It's been TOO Looooong!!!

... And I DO apologize!  There are many times over the last 3 months where I've had some great posts lined up in my head and just never got back to the computer after sitting at it ALL DAY LONG!  Haha... Since you last heard from me on here we've been to Minnesota... ...

(This is about as good as they get when you only get to take pictures from the passenger seat of the Pete driving down the highway...too bad we hadn't gone at least a week before and could have seen more fall colors.)

OH!  Why were we venturing to Minnesota in a semi you ask?  We went to Minnesota to pick up one of these:

(HEY! Look at THAT! There's the Purple Pete hiding on the other end!)

(BF checking out the insides of his new toy...)

We went to ... MEXICO!!!

(D really is a man of steel and could have lifted that ship himself IF we hadn't had so many margarita's on shore!  Thanks PMS-FIL for the trip!)

We got back and I had fun watching a friends little boy one afternoon; though after he woke up I'm not so sure he was having fun anymore...

(This totally worked better the first time we tried it when he was more asleep the first time but of course I couldn't find the camera the first time!)

(My little buddy's mom and I made these adorable ornaments with his handprint for his parents and grandparents as part of their Christmas present as his "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments.)

(Yeah...he liked taking these pictures a LOT better than the first ones 1.5 months earlier!)

I also tried a few new recipes over the last three months...some have worked...MANY (in the words of D) have not worked.  Cheeseburger Meatloaf, Orange Candied Carrots (even the MT family agreed that they probably shouldn't be made again after trying them at Thanksgiving), and Lasagna Soup are amongst the ones that will NOT be made at our house again.  (Unless any of you have a better recipe for some of these than I did and think we should try your variation!) 

There were a couple of recipes that did work out though!  Among them (that I did get pictures of) are:

(Sugar Cookies using Stampin'UP!'s Sweet Pressed Holiday Cookie Stamps and their cookie recipe.  I did cheat and use frosting out of a tube, but these cookies were just WAY too easy and cute using this cookie stamp!  EVERYONE needs to try this product out!  Want to score a set of the Occasions shapes for spring for free?  Sign up to host a workshop during Sale-A-Bration and you could earn a set for free!)

(Cake Batter FunFetti Fudge!!! Super easy and cooked in the microwave.  Was a little on the sweet side BUT I recommend eating a smaller piece then!  It REALLY did taste like cake batter!)

(Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with Salty Pretzel Crust.  These were AWESOME!  I should have broken the pretzels up a little more, but they were still delish and I can't wait to have an excuse to make them again!)

The temperatures have finally fallen this winter (even though the snow isn't really following suite) so I hope everyone is staying warm.  If you've got kids out in these temperatures I suggest checking out my friend Jennifer Jen's The Olive Star Boutique on Facebook and Etsy and her new collection titled "The Snow Angel Collection" for keeping those kiddos warm.  She does some GREAT work and these are just too cute to keep to myself! 

Well everyone, it is bedtime.  I hope you've enjoyed a look back at some of the things that kept us busy toward the end of the year.  I have many projects I'll share with you later that I tried out in December (made some glass ornaments, some advent calendars, decorating the house, etc.) but I don't want this post to be any longer than it is (it's already longer than I had wanted it to be!).  Hope to see many of you on Sunday for the Winter Stamping-Bee:  Cards for Cancer!