Happy Green Day

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I made cookies.

Side note: Don't try to color sugar cookie dough... color the sugar.

I thought that might be enjoyable for the 5 slash 6 hour drive to Kansas City.

(LJP and I took these lovely OC cheerleaders to the NAIA Tournament)

Though they didn't eat the entire bag but our Hotel Hospitality, Jay, loved them!

Welcome to Kansas City!

AK

Its a perfect day.....

This is a picture I took yesterday during the snow storm.

I know you all took pictures of the actual snow and people playing in the snow

but in my warm comfy pants, I took this picture and let me show you with cute arrows why I took this picture.

#1 DIET COKE..... You stalked up on water and I stalked up on DC

#2 My favorite playlist.... I stayed warm with Harry, Michael, and oh yes, Frank.

#3 Snow.... Everything is better with snow.

#4 Project Runway Marathon.... You ask how I can listen to Frank and watch this? I had it on mute. I just like to see the clothes.

#5 Everything to make a cobbler..... One of my favorite things to do.

Now go download the song "Perfect Day" and dance around and make up a few choreographed moves and pour a glass of diet coke.

AK

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

My jewelry doesn't like me.

And its totally a legit feeling. I mean I am not nice to my jewelry.

I take off earrings anywhere and shove them in my purse, pockets, desk.... The worst is when I will take them off in the middle of the night, in my sleep, and have no idea where I have put them.

I have necklaces lost in my car because they bug me when I drive.

Rings that I take off to do crafts and find in my sewing drawers months later.

This is why I don't buy nice things.

But I decided that maybe if I had a cute place to put my jewelry then maybe our relationship would be different.... you know the kind the people have in the movies.

I just want to freak'n have Audrey Hepburn's relationship with Tiffany's.

So off to Hobby Lobby.

Behold. A craft project.

I got this plastic stuff that I am pretty sure only me and 70 years olds buy.

And for 49 cents, I got two.

I bought two of these picture frames and they were half off....

***Never ever buy picture frames for full price at Hobby Lobby***

I cut the plastic stuff to the size of the frame.

Cut those backs off the frame...

but keep them because you might want to use them down the road

Use the gun.

And TADA!!!!

Then I cut little ones to hang off the frame for earrings with backs

Let the healthy, respectful relationship begin.

Holy Hannah, I have already lost a pearl earring.

I really think this one might last.... wink.

Amy K.

Christmas Commercials

Do they warm your heart like they do mine?

Oh man, I just want to put on cute matching PJ's (I am picturing polka dots in red and green), drink some egg nog, and be 5 years old again! Heavens, 5 was a great year.

So my Mom called me yesterday.... Wait, I have to explain. My Mom is not the mom who calls her children constantly. She showers us with love from head to toe..... but she is a busy woman (where do you think I learned it from?) and she has four kids. She can't call us all the time and anyway we probably call her too much to give her a chance to call us first. I actually understand where she is coming from on the phone thing. I have some issue myself.... just ask my friends who can never get ahold of me. I just say this to explain that when my Mom calls, you answer....

So my Mom called me yesterday and she started with "Ok so I just had to tell you..."

I knew this was going to be good..... like she found a great deal or she had a craft idea.... Things I totally get.

Then she said "I just watched my first Christmas commercial that made me cry"

Precious.

And this is why I am her daughter because through out the holiday season I will shed countless tears watching things like a mother brewing Folders coffee and by the time she starts drinking her cup of coffee, her long lost son will have come home and I am a wreck. (My sisters are laughing cause they understand, and my brother is laughing cause he witnesses the hysteria)

The last thing I will say on the subject is HALLMARK..... oh they make the best commercials.

Here is the one that I have watched a thousand times and it never fails to make me cry. If you love your dad.... grab the tissues.

Best Hallmark commercial

ak

Hobby Lobby

To say I have an obsession with Hobby Lobby is an understatement.

There are weeks when I go there everyday of the week.... minus Sunday cause its closed.

The manger and I are on a first name basis, except that I call him Mr. Newberry..... but I could call him Gene if I wanted.

The whole purpose of this post to tell you about the this...

50% off of Gift wrapping

I wait all year for this week!!!!! It is always one of the last Christmas aisle they put up. Oh and when they do I seriously spend 30 minutes picking out the perfect combination of wrapping papers, that will perfectly present the gifts I have wrapped beneath. But I can't buy it yet. I am like a child waiting for christmas but instead an adult waiting for over indulgent wrapping paper.

Here is what I picked out for Christmas 2009:

Next assignment is finding the right ribbon!

AK

Bargains of the Week

This bag.

(I have no idea why this is underlined and I can't make it go away)

$0.99

Bought two. One for me and one for LJP

This Shirt

Price: $14.99

Sale: $4

Which after wearing it, I realized that they pockets were a little high. So I ask my mom, "Mom do you think these pockets are high" "Well, yes I do"

Ohhhh, wait this is a skirt, not a shirt. Who cares??? It rocked as a shirt.

This Tray

Ross $5

This lamp.

Hobby Lobby

Price: $30

Sale: $6

So its a little brown and has some funky trim but all I need is a glue gun and my craft closet and all is fixed.

This Purse.

Which isn't my purchase but I saw my best friend carrying it and knew that it needed to be showcased. LJP great find!

I don't know the stats on this one but it was on sale at TJ Maxx.

AK