Sunday, December 23, 2007

Merry Christmas and Monster Cookies

Merry Christmas to your family!!

Thursday night Nathan and I got to go to our faculty Christmas party. It was nice to have a babysitter and a night out.

Blogger really dislikes me right now. I have been trying for quite some time to rotate the above picture. It just doesn't want to rotate. Even though it is showing up on my photo software vertically. So, just turn your head to the left and pretend this photo is showing up in a vertical way!!



Kaylee and I baking some delicious Paula Deen Monster Christmas cookies!


Putting the Monster Cookies in the oven.


Cookies galore! The recipe says that it makes about 6 dozen, but they would have to be huge cookies to make that many. It made more like 10 dozen. We had cookies coming out of our ears, but they were really yummy!!

Paula Deen Monster Cookies

6 eggs
One 1 pound package light brown sugar (2 1/2 cups, packed)
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
One 24-ounce jar of creamy peanut butter
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
8 ounces of M&M's (we like the red and green Christmas ones for this time of year!)
8 ounces chocolate chips
4 teaspoons baking soda
9 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a very large mixing bowl (I had to half the recipe and do it in two bowls!), combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the M&M's, chocolate chips, baking soda, and oatmeal.
3. Drop by tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool.

ENJOY!!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

12 Christmas Things

Okay, I am finally getting around to doing this!

Stacey has tagged me for this fun idea wherein I have to share 12 random things about myself that are Christmas related. Here are the rules:

1. List 12 random things about yourself that have to do with Christmas
2. Please refer to it as a 'hoopla' and not the dreaded 'm'-word
3. You have to specifically tag people when you're done. None of this "if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged" stuff is allowed...then nobody ends up actually doing it. The number of people who you tag is really up to you -- but the more, the merrier to get this 'hoopla' circulating through the blogosphere.
4. Please try and do it as quickly as possible. The Christmas season will be over before we know it and I'd like to get as many people involved as possible.

12 Random Christmas Things About Jennifer:

1. I went through a phase in high school and college where I just despised Christmas. I was quite the Scrooge. The music and hustle and bustle just annoyed me. But, that's changed now!

2. I pretended to believe in S a lot longer than I really did. I knew the truth (because I was smart that way ;-) ), but I didn't want to disappoint my Mom. She lives for Christmas. Sorry, Mom!

3. I used to love to help my Grandma make Christmas cookies. They were always the same sugar cookies with icing and multi-colored balls on them. I try to keep up the tradition whenever I can.

4. Stockings are my favorite part of Christmas! We always had the best stockings!

5. I would spend a lot more money on people for Christmas if I could. I love to buy gifts for people. I would probably spend the most on Mom. I always find lots of things she would like, so I really have to limit myself with her gifts.

6. I loved leaving cookies out for Santa and wearing Christmas pajamas. We have lots of pics with my brother and I in front of the tree in cute pjs.

7. I used to love to look at Christmas lights. Every year we would get bundled up and drive around town looking at lights. I think my Mom loved it and my Dad just drove. I am sure he would have much rather been at home!

8. I think my favorite gift was when I was 15 and I got contacts for Christmas. I was excited because I knew I was about to get my license and I did not want to wear glasses to drive. My mom took a piece of posterboard and drew a face on it. Then she took two clear bowls and glued them over the eyeballs. It was so funny!

9. We alternate every Christmas between my family and Nathan's. We already did Christmas with my family last weekend. I got some great gifts last weekend. New digital camera, Seiko clock that plays music every hour (Christmas music during season!), Electric pressure-cooker, stockpot (from B and Kellie), money . . .


10. I will really miss my Mom's Christmas dinner this year. I am so glad I got to have her dressing at Thanksgiving. And I got to share some Borden's eggnog out of a can with Dad this weekend (it's the only good eggnog!)

11. Nathan's family has done a Turducken for Christmas dinner the last few years. Hmmm . . . that's a whole different story!

12. Nathan's grandpa owned a Christmas tree farm that Nathan worked at for years, so he has a love/hate relationship with real trees. He is really sad we don't have a real tree, but he sometimes cringes when he sees them because he remembers all of the hardwork!

I tag Mom, Laura, Kellie, and Mandy!

Christmas Card pics



Just in case anybody missed Mom's blog. Here is one of the pics we used on our Christmas card. Mom took pics for us over the Thanksgiving holidays. She did a great job!! Thanks, Mom!!

Sunday, December 09, 2007

What we've been up to . . .

Here are some things that have been going on in our life!


Nolan is now standing, and he does not want to sit down . . . at all!


He is into everything.


Who me?


N loves eating Zweiback toast.


The co-op kids eating pizza.


Yummy!


Popcorn and a movie.


Here comes Santa Claus, Here comes Santa Claus . . .

Every year our little volunteer fire department drives Santa around the neighborhood so the kids can come out and talk to him. He brings candy canes for the kids and we get to take pictures. Kaylee has started looking forward to Santa's visit to our street every year.


The kids telling Santa what they want for Christmas.


Merry Christmas!!

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Just for fun!

We are currently doing a "cutest baby" contest among the teachers at school. So, I had Mom email me some pics of me as a baby. Please ignore all ugly shoes! Mom assures me that they were told during this time period that these shoes were so important in the development of feet, but now I wonder if these ugly shoes are the reason for my bad feet! I was inspired to post these after my friend, Stacey, posted pics of her hubby as a little boy. Enjoy! And notice how much my 9 month picture looks like Nolan, who turned 9 months on Sunday!



18 months


1 year


9 months


6 months