Show Us Your Life ~ Christmas Tree

We usually put our tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving. Every year I dread pulling all of the stuff out (who doesn't?), but once it is up and finished I LOVE it!

We got this tree in 2001 (the year I was 7 months pregnant with Holly) and I still love it! Sometimes I complain about the 100 layers I have to endure, but it is worth it :D And now that the girls are old enough to help, they did most of the work this year! Nice.

It is definitely a country tree!

I do have some pearl and lime green ball ornaments to dress it up a bit. But stopped using them because I LOVE the mixture and the memories of all of the different hodge podge of ornaments!

Here are some of my favorite ornaments:

I got this one several years ago from an artisan here in town. I love the wooden silhouettes.

Anna's Baby's First Christmas. I heart Precious Moments!

Holly's Baby's First Christmas

Brian and I have had this one since before we got married in 1996.

My best friend made this one a few years ago.
(Please say a prayer for her?! She and her family have been serving in South Asia as missionaries for the past 2 years and are coming home in about 2 weeks. Her MIL has cancer and they are coming home to be with her.)

These are painted gourd ornaments that the girls got for Christmas one year. Their names are painted on the back.

My country cow!

We made this crazy looking ornament a few years ago.

It is a styrofoam ball stuck with tons of toothpicks and then spray painted silver!

I love ornament exchange games, because you always walk away with some very interesting items! Example: The above ornament! I love it!

Hope everyone has a blessed and very merry Christmas!

Can't wait to see everybody's CHRISTmas trees!

Brownie in a Mug

Brownies are my weakness.
When my sweet cousin sent this recipe to me in an email I thought......hmm...a warm delicious brownie in under 2 minutes....this is not good!!! Haha! But unfortunately it IS good, really good in fact!

Here is the recipe, try it out for yourself! Pictures below :P

4 T. flour
4 T. sugar
2 T. cocoa
dash of salt
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. water
1/4 t. vanilla

Whisk together dry ingredients in a large coffee mug. Add oil, water and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
Microwave on high for 1 to 11/2 minutes. It should not be quite set in the center.
Cool and couple of minutes and eat right out of the mug.

You can also dump it on a plate and serve with ice cream.

This is when I added the wet ingredients to the dry mixture.

Then gave it a quick stir.

Finished?! I think it's missing something.

Ahhh....there we go!