i know i know, i have been away for a while. just busy. and it seems like every time i'm at the computer for "leisure," i get sucked into Facebook. or worse, my precious spare minutes are spent uploading photos over at Shutterfly. no matter, i'm here now. i don't like doing updates like this but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. so where to begin...
our Jesse Tree project is going well! granted it's day 16 and we've only finished 6 ornaments, but hey, it's still awesome. it's a Bible story study, craft project, and Advent calendar all in one. so far my favorite ornament on the Jesse Tree is the apple tree from the Garden of Eden. Big Girl made it out of Legos! by herself! thanks, shannon, for enlightening me about this project. 
last but not least...i have a few links and a recipe to share!
first, take a look at these chips i found at Target! that's right: S'MORES tortilla chips. thank you Archer Farms genious who thought to pair tortilla chips with s'mores. brill! and so delicious. although be warned they do not go well with salsa nor hot chocolate.
our Jesse Tree project is going well! granted it's day 16 and we've only finished 6 ornaments, but hey, it's still awesome. it's a Bible story study, craft project, and Advent calendar all in one. so far my favorite ornament on the Jesse Tree is the apple tree from the Garden of Eden. Big Girl made it out of Legos! by herself! thanks, shannon, for enlightening me about this project. Big Girl's behavior is improving by leaps and bounds. she's so stinkin' smart, and hilarious. she has her Daddy's sense of humor. just plain silly. when i ask for her help with Bitty's diaper she busts out into this crazy song "i'm the diaper duty girl...i take the dirty diapers and i throw 'em in the trash!" you have to imagine her singing this with a *very* southern drawl. she sounds like a little Cletus on The Simpsons when she sings that song. yeah it cracks us up.
Bitty got his two first teeth. the bottom ones. wow that was fun. {not.} but he's a good baby otherwise. he is learning to sit up by himself. and when he really wants me, he says "mamamamaamamama." i swear. genious child. he is 75th percentile for weight and 95th percentile for height. big guy. and he likes to eat. his first Christmas is so exciting. he's so excited he can't sleep. so he doesn't. pretty much ever. {please pray for us. we need peaceful sleep.}
and finally, i did something crazy {but meaningful} this week. my dear, sweet, beautiful, awesome, strong, wonderful sister Sally is going thru something tough right now. i love her so and it pains me to be so far away from her while she's going thru this. {thank you, God, for Julio.} to show my support, in the same way people do when they shave their head because a loved one is bald from chemotherapy, i colored my hair the same color as Sally's. this would be not so crazy if Sally was a blonde or a brunette. but Sally's haircolor is more a maroonish red. and it has been forever. i'd venture to say it's her signature color. so i did it. my hair is now a very maroonish red. it looks much prettier on Sally, because of her snow white complexion and light green eyes. but i did it because i love her, i'm so proud of her, and i believe in her.
last but not least...i have a few links and a recipe to share!i just found organizedchristmas.com and boy oh boy is that fun. even if you think you're already organized, take a gander over there and see just how much more organized you can be this season.
another new fave is One Crafty Mumma. she inspires me! i've already made a few of her crafts from the 25 days of Homemade Christmas. and although i'm not a fabric craft person, i'm more a paper craft person, i am finding some really cool patterns here at LollyChops. i'm a big fan of homemade and handmade gifts, especially stuff-n-a-jar gifts, so i'm lovin' these beautiful printable gift tags. thanks so much Lolly!
here is the recipe for my mom's famous French Toast Casserole. very tasty on a cold winter morning. served with love at the Stanley-Fisher B&B.
French Toast Casserole
This recipe is best to make the day before and refridgerate overnight before baking.
Ingredients
-1 small loaf Cinnamon Raisin bread
-2 1/2 c milk
-1/2 c flavored coffee creamer *optional (I used Gingerbread but any flavor is good!)
-6 eggs
-1 tsp vanilla
-1/2 c maple syrup
-1 T butter
Mix milk, creamer, eggs, vanilla and maple syrup in bowl. Cut bread into cubes (set 3 uncut slices aside). Line greased casseroledish with cubed bread. Pour milk mixture on top, soaking all the bread. Cover with tinfoil. Let soak in the refridgerater overnight.In the morning (prior to baking) toast the 3 uncut slices of bread, and crumble after toasted. Melt butter. Mix butter with toasted breadcrumbs. Sprinkle crumbs over casserole. Bake uncovered 350deg for 45mins. Share & enjoy!
Happy December, everyone.
