Bringing In the New Year

We are not real fancy people (in case you haven't figured that out yet). Our New Year's Eve was laidback this year as usual...just hanging out with family, watching some fireworks, and having fun with sparklers. It was freezing cold! The girls were bundled up and full of smiles (even Lucy was in a rare "pitcher" taking mood!).

Macy was so happy she didn't realize she had some dud sparklers =)

She thouroughly enjoyed herself all the while belting out "God Bless America" very loudly.

I have always been scared to death of sparklers. Really, they horrify me. They don't seem to bother Macy and Lucy the least bit.

Lucy's favorite things were those pop rocks that you throw on the ground and stomp on them if they haven't already popped.

Bring on 2010!

Going Hunting and Making Cake Pops

Jason has had big plans to take Macy hunting today. Here they are getting ready to go...

Macy is pretending to be the 10-point that she and her Daddy were going to get.
I had to come up with something incredibly fun for Lucy and me because she has gotten to where she pitches these awful fits when her Daddy leaves her (she used to be my girl, but she has become a huge Daddy's girl lately).
We put on our aprons made cake pops. I got this idea to make brightly colored cake pops from Mckmama at "My Charming Kids" (I am sure you all know this blog well...there is a link on my sidebar). My instructions are not as detailed as Mckmama's are, but here they go. We used Funfetti cake mix because I usually have 4 or so boxes in the pantry (to make my ever-so-famous funfetti cookies...they put my sugar cookies to shame...at least my girls think so).

We made the cake according to the directions on the back of the box, then tore it into big chunks and put them in my food processor. You want the cake to basically be pulverized.

Then, you take about a cup of icing (we used fluffy white icing) and mix it with the pulverized cake. You want the cake to be moist enough to be able to make balls out of it.

I used a scoop so all my balls would be the same size. I scooped up the cake mix / icing mixture and rolled them in my hands to make them smooth. Then we stuck lollipop sticks in them.

We put them in the freezer for about an hour or so.

Then my picture-taking really slackened. I divided a pack of white almond bark in half and colored half of it pink and half of it turquoise (do the color choices surprise you? I am sure not!). We dipped the cake balls in the chocolate and used a spoon to smooth them out, then dipped them in several different kinds of sprinkle. And there you go...fun cake pops!

We'll definitely be making these again (next time Macy will get to be in on the fun). They were cute and so yummy!

More Glimpses of Our Christmas

Once again...after Christmas I know...just adding some pictures for my records =)

Santa came! Macy was thrilled to FINALLY get her pink Nintendo DS!! She has been wanting one for a long time...we're just really not into all the techno stuff, but she deserved it this year. And I see a trend...make the older child wait forever...then get the younger child one for the next birthday...to keep the peace!
Lucy got her "Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo" doll and the pink "space" (plasma) car that she was wanting.

Our ginormous tree and presents underneath (paper compliments of who else, but Hobby Lobby!)...

Lucy being silly. I've gotten to where in order to get a good picture of her, I have to promise her that she can take a funny face picture too.

Me and my girls...pardon the no make-up look.

Macy didn't get the make-a-silly-face memo.

Since I couldn't put all 900 pictures on here, I just chose a few of my favorites. We had a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Decorations...Keeping It Simple!

I do know that Christmas was yesterday. I just haven't put my Christmas decoration pictures on here yet, and being that I usually go back to see what I did last year when I start decorating, I thought I would go ahead and post them.

I am a pretty simple sort of decorator. Like putting-glitter-balls-in-bowls sort of simple. That's just my style =) I got stuck when it came to my mantle. Couldn't decide what I wanted. My garland wasn't looking right (I was a little tired of the same thing), and I am not good at arranging mesh. So...I called up Renee at Joy's and told her I wanted something cute and different and Jason would be by around 5 to pick it up. She sent these trees...I love them!!
She told me just to sprinkle some balls around the bases of them and scatter some across my mantle.

I also added a gold glitter deer (a very OLD gold glitter deer) that was my Nana's. I do love how it turned out!
Macy and Lucy's advent tree (from Hallmark a few years ago)...Macy is in charge of it. Lucy likes to rearrange it from time to time, which aggravates Macy. But hey...what are little sisters for?

And I told you I am a glitter-balls-in-bowls kind of decorator. See? I loved these red and gold balls...found them at Dollar General...$ 2.00 for 12...wow!

This is a tree that also belonged to my Nana. Every light is still on the tree, and I think it still has the original bulb.

This was an arrangement I got last year...it hangs on an old window in the girls' hallway.

Lucy's pink feather tree decorated with baby things and some of her first Christmas ornaments (complete with a baby shoe on top).

I got the girls new pre-lit pink Christmas tress at Wal-Mart this year. They both have pink tinsel trees in their bedrooms, but they love lights, so I added these this year. I kept it simple and just put some sparkly candy-looking garland with snowmen on them. These trees cast a little soft pink glow at night and are so cute in their rooms!

Going with the pink and turquoise theme in their bathroom...are you surprised? And another bowl of small glitter balls =) Isn't the towel adorable? My Mom did it for them. It can be kept out all winter.

A closeup of the little glitter balls...I just love them!

The little pink trees came from Hobby Lobby last year, but they may have them every Christmas because I noticed they had some again this year.

Macy's pink tree...

One of my very favorite things...this giant ornament that my dear friend Amy made me...I love it!

I am not a bowmaker, but I did manage to make one to put on my chandelier above in our breakfast area. Added a little mesh, and wah-lah...a festive addition.

My Christmas card basket (with another bow I made!), a jar of candy canes (Bob's cherry flavored ones are the best!), and the sweet little gingerbread houses the girls made on Christmas Eve...

More glitter balls in a bowl...I told you I loved them!

I have no idea where this little tiny tree came from, but I love it. My decorating is not complete without it. I thought my tiny bird salt & pepper shakers complimented it well.

This is another favorite...my vintage ball wreath...got it last year at Petal Pushers. I hung it with my aprons this year.

And my all-time favorite...the handprint tree canvas that I made with the girls last year. I love it so much...it may hang up all year!!

Christmas decorating...keeping it simple...just my style!