SPECTACULAR!

The MSG Entertainment family was right...last night was nothing less than SPECTACULAR! Alesia (my sister), Allison and myself started off our holiday season this year by going to Pittsburgh to attend the musical holiday stage show, Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring The Rockettes at the Benedum Center.

It. was. AMAZING! I don't think Allison took her eyes off the stage once. We were 5 rows back behind the orchestra and it was perfect seating. The dancing, the music, the stage, the colors of the outfits...everything was...well...SPECTACULAR!

As you can see in the picture below, Allison couldn't wait to get home and put on her souvenir t-shirt. She does love her t-shirts and this one is especially fun!

Here is Allison and Alesia at Bravo's, which is my favorite Italian restaurant! We had a late lunch/early dinner there...does that make it linner or lunner? :)

The purple girls posing outside the Benedum.

Here are some pictures I found on the internet to show you some highlights from the show.

I hope you enjoy them and if you ever get a chance, GO SEE THE SHOW! You will be happy that you did.

The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers...

...and their famous fall after being shot by a toy cannon.


The Rockettes as reindeer in the Sleighride scene.
As rag dolls during the Santa's Workshop scene.

The Christmas Dreams scene which featured a winter wonderland. This was very beautiful and you can click to enlarge to get a better view.

The Living Nativity with a mule, camels and sheep was the last scene and it was simply spiritual. It has been part of the show since the show's beginning in 1933. I don't think anyone in the whole place made a single sound during this scene. This scene made me feel like I was actually there over 2000 years ago and witnessing the birth of Our Saviour Jesus Christ. This was unquestionably my favorite scene of the whole show.

As the curtain closed immediately following this scene, a big screen appeared and scrolled the following essay across it which the narrator read to us. Please take a minute to read it yourself and see what "One Solitary Life" did for us all.

"One Solitary Life"

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village, where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never had a family or owned a home. He never set foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never wrote a book, or held an office. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness. While He was
still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. His friends deserted Him. He was turned over to His enemies, and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had - His coat. When He was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave. Two thousand years have come and gone, and today He is the central figure for much of the human race. All the armies that ever marched and all the navies that ever sailed and all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as this “One Solitary Life.”

Have Fun and a Blessed Holiday Season!

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Getting Excited!

Allison and I can't wait until tomorrow night!

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Not a Good Idea!

Princess, I'm thinking this may not be a good place for a nap!

Not that the hermit crabs would notice since all they do is sleep!

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The Moms Get A Little Frosty!

Last night was another exciting, relaxing and fun "Mom's Craft Night Out!"

I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoy spending this time out every month. Not only do we get to be creative and snack on some yummy snacks but we get to spend a night out with some great women! I highly recommend to all of you Moms out there to set aside time every month to get together for a Mom's Night Out. You could plan a craft night like we do or if you aren't crafty, try something else. Some of my suggestions are a night of board games or cards, or a classic movie night complete with movie popcorn & candy, or with Christmas around the corner, you could get together and help each other bake cookies. The possibilities are endless. I promise you...you will not regret taking the time to put something together for yourself and your friends. You deserve it!

Okay, now onto this month's craft!

As you can see by the picture below, we made snowmen families. Aren't they adorable? They weren't hard to make but they did have a lot of steps. I found the inspiration on a blog somewhere when I was surfing a blog party. I wish I could find where I got the inspiration so I could give proper credit. You see I have a bad habit of saving just the pic in a craft document and forgetting where it came from. The craft that I make isn't ever exactly the same because, as always, I have this odd need to put my own twist on it.

I don't have step by step instructions this month because I was just enjoying myself so much that I didn't take a whole lot of pics. Dawn suggested that we video tape ourselves one time to share. OH MY! I'm not sure that I want everything that happens at MCNO to be on tape for the world to see! Now, now! Don't get the wrong idea about us! We are a nice bunch of Moms but when you accidentally stick your finger in high temperature hot glue, a not-so-nice word might just slip out of your mouth too! Just ask Susan D. ... she did it three times last night! No...not the naughty word...THAT she did only once but the hot glue on the finger....yup, THREE times!

We used a gloss craft paint on our snowman and it really gave them a nice shine. Here's Susan C. putting on the final coat of paint on her snow family.

Still finishing up the final coats but do you notice what is in the middle of the table? Yes. We can never have too much chocolate on craft night! What's that you ask...where's the other Moms? You do know that Moms are the best multi-taskers, don't you? The other Moms were practicing that skill while the paint dried. They were just to the left around the kitchen island feasting on the yummy snacks our snack hostesses brought this month.

Such concentration!

It's looking good, Susan!

Here's Susan giving her snowman's hat a little bit of fringe.

The group shot is in two pics this month because we didn't have a photographer. Well. We actually did but he was in his bed sleeping since he is recovering from having his appendix out the day before.

Left to right is Kelly, Nettie, Susan D., Sandy, Susan C., Me and...

...here's Dawn instead of me in this pic.

It's a Snowman Party!

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A Pretty Board Just for Me!

I have this bulletin board on a very small wall in my kitchen. I used to have a pretty picture there but soon found I needed somewhere to keep track of Allison's school stuff. I know...it's not pretty but no one can really see it but me...unless of course you are cooking or doing dishes in my kitchen. So...like I said, no one can really see it but me.

However. Although it's proven itself to be very functional, I just can stand it's ugliness any longer!

So! Enter a can of spray paint, a piece of fabric, spray adhesive, trim, a glue gun and

VOILA!

A pretty board just for ME!

This is the beginning of changing my kitchen. I just love the colors...except I'll be picking a new shade of green for the walls!

I'm linking this post up with Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage for her Transformation Thursday blog party. Stop by her place to see other fun transformations!

Have Fun!

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A Brownie's Service Project!

A couple of Saturdays ago, Allison's Brownie troop did a service project at our local grocery store, Giant Eagle.

They were there to encourage the customers to give to the local food bank. They greeted the customers at the door and gave them a handout explaining what they were doing there. Then the girls stood at the exit door to receive any donations and put them in the big bin. As you can see in the picture, that bin was full after their 4 hour project. The customers were handing them bagfuls of groceries. It was nice to see that even though people are hurting in this economy, they still found it in their hearts to donate to the less fortunate.

All the Brownies were gracious as they were there to serve and not be a nuisance to the customers. They were perfect examples of truly wonderful Girl Scouts. I was so proud of them all!

On a side note...Can you see Allison's lips? They were blue by the end! Poor thing was so cold standing at the door!

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Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all my blogger friends out there! We had good weather on Trick or Treat night two days ago. They always have it on the actual day of Halloween but this year, just two weeks ago, they changed it to Thursday night. Thank Goodness! I prefer it NOT to be on the Halloween if it falls on a weekend night. There are just too many crazies out there drinking, partying and driving out there. We need to keep our little ones safe! Besides. It windy and rainy and supposed to be that way all day today.

This year Allison decided to be a Paleontologist. Yes. I know...only my kid! If you are sitting there wondering what a Paleontologist is, don't fret...you are not the only one! I actually considered typing out hand-outs explaining it because everyone who asked what she was going to be prior to Halloween replied "A what?" when I said Paleontologist. Basically it's a scientist who studies the history of the earth specifically dinosaurs. Now doesn't that make sense as to why my daughter picked it? Anyway, one of our neighbors immediately knew she was. I was impressed. Most people thought Dr. or Nurse and she quickly corrected them by saying "No, (in a roll of the eye kind of voice), I'm a paleontologist." Most said "A What?", some said "Oh, like Ross on Friends?" and one lady SCREAMED..."I LOVE IT! That's so cute!" So overall, I say it was a success...especially for me. It was a super easy costume for me as you can see in the picture. Thank goodness! I didn't spend my usual 5-8 hours creating a costume that only gets worn a couple of hours. I had a lot going on this week and I didn't need to add making a costume to it. I'll take that as a little blessing from above.

Here she is with our little neighbor boys...a Jedi from Star Wars, Indiana Jones and a little pumpkin. Do you think the 3 year old is a little smitten with Allison?
This is a house around the corner from us. The two guys that live there go all out for Halloween every year. It's my favorite stop! They graciously allowed me to take pics to share with all of you.

They have a graveyard out front with a fog machine going. You can see the fog when you are driving down the road. It's just amazing!

The "friendly" doorman?

Huge spiderweb with spiders all over the house. Look at the shutters here. They are made of wood and they put them up every year!

The gate to the cemetery. A little blurry but you can still see it.

Once we got home, Allison started throwing her glo-bracelet onto the dinosaurs' necks and said "Hey Mom, look the paleontologist's version of ring toss!"

This kid cracks me up! She's a keeper!

Oh look who we have here! It's my best friend, Susan, getting in the Halloween spirit! These pics were taken up at her campsite's Halloween festivities and borrowed from her camping friend, Stacy's, facebook photos. Okay, okay. I didn't actually borrow them because that would require asking. I just plain out thieved them. Is that even a word? Oh well, I wonder just how much of that bottle is in Susan's belly?
I'm almost afraid to admit that she's my BFF by this next photo...she's almost too comfortable working the costume!

Have Fun and Be Safe!

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Which Color Do I Pick?

Did you ever go to the paint store and come home with a ton of paint cards?

Which color DO you choose?

Seriously, how are you supposed to make an educated decision for a whole room from a swatch that is 2" x 2"???

Well, here is your answer!

Sample paint pots!

They are about 7 or so ounces of any paint color you choose. They are a few dollars but can save you some cash, time and a whole lot of frustration in the long run. They did for me!

I picked out this color for my kitchen. It's Laura Ashley for Valspar Apple 5. Let me tell you. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it on the swatch in the store. I could have just stood in Lowe's and licked that color right off of the card. I LOVED it that much!

Even though I loved it that much, I bought the sample pot and brought it home. I thought I would need it to ease Curtis into such a change in the kitchen.

WELL!

After painting four patches of it around my kitchen, I decided I HATED it! I know...hate is a strong word but I typed "strongly disliked" and that just doesn't quite describe how I really feel about that color in my kitchen. It turned out way to yellow for me!

See for yourself!

Yuck!

So as you see, sample paint pots Work-for-Me!

Stop over at Kristen's of We are THAT Family for her Works-For-Me-Wednesday blog party to see what works for other bloggers!

Have Fun!

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Some Things Are Just Meant To Be!

Edited: I'm linking this post up to Rhoda's Today's Thrifty Treasures Blog Party. I found this great treasure just after the close of last season's blog parties but I am so proud of this find that I wanted to share it with you all!

Do you believe that some things are just meant to be? Do you think that everything happens for a reason?

Even though I sometimes do not like the outcome of things or situations or wonder why they happen a certain way, I try to stick to the belief of "it was just meant to be" or "it happened for a reason." There's no sense in dwelling on it if we can't change it. I guess it's part of my "roll with the punches" or "go with the flow" kind of outlook on life.

Well. This is the story of my latest "it was meant to be" that ends with a happy ending.

It all starts one day back in the middle of September when I had to go to Cranberry to run some errands. When I go to Cranberry, I always make sure I stop at the Goodwill store there. It's just under a year old and much bigger than ours here in Butler. Anyway. I walked in and I spied this beautiful china cabinet. I fell in love immediately! The ticket on it said $100 which was a very good price. HOWEVER, with quitting my job in June and not starting a new one yet, I talked myself out of it...which wasn't an easy thing to do! I took this pic with my cell phone to show Curtis. I don't know why because I WASN'T buying it. Right? Oh, and I didn't go back to Cranberry the next week to look at her again. No. I didn't. I'll deny if you say you saw me there! After all. I did have this one that I bought at Salvation Army about 8 years ago for $20. It's not what I had envisioned for a china cabinet. I actually bought it for Allison's room to hold books, coloring books, crayons and such. It was in her room for a little while without the glass doors. I was just about to paint it, when I bought her a bedroom suit. Now it didn't fit in her room so I moved it to our eat-in kitchen. I put some of my dishes in there but I NEVER liked it in there. I finally settled on making it over using beadboard wallpaper that I saw on Rhoda from Southern Hospitality's blog. I was hoping it would make it not so 60's/70's style.

About 3 1/2 weeks later, Curtis, Allison and I had dinner at the Olive Garden in Cranberry. He wanted to stop at Radio Shack and I said "Only if I can stop at Goodwill." He agreed. Well! I as soon as I walked in the door, I saw HER! She was STILL there after 3 1/2 weeks! I couldn't believe it! That's amazing for Goodwill. Usually pieces like that only last a day or so. I walked back and rubbed my hand across her. My heart was happy like I saw an old friend. I went to the van to get Curtis. He had to meet her! He wasn't as excited as I was but he supports my whims so you've got to love him! I really wanted him to see if he could fix her. Yes. She wobbled or rocked back and forth like she lost a bit of her foot or something. Thankfully, he said he could nurse her back to health, told me to use her wobble as a bargaining tool and then announced he was going back to the van.

So. I walked up to the counter and asked if they ever discounted items that have been here for a while. The young man said he would send a manger to me. The manager met me at "her" and said "Ya, it's been here a while and we were just getting ready to get rid of her so I could come down on it if you want it." I pointed out her wobble and the manager said it wasn't there when they put her out so maybe the floor was uneven or something had rolled under her. I then asked what she would want for it...secretly hoping for $75. She said "How about $40?" I think I choked on my own saliva but managed to get out a "SOLD!"

Can you believe it? She was coming home with me! She was truly meant to be mine!

Curtis and his brother picked her up for me one night after work. She had some scratches on her that quickly disappeared with Liquid Gold. Curtis couldn't believe how beautiful she was after a little TLC. Oh, and guess what? She DOES NOT wobble or rock! Bonus for me!

Isn't she pretty? I had planned on painting her either heirloom white or black in the spring but I think I may change my mind. My concern with heirloom white is that my Pfaltzgraff that is cream might look dirty against the white but it will show off my pink and green depression glass beautifully. Painting it black will showcase my Pfaltzgraff but won't do anything for my depression glass. So I might leave her the way she is...she even matches my dinette set. What do you think? Heirloom white, black or as is? By the way, please ignore the orb on the picture below...why do those happen anyway?

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I stayed up until 3 in the morning polishing her, cleaning her glass, washing all my dishes and glasses and playing with how to arrange her. It's like Cindy at My Romantic Home says "because you are never too old to play house." Click on her link and you'll see her beautiful china cabinet makeover.

I've always admired my Mom's china cabinet with all of her pretty dishes in it. I'm so excited to have one of my own! A couple notes on some of the items I have in there. The white rooster soup tureen was made by my Aunt Carole. It was hers and you can read more about how I acquired it and what it means to me here. The other rooster figurine was my Grandmother's (my Mom's Mom) and was handed down to me. Being sentimental, they mean the world to me and I'll cherish them forever. I hope Allison will cherish them and pass them down too.

Here's her bottom...she has so much storage that I desperately needed!

The semi-side view. She has a light too but it didn't photograph well.

One more photo and I'll end this lengthy post! After the above pics were taken, I felt I needed something in the pink depression glass bowl on the bottom shelf. I thought about little pumpkins for fall, ornaments for Christmas, eggs for Easter but then what do I do in between holidays? Well. I filled it with my Grandmother's cookie cutters! Perfect!

Have Fun!

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