Fee Fie Foh Fum, Can you catch the Grinch's thumb?!

Ding-ding-ding-ding!

We have a winner! LOL. I actually always win the Grinch war but ...don't we all love to rhyme? It can be rather fun!

After Carl finished the platform, strung the lights and moved the tree to the corner... He also crawled under the tree and put the tree skirt on too...I took over and twirled some ribbon, fluffed my bow and trimmed the tree. (Hee-hee, I too take over this portion of the tree, 'cause arrogantly enough...."No one can do it better than me, Me, ME!." LOL! I can't wait to see your pictures!)

Here is the wreath after plumping.

I promise better pics to come after I find that danged cord for my digital camera. It spanks my cell phone's camera ten fold with 7.0 megapixel vs. puny 1.3. (I love ya, Samsung i760!!!)

Speaking of holidays, I wasn't sure if everyone loathes shipping holiday packages as much as I do.....

Now that I am registered with a personal account, I am able to order mailing supplies (Some at NO CHARGE) order stamps and schedule a carrier pickup! You can even print mailing labels, pay for the postage online, slap it on a box and have them pick it up from your house! Check it out!

Buy stamps.

Order mailing/shipping supplies.

Create a shipping label.

Schedule a package pickup.

Sign in and get started!

Now... about jean poolage (When your legs are too short and you have to either wear heels all the time OR let your jeans drag on the ground while wearing flip-flops or flats.) Tonya came up with a GREAT idea! We'll call it Double S...for Shorty Swap! LOL! Instead of waiting in long lines to mail off a pair of jeans, we could us USPS to our benefit! Oooooh, Tonya, we coud be like:

So...if you're short and proud, where do YOU shop?!

They can be bit pricey but I learned that the Buckle has some great jeans for Double S girls. Silver Jeans, BKE and Lucky have the inseam sizes so Jean poolage can be greatly kept at a minimum. Can't wait to hear where you get your jeans. This could be a great excuse to go shopping for clothes. Breathing is also a fabulous reason to go shopping for clothes...

So I have given up hope on No Yeast breads. Another batch of hard-as-a-rock crunch bars came out of my oven yesterday. Does anyone have a good homemade yeast free bread recipe? I mean, making things from scratch will usually save some dinero but I can buy 1o Telera Rolls at Wal-Mart for $2.00 and the yeast there is at least the same amount if not more. Granted, nothing tastes sweeter than homemade bread but I just don't look that great covered in flour.

Needless to say, I used the aforementioned Telera Rolls as bread bowls for our "Corned Beef and Cabbage Chowder". I have never made a bread bowl for soups or appetizers at home before and you know what? I am SOLD on the idea forever! All it took was a small serrated knife and a little patience. I just cut circle in the top of the roll and then dug it out in one piece. I then hollowed it out and popped it in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes. Nice and toasty!!! Carl gave it rave reviews and even had a second Chowder-in-a-bread-bowl! It made my happy.

It is rather pretty if you see it in person, I promise... Today, I will make it my personal goal to fnd that stupid cord for tranferring pictures from my digital camera.... Hurumph.

OH YEAH. One last thing. I figured this out yesterday when unpacking our Christmas decorations... I suppose I'm a Nativity collector. I bought this pretty glittery ceremic set before Carl and I got together in 2005.

I got this carved wood set from Carl's mom afer we were married in 2006.

Last year she bought me this beautiful hand crafted Willow Tree set!

Nativity scenes are just so wonderful! I never really thought about how many I had before. You can never see too many births of Jesus... We are so very lucky to have him. (YAY!)

(FYI: From http://www.nativitysets.com/)

How To Arrange A Nativity Set

Each figure in a nativity scene has meaning, and the manner in which they are arranged will contribute to the significance and visual appeal of an outdoor nativity scene. The following guidelines will help you to arrange a meaningful and accurate nativity set.

Nativity sets vary greatly in size and number of pieces, but there are still general rules that can be followed when arranging a nativity scene. Your goal should be to display a nativity scene that is as respectful and accurate as possible. Each figure has meaning, and a proper arrangement will add great depth and significance to a Christmas display.

The Central FiguresA standard nativity set has seven pieces, but nativity scenes can always be enhanced with new figures. Secondary nativity figures are best positioned as onlookers outside the circle of main characters mentioned in the Biblical nativity stories of Matthew and Luke.

The central position in any nativity scene should be occupied by the Christ child. He is the reason for the display. Your nativity set should include a stable and manger. Place the manger at the center of the stable. A nativity tradition is to not place the baby Jesus in the manger until Christmas morning, but it is not necessary to follow this practice.

The nativity figure closest to Christ should be His mother, the Virgin Mary. A common practice is to place the figure of Mary on one side of the Christ child and His father Joseph on the other. However, some nativity icons actually display Joseph at a distance from the manger, looking away from Christ with an old man representing Satan at his side. The purpose of this is to give place in the nativity scene to the role of doubt in human faith.

Spacing and Secondary Figures Location will have some bearing on the spacing of nativity figures. An outdoor nativity set will obviously offer more space than an indoor nativity set, but if you are displaying high quality figurines you may wish to keep the scene inside.

Consider the nativity stories in the Bible when positioning secondary nativity figures. Place your nativity figures in concentric circles to emphasize their meaning and increase visibility.

If you have nativity pieces representing shepherds or the three wise men, these can be placed in the first circle. If you have both, placing the shepherds closer than the three Magi would be in keeping with the Biblical accounts, which indicate that the shepherds visited the Christ child before the three kings. In some outdoor nativity sets, a shepherd boy is used as a stand-in for shepherds.

The commonest secondary figures besides these are angels and animals. An ideal position for nativity angels is above your outdoor nativity set. If this is impossible, they may be placed within the stable behind the holy family.

The animals commonly used in nativity sets outdoors are sheep, oxen, and camels. The purpose of these figures is to remind you of the humbleness of Christ's birth, or in the case of the camels, the long journey of the Magi. The best way to incorporate nativity animals into an outdoor scene is to place them next to appropriate characters: sheep with the shepherds, camels with the three wisemen.