the gangs all here...

merry merry Christmas!!

it is finally here!! wishing you a wonderful day celebrating with those closest to you and remembering the real reason for the season, Jesus Christ.

photo from here.

it's snoooooowing!!

it's beginning to look like a WHITE CHRISTMAS!!

happy Christmas eve!

catch me if you can...

it's coming our way... a snow storm!!

here's hoping for a white Christmas, but wishing everyone safe travels this weekend! i hope we can make it to my parents for Christmas too :) it might be time for the 4-wheel drive!

time for snuggling up with my hubby and watching Christmas movies... with the heater on high! stay warm, stay safe, happy Christmas eve-eve.

sugarplums danced in their heads...

isn't Christmas candy the best!?

and there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night...

how cute are these shepherds?! lillie and titus were so adorable singing for the Christmas play. their sunday school class got to dress up as the shepherds and carry their little stuffed lambs, so sweet. what a great way to celebrate the season!

"And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them." Luke 2:8-18

i love this kid...

he makes me laugh. so much like his daddy (my brother) a little ornery, but super sweet and full of spunk!

how cute are these boots?!

i think this Gap commercial is adorable!

but the parody is hilarious! enjoy!

sugar and spice...

i think it's the perfect day to make some holiday sweets!

my list for today:

snowflake sugar cookies

kiss cookies

spritze cookies

russian tea cakes

peppermint bark

m&m's rice crispy treats

hopefully they will turn out as gorgeous as these!

photos from here, here, here and here

favorite guy gifts 2009...

guys are hard to shop for. they were the last ones left on my list... but after searching high and low i think we found some good ones.

these gifts may or may not be wrapped and under the tree... ha! (i honestly doubt any of my guys even read this blog)

it's half past the binomial coefficient! i laughed when i saw this watch, clever. any number of men would be intrigued. from uncommongoods

your building buff will love this scale ruler pen, it might just come in handy! from uncommongoods

tighten up! these phillips head screw cufflinks are a great idea for the tool man. from uncommongoods

the new powermat is a sweet idea... wireless charging. techno guys will enjoy. from target and powermat

there is no place like home... plate. i love how they put a flourish on this door matt to make it seem more "homey", nice try. but still a great idea for the shop! :) from uncommongoods

and this nail brush is ingenious! a fun gag gift for sure. from uncommongoods

these retro tees from ISO50.com are so cool and cleverly designed.

if you are married to a guy who likes "toys" (like i am :) wii games are always a good choice. you can play the new super mario bros with lots of people. everyone playing on the same screen (not 4 split screens like normal) = extra fun. g already opened this gift from target.

their are lots of goofy commercials for the new flip video recorder. simple to use, easy to download and hd video! a little pricey, but a popular gift from radioshack.

i really like these charging stations. who doesn't need more organization!!?! (especially men) from target

it's amazing what all you can get customized these days! aprons, mousepads, mugs, scarfs, even jammie pants... all delightful gifts for any dad or "papa" from walgreens or shutterfly or seehere

the new switchfoot album is only $5 all december on amazon and shane and shane's cd glory is the highest is a really sweet Christmas album also from amazon

and last but not least tools! but come on guys... we can't be spending $500 on your Christmas gifts, so these are ones that are affordable and super handy for the wife! which is after all why we buy them in the first place. (ha)

like a souped-up stud finder - this multi-detector finds everything behind your walls telling you exactly where they are, what they are made of and how deep they lie! it also reads where wires are, live or neutral and can find steel set in up to 4 inches into concrete, talk about cool. there is even a built in nook for your marking golf pencil. i thought this would be super handy to have! from bosch

this energizer hard case flashlight is supposedly indestructible! great gift for the guy who is continually braking flash lights. contains and ultrabright xenon bulb and shines 15+ ft. from energizer

and finally no man's garage is complete without a little garage workshop organization!! these organizers are not cheap, but definitely worth the money if you are feeling the need to splurge :) expertly wrap it in old ties - makes for an awesome bow! from sears

i like to keep a running list of ideas all year round as guys gifts always present a challenge, hopefully you found some great ideas too! let me know what you got, i would love to hear from you. happy shopping!

stocking stuffers...

the fabulous kate spade has more adorable holiday items! these are my faves from her top 20 gifts...

the mistletoe hair clip is the perfect way to steal sweet kisses anywhere, anytime :) and i am smitten with the taxi mittens! too bad i live in kansas where we don't have any to hail. the slipper shoes are oh so stylish and chic... and would make tiptoeing to the tree that much sweeter (hint hint... garrie ;)

Christmas freebie..

go here and print this coupon for a FREE C.O. Bigelow or Liplicious lip item with purchase from Bath and Body Works! this is a great deal as you can buy anything (even $1 items) and get it free :)

my fave is the mentha lip shine with peppermint oil!

12 days of dooney...

dooney & bourke have some sweet sales this week.

check out their 12 days of dooney sale :)

i keep hinting :)

done.

i just finished wrapping the last of the gifts, whew! a few are under our tiny tree, but most of them are just too big to fit. this is my favorite wrapping paper... it has blue hues and red stripes and strips of glitter! pretty and sparkly.

sadly that means we are officially done with the Christmas shopping... (just sad because i love to shop!) it is so nice to be finished though and checking off my lists for the holidays.

g's family Christmas is tonight! we moved it up as g's sis and family are in town this weekend. it worked out perfectly with all our other plans so we are excited to celebrate a bit early. i have a blueberry salad (i will post the how-to sometime, it is delish!) in the fridge all ready to go and potatoes are almost ready to go in the oven... yummy!

i love the get-togethers and all the festive foods, the diet can wait till january.

buddy the elf, what's your favorite color?

i got out our Christmas dvd's and we have been laughing at this one!

hope your thursday is full of holiday cheer!

back by popular demand!

lots of friends have been asking for this recipe so i decided to post it again to make it easier to find and link to!

we love it! my sis made some this week and we are half way through the batch!

Hot Cocoa Powder Mix

love, the klassens

1 (8qt) box dry milk

1 lb. cocoa mix (Nestles Quick - the kind to make chocolate milk)

1 (11oz.) jar Coffee Mate Creamer

1 + 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Mix together well. Stir 1/4 cup mix to 8 oz. cup hot water or milk and enjoy! Store in an air tight container. This recipe makes nearly 2 gallons of mix.

Enjoy & Happy Holidays!

she has arrived!

Calla Jayne Johnson was born yesterday... she is so beautiful and tiny at 1lb 15 oz.

Continue praying for Ian and Julie and their precious family!!

too hilarious...

we just had to try it out... enjoy!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

the weather outside is frightful... but the sales are so delightful!

the Christmas shopping (for 30+) is done!! somewhat shocking as i left my entire list at home, luckily we got it all.

we found some awesome sales this year, wahoo! :)

now to finish the gift wrapping... g is making a delicious super and hopefully we can just relax tonight... awww.

our first Christmas is thursday!

always in prayer...

please pray for our friends Ian & Julie, Ori and their baby girl...

we want to surround them all with love and prayers today!

read specific prayer requests and their story here

happy bday!!

happy 20th birthday andy!! you are an awesome brother :) love ya!

tis the season...

the Christmas cards are finally designed! i think they turned out cute with an impromptu photo... and my dad will appreciate the tiny cessna jets in the snowflakes :)

however, i am still way behind. the photos are printed and the cards are out of their boxes, but i have yet to write in them, address them and mail them!

we have been getting lots of Christmas cards in the mail already!! i love reading letters and catching up with everyone's year, what a great idea - Christmas cards.

it might be Christmas before my family and friends actually get theirs! i am also considering taking a cheaper route this year so if i am going to be seeing you soon what better gift than a personally delivered letter?! call me cheap, but stamps are getting expensively ridiculous for traveling a mere 30 miles... and my pretty face and bright smile are better than some snow covered mailbox anyway (ha ha).

hope your holiday plans are coming together!! i think we are finally able to make all our Christmases this year! yippee!

wishing you are yours a very happy holiday season!

holiday tags...

need some funky Christmas gift tags?

i found some here. download and print away!

it's a blue blue Christmas...

... but not a sad one, just the color blue!

last year i bought tons of decorations in blue hues at the after-christmas sales... and this year we get to enjoy them all!

it's so awesome and rewarding to see the exact same ornaments and gift wrap in the stores this season and know that i paid only pennies for what are now a pretty penny.

our house was a disaster up until this morning. and if you know me... it is never messy! but we have been so busy and shopping and gift wrapping and decorating and baking... and then i just couldn't stand it anymore!

so here is our lovely clean house (whew!) and our first little Christmas tree! of course since it is so small i had tons of extra stuff i didn't put up, but those can wait till next season.

i just love how it turned out!

some friends gave us this awesome ornament as a wedding gift! isn't that the coolest?! and i stocked up with "k" ornaments too (which of course i purchased on sale - last year :)

there are hints of red and green scattered throughout the house too (perhaps another post), but i tried to stick with my blue theme as much as possible as i love how light bounces off of everything blue.

it sure makes for a cheery scene!

rachel and tyler... tie the knot!

on saturday our dearest friends got married!!!

we had a wonderful time and are so excited for them and their new life together + they will be living right down the street from us!! it was a beautiful wedding complete with full, bright Christmasy colors - reds and purples.

i had fun snapping shots of them through-out the day... we even snuck outside for a few, it was FREEZING! here are a few of my favorites from the day...

my hottie posing for a few shots on the steps... garrett was the best man and looked dashing in his purple vest and tie!

their colors fit perfectly with the church decor.. even the carpet was red!

congrats you guys! enjoy your honeymoon!

we love u!

just for kicks...

we celebrated a random day. 8 months of marriage! :)

it is date-day.

me + him.

out on the town... a little coffee, a little christmas shopping... a lot of il vicino! yum! (definitely try the bianca pizze #13)

it was a great day.

and now we are off to rehearsal night for our dearest friends, tyler and rachel! we are ecstatic for their big day tomorrow!

deck the halls... with tinsel and metallics!

and metallics are all the rage!

so sophisticated.

so delicious.

so snazzy.

yes, my house is starting to look a lot more Christmasy these days!

just wish i could afford all the latest decor.

from instyle, heals and selfridges and co.

so handy dandy...

clever, witty... love these tea towels (especially the one with the "t" on it. ha.) they would make perfect christmas gifts.

from the keep calm gallery.

check this out...

you have to swing by pampering beki's site for a super sweet give-a-way! they are gorge! i am loving all these...

photo from etsy

it's give-away day...

and there are lots of cute ones! check out the giant list here at sew, mama, sew!

my sis-in-law kendra is giving away this adorable let it snow sign! check out her blog country living with the veers! :)

jody has another cute give-a-way at living on 4th street too!

new month!

happy december 1!

i am quite impressed with this year's smashing magazine wallpapers... some of them are actually cute! check them out and download them here.