I know .... I know .....

I know what the date is ...... I know how many days until Christmas ..... I know that the probability that anyone on my list will get their Christmas card before New Years is slim to none .... and yet I know that I have not even started my cards yet!

I KNOW!

So any of you who enjoy our blog .... or just read it anyway .... please help me out! You can guess that if I have not even made my cards yet ..... I have barely thought about updating addresses .... so if you are reading this ... please email us your address so you may be added to the list.

mcclevefamily@gmail.com

And since you probably will not get it until after New Years, I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I know .... I know .... neither one of us has blogged forever ... Maelynn forwarded me this in an email, and I thought it would be a fun blog so here you go...

I am not tagging anyone with this .... but it is fun and hope you blog it as well so we can get to know you ... Christmas

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? both, usually wrapping paper

2. REAL OR FAKE TREE? 5 fakes .... and counting

3. When do you put up the tree? it is a process... we start with the kids trees the week of thanksgiving

4. When do you take the tree down? after New Years

5. Do you like eggnog? It's okay .... I have to be in the mood for it

6. Favorite gift received as a child? hmmmm ....

7. Do you have a nativity scene? 7 ... 4 that the kids can play with ... one from when guhner was a baby .... My willow tree nativity ( I love it ... touch it & I break your fingers) and a really cute one my mother in law got me this year.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Eric .... He has a list longer than the kids and nothing costs less than $100

9. Easiest person to buy for? The kids ... I love to buy them stuff .... that is what Christmas is about

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever got? I have never recieved a bad gift ... I love presents!

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, and handmade I just can't send them to be printed this year even though it is way faster, easier and less expensive ... I am starting mine tonight ( I should really just order them)

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Rudolph the red nosed reindeer (the one they used to show on pbs) and A Charlie Brown Christmas

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? 4 am the Friday after Thanksgiving ... It's tradition!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No. 15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Treats!!!!

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear on 4 of the trees and the tree in the loft has clear and the C7 multicolored lights ( I call them old fashion ) .... we only put clear lights outside ( It is our only rule)

17. Favorite Christmas song? Oh Holy Night and Mary did you know? I still haven't heard Mary did you know and it is my absoulute favorite

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay at home ..... Until we move to Cali then we will travel

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? not a chance :)

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Stars on all 5

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? New PJ's on Christmas Eve and extended family gift exchange, everything else Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The after math, I hate taking down all the decorations and have my house look so plain!

23. What I love most about Christmas? Everything ..... Especially focusing on the true spirit of Christmas and listening to Christmas music.

24 . Favorite ornament theme or color? Of all the trees Addison's is one of my Favorites .... all girly and pink with a glass ballerina, angel wings, ballet slippers, a pink jeweled star on top, what is there not to love!

25 . Favorite thing for Christmas dinner? Something super simple and easy, less stress, more time with family

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

... Amber Alert ...

On my way home today ... I thought to myself .... self ... It would be really fun if you had Merrek spend the night tonight and surprise Guhner & Addison with the sleepover. So I called Deanna and she was fine with it, then I called Eric to warn him and he asked if Emma was coming too. What a great idea ... I forget that she is so big now 18months (I can't believe it!) So while picking up Merrek I talked Deanna into letting me take her "baby" ... although she is such a big girl now! Deanna may forget or deny her previous agreement and there may be an Amber alert. .... No one fear the Whetten girls are here and having a great time! Emma is sitting next to me at the kitchen table ... she just ate a cheese stick and is finishing her bowl of goldfish crackers ... and I swear she just told me she wants to "get down" .... I am off to tend to the children in my home ... I LOVE it! and don't worry Deanna you girls are doing GREAT!

2 down 3 to go!

Yes you read that right!

Last night & tonight we set up Guhner and Addison's Trees.

Yes, they each have a tree in there room. (new last year ... not me ... Eric!) The other 3? We have one for the loft, one for the family room, & one for the formal living room. I know, I know, I am going to be a crazy old lady with 20 trees and scary Santa figurines all over the place. Don't worry I am a bargain shopper and get 90% of our decorations at the AFTER Christmas sales! I love it! The kids have so much fun with it! Whether Eric will admit it or not, I know it is starting to rub off on him and he is starting to like it too!

Perfectly Bad!

Okay a picture does not do these ..... absolutely ...... wonderful .... completely sin full .... going to make me gain 20 lbs before Thanksgiving .... nutella rolls justice! (The name doesn't either) I could tell you how wonderful these are until I was blue in the face .... but there is no way anyone could even understand until they tasted it themselves. (just to let you know there were 16 to start .... I tried to catch a picture before they were all gone)

They are sooooo simple and easy!

I got the recipe from Becky Higgins Blog (beckyhiggins.com)

You have to try them for yourselves and let me know how much you LoVe them!

NUTELLA ROLLS

(these amounts will make 16)

2 pkg. crescent rolls

13 oz. container Nutella (it's a hazelnut spread; found near the peanut butter)

1-2 bananas (optional)

powdered sugar

Spread out a crescent roll triangle, drop a spoonful of Nutella in the middle, add a slice of banana if that sounds good to you, and then wrap it up. Place these on a baking sheet. Put them in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes, or whenever they are golden. Then sprinkle powdered sugar on top and EnJoY!

Like I said I copied the recipe from Beckyhiggins.com.

I made 8 with banana and 8 without. Both were great! I would eat them warm ... mmmmmm I want some more just thinking about it! I preferred just the Nutella, but I would make the banana ones if I wanted to feel okay about eating them for breakfast! (not that there would be any left!)

Am I really that old????

I like to think that I am a kid at heart. It is pretty evident that I am getting older. 3 years from 30 and I am starting to realize my body cannot do what it used to.

One of the thing I love to do is play video games.(I wish I had more time to do it) On Saturday night my brothers came over from night of video games.

We started off the night with one of the best games ever created "Guitar Hero 3". This is the first opportunity my body had to give out on me.... about 2-3 hours into playing.... my hand from all the ROCKING started to cramp up on me. Now don't worry...the show did go on. I could not let my electronic fans down....It is just too bad that Marcus completely destroys me...he is amazing.

We then transitioned to Halo 3. This again is one of the funnest games that I have had the pleasure to put in my Xbox 360. There is nothing better than blowing things up and destroying my brothers hopes and dreams one melay at a time. It usually takes me a few games to warm up and get into a groove... Well I was starting to feel good about my game so I made a challenge to my brothers. Whoever got the least amount of kills had to chug the nastiest mineral water ever that Marcus had purchased previously that night.

So long story short....I got my butt kicked. I chugged this carbonated nightmare and thus began the second opportunity for my body to let me down. Cue the stomach pain and the having to go to the bathroom every 5 minutes...it makes my stomach hurt just thinking about it.


We ended up playing until about 4:30 this morning. Third way my body let me down....I have been absolutely exhausted today and at one point passed out so hard Christine tried to do give me CPR...jk.

All in all it was one of best times I have had in a long time... no matter how I feel today and the fact that I had to type this blog with one hand...I will do it all over again!!!

So Proud!

I am so proud....tonight Addison insisted she needed a container for her lunch, just like Guhner .... and wanted to write her name on it herself ... "But Addison you don't know how to write your name" ... "Yes I do!" So I thought what will it hurt, let her think she is big stuff. I even gave her a permanent marker and told her it was special and needed to be really careful ....

And to my surprise and amazement this is what I found!

Someone forgot to send me the memo that my not even 3 1/2 year old knows how to write her name!!!!! I know they had been working on it a little in preschool, but I had no idea .... I am so proud!