Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas!!! I hope everyone had a great and peaceful day with family and friends. I myself had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed every moment of watching my children's faces when they saw the wonder of Christmas morning. We attended a great mass at 4:30 at the new Senior Center here in town. It wasn't exactly a traditional church service, but since Katrina we've been gathering in a modified skating rink and we're no worse for wear. So, anyway, Secilia slept through the whole thing and snored her britches off. Samantha was her angelic self, singing and acting very reverent when she thought people were looking. We then took them (the girls) out to eat at the local casino...did you know there is nothing open on Christmas Eve except The Waffle House and casinos? And although I like a good scattered, smothered,covered and chunked breakfast, I just felt that the occasion warranted something a bit classier. It was good and the girls really enjoyed themselves,they love all the noise and lights at a casino, plus they thought they were cool when they realized kids aren't normally allowed. We then went home and prepared for Santa..
On Christmas morning it has been tradition (since the babies were born) for everyone to come to our house for breakfast... And what a breakfast it was! I tried a new recipe that called for cooking a casserole in a crock pot for 10-12 hours...guess what? DON'T EVER COOK EGGS FOR 12 HOURS!!!!! Luckily I looked in at midnight to check on my concoctions and realized these babies were gonna be a big ole' hot mess in a matter of minutes. I turned them off and just kept the warmer on them and they were fine in the morning. Bacon and hashbrown casserole, ham and hashbrown casserole, grits, biscuits, stuffed strawberries, and cinnamon rolls were on the menu....yummo!! Such a great morning with the family and I truly love moments when everyone gets along and is kind to one another...
Everyone loved their gifts, Mike was extremely pleased with his Saints tickets that I gave to him...not so much with the Saints clothing I bought for him to wear when attending the games, but he really loved the fact he was going to see them. He would have painted his chest in gold with my name in big black letters had I made that a stipulation.
He did a great job too...I received the most breathtaking Baccarat Crystal necklace from him and the girls. It truly is one of my favorite things I've ever received. He also gave me a Cricut, which I have wanted for years; a new Hero Android phone, of which I know nothing about, but I'm loving every moment of learning and of course a box of Hickory Farms (long story that I probably will never share with anyone, but trust me, it's hilarious). All in all it was a great holiday, I'm looking very forward to 2010 and what may be on the horizon for me and my loved ones. I truly wish all my friends and family abundant blessings and love in the upcoming year! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My new Baccarat Crystal necklace

Spa Party...did someone say chocolate?

So today was Samantha's 7th birthday...I can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday she was toddling around, sucking her pacis and singing at her Backyardigans 3 year old party...Sometimes I miss those days, but these days she is independent and is a girl who knows what she wants and likes...guess what? She likes spas!! I'm in so much trouble...everything she does now involves polish, makeup, smelly stuff galore. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact she is such a girly girl, but the expense is killing me and she isn't even wearing the stuff for real. This years party was a toss up between a party at Bath Junkie with ten of her closest friends or a spa party at home with many more friends and mom doing all the work. She chose the home spa party. I made invitations from a template I found at Martha Stewart online. They turned out so cute... I decorated with mainly a white and pink theme. I found some cute baskets at Hobby Lobby and filled them with pink bath puff, a headband, some rose petal soaps, a monogrammed washcloth that I made with my trusty embroidery machine and washcloths from Sams Club, and a sack of bath salts that we scented and colored at the party. We smeared the girls with a chocolate mask that was made from cocoa, honey, sour cream and oatmeal, it smelled awesome and looked like a thick chocolate frosting. It probably tasted good too, but I was too afraid to try it. I printed each girls name out on paper to mark their seat and added a charger with a white candle surrounded by silk daisies to each table. I covered the tables with a white paper tablecloth that I purchased from Sams Club, then added white hand towels that I also purchased at Sams, at every girls seat. The basket went on top of the hand towel and I added a clear plastic bowl and a popsicle stick for preparing the bath salts. I think all the girls truly had a great time, and I had a fantastic time planning it, but then again, that is my favorite thing to do...I'm a party girl!!! A party girl that has a four and seven year old and goes to bed at 9:00 every night! Anyway, the party was great, my sister made the most fantastic cake (if you ever need a cake you should really look her up at Iced and Sliced), and my baby had a great birthday. My girls are loves of my life, I want them to have memories of their childhood and birthdays. I want them to be able to share those memories with their children and remember how much fun they had. But most of all I want them to know how much they mean to me and that their mom would go above and beyond to make them feel special. Happy Birthday Sami!!!!

Shower caps for kids

My kids love to wear a shower cap...I don't know what the fascination is with these plastic head wraps, but they are the biggest fans...So, I thought to myself this year for Christmas I would buy them one of their own...They have been wearing mine, it is huge on them of course, but safety pins are a fix all for all things big. Anyway, much to my chagrin, there is no such thing as a child size shower cap...yeah, yeah, I know what you are thinking, sure there is, you've probably seen them hanging in the dollar store, but what I meant to say is there aren't any "really cute" shower caps for kids....So what's a crafty gal to do....make her own!!! I found fabulous caps for kids in the UK...but who knows how to purchase something from over there and honestly I just don't understand the whole money conversion thing...I'm sort of math challenged. I can't even do my six year olds first grade math, much less change euros into American money...but I did find a website belonging to our British neighbors that had stylish and fancy caps. I scoped out the design and went to my favorite store, Hancock Fabric, and wouldn't you know it, they had satin fabric on sale for 50% off...it was meant to be...a deal!!! I bought all the notions and accessories and headed home to venture into the unknown...I cut out a pattern from old wrapping paper (it was the biggest thing I could find) and used a shower curtain liner that I hadn't opened for the inner lining. They turned out FANTASTIC!!! I have posted pics here and on my Facebook page and wouldn't you know it, I've already gotten an order for one...I think I might try and sell them...you never know this could be my fortune...I could be the "Shower Cap Lady"...hmmm...we'll see, my friend Denise says they are awful...it's a good thing I like her or I would make one for her kids for Christmas...I know they would love it...her youngest would probably want to wear it to school!! Happy showering everyone.

Fleur de Lis Shirts

The new Mardi Gras Fleur de Lis shirts are in....have a look and let me know if you are interested...I can still order Christmas shirts as well...They are high quality long sleeve t-shirts with beautiful rhinestone and rhinestud designs....$20..
email me a gunz1963@cableone.net....Enjoy!!

Black Friday Woes

Black Friday...I look forward to it every year...my best girlfriends and I have always gotten up at the butt crack of dawn and shopped until our feet were practically bloody stumps...well, that's kind of an exaggeration..but you get my drift. Except the one time we decided to hold out and not partake in the festivities, however, by 9:00 that morning we were so deep into D.T's we had no choice but to put on our shopping shoes and go. This year was going to be no different from year's past, we had a plan; the alarms were set and the coupons had been clipped. Unfortunately my body wasn't in on the plan. I woke myself up at 4:40 a.m. with a cough that made me think of barking dog. I decided to go ahead and get up..I'll feel better if I shower...that didn't happen. So at 5:15 I sent the dreaded text message to my peeps,"I can't make it"...I knew my day was going to consist of regrets. I would miss all the sales, all the bargains and all the sweat suit wearing,croc footed, bare faced women with the mad look of coupon crazed intoxication on their faces. What the hell was I thinking...feel better, feel better, FEEL BETTER!!!!! Well, I didn't, so I resorted to the next best thing, cyber shopping. Believe it or not, it wasn't half bad. I wore my bathrobe and drank coffee and I truly think I got better deals than I would have had I stood in line at a large retail chain. I actually accomplished goals on my to do list. Sadly, I missed quality time with my friends, that part I regret, I certainly can't get the hilarious entertainment they provide from staring at a computer screen. But the deals were good and I feel alot better this evening. Maybe next year I'll resume the Black Friday ritual, I did miss it, but this year was ok too. Besides, sometimes the best deals are the ones that you aren't expecting, just like the time I bought 25,000 cotton swabs for $5...it was a deal, and it certainly was unexpected...

Planet 51 is a Turkey

Today the girls wanted to go see the movie Planet 51. I thought to myself, why not? It should be an ok movie, how bad could it be, aliens, moonmen, cartoon characters...it had to be ok for kids, right? Well after agreeing and setting up plans with my stepmom to go with me, I decided to look up the reviews on the internet, I don't know what told me to do so, but maybe because that mom intuition wouldn't leave me alone unless I did. I looked up the reviews and let's just say it's ironic that the it was released at Thanksgiving, because the movie is a big fat Turkey. Not only did it get 1 star in most of the reviews, but they (the majority of reviewers) out right warned parents this movie wasn't for kids...there were quite a few reviews that mentioned anal probe jokes...how do you explain that to a 4 year old...So, needless to say, the movie didn't happen, instead we decided to go to lunch then go to my stepmom's to do Thanksgiving crafts...easy day don't you think? Um..no...did you know that craft stores don't provide Thanksgiving crafts twenty four hours before the big day...they have already been moved out and replaced by Santa's and reindeer decor...I know retailers have to gear up for the season, but where did all of it go? Where are the ceramic pilgrims, where are the corn husk dolls, what happened to the wooden cornucopias? Did they ship it back, did they sell out, did they send it to the alien's on Planet 51? Where in the "gobbler" are the dang Turkey crafts? Oh well, we settled on Christmas crafts, they weren't what we had in mind, but it worked, it kept the girls busy and they had a great time...Happy Turkey Day everyone...may the force be with you.

Pink and Green Mantel and Christmas Tree Decor

Our Tree



This is my favorite decoration, I looked for years for the Kneeling Santa and finally found it at a craft show




This is my newest decoration addition..I got it for a great deal at Dirt Cheap. When you light the candles, the carousel spins.




Our nutcracker frog




Mantel Decor, I think it turned out really good this year

Decorating

Today we have tried to finish the tree and mantel decor. All in all not a bad start to the decorating festivities around the Gundlach household...We only lost 5 ornaments and I was able to glue four of them back together. Ariel no longer has any arms, but her tail has been reattached...King Triton is missing his tail, but his hand has also been glued back together. Dumbo lost his water spray and Milificent lost her head...we also shattered a glass Christmas ball, however, I have learned from the past that platic balls are the way to go. We have slowly weeded out, or should I say trashed, most of the glass balls. If you haven't figured it out yet, we go with a Disney theme tree. The girls love it and I honestly love it too...it is always so much fun to put them in groupings and watch the girls reenact their favortite movies. I will post some pics later when everything is completed, but my hubby seems to think the tree looks like a big cupcake. It tried to explain to him that he lives with a gaggle of girls, it is inevitable not to adorn the house with girly decor. Get over it man!!! Tree...done...mantel...done...off to the rest of the house..Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go.....

Ummm...I'm lost

Ok, I know I had a blog that I started a few months ago...but, as usual, I've lost it....This leads me to ask the question...How many things can one person forget in one day? Now I know this is probably an impossible question to answer, but I bet some super smart scientist has figured it out somewhere in this great big world. I, unfortunately, am not one of those people, but if they ever needed a lab rat, I'm their gal!

So, I am starting a new blog, and will begin this month. Why? you may be asking yourself, would a person start a blog in the busiest two months of the year? Well, it's pretty simple...I'm an idiot! No, really I just thought it would be fun to post pictures of our crafts and decorations that we do during this holiday season. I love this time of year, and honestly I don't really bottom out until after Mardi Gras. So there should be alot to blog about in the next few months. I hope I can keep it up, however, I always have good intentions that somehow never seem to fulfill their destiny, but we'll see.

So, until my next post...I hope some super smart person will answer my question...wait...what was the question again??