Skinny Jeans.... Each girl was given a set amount to shop with and Heather spent most of hers on one pair of shoes, Emily got shoes, jeans, jacket and still had money left. We had to take Em back home, so we being the nice grandparents went to the mall and got the necklace from the Twilight Movie (newest rage for teens I am told, might have something to do with the Hot boy that Heather picked out in a poster... Oh well, at least the kids are reading the books. Heather got her pricey shoes, CD, and two posters of Hot Boy Vampire.. Of course now her thing is, Christmas won't be a surprise because we know what we are getting.... Little do these girls know but we got them some other things to open as a surprise.... It was a fun day, we had Melanie with us to help in case the girls wanted some off the wall type thing. And then there was Kyle, poor kid, he had to deal with not only his sister picking on him, but now his cousin. The girls must have been having a good time in the back of the van, because all we heard was giggling, laughing, weird jokes and them picking on Kyle. I think next year we will just get them gift cards and let the parents do the shopping..... I think I was in tears most of the day, laughing so hard at the off the wall things Kyle said, sometimes I really worry about the child. We also had went to IHOP for breakfast and the Steakhouse for dinner, Even Kyle said he was finally full. Melanie and I, both took doggie bags home. Now I just have to put away the purchases from today, that will wait till tomorrow....

Let there be Lights, Lots of Lights....

The Lights at the Coleman house this year and our cast of critters.

HO HO HO!!! Merry Christmas