Dinner & Dessert. Step by Step

1. Make friends with a really good cook. Mine is Debbie... aka "My Martha Stewart"

She can do anything!

2. Steal that cooks recipes

3. Screw up dinner because you couldn't find Rhodes frozen loafs of bread and used rolls instead.

** This calzone rose a little too much**

4. Make decadent dessert.... That Debbie invented in her beautifully creative mind.

5. Make sure you have cute platter

6. Ice 2nd layer and hope that it doesn't lean

7. Accept the leaning and think of it as your personal signature mark.

8. Eat.... and gain those wonderful holiday pounds!

Thank you Debbie for being the every graceful hostess and for showing me you can never have too many white platters.

AK

Holy Hannah!

Please go to this link and you will believe there is a Santa Clause.... that gives gifts 3 days after Christmas.

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/

AK

Where there is a will, there is a way.

Dear Snow,

You thought you could keep us from having our Christmas Eve traditions. You thought your beauty would keep us locked in the house eating old ham. No, no dear friend. We challenged you, we dared you, and we won.

Love, Me

P.S. Please know that I still love you. I just love Chinese food too.

You tried to re-freeze the windshield whippers but Dad figured you out.

You tried to scare us by pelting sleet on us. We were not detoured.

All for this.

#1, #16, #2, fried bread, and egg rolls.

The boys are happy.

From the two of us...

Merry Christmas from me and my bangs!

Last Favorite Christmas Song

#25 "Have yourself a merry little Christmas" Frank Sinatra

AK

If looking at food caused you to gain weight..

Then these would have caused me to gain 5 pounds.

Fact: My mother has gone through 50 pounds of flour making food for people for the holidays.

She is a saint.

Favorite Christmas Song

#24 "Only one more Sleep til Christmas" Muppets

Christmas Cards

I usually leave that job of sending Christmas cards to people with kids and dogs.

That was until LJP found these at TJ Maxx.

One of my favorite authors & it talks about fashion.

They were perfect..... They just needed one thing.

Thats better!

Favorite Christmas Song

# "Old Toy Trains" Toby Keith

Like the Israelites left Egypt....

So did the people of Edmond, when the lights go out in retail stores.

So I am in Hobby Lobby for one last visit before I head home, to the land of no Hobby Lobby.... its so depressing.

And as I am picking out fabric for a gift, the lights go out...... All of them.

All customers get pushed to the front of the store, where we waited, all hoping the lights would come back on. I wanted to be like "Do you know who I am? I can still shop when its dark.... I know where everything is located. The manager and I are BFF's. I am not just any normal customer" But I didn't think it was the proper time to throw a fit.

So I talked to Mr. Newberry, the manager & my HLBFF (hobby lobby best friend forever), and he said the block is out, someone hit a transformer. I slapped him on the back, told him I was sorry, and that I would be back.

So I give in and go to TJ Maxx and Homeland. The ONLY other places I have left to go.

BLACK....... All of them.

And here is what I see. People Fleeing... it was hysterical how fast people were moving. It was like those end of the world movies, where you see highways backed up for miles. But this was scarier.... It was hard core Edmond shoppers.

This corner was beast.... but I made it out. I will just have to get my last few things later.... or maybe never.

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONGS

#19 "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" Carrie Underwood

#20 "I heard the bells" Casting Crowns

#21 "Canon in D"

AK

Photography Friday

The talented, and might I add very funny, Mandy is having a

Black & White Picture contest on her blog.

For details & to enter go HERE.

And here is my favorite b&w photo that I took.

Favorite Christmas Song

#18 "Bless us All" Muppets Christmas Carol.

**No lie the first time I heard this it brought a tear to my eye.

AK

30 Names

These are the names of 25 toddlers who live in Zambia

And these are the names of 5 precious women who love them.

"Let the Children come to me" Luke 18:15

Meagan, Betsy, Courtney, Kelsey, & Jana:

You are prayed for by me & 200 + freshman girls at OC.

Favorite Christmas Song

#17 "Go Tell It on the Mountain" Big Daddy Weave

Amy K.

My life in these fab boots.

I celebrate occasions by buying shoes....

And I will celebrate today with these...

Watch out Today.... cause I got my $30 leather boots on.

(You edit pictures of your children... I edit pictures of my shoes)

THIS IS FOR YOU GINNY & ANGELA

Favorite Christmas Song

#16 "Happy Holiday"- Nsync

Amy K.

Christmas in August anyone?

Let the jealousy start cause Christmas comes to good little girls twice..... well at least I celebrate it twice and it really has nothing to do with being good. More like obsessed with this commercialized holiday..... oh gosh I realized what a dork I am going to sound like but I am writing this blog anyway.

August and December.... my months of X-mas

Follow me for a minute....

There is this little thing called Earn Your Wings or EY-Dub, to many.

Its OC's welcome week for new students..... and I love it. Holy Hannah, do I love it. Its one of my favorite weeks of the year and thus I started comparing it to Christmas. Its the natural thing to do. I think the exact phrase I used was "This is like my Christmas" and from that point one, EYW was changed forever.

So now the Monday before it starts is "Christmas Eve" and then when we have our big kick off ceremony, I will yell something like, "Christmas is here"

The students now indulge me making huge Christmas signs.... and I love them for it!

And playing NSYNC Christmas all week long. There is nothing like jamming out to "Merry Christmas" in August

And with these lovely ladies, we even had Christmas night, filled with presents and treats.

So Christmas in August has a cowboy theme..... Stop judging..... Its my made up holiday.

The boys were so excited for E-Dub Christmas. They took this picture.... I AM judging each of you!

We even have candles and sing Christmas songs.... J slash K. We don't sing christmas songs.

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONGS

#13 "White Christmas"- Bing Crosby

#14 "We wish you a Merry Christmas"- John Denver and Muppets

#15 "Merry Christmas with Love" Clay Aiken

AK

Count Down til Christmas

My family has many traditions but this is one of my favorites!

Look past the hooks and the crocked hanging thing on the left

And the cute stockings that have yet to be bedazzled (even though the rhinestones have been bought)

Nope its that old looking thing in the middle..... with the chocolate on it... and with the hanging thing behind it, that I was too lazy to take down.

Growing up each Kelly kid had a count down to Christmas. My sisters had matching ones and Nathan had a big Santa.... but I had this one. I thought it was beautiful. My Mom did the cross stitching and I am sure I added that nice water stain on the right.

Now, I know you are thinking this is precious but let me tell some hard truths about the Christmas count down. I love chocolate and for a kid to have to stare at it all month long, was next to death. I also had sisters who would save theirs for days, so they could eat them all at once. Their kisses would just sit there waiting for someone to eat them.... and maybe one went missing but you can't blame me if you just leave them there tempting me. I also had a brother who hated chocolate..... I have no words for the kid who never ate his.

But all in all sweet mother...... I loved it and still do!

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONGS

#10 "Snow, Snow, Snow"- White Christmas- KC and Tara, this one is for you

#11 "The Christmas Song" Michael Buble- 3rd favorite Crooner

#12"12 Days of Christmas"- Straight No Chaser

AK

You know its cold when....

You drive past the outdoor skating rink and no one is skating....

When freshman drop $20 for starbucks

When boys try to prove they are men by wearing no gloves

When the girls wont go near the guys

And when someone's iphone reads 23 degrees

But the cold always gives reason to take really cute pictures

We totally matched.... and we totally did not plan it

This is Sweet Caroline.... She just so cute and little. She fits right in your arms.

Good luck freshmen with finals and hope you didn't get hypothermia.

Favorite Christmas Songs

#7 Breath of Heaven- Amy Grant

#8 Thistle Hair- Alabama- This is a shout out to Ben and Ryan.

#9 When my Heart Finds Christmas- Harry Connick Jr.- The 2nd of my top three crooners.

AK

Don't say I am not impacting the next generation.

2006

At the age of 1, she would sit still long enough for me to paint both her nails and toe nails. And I fell a little more in love with her.

2009

The only difference three years later is, she can carry on a conversation with the very kind nail tech and she knows the difference between the wrong color red and the right color red.

By the end of the manicure, Star Nails was in love too.... That was until my niece said very loudly to the women getting her hair cut, "Is that a girl or a boy?" hahhah

Favorite Christmas Songs

#4 Silent Night- Frank Sinatra..... Because you have to have Frank, gosh just listen to that voice.

#5 All I want for Christmas- Mariah Carey

#6 Grown Up Christmas List- Amy Grant & dedicated to LJP

AK

Did you ever get a walkie talkie for Christmas?

The most important thing about this picture is not that LJP and I took a picture...

Which we rarely do...

No its this.....

A great and powerful black walkie talkie!

Seriously, everything is better when you are given power in the form of a walkie talkie.

You can say things like "over and out" "umm breaker breaker this is Amy" "Roger that" ohhhh and you have to say "niner".... you just have too!

I didn't have many jobs but one of my jobs was to make sure Santa got moved outside in time to light the campus. On the WT it sounded like "Santa is on the move, repeat Big Red is on the move"

And when I wasn't acting like I was 5 years old, I guess there was a huge OC event going on.

OC Lighting of the Commons 2009

Mama came up!

I just wanted to show the cute sign... I was covered in glitter but it was worth it.

My sweet sweet girls!

I think everyone should take pictures by big trees.... It makes you look skinny.

This is my brother. Have you met him yet?

This is him. Nathan Thomas. He is precious and puts up with me.

Oh and he is a very talented photographer. I swear I am not biased.

Its just true.

Favorite Christmas Song #3:

"Baby It's Cold Outside" by Dean Martin

It must be a drunk Dean Martin.... no one slurs it like him.

Over and out,

AK