To all my friends and family who follow our lives through this blog,

we wish you and yours a

Merry Christmas

and a

Happy New Year!!

Old news, but better than bad news

OK--my friend Betsy (who has more brain cells than I do because her kids are younger then mine) remembered that I already posted about my swap. Duh! I guess I'm trying to compensate for all the stress in my life right now by doing a mundane thing like blogging. Yep, it's pretty mundane when it's a repeat.

Cookies and Carols

The Christmas piano recital was today, and once again, the girls showed their talents! They tied for first place and received trophies to add to their collection.

Amy and Sarah want me to tell you that they each have 4 trophies now.

Here they are with their piano teacher, Ms. Dena.

Halloween

Our jack-o-lanterns- top to bottom:Marty, Theo, Mama, Sarah, Amy
The Spooks-left to right:
Theo as Annikan Skywalker, Marty as an army general, Amy as Thing 1, Timmy as a chicken, and Sarah as Thing 2.

We had a lovely night for trick or treating. It was about 75*!
Much candy consumption followed, as was expected and they gave away about 5 pounds to Matt's staff again this year. They are such kind and generous kids.

Spoiled dog, and some knitting-and a Halloween party

Timmy loves his Halloween shirt, he needs a new one for everyday now.

detail of my new shawl

Finally done! Can't wait to wear it!

a mummy contest was fun for Theo and Amy

but Sarah was in her glory here, and her team won!

Amy and Sarah turn 11

On the 17th, they shared the spotlight with a friend, Jonathan, who was turning 5!.

He had a party at monkey Joe's, which is a big place filled with huge bouncy houses. Very fun!

They were thrilled with their "Good Life " shirts from Aunt Sheila. I have noticed that the shirts are always in the laundry, which means they are being worn frequently.

This unbelievable cake was made by a friend. Amy and Sarah have always wanted a "Full House" cake, and I could never make one happen. This one was fantastic!!!
Here are all the characters, made in fondant.

And here they are when they first saw it!

It lives on their dresser now, where I imagine it will have a place for a looong time.

Happy Birthdays, my sweeties!

Oh my goodness!

Is this not the funniest sign you've ever seen?!?

....only in North Cackalacky!

Feast Day! Our Lady of the Rosary

We had a fun afternoon celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary last month. The kids and I have always wanted to make a cupcake rosary and this was the perfect occasion! My dear friend, Betsy and her gang came over to celebrate, play, and talk knitting (oh, that part
was just the moms!).

It turned out so pretty, didn't it?

But this little guy was an even cuter sight...

All together, having fun!

Rats, I had another picture , but lost it.