My Baby's First Christmas Program

My baby took part in his first Christmas program last night! He looked so cute in his little Shepard gear! I was so proud of him for marching up there on that stage and smiling so nicely for the crowd, holding that microphone so proudly...and not saying a word! He was so stage struck, that the line he had been practicing for weeks, would not come out. He was supposed to say, "red and white poinsettias, decorate our homes." Which, he would do for us at home, and I was so impressed that my little not-yet-four-year-old was able to say poinsettias! I was so excited about the evening, that I made sure the video camera was all charged and ready to go, but what I didn't check was to make sure we had enough film! Oh, well, footage of playing with the dog is not nearly as important as my baby's first Christmas program, so it was taped over! It was such a cute show, and Jonathan did sing the songs and do the hand motions, so all was well in the end.

Don't ask me what is up with the swinty face, because I have no idea...but he would not smile normally for some crazy, I am nervous as all get out reason!

Happy Cyber Monday!

Do you have your Christmas tree up yet? I worked hard this past weekend to get up the outdoor lights (okay, so my husband actually did that part and I was more of an organizer) then we all worked at putting up the tree and decorating it.

I did manage to get some shopping done too, but the majority of the weekend was spent putting up the Christmas tree and lights. Jonathan was a big help....

Here are some of my favorite ornaments on my tree this year...

We bought this at Bronner's...absolutely LOVE that place! I am a sucker for red barns, and if they have snow on them...perfect! This was hand-painted and is one of my favorites year after year.

This is another Bronner's buy. I love the cute little mitten...and love that my little one's name is scripted so beautifully! You can order these on their website, by the way.

I have totally jumped on the wordy bandwagon. I have little sayings all over my house, so why not on my tree? I got these at the Christmas Shops in New Carlisle. I have the HO HO HO and NOEL....but they have others too.

When we were all done, Jonathan and I enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate together and read "Twas the Night Before Christmas." Since the tree is up, he thinks Santa is coming every night...I hope his excitement doesn't wear off during the month!

Halloween Read Bumping Into Thanksgiving

Okay....so I was challenged to go out of my comfort zone and read something I wouldn't ordinarily read for a book club I occasionally partake in. So, for Halloween, I agreed to read "Carved In Bone" by Jefferson Bass. It is about the true to life body farm in Tennessee. It is a fascinating book, but I am horrible about finishing books! This, of course, a problem that developed after having my son. Children's books, no problem! Books for my own enjoyment, not so much. So....I am hoping to have my now overdue copy of "Carved in Bone" back on the library shelf by the time I carve my turkey!

My New Work Home!

I have a new work home! That means I have brand new, state-of-the-art equipment to work with! It is very exciting and I really love my new studio...listen to me, MY studio.....I wish it were all mine!

Click on the link to take a tour of Cat Country99.9 and all of our sister stations!

http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/34296264.html

Happy Halloween!

I was inspired by my son's preschool teacher to create a marshmallow pumpkin centerpiece for a Halloween party my son and I attended today. Here is the finished product...

It is really easy to do and makes a great statement! I simply bought a bag of large marshmallows and dipped them in melted chocolate. I did that by melting some baking chips in the microwave. Once the marshmallows were dipped (with some help from my little guy) they were placed on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. That's when Jonathan went to town with the sprinkles! We then placed the cookie sheet in the fridge for a few minutes to let the chocolate set. Once the candy had hardened we were ready to get out the skewers.

We poked the the marshmallows to the flat end of the skewer then speared the skewers into the pumpkin. Around we went and before you knew it we were done! The kids had a ball pulling out the sticks with a tasty treat on the other end...which also helped avoid sticky fingers! A great treat to make with your little ones!

When the party was over, we decided to let Daddy in on the fun and gut out the pumpkin in order to hammer in more holes to turn into a great jack-o-lantern!












It is now glowing on our front porch!

My Fall Decorations

I decided to repurpose my plant stand that I had placed by the front door this past spring to fit in with fall. In early May I had bought these cute little pots and planted pansies in them, then for the summer, I switched to petunias, and now in the fall....I have put in some pumpkins!

We grew the two bigger pumpkins in our garden. They didn't amount to much, but the little guy had a ball planting them, watching them grow, and proudly picking them and putting them on display.

I also decided to repurpose a planter that was on the back deck all summer. The annuals planted around the outside had long ago lost their luster, but the grass in the middle still looks beautiful! So, I pulled out all of the annuals and placed the planter on the front step next to a nice pumpkin we got at the farm market.

We also added some corn to our lampposts and bought HUGE pumpkins at a local farm market along with some mums to finish off the post display. There is also a local gift shop that I love to shop at called Chickadees that had the cutest pumpkin decorations that you stick right in the ground. They make an instant display and I love them! Here are some more pictures of our fall fun decorating!

Only I Could Do It

Yes....only I could manage to gain 5 pounds the week I decide to go on Weight Watchers! Don't ask me how, exactly I did, but I did. I was sooo good to....the first four days anyway. I was down 4 pounds by Wednesday. I was thinking, "this is awesome!" I even went to the gym two days last week. Something I hadn't done in quite awhile. Then...Friday night rolled around and a friend of mine decided to have a party. That's when it all went out the window, and back on to my hips! This morning when I got up to weigh myself for the big one week finale...I weighed a pound heavier than I did when I started!

So, needless to say, I have been depressed all day. While I decided to be good and stick to the eating portion of my "it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change" philosophy, I am NOT going to the stinking gym! After all, tomorrow is another day! (Hopefully not another five pounds)