1/1/11

Hello, HAPPY HOME AND HEART friends. HAPPY 2011!!!! Boy it has been a long time since I have written.  We have been busy but I have also been trying to keep things relaxing in our home.  My college babies are home so there is a lot more action here.  Friends, girl friend, boy friend in and out.  A lot more food needing to be made with my college boy home.  I just can not keep up with his tummy or his time schedule.  But I am giving it a try.  And to help me with that you will never guess what my dear, sweet, hubby surprised me with this Christmas.  Now, I do remember posting we never buy each other gifts, it just is not in the budget and we would rather spend it on the cheenas (as my husbands grandma would say.)  But he must have been saving some of his refereeing money to buy this for me.  I have wanted it for so, so long.  And here it is.

I know, I know some women would find that just appalling. They would rather have diamonds or something.  But it is just what I wanted. I love, love, love it. I try to think of things I can make just to use it.  I am going to gain more weight for sure if I keep this up.  I am going to have to start walking my dog Ruben more.  See my pretty apron in the back ground that was given to me by my blogger friend Daniele?   I love to wear it.

Before Christmas I entered a giveaway at a blog I love to visit. It is Grandma Becky.  She has beautiful pictures on her blog of places I will probably not see.  Well, I won a calendar with beautiful pictures in it and a beautiful pashmina shawl.  I wore it the other night when my husband took me out for dinner. I really do not like pictures of my self but here is one since I told her I would put one on.  Ugh!!!!

I have also decided to start off my year by participating in Good Morning Girls.  You can click on the link to find out more about it but I am so excited to be participating.  I think it will just be wonderful to have some one help keep me on track and make new friends.  I will let you know how it goes.

I am not really going to make any new years resolutions this year.  I think I am just going to keep trying to be a Proverbs 31 women.  And keep guiding my girls to be the same.  As well as my son to grow and be the best man/husband/daddy he can be some day. 

Standing on the rock

Clinging to his grace

Crystal

Oh Christmas Tree and so much more

The Happy Home and Heart are in full Christmas swing.  Our Christmas decorations have been up for a few weeks now and I am just loving it.  It just puts me in the mood to stay home more than I already love to.  We are pretty simple at our house.  I am not an interior designer by any means.  But here is a look at our two trees.  You won't find grapevine or ribbon on our trees.  It is mainly Christmas balls and ornaments the kids have received through the years. I don't even have the lights even.  That is so funny to me.  The little tree downstairs in the family room has snowmen and white Christmas balls on it.  See I told you nothing fancy.


Downstairs Christmas tree



Upstairs Christmas tree

Courtney and I took a walk one evening in the cold.  It was so cold but so fun.  We went around the neighborhood and looked at the lights people decorated their homes with.  Here is a few pictures of our cold adventure.

The house Alyssa lives in at college has a pecan tree.  So she has been picking pecans for me.  She went for a walk in her neighborhood with a friend looking for pine cones for me also. I know I ask a lot of her. Believe it or not it is hard to find pine cones in our neck of the woods.   Well as she was walking she noticed her neighbor had a pecan tree also and he let her pick as many as she wanted from his yard too.  So I have a ton of pecans.  Yeah!!  Those things are a pain to shell though.  My fingers are sore.  I also received some from a family member.  Well with all those pecans I wanted to try a new recipe.  I tried Spiced Pecans. They turned out pretty good.  I think if I had not over cooked them they would be awesome.  Just like the ones you get at the mall in those little cone bags.  My daughters love those.  So I will try to make them again and try not to burn them this time.  Here is the recipe if you want to try them.

Spiced Nuts

1 large egg white

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon salt

1 pound unsalted pecans, cashews, walnut or almonds

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon coriander

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheets with parchment paper.  Whisk egg white, water and salt in large bowl.  Add nuts and toss to coat.  Drain in colander for 5 minutes. 

2. Mix sugar, cinnamon ginger and coriander in large bowl.  Add drained nuts and toss to coat.  Spread nuts evenly on prepared baning sheets and bake until dry and crisp, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking time.  Cool completely.  Break apart and serve. 

I have bought a few Christmas gifts mainly for family members that I need to get in the mail. That means a lot of wrapping. I am still working on the kids gifts.  This year I am struggling to buy for Alyssa.  Usually she is the easiest for me. Ryan, I am almost done.  Courtney I am also still working on.  Mike and I do not usually exchange gifts.  Our budget just really does not allow for that.  We would both rather spend the money on the kids.  That is good with me.  We will some day have our chance again but right now it is about our babies who really are not babies any more.  But you know how it is they will always be your babies.  Do people with kids exchange gifts for Christmas?  I don't know.  We have just always spent it on the kids.  



 It is so hard for me to put Jesus in human form. I wonder was he just the cutest little boy people had ever seen?   To think he was on this earth just as we are.  That for thirty-three years he felt everything we feel from feeling weary, afraid, happy, scared.  He got tummy aches, headaches, colds.  That is just amazing to me.  I am so grateful for all he with through just for me.  I know I am so undeserving and it brings tears to my eyes when I think he had to suffer so much just for me (us).  It just makes my tummy sick when I think of any one who has to suffer.  I am just so grateful.  I hope you are this Christmas also.  



Lastly, I am not a person who really takes naps.  But yesterday after church, wrapping presents and taking Court to volleyball I was so tired.  So my sweet husband said go lay down and you know what I listened to him and slept for 1 1/2 hours.  Wow, I was shocked I was able to sleep during the day.  I am really trying hard to not let the hustle and bustle of Christmas get to me.  I pray you are able to do the same.  

Merry Christmas

Crystal    

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

The Happy Home was filled to the brim with family over Thanksgiving.  It was such wonderful fun spending time with them all. We ate way to much yummy food and played a fun/funny card game called Spoons.  Oh it was so fun. Have you ever played Spoons?  Well there was a lot of laughing.  What could be better.  Everyone was able to be here except Ryans girl friend she of course spent Thanksgiving with her family.  But the family got to finally meet Alyssas prince charming.  His home is in Colorado and so he was not able to go home for Thanksgiving.  I know his mommy was sad. 

We have our home all decorated for the Christmas season.  It is such a wonderful, cozy feeling.  I have made my gift list and checked it twice and trying so hard to stick to it.  Black Friday sales did not help me out to much.  I have vowed not to impulse shop.  I have prayed and prayed about the gifts we should give.  I hope I have it right.  Our tree is up with our angel on top.  When I was a child we always put a home made star on top.  My dad would cut a star out of cardboard and wrap it in tin foil.  The star was always the last to go up  and we 3 kids had to take turns putting the star on top of the tree.  My dad would write on the back of the star who did it that year and of course it went by age.  To put the star up was a big deal in our house with dad holding us up to reach the top of the tree.  I don't know why I did not follow this tradition with our kids.  We just chose to have an angel on top.  But there are good memories with the Christmas tree star.  As there should be.  It is just one of the reminders this time of year why we celebrate this season.  Stars are amazing to look at and I have heard there are as many stars in the sky as there are grains of sand.  Wow, I just can not imagine that.  Amazing, amazing.

I hope you are able to enjoy this season with out feeling stressed.  It is a magical time of year.  Make your list, check it twice and pray, pray about it. Start enjoying some family traditions.  I hope you can take the time to enjoy your cozy, decorated home and truly remember the reason for the season. 


Blessings

Crystal

                                                    I just love the country Christmas look.