Temporarily Closed

We're off to Texas to visit my sisters. Check back after January 1st for updates, Christmas photos, and pictures from Texas.

We wish you a Merry Christmas....

MERRY CHRISTMAS !

Christmas Card Photos

We took photos for our Christmas cards back in early November. We headed to the woods and took photos in the leaves...and for the most part everyone was cooperative. We didn't end up using all of these...but here are my favorites. Jacob took the photo of Chris and I. Not bad, huh??

The first two photos are the ones we actually used for our cards.

These are a few of my favorite things....

Home again....day #5! This is crazy!! I really expected a 2 hour delay, but not a cancellation. This morning I got up and went to the doctor (more about that in another post), and then decided I had to get out of here...so Jenna and I headed to Lima. I am done Christmas shopping, but the mall just seemed like a logical destination. When I came home I sat down and finally watched the episode of Oprah where she has her favorite things. I had taped it but never watched it. And then I was inspired (or just incredibly bored!) and decided that if Oprah could have favorite things then why couldn't Amy?? So here you go....Amy's favorite things from 2007 (or at least the past few months...I can't remember the WHOLE year!). And before you ask....no, you are not all getting everything on my list. :) I'd love to see what's on your list of favorites for the year ! I always can use suggestions for new things to shop for!!

AMY'S FAVORITE THINGS - 2007

1. McDonald's sweet tea - I just recently discovered that McD's now serves sweet tea...and it is yummy! Seriously, it's a very close second to McAllister's in Texas - and a whole lot more convenient. In fact, I'm drinking some right now!

2. Hairspray - LOVED this on Broadway...and LOVED the movie. Jenna and I had a hard time not singing along when we watched it. It's on my Christmas list!

3. Colbie Callait - I discovered her when you could download one of her songs as the free single of the week on iTunes and then got hooked! I love her songs...and just downloaded her Christmas song called "Mistletoe".

4. My new van - love, love, love it...especially the fun radio!

5. Blistex Lip Infusion - My neighbor just introduced me to this. I am a sucker for any lipgloss type products, so I had to try it. It's perfect for winter...and not as waxy and thick as chapstick.

6. My new $10 hot pink WalMart winter coat - I hate big, bulky coats, but really needed a new warm coat for winter. I just happened to find this coat and WalMart and it was perfect - not too heavy, not too light. Plus it came in pink!...and you can't beat the price (even if it only lasts for one winter)!!

7. Crop-a-dile - Brenda bought this fun scrapbook tool for me this summer! It's awesome for punching holes, setting eyelets, etc. I'm not sure how I ever scrapbooked without it.

8. Bath and Body Works Twisted Peppermint products - Jill got me shower scrub last year for Christmas and Chris got me some lotion. I love the scent...and it's definitely on my list again for this year.9. "Ugg" boots - I held off on these for a long, long time and finally decided to get a pair. Of course, I didn't get the real deal...I went for the inexpensive Target version...but I LOVE them! Who knew they'd be so comfy??

10. Wallflowers home fragrance in Creamy Caramel from Bath and Body - LOVE the smell of this! I have one at home and one in my classroom. Everyone who walks into my room comments on it.

11. Bare Escentuals "Meet the Browns" Eye shadow kit - I have wanted this for a long time and finally broke down and just ordered it for myself. I love it - perfect for my brown eyes!!

12. Microfiber Socks - In the summer I am a barefoot person - I just hate wearing socks when it's warm out. But in the winter, I'm all about socks...especially these warm fuzzy ones! I have several pairs...and am always wanting more!

13. My fun new camera strap. I bought it on line here from someone who makes them. Mine is similar to this pattern, but it is red/white.

14. Moe's Southwest Grill -WELCOME TO MOE'S!!! We got hooked on Moe's when Becca was at Lutheran Hospital. Moe's was very close to the hospital and we ate there several times...and eventually got Chris' parents hooked on it too. Even Becca got to eat take-out from Moe's when she was able to eat real food again!

Snow day

We're still here....just buried under more snow! It started on Saturday afternoon, changed to freezing rain for a while, and then changed back to snow on Sunday. We only got about 5 inches of snow, but the layer of ice under the snow has made the roads really slick. They cancelled school for today and we are already on a 2 hour delay for tomorrow. This was day #4! I saw on the news tonite that the average snowfall for this time of year is around 3.5 inches, but this year we have already gotten over 10"! I hope that's not an indication of how the rest of the winter is going to be....or we'll be in school until July!!! I am getting lots and lots of Christmas preparation done. I should have no reason to be scrambing and stressed out on Christmas Eve.

It was a great weekend just to stay home! We spent most of Sunday with our neighbors. We had already planned on a brunch with 2 of our neighbors, but because of the snow and school cancellation brunch extended into the evening and we ended up ordering pizza together for dinner. The kids went out for a little bit in the late afternoon and I braved the cold for a very short time to snap a few photos.

Jacob heading to brunch at the neighbors. We loaded everything in the kids' sled and he pulled it over.
There's a story behind this photo. Our neighbor's son was in Florida last week visiting his aunt and uncle and was supposed to fly home Saturday. He ended up rescheduling his flight home for Monday due to the snow. In the meantime, his aunt emailed a photo of him lounging on the beach in the sun (knowing we were stuck in cold, snowy weather). So we took this photo to send back to him...
Jacob, Landrie, Jenna, Karlyn...

Sledding down the ice covered driveway...

Baby it's cold outside....

It looks like we will be staying home this weekend. We are under a winter storm warning through tomorrow evening. This is what the internet said this morning:


Van Wert area residents hoping for a white Christmas may get their wish, as up to a foot of snow could fall in the area over the weekend. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning that will be in effect from now through Sunday morning. Snow is expected to develop across the area late Saturday morning and then continue into Sunday morning. The snow could also mix with sleet and freezing rain at times, particularly on Saturday afternoon and evening. Snowfall could be heavy at times, with areas of blowing snow after 1 a.m. Sunday. Winds are expected to be around 15 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph, on Saturday and 20 mph, with gusts up to 35 mph, on Sunday. A total snow accumulation of between 8 and 12 inches is being forecast for the weekend. Temperatures are expected to range from around 30 on Saturday to the mid-20s on Sunday, with lows dipping into the teens by Sunday night. In addition, temperatures are not expected to rise above freezing until Wednesday. Area residents should use extreme caution when traveling, but should only travel when unavoidable. 12/15

Luckily we don't have anywhere we have to be this weekend that will require travelling on the snow covered roads. We have to go to buy a gift exchange gift this morning, then to Jacob's basketball game at 12:00. Tomorrow we have a brunch with our neighbors...but we can walk to that. We'll see what the roads are like when it's time to go to church. I have lots of baking and wrapping to get done...and I'm sure I kind find some sappy Christmas movies on "FaLaLa Lifetime" or "ABC Family" to watch while I work. If not, there's always Christmas music to fall back on. I'm just so glad this isn't next Saturday when we have to travel to Huron. Hopefully the roads are clear by Monday so we can get to school. I really don't want to miss another day before Christmas....especially since we've already missed 3 days!

PS Only 10 days till Christmas!!!

A few more ice photos....

I didn't have enough room in the previous post to share the rest of the ice photos. Jacob and Jenna went outside with me while I was taking photos of everything covered in ice...and spent most of their time sliding on the driveway. Jacob was much more daring than Jenna. ..




Jenna's preferred method of moving across the ice was this....

The ice and snow are now all melted and we have flood warnings. We have had two full days of school after a week of delays and cancellations! Hopefully the weather cooperates for a while now so we don't use up all our snow days before Christmas!

Ice, ice baby....

We are home from school again today. We had freezing rain start Saturday night and last most of the day yesterday. Everything is covered in a layer of ice - including our driveway! Luckily, most of the main roads are pretty clear, so driving isn't too bad. The side roads and country roads must be pretty icy since we cancelled. We're supposed to get more freezing rain tonite...so we'll see what happens tomorrow. In the meantime, I just stocked up on baking supplies and am going to spend the day doing some holiday goodie baking.
I went a little overboard taking photos of the ice yesterday around our yard and Chris' parents yard . Everything looks so pretty with a layer of ice on it.

One of my favorites.....

Another favorite.....I love how this turned out!!!

And yet another favorite....
This silly cardinal was so uncooperative! I swear he knew I was there trying to take his photo. He hid from me for the longest time and when he finally did come back to the feeder, he stayed on the back side where I couldn't see him. This is the best photo I could get of him- complete with the neighbor's electric meter in the background. Grrrr. It was going to be such a cool photo until Mr. Cardinal decided not to cooperate!

{Rylee}

The same day I did Quinn's photos, I also took photos of Rylee. Rylee is my cousin Kara's daughter...and baby Quinn's cousin. She recently turned 4 and Kara wanted 4 year photos of her. WHEW....Miss Rylee really gave me a work out. She is too funny and a bit of a dramatic poser. She had me laughing the whole time...and really reminded me of another 4 year old "drama princess" that I take photos of. She was a good sport and braved the mist outside so we could get some photos with the leaves as a backdrop. Just a few of my favorites...

Mom's favorite... My favorite...look at those eyes!! I think these extreme close ups have kind of become my "signature" photo. They always end up being my favorite.
And some fun "boa" photos with Jenna. Lori let them use boas for a few photos, and they had a ball!