A Quinky-dink

Late yesterday evening my little princess arrived back home from a princess sleepover. My wonderful sister-n-law (hi D!) was so kind to pick her up from her slumber party and bring her home. When we were going out to unload the sleepover bags from the car, we noticed a new little creature wondering about the garage. Hmmm....."Where did he come from?" My husband noticed him outside earlier that day but did not think to much about it.

OK, lets back up..a little fill in on the past couple of weeks. We were given a cat and as soon as we let it out of the crate it took off, never to be seen again. In hopes that it would return we kept food and water out for it. Well, this drew another cat (orange tabby) that would come by and munch a bit. But lately, no sign of him either. He was quite healthy, so I knew he must be owned by someone. So, our beginning luck with cats has not been so great. That is until this little guy showed up.

(Back to the garage) I decided to feed the cat. He looked very skinny and you could tell he was still very young, not quite full grown. He ate like a champ, slurped up a few drinks of water and just hung out like he owned the place. Tommy and I had planned to go out and eat once our princess arrived back home so we finished unloading the car and prepared to go eat.

We put the little cat on the front porch with a bowl of food and water. We got out a little pet crate and placed a blanket inside and off we went. We didn't think to much about the little kitten while we were gone, but when we arrived back home, there he was! "Wow, he stayed" Roxanne said. Yep, and he stayed through the night and all day today on the porch. So, I asked Roxanne if she would like to name him. She was not much into giving any feedback, so I suggested "Quinky", like a quinky-dink some say when a coincidence happens.

Quinky was definitely a coincidence! But, it looks like he's a keeper. We went to PetSmart and picked him up a bed and a liter box. With the falling temps. tonight, we thought it might be best that Quinky sleep in the garage bathroom. He will be nice and cozy there. We have also made him an appointment to visit the vet on Friday.

The girls both love our new pet (if he stays). They play with him and he just purrrssss as he rubs against them and begs to be babied. Wish us luck. We are all new at the cat thing. Well, I guess with the 4 acres we have, little Quinky is bound to find a nice little mouse friend he can play with if we are too boring!

Warm and fuzzy

We had a great Christmas here at the Roe house. My parents joined us early on Christmas morning. We were all warm and snuggly with our Christmas pj's on, waiting on the kids to wake up. I had on my fuzzy socks and was ready to hear some paper rip! Roxanne was kind of quiet. No loud outburst or silly dancing just kind of mellow. Bryar decided her favorite gift was a bag of sugar free chocolate covered carmels. Roxanne loved her connect four and operation game. It was exciting to watch everyone open their gifts. Tommy snuck in a tool that he had bought for himself, wrapped it and put it under the tree...what a little sneek! I got my new flash for my camera...mama was happy!

I hope you all had a great Christmas. I agree with Roxanne, she asked "Mommy, why is Christmas just for one day?" With all the trim and lights, baking and wrapping, we decided to keep our tree up for a while and enjoy it. Most of the time we take it down the day after Christmas. But this year, Roxanne and I want to make the holiday linger a bit. Why not, it only comes once a year. You might as well enjoy it!

So proud

The Sunday before Christmas was our annual church Christmas production. The chorale welcomed us with Christmas songs. The choir sang a wonderful Christmas message that touched the hearts of the people. The young children put on a Christmas play/musical. We enjoyed food and games with our family and friends and celebrated the birth of Jesus.

Roxanne was the letter "Y" in the Christmas program. She said her part absolutely perfect and had her first solo in a church program. She sang Joy to the World so sweet, it would just melt your heart. I was proud of her and all of the kids in the program. Way to go kids!

Thanks Lisa!

My friend Lisa introduced me to these sweet little treats. She posted pictures of her new found love on her blog and attached the web link to the sweet spot! Lisa created a masterpiece with her little cupcake pops. They looked so good and were so cute, I just had to give it a try. Roxanne had fun decorating the pops with the green and red sprinkles. I will have to say, my favorite part was sampling the M&Ms!

If you are interested in making some of these little cuties, here is the link http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2008/04/make-your-cupcakes-pop.html where you will find a detailed "how to". Enjoy!

Thanks again Lisa http://thisyummylifeofmine.blogspot.com/

Merry Christmas

Well, the countdown is on! We are officially in the last week before the big day. The presents are wrapped, the stockings are hung and loads of family fun are taking place daily. The kitchen is open for baking, the craft "closet" is open for any last minute Christmas craft ideas, the house is clean and in order (for today anyway!) and Roxanne is asking almost hourly, "When will Santa be here!"


So, with the excitement brewing and family activities scheduled, I know my ability to publish post will be slim to none. This year has been exciting and exhausting. Our family has enjoyed this past year but in many ways we are ready to begin a new one. Thanks again to all of you for your continued support and love that you offer us. We love each and every one of you and you all mean the world to us. We hope that you have a very blessed Christmas season.
Merry Christmas!

Just in

I just recuieved an email from SWOOZIES. They are offering an incredible deal on some of their items. FREE monogram and FREE shipping. Order now to get it in time for Christmas!

http://www.swoozies.com/

create a chistmas bird

I found this on one of my favorite blogs while enjoying some quiet time. I an looking forward to making one of these for our Christmas tree. Aren't they cute!

Click here to view the free pattern http://portabellopixie.typepad.com/BOFpattern.pdf

With all of the late nights and early mornings that I have been doing trying to keep up with my "to do" list, I am now sick. Yep, I've got a doozy of a good 'ole cold. It's been a while since I have had a nasty head cold, so I guess I was due to have it creep up on me. Roxanne, Bryar and myself all have runny noses, cough, fever and raspy voices. Sounds like fun, huh? I am keeping the meds in us and praying for a speedy recovery. There is still lots to do before Santa arrives!

Pick of the week

WOW! Check out the bling on this little diva hair barrette. I love the added sparkle and color combination of this little gem. Lollipopjewel is going out of business and is offering great deals on their hair accessories. Click here http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_10&listing_id=18809485 to view all of their listings.

Well, with Christmas just around the corner this will be our last pick of the week for this holiday season. I have enjoyed finding cute unique gifts to share with you all. I hope that this Christmas season is a blessed one for you and your family.

Christmas star

I had a very proud mommy moment today as I watched my little girls Christmas production. In my eyes, she was the star of the show! Several classes from her preschool came together to perform a variety of Christmas carols to celebrate this holiday season and the birth of Jesus. Not only was I overwhelmed with the fact that my little girl looked so grown up but also that she was singing about Jesus and getting a tiny dose of who and what our great saviour is. I am blessed to have such a sweet child and I love her with all of my heart. Mommy's proud of you Roxanne...you did a great job today!

What's black, ivory and full of love....

My sister-n-law married the man of her dreams this past Saturday. It was a beautiful celebration of love. The bride's father (my awesome father-n-law) had the sweetest look on his face as he walked her down the isle. It was a fairy tale of a wedding, simply beautiful.

I have been busy over the past week or so making Roxanne's dress and basket for the wedding. She was the flower girl. She did a wonderful job. She even helped direct the singers, as if she were a choir director - LOL! We all got a kick out of that.

Here are a few snapshots that I wanted to share with you all. The lighting was very dim and some of my pictures did not turn out as well as I would have liked. Does anyone know if Santa's elf's make attachable camera flashes. If so, I would love to see one in my stocking - LOL!!

Pick of the week

Well, with the end of the week approaching fast, I guess I am a little late getting the pick of the week posted. So, here is my pick of the week....click this link http://sassypinkboutique.com/category_37/Bath-Bakery.htm to check out these awesome bath bakery items. Who ever thought taking a bath could be so sweet!

Wow! I feel special

I received an email on Tuesday that I was going to be featured over at Mamaliciousfinds. "Wow, me....FEATURED!" My internet service has been a little wacky the past couple of days, so I apologize for getting this news out a little late. If you are interested in reading the post you can click on the link here http://mammaliciousfinds.blogspot.com/2008/12/tots-n-dots-christmas-quick-find.html. They have some wonderful things going over there. Lot's of cool finds and mommy info. Enjoy! Thank you Mamaliciousfinds for the published post on your blog!

Clip it up!

I was inspired by one of the "other"(LOL) team leaders in the Thrifty Under Fifty Challenge to make this unique little clip board. My awesome team leader is Kris, she ROCKS!! She was as goo-goo over some of this "other" team members projects as I was. However, Kris's daughter will get to enjoy some of the finished products....luck duck!

I am always trying to find something for Roxanne (my 3 year old) to place in her lap while she is coloring in the car. This little clip board I made is going to be waiting under the tree for her Christmas morning. She can use it to clip all of her drawings to so they wont get lost and also use it for something stable to draw on in the car. Thanks Kim for the inspiration and thank you Micheal's craft store for my huge stash of crafting things - LOL!

Meet my "Martha"

My two baby girls having fun!

Jared was making a Christmas tree!

Ginsey and her mommy (Amy) cutting out "shoes"..LOL they were candy canes!

Little Joseph (soon to be a big brother) was rolling out the dough!

Little Drew was with his mommy (Andrea) cutting out tree shaped cookies!

Aunt Debbie was bringing out the pan to collect the cut out cookies.

Aunt Debbie was keeping a watch on the cookies, making sure they were just perfect for icing!

I am sure that many of you recall someone in your life that has influenced you in a positive way. Someone who made you want to do something, create something, accomplish something...etc Well, I want you to meet the "Martha Stewart" in my life. This is my aunt Debbie (pictured above). She invited all the kids over to make Christmas cookies on Saturday. What a treat! My aunt Debbie has always been the one to create special gifts, baked goods and other crafty things at special family gatherings. She has a heart of gold and a softness about her that is genuine. She is my Martha! Thank you aunt Debbie for always taking the time to use your hands to create special memories. Not only for me, but now for my children as well. Thank you for passing down a tradition that I hope will remain in our family. I love you!

Personalized gifts

I wanted to share these cute little personalized fleece blankets that I monogrammed for some of the young kids I have on my Christmas list. I found some cute Christmas themed fleece blankets that they could lug around the house and keep cozy with this winter. To be a kid again, now that's the life!