HAPPY NEW YEARS

Happy New Years Eve From Our House To Yours!
Josiah and I are preparing all the party foods so that we can eat and watch movies all night! One of my favorite Holiday's, because we just chill! This has been out family tradition for many years and hopefully many more! Hope everyone has a great night! Be safe!!

Blessings, The Shrum Family

Menu For Tonight

Petite Crab Cake Appetizers

Shrimp Cocktail

Cajun Crab Dip

Spinach And Artichoke Dip

Different Cheeses And Crackers

Veggie Tray

Fruit Tray

Chips And 2 Dips

Tortilla Chips And Salsa

Cocktail Weenies

Freshly Baked Cookies

Chocolate Covered Carmel Brownies

We also have a few movies to watch. Ramona and Beezus, Invictus, and a few others I forgot.

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Tomorrow, I will make Cabbage and Potatoes, Ham, a New Dish my friend Lynn Arnett sent me called Texan Caviar to ring in the New Year with Luck and Cranberry Walnut Bread.

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So how did/are you celebrating New Years Eve and New Years??? Do you have any traditions?

Wordless Wednesday

Updated - Happy 3 Years Of Blogging!

December 21st was my 3rd year Anniversary of Blogging and I missed it!  I was planning on doing this huge special post but........... I have been so busy!!! Anyway, this is about all I can come up with now......lol.....So A Huge Thank You to everyone who has stuck with me over the past 3 years! And Welcome to all of my New readers..... Hope you stick around!


This is a picture of me (and my family) 3 years ago, before I cute my hair and before I started running.  ;0)

 Just for fun stop by here to read my very first post. Here is a little sneak peek for ya................ This was Lilee's first Christmas HOME.....

and now.......... 3 years later.

Like I said before, I have been busy! Stay tuned I have LOTS of pictures of our Christmas and Snow Day to post ;0) Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! We sure did!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

  (This is the picture that we used for our Christmas Card this year. The card came out to small when I posted it, so this will have to do.)

I wanted to wish all my blogger friends and their families out there a Very Merry Christmas! I will not be spending a lot of time on the computer the next few days with baking, wrapping presents, visiting family, going to Christmas Eve Service, and going to the movies with my hubby. You know all the fun stuff!!! Hope you all have a great time with your family and friends this year. May peace and love be with you this holiday season and through out 2011. Can you believe another year is already upon us? Wow!

Don't forget the real reason of the season........ and that is Jesus!!!! And Please do not take Christ out of Christmas the whole entire reason for Christmas! The Christ child that was born more then 2000 years ago.

Blessings,
The Shrum Family

Almost Wordless Wednesday

This is what we saw walking out the front door to go to Sunday School on Sunday morning. We had a herd of deer buy our fence, but by the time I had one of the boys to run and get my camera they were running away.

Christmas Lights

This is the result of the Jordan and Josiah's hard work (with a little of Karlton's and my help too).

I waited to long to take pictures of our lights outside this year. We already have 1/2 the outside Christmas tree lights burned out and a whole section of our fence lights burned out. After the really cold temperatures.... every night  a different sections of the lights stopped working. After we would fix a section another section would stop working. Oh well.... it was pretty while it lasted! I took these pictures Friday night so I think this is how things still look outside.

These aren't great pictures.... but, you get the picture ;0)

Fridays Favorite Fotos

I LOVE my bowl full of colorful Candy Ornaments! I found these at Target and just had to have them ;0)

Our Week

This has been one CRAZY week! The boys had their Cross Country Sports Awards on Monday Night. Jordan had a project so he stayed home while I took Josiah. Karlton and Joel had a tournament at the same time.... It was sooooo cold that night that I did not want to take the girls out of the house so I left them with Jordan while Karlton and I went our separate ways with a child.

Like I mentioned before we are playing in a fundraiser tournament all this week. We will have had 4 games by Friday. Sara Ava's team has 2 games and Karlton & Joel's team 2 games. They each have played 1 game so far. Friday is the next games. If we win those games we play Saturday until we lose. Sara Ava's team has won 1 game so far and almost 2. They went into overtime 3X on Tuesday night. Sara Ava played her little heart out! She is so cute to watch! She is a little go getter! Joel is really good too! We teach our kids to be aggressive on the court and they ARE!!! ;0)

Then there is basketball practices, Jordan has had 2 Wrestiling matches this week, plus 3 days of practice. Not to mention all the Christmas parties, and activities, school field trips, and dr. apts...... Whew.... I am tired and the week is not even finished! I have not made it to any of Jordan's matches to take pictures yet. Karlton goes to watch him, and has taken video for me to watch. So when I get a spare moment I need to get to one so I can take some pictures of him! ;0)

I have also been making tutu's this week and finishing up all my Christmas orders! I believe I am all caught up for the moment! Here is my lastest project that I have been working on. This is a Tutu for a Newborn up to 3 months of age. It also comes with a halter top that ties around the neck and a matching headband w/ flower bow. This set will make a Great Christmas Gift! It is $30.00 ( plus shipping). Buying it all together saves you $3. But if you do not want all 3 pieces let me know I will sell them individually as well. If you are interested e-mail me at karlton5@juno.com

Is your week as crazy as ours??? I'm sure it is with this time of year.

A Step Back In Time .......

On Saturday we took the kids to Brattonsville, SC for their Candlelight Tour. It was so beautiful! We did this 3 years ago when Lilee first came home and the kids have been wanting to go back every Christmas since, but this is the first year that we were able to go back. Just like the first time it was magical. It is truly a step back in time to the 1700 & 1800's. That is the time era that they are reliving. One side of the Street is the 1700 Brattons and the other side of the Street is the 1800 Brattons and how life was for them during that time period and how they celebrated Christmas. This year their were 6 reenactments instead of 4 and they were different. The paths are lighted by lanterns and the inside of the houses our lighted by candles. This is something you should do at least once!

This year it was really cold and made it feel much more like Christmas then the first time we went!

Did you know that this was where "The Patriot" w/ Heath Ledger and Mel Gibson was filmed? It is really cool to watch the movie after you have been here. I'm ready to watch it again. I am still said about Heath Ledger, he was one of my favorite actors! I just loved him! Especially in "The Patriot"!

Upon arriving Brattonsville, we got our Hot Chocolate and Fudge. Mmmmm..... Something the kids were really looking forward to!

Jordan took this picture of Karlton and I. He actually took a couple and none of them turned out, they were all blurry!

The side view of the main house.

Then we stopped to take a few family pictures in front of the main house.

I was hoping Father Christmas or the Old Timey Santa was going to be there this year and sure enough he was! He was telling the kids about what a Santa back in the 1700 & 1800's wore and carried in his sack, what the people back then got or gave as Christmas gifts. It was really neat!

The kids with Santa.

Then we headed over to make some candles. First we dipped strings tied to sticks into hot wax.....

Then we had to walk around a circle get back in line and do this over and over until you had a candle. All the kids, even the big boys, loved doing this.

This lady was cutting my candle off of the stick.

The boy was changing the wax out because it was getting so cold out the wax did not stay hot long!

A young girl helping with  making the candles. Isn't she sweet?

Some period soldiers shooting their extremely loud guns.... Every time one of them went off the kids would jump and scream.... lol...Sometimes it even took me by surprise!

Then we headed over to the Brattons 1700 house to hear about some earlier stories.

Then last but not least we watched them reenact dances that would have been around in that time! I think the kids liked this the best. My pictures did not turn out  because they would not let me use a flash on the inside of the building. But, I think these pictures still look very cool and old fashioned! I think some of these people look like ghosts ;0)

After the dance we checked out their gift shop, got some more hot chocolate , and then followed the lanterns back through the pitch black to our Yukan. We all had a great day at Brattonsville and can not wait to use our season passes to go back for their Civil War reenactment!