2008 - I think it was great...

It is hard to believe another year has come and gone and it is time to step back and take stock of what happened here on the Chic Crafty Chick Blog.

January
I began the new year with the wonderful intentions of getting more vegetables in Sawyer so I began my Deceptively Delicious Recipe Review Series. If you go back you can see some of my video blogging at its finest. It is hard to believe how much Sawyer has changed in the last year. He definitley is more a little boy than a baby.
http://chiccraftychick.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html

February
February brought us Leap Year as well as the birth of my Fabulous Favorite Friday posts where I like to share new products and stuff that I find. I like when folks tell me about cool things, so I figured my blog would be a great place to do that.

March
My March posts had me sharing Easter pictures and reminded me that poor Sawyer got the roseola. What is it about us getting sick around holidays this year?

April
In April we took a trip to Nags Head, NC and I also blogged about earth day.

May
In May I made a major announcement that I was expecting another baby. And, I also was able to share in those posts that we were going to be blessed with another sweet little boy.

June
In June I discovered Twitter and started twittering with the rest of the world. My appetite also came back after having morning sickness and I blogged on different recipes and featured the recipes submitted to me by some of my friends.

July
July brought posts about our neighborhood 4th of July parade and Sawyer's 2nd birthday done up Curious George style. And unfortunately we unexpectedly lost dh's granny that month.

August
In August we all watched in awe and wonder and the summer Olympics and a new hero was created in Michael Phelps. In August I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes which made it hard to blog and just really stunk.

September
September was a scary month for my pregnancy because they thought I was going to go into preterm labor. So I had steroid shots and bed rest to contend with as well as insulin shots for my diabetes. It is amazing to look back now and see how God answers prayers and takes care of our needs.

October
What a busy month that was. I was still on bed rest at the beginning. We saw Sawyer transform at Halloween into a monkey. And, the best thing was Logan made his appearance on October 29th.

November
The blogging had to slow down as I've adjusted to having a new baby and crazed 2 year old. But, I did share brunch recipes as well as some Fabulous Favorite Friday picks. We also sent out a shout out to Uncle Eddie with a picture of the boys for Veteran's Day.

December
This month I've shared holiday light pictures and posted about my neighborhood's cookie exchange. And I also discovered that I had Kevin Bacon's baby with Logan's crazed hair.

When I look back on 2008, it wasn't the easiest year but it was a good year. It looks like we are going to end the year healthy, definitley not wealthy (at least not from a monitary standpoint), but hopefully wise.

I can't wait to see what wonderful things will happen in 2009 with both of my little guys and I look forward to sharing the journey of the year with y'all. I'd like to thank all of y'all who read my blog and check in. One of my resolutions is to blog more this coming year (if Logan will get into a sleeping routinue that will happen).

So, I raise a champagne flute to each of you and wish you peace of mind, financial stability, comfort and warmth for the new year. Blessings to each of you and a Happy New Year!

Checking in

I had really hoped to do a Fabulous Favorite Friday post, but we aren't feeling to Fabulous here this Friday. I hate to say it, but this was the worst Christmas I've ever had. The night before Christmas Eve I came down with a stomach thing and it was not good my friends. I have not thrown up that much in a long time. And the Immodium took a while to kick. So, sadly we had to cancel Christmas at our house and didn't get to have the family over. Christmas eve morning Sawyer woke up throwing up. We thought he was doing better yesterday and he relapsed today and threw up twice. Fortunately for me I was only sick 24 hours. Dh has been great about helping me clean up the messes and try and keep Sawyer hydrated. So, we are hopeful that he will be on the mend and that we can have Christmas in the next day or so.

Even though the little guy has been sick, he has been in good spirits and Santa came to see him. He has been able to play some and the best present Santa brought were more episodes of Curious George for him to watch.

I hope things will stabilize here so I can get some video uploaded to show y'all some awesome Christmas lights we got to see over the weekend. They are going to knock your socks off. The pictures and videos I took don't do them justice. One display we saw has actually been featured on HGTV.

If you are sick at home I wish you a speedy recovery. And if you are well, I pray you don't catch this nasty stuff. So, that is the update from here. I hope to have a more cheery post soon.

Ho, Ho, Ho Holiday Lights Tour

Happy Holidays everyone! We have been crazy busy like I'm sure you are. It is hard to believe tomorrow is Christmas eve. Our shopping is finished and we are trying to just enjoy the time.

The Winner of the Major Award!
First, I wanted to say congratulations to the winner of the free box of Chex Turtle bars. The random generator picked poster number 1, so Paula you win! Enjoy your box.

Here are your random numbers: 1
Timestamp: 2008-12-23 21:00:38 UTC

For those of you who didn't win, I have one more box to give away and I will do it sometime in the next week. So be sure to check back and post.

Holiday Lights Commentary
I wanted to share some holiday light display pictures with you. I hope to share more in the next few days. Tonight we are headed out with some good friends and we are going to visit some primo big lights displays. I hope to get a little video of some of them too. It is so much fun because we will go to Sonic for dinner first and then we head out in our cars. Pre children we rode together and now we caravan in two cars and we use walkie talkies. We also rate the homes on a scale from 1-10. Of course the little ones don't really understand that and in years past we've gotten some ratings of 100 for some of the really great houses. LOL

Below are a few that we have seen in recent days. I thought I'd give you a little preview.

The first few pictures that are done all in white are of my house. I want to take another picture to show y'all the cool snowflakes we have strung in the trees on the side. But here are a few for now to show you.

It takes dh two days to put all this up and we seem to add a little bit more each year. I just love the horse and carriage. This is the first year we've put it out.

Here is another display that was so cute. This picture doesn't do it justice. They had water and a tropical Christmas theme. See the palm tree?

I love this one with the Santa and flying reindeer on the roof. There was a lot packed into this yard.

Fabulous Favorite Friday

Happy Friday everyone! It is hard to believe that this is the last shopping weekend before Christmas. We are in pretty good shape fortunately, so we aren't having to stress. We can sit back and catch a few Christmas movies and eat some Christmas cookies I got from the cookie exchange.

A Major Award & Give Away
My first pick for this Fabulous Favorite Friday is the movie "The Christmas Story". This is the story of young Ralphie who wants a Red Rider BB Gun for Christmas. I love this movie because it has a lot of heart and it really captures the magic of Christmas for kids.

If you are familiar with this movie, they have ornaments at Hallmark commemorating the movie. This year I know they have the leg lamp ornament. It comes in a minature crate. So, the movie and the ornament bundled together would make a great gift for someone. We have a tradition that we watch the marathon on TBS. It starts at 8 on Christmas eve and they run it all day Christmas Day.

And in honor of the movie and Ralphie's father's major award, I'm doing another give away. I have another box of the new Chex Mix Turtle bars to send out to you! These would be a great snack to eat while watching the movie. In order to win just leave a comment on this post. I will be taking comments until midnight Monday, December 22nd.

My second pick for this Fabulous Favorite Friday is the Venus Embrace razor. I recently tried this razor and I love it. It is a disposable razor and is a bit pricey as far as disposables go, but it is well worth the money. This is the first razor I've used where I didn't nick my knees when shaving. I usually end up either cutting my knee or around my ankles and not once have I done that while using this razor. I also felt like I was able to use this one longer than other disposable razors I've tried. I just recently purchased a new one at Wal Mart. They had a kit where you got the razor and it came in a cute little makeup bag with a small can of shaving cream. So, this could make a great stocking stuffer for someone you know.

I hope y'all are taking time to enjoy this holiday season. Remember to take time to stop and smell the Christmas cookies. And aww heck, eat a few while your at it. Check back on Monday. I hope to have some Christmas lights pix to share with y'all.

Stocking Stuffer Ideas

Well, folks today we are one week away until Christmas Eve. I know there are some folks who like to do last minute shopping, but whether you are trying to cross folks off your list now or wait until next Wednesday, everyone needs stocking stuffer ideas. So, I've come across a few things to suggest that might help out with especially difficult people.


Stocking Stuffers 2008


Technology
My first suggestion is to get a digital key chain. The digital frames that are out are really cool, but can run you over $25 for the models I've seen. I've seen in a number of ads where you can get a digital key chain for $14 to $20. These can be purchased at Wal Mart, Target, and Macy's. With these being portable, it is a great way to have current pictures of the family.

Paper
Another suggestion is a magazine subscription. There are so many different subjects to choose from that you should be able to find something for everyone. One new magazine subscription I've seen out that looks intriguing is the new Food Network Magazine. If you've got a Nanna or Mimi that is hard to shop for then this subscription might be right up your alley.


One other magazine subscription is one called The Family Handyman. A few years ago dh learned about this magazine from someone at work and subscribed to it. He found it an interesting magazine.


Young Children
I have to say that getting stocking stuffers for a very young infant and a two year old has been a bit of a challenge. But, one thing that I found that was so cute to use this year are little rubber ducks. Sawyer loves playing with them in the bath tub. We actually have rubber ducks as his bathroom theme. In the infant section at Wal Mart, they have the cutest holiday rubber ducks. They had three different ones. One is a Santa, another a Christmas tree duck, and a Snowman duck.

Pampering & Health
As y'all know, I'm a huge fan of things from Bath & Body Works. B&BW has been running a lot of great sales. With the cold weather here and the heat running, dry skin is such an issue. A few years ago I discovered the sugar scrubs B&BW sells. I recently purchased some and it has really helped my skin feel better. They sell it in a number of different scents.

BB&W has also had their antibacterial soaps on sale. These make a great gift since we are in flu and cold season. Along with the antibacterial soaps, the little antibacterial hand sanitizers make a great gift too.

So, these are just a few suggestions for you to consider as you finish up your holiday shopping. Or, you could consider a Jelly of the Month Club subscription. As Eddie says in Christmas Vacation, "Clark, its the gift that keeps on giving."

Happy shopping and be sure to check back for more holiday posts this week.

Cookie Exchange and Chex Mix Turtle Box Winner

Happy Tuesday everyone. I've taken over dh's laptop. Something has happen to my trusty laptop and dh is having to reformat it. I feel like Linus without his trusty blanket (we've watched Charlie Brown Christmas at least 12 times already).

So, first I'd like to announce the winner of the free box of Chex Mix Turtle bars. I used the Random Number Generator and this is the number it picked.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:2
Timestamp: 2008-12-16 14:08:47 UTC

Southern Inspirations/Suzanne is the winner of the free box. I will have another box to give away this week on Friday so be sure to check back and make a comment on that post. I am hoping to have more posts before Friday, so check back before that too. LOL

Cookie Exchange
Last night was our neighborhood cookie exchange. This has been a tradition in my neighborhood for the last 7 years and we all look forward to it. Along with exchanging cookies, we all bring an ornament to exchange. That part of the party is so fun because some folks get ruthless when it comes to stealing the ornaments. I personally never steal them because I hate when I get mine stolen. But, I do enjoy seeing the whoopla.

This year I made a cookie recipe that I've made before that I really like. It is a Southern Living recipe and is for White Chocolate Macadmia Nut Cookies. They are so yummy. And, they make a huge batch.

As you can see in the picture, I was able to find the Nestle White Chocolate Chips that are the green and red swirls. So, my cookies looked really festive. I love those chips, they are so cool.

Everyone does a great job with the cookie exchange and I always love seeing the cute containers that folks come up with for the exchange.

The way we do our exchange is that you bring 1/2 a dozen bagged cookies for each person and then you bring about a dozen on a plate that everyone gets to sample.

Check back this week for more fun holiday posts.

Fabulous Favorite Friday

Friday Give Away!!
Happy Friday everyone! I know you are checking out the Chex Mix Turtle picture and saying, "Didn't she blog about that last Friday?" Well, yes I did. It was one of my Fabulous Favorite Friday picks. And, I'm happy to let y'all know that I was contacted by the folks who represent this wonderful product and offered a free box. Well, this tired and hungry momma was tickled. In the spirit of the season of giving and since I love my blog readers, I asked if it was possible to hook up my posse (no I didn't actually put that in the email but what if I had - LOL) to get a free box to give away on my blog. The kind folks said they'd love to spread some holiday cheer and so I'm happy to let y'all know that today I have a free box of Chex Mix Turtle bars to give away.



So, in order to be eligible to win you just have to leave me a comment on this blog post letting me know your favorite cookie recipe (feel free to include a recipe). I'm going to a cookie exchange Monday night, so I really have cookies on the brain. Be sure to include your email address so I can get in touch with you. I will take comments until midnight on Monday, December 15th and I will announce the winner on Tuesday. I will use the random number generator to pick the winner.

I'm so excited that I have this wonderful give away. BTW, I was thinking that these little snacks would make great stocking stuffers. You know that bottom of the stocking is always so hard to fill. Also, if you have to be in the car anytime over the next few weeks, maybe traveling to grandma's house, these are a good snack to keep you from biting off your arm in the car.


Fabulous Favorite Friday Pick
Well, today's Fabulous Favorite Friday pick I have to share with you is another holiday beverage. I was in the store this week and saw that 7Up has this Pomegranate soda for sale. It was on sale for 89 cents, so I figured I'd give it a try.

It has a very interesting flavor. Definitely a fruit flavor, but not a real sweet taste. I have to say I didn't love this one like I did the Sierra Mist soda I recommended a few posts ago, but I didn't hate it either. I think this could be a great soda to use in a punch or maybe some kind of mixed alcohol drink. My mother in law was here on Sunday and tried it and she said she thought it was different. She didn't hate it, but didn't love it either. So, I'd say give it a try if you are looking for something different.

Holiday Thoughts
Dh was going out the door today and asked if I had a bowl he could use for potato salad because they are having a holiday luncheon at work. I stopped for a minute and was a tad sad because I remembered how much I enjoyed going to the holiday luncheon when I worked. Oh how my life has changed in the last two years since I quit work. But, looking at my two wonderful boys I know being with them is worth it. I did chuckle to myself because a holiday luncheon here these days consists of having the Ritz snowflake crackers with peanut butter on them. LOL So, I guess we will pull those out today and have our own holiday luncheon.

Be sure to leave a comment so you can try to win the Chex Mix Bars. And next week I hope to have some posts with holiday lights displays. Oh, and there may be another give away next week.

Holiday Lights, Kevin Bacon's Baby, and Holiday Give Aways!

Hello those of y'all out there in blogland/internetville. I have wanted to blog for a few days, but these darn kids keep wanting to be fed and have their diapers changed. What is wrong with them? Add to that my laptop has something squirrley going on and it hasn't worked out.

So, I thought I'd show you some two pictures of what life has been like around here. Yes, these are shameless proud momma pictures.

As you can see, Sawyer has taken up kick boxing thus the red face. Just kidding. The child LOVES ketchup. And thank goodness for whoever invented ketchup. Otherwise I don't think I could get any meat in the child. The only way I can get him to eat meat is to try and disguise it with ketchup.

The next picture is of Mr. Logan hanging out in his pack n play. I took this one about two weeks ago.

This picture does not do justice to the amount of hair this kid has. And, when I give him a bath and it dries, it sticks straight up. No matter how I comb it. It is hilarious! Oh, and so soft. We love that Johnson's baby shampoo smell.

So, in my sleep deprived mind at 4 a.m. one morning, it occured to me that the childs hair looks like Kevin Bacon! So, I've been saying I had Kevin Bacon's baby. Yeah, we are Footloose. LOL

Holiday Lights

I have finally had a chance to get pictures of our holiday lights and I took some video, so I hope to share that with y'all in the next week. We have ridden around looking at lights a few nights and we are supposed to go tomorrow night, so I hope to take the camera and get video or pix of other displays to share them with y'all. We are nuts about Christmas lights. It is one of our favorite things to do during the holidays.

Big Give Away Annoucement

I will definitely be posting a Fabulous Favorite Friday post tomorrow and I'm pleased to tell you that I've got an awesome sponsor who has given me the go ahead to offer a give away to the readers of the Chic Crafty Chick blog. So, be sure to check back tomorrow to find out the details.

Fabulous Favorite Friday

Hi everyone. I feel bad for not posting in a while, but things have been crazy. Sawyer has been fighting a cold since last Monday and has been so grouchy. We finally started him on an antibiotic today, so Lord willing he will get well soon. Between him being sick and not getting tons of sleep, it has been a tad rough. But, my one saving grace is that my sweet little Logan is such a good baby. If he were collicky I don't know what I'd do.



But, I did want to get back on track this week and at least get a Fabulous Favorite Friday post in. I hope to at least keep up the Friday posts.





So, my first item I'm featuring today are the Chex Mix bars. I've tried the Turtle and they come in Dark Chocolate. I got the dark chocolate for dh. The turtle ones are so good. It is a nice snack to throw in your purse to go.
My second FFF pick is the 2008 Toyota Highlander. That would be my new car! With having a second child, we were in desperate need of a vehicle that could hold two car seats comfortably and that I could haul around the double stroller. We've been shopping around for months and because of the great deals we were able to purchase one of these. This picture (found online) looks like mine. I wanted white, but ended up getting silver but I really do like the silver.

I've never had a brand new car, so it has been exciting getting this vehicle. We picked it up on Black Friday (thus the reason for no post last week). The ride is so smooth and I like being up a little higher to see the road. The V6 engine lets me kick it so those truckers don't come up on me and the babies too quick. LOL

And one of the silly things I like about it is the big knobs on the radio. It helps to have those knobs right there so if I need to turn the Christmas music down to calm a screaming two year old, I can do that.

Another positive about the car is the smooth ride that will get a fussy baby to sleep at 11 at night. Fortunately I've only had that happen once. It also has great little storage nooks and the seats are so comfortable. We have always been big fans of Toyota, so I'd highly recommend checking out the Highlander if you are in the market for a new vehicle.

So, those are some things going on in my neck of the woods. I hope all is well for you and that you are enjoying the holidays. It is hard to believe Christmas is 20 days away. Yikes!