Celebrating Christmas

We woke up Christmas Eve morning and I did some household chores and then I prepared cupcakes, blondies, a cheese ball, and green bean casserole for Christmas dinner. 

We enjoyed a fabulous early dinner (minus the bad waiter) at PF Changs.

We had the spicy shrimp appetizer, vegetable spring rolls, Mongolian beef, combination lo-mein and chicken lettuce wraps. 

Best Dessert Ever - Banana springrolls in caramel and vanilla sauces with fresh berries and a scoop of pineapple-coconut ice cream

Once we got home we let Madison open one present.  The one she chose was Sims Pets 3 for the Xbox Kinnect.  She is playing it now and obsessed.


On Christmas morning we woke up around 9 am and I insisted on making breakfast before opening presents...so Chris and Maddie went through their stockings at the dining room table while I made pancakes and bacon.  Maddie loves lottery tickets and won $10.

Then we opened Christmas presents.

Chris's family came over around 2 for Christmas dinner.  We had a great time.

We had a nice day.  However my thoughts this morning and throughout the day kept leading me back to the fact that I should be in my second trimester now... and no matter how hard I try to move on... it still makes me terribly sad...just about every day.  I also learned yesterday my friend, Jill, lost her baby... when she should have been about 12 weeks pregnant.  Having confided in her during early pregnancy and relying on her for information while going through my miscarriage... my heart aches for her and her family.  I thought of my friend, Kelly, who was murdered almost a year ago by her husband...and her two sweet children.  I thought of my blogger friend Brandy... and the loss of her sweet baby boy.  I thought of my friend Mary, experiencing her first Christmas without her sweet baby Remy... I thought of my childhood friend Laura who is no longer with us and her family.  I about how my parents were supposed to be here today with us... and they ended up not coming.  I thought about how only some of Chris' family came...and not all of them due to crazy/awkward family rifs...

So as much as our day was great... it wasn't without reflection and sadness.

Merry Christmas from Melissa @ A Dozen Years Later

Since I am pretty sure the 25 Christmas cards I sent out have made it to their recipients, here is our 2011 Christmas card.  I took this photo of Madison myself and you can see the Newport, Rhode Island bridge in the background.  Merry Christmas from our home to yours.

Stripes In Color Holiday Card

Shutterfly always has unique designs for our holiday cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Holiday Baking ~ Teacher's Gifts

This morning I am doing some baking before work.  I want to make little treat containers for Madison to pass out to her teachers.  When you are working on a tight budget and your middle schooler has multiple teachers... holiday gifts become a bit more difficult to manage.

I had these leftover Chinese takeout boxes from our wedding favors plus those great and super cheap labels I ordered through Tiny Prints.

I filled them with chocolate frosted brownie squares and Buckeyes.

Then I made cinammon sugar pretzels (sooo good) and tied them up in little baggies with more custom labels for her teachers too.

I know it isn't much, but I hope it is a small treat to brighten their day.

A Busier Weekend Than Usual

We usually don't do much on the weekends... but this weekend was busier than usual. 

Friday night we picked up Chinese food and Chris and Maddie watched movies while I worked on my Christmas cards... a few went out Saturday morning...but then I needed more stamps... so the rest will go out tomorrow.  I didn't order enough... oh well.  I will be posting my card this week...but here is a little sneak peek.

I worked a four hour shift on Saturday.  Chris and Maddie went out to run errands which included picking up Dunkin Donuts gift cards for her two bus drivers.   Her bus has never been late...to pick her up or drop her off.  I figure a bus driver is a pretty thankless job and I just wanted to do something small to thank them and to let them know I appreciate their punctuality. 

Later that day my Aunt Carol and Uncle John drove in from Massachusetts to visit.  They've really made a great effort since we have moved closer to reach out to us, invite us to family gatherings, out for meals, and even to come to their house for Thanksgiving.  So we enjoyed being able to spend the afternoon/evening with them in Rhode Island.  We enjoyed at late lunch at the Coddington Brewery.  Then they came back to our house for a little football and to hang out.  I sent them home with some goodies - 7 layer bars and chocolate peanut butter pretzel balls (which by the way are amazing)...although they ate plenty of them while still here. 

This morning I had to be up and out of the house early.  I occaisonally help out a local family with three small children.  I answered an ad a bit ago.  They have twin babies and a 2 1/2 year old and basically when one of them is working... the other one just needs an extra hand.  I was really dreading going this morning because it was cold and I wanted to stay in bed, but once I got there the time went by fast...plus the extra cash isn't bad either.

This afternoon I headed out solo to finishing shopping for stocking stuffers... I picked up a Paris locket and chain Madison had seen while out yesterday with Chris, a Paris notebook, a fun graphic tee, some candy, some gel pens, and some headbands...all to stuff in her stocking.  Then I stopped at BJs to pick up a few things...mainly trash bags which we were totally out of before heading home.

I cannot believe Christmas is in a week.  I am making Christmas dinner here and need to finalize my meal plan for that day.

4+ Days Without Blogging - Catching Up

I haven't blogged since Saturday...and that was just to show our Christmas cards we didn't choose.  I've upped my hours at work this week and so I have been busy with that...and Madison was home sick today.  She seems to have come down with the runny nose/cold/cough/sort throat that Chris and I both had.  She rested all day...sipped on ginger ale, and took some meds.  I hope she feels better tomorrow.

I am busy making a big 1 pound pan of macaroni and cheese for an order for one of Chris' co-workers.  They are having a work potluck tomorrow and he ordered a pan of my macaroni and cheese... $30... in my pocket tomorrow.  It is super fabulous...and insanely easy to make...and it will be finding its way to our Christmas dinner table.

I worked three night shifts this week so I made three crockpot dinners - a pot roast, chicken and dumplings, and pepperocini beef.  Roasts were BOGO at the grocery store this week so I incorporated them into the meal plan.

The pepperocini beef sandwiches are amazing.  Make it.  So simple, easy, and tasty.

Source: ourbestbites.com via Sarah on Pinterest

It makes a ton which we used for sandwiches, a container which is now in the freezer for a meal next week, and then I used some of the leftovers to make this tasty BBQ Pepper Pizza for dinner tonight.  I used honey bbq sauce as the pizza sauce, some leftover Mexican cheese I had in the fridge, and I heated up the leftover beef and peppers and topped the pizza with it.  Chris was a little skeptical at first when I told him I used bbq sauce on the pizza... but we both agreed it was amazing and wish I had made more (I only did 1/2 of the pizza in this flavor).  We will definitely be making this tasty pizza again.

I combined some deals and placed two separate orders and was able to purchase 6 different sets of address labels and gift labels from Tiny Prints for just $2.  I ordered these to seal the envelopes of our Christmas cards (which I am still waiting for the cards to arrive).

I made another wedding invitation ornament for my friend Amy who got married over the summer.  I must drop it off at the post office tomorrow... as she lives out of state.

Madison and I were at Michaels last weekend when I realized we did not have a 2011 family Christmas ornament.  I picked this one up for $2.50... but it ended up being on sale once I got to the register.  I came home and added our names and the date.  

Here is Madison last weekend.  We were eating homemade brownies and working on crafts at the dining room table.

Every year I buy my wrapping paper at the Dollar Tree.  It is just going to get torn off.  Here are the rolls I picked up this year.  Wednesday morning I wrapped all of the Christmas presents I bought and put them under our tree.

Speaking of crafts... here is my craft bin..and you can catch a glimpse of two projects I am finishing up.

I made this. I painted the canvas red, printed out my vintage subway art Christmas printable and used Mod Podge to adhere it to the canvas.  I love how it turned out.  I plan on making more next year to give out as gifts.

Our Shutterfly Christmas Cards

I decided to stop being such a Scrooge and to send out Christmas cards after all... So this morning we headed to downtown Newport to take some photos of Madison along the water. 

When I came home I made three different cards and then I let my husband choose his favorite (which is the one I just ordered... and I only had to pay $6.41) which is basically tax and shipping thanks to a code I won on a blog for free cards.

Here are the two cards from Shutterfly we didn't go with... I will post the one we chose after they have reached our friends and family.

Wishing You Merry Christmas Card

Find unique and modern Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Faith And Hope Christmas

Turn family photos into personalized Christmas cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

I hope they arrive soon!!

The Cutest Holiday Ornaments

One of my favorite shopping sites is Joss & Main.  Have you heard of them? They are kind of like Rue La La or Zulily but for home goods.

Today they are featuring Glory Haus handpainted ornaments.  I just placed an order for two of them.  One for our tree...and one to send to my mom for her tree.

How cute are these hand-painted ornaments?  They are just $9.95 each.

Christmas Countdown Printables {Free}

I made this first one a few weeks ago and had it printed at Walgreens for FREE. 

Then I made this one... which I love even more.

Which one do you like best?

They print best as 8x10's.  Go ahead and download one (or both), get it printed, frame it, and use an Expo marker to keep your countdown to Christmas.

Download below for free.

Green Dots or Aqua & Red

Invitation Christmas Ornaments - DIY Tutorial

Earlier in the week I discussed how I had a goal to make at least 3 things from my Pinterest boards...and well tonight I made my first thing.

This was so easy to make.  I made this one for a cousin who is getting married this weekend.  As soon as I find my stash of leftover wedding invitations... I will be making one for ME!!

These are selling on Etsy for $10-$20.  Craziness!!

I suggest making your own.

I bought a 4 pack of clear glass ornaments from Michaels.  They were regularly $4.99 are are 50% off through Saturday.

I took the wedding invitation and used my paper cutter (you could use scissors) and cut it into thin strips making sure to leave all relevant information (names, dates, etc..) in tact.

Next I used a pen to curl the strips.

Then I opened the top of the ornament and stuffed in the paper pieces.

You could also make them using shower invitations.  So if you have a leftover invitation, this would be an easy ornament for you to make for your tree this year.

~FREE~ Square Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays Printables

These print BEST as 12x12 square prints or smaller.  Choose one or choose all 4.  They are available for FREE to download below.  If you download one, just leave a quick comment to let me know... just because I am curious.  Keep your eye out for other winter holiday printables coming soon. 

Green Dots - Merry Christmas

Trees Stars Merry Christmas

Green Dots Happy Holidays

Stripes Happy Holidays

Day 13- Christmas Vintage Subway Art Printables

I created these last night for Christmas.  I look to do a seasonal or holiday printable in an 8x10 frame in our living room.  I came up with these two.  They print best as an 8x10.  If you would like one, just leave a comment letting me know which one(s) you want and if your email isn't attached to your comments, leave that as well.  I think the second one is my favorite and the one I am going to order for myself.

Here they are -

Christmas 2010 Recap

Merry Christmas 2010 - our first Christmas as a married couple!

We began our celebration on Thursday with a trip to Jason's Deli for lunch.  Then we opened up our stockings when we got home.

We got up early Friday morning, stopped for gas and breakfast, and then headed to visit my parents.  It was our very first road trip in our new car.

We enjoyed dinner out with my parents and some friends.  When we got home Madison opened two of her presents...a sweater and some black Ugg boots (which she LOVED).

Christmas morning we woke up and exhanged gifts.  Then we had a pancake and bacon breakfast.

Chris, Maddie, and my dad took an afternoon trip to the movies to see True Grit.

I worked on making macaroni and cheese { recipe to follow} and cheesey grean bean casserole for a family dinner on Sunday.

We enjoyed Christmas dinner at Chengs - a local Chinese restaurant.  YUM! We each had a drink and we shared a Pu-Pu platter.  Then we had plates of sweet and sour chicken, Mongolian beef, sesame chicken, general tso's chicken, and another dish with vegetables, filet chunks, and shrimp.  We left stuffed.

Later than evening we watched Invictus.  It was good but I thought it was slow at some parts.

Sunday morning we woke up and I went to Target with my mom looking for a few deals.  I ended up with some holiday plastic cutlery, foil, and cups all 50% off.  I refrained from buying anything else to put away for next year.

Sunday afternoon was to be our annual family dinner.  Due to the weather we had limited  guests for our dinner and gift swap.  We served grilled jerk pork tenderloin, macaroni and cheese, and cheesey green bean casserole.