Christmas Wrap-Up!

What a fun, fun day we all had yesterday! It would have been better if I had had some decent sleep, (we're back to that rain, rain, rain everyday nonsense and dark, gloomy days which mess up my sleeping patterns!), but I pushed through it regardless. One of Bella's presents was Disney's Sing It, which didn't get much of a response when she opened it....but that was because she didn't understand what it was!!!! So after dinner, we opened it up and WOW! did she ever get excited then!!!! As you can see for yourself here:

We all laughed and had soooo much fun with it!!! They have a second version of this, which we will definitely be buying soon. I think we'll be looking into American Idol too because seriously, this singing thing is a hoot! And I cannot sing AT ALL....it's just a ton of fun and good family time!

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Bella made this gingerbread house at school.

It's pretty ingenious really, using graham crackers over a milk carton!

Love it!
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This is from Dec 21st
Thomas & Bella took a nap together....
and Mommy got to stamp, guilt-free, lol!

Another video of them being goofy!
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Our Christmas feast!

I went a bit more low-key than usual, as it was just the three of us. But it was soooo good! Ham is so much faster and easier than turkey, and you still get lots of yummy leftovers! We ate around 1:30pm and then just sort of snacked the rest of the day. The apple pie was sooooo good!

Many of you commented about a lack of pictures of my goodies yesterday. Here's the thing...I'm not just spoiled one day a year. I'm spoiled every day, lol! It's been so nice being here in Italy as we get paid more (God bless our COLA payments, lol!!!), and our bills are less. So there's more money available for SHOPPING!!! If you're a regular reader here, you know how much lovely Italian stuff has been added to my collection. I also am not real big on waiting for things. As in, wrap them up, stick them under the tree and WAIT till Christmas. Yeah, not me at all!!! So when my things arrived, I opened them up and enjoyed them right away!!! (bad Jeannie!)

Also some things haven't arrived yet (stoopid mail!!), so I'm still waiting on quite a few packages. At least all of Bella's arrived, and only one of Thomas' got lost along the way. And one of my biggest presents was a big ole box of Stampin Up goodies, which I can't show you because it's from an upcoming mini catalog and I don't want to get reported - again. But you'll just have to trust me on it's utter fabulousness!!!! Here are some things I can show you...

This simple chain necklace is from Stampin Up's Simply Adorned line. They sell the necklace in two sizes, and this is the 24" one. I found an Etsy seller who sold beads on lobster claws to attach to the chain. I just couldn't see paying the $4.95 EACH for them with SU and they were all plain colors too. You can click to enlarge the picture to get a closer look!

This is the fun part!! SU also sells these incredible charm lockets, which you can STAMP inserts for and fill 'em up! The smaller ones are meant for the bracelet, but can be used on the necklaces too. I will be creating some mini masterpieces for these very, very soon and put it all together so you can see how it works!

I also got this lovely pearl coin bracelet. This is a crappy picture - it's much prettier in person!! I also ordered a Marilyn Monroe bracelet, but it wasn't made very well and I got a refund on it (sooo disappointed!). I ordered two pairs of earrings from another seller, but they haven't arrived yet. Again - stoopid mail!!!!

AND...I've been steadily adding to my Copic collection, with two orders still on their way, and my Magnolia stamp collection (because you have to have something to color with the Copics, right??), with a large order still on it's way as well. I made a couple of Christmas cards using these tools and I have to say, they were my favorites to make and it was almost hard to part with them when they were finished, lol!! Suzanne Dean is pretty much a Copic Goddess and I've been watching her YouTube videos to learn about Copics and how they're used. Tons of good pointers and tutorials!!! Go HERE to see what I'm talking about, and you'll see why I'm so nutz about these "markers", lol!

I have to say though that my best present, the one that I'd give up ALL my goodies for, was two phone calls from Alex at basic training (I haven't heard a peep from her since Thanksgiving!!) and an email from Shane. Alex is doing much better and is in fact almost finished with her training. She graduates this Thursday and she is just "dying" for a Dr. Pepper, lol!!! She learned a lot of things about the real world while there and how much she has to be grateful for, and about the freedoms she's always taken for granted. She said that she has been FLOODED with cards and letters, so thank you so much to every one of you dear friends for blessing her with your kind words of support!!! She said she has been getting 6-7 pieces of mail every single day!! You guys rock!! Shane emailed me thanking me for his Christmas presents. We had picked out some Army training books, boot cleaning kit and other "stuff" he will need when he begins his military career next June after graduation. I tried to call him many times yesterday, but I think their lines might be down in his part of Minnesota. I sooooo miss my older children, but they are healthy and happy, and leading lives a Mother can be oh-so-proud of!!! Like I said, hearing from them was my bestest present!!

So never fear Dear Bloggy Readers, Mommy got hers and then some!! Today we are just going to relax, play with our toys and enjoy all the yummy food and treats I've already prepared!! I hope your day is filled with joy and fun, and the company of those you love most too!