☺☺☺My Give Away Prizes☺☺☺

I think I have finally recovered from the Holiday events and ready to move onto NEW YEARS EVE... I did manage to do a little shopping on Friday and got just a few after Christmas bargains... Then on Saturday all the Christmas decorations were taken down, packed away and taken back to our storage unit... We had to take them down this weekend because Tassie has been complaining that she has been parked long enough so we are heading up to North Florida for a couple of weeks. My Cousin lives up there so we will be visiting her and we also have a couple of friends up that way that we will swing by to see. Then on the 12th we'll be back to meet up with Chris & Norm to go camping over at the RV Super Show in Tampa. There will be some posting there because we will be looking at all the new coaches and gadgets that go along with RVin' ... We will also be with 6 other couples so Happy Hour at 4 everyday and then every night there is entertainment. We should have a ton of fun.... So stay tuned for some fun coming in January

Now I have been so busy the last couple of weeks that I failed to post about the give aways that I won and have received....

HIP HIP HOORAY!!!!!

First I won a give away from Connie over at Living Beautifully

Look at the beautiful camera bag that she sent to me... and look how nice my camera slips right in to the bag so neatly... I used it the night of graduation & Christmas

Thank you very much Connie... I really love the camera bag and I know it will get miles of traveling with us & Tassie... but I am sure I will be the one carrying the camera from now on... LOL LOL

Second I won a fabulous give away from Dawnie over at Dawnies Life if by the Sea Just lookie what I got all the way from Wisconsin... No it wasn't cheese but it was... Hold on~~~ Oh take a look at that cute delivery boy... Wouldn't you just want to pick him up and smooch his chubby little cheeks... Oh OK there is the package... What could it be... I am so excited to open it

WoW!!! Look I got some Honey Smoked Sausage all the way from Wisconsin... Now you know that has to be GREAT. Also hold your horses there is some yummy chocolate that lasted ummmmm maybe about 5 minute after the pictures were taken... Boy were they delish!

Lookie Lookie at those darling little cocktail napkins... Won't they be fun when we go to the Super RV show in January... When we are with our friends we have the best Happy Hours. The take a look at that adorable little ornament that says BELIEVE. Now when I packed up all my Christmas decorations I left this one out to hang all year long... I believe that Dawnie sent me a wonderful package of goodies and I just love her blog... She is a very special friend. And last but not least there was a wonderful card from her inside written in her very own handwriting and it just made this it all so complete...

Thank you Dawnie... I loved everything

Now go visit these ladies blogs... They are both so much fun to visit and always are a great reads with wonderful pictures...

Until Later

~~~Christmas 2008~~~

Well like most of us I survived all of the Christmas festivities... I went over early on the morning of the 24th to help my daughter and watch the boys while she prepared for the next day... We went and finished up the grocery shopping, took the boys for a haircut (YIKES) stopped at Walmart for her to get a few more stocking goodies and then came back to her house.

Here are the boys before & after the haircut pictures... They did not like that at all....

They are so handsome with their new haircuts

As soon as we got back home we put the boys right down for a long winters nap (fingers crossed) and started putting the groceries in nice little piles of what goes with what for each dish we needed to make... For Christmas Eve I made my traditional pot of Chili and crusty french bread for dinner... Ralph came over around 5 to join us and a few neighbors showed up to eat and enjoy the Christmas movie ELF.... No matter how many times we watch that we laugh our heads off... After every one left Denise & I got busy baking and cooking as much as we could... I needed to also prepare my breakfast casserole for the morning too... Denise needed to stuff Christmas stocking and wrap what few presents were left since Frank was on duty at the fire station and wouldn't be home until 8:30 in the morning... With both Denise & Frank working in hospitals and the firehouse this was the first time in 3 years that they were both home on Christmas Day...

I made the famous Lane Cake that Dot @ Picket's Place had given us just before Christmas and I want to tell you all it was the hit of the Christmas dinner desserts.... Every one just LOVED it. You should go visit my good friends blog... she is so much fun to read and as an added bonus you get great recipes that are always delicious... don't forget about the yummy Chicken & Dumplings.... Thank you Dot!

We didn't make it to bed until 1:30 in the morning.... and the next morning came pretty fast.... Luckily the boys didn't get up to early... Frank got home at 8:30 am, Ralph arrived at 9 and the festivities commenced... From that point on the day was a BLUR... LOL LOL We never sat back down until 8 that night.

Here are a few photos from the day...

The picture of the tree and gifts were from very early in the morning before anyone got up and the next couple are of Wyatt & Dominick on the little Scooters that Santa Claus brought them..... then Jacob & Cade (my step grandsons) got the X-Box and Rock Star set for the X-Box... That included a lovely gift that Santa left that had a guitar, a drum set (oh boy) & a microphone.... A rat ta tat tat all day long

Everyone is checking out their stockings that Santa had loaded up to the very tippy top with toys and candy... Of course the adults got a few other really fun things...

Silly Boys ... There is just something about Christmas Day that bring out complete hyper activity.... and a goofyness in the boys

Daddy helping Wyatt with his new semi that carries all of his thousands of matchbox cars... Denise & Frank with the camera that Memaw & Poppy got them....

Silly Nyah wouldn't drop the bone that was in her stocking.... I think she thought the boys would take it...LOL LOL Then there is my brother Uncle Kenny helping the boys on the little electric 3 wheelers that he & Aunt Kathy gave them... They were so cute on them.... Wyatt went round & round for ever but Dominick wanted to find out how they worked.... He needs to play & push all the buttons....

At the end of the day, when everyone was gone it was time to just relax and reflect on the whole day... Oh the peace & quiet.... soon Memaw had left the building and was on the way back to Tassie to recover for a few days....

Thanks you so much for letting me share a small portion of my photos with you. I am so happy that I have met you all and became part of the fabulous new place called Blogland, USA.

Thank you to all of you who have stopped by and visited my Jennifer but Don't forget... If you haven't stopped by yet to visit my little girl who just started blogging.... Please do & welcome her my dear friends to our blogging community... she is

Jennifer @Qtpie's Corner

Until Later

~~~Merry Christmas~~~

’tis the season…to celebrate the wonder of Christmas and the joy of having a friends like you. Merry Christmas and

Happy New Year

I have had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed a day full of family, friends, food & fun... Now I need a couple of days to recoup... LOL LOL I am sure hoping your day was as blessed as mine... I only wish my youngest daughter & her family could have joined us... Speaking of my daughter she is trying to join in on our fun in the blogging community... So my friends please stop by her blog and welcome her... Jennifer @ Qtpie's Corner

Love, Donna & Ralph

~~~~Christmas Morning Breakfast~~~~

I will be going to my daughters over the next two days to help prepare for Christmas... May the warmest smiles, the sweetest dreams, and the happiest heart be yours at Christmas and always. Merry Christmas my friends

I have always made some kind of special breakfast for my family on Christmas morning... I have many wonderful casserole recipes that I have made for years... Several years ago a dear friend of mine gave me this recipe for Baked French Toast. It is fairly easy to prepare and the best part is in the morning you just stick it in the oven and bake it while you are opening presents... My Step grandsons love this breakfast and they are very picky eaters... So I decided to share it with you all...

Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup

1 Loaf french bread (13 to 16 ozs)

8 large eggs

2 cups half & half

1 cup milk

2 TBS. granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

Dash salt

Praline Topping

Maple Syrup

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Praline Topping:

½ pound (2 sticks) butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

2 TBS. light corn syrup

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40-60 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Until Later

~~~ Christmas Trees Around the World ~~~

~~~Christmas Trees Around the World ~~~

Before the ball drops in Times Square , the Big Apple turns on its holiday charm with the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center.

The Capitol Christmas tree in Washington, D.C., is decorated with 3,000 ornaments that are the handiwork of U.S. schoolchildren. Encircling evergreens in the 'Pathway of Peace' represent the 50 U.S. states.

The world's largest Christmas tree display rises up the slopes of Monte Ingino outside of Gubbio, in Italy's Umbria region. Composed of about 500 lights connected by 40,000 feet of wire, the 'tree' is a modern marvel for an ancient city


A Christmas tree befitting Tokyo's nighttime neon display is projected onto the exterior of the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka.

Illuminating the Gothic facades of Prague's Old Town Square, and casting its glow over the manger display of the famous Christmas market, is a grand tree cut in the Sumava mountainsin the southern Czech Republic.

Venice 's Murano Island renowned throughout the world for its quality glasswork is home to the tallest glass tree in the world. Sculpted by master glass blower Simone Cenedese, the artistic Christmas tree is a modern reflection of the holiday season.


Moscow celebrates Christmas according to the Russian Orthodox calendar on Jan. 7. For weeks beforehand, the city is alive with festivities in anticipation of Father Frost's arrival on his magical troika with the Snow Maiden.

He and his helper deliver gifts under the New Year tree, or yolka, which is traditionally a fir.


The largest Christmas tree in Europe (more than 230 feet tall) can be found in the Praça do Comércio in Lisbon, Portugal. Thousands of lights adorn the tree, adding to the special enchantment of the city during the holiday season.


'Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree': Even in its humblest attire, aglow beside a tiny chapel in Germany's Karwendel mountains, a Christmas tree is a wondrous sight.

Ooh la la Galeries Lafayette! In Paris, even the Christmas trees are chic.With its monumental, baroque dome, plus 10 stories of lights and high fashion, it's no surprise this show-stopping department store draws more visitors than the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower


In addition to the Vatican's heavenly evergreen, St. Peter's Square in Rome hosts a larger-than- life nativity scene in front of the obelisk.


The Christmas tree that greets revelers at the Puerta del Sol is dressed for a party. Madrid's two-week celebration makes millionaires along with merrymakers. On Dec. 22, a lucky citizen will win El Gordo (the fat one), the world's biggest lottery.


A token of gratitude for Britain's aid during World War II, the Christmas tree in London's Trafalgar Square has been the annual gift of the people of

Norway since 1947.


Drink a glass of gluhwein from the holiday market at the Romer Frankfurt's city hall since 1405 and enjoy a taste of Christmas past.


Against a backdrop of tall, shadowy firs, a rainbow trio of Christmas trees lights up the night (location unknown). Do you think it may be the North Pole???

I hope that you enjoyed the Around the World Christmas Tree Tour

Yesterday my girlfriends & I went out for a girls day out... We went to lunch at Chili's where I had the best southwestern salad and then we went to see the movie "Australia"... Well I want to tell you even though it was a long movie about 2 and a half hours (went by fast) it was a Great movie... And it's a movie that brings together romance, drama, humor and adventure. Below is a little review and a link to the movie preview

English aristocrat NICOLE KIDMAN travels to the faraway continent and inherits a cattle station the size of Maryland. There she meets local bit of rough HUGH JACKMAN and reluctantly agrees to join forces with him to save the land she inherited. Together, they set off on a transforming journey across hundreds of miles of the world’s most beautiful yet unforgiving terrain, only to face the bombing of the city of Darwin by the Japanese forces that attacked Pearl Harbor. You will absolutely fall in love with the young newcomer Brandon Walters who plays Nulla. This is his film debut...

Go see it... you won't be sorry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05zTnDTpbHI

Until Later