Favorite Christmas Memories of 2009...

This year there was a lot of snow that was keeping us from getting up to my sister-in-laws place the day after Christmas, so we postponed the trip until the following day (Sunday). When we first got there we started unloading the car full of presents and placing them under the beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the room just off the side of the living room.

The house was so cozy and warm where my husband's grandparents were waiting inside. There were many little simple decorations that made it feel like Christmas (such as the holly berry wreath hanging on the front door which I really like!)


And the table was all set with beautiful and tasty treats; scrapple meat, Strada's, muffins and fruit... cinnamon buns and fruit tarts.... yummm! The perfect Sunday brunch!


This is one of my favorite pictures during the meal... it looks like something out of a Dr. Seus book :)


Then it came time to open the gifts. My nephew had fun passing them out to everyone...


... and we had fun watching him.


My nephew loved the Tractor, Dump Truck and Tractor movie that his great-grandpa got him, and wanted to play with them the whole time we were opening gifts.



This year one of the big gifts I got Spencer were his Vibram Five Finger shoes which he has been loving! He wears them every chance he gets... even in the snow! They make pretty cool impressions in the snow... it looks like there's either someone running around without their shoes on, or Bigfoot is on the loose. I guess it's only a matter of time before he realizes this and decides to prank the elementary school kids (being that a school is right across the street from our house).


This is the great hat that my mom and dad got me for Christmas, and the tuque I got for Spencer as one of his stocking stuffers.


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all you readers out there, from our family to yours!

Thanksgiving...

For Thanksgiving Spencer's youngest sister Becky and her Fiance came to visit. I was working for most of their time here, but it seemed like a really nice visit. At one point during the trip they got to go to the capital building and learn about the history of the town.

Thanksgiving dinner was so good... I wish I could have eaten more, but I had already filled up on the crackers and dip earlier in the day. Turkey, green been casserole, stuffing, canned cranberry sauce, and gravy... yum.

One of the more memorable parts of the trip was the pumpkin swirl cheesecake that Becky made... especially because Gianni has hyped up her cheesecake making skills earlier that day. It was memorable not because I love cheesecake, and it's my favorite dessert, but because she mistook the jar of salt on the counter for a jar of sugar... and used a cup of it. Needless to say, we went with out the pumpkin cheese cake :(

What a nice visit!

The Joy of Baking With The Family in Autumn...

Autumn is finally here! It's time to start dusting out those turkey roaster pans, gravy boats and fine China, that have been pushed to the back of the top shelf, ladies, because you have a thanksgiving meal to plan.

For those of you who have planned Thanksgiving at your home before, it's no easy undertaking... it involves "fall" cleaning and decorating, shopping for the meal and new clothes for the whole family, pulling out the fine china, silverware and extra chairs.

As family and friends start to arrive it's the hostesses job to make sure her guests are comfortable as they gather in the living room to watch the Thanksgiving day parade and/or football game while at the same time preparing the turkey, and all the fixings... while still maintaining her stylish hairdo and keeping her new autumn attire free from turkey grease. Ladies, tie those apron strings tightly, you have your work ahead of you.

I love this time of the year!

Whether it's cooking for Thanksgiving, or baking with your girls, these holiday aprons and mommy and me apron sets are sure to make this holiday special with a splash of vintage. These upcycled aprons recycled from vintage linens are just some of the cute stuff featured in my etsy store.

To check out more aprons visit my etsy store: www.jnsweeney.etsy.com