There are angels and cats among us

It's been a while since I've participated in Kelly's weekly post. But this week at Kelly's Korner, we're sharing things we collect. I'm not a particularly big collector, but there are two things I like to have around. Willow Tree Angels and local Cat's Meow!

The angels are simple but have so much character. Here are a couple of my favorites...

There are Cat's Meow's over most of the windows in our house. Most from the Frederick collection and have a lot of sentimental value to me. But the ones I love most are over the main window in our family room.

When Daddy was young, his Dad owned a local grocery store in Buckeystown. This is a replica of that very building.

My best school years were spent in this building! St. John's..I spent the 6th, 7th and 8th grades here and have great memories!

The bell tower at Baker Park is beautiful! This doesn't do it justice but it's absolutely one of my most favorite icons in Frederick!

Frederick High School...enough said!

Yep, that's our house! This is by far my most favorite Cat's Meow...no question! Jim's Mom and Dad had this made for us 2 Christmas' ago. I was stunned. I had no idea it was possible...ha!

I'm trying hard to focus on the reason for the season this year! It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and demands of Christmas sometimes it's too easy to lose sight of the real meaning! One of my favorite things has always been the glow of the twinkle lights. As I sit here tonight, there's a peaceful glow in the house. Not a light is on except for those glowing from the decorations and you can see perfectly - subtle but just enough. I love that!

I admit that I scaled back a little this year. Two trees are up with lots of other decorations but I just couldn't find the energy or motivation to do the typical 4.

Our main tree and the one with my favorite decorations is in our family room.

I've been collecting Longaberger's tree trimmer baskets for many years - they're fun to tuck amongst the branches.

This year I'm trying something a little different. For the past couple of years, I was trying to think of a creative way to display our Christmas cards. Well while blog hopping a few weeks ago, I saw this idea and thought it was just perfect! (sorry, I don't remember exactly where I found it.)

I'm excited for the cards to roll in so it gets nice and full!

Oh yeah, one last 'tree'. It sits on the kitchen counter and is by far the easiest to decorate..ha!

Stop by Kelly's Korner to see all of the beautiful Christmas tress!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas traditions

Christmas traditions around here include getting the decorations out early! It's not unusual for lights to be twinkling early in November. BUT, once Christmas day is over...they're coming down! :) No joke, 2 days after and they're packed away waiting for next year. Funny, it becomes messy once the holiday has passed (at least that's how I feel).


Here's a peek at this year's tree (I'll share more in a couple of weeks when The Nester hosts The Christmas Tour of Homes ;)).



No matter my great intentions, it always seems I'm finishing up gathering presents and getting wrapping done all the way up to the last minute...please say I'm not alone!


We typically spend Christmas eve with Daddy and Linda - opening presents and spending time together. Mom and Jeff arrive Christmas morning and stay until around lunch time. Then it's off to Daddy and Linda's to visit with family before heading off to dinner. Guess this year will start new traditions - dinner's always been at Grandma's. When a door closes, a new one opens, right?


Merry Christmas!


What are your traditions?

Our furry family

Oh how I love them! Seriously, I do...I've always had a pet, every since I was little. I really can't imagine not having any. Chelsea, our devil cat (said with love!) of nearly 17 years passed away 2 years ago in July and we were 'petless' for 7 L O N G weeks. I tried, ok! Ha! I have this really special place in my heart for animals.

So, this week as we tell y'all about our pets hosted by Kelly's Korner well....I'm sooo 'cited to!

If you've followed us you might remember that I've mentioned that our furry family's grown but wasn't necessarily planned. Here's a little more about that -

This is Molly!

We adopted her from a local shelter. When I called to ask about her, I was told that she was surrendered in May by a family who had a member who'd developed allergies. (It was September when she came home with us...that's a long time to wait, huh?!) They went on to tell me that while I was welcome to adopt 'just her', she was surrendered with a friend who'd she been with the entire time - including their stay in the shelter. Well, in case you couldn't guess, there's not a chance that I would leave him behind! So, I introduce you to Max....

Kinda funny but they were adopted based on a small picture of each of them. I have neither the courage or willpower to actually go 'in the back' to see their little faces in cages waiting for a home! (I'm sure some of you are thinking I have serious issues at this point...you're probably right but hey - it's who I am!) So, needless to say it was a surprise to see how big Max actually is. He has the longest legs I think I've ever seen on a cat. But he's as sweet as he is tall!

Together, they're quite a pair! Molly is most definitely the queen of the house. She's so gentle and welcoming but doesn't hesitate to let you know who's in charge!

Then there's Mason! Let me start by saying that I never thought we'd have a dog...seriously! While I love them, being committed to taking him out and training him and having to be home, well...I didn't see us doing that. That's until Mason man! A birthday present a year ago, he is without a doubt a joy! He's a mix of a shih-tzu and poodle and is the tiniest little man. 'All grown up' at 5 1/2 pounds he's found his place here. Even when I'm out late at night or up waaay to early in the morning so he can go potty, the good still outweighs the chores that come along with him.

Lastly but most certainly not least...there's Titan. He's Julieanne's and moved in with her earlier this year. Coming from the same breeder as Mason (really the reason Mason was adopted...T is just so darn cute!) they are best friends! They're great company for each other and are for certain partners in crime most days! Only 1 month older but twice as big, Titan has the best personality and is very loving (as long as he knows you...if not, well let's just say it's going to be a show!). And please take special notice of those teeth...aren't they just the best?

So that sums them up. Probably two more than I'd set out to have but if you think I could pick which two that'd be, then you haven't paid attention! =) I LOVE THEM!

A time for thanks!

This week we're sharing Thanksgiving traditions at Kelly's Korner. Sorry, but there's no pictures to share, more just my thoughts and memories. As a child and for a lot of my adult life, Thanksgiving's were spent at Grandma's. She was a great cook and we always joked that she made enough food to feed a small army! Always with the kitchen a disaster of dishes and food. And by the time dinner was on the table, she would be full from sampling all day! And this feast was prepared in her small apartment kitchen! Honestly, when I think back, I'm not sure how she did it, but she always did. Some of my best memories are from there. But if you remember, she left this life in June.

Over the past few years, we've started new 'traditions'. My step-mom Linda is kitchen wizard! Not only does EVERYTHING she makes taste delicious, you would never believe how organized and clean things are. No evidence of the effort that it obviously takes to pull it all together! She's amazing at it.

From one great dinner to another...Mom took over dinner duty from Grandma a few years back. She's a lot like her (not sure she'd want to hear that she's like her Mother...ha! but in this case, it's a compliment). She spends the day preparing more food that we can eat in 4 days! Believe me, we try! Always good and we always eat waaaaaay too much! Guess that's what it's all about.

Sometimes I think it would be nice to have dinner here, at home. I'm so tempted but wow...it's a lot to take on. Especially considering I'm not exactly a chef. The first year we were married, I declared Thanksgiving would be at our house! Thank God for Grandma Herrmann and the Mom's. Shew....I think I've blocked a lot of that day for sanity sake! =) Think I could really pull it off again? I'm not so sure.

And, for the record...the concept of Thanksgiving sends me crazy! I say it every year but we should be thankful every day! I guess the holiday is a good reminder but PLEASE find something every day to be thankful for!

Fall Decos....

Fall is my favorite time of year at home! Mostly because of the colors...they match our house so well! But there's something cozy about the weather changing too. I like the brisk nip to the air and feeling of being snuggled in for the evening. Here are some pictures of my favorite decorations...

My all time favorites though are the ones that are truly God given!

I know you're probably thinking it's over used but....HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!

Handmade by me...

A few years ago, Luanne and I decided to take a quilting class at a local shop. What a great experience! It was definitely frustrating at first, especially considering we'd never really used a sewing machine before. Ha! But we figured it out (with LOTS of help!) and have successfully completed many projects.
Here are a couple of my favorites!

This is my very first one! Log Cabin quiltCloser look at one of the blocks

This is probably my favorite and not just because it's so easy to make! Love rag quilts.

We gave making Christmas stockings a try too! It was fun and they turned out pretty good.

I have enough material to make a few more quilts. Now that the weather's turned chilly and the holidays are upon us, time to get cutting and sewing.

This is how we do it

Favorite teams huh? Well that's easy, it's...

Sadly, we haven't started the season off with a bang. Did you hear the Lions won a game?! URGH! But we still love our 'Skins! Remember?

Needless to say, we're pretty intense come kick off. We all desperately want a win! This is typically where you'll find Duffy.
If he's standing and we're playing well, he stays in that stance! Whatever it takes...right?

The rest of us are typically watching intensely while surfing the net ;)
This is Julie's stressed face! She goes through waves of emotions. Poor girl!

Jonathan is the only one who's not a Redskins fan. He cheers for the much hated Cowboys...(ok, he doesn't hate them but hey, we're 'Skins fans, right?!)

This season we've started a new tradition of making lots of good food to celebrate football day. We're having fun trying new recipes! Here's a peak at a couple of our favorites...

White Chicken Chili


Buffalo Chicken Dip

YUM!

We really do love our teams! Not just the Redskins either! You'll find us acting crazy for the...

Ok, Jim and Julie cheer for the O's...the rest of us can't bear to ha!

too!

Super Yummy!

We've devoured this many times compliments of Mom, but I'd never made it on my own...until now! It's soooo good! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Start with crushing 2 cups of pretzels
Mix those with 1/2 cup of sugar and 3/4 cup of melted butter (or margarine)

Press that in a pan and bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Let it cool....

Then, mix 8 oz cream cheese, 16 oz of cool whip and 1 cup of sugar. Place that on top of the pretzel mixture.

Next, you'll need 6 ozs of strawberry Jello, 1 1/2 cups of boiling water and a 10 oz package of frozen strawberries. Mix the jello and water, then add strawberries. Pour this on top and refrigerate until gelled!

It's VERY easy to make! The hardest part is waiting for it to get done! Ha!

Go to dinner recipe

I've only made this a couple of times but it's easy and uses ingredients that we usually have already. Hope you enjoy it too!

1 can cream of mushroom soup (I substitute for cream of celery...not into mushrooms too much)

1 pound of hamburger

2 cups of hash browns (I use Potatoes O'brein and they work great)

1/2 onion chopped

1 cup of cheddar cheese (that's what the recipe says but we love cheese...let's just say we use more!)

Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Brown hamburger and onion together, drain. Pour the hash browns into baking dish and then the meet and onion mixture on top, pour the soup over that and then top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes

Quick and easy to make...it's great with some ketchup too!

Funny, I don't think I know the name of this dish...any suggestions?

Show us your life - School Pictures

This week at Kelly's Korner we're sharing school pictures.

Oh my! Really, school pictures? I have to admit that digging for these did uncover some old pictures that I haven't seen in a while - that might be the only good part! HA!

Is this really me? Afraid so!

This is from the 5th grade at North Frederick Elementary. Brand new braces and all!

8th grade at St. John's Grade School. (I can't believe I'm posting these! ha!) Frederick High School graduation picture. Can you guess the year based on the hair?! Bet you'll get close.. :)