Christmas Eve!

We had lots of things to do this morning!  Laundry, mop the living room...and...pack for more cooking at Lane's!!!
So we brought our PJs this time instead of wearing them (can't have the pictures look the same, now can we?) along with 2 crock pots, and all the stuff to make Kristie's Krazy Good Cheesy Dip, Lil' Smokies in BBQ Sauce, Deviled Eggs, and Fran's Fantastic Breakfast Muffins.  
BUT FIRST...we needed to e-mail Santa!

Life has been INCREDIBLY busy since Hubby has been out to sea (which has been forever, I do believe) and I have to admit that I was a slacker this year and didn't make sure that Little Man wrote his letter to Santa until the last minute.  BUT - Lane to the rescue - she told me about a wonderful website www.emailsanta.com.  It is so cool!  You fill in some blanks with the important info (name, city, 3 things you want for Christmas...etc...) and not only does Santa get your email, he reads it and emails you back!  That was fun (and a life saver)!
But wait - there's more!  Did you know you could CALL THE NORTH POLE!?!  I didn't!  Again, Lane has introduced me to yet another awesome thing to do on Christmas Eve.  You can call the North Pole (1-877-446-6723) and speak to one of Santa's elves who are tracking him as he delivers all his presents!!  Little Man was SO SURPRISED!

Now on to the important stuff...COOKING!!
Kristie's Krazy Good Cheesy Dip.  I have a co-worker who brought this to a pot luck one day and it is AWESOME!  I hounded her until she sent me the recipe and it is now a party staple.  And it is SO EASY!  (Can you tell that easiness is definitely a factor for me?)    You will need 1 lb pork sausage, 1 can Rotel, 1 large jar of chunky salsa and 2 packages of creme cheese.
Brown the sausage.

Add everything to a crock pot

and turn it on high for hour.  Stir and you are done!

Next up...Lil Smokies!  I realized when I was pregnant with Little Man that I LOVE Lil Smokies done like this.  I remember a New Years Eve Party with Lane and her family where Larry, her husband, specifically made me a crock pot of them!  You will need 1 package of Lil Smokies, 1 jar of BBQ Sauce and 1 heaping tablespoon of grape jelly.  Dump everything in the crock pot and turn them on high for an hour.  YUM!

Then it was time for Lane and I to take a Blog Break!  
The boys had been SO patient with us today, knowing that they had presents for each other, but they couldn't stand it anymore!  So we let them trade gifts a little early.
I left for our church's Christmas Eve Service without Little Man (there was no way I was going to be able to drag him away from his presents) and left Lane to finish up the spread.  Boneless Buffalo Wings, Boneless General Tso's Wings, Carrots & Celery with Ranch.

When I returned, I realized we had forgotten the Deviled Eggs!  While I was gone, Lane's mom had showed up to drop off some presents, so while they were occupied, I finished the eggs.  They weren't as pretty as I would have liked, but it worked and they were good. 

After we ate, everyone changed into their PJs and we all crowded into Lane's van to go look at Christmas Lights.  By the time we got home, Colin was asleep and Little Man was fighting it, but I think Cade is as excited about Christmas as Lane is because he was PUMPED!  So we took a few minutes to help spread Sparkly Reindeer Food on their front yard before we headed home.

Now that the Milk & Cookies and Carrots & Water are set out for Santa & the Reindeer, it is time for bed!  Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a Good Night!