Christmas without a tree....

Well hopefully not -- However, I did have to totally remove everything from our tree due to it's untimely demise this week. We have only had it about 9 days and it always had a full bucket of water but for some reason it simply withered away :(

So for the time being we are treeless at the Boling Abode. This is in part due to the dead tree, the snow and now ice that we have had all week. Hopefully the Sun will shine tomorrow, dry things out a little, and we can go find a new tree. I am missing my late nights sitting by the fire with just the Christmas Lights as company!!
 
Here are some trees I found to ogle at until we get our new one.

This is my fave -- it is Em at Bloomingdale's in Chicago last weekend :)

Homemade Goodies #1

Every Christmas I tell myself that I am going to bake more goodies but then the time flies by and the New Year rolls around without me even getting out my rolling pin. This year I am changing history and I can say that honestly as I have already made 3 batches of this yummy treat!

This was my first ever attempt at making brittle and I am not sure what the "normal" way is but this way is the bomb and I have no problem making some a few times a week. Yep it is THAT Easy!

Cinnamon Pecan Brittle

• 36 Servings
• Prep: 20 min. + cooling

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon Spice Island® Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions

• Butter a baking sheet; set aside. In a 2-qt. microwave-safe bowl, combine sugar and corn syrup. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 3 minutes; stir. Cook, uncovered, on high 2-1/2 minutes longer. Stir in the pecans, butter and cinnamon.
• Microwave, uncovered, on high for 2 minutes longer or until mixture turns a light amber color (mixture will be very hot).
• Quickly stir in baking soda and vanilla until light and foamy. Immediately pour onto prepared pan; spread with a metal spatula. - It's good to have help with this part as it is HOT!
• Cool; break into pieces. 

 Yield: 3/4 pound.

It's Official

I am the worst blogger ever!
It has been exactly 2 years since I updated this here blog - actually Christmas 2 years ago haha. I am not sure what got into me as I know over the past few years I have thought about it but I guess I simply bombed the blog circuit and now I am back to try again. :)

Let it be known that starting today Tuesday 12/10/2010 I will make more of an effort to blog weekly. In no way can I type daily without laughing so I figure it is best if I start out with weekly for now!

The Hubs and I have been discussing all the ways we want to revamp our cabin recently and I am looking forward to sharing all the ideas and projects we will be working on.

Shout-out to my pal Heather for getting me back in the Blogging mood! Be sure to stop by her place and watch as she settles into a new home and blogging life!

Skittles Nightstand/Side Table

A friend of mine is in the process of decorating a nursery in advance of the new arrival they are expecting next month. The nursery is going to a multi-colored wonderland full of vintage animals and prints so she wanted a side table to go beside her rocking chair that would fit with the look.

She found an unfinished nightstand that was the perfect height plus it has a few drawers which would be good for storage. She did not like the empty spaces so we built her 3 matching drawers then painted each one a different color. She wanted the base of the piece to be a natural look to match the crib and I think the colors look great with the natural backdrop. She asked for color -- well baby there is enough color here to supply a bag of Skittles!

So looking forward to the final pics of the nursery and will share when I am able to run over and snap some :)

Christmas Eve - Family Fun and a New Tradition

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Christmas Eve at the Boling's brought lots of fun, laughter, and a new tradition.

While opening presents Abram kept counting his, then walking over and getting presents from everyone else's pile, taking them back to his pile and recounting. He would get so excited as his pile got bigger!

Present Time --- Eli opening one of his Star Wars Lego sets. (Have you ever seen how many pieces those boxes have ?!?!), Emma getting a look at her new camera, and Abram tearing into his train set.

Fountain of Chocolate ~~~ Charity brought her Chocolate Fountain and you would have thought that it was the best present all evening! Everyone wanted in on the fun. Abram wanted me to snap a pic of his chocolate covered cake, but his face offered a better photo! The fountain was a hit & it is something that we will have each year!

The 2 Santa's

Despite Eli's resistance* to wearing the Santa hat, I was able to get a photo of them!

*for some reason he thinks he is too old now!

Man I so love these wonderful children that God has so lovingly Blessed us with!!

Christmas Past - 2000

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Our Family Photo at Nana and Papa's - Christmas Eve 2000