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thanks for stopping by : )

Christmas morning

So fun this morning seeing them enjoy all the goodies from Santa.

Asian Coleslaw Recipe

1 package coleslaw mix
4 green onions
1 package ramen noodles (chicken flavor)
¼ cup margarine or butter
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
¼ cup slivered almonds

Brown margarine or butter on stove. Schmoosh ramen noodles into small pieces (while still in package). Put in pan with melted butter and ramen seasoning packet & brown along with sesame seeds & almonds. Toast until light brown.

Dressing:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ cup oil
¼ cup white vinegar
1/3 cup white sugar

Mix together & chill.

Note: You can make the "crunchy" part a day ahead of time. Cool after toasting and leave on countertop in tupperware. This is the step that takes the longest, so it helps to have it done ahead of time. I also make the dressing the day before and keep in fridge, then mix everything together right before serving or leaving the house for a get together.

I could eat bowls of this stuff! It's so yummy and crunchy. enjoy : )

Playing Tag

I'm jumping in on a game of tag with a fellow favorite blogger, Tammie. I'm off work (and actually truly taking a little break) so I have a bit of time for something fun....


Here are The Rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Here are the weird/random things about me:

1. I save all kinds of crap for scrapbooking and I'll probably never have time to make a page until I retire.

2. I absolutely hate flying. I white knuckle the whole trip. For those of you who knew I served in the Air Force for 8 years- shut it.

3. I love to eat good food. I really appreciate the whole culinary experience, especially if it involves painstaking work on presentation or foods that I've never tried or a wonderful bottle of wine. I have a lot of respect for people that are willing to branch out, brave enough to try new things and step away from burgers or wings and things cooked from a box. If you suggested sushi, thai, authentic mexican (not like On the Border) or something like The Melting Pot or Kona Grill, or Genghis Khan... I'd be there! mmmm, yummy

4. I cry watching tv and movies all the time, anything based on a true story or about kids just kills me. and I enjoy reality tv probably too much. Favs: Celebrity Rehab, Intervention, John and Kate plus 8, Survivor, 17 Kids and Counting, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Ice Road Truckers, COPS, Extreme Home Makeover, Run's House, Punk'd, True Life. And probably half a dozen others I'm too embarrassed to list. No, I don't watch all of them all the time, but I try to get a weekly fix of one or two.

5. I just got the new iPhone to help make my life easier with work. hated to give up the money right now, but this tax year is coming to a close. I'm glad to have gotten it over the break to figure it all out and research all the cool apps available. I love it. LOVE it!

6. I don't sleep. People I work with probably know this since they get emails from me at all hours, and most people that I'm really close with know this as well. Working from home and having babies over the last 2 1/2 years have made me very accustomed to it. oh, and a LOT of coffee : ) there's always that.

Well, there you go. 6 random/weird things.
YOU'RE IT! Nichole, Joleen, Lindsay, Cindy, Heidi, and Lara!
Jump into this game if you want to play, too!

2008 Christmas Card

You can see the card better here if you click on these:

(front)












(inside)
















(back)

2008 Miranda Family News

My Christmas cards have evolved over the years somewhat. one of these days I'll do a "news of Christmas past" and put them all on here, that would be fun. Before I got married, I sent out Anne Geddes cards. I love her work and her Christmas cards were adorable. I bought those for several years, but then the designs ran out just as we were celebrating our first married Christmas. I decided to take the plunge into a huge endeavor. I began creating hand made cards for each person on our list. The list was already around 50 families back then. I had always wanted to make a "Newspaper" Christmas newsletter. It was a bit weird at first to write in the 3rd person, but I really wanted it to read like it was a newspaper, and unless it was an editorial, it wouldn't sound like it was written in the first person, the way most people would write their newletters. Anyway, the paper was a huge hit with friends and family, so it became a Christmas tradition. I continued the handmade cards for four years, but when GG was born, I had to be realistic. I couldn't fit in the hours it would take, but I also couldn't accept the feeling that I was being defeated somehow by giving up making the cards. So I decided if I still designed them, they would be more personal, but I'd have the digital design printed instead of making each by hand, one at a time. I loved the result last year. Still beautiful, still a design from the heart, a bonus with the wallet sized photo on the card as a keepsake, a fraction of the time and about the same amount of investment.

This marks our 7th edition of the newspaper, but it's the first year we're producing a "green" Christmas newsletter. Couple reasons for this. For starters, we're avid recyclers, have been for years and we really understand the benefits of paperless communications. Second, and this one has a more immediate impact on our family, the economy obviously has seen some better days and I don't know about all of you guys, but we're feeling the pinch. We've trimmed down all we possibly can and have come up with some pretty creative ways to make a dollar stretch. Normally, I love going all out on our cards because I feel like it's the one gift I can give to everyone even if we've never been able to buy a real present for everyone we know. Our card list surpassed 75 families last year. But this year, when I started thinking about the fancy labels, the envelopes, the printing charges for the cards and the newspapers, and of course all the postage (usually extra required for weight) I just couldn't figure out how we could afford so many. They're typically around $2.60 for each card, including everything.... now think about it, that's really not that bad when you figure you're getting a totally custom card, and you pay probably $2.75- 4.50 for a greeting card at Walmart. But you've probably never gone in there and picked out 75 cards at once.

Time to get creative.

We knew there were lots of people on our list who would not only be supportive of this "green" movement, but were also tech-savvy enough to be receptive to the idea of a digital card and able to actually check it out. So we're moving again on the evolution chain. Hopefully we can add a few more green recipients to our list next year.

We thank you for your support and hope you enjoy the card and news. If you have any problems viewing the Newspaper, increase your zoom under "View" in the top menu.

Happy Holidays!

Santa's coming, Santa's coming!

Heidi Wise is a wonderful photographer! She graciously offered her services today to take photos of all the children in my MOPs group with Santa. What a fun time! See more of the images here:

http://imagewise.smugmug.com/gallery/6785598_RtTv4/1/433560344_Km8uy

and order prints!
call her if you're looking for a photographer : )
www.imagewisephotography.net
I also have her blog listed as a favorite on the blog roll to the left here.
enjoy!