Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in pictures/rewind.

The family (that was in town) came over for Christmas Eve dinner at OUR house this year. We made a standing rib roast (which I was told by my now favorite friend at the meat counter at Harry's, I "could not mess up") I was pleasantly surprised and even more surprised when I realized it was "prime rib." (Yes, call me clueless.) We also had cranberries, roasted root vegetables, salad, and asparagus. It was a feast!

Santa came, left a note and some messy, ash-laden boot prints as well as his loot. The kids slept until 7:30! and waited to come downstairs as is tradition so that daddy can start coffee and get the video rolling....

Now for the clean up and hopefully to get over this funk that has kept me at about 75% for the past week and awake at nights with a croupy cough. YUK. We are embarking on a road trip....will fill you in on the adventures along the way.

Hope all was well in your homes and hearts this happy Christmas!

Patiently waiting for Christmas....

I am Not a Scrooge.

Happenings around our house in the last week before Christmas....

Our friendly little elf, Robert, made a fashionably late appearance at our house this year. He said he got sidetracked on a tropical vacation in Tahiti and couldn't leave an emergency situation. Personally I think he couldn't tear himself away from the Mai-Tais in time to get to work. He eventually did and showed up this year sitting at our front door on his suitcase donning a sweet tan. I was relieved to see him...(lj. was beginning to get a little nervous.) Ever since, he has been getting into the sweets and general mischief (as is the norm with these little guys) and giving BOTH the kids great laughs and smiles when they find him each day. Little a. loves finding him and pointing a crooked finger and saying "I SEE WOBERT!" Ah, the simple pleasures.

L.j. got to partake in a holiday "centers" party at school today complete with an ice cream station. If the kids each made their reading goals for the quarter, they got tickets to trade for ice cream and toppings...1 per. So, if they got say...7 tickets....they could trade them for 7 scoops of ice cream! (yikes.) Or, 1 scoop and 6 scoops (albeit...small spoonful=scoop) of various toppings. I have to say, most of the kids made wise choices and didn't overdo it. One little girl had 17 tickets!!! I would have hated to be her mom today.

This is my front door wreath. I love it. It's super fun and it makes me happy and it's huge and sparkly. I mean, really, what else do you need.?

My dining room has taken many different forms over the holidays. This year, I think it's toned down. This is probably J.'s least favorite decorated room and the cause of some heated discussions, like when I finished decorating this year he said "Geez, we have so much crap!" Gee, thanks honey, glad you like it.:) In his defense, he likes our wooden decorations over the sparkle of crystal and glass... I agree but I feel the need to sparkle up the place sometimes too.

Sweet snowman feet....pitter, pattering along. I love that a. can wear these jammies this year, because I have great memories of lj. in the same ones.

(Some of) my favorite ornaments are these old, retro, glass ornaments that were J's grandma's from the 50's. They are super cool.

Our tree resplendent with paper chains and colored lights this year! I must have lost my mind. Oh well, anything goes these days in our home!

This is the old lady version of our tour. I think the piano top looks a bit old fashioned, but I guess I am on my way. I was on a kick a few years ago to find a vintage aluminum tree until I got freaked by the fire danger of them and realized they were way out of my price range for a whim. I got this little tinsel tree to satisfy my need.

The really cool part about having colored lights on your tree??? This dots and slash creation....

I call it "The Totally Tubular Tree Tussle"

Our mantle. Again, every year I have internal conflict and dilemma over this fixture. Too much?

So, that's a quick peek into our little humble home this Christmas. I would love to see your creations....oh, and I am going to make cookies tomorrow. J. made our "Almost famous, famously fabulous, homemade Irish Cream" tonight. Thanks for indulging my loopiness.

A little perspective

If you are at all like me...the holidays can make you a bit crazy. Like losing your keys a little more, losing your bank card a few times, losing those important school reminders....you know, generally losing your mind.

It's not the holiday itself, but the adding to the busyness that I already feel. It's ridiculous really.... to feel like a loser if you don't get to the baking or the handmade gifts. I know those are the best gifts, and everything is a bit better with glitter... but really, sometimes, lately....I JUST DON'T HAVE IT IN ME. I have all the ideas, of course, but the TIME is gone before I know it. And I stress and stress over getting it done, because aren't you, like, supposed to do it all?

(Note to Self: New Year's Resolution...kill the sarcasm)

I missed out on the Annual Night of Lights drive this weekend and the boys had to do it without me. I missed out on the gingerbread house making and the boys did it without me. Hey, at least they are making memories....I just might not be in them this year. Oh, wait...I am in them as the bedraggled-looking woman that yells and semi-sorta resembles mom.

So, in this moment....I am getting perspective. I may be tired, I may have to work a little more this holiday, but I AM going to enjoy my kids, love them a little more, stress a little less and who cares if I get to it all? Really? Really.

So, in the words of Linus (and Luke)...

10 But the angel said to them, "do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 There will be a sign to you; you will find a baby wrapped in cloths lying in a manger."

The first haircut blues.

So, little a. got his first haircut. This is him AFTER. (Baby steps mom, baby steps...)

And not even the shiny, red airplane seat could offer him the comfort of daddy's arms. Needless to say, it wasn't the most fun he's ever had. :)

(Oh, and he doesn't have a mullet like the photo implies....)

"Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans."

When we moved back to the south 5 years ago, J had the fun experience of being a stay-at-home dad to Lj while I went back to work. As you can imagine, this was a pretty incredible time of bonding for them and as a result they are very close. They had all sorts of adventures everyday and I am pretty sure he was much more fun in this role than I am. Regular outings included hikes and outdoor exploration of every kind. Now, don't get me wrong, I like this sort of thing too....it just isn't on my radar on a day-to-day basis. I prefer it on the weekends as a family event. I am not too hip to going out with a two year old and hiking alone. Probably as it should be I suppose. But, back to my point....

This past weekend, J took Lj. out again on an adventure that included a trip to a park aptly named by Lj. "The Bridge Park" because of the old covered bridge that guides your path to a lovely stream. There is a playground at this park, but really it's meant more for other outdoor pursuits...hiking, etc.

I guess we haven't been back for awhile because Lj. was so excited to rediscover it again..."OH, this place! Yeah, I remember!"

We have a picture of him at 2, posing his "daddy pose" (a common sight of J. on the edge of some cliff or mountain in this stance). I always loved this picture. J. took another updated shot of the same pose, same place, same kid. Just a wee bit older....( and sadly minus the sweet dog in the background.)

Where DOES the time go?

Top Ten Reasons to be Thankful...

My MIL tasks us each year on Thanksgiving to bring a list, notes, reasons why we are thankful to share at dinner. This year our task is in the form of a Top Ten list. Thinking about this, of course, you can say what everyone says...my family, my home, my health...etc. etc. Or you can get specific. So, this is me getting specific.

10. JOBS.

I am thankful for my husband's job but specifically his ability to take his talents and pursue them in many ways. He is capable of so many things and has many roads those abilities could take him down. And this leads me to the next...

9. God-given abilities and talents.

He has chosen to bless us in many ways, but I am most thankful that He has given us ABILITIES. We are capable people in this family. We have lots of options open to us and while that can be overwhelming narrowing it down from time to time; we have options and are quite capable of making use of our talents in some way.

8. Creativity.

To me creative thought is the pulse of life. Forgive the cheese, but I couldn't think of another way to put it. If I wasn't able to think creatively, or to manifest it in some form, well,

you just wouldn't want to know...

7. Health.

Easy to take for granted. But when something shocks you out of complacency, it's huge on the gratitude scale!

6. Friends.

There are a few friends in my life that just "get it", and get me. If you are reading this blog, most likely you are one of them. (this counts if you are family too) I am thankful for those supportive few and love that you are in my life.

5. Lj's 2nd grade teacher.

For real. I am so thankful for this woman this year. She is exactly the right person for the job and sees all the potential wrapped up in this 50lb body. I want to hire her to homeschool him for the next 10 years! :) Plus, it's fun to think she's Irina Derevko....

4. Home.

It's not my dream for sure...but it's someone's. And for that I am thankful to have a home and shelter. ( I am also VERY thankful it didn't burn to the ground last month...phew!)

3. Peaceful Moments.

You know those times when you just can't find anything wrong and it's quiet.... you are just content. I am thankful for those moments.

2. Love.

For the ability to love deeply and know love back. I can't imagine not experiencing love; I am very thankful for that.

and the Numero Uno, number one, best reason of all to be thankful! (I bet you know...)

1. These Guys.....

Jumpin' in leaves...."fall"in' down... hangin' around.

You have to take the requisite leaf - jumping pictures. You know...just so you can remember that the leaves do fall and they are pretty. Sadly, they are all gone now. But we sure had fun while they lasted. :)

Ga-ga-gorgeous

Note to self: the 'burbs CAN be pretty....

THE gift list....

If you are anything like me, you love looking through the latest "hot picks" for gifts in magazines (Real Simple, anyone, anyone? no?) and the like. Well, if you are also like me, you are always left a little cold by the "picks". I mean they just don't quite hit the nail on the head...maybe because they are so generic. (Another cashmere scarf?! pulllleeeeasee!!...)

You might think the same of my picks, but I think they are quite awesome.

So, here are my picks for the best (and most fun) holiday gifts this season:

I am ALWAYS checking out new water bottles...it's kind of an obsession. Especially since I threw out all our beloved tried and true, but toxic, old Nalgenes and have only a few (5) replacements. And these new beauties are a sure-fire hit:

For the co-worker, working lady, or coolest SAHM you know: these awesomely artistic re-usable lidded bowls to reheat last night's yummies or re-snack on that delish salad. They're WAY better than tupperware...and BPA free.:)

For the hipper-than-you youth in your life or the not-so-young-but-still-a-hipster: Who doesn't still like to color?!? (besides my son that is.)
I am personally hoping Santa tucks this into my stocking....

For the foodie/wanna-be-foodie or seriously good cook: this just looks fun.

For the techie, geeky, design-y, freak we all know and love: throw out donate the old and start anew with these seriously fab mugs...and learn a little color theory or something along the way.

For your best friend who likes to doodle while she talks or doodle while tele-conferencing: and I did give it to my best friend last year!

For your favorite blogger, wife, seriously deserving friend and favorite cool mom: ooohhh...and ahhhh....

For the art collector, aficionado, collector of all things amazing; a rare, limited edition giclee print of an original oil by artist Rodney Wood. My fave.: The Aesthete

Ok, so seriously, if you are at all paying attention, most of these ideas are from Delight.com. I seriously LOOOVVEEE this site. It has fun deals of the day and just super cool things that you just don't really need....and so many affordable ideas too! There are other sites ...but I am just really diggin' this one these days. So, check it out....I mean if you want to. :)

( And no, I didn't get paid for this advertisement.)

And for a few good laughs...check out this fun blog: Regretsy.com. ...because we can't all have good ideas, be talented AND have good taste.

stay tuned for the coolest kid presents....and the best of etsy. :)