Elf Yourself and On a Shelf

This is too much fun. Each year they get better. Try the disco one.

Do you have Elf on a Shelf? We got one last year and the kids (even the older ones) love to try and find where Buddy hid the night before. And yes, that's my sister and I sitting on Santa's lap...I'm in the plaid dress making the weird face.

Long Weekending

Cooking

Baking

Cleaning

House Guests

4 Nutcracker Performances

Overeating

Decorating

Advent

Bloody noses in church

Buddy the Elf returned

Raking

Napping

Broken cars and washing machines

Learned what an elephant-bird-owl says

Food shopping

Laundry

Christmas music

Stuffed freezer with homemade turkey stock

Leftovers

Time with cousins

Counting down 'til Christmas

I told You I wasn't Stressed

I have so much to be thankful for...starting with my husband. He was up until midnight putting the second coat of paint on. I'm in total love with the color.. it's called Red Red Wine ..fitting if you know us.

We had a great day. Steve's parents came and his sister and her family. I started cooking at 6:00 this morning and never left my kitchen except to sit down to eat...I love it all. Cooking, baking, entertaining, decorating the table.

Hannah made the placecards and helped set the table.

I can't wait to cook, bake, entertain and decorate for Christmas!

I'm Not Stressed

Thanksgiving is in 48 hours.

Would you be stressed if this is what your dining room looked like 2 days before Thanksgiving?

Today

I needed to get out of my head and my house. My head is distracted..my house is upside down.

This is the best place to do that.

I'm so grateful that I can call this place home.

Family Traditions

One of my favorite things about the retreat I attended was talking about family traditions. I loved hearing how other families celebrate holidays, birthdays, special occasions. I came home with a few new ones I intend on implementing in my own family. Many people have a Thankful Tree in the month of November and I love that idea. I had every intention of coming home and making a tree and cute little leaves...and then 4 busy kids kept me from that. So my friend Suzanne who I met at the retreat just recently surprised me by sending a bunch of leaves. Thanks Sue!! Maybe next year I'll get to making the tree but for now we write what we're thankful for and tape them around the pantry so everyone can see them. I think on Thanksgiving we'll read them all. I love what they have written so far...Will wrote that he's thankful for family, God and the trees. Hannah wrote one about being thankful for puppies even though we don't have one. Stephen was thankful for the Himalayans and their invention of the neti pot..he's addicted to that thing. Don't ask. Anyway, it's such a great tradition to get kids to think about being grateful in their lives.

We have a tradition that we started in our family a few years ago on New Years Eve. Steve and I never go out that night. We love being home with the kids and I'm paranoid of driving around. I love being home with a fire, our traditional Chinese food and ice cream sundaes and some champagne. So that evening everyone writes down on a piece of paper something they'd like to forget about during the past year. We fold it up, don't show anyone and  throw it in the fire. It's a great way to start a New Year.

I'd love to hear some of the traditions that others have!!

http://lovetogive.ebaysocialapps.com/

Found this over at Designmom it's hysterical. I want to give a gift that causes that!!

Weekending

Another full weekend of

raking
ballet
ballet
raking
painting the dining room
hopefully before Thanksgiving!
pizza/movie night Friday
date night with friends Saturday
still weaning
computer virus
laundry
grocery shopping
family dinner Sunday
football
Harry Potter
report cards
menu planning for the week ahead
Halloween up to the attic
Christmas coming down :)
6 weeks and it's over :(
chatting with a friend about baby cravings.
brownie sundaes
haircuts
re-used the welcome home daddy sign

The Red Velvet Couch

My home is filled with many things that have been passed down to Steve and I. From the furniture we sit on, to the dishes we eat off of.. I love them all. My wedding ring was my Grandmothers and my engagement ring belonged in Steve's family.  After my Grandmother passed away about 10 years ago I was blessed to acquire some of her things. My dad gave me 3 of her oriental rugs, a chair that I re-upholstered in my favorite leopard fabric, a couple of setee's(including the red velvet one), a couple of needlepoint footstools..and boxes and boxes of dishes and glassware. It has taken me a few months to go through all the boxes..but I finished. Oh how I love etched glass... And I'll never pass up a tea cup especially a Limoge set!! I'd much rather drink my morning cup of coffee or my afternoon tea in a pretty tea cup that once belonged to my grandmother.

Ok..does anyone know what these are??  I'm completely dumbfounded. Are they for taper candles? I have no clue and it's bugging me.

I love that a few people have asked about the red velvet settee.  I remember it being in my Grandmothers house when I was little. At Christmas she would put our gifts on it. Steve gave me my first pair of diamond earrings on that couch.  The velvet is so soft and worn and has some stains on it but I can't really bring myself to have it re-upholstered. I usually just hide the stains with a throw or some pillows... I kind of like it the way it is. Maybe someday after I find its permanant home I'll do it. What would you cover it in or would you just leave it?

In Your Dreams

Aren't dreams weird? I think I'd like to have some of my dreams analyzed sometime. I'm really not into horoscopes and all that but I think your dreams mean something. I've had reaccuring dreams..like the one where my teeth are falling out into my hands. It's awful. Someone told me once that it could mean miscarriage. And looking back at when I had at least one of those dreams, I believe it to be true.

And why do you dream about certain people/things? Is it because you are thinking of them during the day or are you thinking of them because of your dream? It's like what came first the chicken or the egg.

Sometimes I'll have a dream and wake up and be able to go right back to sleep to the same dream.  I've never had the naked in front of the classroom dream. Or the flying dream. I've had a dream where I'm drowning and someone is saving me. The other night I dreamt I had my tubes tied. Ok where did THAT come from?  And here's a REALLY weird dream for ya. It was about Manny Ramirez..the old Red Sox left fielder. He was traded a few years ago and I was so upset. I loved Manny. His attitude and all. I felt so bad for Big Papi after he left. Anyway..my dream. So, after Will finished nursing (many years ago..) he used to put his hand down my shirt..kind of like to see if they were still there you know? Well, I had a dream that Manny did that. Can you even believe I'm saying this? I can't. It was creepy. I can't even look at Manny anymore.

I wish I had time in the morning to jot down in a little notebook what I dreamt about. I've said before how bad my memory is..Hannah had to remind me of the Manny dream the other day. Thanks Hannah.

I had a dream the other night about some of my old friends in NH. We were at my 40th bday party that they threw me at my old house. It was such a fun night. The dream was almost exactly how the night was. Maybe I just wanted to re-live it. Maybe I need to go up there and hang out with them cuz I miss them.

Or maybe I just think I'm a rock star.

Weekending

This weekend we

took Christmas card photos
we might need to do them again
watched Toy Story 3
a few times
ordered pizza
threw out the last of the candy
ballet and more ballet
did laundry
bought a neti pot
grilled maybe for the last time
downloaded music
watched A Fish Called Wanda
K K K Ken
made a welcome home sign for Dad
he's been gone since Tuesday
he now wants to move to San Diego
No.
weaning Griffy
not going well
played football and manhunt outside
Family dinner with in-laws
home made apple pie
watched Dan In Real Life
LOVE LOVE LOVE that movie!!

It is supposed to snow tomorrow!!

Our First Apartment and an Unhappy Bride

Recently Steve and I took the kids into Boston while Hannah was in Cambridge dancing. We walked around and showed them our first apartment in Beacon Hill. #98 Myrtle Street.

We loved living here. We talk about when we're OLD we want to retire here. We'll go to the Symphony and walk along the Charles and go out to dinner all the time. We'll take the grandkids to the museums. Read the paper all day on Sundays and talk about how much we miss the kids. Anyway, it was the greatest little apartment.

We got engaged here. It used to be the Ritz Carlton now it's the Taj Boston. Why? Anyway, I'll save our engagement story for another post. It's a good one.

We walked down Newbury Street. Great people watching.

There were wedding photos being taken on the Common.

She wasn't a very  happy looking bride.

I love how no one abides by the "Please stay off the Grass" signs.

See? She doesn't look very happy. I hope she is now.

A Moment

I love this. Even though the photography is not the best. Even though my bedroom is still unfinished. Even though I still need to drop 10 pounds. I still love it. It's just about the moment and I wanted to remember it. Griffy just got out of the tub and Stephen loves it when he just gets out of the tub. He always comes out of his room from doing his homework to see him. It's the cutest thing. Two brothers..14 years apart. I hope they're always close.

No Playgroup for Griffy

Griffin wasn't sleeping (again) so we went for a walk down the street. We live on a small street, only a few houses with a cul-de-sac and little pond at the end of it. Perfect for little legs.

So I met a woman in town with a baby Griffy's age. She asked if I wanted to join their playgroup. I really don't think I do. Is that terrible? I just feel like I've been there, done that. When I was in my early 30's with 3 little kids I was all about the playgroup. We had just moved to NH, Will was a baby and I knew noone. My friend Erin had kids my age and brought me into her playgroup. I met so many great women through it...most of whom are still my close friends.

Maybe it's just that I don't want to feel like I have to be somewhere. Maybe I feel like I run run run all afternoon with the other kids and I just want my days to be quiet. Maybe I just like being home alone with the baby and my fun bloggy friends..is that sad?? 

I don't think so.