A Very Random Recap of Our Christmas

I could NOT get into the holiday spirit this year.  I don't know what it was (truly, I don't), but I was dragging my feet all the way to Christmas Day.  One evidence of this: I have a stack of Christmas cards that didn't get given out.  And that doesn't even bother me!

In my brain, I love the idea of creating some Christmas traditions for our family.  Things like have a Decorate-the-Tree evening, where we make hot chocolate or some other tasty drink and eat tasty Christmas snacks and decorate the Christmas tree together.  That didn't happen this year, since we didn't do a tree at all.  

I had really really wanted to do a tree this year.  People are surprised when I admit that we have never had a Christmas tree in our family since we've been married.  Various reasons for this include being pregnant, just moving, being out of town, not wanting to police the tree from little fingers.  But I thought that I could handle the policing this year, and that the girls would enjoy putting on some decorations.

But it just never worked out, so there you go.  The only Christmas decoration I had up was the centrepiece I made at the ladies' night out.  Which was a nice one, but looked oh so lonely.

Another Christmas flop for us was Christmas Day meals.  We had planned to make a Scrambler for breakfast, and individual pizzas for supper.  Well, guess what we found in our fridge Christmas morning?  No cheese.  Oh sorry, two teeny tiny pieces of cheese.  Not enough for anything.  So off scurries Mark to 7-11 to pay $9 for 400g of cheese.  I may or may not have peed myself hearing the price.

But it wasn't all bad.  This year for opening our presents, I borrowed an idea I read over at Living Life Intentionally.  The idea was to let the kids open and play with presents as they went, if they wanted to.  I liked that idea, since it might let the kids appreciate their toys and not get a more-more-MORE mentality as they hopped from present to present.

So we tried this and it seemed to go so well.  We stopped and put together toys (and wow, do some toys have about a million parts.  With no instructions).  And we played.  It took us much longer to get finally done, but at the end, it felt good to me.  It felt like how I have hoped Christmas Day would feel.  Relaxed and together.  

A Week Overdue, But You'll Forgive Me

Last Friday, the ninth, we had a ladies overnight retreat thing.  I just wanted to express my gratitude for having great ladies in my life.  It was a wonderful time of fellowship.  We made some Christmas centrepieces, which all turned out looking great, if not all Martha Stewart worthy (mine definitely not).  We ate food, including chocolate fondue fruit, and heard an amazing testimony, and shared in prayer.

God is so good to give you what you need, when you need it.  This overnight was just the thing to refresh me, especially when I didn't fully realize my need for being refreshed.

I don't know if I can name a particular favourite incident, it was all so great.  I think that most of all I just enjoyed the friendly chatting.  Just talking and laughing together.

Interview With a Very Tired Mama

It's been awhile since I posted that I want to post while I have time right now, but my brain is also a giant piece of mush since I stayed up waaaaaaaaay past my bedtime last night at our ladies' sleepover (GREAT time by the way, but I'll talk about that tomorrow, or the day after, or sometime).   So instead I will fill in this little survey thingy that I got from Chronicler, over at Annals of a Christian Single.  Enjoy, and I hope I make sense!

1.  What's the nerdiest and/or weirdest thing about you? 

I like, ok LOVE, doing simple, mundane things, like filing or picking all the white stringy stuff off oranges or hand stitching

2. If you could live in a fictional universe from any book, movie,  or television show, what would it be?

3. Little or big, practical or frivolous, what are a few of your favorite items in your house?

I love my Kitchen Aid mixer, and my Bread maker (unsure of brand, too lazy to get up and look) and my pasta maker and pretty much all my kitchen stuff

4. Do you like animated movies? If so, what is your favorite?  

I do like animated movies, and my favourites rotate a little bit all the time.  Wall-E is a great one, and some recent ones that I loved were MegaMind and Despicable Me.

5. What is your least favorite household chore?P

Putting away laundry.  I really like laundry, except for this.

6. What's your favorite thing to get at Starbucks 

(or favorite coffee shop)?

Java Chip Frappucino.  I think I order it just to eat the chocolate chips

7. What is your favorite pizza topping?

Ham and Cheese.  Plain, simple and oh so delicious when homemade

8. Waffles or pancakes?

Pancakes

9. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Honestly, I never had a single clue.  I used to hate this question in CAPP.

10. Do you prefer cooking or baking?

I think I prefer cooking, just because it's a little more practical.  Baking is an optional extra, so I never get around to it.  

 

11. What would be your dream job?

If I didn't have children and any other kind of responsibility and calling, probably accounting.  I love numbers.  

12. Do you make your bed every morning?

I try to.  Not right away, but it is one of the first things I do once I "get started."

13. Picasso or Norman Rockwell?

Norman Rockwell

14. Do you like carpet, tile, or hardwood floors? 

Carpet.  I am in love with carpet.  It's so nice and soft and cushy and soft.  Of course I live in a house with mostly hardwood.

15. What is your least favorite thing about yourself??

Other than the extra 40lbs I'm carrying, my freckles.

16. Last movie you watched??

I started but didn't finish Mrs. Winterbourne

17. Computer or Television??

Computer. 

18. Favorite Sound?

My kids breathing (snoring) while sleeping

19. If you could have a $5000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be? 

Some home organizing kind of store, like Bed Bath and Beyond.  

20. If you could be any Jane Austen fictional character who would you choose (or if you would prefer any fictional character)? 

Elizabeth Bennet or Anne Elliot.

So there you go.  A quick little survey to entertain you until my brain function returns to normal (or something like that).  Copy this to your blog and redo it if you like, or don't.  It's no skin off my back if you do or don't and if you don't, you won't be plagued with any curses.  Bonus.

After This I am Starting a Pin-aholics Annonymous

Remember how the other day I wrote about distractions?  And I may have bragged that the computer wasn't a huge distraction for me because I had my iPhone?  (Maybe it didn't come off as bragging, but I will confess, I was proud in my heart!) Well that is no longer true.  Because I have discovered Pinterest.



When I first heard about Pinterest, I scoffed.  I thought, what a waste of time.  I'm not a big one for any kind of decorating, interior or exterior or any kind of terior.  I thought that there was no point for me to even look at it. Just another thing that I don't get, like Twitter.  (I do have a Twitter account, I just am still so confused by it. Somebody help me!)

Well, I finally signed up for Pinterest, and last week I started 'pinning'.  I haven't stopped.

No seriously, I am like non-stop.  I search the internet for things just so I can pin it.  I have over a hundred pins already, and something like 20 boards.  I think I may be addicted.  I have a ton of Christmas ideas for food and decorations and wrapping.  I have ideas for aprons to make, for skirts to make, for a ton of yummy looking desserts.  I even have a board dedicated to things I will never in my life use.

The darn thing just appeals to the organization freak in me.  Secret:  When I worked in an office, I loved sorting things to be filed.  This is like that.  I sort things to be filed on my boards.

I am trying to put a follow me button on my sidebar so you can all see the wonderfulness of my boards, but it hasn't been working so far.  But that button at the top of the post does work so you can just click that one.  Because I'm just so kind, I want everyone to be addicted to pinning just like me!