Merry Christmas

This is a fun and hectic time of the year. Love getting to see family and eating good food, but I am also looking forward to going into town and now being stuck in traffic or long lines at stores.
I love the smells of Christmas. I found a candle at a store in the mall called "fraser fir" Seriously a wonderful smelling pine candle--not overwhelming but this light perfectly reminiscent scent of christmas trees. I want to go buy it after the holidays...because I'm hoping it won't be $35.00 anymore! I like the idea of reflecting on the birth of the son of God. I find it odd that we hijacked a pagan holiday to do it though. I don't like the idea of Christmas being anything you want it to be though either. Celebrate it or don't.

Finished watching the BBC series Little Dorrit. I have to say I absolutely loved it, up until the very end. The chemistry between the two characters wasn't there for me. It was sweet--I liked the story of it, I just didn't see the chemistry they should've portrayed. That was slightly a let down. The whole series was so well done and perfectly acted--until the last part in my opinion. I love Charles Dickens. When I was young my mom read to me and my brothers "David Copperfield". It was such a long book but I was so enraptured by it. I couldn't wait for the next time she would read it too us and always wanted an extra chapter more.

My kids are so crazy..bouncing off the walls in anticipation of Christmas. They are pretty cute though. We've been reading a special Christmas book each night before bed and it's been really fun. They love to cuddle in my bed with me in their warm jammies and listen. I hope this is building good memories for them. Today we are going to make cookies and brownies, hopefully that will add to their holiday memory jar as well.

It's a bright, beautiful Christmas Eve late morning. It's cold out and slightly breezy. The weather forecast had been looking favorable for a white Christmas--now not so much. That makes it better for travel if nothing else. Tomorrow we will be having Christmas brunch with my husband's family, then Christmas dinner with my family. It's going to be an incredibly busy day. My family is having a huge dinner with over 30 people- it should be fun. We do a Yankee swap and everyone always gets into it. There are family members on my dad's side that we won't be able to see. I miss them. The older we get, the larger the family grows, the harder it is to see everyone for Christmas or any holiday. It's bittersweet. I didn't get to send out as many cards as I'd have like this year. Things just get so hectic!!!


I am thinking of venturing out into the crazy shopping hub bub to see if I can grab a pair of shoes. We'll see if I make it.

Mark and I watched Mad Men for the first time last night and couldn't get through the episode. I thought the concept of the 60's theme was great, but it was so raunchy and had nothing more to it then scandal after scandal and glorifying the way NOT to live, making it seem exciting and fun, when in truth people living that way I am sure feel empty. It didn't even seem slightly realistic, overly sensual and unbelievable.

Well if I don't blog again until the new year. I wish everyone a happy holiday season and I'll catch up with you next year. I can't believe it's already 2011..Sometimes I still feel strange writing 2010.

Sufjan Stevens - Once in Royal David's city

Something Fun:

Re-using Greeting Cards

some stuff

Cool gift from old wine bottles

UncommonGoods

UncommonGoods

Thanksgiving Eve

Things I am thankful for in 2010(in no particular order):

my bathtub
extra virgin olive oil
news that my township has brought recycling levels up 60%*
Potty-trained 20-month-old
Public School Back Up Plans
BROWN RICE PASTA
Bio-degradable plastic trash bags
health
my scheduled phone calls
creeping jenny and all her friends in my pot(see pic)
great deals at target
the ocean
MW2, and now Black Ops**
my Sherpa/faux mink blanket
paint on my basement walls
a new roof
solar powered things
silence
bath robes and slippers
my husband and how far we've come these 6 years
not being allergic to bee stings anymore!
memory foam
conversations about eternity with my son
"tea" and "coffee" made by my daughter
never having to clean up puke--seriously.
new homes for pets
wonderful bible studies
weekend getaways
my pioneer girls
hot and sour soup
walks with a friend on warm summer nights
purex 3-in-1 sheets
Bird-E towels
finally printing off all the pictures for Evie's album
Sufjan Steven's music
"Parenting isn't for Cowards"
the opportunity and privilege to parent my children
the wonderful family I have been blessed with


all the life lessons I've learned--including;
Being sure of important decisions I've made and then realizing I don't know what I am talking about, and getting over the guilt associated with that.

Dealing with issues head on, instead of letting them linger and get way worse.

Assuming the best of people and giving them a chance to redeem themselves!

That forgiveness can sometimes only be possible with the help of Christ who has forgiven an eternally larger wrong than what I am facing.

That making peace isn't always about letting things go, or overlooking problems, but dealing with them correctly--and how freeing that will be.

That sometimes I talk to much about recycling and that may make people even less likely to give it a real try!


Last May



*After the new HUGE bins had been introduced--this according to a man I spoke with from the township
**Because I get to play it with my hubby and I get better every day :) :)

Surely there must be an antidote to the lumps?

So ever since my hubby found out he had high cholesterol things have been changing around here. I love a challenge, and this is definitely a big one for a family on a tight food budget. I have been roasting Chicken and Turkey breasts, slicing it for lunch meat and making soup with the leftovers. He was eating Healthy Choice-type frozen dinners for lunch--which were economical, but loaded with fat and sodium. Now I make sandwiches with lots of lettuce tomato and onion, no mayo...some super good, Drew's Italian dressing, and some feta sprinkled on the meat. He loves it! I also make him tuna or Salmon, I used plain yogurt and the same dressing as the creamy base...along with the cucumber and stuffs. He has been taking a lot of fruit too, and Light Baby Bels...he always needs cheese!! He really enjoys his new lunches, and I am so glad!! His night snacking has diminished a lot too, now he is really into eating carrots, celery and nuts. This is helping me too, I have been making sure I cut out the prepared foods and have also been making Red Swiss Chard for him...which he loves too! I really hope it helps bring his levels down.

I finally ordered prints from when my daughter was born 2.5 years ago!!! 299 prints are on there way and I am going to buckle down and get her baby book done! I have been feeling guilty about it since she turned 1! I finished my son's on his first birthday!

We started watching Little Dorrit on DVD and I am really enjoying it! We also started watching The Walking Dead...which is well done for a zombie show. It gets disturbing though.

So today a dear friend I've known since birth had her first child, and it's so exciting! Babies are such amazing miracles and blessings. I can't wait to hold this little one, and am so frustrated with this head cold that will definitely prevent that from happening anytime soon!

If there is one thing that I can't live without on Thanksgiving, it's stuffing.

After the Baby Book, I have getting my passport on the list.

I got Disney's Beauty and the Beast Diamond Edition BD/DVD Combo for $9.99 today with $15 of coupons at Target! That was awesome. $5 off the coupons was from targets own printable coupons on their website, and you can put it toward any Disney movie, including the Toy Story 3 BD--on sale for $19.99...so pretty good afterwards! This ends on the 24th though so hurry!

Family is watching Adventure Time, Lets go party Ice King!