Decorating

Christmas isn't complete without a Nativity Scene. This one was purchased from Pottery Barn. The pieces are hand-carved and have a very rustic charm to them. FYI- Baby Jesus has a mohawk...Ed has nicknamed him Rock-n-Roll Jesus.

Little holiday touches. The picture at the top was hand sewn by my mom's friend and given to us as a gift at my bridal shower.

Antique ornaments that my dad found on a job site a few years back. They were headed out to the garbage when he saved them. They now make an excellent center piece on our dining room table.

A few of my favorites on our front porch.

Christmas sayings are present all around our house.

Many of you know that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE decorating for the holidays. It truly is the best way to make your house a home. I look forward to spending all day getting out the bins and deciding on just the right spot for each decoration. This Saturday was spent putting away Fall/Thanksgiving and getting out Winter/Christmas decorations. Our house is almost ready for the Christmas season. We need to finish the outside garland and wreathes and hopefully get our tree sometime this week. I'll keep you posted!

Gobble Gobble

I am thankful for my wonderful husband.

Resting our turkey filled bellies.

Pilgrim Amanda & Pilgrim Ed

Giving the bird a bath.

It was a SUCCESS!!! Edward and I had our first Thanksgiving together at our house. It was a small gathering with Ed's parents, Aunt Marcia, cousin Steve and his girlfriend Lauren. We weren't nervous because ultimately this crowd will eat anything. Edward and I spent Wednesday night and Thursday morning cooking. Dale came over to help with the turkey in the morning. She supervised as we followed the Bobby Flay recipe from the Parade Magazine. Everything turned out delicious. We of course had enough food for the whole street. I think Ed and I will be eating turkey and mashed potatoes for the next week or so. We also had so many pies, that everyone at the dinner table could have had their own one to eat...this is definitely a dessert family. According to Dale, she is now going to expect this every year. She has given up Thanksgiving and it is officially our holiday. I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

P.S. If anyone wants leftovers come on over!!!

P.P.S. Thanksgiving has TOO MANY DISHES!!!

Sleepover

Breakfast of Champions!!!

Checking out the military vehicles.

"Ed, slow down!"

Inseparable.

Carter slept over on Saturday...this seems to be a regular thing now when they come for a Buffalo visit. Edward and I love having him with us. Our spare room is covered in Winnie the Pooh wallpaper (it will come down eventually) and Carter totally thinks it is "his room" at Aunt Manda and Uncle Ed's house. We watched Pirates of the Caribbean III and read books at night. He actually slept in (7 AM) before we heard him at our bedside. By 10 AM we had already had breakfast at Timmy Ho's, went to the Veterans War Memorial, and hiked the trails. He sure keeps us busy...can't wait to have him again!

Farmers Market

Edward and I visited the East Aurora Farmers Market Saturday morning to get all of the fruits and veggies needed for our Thanksgiving feast. We have traded in the Bidwell Farmers Market in the city for the East Aurora Farmers Market. This is now a usual stop for us in our Saturday routine. The market was busy with customers buying the local goods. Ed has a rule about the farmers market...we have to spread the wealth to all the vendors. He doesn't think it's fair to buy everything from one vender, so we have to get a little bit at each stand. What a philanthropist.

Disney Birthday

The Birthday Girl!!!

Carter ready to pounce on all the candy.

Waiting patiently to open presents.

Is that Holly or the new toy dog???

Emma & her dad opening her favorite new toy!

Emma & Sammy

The troops were in town for the weekend to celebrate cousin Emma's 4th birthday! Disney was on the minds of all kids (and adults) as they played games, opened presents and "demolished" their cake! Great Party!!!

Sports Hall of Fame

We were honored to spend this past Friday night at the St. Joe's Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, where they honored the late Tom Toy and all the work he had done for the school's athletic programs. It was a wonderful night, with countless speakers paying tribute to Big T throughout the event. His son Tommy accepted the award on Tom's behalf, and also gave the best speech of the night. We all agreed it was a great event to share with friends and family.

Essential Friends

On Thursday a few of us went to Hospice Buffalo's annual Essential Friends "Holiday Shopping Spree" to benefit Essential Care for Children, the pediatric palliative home care program of the Center for Hospice & Palliative Care. The event was held at Brookfield Country Club and my mother-in-law Dale is one of the chairmen that organizes this event. We enjoyed hors d'oeuvres and shopping to support a great cause! I was also a lucky winner...I won a $50 gift certificate for Federal Meats from the basket raffle!

Antique World

Never in my life would I think that I would WANT to go to Antique World. My mother "the antiquer" would drag us there when we were younger and we dreaded it. Now that I'm the proud owner of an old house though, my antique collection has started. I bought my first one (an old trunk) at a barn sale this summer in East Aurora. It now is the perfect coffee table in our living room.

Today Edward and I were looking for an old cupboard or bar to go in our dinning room. We didn't find that, but we did find an accent table and old beer crate for the front porch. Ed thought more people were selling junk than antiques, but I told him that everything had a story and that someone's trash is another man's treasure (Oh god who do I sound like...next thing you know I am going to be taking the back roads to get to my sister's in Canandaigua and stopping at antique shops along the way...I love you mom).

Beautiful November

I can't ever remember a more beautiful November. Edward and I decided to take full advantage of the warm temperature and sunshine, and head over to Knox Farm. It is a beautiful 633 acre state park just outside the village. It is the former Ess Kay Farm, which was the summer home of Buffalo's prominent Knox family. It is open year round and offers trails for hiking, cross country skiing, bicycling, running and horseback riding. Our hike lead us through meadows, woodlands and past a pond. Barn animals at the Knox Farm include horses, goats, chickens, rabbits, a llama and a flock of sheep. The sights were picture perfect.

Best New Show Part II

Ed here - first off, let me say that I like "Glee." The singing and dancing... meh. But its on at 9pm. On FOX, people! You know there's going to be a nice dose of inappropriate humor, and Glee delivers. It's a really funny show (not to mention I get to hear "Don't Stop Believin" a whole lot, which is ALWAYS good). But MY pick for best new show is FlashForward. The premise is simple: the entire planet blacks out for just over two minutes, and while everyone is unconscious, gets a glimpse of their lives six months or so in the future. The show centers on a group of FBI agents investigating the blackout, their interactions with their friends and families, and a mysterious group of people that seem to know the cause of the blackout. Plus, the show's premiere is responsible for the single most mind-blowing piece of TV I've seen in years: surveillance cameras at a baseball game catching a glimpse of the one person on the planet who DIDN'T blackout calmly walking through the stands. Talk about creepy. One thing's for sure, this is going to make an excellent replacement for "Lost" (the greatest show of all time) when its series finale airs this spring.

And to my favorite mother in law, you are missing out... BIG TIME!!!

So tune in on Thursdays at 8pm, only on ABC. Or DVR it. Or watch it on Hulu. Whatever floats your boat.

Best New Show Part I

It's back on TV tonight!!! It hasn't been on the last 3 weeks due to baseball playoffs and then the World Series. It's a musical comedy that follows a high school teacher as he tries to transform the Glee Club. We absolutely love it-love the cast (especially the OCD guidance counselor), love the music, love the inappropriateness of it. Watch it. It's on Wednesday at 9 PM on Fox.

Tomorrow you 'll hear about another new show, FlashForward.

DAY OFF???

Edward and I were fortunate to have today of from work in observance of Veteran's Day. We were looking forward to a day of sleeping in and relaxing... when the phone rang at 9 AM. It was my dad, ready to come over and help Ed with a full day of house projects! Now that we are home owners, we are quickly finding out the joy of always having things to do around the house. With us not having all the necessary tools/equipment yet, it is great to have my dad close by to come over with his tools and teach Ed his "master home improvement skills."

Today's jobs included:

1. Snake bathroom sink

2. Drill bin organizer to wall in basement

3. Take down old hooks in mud room

4. Finish cleaning gutters

5. Cut apart work bench in garage and wood behind garage

It was a very productive day. And you ask, what did I do? Stayed in my pajamas all day, kept an eye on the boys, and made them sandwiches for lunch. I was busy.

Mystery Date

The destination

Cooking station

Samples

Last week Edward told me that we were having a date on Sunday. No details were given except to be ready by 9:30 AM. Trying to get hints out of him all week was unsuccessful. As it turned out, Edward signed us up for a cooking class at Williams-Sonoma. (What a guy for planning this all on his own.) It was called "Make-Ahead Feast." We learned how to make several favorite Thanksgiving side dishes that could be made in advance and require minimal work on Thanksgiving Day. It featured delicious recipes for scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and stuffing. The best part about it was being able to taste everything...mmmm. The chef had fairly simple recipes to follow (always a plus) and some of the products/ingredients used were available for purchase at the store. We are now ready to cook for Thanksgiving!

They offer FREE classes every Sunday at 10 AM. You have call ahead to sign up.

11/15 Thanksgiving Desserts

11/22 Thanksgiving Classics

11/29 Le Creuset

12/6 Hosting a Cookie Exchange (*Last class until after Christmas)

50 Promises For Marriage

We received this list in one of our wedding cards and hope to stay true to it for many years to come. I hope you take time out to do as many of these as possible in your marriage.

1. Start each day with a kiss.
2. Wear your wedding ring at all times.
3. Date once a week.
4. Accept differences.
5. Be polite.
6. Be gentle.
7. Give gifts.
8. Smile often.
9. Touch.
10. Talk about dreams.
11. Select a song that can be "our song".
12. Give back rubs.
13. Laugh together.
14. Send a card for no reason.
15. do what the other person wants before he or she asks.
16. Listen.
17. Encourage.
18. Do it his or her way.
19. Know his or her needs.
20. Fix the other person's breakfast.
21. Compliment twice a day.
22. Call during the day.
23. Slow down.
24. Hold hands.
25. Cuddle.
26. Ask for each other's opinion.
27. Show respect.
28. Welcome the other person home.
29. Look your best.
30. Wink at each other.
31. Celebrate birthdays in a big way.
32. Apologize.
33. Forgive.
34. Set up a romantic getaway.
35. Ask, "What can I do to make you happier?".
36. Be positive.
37. Be kind.
38. Be vulnerable.
39. Respond quickly to the other person's request.
40. Talk about your love.
41. Reminisce about your favorite times together.
42. Treat each other's friends and relatives with courtesy.
43. Send flowers every Valentine's day and anniversary.
44. Admit when wrong.
45. Be sensitive to each other's sexual desires.
46. Pray for each other daily.
47. Watch sunsets together.
48. Say "I love you" frequently.
49. End the day with a hug.
50. Seek outside help when needed.

ENGAGED

CONGRATULATIONS TO EMILY AND RICHARD!!!

Richard popped the question and Emily (wisely) said yes! We're so happy for my baby sister and her new fiance! Even though you're halfway around the globe in Korea, we're sending you all our love, guys. We couldn't be happier for you and we're looking forward to the wedding already!

Enjoy your engagement! Trust us... it goes fast!!!

Love,

ed and amanda

Let's Go BUFFALO!!!

For those of you who watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia....

Green Man sighting across the stadium.

Despite another stinky performance by the Buffalo Bills we had beautiful weather with lots of sunshine, good eats and tons of fun with the Potters crew at the game.

First time having Paula's Donuts....oh so yummy. Look at this...the donut was actually heavy because there was so much cream inside.

We rode to the game in style.

Trick-or-Treat

Edward posing proudly with his pumpkin. He named it Mr. Ugly. Molly's reply, "So you named it after yourself." Score one for Molly. Ed just loves his new sister-in-law:)

Edward and I bundled up, brought out our glasses of wine and bowls of chili, and parked ourselves on the front porch in our rockers by 6 PM. Molly came over to help hand out candy. Within minutes our sidewalk was filled with costumes and candy bags. We were warned by our neighbors how many trick-or-treaters we would get living in the village, but nothing could have prepared us for this. At one point I looked down the street and said, "Oh my gosh, I have never seen anything like this!" 22 bags of candy later, two trips to Tops to get more candy (thank you Molly), and handing out leftover pumpkin chocolates from the wedding (thank god we had these for backup while we waited for more candy to arrive)...the night was a success. Now we know what next Halloween will bring!

Best costume vote for Ed: Darth Vader (What a Star Wars geek.)

Best costume vote for Amanda: Washing machine and laundry basket