Tagging a Tree

Every year we aim to tag a tree and we never seem to be able to remember.  Well, this year, finally we actually remembered.  So one day in November we went to our old stand by in Swansea to tag our tree. I even remembered to bring a scarf to tag it with.  So there we were on our merry way and low and behold we couldn't find a decent size tree that wasn't already tagged...are we going to have to go in August to tag our tree next year?  So after some discussion, we decided to get a smaller tree and set it on a table instead.  If you could only hear, every year, how the kids always want their OWN mini tree, so we settled on a medium sized tree.  We didn't end up needing to put it on a table.

 All the rows are labeled so one can find their tree (if they remember where they tagged it).

 These are some of the tree's Alyssa wanted.

we like to see what others are tagging their tree to make it their own...

this was a favorite of the family since we are Dunkin lovers as well...

this one was a favorite of Jenna's and Rob's...

a bunch of random stuff...

and good ol' Mickey Mouse...

we got a kick out of this one...

Then Jenna took over the camera for a little while.

 

and then we found our tree...there's wasn't a lot to pick from, I guess we'll have to go even earlier next year!

Alyssa wanted to put the tag on.

and I actually remembered to bring something to personalize our tree...a scarf the kids had knit when they were in elementary school tied together with a knitted belt that came from some piece of clothing from long ago.

and of course some fooling around...

and Rob pretended to throw me in a hole (you can see Alyssa trying to protect me).

and this is what the hole looked like (clearly I wasn't going to go to far).

and then of course, Alyssa TRIED to push Rob into the hole (always sticking up for her Mama that one!)  :)

and since that didn't work, she thought she'd just hitch a ride on him.

 

Right at the farm was a Tree Carving shop.  The guy made all of these really cool decorations.  The kids really liked looking around.



This little fire pit is so cool!  Rob bought the shavings and candle and made two for me for mother's day.  It sits right on our porch. 

 

They called this a man cave but Alyssa really liked playing in it...

 

 

Then we stopped at Wendy's for Frosty's!  I stayed in the car to read while they went in.

No if we can only remember to go earlier next year. 



New York (part 2)

So much for posting the next day...we went to my cousins that afternoon and got back late then woke up on Sunday and had to get things done around my mom's yard.  Busy we were!!!

Look at the stance!

 Alyssa had her ipod in her shirt so she could listen to music while she worked!  

Rob did work inside, hanging new blinds

and out!  It was a very productive weekend.  And of course we went to Ralph's (an italian ice cream shop) for a treat after everyone's hard work.

New York

This weekend we are visiting the family.  Including doing some work at Mom's, of course.  Today we slept in.  We all seem to be tired.  We had a lazy morning...including the dogs!  And Lina was still sleeping at this point.

Dax thinks he's King of the house and my mother treats him like it!

Heading to my cousins for a cookout.  Will post more pictures tomorrow.

I'm Back!

It has been awhile...I took quite a Siesta, but I am back.  A lot has happened over the past few months.

My telephoto lens (a favorite) broke and it took me a little while to get a new one...they are not cheap.  All I had was a zoom lens so it was hard to take close up pictures with it.  I read about lenses (and took the advise of a photographer who's blog I follow and can rely on) and since the telephoto lenses are quite expensive I went with a fixed lens, which happened to be on sale at Best Buy and I had Reward dollars, so between both I couldn't pass up the deal, plus Rob gave me some money for my birthday for the lens.  I am still getting use to the lens and haven't taken a lot of pictures with it yet.

As I was going back I realized that I have yet to post our family vacation pics from last year and Christmas.  That's as far back as I see that I've missed.  Since I haven't gotten all my vacation pics edited, I will post the Christmas ones first and go from there.  For those of you that read this blog, if you are not up to seeing Christmas photos in May, (I can't blame you) then you can skip ahead in a couple of weeks. I must post the pictures for memory sake though, so bear with me.

And because I can't post without a picture, this is Alyssa's Lacrosse team from last year.

Lauren, Ryan, Blakely, Ellie, Alyssa and Grace

Fairies in a Jar

How To Make Fairies In A Jar 

This is something everyone will love! Just imagine the look on your childs face when they see this.

FAIRIES IN A JAR DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut a glow stick and shake the contents into a jar.
2. Add diamond glitter
3. Seal the top
4. Shake hard

 

 

Although my youngest is 12 1/2 I'm still going to try this with her. 

I'll also bring it up to our family vacation with the cousins...I think they'll like it too.  I know Alyssa will want to show Hollyn especially since she likes fairies.  

Rob's Birthday

For Rob's birthday he wanted me to make him Rice & Beans...well his birthday fell on a Friday and the last thing I want to do on a Friday is cook...so we compromised and I cooked for him on Saturday instead.  Since Lina had her ACT test that morning I got up and started cooking right away because after the test she had to go back to school.  So I made some to give her and bring back for Jenna.



Since I was already in the groove of cooking I decided to make a treat for the girls as well...something very simple that I already had the ingredients for.  Pretzel Kiss Bites.

My friend Donna told me about these yummy treats.  They are so simple to make and a fun project to do with the kids...Needless to say the girls (and Rob) loved them!  :) 

And since his birthday fell on the weekend, he feels that it should be his birthday weekend!  Then another celebration on the 16th when we have the family gathering!  

Happy Birthday, Babe!

Pretzel Kiss Bites

• Bag of Pretzels
• Hershey Kisses
• M&M's

Heat the oven to 250 degrees, place pretzels on a cookie sheet and add the Hershey Kisses on top.  Bake for 3 minutes.  Take out of the oven and squish the M&M's on top of the Hershey Kiss while they are still soft.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes!  YUM! 

You can change it up for every holiday since M&M's come in just about every holiday color.  I plan on making these for our family gathering next weekend for the kids using the Easter holiday colored M&M's.  The cousins will love it!

 

Hersehy Kiss can be replaced by a Rollo for a caramel taste.  Experiment with different kinds of candies and let me know what you come up with.

365 - A Cup of ______

Java!  That's what I love.  I like mine a little strong.  Not flavored.  I've begun liking tea as well.  Tea I prefer flavored.  No milk, just a little sugar.  I'm not very picky.  I'll try almost anything.  Chai Latte's, Frappacino's, Macchiato's...Oh yeah!

Ahhhhhhh!