christmas decor

I was going to link up to Nestor's Christmas Decor Tour, but of course I forgot and never got the pictures up. But, better late than never!

This year I felt like I didn't go all out on the Christmas decorations. I had so many ideas of things that I wanted to do, but never got around to doing it probably because of my "condition". I was so jealous as I was "touring " other homes on other blogs. Oh, well. There's always next year.

This is our main tree in the living room. It looks a little worse for the wear after being beat up by 2 preschoolers and a 30 pound cocker spaniel chasing cats. This year I made the colors very subdued. I wanted a relaxing tree with relaxing colors. So I just jumped in with decorating and ended up with a "snow" themed tree. The ribbon I used has a winter's scene that runs through it with snowmen on it and I used many ornaments that were snowmen or snowflakes.

I love my wrapping paper this year! Also, last Christmas my mom gave me her old Christmas village. I have it displayed on the my glass buffet table in the dining room.

This year I did a fun tree in the foyer. Again, this tree is looking rough. This is the animals main play area. Also, notice how we have a row of lights out on the prelit tree. Who has the energy to fix it?

These next 2 things are blasts from the past. On this tree I hung these stockings that my grandmother hand crochet herself when my mom was a little girl. Next to the tree, we have 2 elves that are going up a ladder. I can remember as a child the elves always being next to our tree and my grandmother's tree.

I made each of our family an ornament this year...

I got the next 3 ornaments from Cracker Barrel this year. I couldn't pass them up. I love them!

The mantle...

The tree in the girls' room.

The tree is a mixture of reds and pinks, gumdrops and PB Santa.

My Christmas blocks I made...

That concludes the tour:)

a day of coloring

Sunday was one of those days. My energy was gone and I wasn't feeling that good so we ended up staying home from church that day. The girls and I stayed in our pj's and never left the house. Sometimes you just need one of those days.

Pop-Pop came to see us this past weekend and he came bearing goodies from Grammy, 2 humongous Christmas coloring books. I am pretty sure it is safe to say that the girls colored from sun up to sun down.

This is our little princess Emma. Note the ensemble she is wearing. This is what we call her uniform. Every morning, she put on the princess dress she wore at her birthday party in July. If we are at home, you can rest assured this is what she is wearing. The dress is tattered and torn from all the wear and wash. When it is finally time to retire the dress, it is going to go in her keepsake box because at this age this is just so her.

Hopefully, I will have some pics of our Christmas decor up in a couple of days. I didn't go all out this year, considering I wasn't going to be the one that felt like putting them away when Christmas was over.

Oh, and I have been working on some projects for Lila's room. I'm so excited for the way that it is shaping up. It's hard to believe we have less than a month to go before her arrival!

a little music for your listening pleasure...

We love to sing in our house. My girls especially love to sing. I guess that is bound to happen when your dad is a worship pastor.

We have a joke in our house, though, that the girls do not do kiddie church songs. I guess that is because we rarely sing them. They are into all the current contemporary praise and worship songs. In fact, during Sunday school one morning Ava's class began to sing "Jesus Loves Me" to which Ava started screaming, "No. No. I do not like that song!" When her teachers told me that story I told them, "Sorry, she's really a fan of the "New Doxology' by Gateway."

One of our family favorite Christmas albums this season has been from Chris Tomlin. We play it constantly in the car. One of our favorite songs is "My Soul Magnifies the Lord". Jason has also been playing it in church. Emma especially loves it.

Take a listen...

I love it.

She is constantly singing it around the house. There is nothing better than hearing your children sing worship music!

Christmas Wish List Meme

Not much exciting going on around here to blog about. One of these days I may get around to posting some pictures of my Christmas decorations. For now I will leave you with this meme.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?

• New, NICE makeup. Why something so ordinary you ask? Not really interested in clothes when I am as big as a whale.
• Some more of my Emile Henry cookware from Williams-Sonoma (already gotten thanks to my awesome mom)
• A personal trainer for after the baby or an elliptical
• a necklace with ALL my girls' names on it
• gift certificate to Hobby Lobby so I don't have to feel guilty about all the money I spend there

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?

Hmmm, food is good. Well, most of the time, depending on who gives it to you. I also like a good homemade craft decor gift of some kind since I enjoy making the same.

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?

So many. I wish I was artistic and could write well. Then, I could make those cute painted canvases with verses or pictures on them.

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?

So many it is hard to remember. We always got what we ask for. The funniest memory of a gift is when I pulled panties and a bra out of my stocking when I was a preteen. I didn't know Santa and his elves made that at his workshop.

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?

DRESS-UP CLOTHES!!!!! and maybe throw in a few Disney princess paraphernalia

6. What is your favorite holiday food?

Love it all.

But, I do love me some sweet potatoes. And divinity. LOVE divinity!

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?

I made some blocks with the word JOY on them. That will probably be the extent of my Christmas craftiness. I have bigger fish to fry in Lila's room in order to get it ready.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?

Hands down, Christmas Vacation

9. Favorite holiday song?

Come and Worship, Bebo Norman

My favorite line in is, "God with man is now residing. Yonder shines the infant light." Powerful.

10. Favorite holiday pastime?

Spending time with the family. Jason usually has a week or more off around the holidays. I love watching my girls get excited about Christmas. We are starting a new tradition this year of throwing Jesus a birthday party after our Christmas Eve service. I'm glad that when I ask the girls why we celebrate Christmas they tell me because it is Jesus' birthday!

thanksgiving

We headed to Memphis to spend Thanksgiving. The day before I spent 12 hours cooking the dressing, both types of sweet potato casseroles (our family is divided brown sugar and pecan topping vs. marshmallows), broccoli casserole, homemade macaroni and cheese (made specifically for my children that they would not eat because they prefer the out-of-the-box kind), oreo trifle and an apple pie. Needless to say, I was pooped before Thanksgiving got here. Then, to top it all off I woke up with bronchitis on Turkey Day.

Despite all of that, fun and good times were still had.

Mimi and Ava looking at a book.

This is our attempt at a family picture.

My girls and me

Nana and Papa
Ava and Nana reading another book.

Saturday Jason let me sleep in and he took the girls to go get some donuts. You know, because we had not consumed enough calories in the days preceding.

Ava who had to take her princess wand with her.

Not so sure what Emma's imagination has her being here. She's wearing her Indian hat she made at school and holding onto her dog and her princess wand.

Papa and Ava enjoying donuts and aggravating each other.

Just some pics of the girls being silly.

what i am thankful for

A few things I am thankful for this year...

• my hubby who works hard and somehow manages to do it all and balance life so well
• my Emma, my girl with such a beautiful imagination, who always keeps me guessing and smiling
• my Ava, who is fearless and bold and excites me to see what kind of adult she will be one day
• my Lila, the little kicker inside me reminding me just because she is the 3rd she will not be forgotten
• a steady income when so many others are suffering this holiday season
• a warm home to live in
• good friends who keep it real
• a church with a caring pastor and wife who are incredible godly leaders and good friends
• good health and happiness

Happy Thanksgiving!

finding nemo

A couple of weeks ago we were able to attend Disney's On Ice Finding Nemo.

It was a hit with both of the girls. I don't think we have ever been to an event where BOTH of the girl's attention was kept from start to finish. They did not move a muscle while the show was going on.

I'll even have to admit that I really did enjoy it. The costumes were beautiful and the show moved along well. There was never a dull part. We will definitely go see another one!

thanksgiving tree

My kids have been super confused about the holidays this year.

A week ago, I went ahead and put out our Christmas decorations. Normally, we have a tradition of putting it up on Thanksgiving weekend after we celebrate Thanksgiving. I was afraid, however, that I would be too tired to put it up later. I had a burst of energy (that didn't last long), and I convinced Jason to drag out all the Christmas decor. I just love my house decorated for Christmas!

Emma and Ava are convinced that Christmas is coming any day now. I have been trying to tell them that first we celebrate Thanksgiving and then later we will celebrate Christmas. They both decided that this was not good enough. We needed to skip the holiday and bring on Christmas since that holiday comes with presents. So in my feeble attempt this week to talk about Thanksgiving and prove that it is a fun, worthwhile holiday that needs to be celebrated, we sat down to make a Thanksgiving Thankfulness Tree.

I grabbed a branch from out back (so nice to have woods that back up to your backyard), and cut out some leaves. I had the girls tell me some things they were thankful for. I wrote Emma's down and let her copy it and write it herself. Ava told me what to write and then she drew a picture on the back of the leaf of what she was thankful for. I believe this will be a new tradition for our family!

Behold the Thanksgiving Thankfulness Tree...

Some of the things that Emma was thankful for was her friends, her bed (because we often make her sleep on floor?) and the mall. That's my girl!

Emma's also thankful for her daddy.

Ava's drawings

Emma's also thankful for school.

Ava right off the bat told me she was thankful for her all of her animals. All of the zoo that we have here. It was so sweet because of the two of the girls she is the one who always notices our cats or dog and rushes to "love" them. She is also thankful for the "horseys she gets to ride at the mall and the train set she plays with at Barnes 'n Noble. She is also thankful for mommy and daddy and playing outside.

accidents

This is what I was I saw when Ava came downstairs to tell me that she pee-peed all over the floor.

Of course you did. How could anyone looking this fabulous be bothered to stop and take care of something like that?

bullet points

A blog I read always put up bullet points when she has random things or ideas to express. I think it is one of those days.

• I do have pics to post, but my husband has bigger fish to fry in photography. He has been super busy with weddings and family sessions. I think I might have to make an appointment with him to get our pictures.
• I just ordered our Christmas cards. I think they might be my favorite of all that we have sent. I was a little upset though after I ordered them and paid for express shipping. After I placed my order, they informed there would be a shipping delay. My luck.
• I think I could just skip Thanksgiving and head straight for Christmas. I think the decorations will have to go up tonight. I can wait no longer. I already have my Christmas shopping half done!
• After slacking off on potty-training Ava, we have broke through again. The child might just be ready for panties in public. Watch out world!
• I would really like to coerce my husband to go see New Moon with me this weekend. Somehow I do not think that will happen.
• Jason and I are arguing over how to spell our 3rd child's name. I was pretty adamant about spelling it Lila, the most traditional, so she would not always have to correct everyone. Jason is determined it will be spelled Lyla. He just talked about her on facebook and used that spelling. I'm pretty sure he's ignoring my wishes.
• Last week has been a hard week as is this one. Really bummed out about some things going on. Hurting for some friends and discouraged for our family on some issues. Just really burnt out...
• I have been on a crusade for new makeup products. I have been reading reviews and blogs and asking friends. Love 2 of the ones I found. Smashbox Face Primer really does make a difference under your makeup. It smoothes out your skin, makes your skin oh, so soft and keeps your makeup in place all day long. Benefit Lemon Aid is a eyelid correcting primer. It can serve 2 purposes. You can wear it alone and it makes your eyes look more awake and open, or you can wear it under your eye makeup to keep it in place longer. Love them!
• As I am typing this I have a cocker spaniel laying across my lap in a single seater chair. Lots of room here with a 7 1/2 month pregnant girl. Why is it that the animals that are not mine and that I do not like somehow like me the best?