Christmas Season

Ah, it's in the air already!  The Christmas season!
When do you set up your tree?  Our tree goes up at different times each year, although I usually try to wait until late November.  Not this year though.  The boys had a 4 day weekend over Rememberance Day, so the Monday that was off we decorated the house.  We actually set up 2 trees this year, one in each living room.
The next weekend we started some baking.  I have a recipe that my Oma, my Mom, Aunts and Cousins on her side make, and now I make it as well.  It's a German Spice cookie called Speculaas.  (Good luck with the pronounciation!) The cookies sit in a container with a Macintosh apple for a week or two after they are baked.  They take on the hint of apple flavor, and along with the spices in them, they are probably our favorite!

Then, just today I made 'Oreos'.  It's a recipe I got from a friend only last year, and they dont really need to be only Christmas cookies, but tinting the icing to red and green certainly makes them feel Christmassy.  My boys have been reminding me all month that I need to make them!  Most I will freeze until later into December, but i left a couple out for an after school snack today...I'm sure they'll be thrilled!

 Cutting out the Speculaas cookies

 

The Oreo Cookies

Along with the Christmas season comes the SNOW.  I'd like to write it as S#%W, since it's as much a swear word as any to me, but I know that without it, it wouldn't feel like Christmas already.  So I'll suck it up and keep my complaining for after December 25th. ;)
Anyway, with the snow comes winter sports...Dustin is working on a BIG ice rink for the boys (hopefully it'll be ready by New Years... my brother and family usually come down that day, it would be fun for the kids!) and there are snowmobile tracks across our grass already.
Brad's class went Curling this week, which is a new sport to this family.  As part of his gym class, he is going a few times over the next few weeks. I was able to go with his class yesterday, and I gotta say, his co-ordination "throwing" the rock does not comes from his mother!  He did really well, and came away saying he loves Curling!

"You Say 'Obsessed' Like It's a BAD thing!"

Does anyone know the significance of Nov. 17th last week?  If you are a fellow "Twi-hard" you'd know that it was the first chance we had to go see the new installment of the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn Pt 1!

Since this blog is called 'CONFESSIONS of a stay home mom', I should probably come clean and tell you all that I really really really enjoy the Twilight books and movies...you could even say I'm a little obsessed.
We (friends and I) have been waiting for over a year to see this movie! (and will have to wait another year to see Part 2.) 
It was such a fun evening out, although it was pretty late and I found it hard to do anything the next day!  The movie started at 10pm, but we left home around 6, got to the theatre around 7 and then waited in line.  Luckily, one friend had snagged tickets online weeks ago, so we were in line for good seats together, but didn't worry about getting one at all.  And we did all manage to sit together with decent seats (there were 4 of us) so it was a  big success.

We got home around 1:30am (gotta love coming home when it's snowing!) and I got to bed around 2:00, but didn't fall asleep until well after 3am (not with all those fresh scenes of Edward, Bella, and Jacob floating around in my mind! ... plus the $5 Coke I had at midnight! ;).  Then I woke with a coughing fit at 5am (I had such a bad cold!) and was up for another hour or so.  The 7:40am alarm was absolutely brutal!
BUT, I'd totally go again in a heartbeat!

The movie was everything we had hoped for, not losing too much of the book, but adding some fun stuff as well.  Personally, I think it's my favorite in the series so far... until the next one comes out, the last half of Breaking Dawn is my favorite in the books - so I have high hopes for the movie!

Dustin was helping me kill time in line by texting with me, and he asked me to send pictures ... so I have a few from the evening.  Enjoy!

Andrea and I, in line killing time...

 My $5 Coke with a collectors cup to keep....totally worth $5!! lol!

I've gone Iphone

I dont think I really need to say more - except to give my amazing hunny some recognition.
I've been asking for an iphone for months now... totally not really expecting to get one b/c the cell phone I had was totally good enough, albeit slow, incompatible with my computer, and randomly shut off on a whim, but good enough.
Well, "as a token of his love for me" (his words even!!) Dustin surprised me with an iphone one random day.  When I asked what the occasion was, he said "Happy Thursday!"

I cant wait for next Thursday! ;)

Mess the Dress

A while back, like beginning of summer kind of while back, a friend and I decided that we were going to do our own Mess the Dress pictures.  Only we were both too sentimental about our own wedding gowns, and honestly, neither of us had the figure we did back before we were blessed with children.  So, being about the same size, we bought one online for super cheap and split the cost.  We both then wore that dress for our little photo shoot, which finally happened this fall.
Man, what a blast!!  We spent all day laughing and getting creative (and shivering, it was pretty cold!) and both have gorgeous pictures as a result!
Part of me wishes these were my real wedding pictures - I just need Dustin in them!! ;)

Here's a sampling of my favorites from my turn in the dress...

 This is one of my favorites, it's so Twilighty - and I love Twilight!

 My friend makes these headbands - so super cute!