Ah. Christmas. Family. Love.

Christmas Eve starts at 9am at my parents house. We gather for a big ol' country breakfast. What a great way to start the day! Then after we've had our fill, it's on to the gift exchange. Among other things....Ryan got a nice pair of gloves. (and all of us Mother's know that boys need new gloves every year :)

Kyle got a new hat! The kind that keeps your ears warm....like Elmer Fudd wears.....

My niece, Tayler, opening gifts. By the time she was done she had a head full of Christmas bows.

We got Dad and Mom a new Garmin. Whoo-hoo! Mom was ready to go for a drive and try it out!

This is my brother after opening the gift we gave him :)

Purple was the color of this Christmas! I got two of these awesome fleece jackets in different shades of purple, a purple scarf, purple gloves, a purple shirt and a purple robe. Good thing I love purple!!

It fits!!! I have worn it everyday since I got it. It is sooo warm and soft. I wish I didn't have to cover it up with a winter coat..unfortunately it's too cold for the jacket alone.

....and my hubby got a purple dress shirt and tie. I love that he has to dress up for work now. He looks so handsome!

After work, Briahnna came over to open gifts, too. Isn't she beautiful. I have never seen a bad picture of her, she is very photo-genic. (hey, nice bag....lol!)

Our tree....Christmas morning.

The boys bright-eyed and ready to rip and tear! This is my favorite Christmas moment every year!

How appropriate.....a Beatles ornament for Kevin :)

OK....never thought I would do this....get a gander while you can.....me without makeup or my hair combed AND in my jam-jams. It's a first and probably a last!!

Even the furry children received gifts!!! Buster was the only one that opened his all on his own. Oh my another squeaker....how many does one dog need Santa???

We spend the rest of the day with Kevin's family starting off with Christmas dinner. Then the massive gift exchange with all 29 of us! It is utter chaos and I didn't get any good photos. We are all in one huge great room and everyone is opening presents at the same time so I have photos that encompass several people at once. Not any good candid shots....my bad. I will keep that in mind next year because I would love to show off my in-laws.....they are amazing folks!

Well.....there you have it......our beautiful Christmas moments. Hope you all have a warm, loving, joyful Christmas as well. Now onto the New Year's festivities!!!

Wishing you all a very Merry CHRISTmas!!

Wrapped gifts last night, oh what a relief it is :) I have a few lil' things to buy today then making approximately 125 peroigies for Christmas! This is my last post for a few days while I (and hopefully you) are off enjoying the Christmas festivities with my family. I will be back posting pictures of our family gatherings next week. Blessings to you and yours.......and let us never forget.....

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!!

and the winner is.......

First of all let me apologize for the delay in doing the drawing. I was not feeling well and wasn't in the studio. But, now that things are back on track, the winner's name is in the artwork above.

Congratulations!!

hey, ya gotta have dreams....right?

Remember what I said in a prior post......hard to tell reality from photo editing. I had fun creating this picture. What a dream come true it would be to be featured on the cover of this magazine :)

last give away of 2010

Last chance this year to win! I am giving a lucky winner this small garden flag featuring a plump and happy Santa :) My way of saying "Merry Christmas" to my blogger friends. Just post a comment here or on facebook to enter....good luck!

Snow Fun....

It is Tuesday and the second snow day in a row for the boys!! I had to go out this morning and the roads were very icy. The temperature is too cold for the salt to melt the ice! By the time I was returning home, the main roads were getting better....I could see pavement anyway. Sooooo, we'll see about tomorrow. It would be a Christmas miracle if they had a third snow day :)

WISHING YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

photo effects....

I took these fun photos this morning with my Droid X using "solarize" photo effects. Playing around with photos can be addicting. It is so fun to see what you can come up with. I also love using picnik.com for altering photos.

Are ready for Christmas?......Kevin and I were going to take today off to start our Christmas shopping, but we had a snow storm yesterday and the kids have a snow day today. Sledding is on their minds for the activity of the day........I must say the new fallen snow is beautiful! Stay warm y'all!

One of my favorite things about Christmas...

The Holy Rosary Catholic School's Christmas program!

"O' COME LET US ADORE HIM, CHRIST THE LORD"

Every year the teachers and students put on an amazing show. Each grade, K-8, presents a few songs and/or skits to entertain their friends and families. Some are just plain funny, some are incredibly adorable and some move our hearts and bring tears to our eyes. I am so thankful for Holy Rosary Catholic School.....a place where our children can celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

Sorry....but I just had to share......

I received this image in an email today........after I was done laughing, it struck me that you just can't believe everything you see in pictures.......there are some reeeaaalllly talented photoshop artists out there that can make photos like this one look so authentic......scary......btw, nice arms, Sarah....or whoever you are ;)

New "Chunky" Prints on Etsy

"Blessings"
5 x 7 print on wood

I just love these "chunky" lil' prints. They can hang or just stand on their own as they are 1.5" wide! I have them for sale on my Etsy shop now....they are priced just right for Christmas gifts.....and best of all......I am having a sale!! When at the checkout just type in "MERRYCHRISTMAS2010" to receive 20% off your entire order :)

and the winner is...........

My handsome husband hadn't left for work yet, so I had him draw the winner!

Congratulations to "Lavendar Dreamer"! You are the winner of a new car!!....ooops, I mean the winner of some awesome Christmas paper products for your holiday entertaining. (believe me...I wish I could be like Oprah and give away a new car :) But until I hit it big, we will have to settle for some pretty licensed products!!

I actually did two drawings this time. I had so many friends that live nearby enter the drawing that I decided I would draw a "local" winner and an "out-of-town" winner. The local winner was my dear friend, Keri Zuwala!!! Congratulations, Keri, I will deliver your goodies within the week ;)

A big thank you to everyone who entered the drawing. I loved reading your favorite things about Christmas! I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a blessed 2011!