Christmas is Over....

Well another Christmas has come and gone and I think it was a success in our home. I think everyone had a very nice time and it is amazing how fast it is over. What seems like weeks of planning and anticipation are over in a matter of hours. Oh well, now to think about next year I guess.

Everyone received at least one item on their list from Santa :-} He sure is a smart guy to get things right. I have asked the kids what their favorite gift was and so far they have been unable to give me an answer. I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing....maybe it is a bit of both?

Hope you had a good day as well with your family and friends and have have a merry holiday season.

Finished??

I can now safely say that I am just about FINISHED with my Christmas shopping, wrapping and labeling of all gifts. I do need to run to the store for some candies for the nieces and nephews but that is easy enough to do. I completed my last project this morning and am just waiting for it to dry. I wish I could say this idea was my own but it isn't it is from someone else but it was so easy and I had to try it for myself.

I started with this from the local home improvement store
and then dressed it up to create this.....
I have to say I am really pleased with how it turned out. I purchased a few more of these so I can make one for our family and possibly a gift or two for next year.

He sold it for how much??

Have you read the story online about a dad in Canada who bought Guitar Hero 3 for his son as a Christmas gift and then sold it on Ebay after he caught him smoking? But what gets me is the game which retails for $90 sold for over $9,000!! WHAT?? I am thinking that the way to get prices up on Ebay is to tell some kind of story with the item and then FOOLS will pay way too much money for it. Remember the lady who kids put Pokemon cards in her grocery cart and then put them on Ebay with a funny story with it and she got an insane amount of money for them.


So come on...who has a great story that would go with fruitcake from 1990???

Simply Wonderful....

This is a beautiful and moving performance of Trans-Siberian Orchestras A Christmas Canon with and the youth choir from Saint Bartholomew Church of New York City singing.

Jewelry

Like many people, I am often sent various jokes, stories and videos via email on a daily basis. Some are not so good, others are ok and some are just GREAT! The following would fall under the great category. Thanks to Karen for sending this one to me :-}

My husband, being unhappy with my mood swings, bought me a mood ring the other day so he would be able to monitor my moods. We've discovered that when I'm in a good mood, it turns green. When I'm in a bad mood, it leaves a big f**king red mark on his forehead. Maybe next time he'll buy me a diamond.

Dumb ass.

What A Great City.....

I have returned from Munich and I must say it was an amazing time. It was a good thing that it was a girls weekend as the kids and Tim SO would not have enjoyed the markets. Actually, I take that back, they would have liked it briefly and then been over it. The city had many markets in various locations and all were easy to get to via the trains and use the trains we did!! For such a large city not once did the three of us EVER feel unsafe or uneasy in our environment. I would HIGHLY recommend a trip to the Christmas Markets to anyone.The weather was perfect and we had plenty to eat and drink. The people were great and it was funny to constantly hear American accents wherever we were....the German people could not have been any nicer. We did make quite a few purchases and I will look forward to getting them out each year. Check out the tree toppers from one stall.
Built from 1867 - 1909 in Flanders Gothic style, the town hall building is one of the most famous buildings in Munich; its facade, over 300 feet in length, features strikingly elaborate stone ornamentation. Its 260-foot tower with carillon is, with St. Peter's Church and the twin towers of the Cathedral, one of the most distinctive features of the city's skyline. It was amazing when lit at night, you can get a general idea of its beauty from the picture I took. The largest market was here in Marienplatz, the heart of the city of Munich, just outside the Town Hall building. The square was originally known as Schrannen but it was renamed Marienplatz (St. Mary's Square) as a way to ask Virgin Mary to protect the town from a cholera epidemic.

There was a large Christmas pyramid in one of the markets and again, it was beautiful at night. {I was very pleased with how my photo turned out} A Christmas Pyramid is a decoration that has its roots in the Ore Mountains of Germany but has become popular throughout the country. The spinning motion of the pyramids is traditionally achieved with the help of candles whose rising heat spins a propeller above. I had a pyramid on my shopping list and was able to find a very pretty one depicting the nativity scene so I was happy. I have not taken a photo of it yet, but hope to do so soon.

Girls Weekend in Munich

I know I have been a bad blogger but this week has just been SO busy with Maggie and her Christmas production this week {photos soon} and just the daily life. I am off in the morning to Munich with 2 friends to see the Christmas markets and see some of the sights of Munich. We are very excited and hope it lives up to our expectations. I am most looking forward to the Manger market, where we can see everything one would need for a nativity set at home. I hope to get some good photos and will post them upon our return. As I will be gone it will be up to Tim this weekend to take care of life at home with the kids and the dog. I am sure they will all do fine....there is plenty of food so I know they won't starve.

The Dreaded Christmas Card Picture

Yep, today was the day the kids dread every year...the taking of the Christmas card picture. I had hopped to get a good family picture on our travels this year but unfortunately all the good ones were either missing myself or Tim. I know that now means that both of us are not in the picture but that is OK. It went surprisingly well so I cannot complain, in fact there were quite a few good ones to select from.

Here are the ones, although good, that did not make the card.
On a side note, we are able to see both the Colts and the Browns games so it is a good football night in our house.