Love Was in the Air

 
Valentine's Day was another winner with the Elliott bunch! Tim took the day off and we spent the day together in Branson. We may have been the youngest couple at Cracker Barrel, but the fried chicken was delicious no matter how old you are! Getting all of us together for dinner that night was the best. Having a little Chinese food with the whole family reminded me how very blessed I really am. I am loved and I am so thankful!

Ashlyn made these yummy chocolate chip cookies for Cory. Thank goodness there were plenty for us also.

We love our Austin!

A heart shaped ring for Ash to show our love for her!

We thought the new Tervis bottle would be perfect for Mom.

Ashlyn's very creative gift for Cory.

Cory's most adorable gift for Ash complete with a map and clues!

February Festivities

Just when you think winter is almost over, we finally get some snow! Today we had our first snow day of the season. It really is a nice break from the regular routine to have an unexpected day off. Enjoy the hot chocolate and movie time everyone.

In other news... tomorrow is Valentine's Day. I heart this special day! To get things rolling in the red and pink direction.. I made cake pops for my 9th grade ladies at church. Ashlyn did jump in and help with the decorating and I think they turned out very festive.

Also, by special request, I made a batch of my gooey cookies. I don't know what they are really called but they are addictive. I made this bunch lemon and they were sinfully yummy.

Gooey Cookies

One box of any flavor cake mix

One package of cream cheese

One egg yolk

One tsp of vanilla

Mix all the ingredients together until you form a ball of dough. Roll into small balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes. You want the outside to be baked until lightly brown or firm. The inside should be gooey. I like to shake powdered sugar on the top of the cooling cookies. So easy and so delicious!



We Love Kitty!

Nixa High School just wrapped a week of performances of The Drowsy Chaperone! You talk about hilarious! Ashlyn played the part of Kitty, a lovable, but rather ditsy blonde. She was hysterical. The whole cast was amazing and the audience was truly entertained. I can't say enough about the tremendous talent of the students and teachers involved with this show. We are so blessed to be part of such a fantastic school.  Now on to the Man Who Came to Dinner with Ashlyn playing the role of Maggie. We can hardly wait!

Photo Booth: Smile and Click in the New Year

Used my Picasa photo program to create this nifty collage. 

       

What Did You Do New Year's Eve?

The older the kids get, the more fun New Year's Eve becomes! The last few years we have had a house full of students, tables of food, and buckets of laughter. This year Ashlyn and Emilee were the hostesses with the mostest! The house looked great and the guests were entertaining.

The girls went with a black, gold, and silver theme. It was elegant. They had a Candy Bar and a Photo Booth.

As part of the menu, I made this delicious Mexican Dip! So good! I used the Pioneer Woman recipe and will do so again soon! Click Here for the Recipe!

 

Silver Dollar City

Our location for the parade.. in front of the candy shop.

This is just part of the group. Adam and Cory were also part of the team!

Even though we live just 30 short minutes from Branson, we rarely make the journey to Silver Dollar City. I think it is because I am truly a Disney fan and no other theme park measures up to the magic for me. However, last week we were given free passes to visit SDC, (Big thanks to Mary and Rhonda!) so we had Ashlyn invite a few friends to join us. The weather was perfect and I think we timed it just right because the crowds got out of control just as we were leaving after the first parade. The day was lovely. Tim and I did a lot of walking and talking which was nice. We planned our summer trips and saw a few familiar faces in the crowds along the way. It definitely wasn't Orlando and the Mouse, but it was just right for Branson in December!

Christmas Celebrations 2011