Day 171 (12/26): All I want for Christmas is a can of lima beans

Personally I love lima beans - creamed, with corn mixed in as succotash, plain, and about any which way you can serve them.  My love of lima beans has been passed onto Colton. Thank goodness since not too many people like lima beans. Now I get to share them and eat them more frequently. The neighbor must have heard about our love of lima beans as Colton opened up a can of beans for Christmas.

Every year "Grandpa" Norris, the neighbor decides some ingenious way to wrap Colton's Christmas present.  Last year it was a roll of toilet paper that he had unrolled and then rolled up $1 bills in the t.p. and wrapped it back up. So when Colton unwrapped it he thought it was a little weird but then when he started unrolling it, he loved the money flying at him!

 

He smiled when he opened the can and saw the lima beans but of course thought it was a little weird.  Mr. Norris said to shake it and see if there was anything in it....it rattled! So he told him to pop the top and see what was in it.

Money and Candy instead of lima beans were much appreciated! Although we would have ate the lima beans too!

Day 170 (12/25): Merry Christmas

I have been begging Colton to get his picture taken with Santa but he is getting to that age that he...well...refuses.  Why can't they be a kid forever?  I even told him that is what he could get me for Christmas was a picture with Santa and I would be a happy mom.

So I had a plan. They advertised Bowling with Santa over at Ft. Riley.  For $25 you and 7 of your friends could share a lane of bowling with 2 pitchers of pop and a large pizza for 2 hours.  They also take your picture with Santa, develop it and bring it to you while you bowl.   That was a great deal and another mother was taking her kids so we teamed together and got a lane. 

I was starting to sweat it when I started my trek over to Ft. Riley and my tire light came on as I was driving over there.  I raced back to Bob, the neighbor who always fixes everything for me, and said "Fix It" so we can go bowling!  He, of course, did and we were on our way.  I got pics of him bowling and even in the dark with glow bowling.  And the piece d'resistance....the picture of him and Santa!

It may be the last year for it so you better enjoy it!

Day 169: (12/24) Christmas Cooking

Couldn't figure out what to name this one...Christmas cooking or Finger-licking good. 

Every year right after Thanksgiving we start making candies and cookies to give away at Christmas.

We had done our Black Friday shopping as you can tell by the new computer in the background. Mark was stripping wallpaper and Colton and I were dipping pretzels and baking.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
My baking included date snowballs and 7-layer bars.  I took the snowballs to Marks family and noone would eat them because they heard the word date in the name.  His dad finally tried one and said they were yummy.  They are yummy and they don't really taste like dates.

Now check out some of the cutest things in the world - santas and snowmen made out of nutter butters.  These puppies were pretty messy to make and there was a whole lot of lickin' going on here. You can tell by Colton's mouth in this one that he had just got done licking some of his fingers off. No one would fess up but there was plenty of white lips on the boys!

I was busy making peppernuts which are always delicious.  They take forever but are so worth it when the cinnamon crunchy-ness is melting in your mouth.

Each year I try to make something new to see if I like it enough to make it the next year.  I tried something from Tasty Kitchen - which is a great site if you are looking for recipes.  These were gingerbread cookies with the peppermint hershey kisses on them. The gingerbread was a little hard but the hershey kisses were great!  :) They won't make the round of baking next year but I will find a use for the peppermint crunch kisses!

You can never go wrong with white chocolate covered party mix.  So Yummy and so easy!  Just take your favorite chex mix items (cheerios, chex, pretzels) and cover it with white chocolate. Then as we call it you sprinkle it with love with some red and green m&m's.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

See - Finger Lickin' Good!

Day 168 (12/21): Total Eclipse...Solstice

The last time a lunar eclipse has occured on the winter solstice was 372 years ago.  I probably won't see another one on solstice day so I decided I'd better try to stay awake for this one.   Well they are predicting the next one will occur in 2094. I'll be 120 years old if I live that long.  It's possible but statistically speaking...not likely. 

I didn't keep Colton up since it was his last school night.  Plus I could barely keep my eyes open for it!  2:15AM is flipping early in the morning!  I haven't seen that hour since I was in college!

Chomp...chomp...chomp as the earth takes a bite of the moon.

I had to look up what exactly the Winter Solstice is since I had heard the term but not really knew what it was.  For inquiring minds, it is when the Earth's axial tilt is farthest away from the sun. So my day was extremely short yesterday and the night was the longest.  The actual origin of the word solstice comes from Latin meaning sun stoppage.

I took what seemed like a billion pictures trying to figure out if it is best to use the flash or night photo or what.  Not really sure which ones are which but felt like I got some good cool pics.

I loved the orange-y color that it got as it was almost all blocked. It blocks the sun's rays and casts a shadow on the moon. NASA says that our atmosphere filters out most of the blue colored light, leaving just the red and orange hues.

I'm glad I stayed up that late but this weathergirl is forecasting a nap in her future!