It's Beginning to LOOK a Lot Like Christmas!

Christmas is my favorite time of year! Everything is so pretty around Christmas time. One of my favorite things in the world is a big fat beautifully decorated Christmas tree! Needless to say, I was VERY excited to put up our 1st Christmas tree this year!

Josh knows how much I love our Christmas tree. Everyday when I get home from work, he is sure to have the lights turned on and my scentsy burning. It is so wonderful to walk into a good smelling house and see our beautiful tree all lit up! He always knows how to put a smile on my face. : )

I made my first wreath this year. I kept it pretty simple - I just wanted something very "natural" looking which is not really like me. Usually I like lots of glitter & sparkle, but I think this wreath turned out beautiful!


I think it looks great on our mantle - the pine cones and berries really go great with the woodwork!



Patti gave me these cute little votive candle holders from.....you guessed it -Southern Living!



I just added miniature berry wreaths to some red candles that I already had.



Here's a little arrangement Me-Me made for me a few years ago.

Wreath on the front door - Also made with love by Me-Me


And here's my beautiful house from Southern Living. I just added some Christmas picks to the top and put a candle inside. I found this little Santa at Dollar General for $6! I thought he was so cute!


And again, a beautiful arrangement made by Me-Me! She's got some major creative talent!


An easy way to make something look "Christmassy" - just add some Christmas bulbs!

I hope you enjoyed my little "Christmas Tour" of our home! I am looking forward to adding a little bit each year until we have a house full of Christmas cheer!

Bedlam

We had quite the party at my parents house for the Bedlam game this year. I'll let the pictures do the talking......

Of course, tons of food....

Some fruit & chocolate chip muffins!

Garlic cheesy biscuits!

Bacon wrapped jalapenos!

And remember the Buffalo Chicken Dip I told you about???

But the grand finale was the Low Country Boil!!

Let the men handle the cooking for once!

Man was it good!



We had such a great time watching the game! Okay, well maybe those of us wearing crimson had a little bit more fun than those in orange. : )



Poor Brinkley doesn't know which team to support.


Not my dog...he knows who the winners are! Just kidding.....he really likes this sweater for the comfort, he could care less that it is crimson & cream.


Whew! It was a long day, that's for sure!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

We got together at my parents house last weekend for the OU/OSU Bedlam Game! If you watched the game....you'll know that it had a happy ending! : ) We had a ton of fun and a ton of food.....and as usual, I took a ton of pictures! I'll post all the pics later, but for now I want to share a new recipe that I tried at the Bedlam Get-Together.


What You'll Need:

1 1/2 lbs or 20 oz chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
1/2 (6 oz) bottle hot sauce (I use Frank's)
2 - 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 - 16 oz bottle bleu cheese salad dressing (I use ranch, or you can use half ranch/half blue cheese)
2/3 cups chopped celery
3 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

What You'll Do:

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, mix shredded chicken, celery and cheese. In a saucepan over med-low heat, combine cream cheese and salad dressing & stir until smooth. Stir in 1/2 bottle of hot sauce (you can use more or less). Pour heated mixture into bowl with chicken mixture. Stir to mix well. Pour into a 13x9 baking pan. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes.

You can make this a day ahead of time, then cook in slow cooker until hot and bubbly. We served with crackers, but I think next time I'll use nacho cheese Doritos.

**UPDATE** We had some left over that I heated up and wrapped in a corn tortilla. It was delish!

Giving Thanks!

We went to Prairie Grove, AR to visit my wonderfully sweet mother-in-law Patti for Thanksgiving. I absolutely love going to her house. Check out this view from her front porch!

I could have sat on that swing with my feet propped up for hours....but it was way too cold & windy and there was way too much cooking going on inside! Patti is a wonderful cook and makes some of the best stuffing I've ever had! Rich always fries the turkeys that have been injected with lots of yummy Cajun butter! The fried turkeys have quickly become my favorite. Lucky for us, Patti bought us a turkey fryer for a housewarming gift...so now we can fry our very own turkeys! I think Josh is going to try one out this Christmas - I can't wait! Speaking of turkey......

Check it out!....can you say "delish"?

And of course, lots of sides.

And pies.

But enough about the food. Thanksgiving is about giving thanks, and I have to tell you, I am SO THANKFUL for my in-laws! I am so lucky to have married into such a wonderful, loving family!

Take Lindsey - she is one of the most charismatic, friendly, people-person, funny girls I've ever met. I am so glad that I get to fill the "sister" role in her life and I can't wait for her to be the "fun Aunt" to our children!
Here she is with Patrick. Patrick is one of the most thoughtful, genuine guys I have ever met. He has such a beautiful caring heart!


Patrick & Josh have a special bond that I can only equate with me and my sister. They are truly best friends.


Some new faces to the family this year, Courtney & Jennifer - two very special ladies!
Courtney & Rocky definitely bonded, and I don't even think she was feeding him turkey. : )


Grandpa Jim & Helen made the trip too! And poor Rich has been working very long hard hours in Kentucky. He left very early in the morning to make his way home for Thanksgiving.....don't tell him, but I think he may have been a little bit excited to be home with Patti Ann!


And Patti.....I think if you look at all the wonderful things I've said about her kids, you'll know just what kind of woman she is! She is strong, beautiful, sweet, soft & motherly.


And I must give thanks to this man! If it wasn't for this man, I would have never known true love and I would never have gotten to meet any of these wonderful people!

~I will forever be thankful for the life we share together!~

Pecan Bark

This a super simple recipe that is great for the Holidays!

What You'll Need:

1 box Graham Crackers
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar

What You'll Do:

Line baking sheet with foil and spray with Pam. Lay graham crackers on baking sheet in single layer (one box of graham crackers is enough to double the recipe). Sprinkle pecans over graham crackers. Melt butter on stove top. When melted, add brown sugar and stir constantly until boiling. Boil 1 minute while stirring. Pour butter mixture over graham crackers. Bake @ 350 for 10 minutes. Immediately remove and put in freezer for 1 hour. Break into pieces and enjoy!

2 New Additions!!

You see this couple.....the cute one right above? Guess what......that girl there on the left is one of my good friends since grade school days, and that boy there on the right is my brother-in-law.....and they're ENGAGED!! I can't take full credit for their relationship because hooking them up was my mom's idea at first, and well....the fact that it worked out perfectly - that was all God's work!! The Man Upstairs sure knows what he's doing, these two are perfect for each other! I am soooo unbelievably happy for them! I can't wait to have Jennifer as a real sister-in-law.....and more importantly, I can't wait for them to make beautiful little red-headed baby nieces/nephews! : )


And if you think that wasn't exciting enough.....let's add this little guy to the family too...
This is my sister and her fiance's new puppy! His name is Brinkley, and he's just the cutest thing ever! Josh & I went over to my parents the other night to meet him.

Uncle Josh and baby Brinkley

Aunt Chelsea and baby Brinkley

Rocky got to meet him too!

THUNDER!

Josh's days off are in the middle of the work week (Tues & Wed), which makes it hard for us to find fun "weekend-ish" things to do when he's off. But, we have been wanting to go to an OKC Thunder basketball game and they play on Tuesday nights! So, we got tickets to the Thunder vs. Lakers game last week! The Thunder almost pulled off a 'W' against the Lakers! We were neck and neck most of the game and went into over-time....but we ended up losing. We had a lot of fun and can't wait to go back!

The Laker's Warming Up

Rumble!!


The Thunder Girls!


This night really felt like old times.....sometimes I miss our "dating" days.