Whatever: Where your heart lies...so is your treasure

Holy Macaroni (favorite phrase from one of my funnier friends)!

2012 is almost over!

How in the world did it go by so quickly?

Guess I need to order some of these beauties...

Seems like just a few weeks ago, I was planning my year.

Now, I am faced with a brand new blank year, with lots of possibilities.

Amazing how fast time flies, especially once you have kids (or more than one). I feel like I am on fast forward through my life anymore.

I have lots of plans for my 42nd year on this planet.

Some are long term and some are more easily one and done. Most are not life changing, but hopefully will be building blocks to a better and continually improving life.

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.

Dirt: The group photo

In case you haven't noticed...

It is still November.

It is still the month in which we Americans give thanks for what we have received and for what we have in our lives. We had a lovely Thanksgiving, full of laughter and fancy dishes.

Grandmother's 20th anniversary china and mother's crystal

I am savoring the 300 plus photos I took over the Thanksgiving weekend.

I want it to last. At least longer than the turkey dinner did.

The hours and days I spent cleaning, shopping and cooking that culminated in just about 15 minutes of a meal on the actual day.  Sigh.

We had a minor speed bump in our plan to have dinner at 1pm. The original turkeys got too warm when defrosting, so we threw them out and started over.

Everyone was notified that it would be moved back 2-4 hours and it worked out great. We had snacks and lots of visiting and laughter to carry us through.  I was really happy to have most of both sides of our family together and everyone seemed to hit it off.

I am thankful for those calves

Bro-in-law and his mom

Middle sister and my mother-in-law

We had a speech given by a very eloquent speaker, who encouraged us to count our blessings before we sat down to a wonderful meal.

Amazing child

While we were waiting for the turkey to smoke, I went out on a limb and gathered everyone for a group photo. Something I wish we had been doing every year since Steve and I have been together. I had someone ask me for photos recently and I was sad to find out that even though I take the most in my family, I don't really have any good "groups". Steve and I have joined that adult group called "Adults without grandparents". The lack of photos from the holidays we celebrated with them is such a travesty as we were both extremely close to our grandparents.
So, while I can't get that back, I can create new photos for my children and my siblings children.
 

One thing to know about my family, we have a lot of women in it. 

A lot of smart and head strong women.

 So there were a lot of directions given to get everyone where they needed to be for the photo.

Negotiations began

No problem with self awarness

So, as of this year, as the official photographer of the family, I have decreed. We are taking the "damn" photo every time we get together. Mine are not as in focus as I wish they were, but they at least capture the "us" of 2012.

Including the dogs. 

Poor baby

Dirt: The priviledge is mine

I have been in a panic for a week.

Trying to figure it all out.

How will we I get it all done. How can I get my house clean, fun planned, food prepped and ready and still work, feed my family and chauffeur my kids around.

The cooking and the cleaning. The planning and the prepping.

Normally, I am a planning fool, ready the hit the road, plans in hand, cooking started on Sunday. Normally, I relish a party or gathering, especially if it involves my family, ALL of my family.

This year, I am paralyzed. How will I get it done? Why am I doing it, to start with?

So I have been complaining to all and any who will listen.

Thankfully, it was a good friend, my mother in law and my sister  to whom I complained about my horrible lot. The friend reminded me graciously, that I am just like everyone else. (Thanks,Cindy!) Everyone else who is lucky enough to have family that speaks to them or is close enough to come to visit. Silently reminding me that I am lucky to have a wonderful family. WHAM!

Then, my awesome mother-in-law, whom I don't thank enough for what she does to keep me sane, offered to make not one but THREE dishes. She is an amazing cook and I am thrilled and humbled  to have her help me feed the crowd. BOOM!

Last, my younger sister put things in perspective for me. She reminded me that no one cares if I have dust and bathrooms that may or may not also be drinking fountains for dogs. She reminded me that we  will all start laughing and having fun. She also reminded me that it is okay that I don't know how to process the feelings I have about my mother's death. That it's normal that I am sad and can't get out of my own sad way.  SMOOTH! 

I am truly a stubborn woman. I ask  God weekly for help in handling the funk that I can't seem to escape, never actually putting a name to that funk.  And, as I told my kids on the way to school this morning, God speaks in a whisper. A soft whisper of a  patient  friend, a helpful and generous mother-in-law, and a confirming sister. 

I will be utterly exhausted come Sunday night, but I will have had my soul fed and my family around me, which is really all I long for anyway. The panic will have subsided and I will be back to normal.

Thank you, God for whispering to me.

Whatever: A Christmas list of things I love

I love Christmas.

No really, I do.

I know everyone who has read my Facebook status or come in contact with me the last few days might think otherwise. What I don't like is putting  Christmas lights on the tree and the insane "YOU MUST BUY" attitude that is perpetuated starting in September.

I love Christmas. 

The whole shebang.

The cookies and Christmas Mass. 

The tree and the shows. 

The songs and the planning. 

The food and the fellowship.

I love trying to find just the right gift for everyone I love. 

I think about it all year and listen to what they  talk about and are interested in. Sometimes I want to buy things that I cannot afford, of course. But I truly feel it is not about buying something, it is about finding the right way to say " I love you, I was thinking about you, and I want you to remember that when you see this gift."

I fall short a fair amount. I have bought gifts for my husband, specifically, that I missed the boat on. He is a true challenge. A two-parter. He doesn't ever really want a gift AND if he wants something, he buys it for himself most of the time. 

Impatient.

I on the other hand, will wait YEARS for something. 

I long for it so long that if/when I actually receive it, it's almost a religious experience. I am fairly easy to buy for as I rarely deviate from what I like

Here is a list of gifts that would be highly appropriate this year. 

Either I have received them, have given them, will give them or just really like them.

Happy Holidays!

GoodHew Socks.

My husband got me hooked on them. They are a local (for me) company and literally  the best socks you can buy. I wore them when I ran Ragnar and no stinky feet!

 Smith's Rosebud Salve
100 years  of keeping people chap free.
This time of year, skin and lips get so dry.
Stick one in a stocking and hook 'em forever!

 Art
I love getting and giving something artistic. Here is my newest favorite shop. Not only do they sell local artists works, they also create artistic and unique weddings and events. Love!

Lucchese 1883  Mad Dog Goat Boots

I went to Texas and tried these on. 

They are my favorite shoes and I have worn them everywhere including New York City.

Best boots EVER!

Infinity and beyond
this is the softest and thickest tee scarve I have seen.

cozy and soft

Orla Kiely 
Coveted and graphic, this bag is the workhorse of all bags.