25th

Merry Christmas friends!

The kiddies were up at 5:23 a.m. today to receive all their Santa gifts.

Annalise liked her scooter the best.

Joe liked his games the best.

Alex liked his gold chain the best.

Marcus liked his basketball the best.

4 happy kids.

One tired mom and dad. LOL.

Today we will visit my friend in Phoenix with her husband.

Merry Christmas to all!

Merry Christmas Jim

Merry Christmas to my friend, Jim.

I miss you.

What a blessing on Christmas Eve

I went thru the drive-thru this morning for my coffee at the Bucks.

I got to the window and the gentleman told me that there was no charge because the person in front of me paid for my coffee! WHAT?! I was so blessed! People are good. People love other people. I was so happy I almost cried! What a blessing.

I am wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and hoping for everyone's safety as well. There have been a lot of freeway accidents here in AZ in the last week, so I'm praying if anyone is traveling that they will be safe.

We're going to dinner with my father to Mexican food. Then gifts tonight, after a Bible reading.

I might get some last minute baking done. I have a recipe for cream cheese brownies, YUM!

Hope you all have a wonderful and peaceful day!

Love, Niki

Merry Christmas Cactus

From Arizona :)

Pattern HERE

Santa pattern

For next year maybe??

Click HERE

Just Monday

So I think I'm finally done with my Christmas shopping.

I finally found something for my husband. He's so hard to buy for!

I was blog surfing this morning and found a picture of tons of shoes, all lined in a row. It got me thinking...how many shoes do YOU own? I'm not a shoe person. I'm practical. So I never found the need for more than 10 pairs, seriously. Actually I think I own maybe 8 tops. The teacher I worked with last semester owned several...I seriously don't think I saw one pair on her more than once over the semester's time! That's crazy IMO. She always complained about how much money she didn't have and how little teachers make. I wonder why so many? She had just as many clothing pairs, if not more. I guess we all spend money on different things...In my home we spend it on entertainment mostly. Although now that my 16 year old has a job he buys himself tons of clothes. I told him to do it now while he has no bills. :) lol

What's everyone up to today? I need to study to take the final exam before Xmas this week (educational psychology...lots of memorizing). Then wrap a few last minute gifts. I really want to get some quilt time in these next 2 weeks, but my upper back and neck are very sore still. So I know that won't be happening. I do think I might try to do some hand stitching while watching Christmas movies, however.

I think I'm done baking and cooking. My father and my family are going out Christmas Eve for dinner. He's treating us to a Mexican food dinner YUM!. Then home for the reading of the Bible and then open gifts. We do most of our gift giving Christmas Eve. Christmas we really don't do much. I might go visit some friends. Not sure.

I'd love to see everyone's homes lit up! I will try to take some of mine this week!

Cheers!

~niki~

Cheese Ball Recipe

I'm going to try this one out:

BACON RANCH CHEESE BALL


INGREDIENTS:
6 slices bacon
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese,
softened
1 (1 ounce) package buttermilk Ranch
dressing mix 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
4 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped black olives
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Chop the cooled bacon into small pieces.
2. Stir together the cream cheese and ranch dressing mix in a bowl until smooth. Add the bacon, Cheddar cheese, green onions, and olives; stir until well combined. Shape the mixture into a ball and roll in the chopped pecans. Refrigerate overnight.

Thank you Nan

For the post :)

I have widdled down my blog list a bit.

And taken off the following icons.

I just need to simplify my blog and my life, I believe.

Thank you to all who posted comments and emailed :)

Christmas Photos

These I took the other day for my Christmas cards.

I take them by myself with my cheap digital camera at the fountains across the street.

They always come out good and people ask me if I got them professionally done. LOL.

A day I think about often...Dec 19

I was pregnant 10 years ago with a baby that I lost late in the pregnancy. The baby was due Dec 19 (today). I'm not sure why every Dec 19 comes and I feel a little teary eyed and get emotional. I mean, I didn't even KNOW this baby. All I knew was that I wish I would have known that baby. God blessed me with another child after that Joe. Joe is the light of my life. He has special needs. He is 8. The doctors have said he has autism, multi systemic problems, God knows...I am not really sure what my son has. I just know that he is a handful with lots of special needs. I got pregnant three months after I lost the baby. This was sort of a mistake, since the doctors told me to wait 12 months at least. I think the loss was so hard on us that I wanted to get pregnant quickly. Well my pregnancy with Joey was hard. I was having contractions since 12 weeks, so they had me on all sorts of meds to make sure he wasn't TOO premature. Joe ended up being born at 35 weeks. He was way too early the doctors said. He had the vernix (white coating) on him even when he was born. He had to be on oxygen and had sugar problems when born. I blame myself for Joey's disabilities. I know I shouldn't. But I somehow feel so responsible for all of his problems. Anyways, I wanted to just share that little part of my life with all my blogging friends. I don't get many comments, if any, and wonder how many read my stories. I was thinking to make my blog private but I decided there are way more lurkers than there are posters, who enjoy my blog, so I will keep it public for now. I just don't understand how others get so many comments. I comment on a lot of blogs too, and have had my blog for three years I believe. Anywho, thanks for listening to me this December 19.

{picture above is Annalise and Joe, Christmas 2009}

Last day

It will be my last day at this school (work) and I'm heading to another city school to work next semester. The boy I've been working with all semester will most likely be moved to an outside program, which would mean I'd have no position. So I'm excited and scared at the same time. I hate hate change lol. I will only work a half day, as today is the kids last day of school throughout the district.

I visited my good blog buddy *beth* and saw she's making up toffee! If you are interested in the recipe, she posted it HERE. Thanks *b*!

Looks like I won't finish my son's quilt for Christmas, so instead of giving my dd hers I will keep hers until Jan 15, her 7th birthday. Then for HIS 9th bday in April I will hopefully have his finished to give.

Not much else going on except busy holiday wrapping and a bit more shopping to complete.

What is everyone else up to? It's been sort of quiet in blog land I see ;)

A classic

Love this one:

PButter Cookies

Well I went to BEtty Crocker . com site.

They had a PButter cookie recipe.

It worked!

and not just worked, they tasted so yummy!

So at least there IS hope for me after all LOL.

What's everyone been up to?

I have one last class to finish for the semester and Friday is my last day of work, then 2 wks off! YA!

A friend I lost this year

I’m not a writer, just a friend who lost a friend…
My friend, who was 37 when he passed, will not see this Christmas 2009.
He probably never realized 2008 would have been his last Christmas.
January was his last month, his last breath.
He was HIV positive, and maybe even had AIDS. I’m not really sure.
All I know is that he touched many lives. He taught special education for 13 years in Arizona. He also was a baseball coach.
No one at the school knew he was sick until it happened.
He taught on a Friday, went home to his girlfriend, and started feeling sick, with a high high fever. He went to sleep and in the morning she could not wake him.
He ended up in intensive care for a week on life support. His wishes were not to be on life support. So they took him off one week after.
The last email I got from him he told me that I could be anything I wanted in life and that whatever I chose he knew I would be the best at it. I’ve since entered the teaching program to be a special ed teacher. He inspired me...He inspired many.
Merry Christmas Jim.
My friend.
You are missed every day.

Oh My!

Lookie HERE for some lovely FREEbies! If you cross stitch you're in Heaven here.

All they want for Christmas

Is their 2 front teeth!

Annalise just lost one this morning.

Joe lost one last week.

Baking mess

What a nightmare!

I am so frustrated with myself.

I made snickerdoodles and a form of rice krispy candies. Both did NOT turn out!

The snickerdoodles were too crumbly and fell apart. The candies didn't call for enough chocolate and crumbled apart too.

:(

Why me!?

I got both recipes from Cooks.com . I guess I cannot trust others recipes anymore, only ones from recipe books or an online site like Betty Crocker.

All those ingredients wasted. I mean, my kids love the taste of it, so fine, but so much for making these gifts at all, which was my original intent. Oh well.

Any suggestions???

Also, I'm going to a friends Christmas luncheon party Saturday, and need to bring a dish. Do you have any good easy tried and true casserole luncheon recipes?? Any feel good foods that would be good and I wouldn't screw it up!? Maybe something with potatoes. I just bought a 5 lb bag from the store today for 99 cents. HELP!

Lots accomplished yesterday!

I finished a final in my math class, so I ended up with a high B or an A in the class, and it's done in about a 4 week time span. So I'm happy about that.

Went to the mall yesterday and bought my oldest son a few gifts. I cannot mention what they are, just in case they come read the blog lol. But I made out good.

Today is baking day, Almond Bark Candy and Snickerdoodles to start :)

Oh ya, and we put up the tree yesterday, just the tree and the lights. I still need to decorate it.

I have to decorate the tree today, bake, wrap more gifts, make Christmas cards out...hmmmm I know there's more, I just cannot remember just yet.

Oh ya, and I got this quilt back from the quilters a week or so ago. Turned out beautifully! I still need to bind it. Oh and a pic showing the back, a mint green dot type fabric.

Can I breathe yet??

Wanna come bake cookies with me?

I am going to be baking cookies this weekend.

I used to bake cookies with my grandmother when I was a little girl.

It's been my tradition every Christmas season.

I have very few friends, and the couple that I have definitely do not bake LOL.

Wanna come join me for a cookie baking fun party? LOL. I'll serve hot cocoa or coffee :)

{pretty please}

An oldie but a goodie

HERE is a great stitchin' pattern...I've always loved this one.

My winner!

Happy Cottage Quilter, Congrats!

You are the winner of the special prize...

Please email me your address so I can send you your prize :)

p.s. I appreciate all who entered :)

Keep your eyes peeled in 2010 for more fun surprises!

Christmas Robot Elves

Super cute! HERE

last day for giveaway!

get your comments in for this one :)

giveaway posted below.

Pain stinks

I'm still in quite a bit of pain. Saturday I visited the chiropracter (25 dollars). I have NO medical insurance as we speak. I lost it in October :(
Hubby and the kids have it. But when he started his job I had insurance, so I didn't bother signing on to his..plus it was too expensive. So now I sit with none. It's scary for me, especially with my anxiety problem, I worry daily about something tragic happening to me and having to pay gobs of $$.
So I researched my options yesterday.
I guess there are clinics locally that are very low cost, or sliding scale.
I will have to call today and find out.
I'm feeling a bit better, but not much.
And that was with resting in bed most of the 3 days I was off.
I woke up to do some stretching exercises and started doing some weights to strengthen my upper back and neck muscles.
Oh pain is horrible.
So I'm going to work today and going to tough it out, hopefully without the help of too many meds. Makes me a zombie when I use them and the kids at school wonder why I'm so tired and non responsive LOL.
I still have my son's quilt to finish and seriously I wonder if that will get done. I've done no sewing now for a few weeks.
What's everyone working on??
sorry this was such a downer post.
i just wanted to give an update on ME>
Please send prayers.
I've been praying daily that this doesn't turn in to more pain.

Joel was amazing!

We had such a good time.
We went to a lovely Mexican restaurant for dinner, then off to the show.
Great great speaker!
Joel is amazing.
So inspiring.
I always thought he read from teleprompters, NOPE!
He might have memorized it, or at least parts, but I couldn't tell.
What a great night it was :)

Blog links

The ultimate list HERE.

I love blog hopping, but gosh I spend WAY too much time doing it. LOL.

Free to grab

Click HERE for a spool quilt pattern.

I'm sure you've seen THIS list of wonderful pbtex patterns.

The project linus patterns HERE for charity work.

Hidden windows HERE

Makower patterns click here

bunch of tree skirt patterns HERE

and a raggy runner christmas pattern HERE

maybe these will keep you busy, for a little while ;)

Some new freebies

A few new freebies for ya:

HERE is a good one, nice new stitching! You'll find it at the Painted Quilt. Great quilt blog.

How about bookmarks for stocking stuffers? Try THIS link.

Or how bout a sweet personalized pillow?! This would make a great holiday gift!