live what you love.

four more sleeps.

Four more sleeps! That's what I've been hearing all morning. Mary-Kate is so into it all and has been counting down the sleeps since we put out the advent box. She's into all of it - the cookies, the songs, the lights, the ornaments... she is my holiday mini-me & I love it. :) OMG, I haven't shared this video yet - you've got to watch her singing with her class. At her party on Thursday they walked from room to room, caroling, instead of having a big program. And it was precious. I got to Parker's class early to set up for their party and they were singing songs with their adorable teacher... You can see P in the middle in a blue shirt, rockin' the air guitar. I love second graders. I so hope it's the grade I get to teach. They're old enough to be self-sufficient and are so smart, but are still little enough to adore their teacher and are so excited about learning.

Parker went to his friend's yesterday & won't be back until later today... 1 day out of school and he was already borrrrrrrred!! Lord have mercy. On Friday when Dave was off, the boys tackled Parker's room & only Mommy the girls worked on Mary-Kate's. That child... trying to get her to clean is like pulling teeth.

And Parker is such a hard worker - he gets sooo mad at her and screams that she's the "laziest person in the whole world!" You tell her to do something, like when I told her to simply pick up all of the shoes yesterday and put them where they go, and she looked at me matter-of-factly and said, "I don't want to." Not whining - just letting me know that she didn't want to and therefore wasn't going to. Ohhh darling, you should know by now that we don't work like that in this household! I must say though that it scares me, how much like me she is, and how alike P & Dave are. I certainly don't want to be classified as lazy, but if I could go the rest of my life without doing any chores, I would happily oblige. I want things to be perfect but I don't want to be the one to do it all!!! :)

Yesterday Jade flew in from LA and we met her at the airport. It's become a Christmas tradition & I love it so much! Our family lives 2 hours away but the Knoxville airport is much cheaper than theirs - lucky us! We went to dinner downtown and got the updates on all of the celebs in her life... her BFF and old roommate Eddie was on the "Kendra" special last night - he's Kendra's assistant and takes Jade along to the fun things that they do... Jade says that Kendra is super-sweet and very "normal." She wanted to name her daughter Jade if she had a girl! Jade went to this US Weekly photo shoot with Kendra & Kourtney Kardashian... and says that Kourtney is not nearly as nice, nor did she enjoy being pregnant. Shhh. ;) Jade's salon is working on the new Meet the Children movie, and she talks to Blythe Danner on a regular basis. And one of their other clients, Mr. Bob Newhart, gave Jade $50 for Christmas. How many people can say that?! I was cracking up.

I am struggling with a gift for Jade & Sable this year. They're the most fun to buy for but this year I'm just coming up empty. Any ideas, for a 19 & 21 year old girl?? And no, I do not get them the same thing! They're still like little girls when it comes to that. My aunt gave me money to do her shopping for P & MK, so I have to go do that today... I have no idea what I'll get them and she gave me a lot of money! Santa is all done and even with the five gift rule he had a hard time. They just don't need anything and didn't really ask for much! Stockings are my favorite part. I love the little surprises... and can never fit it all in their stockings. I've got to go do Dave's today, too... he's so easy to buy for & I have to keep the spending in check! 

I dread getting out in the madness. I may hit my least favorite side of town just to avoid the "good" side's traffic & craziness. Target, Marshall's, Toys R Us, Kohl's, Old Navy... all needing a visit from me today. Heaven help me! And poor Dave is sick. He never gets sick. NEVER. (Unlike his wife, who has a new ailment every other week.) Last year at Thanksgiving he got pneumonia and it was ugly. He was so pitiful. Now it seems he's back on the same track. So we've got to get him to the doctor this afternoon to head off a sickly Christmas at the pass.

I'll be back before The Big Day - will share my December Daily album & marvel in the fact that I am actually following through with something. Enjoy this week - it really is the most wonderful time of the year. xoxo

the 15th day of Christmas.

Having another I'm-so-overwhelmed-I'll-just-sit-and-stare-at-the-wall kind of day. I've been pretty much a zombie for the last few days. Taking the kids Christmas shopping with you? Not the best idea. I took them to Toys R Us on Friday because they were having a huge sale and I just had to get some things. What an adventure that was, trying to hide everything from the kids under a coat in the shopping cart & worrying I would be arrested for shoplifting before I had a chance to go pay for everything. Somehow, though, I did it. Made it out with four video games for them and they had Crayola crayons buy one get TWO free... Mama got a shiny box of 96 and some twistables & colored pencils. Heaven! So you know what Mary-Kate and I did all weekend? This:

 

I was so happy. Coloring is very good therapy at any age.

Our weekend was quiet and low-key. On Saturday morning we got up early and headed out in 22° temps to a Christmas parade. And the kids had to get a box out of the car to hold all of the candy that was thrown at them. Seriously. They were insane.

 

I've been trying to finish up all of my etsy orders... starting to feel the pressure of the Post Office Pre-Christmas Madness. I made these little necklaces for 8-year old twins, and I think they may be my favorites so far - don't you love the glitter letters?! :)

 

The kids' teachers & MK's dance teachers are each getting a necklace this year... which I, of course, haven't started yet. I did get some big Hershey bars to them today... the kids looove seeing their faces on things like this.

 

I can't believe Friday is their last day. Then comes two weeks of trying to keep them entertained... thankfully some of that will be taken care of by Mr. Claus. And speaking of that, if you haven't done one of these videos for your kids yet, you HAVE to. It's the greatest thing I've ever seen - and even though I made it, I cried as we watched it together. I know, I know. But seeing the kids' faces - they really, really believed and loved it... it just killed me! When they stop believing, I will go into mourning and spend every Christmas in all black with a black veil until I have grandchildren who will believe. Seriously, it will break my heart! You can see Parker's video here - it really is incredible!

 

And now it's time to get going. I have a conference this afternoon with Mary-Kate's teacher to discuss her "first semester" progress - she'll be taking the Kindergarten readiness tests soon, which blows my mind. Tomorrow I'm subbing in a kindergarten class (heaven help me!), making cookies for the kids to take to church tomorrow night then making cookies and cinnamon rolls for their respective parties on Thursday. Throw in helping with both of those parties, including making and printing a Christmas bingo game for Parker's, and I'd say my schedule is pretty much all booked up. So I better get on it. Edited to add: I just got the mail and finally my Christmas cards have arrived!! Even though I have quite a bit of addressing to do, that's at least one thing I can cross off my list. Thank you, Santa!!

the 10th day of Christmas.

Brr! It is fuh-reeezing here! It was sunny this morning when I took P to school and we slid all over the place on black ice that I was not expecting to find. It was everywhere & thankfully we weren't one of the many cars we passed who had wrecked. I feel bad for complaining about this... but I have to. On the way home I got stopped in a long line of cars where a wreck had happened & a police officer was directing traffic around it. And the place where I got stopped just happened to be right next to the nastiest road kill I've ever seen. A totally frozen petrified possum, arms & feet straight up to the sky, all of his business out for the world to see, and... his face completely gone & a bloody mess left in its place. I'm sorry. But I was about to DIE.

I was just prayin' away, thanking God for keeping us out of the wreck but begging him to take this possum away from me!!! It was like the time I got stuck on the interstate in Nashville, in the car by myself, stopped behind a truck who had a poor deer strapped across the back of it, staring me in the face for the entire 30 minutes we were at a dead standstill. The longer we sat there, the harder I stared at it - I couldn't look away. Until I was eventually on the verge of tears/vomiting/or just a "Falling Down" style freakout right there on the interstate. I don't care what anyone says, I will never understand how anyone could aim a gun at a defenseless animal & drag it off like a caveman. Ugh! I could never do it. Not enough money in the world.

Well, didn't mean to get on that rampage today. Obviously that poor possum really got to me! In more festive news, I feel like we've really been making the most of this holiday season and I totally give credit to this December Daily project. The advent calendar has forced me to find the fun, little things about the season that we may have skipped over before. The kids are just as excited every single day to open up the day's drawer as they were the day before. On Monday night we went to see Santa, on Tuesday night we made a gingerbread house, and their excitement over everything is just contagious.

I've kept up with my little album so far, which is a major accomplishment for me. It's been so much fun to play with paper again! I look at Ali's & get bummed that mine isn't half as cute & I want to change everything, but once I see the kids look through it & how much they love it... well, that's all a girl needs to know. The layout above was made with Gina's new gorgeous new Christmas Joy kit. The little gingerbread cookies in the kit are definitely ready for a layout about our gingerbread house! I love it.

I honestly cannot believe Christmas is two weeks away. MK's American Girl came in really fast, so I've got it hidden in the closet but haven't really bought anything else for either of them. Have to get on it. Parker's space under the tree is going to look pretty sparse unless he can tell me something he wants other than video games! He's mentioned a keyboard a couple of times & I would actually love to have one, too! My mom has offered her piano to us but based on the banging that goes on there when we visit, I've never been too pumped to put it in my own house! But Santa may just have to get a keyboard and I can teach P the basics - if he'll listen to me! :) I'm on the hunt for Calico Critters... they're sold here at one specialty toy store and are way overpriced there (as they are anyway!) so I'm freaking out a little now about ordering them online & wondering if I'll get them before 2010. Sigh. Such is the life of a last-minute lady.

Oh, and did I mention the Christmas joy that is the rear bumper of our new car?? We got a Scion last Saturday to replace my Passat (good RIDDANCE to you, and all VWs for that matter!) and on Monday night while we were waiting in line (at a complete stop) to see a Christmas light display, a girl came barrelling up behind us and slammed into our (brand new, mind you!) rear bumper. Dave was driving and I thought he was going to blow the roof off the car. When we got out & saw a giant hole in the bumper, he just walked away doing the Fred Flintstone "racka-fracka-garblegarblegarble" thing and I went off on the girl. I was just furious. She had to have been on the phone. Had to. Why else would any idiot come flying up to a stopped line of cars like they were on the interstate?? She had two kids in the backseat who were both under 3 years old, too. Ohh, I thought I was going to explode. The icing on the cake is that we finally got the police report today & aparently she gave the officer a fake phone number & insurance policy!! So now, my blood pressure has flown right back up and I'm in need of some serious Christmas cheer. Or at least just some Tiny-Tim-like positivity.

cozy & crafty.

What a perfectly cold, cozy, crafty weekend we had. We got the outside of our house decorated and even got some snow! Real live snow. I woke up on Saturday morning & saw it when I looked out the front window. Parker was sleeping on a chair (where he fell asleep the night before, watching a movie), heard me, and popped right up. Then before I knew it he was dragging Mary-Kate out, bedhead and all. At 6 a.m. on a Saturday. But I didn't mind because I was almost as excited as they were - snow changes all the rules.

 

I was even giddy about going to school on Saturday - because it was my LAST DAY! I really cannot convey to you how good it feels. I didn't care what grade I got, what comments my professors had (we don't take any tests or exams in this program; just do lots and lots of projects and had to turn in a final portfolio in each class), I just wanted out. But it turns out I got three A's anyway - holla!! :) We only have a month off before we start the same schedule again with the same teachers, same times, same classmates (really do love that) and I am going to be relishing every free second I have. Below is my final math manipulative project - we had to come in and set up on Tuesday and wait for our professor to come by and grill us about what we had, how we'd use it, etc. I thought I would pass out before he got to me.

  
The kids can't understand all of the "fun" things I've had to make and buy this semester. "But... those are... wait..." :) And ohhh kids, it will only get worse once I have my own classroom. :) Over the weekend we colored and colored in my new coolest coloring book ever (and yes I said MY book; it killed me to have to share), and Mary-Kate and I made some of the cutest felt ornaments you ever did see. They were so easy and fun - I love felt! No hemming = the perfect sewing project. I found the pattern for the peppermint candy ornament here (and I would love to make enough of those in different colors to do a whole tree of them!) and the others here. No, they're not perfect; you can't look at them too closely - but isn't that what homemade ornaments are all about?

     

Their surprise in today's advent was a box of the most adorable foam gingerbread boys & girls. I had thought it was so perfect because it had a boy and a girl; turns out it had five of each. So Parker & I both did a couple and then MK went to town on the rest. Watching her enjoy things like this as much as I do... nothing in this world could make me happier! And yes, she was wearing a winter hat inside. A hat she wore when she was one year old, no less. Someone had to take over with the crazy get-ups once the Mormons moved back to Utah. ;)

    

 

  

 
I had lots of big plans with things that I wanted to make to sell in my little shop, but it's just not happening this year. Just like my dreams of having all of our presents under the tree wrapped in the same gorgeous way... it's just not happening. I don't think we're even going to have any wrapped gifts under the tree this year... and oh how I love wrapping paper and ribbons and tags! I've never been able to follow through with the "one gorgeous paper" thing because I can't ever commit to any one paper! I do have orders for dresses and necklaces piling up, mostly for strangers - which makes me a nervous wreck - so I better get on it. Now all that time I've spent stressing & crying & hating life over the last four months can be used in December for good and not evil. :)

in the spirit.

I am officially in the spirit. I got my first photo into my December Daily album and ohhh it made me feel so good to get something done. It felt good to play with paper and ribbons and stickers again. Eve is seriously so good at putting things together; without her kit I never would've gotten this done. Ali has such good information that I've been devouring, and Liz Kartchner, whose style I LOVE, is also working with an evalicious journal so I've been using her for inspiration!

I've been looking at Christmas Cookie ideas, and am freaking out, ready to get busy in the kitchen. Look at these - omg! They put mine to shame. How about these sweet ones, with the most perfect piping ever? And look at the detail - I've never thought about using fondant on sugar cookies but wowowow! How about this whole post? Her cookies are SO gorgeous.

All of these are reeeally making me want to try some new things, like this smooth royal icing and these silver balls - I never buy those but love how they look. Just gorgeous. I think I need to change up where I'm shopping... Target doesn't have quite the same selection. My sugar cookie recipe take a while to make, then has to be in the fridge overnight, then making the buttercream icing is a pain... but oh it's all worth it! You just have to make them from scratch. Nothing else will do. And I'm DYING for one now.

I've got to go out today for some more goodies for the advent box. Parker woke me up waaay before my alarm was set to go off, poking me and saying in a stage whisper, "Can I open up today's drawer??" When I told him he was welcome to but I hadn't put anything in it yet, he huffed off & went back to bed! So I've gotta get on it. I love what Melanie is doing, opening up a new book everyday. SUCH a good idea. I may have to get some special Christmas books & put a little coupon in the drawer. I got a pass to a Scholastic Books warehouse sale that starts next week and am hoping to find lots of goodies there.

I have about 6 hours to find a pair of black pants, a white shirt, and shoes that Parker can wear in his Christmas program tonight. It's the third year in a row that he's needed this outfit for the program, and I always wait til the last minute to get it all. Come on Target, don't let me down! I love the Christmas program. I haven't heard them practice this year but have caught him singing a few songs at home and his favorite is one called "Shaggy Smelly Sheep." Sure to be a good time tonight. :)