Christmas

My daughter just wrote a Christmas recap on her blog and when I read it I realized I'd already forgotten some of the happenings. I figured I'd better put mine in writing too, before 2016 rolls around. 

That's the thing about blogging. Either you write about something as it happens or immediately after, or you have to wait years and write about it in hindsight. A Christmas recap two weeks from now would feel odd.

I didn't take many pictures this year. The apartment is not conducive to stellar photography. It's 'cozy' with just the hubs and I here, and then add another three adults plus two dogs into the mix (we were dog sitting my sister's pooch plus Daughter2 brought her pup over) and there's not a whole lot of room for photo staging. 

Which is why you see my ginormous bottle of 409 in this picture-

Perhaps you didn't notice because you were distracted by how precious my girlies look when they're together.

Picking up where I left off in Monday's post...we made the trip from Alabama back to SC Sunday afternoon and dropped the newlyweds off at my daughter's in-laws home. Hubs and I planned to just drop and go, but then my son-in-law's momma said something about shrimp and grits, and hubs has a rule about never turning down a plate of shrimp and grits, so we had to go inside and sample.

The 'kids' stayed at the in-laws the first three nights they were in town, then transitioned their belongings here and slept in our spare room the rest of the week. We only live about ten minutes from one another, which helped a lot with all the back and forth that needed back and forthing.

On Monday we all met up at our lake property to show the West Coasters the lot and dock and semi-constructed home. Very semi, but there's concrete and a lower level garage and that's something. We returned them to the in-laws after lunch and then hubs and I spent the evening wrapping gifts and tweaking the decorating here.

As an aside, this is my Christmas card wall. It makes me so happy I might just leave it up until we move into the house next summer.  Everything in the apartment is rented, including the 'art' which is essentially a piece of decorative iron.  I used my Christmas clothespins to attach the cards and it definitely added something to the original work.

Tuesday morning my son-in-law had plans with his dad, hubs was busy with an all day course, and the girls and I settled in for a full day of baking. It was bliss. Honestly when I opened the door to my daughter standing there and her sister standing beside me, I wanted to cry. I'd bought them cute mugs from Anthropologie with the sweetest, tiniest little gingerbread toppers that fit on the rim.

We all got back together Tuesday evening for dinner at a local steak house, one of my son-in-law's favorites, and that was a lot of fun.

Wednesday was filled with a bit more baking and then an afternoon showing of Star Wars.  I loved it. I'm not one of those crazy Star Wars people, but I do love the original films and this one hearkened back to that.

My daughter's in-laws included us in their Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals, both of which were wonderful.  We ate early afternoon on Christmas Eve which was perfect because we had plans to attend a 5:30 church service. Plenty dark for candlelight at 6:30 PM! My Daughter2 sang with the band which made it feel extra special for me.

The girls (and I) opened our traditional Christmas Eve pj's and Christmas morning looked much like Christmas morning has always looked. Except for the 70 degree temps. What in the world? I was spoiled per usual by my hubs who always says, 'We're not buying each other anything this year, right?' but then buys anyway.

We had another delicious meal at the in-laws, then came back here and later played a really fun board game called Ticket to Ride that involves train trips, geography, and strategy.

Saturday was ridiculously fabulous in terms of the weather, and we decided to get out and work off some of those cookie calories we'd all accumulated. My son-in-law went early morning hunting with his dad, so it was just the four of us for a good chunk of the day. We headed over to the university campus for a walk around the lake-

A little jumping...

...and of course a selfie.

Saturday evening we all trekked downtown for dinner, adding one friend/groomsman to the party.  Hubs and I went home after dinner and left the 'kids' playing darts, enjoying a gorgeous Southern summer evening at the end of December.

Sunday faces looked like this.

What can I say?

It went too fast, as we knew it would, but I like to think we made the most of the minutes and the hours and the days we were given. The precious gift of time we shared celebrating family, friendship, and the birth of God's only Son.

Ringing In The Hodgepodge

Happy New Year Hodgepodgers and readers everywhere! So glad you stopped by for this end of the year random! It's never too late to participate...answer the questions on your own blog, then add your link at the end of my post. Please say hello to the blogger who links before you because that's what good neighbors do. See you in the new year!

Now here we go-

1.  Share a favorite moment/memory from the week of Christmas.

So many wonderful moments to consider, but I've narrowed it down to two. On the Tuesday before Christmas my girls and I spent most of the day baking together. 

We sipped tea in pretty mugs and we talked and laughed a lot too. Hubs was out all day so it was just us girls and I really cannot put into words the contentment I felt all day long.   

A second favorite memory would be sitting on a church pew on Christmas Eve with my family beside me, candles lit,  joining with all those gathered to sing Silent Night. The Christmas Eve service has become the best part of the holidays for me in recent years. Taking time to be still in the middle of all the activity happening this time of year helps put life back into proper perspective. 

2.  If someone wrote a book about your life based on the past year, what genre would it fall under? What would the title be?

What genre would it fall under? Maybe psychology-ha! In 2015 my oldest daughter got married and moved to the west coast, my hubs retired after 30 years with the same company, we sold our home in NJ, moved south (after a short temporary stay with my mom), bid a tearful goodbye to the best dog ever, and are currently in some cozy digs while we build a home from the ground up. 

Psychology it is. 

What would it be called? How about Roll With The Changes?

3. What made you feel patriotic this year?

Many things...the Star Spangled Banner sung before a game, a YouTube video of a soldier coming home, and anything at Arlington National Cemetery. Just before Christmas I saw a picture of wreaths placed on every grave there and my heart felt so full. 

4.  What experience from this past year would you like to do all over again?

Well it definitely wouldn't be selling a house-ugh! I think I'll go with the obvious answer here...

...Daughter1's wedding day. 

5. What song lyric sums up or is a reflection of your 2015?

This one-



Honestly this is kind of my theme song. 

6. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate 2015? (10=stellar) Why?

I guess I'd say parts of 2015 were far better than a ten, but there were some 4's and 5's sprinkled throughout the year too. C'est la vie! 

7. What part of the upcoming year are you most excited about?

Do I really need to answer this one? Moving into our lake house! 

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

A few of you asked about my crafty Christmas project, one I was keeping hush hush until after the big day. I made a scrapbook for my daughter1...it's their love story in words and pictures. 

And a lot of stickers because I just couldn't stop with the stickers. 

The book has a plastic sheet over it because it needed to fly back to Washington State in a carry on bag, and I didn't want the pages to become torn or bent. I'm not going to post too much of the contents here because it's personal, but here's one half of a page-

They danced their first dance to George Strait's song, True. Most of the pages I've written on by hand, but for this one I printed the lyrics on my computer. I had so many cute candids and keepsakes from her showers, the various stages of planning, their rehearsal, getting ready on the day of, etc, and I wanted them to have the photos to keep. 

The book turned out beautifully and my daughter and son-in-law were surprised which makes it more fun. I really enjoyed putting it all together and I'm anxious to get back to scrapbooking some of our other family trips and photos I've neglected.

Happy New Year Everyone! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 249

Happy New Year Hodgepodgers! Thanks so much for hanging in there with me this year.  I'm looking forward to lots more fun and random in 2016...now on with the show-

Here are the questions to the last Hodgepodge of 2015. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with all the other revelers.

1. Share a favorite memory/moment from the week of Christmas.

2.  If someone wrote a book about your life based on the past year, what genre would it fall under? What would the title be?

3. What made you feel patriotic this year?

4. What experience from this past year would you like to do all over again?

5. What song lyric sums up or is a reflection of your 2015?

6. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate 2015?  (10=stellar) Why?

7. What part of the upcoming year are you most excited about?

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Sweet Home Alabama-Carolina

I know Christmas has come and gone, but you know I need to back the truck up and start at the beginning. 

Birmingham. 

Alabama not England, lest anyone is confused. 

Also, was it really just a little over a week ago? Because it feels like forever since we greeted Daughter1 and our son-in-law coming down the escalator in the Birmingham airport. Forever since we watched them pull one heavy suitcase after another off the conveyor belt in baggage claim wondering how in the world all that luggage was going to fit in the car. 

Daughter1 was a bridesmaid in her college roommate's wedding the week before Christmas, and we were invited too, which was the reason for our meet-up in sweet home Alabama. Why did I think Birmingham was flat? It's not. It's hilly and sprawling and let me just say, the weather was perfection. 

Y'all know I'm all about the weather. 

We hadn't seen the newlyweds since May so hubs and I were a teensy bit antsy waiting for them to arrive Friday evening. We drove over earlier in the day so we could be there to collect them from the airport. Their flight was slightly delayed, and Daughter1 missed the rehearsal, but we made a beeline for the hotel so they could quickly change before hopping back in the car to drive them downtown for the rehearsal dinner. 

Hubs and I were beyond tired so we relaxed and enjoyed a delicious leisurely meal at Ruth's Chris conveniently located in the lobby of our hotel, before calling it a day. Adrenaline catches up with you eventually. 

Saturday morning Daughter1 had to be at the church early, so hubs and I dropped her off with another  bridesmaid and then headed to Vulcan Park to see the famous Birmingham landmark. Look at that sky! I'm obsessed. 

The Vulcan statue is the largest cast iron statue in the world, and serves as a symbol of the city whose roots are in the steel and iron industry. Also, it is high. Whoa! It might not look all that high from the angle of my photo, but when you ride that elevator to the top and you step out onto an open grate footbridge and then you walk around the perimeter on an open grate platform, trust me-you are high. HIGH!!  Even hubs thought so. 

We made it back to terra firma and decided what we really needed was some good old fashioned Southern BBQ. The groom had recommended a place call SAW's, which is something of an institution in this town, so we picked up our son-in-law at the hotel and made our way into Homestead for lunch.

The restaurant was tiny and jam packed, signs of a truly great BBQ spot, and the food did not disappoint.  

Did I mention the bright blue sky? 

We dropped our son-in-law back at the hotel to watch some football and then hubs and I drove out to the nearby suburb of Homer to visit with a retired work friend and his wife. A really fun afternoon catching up, and then it was back to the hotel to dress for the wedding.

I just love a winter wedding. The bridesmaids wore elegant navy blue and the bride looked radiant in her chic gown and adorable little fur wrap. We even sent them off tossing a handful of 'snow' which made for a most perfect ending to a most perfect day.  

The best part was seeing all these sweet girls again...

...my daughter's best friends, her college and post-grad roommates, sorority sisters, bridesmaids and guests at her wedding nearly one year ago.  

I still remember meeting the bride for the very first time. She and Daughter1 were randomly matched as roommates by the university, and whatever sort of statistical equation they used to figure that out worked beautifully. 

The bridesmaid on the left in this photo will become a mother in just a few short months. It wasn't all that long ago my hubs and her Daddy were installing carpet in their oddly shaped triple dorm room in 100 degree heat. 

Time flies, doesn't it? 

And girls they do grow up. 

They get married and move many states away, but still...

...in the eyes of their father they are always and forever Daddy's little girl. 

Sunday morning hubs solved the Rubik's Cube known as packing the car, and somehow-someway managed to squeeze all the luggage into our not large vehicle. Daughter1 and I were wedged into the back seat with a suitcase and coats between us, along with assorted shoe boxes and tote bags under our feet, but we made it. We were on our way to South Carolina...

Let the holidays begin! 

Christmas Dresses

Let's just be honest and say half the fun of having little girls is dressing them up. You know it's true. Never did I enjoy it more than at Christmas time when my mother always bought my daughters something beautiful to wear.

As a bonus, their dresses usually matched.

Be still my heart.

My mom has always had a great sense of style, and she loves to shop. Buying something special for her grandgirls to wear at the holidays has brought her so much joy, and always put a smile on my face too.

Still does.

I loved wrestling squirmy little legs into stretchy tights that no matter what you did, wrinkled round the ankle. Buckling tiny feet into 'black dresser shoes' as Daughter1 called them. Some years there was a pretty coat too.

Also bad photography, but the coats were precious.

In most pictures of my girls, one or the other has a hand gently on her sister. The affection captured is not posed. Their favorite Christmas memories are all about each other.

This year Christmas will look a little different for us. These girls are all grown up now, and Daughter1 is married. Her first Christmas as a wife, and she and her hubs will travel south to celebrate. With us, but also with her new extended family.

There will be some stirring of the tradition pot this year, and I'm looking forward to the recipe we'll create as we go along. We'll start with a bit of childhood magic, adding to it a spoonful of something sweet and new. A  fresh concoction of memory, story, and love.

"Little girls are precious gifts, wrapped in love serene. 

Their dresses tied with sashes and futures tied with dreams."~Unknown

Have Yourself A Merry Little Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! Just a reminder, we'll be on Christmas break here next week so no Hodgepodge on December 23/24th.  The Hodgepodge will return the following week (December 29/30th) and we'll all roll in to the new year together.  

We're here today though, so grab your cocoa and let's get started. Don't forget to add your link at the end of my post, but only if you've answered the questions please. Thanks! Here we go-

1. What's your biggest 'first world' problem?

At the moment, I'll say having everything we own in storage. I can't tell you how often I think I'll do something and then realize I don't have access to whatever tool or pieces I need to complete the task. First world problems are more frustrations than actual problems, right? 

2. Each year Time Magazine names a 'Person of the Year', someone who has 'for better or worse....done the most to influence the events of the year.' It was recently announced they've named Angela Merkel Person of the Year for 2015. You can read more about this year's selection here. Your thoughts? If you were in charge, who would you declare Person of the Year?

I'm okay with the choice. I thought they might select Donald Trump since he's certainly influenced the conversation this year. Personally I'm glad they went another direction. I read they also had an ISIS leader and Caitlyn Jenner on the short list, and I'm really happy neither of those names made the top spot. 

3. Do you have a nativity set in your home? If so share it's history and how you display the pieces.

I do have a nativity set, one I love that we purchased the very first year we were married. I think I got it at one of those home parties someone was hosting, but can't recall the company name now. It's always been in a prominent spot wherever we happen to be living, either on the mantle or on my coffee table. It's not on display this year because it's in storage. See #1. 

4. Do you make an extra effort to give back in some way during the holiday season? How do you encourage those who need encouragement this time of year?

Yes I think so. There are a number of things we do year round, but I look more closely for opportunities this time of year. I think the biggest way I can be an encourager during the holiday season is to not let my to-do list take priority over people. Set the list aside and have a phone chat with family or friends far away. Listen to that person in the long line beside you who just needs to tell someone why they can't sleep at night. 

This morning a gentleman let two people in an obvious impatient hurry get in front of him at the post office, even though we'd all been waiting a while and he had an armful of packages to mail. That sort of thing encourages me. The world is so harsh. I think any act of kindness this time of year is a blessing and encouragement, not just to the recipient but to anyone who gets to see it happen.  

5. Who is your favorite person to shop for? Why?

That's easy-my girls! Why? Because there are far too many adorable things out there that I know they'd love. 

6. What's the last delicious thing you ate?

My sister and brother-in-law came over for dinner Monday night and Daughter2 walked over too, so I made a pan of lemon bars for dessert. I get mixed results with lemon bars from year to year. If the filling isn't cooked just right they taste too eggy or the texture is too sloppy. These were perfect and definitely delicious. I used this recipe (found here) because my recipe is in a cookbook I sent to storage. See #1. 

7. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is__________________.

I actually think Buddy was onto something with his 'singing loud for all to hear'.  

I'm going to add be kind and patient with the people we encounter, whether it's on the road, in the long line at the post office, in the parking lot at the mall, in the too crowded lunch spot...wherever. Life is not an emergency. Not even in mid-December.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Our Internet and cable have been out all day, finally returning about 10 PM. Not sure it's going to last as it's been teasing us for hours, so I'll make this short and sweet, and hit post while I can. 

May your holidays be filled with much peace and joy my Hodgepodge friends. 

My Hodgepodge-reading friends too!  

Merry Christmas! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 248

Hello Hodgepodgers! One item of business before we move on...I'm declaring next week Christmas break in the Wednesday Hodgepodge, which means no link party here December 22/23rd.  The Hodgepodge will be back the following week, December 29/30th so we can wrap up the year and roll into 2016 together.

Now back to this week...answer on your own blog, then pop back here tomorrow to share answers with all of Santa's elves. See you there!

1. What's your biggest 'first world' problem?

2.  Each year Time Magazine names a 'Person of the Year', someone who has 'for better or worse...done the most to influence the events of the year.' It was recently announced they've named Angela Merkel Person of the Year for 2015. You can read more about this year's selection here. Your thoughts? If you were in charge, who would you declare Person of the Year? 

3. Do you have a nativity set in your home? If so share it's history and how you display the pieces.

4.  Do you make an extra effort to give back in some way during the holiday season? How do you encourage those who need encouragement this time of year?

5. Who is your favorite person to shop for? Why?

6. What's the last delicious thing you ate?

7. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is________________.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Last night we had plans to meet my sister and brother-in-law for dinner and afterwards go to one of those drive through Christmas light displays near their home. Originally it was going to be just the four of us, but then Daughter2 decided to join the party and my niece said she'd come too, which we were happy about because it's not often we all have dinner together, but it did mean we'd need two cars.

The drive-through light experience was not cheap. In fact it was the opposite of cheap, but it was one of those things I got in my head I wanted to do, and hubs didn't actually know how much it cost until we were already en route, so yeah. Christmas lights set to music. I needed to see them. 

We had dinner at a favorite little barbecue place, then climbed in the cars to drive about a mile down the road to the park entrance. Hubs and I didn't know where we were going, but my niece assured us it was 'just up the street on the left.' We said we'd follow them, but then were separated at a traffic light. We figured how hard can it be? I mean it's just up the street, right? 

So we carried on down the road and soon came to a ridiculously long line of traffic snaked around some cones. Hubs reluctantly joined the queue, but not without a lot of sighing first. We proceeded to wait and I texted my sister in her car to see how far ahead of us they were. She tells me they didn't get in that line because she didn't realize you could enter the park there. Hmmm... She thought the entrance was further up the road....hmmmm. She said they'd driven on and were now near another long line of traffic. Oh, and she said they could see Christmas lights. Lots of lights. 

We couldn't actually see any lights which should have been a clue, but I thought since they were making us pay maybe they were set up a good ways back from the road at our entrance. I suggested to hubs maybe we should go on down to where my sis was, but he said he wasn't getting out of line now. 

Let's just say he was not feeling the Christmas spirit.  

So we sat and sat some more and every now and then would inch forward. About 20 minutes into the inching forward we pulled up beside a small sign stuck in the grass that said 'Journey to Bethlehem' (Insert arrow here). Are we in the right line???

We inched forward a bit more and saw another sign pointing the way to Bethlehem, so I repeated my concern that we were possibly maybe not in line for a Christmas light show to which hubs replied, 'Whatever we're in line for is what we're gonna see because I'm not getting out of line now.'

Alrighty then.  

Another few feet, another sign, this one saying turn off your headlights as you enter. I can finally make out the outline of a building and realize we really are about to 'journey to Bethlehem'. The local Methodist church's portrayal of it anyway. We were entering a church's living nativity. Sure enough hubs rolled down the window and a woman clad in costume leaned a little too far into our car and said SHALOM! 

I know it's not supposed to be funny, but y'all it was funny. Hubs did not immediately see the humor, but I pointed out this was going to be one of those stories that we'll see as funny someday in the future. We'll say, 'hey remember that time we sat in line for 45 minutes to see a light show and it turned out to be a church's living nativity?' 

And you know what? Sometimes when you think you need to see a Christmas light display set to music, you discover what you really needed was a quiet car ride through Bethlehem. 

We eventually did make it to the light show. We sat in another ridiculously long line because why not? The light show was just okay. We found the humor because we always do, and hubs said everything about it was what Christmas isn't which might be overstating it, but he's right. It pales in comparison to Bethlehem. 

Most things do. 

Stories From The Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! So glad you took a break from the wrapping and the shopping and the decorating to join us here today. If you've answered the questions, add your link at the end of my post. Be sure to spread some holiday cheer by leaving a comment for the blogger who linked before you. Here we go-

1. Many families have a story they love to tell every year around a holiday. Does your family have one? Are you the star of that story, or does another family member take center stage. Share your story if you want.

Well it wouldn't be Christmas without someone mentioning how my mom used to shop early, hide the gift (in case someone broke in), then not be able to remember where she stashed it when it came time for wrapping.  We also love to remember my Dad on Christmas and the way he used a letter opener to unwrap his gifts so he could re-roll the wrapping paper to use again later. Or the year my little sister got a 'Larry the Lion' stuffed animal, the kind where you pulled a string and it talked, and when she saw it exclaimed, 'That's it! That's just what I wanted!' 

Not big stories, but little slices of family life and growing up that make us all smile. 

When it comes to my own girls, we pretty much tell the story every year of when Daughter2 was a tiny tot and convinced my sister to let her have THREE of my mom's homemade chocolate dipped buttercreams in a span of about five minutes (after bedtime, mind you!). In case you can't picture it imagine a two year old chugging fourteen energy drinks in thirty seconds. Yeah. It was kind of like that. Daughter2 spent the night jumping on the bed (literally) between hubs and I while we tried to sleep. When I asked my sister why in the world she let her have three she said, 'Because she asked.' Aunts. Bless 'em.

In my sister's defense, this one was awfully hard to resist.   

2. Are you afraid to speak your own opinion?

Well, yes and no. A lot depends on the audience and the setting. And I guess I'm not so much afraid as I am hesitant. 

3. Pantone has announced the color of the year for 2016, and for the first time have chosen two shades-rose quartz and serenity. Hmmm...did you know serenity was a color? You can read the thought behind their selection here, but essentially it's blending the warmth of rose quartz with the tranquility of a very soft shade of blue. So what do you think? Are these colors I'd find in your home or wardrobe? Will you add something in these shades to either place in the new year?

I don't think I'd add those colors to my wardrobe, unless it was maybe in the form of a scarf or accessory. I tend to prefer deeper tones with my complexion. I use richer tones in my home too, but do like the soft blue in a master bedroom or bath. 

And I like serenity. I'm a fan of serenity. 

4. If you could be in a Christmas carol, which one would you choose? Why?

A tough question, but I'm going with one of my favorites, O Come All Ye Faithful because this-

'Sing choir of angels, sing in exultation, oh sing all ye citizens of heaven above...' 

I'd surely love to hear that choir. 

5. December 9th is National Pastry Day. Will you celebrate? When did you last purchase something from a bakery? What's your favorite treat that falls under the heading of pastry? Do you make it yourself or buy from the professionals?

I don't think I'll be celebrating. I try to stay out of bakeries. The last treat I had from a bakery was a slice of my delicious birthday cake. Hubs always gets me a chocolate cake with raspberry filling, topped with a chocolate ganache. This year he ordered from the baker who made Daughter1's wedding cake and it was heavenly. 

My favorite pastry is apple strudel, preferably baked by the professionals and eaten in Germany or Austria, with snow capped mountains for a backdrop. 

6. When it comes to holiday decorating_____________________________.

I love to see the magazine worthy trees in photographs, but in my home I like to keep it simple and homemade. I prefer ornaments that have history and meaning, decorations that tell a story or remind me of a place I've lived or traveled. 

7. When did you last laugh so much it hurt? Explain.

That's an easy one....it was November 14th. How's that for specific? 

I know the date because hubs and I spent that weekend with three couples we know from college, and sitting around the dinner table Saturday evening we laughed until our sides hurt. One member of this crew is particularly quick witted and he had us all in stitches. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Anybody else busy today? Wow, December kind of snuck up on me this year. Last year too come to think of it. I guess that's how December rolls in the 21st century. 

I'm sharing this beautiful Christmas song in the random today, one I have on repeat this time of year. Happy Wednesday everyone!

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 247

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then skate back here tomorrow and share answers with the universe. 

1.  Many families have a story they love to tell every year around a holiday. Does your family have one? Are you the star of that story, or does another family member take center stage? Share your story if you want.

2. Are you afraid to speak your own opinion?

3. Pantone has announced the color of the year for 2016, and for the first time have chosen two shades-rose quartz and serenity. Hmmm...did you know serenity was a color? You can read the thought behind their selection here, but essentially it's blending the warmth of rose quartz with the tranquility of a very soft shade of blue. So what do you think? Are these colors I'd find in your home or wardrobe? Will you add something in these shades to either place in the new year?

4. If you could be in a Christmas carol, which one would you choose? Why?

5. December 9th is National Pastry Day. Will you celebrate? When did you last purchase something from a bakery? What's your favorite treat that falls under the heading of pastry? Do you make it yourself or buy from the professionals?

6. When it comes to holiday decorating_____________________________.

7. When did you last laugh so much it hurt? Explain.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

December Happenings

I'm always a little surprised to log into my blog and discover it's been a whole week since I wrote anything. Oh I've written plenty in my head...does that count? In my defense I'm distracted by a little homemade gift I'm putting together, one that requires many man hours, and by the time I pack it up so we can eat dinner I don't feel much like blogging.

I prefer to blog first thing in the morning, but we're on some kind of crazy schedule here lately where we're staying up too late, and then sleeping later than I'm used to, so my day starts later and I'm just off. I blame retirement.

So how about an update?

The house: Still not built-ha! But 'stuff' is happening and you can tell it will be an actual fully formed house eventually. I'm going to go ahead and tell you I'm not that interested in cement pouring-waterproofing-backfilling talk, other than to note it's all 'stuff' that's gotta happen before framing can occur. Hubs is all over the above mentioned 'stuff' and I'm glad, because I feel like someone needs to be, and if he weren't retired that someone would have to be me. Yay hubs!

He goes out to the lot several times a week and while he's out I set up my home made Christmas project on the dining/kitchen/everything table and spend those hours crafting. Win-win. Except I should have started this project earlier. ahem.

Christmas Decorating: I'm walking a fine line when it comes to decorating here. We sent all of our Christmas decorations to storage and don't really want to spend money buying a lot of new things, yet we need a little something to make it feel festive. Most of our Christmas decorations hold some sentimental meaning and I'm not really one to go out and buy something for the sake of buying something.

Except I had to buy something, because a bare tree is no good.

We bought an inexpensive tree, which meant it needed a little zhuzzing. I filled in the gaps with ribbon and settled on two boxes of pretty ornaments and a couple strands of red and gold beads. This was my first time trying the ribbon wrap, and I really like the way it turned out.

Hubs put a string of colored lights on our balcony railing and I think we can we all agree colored lights make the world a happier place. Also, the sky here puts on a light show of it's own, so there's that.

Somehow I ended up with my advent wreath here, but the candles didn't make it so I've ordered those online and they should be here this week. I bought a candle arrangement for the table too, because it needed something, and also a cute box to hold our Christmas cards since there's not an obvious place to hang them like I normally do.

The living space in our apartment isn't large, so I have to be careful not to overdo. It would be easy to make this place feel like a shop, but so far I'm exercising restraint, reminding myself we still have to get people in here.

My people: In an unexpected happy twist, the newlyweds get to come 'home' for Christmas. If you knew my son-in-law's work schedule you'd understand what a treat this is, and to say we're all just a little bit excited would be a huge understatement. I haven't seen my Daughter1 since May. MAY! I told hubs that just won't do. I would have made a trip out this fall but it's been such a crazy year, and with our two moves and getting the house underway, I just didn't feel like I could squeeze another trip into the calendar. That won't happen next year. I need face time and I'm not talking about the techie kind, although I'm certainly grateful for that.

Daughter2 is so happy knowing she'll have a whole week to hang out with her sister, to open Christmas Eve pj's sitting side by side like they've done every year since they could walk, to sip cocoa and eat candy canes and clementines and pose for a photo on the steps (yes girls...it might be the steps leading up to the apartment, but we will get that step picture!), and to just be together as a family. A family that's grown in the last year in a most wonderful way.

Advent: I absolutely love Ann Voskamp's Advent reading plan The Greatest Gift, and have followed that for the past two years. If you've never read it I highly recommend. She has a way of speaking right to the heart. This year we thought it might be nice to change it up a little, and Daughter2 suggested we read the Advent workbook put out by She Reads Truth. I find I have to do a little more digging on my own with this one, but I love that my girls and I are all in it together.

Well, separately but then we have a google talk conference thingamajig to discuss. We can see each other's faces and that's almost as good as being in the same room. Almost. Anyway the book is lovely and I like the way they're tying the Old Testament in with the New. The devotionals are online via their website (www.shereadstruth.com) if you're looking for a December reading plan. As a side note I am a huge fan of their phone wallpapers which you can download free on their app.

And as it turns out I have a few more things to say, but I feel like this is getting long so I'll save the rest for another time. Plus, there's still that project that won't complete itself, and now there's dinner to be made. There is always dinner to be made.

I hope your December is merry and bright!

Good Grief It's The Hodgepodge

Welcome to December and another edition of the weekly Wednesday Hodgepodge. So glad you've joined in here today! If you've answered the questions in this week's random add your link at the end of my post. And be sure to spread some Christmas cheer by leaving a comment for the blogger linking before you. Here we go-

1. Did you watch The Charlie Brown Christmas special Monday night? Who's your favorite Peanuts character and why?

"Most psychiatrists agree that sitting in a pumpkin patch is excellent therapy for a troubled mind."~Linus

Would you agree?

We did watch the special. Charles Schultz was such a talented man and his simple message at Christmas is timeless. I love that the gospel of Luke is read aloud in the middle of a Charlie Brown Christmas. My favorite character is Sally with Linus running a close second. 

Would I agree with the wisdom of Linus? Yes. When the mind is troubled or weighed down with worry  seeking out a quiet corner in nature is therapeutic. Sitting somewhere in the great outdoors helps me put life in perspective. 

2. Describe a sound from your childhood. What does this sound bring to mind?

Quite a few things came to mind when I wrote this question, but I'll go with the first thing that popped into my head. The sound of a lawn mower on a Saturday morning. When I wake up and hear a lawn mower on a Saturday morning I'm momentarily carried back to my childhood. 

My dad mowed the grass every Saturday morning. Eventually my brother took over the task, but the sound makes me think of my dad. I can see him still, in his work-outside-trousers and white t-shirt, pushing the mower at a precise angle across the grass. The sky is always blue in this scene, and the air warm, but not too warm. 

Mowing the grass is what everyone did on Saturday mornings way back when. There was a comfortable sameness to the routine of suburbia in 1960-something, and the sound of a mower on a Saturday morning can still wrap me up for a brief minute in that safe place called childhood. 

3. You've won a trip to a winter wonderland...would that excite you? Which one of the following would you most want to experience (or which one would you dislike the least)-see the Aurora Borealis in Norway, stay in Sweden's Ice Hotel, go dogsledding in Lapland Finland, take a winter wildlife safari in Yellowstone or celebrate Winter Carnival in Quebec.

I won a trip-whoohoo! Yes I'd be excited, and if you make me choose I'll say the Aurora Borealis in Norway. The Northern Lights are on my bucket list. Really they all sound like locations I'd enjoy, with the exception of the Ice Hotel. I do know people who've done the Ice Hotel and it gets mixed reviews. I think it might be one of those things you do just to say you did it, but I don't know if I'd actually enjoy that one. The others are all destinations I think would be fun. 

4. Who or what keeps you humble?

Isn't that why we get married? To stay humble? My hubs keeps me in check-ha!

5. What part of preparing for Christmas do you like the most? Explain.

I really enjoy choosing our card every year. I don't mind addressing them either, and I love checking the mailbox during the month of December. I'm glad everyone hasn't gone the email route. There's something special about 'real' mail, and I think Christmas is an occasion that calls for real mail. Are you sending cards this year? 

6. Gingerbread-yay or nay? Is making a gingerbread house part of your family holiday tradition?

It's okay. It's not my favorite holiday flavor, but if you set a plate of gingerbread cookies in front of me I won't turn up my nose. We made faux gingerbread houses when the girls were young. 

Technically they were graham cracker houses, but still fun and messy and everyone overdosed on too much sugar in the creating. Good times! 

c. 2009

We kept it going into their college years, and for the record... 

c. 2009

...my girls never outgrew the seriousness with which they approached construction. 

7. What's one thing you want to start, do, or complete before the calendar rolls into a new year?

I have a homemade Christmas gift I'm putting together and I do hope I don't drop the ball there. I quite often drop the ball when it comes to creative projects. It's not that I don't have good intentions, it's more like my crafty daydreams don't exactly match up with my crafty ability. ahem.  I'll keep you posted. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

My daughter2 shared this recipe with me and it's a keeper. 

One Pan Autumn Chicken Dinner

Simple, healthy, pretty, and delicious. You're welcome.

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 246

Can you believe it's December? It's also time for another round of Hodgepodging, Volume 246 to be exact. Answer the questions on your blog then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with all your friends and neighbors.

1. Did you watch The Charlie Brown Christmas special Monday night? Who's your favorite Peanuts character and why?

"Most psychiatrists agree that sitting in a pumpkin patch is excellent therapy for a troubled mind."~Linus  

Would you agree? 

2. Describe a sound from your childhood. What does this sound bring to mind? 

3. You've won a trip to a winter wonderland...would that excite you? Which one of the following would you most want to experience (or which one would you dislike the least)-see the Aurora Borealis in Norway, stay in Sweden's Ice Hotel, go dogsledding in Lapland Finland, take a winter wildlife safari in Yellowstone or celebrate Winter Carnival in Quebec? 

4. Who or what keeps you humble? 

5. What part of preparing for Christmas do you like the most? Explain. 

6. Gingerbread-yay or nay? Is making a gingerbread house part of your family holiday tradition?

7. What's one thing you want to start, do, or complete before the calendar rolls into a new year? 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.