Whatever: My Favorite Christmas Day Photos

First full week of work of the new year checked off! First week of working out 5 days, checked as well. I was going to hike my first hike of the new year today, but it is 24 degrees outdoors with a very stiff breeze. So, instead I am going to clean my house, sort through pictures and work on taxes. Lucky me. I am sorting through the roughly 1,000 pictures I took during  December and want to share my favorites from Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.

Trying out my tripod

My favorite thing is that he wore this red shirt to church. With a green sweater. 

Dirt: Weird

Hope your weekend was lovely. Mine was rushed, but very good. I cleaned my house, drove to Murfreesboro to see my sisters and then had  Steve's college roommate here for 24 hours.

Seeing my sisters is always great. However, this time was so rushed, I really felt discombobulated after.. My sister had her house decorated for the holidays already. Literally, Santa was waiting when I walked into the door.   I am a firm believer that our country is going to hell in a hand basket and skipping Thanksgiving is the finest example of this. But whatever floats  your boat.

1975 or 1976 Christmas

Dirt: Take time to remember the holiday

 My Catholic magazine today had an article about savoring the holiday that just past.

You know...2013?

I usually feel so robbed by the end of the holiday season because I have these unrealistic goals for them. Silly? Yes.This year was different and so was the joy I felt.
My house was really pretty with decorations that I have collected over the years.
Our friends invited us to a lovely party.
Mass was really lovely.

Whatever: Merry, merry Christmas

Oh Christmas, you are so wonderful.

The breakneck speed which we hurdle ourselves toward you.

The anxiety of watching and waiting for the presents and the food. The moment when we gather under the tree, bed head and bad breath, coffee in hand to watch as our loved ones open their much anticipated gifts. 

The songs that drive us nuts for a month, but on Christmas Day make us teary eyed and sentimental.  Church with strangers and friends who greet each other with all the joy that is Jesus.

The food, the wine, the fun. All rolled into one big ball of wonderfulness.

Whatever: My Christmas List

I have  been remiss with the list. 

But, have no fear, it is coming back in January as part of my 2014 plan.

I love reading everyone's blog this time of year and seeing what fun things they do for the holidays. 

I love a fun, wacky, loud holiday season. 

We don't get much of that here, I am afraid. My husband is an only child (sort of...two much, much younger half siblings that live in Florida and a step-sister who is out of the picture) and while his mom is very fun, she's not loud. My family is spread across three states. Three sisters and a step brother, we are all raising kids and extremely busy. So, our holidays are quiet.

Whatever: The theme is tacky...and little dogs.

Happy Festivus. 

I think only Gen X'ers get that reference. 

I dropped another Gen X reference in a group recently to blank looks.

Lovely.

Meanwhile, at Casa Swann, we relish Festivus.

And Christmas. 

Every year, I have a theme. Wrapping paper theme,  that is. In the past we have had "stripes and dots", "words", "blue and pink" (that year we had pink poodle Christmas paper. Yes, it exists.)
 This year it is dogs. "Little dogs" to be exact. I am personally a big, big fan of little dogs.
 The sillier the better.

 From my Sadie to Ellie's Maybelle, they are beloved little bad asses that keep our cats and couches in line.

So, this year, our wrapping paper reflects that love. 

I also love that Christmas is time to revel in your inner tackiness. I used to belong to that school of thought of white lights and themed ornaments. Then I got real. Three different kinds of lights including shotgun shell lights grace my tree. My ornaments date back to early college and my first solo apartment. And they are ones that the girls have picked out over the years, including Karate Santa and lots and lots of reindeer.
 And Elmo.

I love putting them all up and remembering why and when we got that particular one. 

Sentimental and wacky all rolled into one giant and slightly lopsided tree. 

Perfection.

Cooking: I got a new book (or two)

I am obsessed with cooking right now.

We had our usual, calorie laden deliciousness over the holidays. 

I made cookies, Delaney made cookies, I made cake, Delaney made fudge.

We cooked lots of hearty dishes as well. Chicken chili, tortilla soup, Delaney made from scratch chicken noodle soup, etc.

 We ate a lot at home and out as well.

Basically, we ate the holidays.

We had a really wonderful Christmas,which went on for days, just like I like it. The theme of it was family and moderation, which is how Steve likes it. I haven't seen him this happy at Christmas in years. Our gifts were very heart felt and perfect. 

I asked for the Dinner, A Love Story book/cookbook and received it AND this one as well. I was so giddy when I opened them. It was like getting diamonds AND sapphires.

I have mentioned before I love cookbooks and I have over 70 of them. Some I cook out of regularly, some I read for ideas, some are heirlooms and others I just have because they represent an era in my life that I don't want to forget. 

Ah, yes...parking lot burritos courtesy of this book.

My two newest I have read cover to cover, like a greedy addict (which I am). 

I have been a reader of the blog Dinner, A Love Story since my friend Meg, told me about it. I think her husband, John is the one that found it. I believe (but don't quote me on it) that Jenny Rosenstratch and her blog helped fuel  what was already her weekly menu planning. I have been planning a menu for a few years as part of my family's goal of not being wasteful and my plan to lose weight a few years ago . I lost 25 pounds that I gained training for a marathon and have kept it off except for my yearly holiday 5. Writing down what we were going to eat made it easier to stay on task at the grocery store and in my mouth.

I have saved years of planners with our dinners in them, sometime remembering to put where the recipe was located, mostly not. Reading Jenny's book has inspired me to take better notes when I plan my meals.  I have done that in my cookbooks, noting things such as "great for a taking a meal to someone who had a baby" and "Ellie actually ate this" and " Substituted...".  But unless I open said cookbook, I have a hard time remembering those recipes were important or good. 

So,  notes are being added to my planner. Thanks, Jenny!

As I read her cookbook, I felt like I was talking to a friend. One with whom I have a lot in common. She has two girls very close in age. I have two girls very close in age. She had a daughter who is a

 " demanding eater", Ellie was an easy baby, but would eat nothing green, spicy, or at dinner. 

We both care about food and believe eating good and real food is important. We both move the "healthy" food to the front when guests come over.Needless to say, I loved her book and now could be a stalker of her family, if they lived anywhere near me in the south. "We NEED to be real world friends..." Joking, Jenny, just joking.

Does this look like the face of a picky eater?

If you have not read her blog, do it. She and her husband write it together and I have to say their writing styles are so similar, I often wonder if she is writing as him. They are smart, funny and really into food and books, with which I can personally identify. (The books and food...well, I hope I am smart and funny, too.)

The cookbook is an extension of the blog. Reading it felt like a conversation. The recipes are easy to follow and don't require much outside of what most experienced cooks would have in their kitchen. 

My family is going to love the book, as a lot of meat recipes are contained within, meaning I might actually cook more than my fall back chicken. In fact, tonight we are having pork ragu. 

WHAT? 

In Season is a lovely cookbook as well, but with recipes for things such as emu eggs and eel, neither of which are available in Chattanooga, even at The Wholefoods, makes it more of a read for inspiration cookbook. Summer will be the season I cook from the most. 

Here is the link for the meal we are eating for dinner. The crew is camping in the yard, so we will be eating it outside in 40 degree weather. I will be eating defrosted Tortilla soup. There will be s'mores. 

Come on over!

Merry Christmas!

I hope all was calm and bright in your necks of the woods.

Ours was lovely and truly wonderful.

I get so sentimental about the holidays and enjoy every single second of them once they are here.

We did it up right this year with the girls doing a fair amount of wrapping (they are Daddy's little wrappers) and after one lesson, they both are on their way to being master wrappers.

Christmas Lists

I went to the mall area not once, but twice yesterday.

All my lazy holiday spirit lead to the first trip.

There were last minute "Santa" items that needed purchasing.

The second trip was to take my beloved baby girls shopping.

They were not impressed by the crowds any more than I was.

Actually, I was impressed they were not as bad as I thought they might be.

We had first tier parking, for Pete's sake!

And didn't wait very long in any of the lines we stood in to pay for last minute items. 

We NEEDED to purchase a pair of saved for shoes for my oldest daughter

(baby sitting has it's perks!) and looked for some dresses for my younger "hipster". 

I have to admit it was really fun and once we left, I got out of Dodge with only minimal waiting at one traffic light.

Sweet.

Whatever: Traditions and a cheap mom

*As a "glass half full" person, I am ready for some good news.*

My kids are almost ready for Christmas and the talk of that has taken over the tragedy that is all over the news has quieted down some.
 We are  gathering up our Christmas traditions and celebrating them as much as possible.

I started a tradition a few years ago with my girls that we celebrate the countdown to Christmas with a little gift starting 12 days before. They love it, knowing they get the yearly Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve and random little things up until then.

Cooking: Oh, slow cooker, oh slow cooker...you are my best friend!

The holidays are here! 

 

I am in the spirit in every way except buying gifts. 

I have bought a few, but nothing grand or exciting.

I miss having little kids for that very reason.

I am really excited, though, by how much fun I am having with my kids.

This morning for instance, we went and bought presents (Hershey Kisses and nail polish) for one daughter's friends after her plan to make them all cookies fell apart last night when we realized we needed about 100 cookies. We sat in the parking lot of Walgreens stuffing bags, tying them up and listening to and singing Christmas carols. I noticed the moment for once and it was really awesome.

This week, we are finishing up school for the year. Then the real fun begins. 

Marathon movies (did this Sunday and it was glorious), hot chocolate, starting finishing shopping, wrapping presents, making cookies and just having fun is the name of the game.

 Swim practice is our only obligation. Meals will be easy and hopefully in the crock pot

 The holidays are here.

Casa Swann Week Before Christmas Menu

• Tomato soup, frittata with mushroom, zucchini and red peppers, bacon,corn bread
• Crockpot bbq chicken sandwiches, oven roasted eggplant and zucchini,  sauteed kale, baked sweet potato for Momma
• Chicken Tortilla soup, Veggie tortilla soup
• Baked Chicken, sauteed kale, sweet potato biscuits
• Chili

Whatever: Decorations are done, man!

I went and got my hair done on Wednesday. 

FAVORITE thing in the world to me. 

Love it like most people like getting their nails done.

I digress. While I sat in the chair, I chatted up my most fabulous hairdresser and her co-worker about the lack of insanity this Christmas. They work on the busy road that leads to the mall and both remarked on how very light the traffic is this year.

Christmas seems to be slowly, slowly trickling in, rather than punching it's way into town.

I personally love that. As someone who is finally into the Christmas spirit, and who is really enjoying the slow pace of it all, I am relived that apparently everyone else is as well. I feel that the spirit of Christmas is peace, love and fellowship.

That being said, my house is decorated for real  now. 

We have lots of things that didn't make it out into the house, but we have just enough of things that did. My girls get an ornament every year and those all made their yearly appearance. 

I love looking at them every year and for them to see how they have changed by how their tastes have evolved. (Two years ago, my oldest picked this ornament.) 

I also had several  from college that have managed to linger over the years. I lived in a house that had a mantle when I was 22 and bought ornaments to decorate it. This is the only one from that lot that survived. Prophetic, I believe. 

My husband is huge Florida Gators fan. With the exception of one year, I have bought him a gator ornament every year that we have been together. That means after this Christmas, we will have 16 of these suckers on the tree.

My two playgroups that I belonged to merged into a dinner group that met for almost 10 years. We started having ornament exchanges about 3 years into it.

 I also have participated in one with moms from my daughter's kindergarten class since she was in kindergarten. She now is in 8th grade and I am lucky enough to be meeting them next week. There also are a fair amount of the cute ornaments that Delaney and Ellie have made over the years in school, beginning when my oldest two and in a mother's day out program.

We have two trees now to hold all the ornaments. My lovely vintage white tree holds  our glass ornaments. I love the tackiness of Christmas and the traditions that go along with the holidays. 

My sweet Aunt made jars of my grandmother's ornaments for my sisters and me after my grandparents passed away. Now, I get to have a little their home with me at Christmas. 

I love this part of the holidays. The traditions and the fun of reliving the past and planning for the future, whatever it may bring.

I  hope that is what folks are doing right now as they are slowly getting ready for Christmas.

Cooking: Holiday kickoff

I had an awesome weekend.

I hope you did as well.

My children in the midst of final exams and end of year projects.

 I worked a fair amount last week and we had various home projects going on, including getting the dry wall fixed in our bedroom (mess!).

We actually had no firm plans this weekend other than we had tickets to a local highschool's Christmas program on Saturday night.

On a whim, Steve and I went to a movie Friday night. 

Saw the new Bond movie (as the only girl in my house that had not seen hottie Daniel Craig running around in a well fitting suit, I was felling left out.)

We even got popcorn AND split a Diet Coke. Wild.

Sigh...

Saturday, Steve went biking and I worked out, while the girls did their chores. Cleaning rooms that stay clean for about 13 minutes is a Sisyphus task for them. Not sure how they get so trashed. But, after Steve got home and we all showered, we drive to a neighboring "town" and went to a cut your own Christmas tree farm. I wasn't sure what to expect. 

What we got was a memory that will last a very long time and a new Swann family tradition.

 I put a shout out on the Facebooks looking for a farm and my friend Maria came through, for sure.

 

The sweet couple at the Reese Family Christmas Tree Farm were so nice and the guy who helped us with our tree and took our Christmas card photo was truly a gem.

 

 They didn't bat an eye when Steve chased the girls around the farm with a stick.

 Or when we pretended we were giants. Or when we made Ellie "work"

. Or when we tried to take their dog. (Joke, but I really have a soft spot for Jack Russells). We tromped around on that farm for a good hour touching every tree and running around, laughing like lunatics.

 

After we had our fill of the tree farm, we came home and relaxed.

The girls and I went to hear the McCallie/GPS Candlelight Christmas concert. The music was absolutely top notch and put the three of us in the holiday spirit.

Sunday we did the church thing, shopped for secret Santa, did some homework and worked on decorating the tree. We are taking our time with the decorations and it is truly a great way to do it. 

The girls made my aunts recipe for Molasses Crisp cookies Steve and I went to dinner and went to hear the Carolina Chocolate Drops as the final icing on a lovely weekend.

If you have not seen or for that matter heard the Carolina Chocolate Drops,  you must do so as soon as possible. One of the best folk bands around (just nominated for their second Grammy).

Casa Swann We gotta Eat Menu 

• Chicken soup, Creamy Kale Soup
• Taco Pasta (courtesy  of my daughter's Pinterest Board)
• Cuban Chicken, black beans and rice
• Spaghetti Squash Casserole

All in all, a great weekend and a truly great way to ease into the holidays.