Christmas Wrap-Up

Did you have a wonderful Christmas? We certainly did around these parts! My parents came down for a pre-Christmas visit. It was great having them around to help out with all of the last minute hustle and bustle. After they left we attended the Christmas Eve children's Mass and followed it up with a nice quiet family dinner. All that was left to do was to wait and see if Santa thought the kiddos had been good this past year....

By the looks of things, I think it is safe to say that Santa was impressed with the kiddos this year! I hope that Santa was good to you and your families too!!!

Before & After

Not sure about your home but ours starts out looking neat and orderly but then Christmas morning happens. Total anarchy if you ask me!

Neatly wrapped gifts before....

One hot mess after!!!!

Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending L's Christmas program at his preschool. It might be just me but I have never seen anything as precious as a preschool musical performance. It must be the age - all that energy and excitement!

I mean really look at that face! My little boy walked into church ready to sing his heart out. Not on key mind you, just with a lot of heart.

All of the children really did a wonderful job this year. I think it might be because their teachers are the most patient women I have ever meet! 

When all of the songs were sung L walked off the risers with the biggest smile ever. I, on the other hand, was just trying my best to keep it together. This is the last preschool Christmas program that one of my children will ever be in and it was bittersweet. I am sure that sounds like a silly "mom" problem but there is something so sweet and pure about these programs that I will truly miss.

Maybe Hubby will let me adopt? (Hubby's note- Yes, you can adopt a pet lizard just like L asked for for Christmas. And yes I know L needs a haircut, I am taking the boys this weekend.)

After the show was over I asked L if he would like to go on a lunch date with me. He said he would love it as long as he could order a chocolate milk. I tried to take a couple of pictures when we sat down to lunch but L was having nothing to do with that... the show was clearly over

Stalking

Ok so is it just me or is this Christmas a little bit crazy!?! Is it because Thanksgiving was so late? Or because I simply am not ready? Whatever the reason, I am starting to freak out! So much so that I have started stalking the UPS trucks. Maybe I should feel some shame but it is getting down to the wire.

I am making progress but if you have totally finished with all of your Christmas shopping please do not leave a comment. Hugs and Kisses!

Singing At The National Tree

I am trying not to brag but....my daughter sang in front of the National Christmas Tree!!! I know this makes me a tacky mom but really how could I not share this!?!

B and her school chorus group took a bus down to DC and I followed with the boys in tow. After parking the boys and I made our way to the tree. While I am not a fan of LED lights it was an impressive tree. Plus all of the trains around the tree impressed the boys!

I was able to sneak into the performers' tent and take a couple of pictures of B. And totally embarrass her of course! I might have also enjoyed the tent since it as heated and it was a very cold night. Like really cold, below freezing!

Everyone might have been cold but what an honor to see your child sing in front of the National Christmas Tree! 

Gingerbread Men: Girls vs Boys

We had a couple pf friends over to play this week and I thought all of the kiddos might like to decorate some ginger bread cookies. I made the dough ahead of time and rolled it out. All I needed was for my little helpers to get off the bus and help me finish making the cookies.

Everyone had a great time picking out what cookie cutters they wanted to use. Some stars, bells and snowflakes were made. But for the most part the boys just wanted to make gingerbread men and from there on in my sweet project to an unplanned turn....

Edible dragees became "helmets". Red "eyed" gingerbread men were now zombies. And all dough scraps quickly became bows and arrows. While this should have come as no surprise to me since I have three younger brothers, but really!?!

Thank goodness B kept her cookies all sweet and girly!!! 

New Old Traditions

Slowly but surely we are getting ready for Christmas! The lights are up outside the house. The greens are hung on the staircase and mantle. And my "formal" fake tree is all set. In fact my little tree got a new addition this year.

Hubby and L were kind enough to take the time to move L's train up to my tree. After carefully moving the tree just so they were able to fit the tracks around the tree in a simple yet sweet circle. I honestly can not tell you how much joy it brings me to have a train racing around my tree. See my Pop used to put up this amazing village with a train circling around the bottom of his tree every Christmas. It was just such a magical thing to see every year as a child. It was even more magical when I was able to bring B to see her great-grandfather's Christmas village. The boys were able to see it too but I fear B is the only one that has the faintness memory of it.

I not sure if it is just me but I find that starting Christmas traditions with our kiddos that reflect our past to be so very heartwarming. Plus sparkly lights make me smile!

You can also find me at From My Front Porch and No Minimalist Here

Sweet Southern Christmas Read

By now you must know that I just adore Mary Kay Andrews and her wonderful cast of Southern belles. So how could I not read her new Christmas novella!?! To be honest with all of you I have not been able to get into the spirit this year. 2013 has not been a normal year for us so I was more than happy to let MK work her magic and get me in the holiday spirit!

According to Goodreads: 

From the New York Times bestselling author of Summer Rental comes a novella that celebrates love, the holidays, and antiques. Christmas is coming, but Savannah antique dealer Weezie Foley is doubly distracted both by her upcoming wedding to her longtime love, chef Daniel Stipanek and also by the fact that her best friend and maid-of-honor BeBe Loudermilk is due to give birth any day and is still adamantly refusing to marry her live-in-love Harry. Listeners have come to love these characters in Mary Kay Andrews' three previous Savannah novels: Savannah Blues, Savannah Breeze, and Blue Christmas. Christmas Bliss offers Andrews' legions of fans the best of many things: familiar characters, a new novella for Christmas, and a celebration of Mary Key Andrews' own favorite pastime-antiquing. Blue Christmas was a fan favorite, and now Christmas Bliss is sure to fly off store shelves and into the hands of Andrews fans in bestselling numbers.

Personally I thought this was a cute and quick read to get one into the Christmas spirit. I have loved reading all about Weezie and BeBe and seeing where their lives have taken them but I understand that if you have never read any of MK's previous novels about this duet you may be at a bit of a loss. So if you are like me and you have read all of MK's Weezie and Bebe's books then please pick up a copy of "Christmas Bliss". If not...why have you not read these witty Southern chick-lit books before!!?

Say Cheese

Once upon a time we had a Nikon CoolPix 5200 that we were happy with.  It was a great small digital camera that worked for our busy growing family.  Then one day at the soccer field a Dum-Dum lollipop melted into the lens (You'd never guess we have kids from that would you?).  It was a sad sad day that was the end of our camera!

I tried to get the lens repaired but was told that no one repairs "point and shoot" digital cameras.  As a result I replaced it with Nikon's newest CoolPix camera and man was I disappointed!  For a ton of reasons the "latest and greatest" was not the camera for me.

So after much thought and research, I asked Santa for a new camera this year.  I specifically asked for a Canon EOS Rebel T3.  Thank goodness I was a good girl because I am in love with my new camera!!!  In the short time that I have had it I have really enjoyed how easy this camera is to use.  And it is so fast too which is really helpful when you need to get three kiddos to smile and look in the same direction.  (I have hopes that 2013 Christmas card will be perfect!)  At times I felt like the paparazzi - so fun!

One of my sweet brothers also gave me a Sunpak Ultra 7000TM tripod.  I can't tell you how giddy I am about this gift!  I really think that it will help with photos that I want to take without the use of flash.  Is it just me or does everyone enjoy natural light photos more than flash photography?

Hopefully I will be able to get my house in order by Friday after all the holiday hustle and bustle. That way I can spend some time this weekend getting to know my new presents better.

Any suggestions or online tutorials?  Recommendations are always welcome here!

Laughing All The Way

While some might have been dreaming of a white Christmas, we were enjoying a small snow storm on Christmas Eve.  

After a couple of small outfit changes - boots not heels- we slowly made our way to Christmas Eve Mass.  This year's children's choir truly did a wonderful job!  B found great humor in my excitement but I could not help it...they played all of my favorites!!! 

After mass our resident grill master, Hubby, treated us to a wonderful grilled pork with just the right amount of "kick".  The kiddos were so excited they could barely sit still for dinner. Luckily they were willing to work with me and take some photos in front of the tree.

"What fun it is to laugh and sing!"

The Night Before The Night Before

Every year I say that the 23rd of December will not be a crazy day with too much to do in too little time.  And every year it is!  For one reason or another my "to do" list on the 23rd just always gets away from me.  

I never felt like the day got away from my mother but I do remember running all over Essex County trying to get it all done before Christmas Eve.  When I look back and remember that time, I just adored it!  We shopped, baked and made my mother drive around the block so she could hear "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" on the radio.

Maybe my mom was stressed out by her "to do" list.  Maybe she didn't really have the time to drive around our neighborhood just so we could listen to a silly song.  But she did so with a smile!

I pray that my children will look back on the 23rd of December as a busy yet fun day.  Baking, shopping, wrapping but most of all laughter!

Ladies Who Lunch

This week three of my dear friends and I were able to be "ladies who lunch".  We got off of our sofas, put the bon-bons down, got dressed up and we all met up at one of our favorite local restaurants.  

We might have gotten there at 11am and stayed until 2pm, but we really had a lot to chat about!  Sometimes I feel like I should type up an agenda or at least bring some notes.

Ex-blogger A ordered the Shrimp Po-boy Sandwich.  It looked and smelled so yummy!  And who does not love an onion ring?

As soon as I heard the fish special involved grouper and capers - I was sold!  Plus it came with brussell sprouts!!!  Was it rude that I stopped talking for a bit so I could enjoy this lovely plate?

I might have said that everyone could not order a repeat dish but Author Mary and Crafty J both really wanted the steak salad.  Who was I to say no?  Caesar salad, french fries, fried onions and thin slices of flank steak cooked to order.  What is not to love!?!

I know I have said this before but I am beyond blessed to have such great friends!  They even love me  despite the fact that I have no filter on what I say.  But I promise that I am working on that....

And that day got ever better when I got home and saw that our Christmas cards had finally arrived   Let's just say that I will never use a free shipping coupon for Christmas cards again!!!

Not Store Bought Nog

I have been blessed to have many wonderful friends in NoVa.  These are dear friends that I know I could call at any hour of the day if we needed help.  In fact they feel more like family than just friends! 

So in the Christmas spirit we invited our near and dear friends over on Saturday night.  I started preparing for Saturday's dinner on Friday night.  I cleaned and made sauce for the lasagna but most importantly I made the egg nog!

Nine years ago a co-worker from Harold's (a now defunct clothing store) shared with me her family recipe for egg nog after much begging on my part.  The recipe calls for a LOT of eggs (separated), 2 pounds of powdered sugar, heavy cream, whole milk and too many cups of bourbon (Hubby's note- there is no such thing as too many cups of bourbon). Once mixed the egg nog in poured into 12 mason jars in true "Moonshiners" fashion.  

After dinner and crafts each family leaves with a jar of egg nog.  I have been told that it is a great "adult" goodie bag.  I hope it is since my friends deserve the best!

On Right Now II

As I type this the kiddos and Hubby are in the family room watching "Christmas Story" together.  Hubby just loves this movie and he is trying to instill a love of it in our children too. (Hubby's note- I am watching with the remote in hand so I don't have to answer "what did he really say?" when Ralphie says "oh fudge!")

After Friday's tragedy just being able to enjoy a Christmas movie with our children is a blessing I hold dear.

Fake VS Real

This past weekend we got our second tree.  Our real tree!  Yes I know that they are a pain to take care of.  And yes I know they are a fire hazard but they make my house smell wonderful.  Irony of ironies, we buy our "real" tree every year from our local volunteer fire department.

I am not sure about other children but my kiddos love each and every single ornament that they make.  And they do seem to make a ton!!!  I do not have the heart to toss any of these handmade beauties out, which is why we have two trees!

One, the fake tree,  is filled with tiny white lights, glass bulb ornaments and gold ribbon.  It is a tree that I think Southern Living might like...maybe.

The other, the "real" tree, is lit by colorful C7 bulbs.  Side note, the fact that Hubby had such a love for the C7 bulbs was a HUGE sign to me that we were going to be married and have wonderful family.  Don't you just love it went you know something was meant to be!?!

The "real" tree is also filled with colorful ornaments that have so much meaning.  Most are either kiddo made or a Star Wars character but a few are part of an inside joke between me and Hubby.  Long story but the lawn gnome really makes my Hubby laugh!

So I guess it should come as no surprise....I love our "real" tree more than the "fake".  Colorful and meaningful gets me everytime!!!

I Was A Bad Blogger

Hubby took the day off on Tuesday and we ran all over Loudoun to get things done but we were so busy I forget to take pics.  Please forgive me!  I did get one pretty pic; a silver, blue and white table display at the Leesburg Antiques Emporium.

While you are out and about this Christmas season I hope you have a moment to stop and enjoy something pretty!

Doing Good With Instagram

Like many parents, we try very hard to instill in our children that Christmas is not just about getting toys.  At times it feels like an uphill battle but I keep trying!  So I cannot tell you how happy I was tonight to read A. Liz Adventures' blog post today.  Being the great sister that she is, she told everyone about the great work her sister's company is doing this Christmas season.

Simply put - you (and in my case, your daughter) run around your house a take pictures that "match" a child's wish using your Instagram account.  (Thank goodness I just got one! @lobsterpeach)   Then in the comment section you use hashtag Instaclaus and the gift. Once there are five hashtagged pictures that fit the theme of the child's wish the company will fill the child's wish.  So fun and so super easy!

A five year old loves "Toy Story".  #instaclaus #pixar

There is a six year old girl who would love a Disney Princess Make-up set.  #instaclaus #makeup

What an awesome idea that truly makes it easy to give this year!!!!

Date-night With B

Last Monday and Tuesday B was home with a fever and cough. She bounced back but then on Thursday night M started to down that same hill. Poor boy had to miss "Fantastic Friday" and the PTO's Winter Wonderland at school. Thankfully B had recovered enough so I took her to Winter Wonderland. Is it wrong that after a week of being stuck in the house with sick kiddos that I not only put on "date-night make-up" but also curled my hair?

B had a wonderful time bidding on a couple of the Winter Wonderland silent auction items.  Then she really honed in on one and was not leaving until she felt that she was going to win.  So competitive...really have no idea where she gets it from!

While we were waiting on the silent auction B made a couple of gifts for friends and family.  I love that the "Children's Workshop" was handmade projects.  I would pay money any day for my children to make a craft but I don't think that I would have enjoyed B just buying "5 and dime" stuff.  What parent wants more junk I ask you!?!

Happy to report that B did in fact place a winning bid.  She and Hubby are still debating who should pay for said bid....