We've Been...

...sending and receiving Christmas cards

....celebrating 18 years of marriage (on the 18th) xo

....enjoying family time

....saying goodbye to another season of the Nutcracker

....wrapping and more wrapping

....still shopping

....talking about some big family decisions

...thankful for the teeny tiny bit of snow that fell Sunday morning

.....going on a date with Will to see Hugo in 3D!!!

....thinking of the New Year and what it will bring

....keeping in mind what's really important.

Ziggy and Gumdrops and Snowflakes

He's a good dog.

Especially when he's been 

at Doggy Day Care.

I was able to knock out

most of my shopping today.

Finally.

Tomorrow

I wrap.

Last weekend

(I know it's Thursday and I'm just now posting about last weekend)

We made these gumdrop ornaments.

When all the cousins were here

I set up a craft table.

I think everyone

except Hannah

was burnt by the glue gun.

So maybe this craft should be

13 and up.

Styrofoam balls

pins

gumdrops

ribbon

I love the all white one Hannah made.

So, it looks like 

we won't be having a 

white Christmas this year.

I'm seriously bummed out.

We live in New England for crying out loud.

I guess the paper snowflakes 

will have to do.

Weekending with Family

It was a really good weekend.

But also a stressful weekend.

For me.

Stephen, my oldest child

got his license Friday. 

Now, obviously I'm not the only mother

who has experienced this stress.

But, when it's your child.

Your child who takes the keys

(to YOUR car)

and walks out the door

and out of the driveway 

and down the street

ALONE

for the first time..

...just let me say

OH MY GOD.

I cried

and almost ran after him

screaming like a mad woman.

I'm so not ready for this.

The rest of the weekend was fun!

I had my whole family

except for my brother David and his

daughter Cameron...who we missed ...

here for dinner.

My mom buys each of the grandkids Black Dog tee shirts

and we try hard to get them all together for a photo.

Two of the kids didn't want to pose

but Ziggy sure got in sporting his Black Dog bandana.

Really not a great photo

but I didn't spend much time snapping pictures.

One of my favorite things about Christmas..

being together with family

and making memories for our children.

Christmas Pantry and Cookies

Every other year

I've hung real garlands of pine

around my pantry.

I love how it looks for about

ten minutes.

Then it starts drying out and the needles

fall all over the place.

I couldn't fine any fake stuff that I liked this year.

So I ended up with lights and my trusty 'ol

leopard ribbon.

And the clothespins.

That was the other crafty thing I was 

working on the other night.

I bought a bunch of clothespins

and glued Christmas paper on them.

I'm going to hang all my Christmas cards

on the ribbon.

Notice I only have 2 so far.

C'mon!

I love getting Christmas cards!

Where are they??

I should talk..

mine are still in a pile

waiting to be addressed.

Griffy and I made these Giant Chocolate Chip cookies

from a VERY old Bon Appetit magazine.

October 2001..

They're so good

with a cup of tea

and fun to give in pretty packages.

:)

Christmas Crafting

My glue gun and I

were up late last night.

Humming along to

Pandora's Christmas station.

Back at it this morning

along with my little elf

Griffin.

I seem to be running out of 

room at the craft table.

We're making our own version

of a snowglobe.

We've done the ones with 

the distilled water and glycerin

and glueing the tree on the cap.

I thought we'd try

this one.

It's just Epsom salt

bottle brush tree

craft paper on the top

and a ribbon.

It's pouring rain today.

And as much as I love

a rainy day...

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas.

Christmas on the Porch

This weekend I want the kids to 

go in the woods and cut me down 

a little tree for my porch.

Until then..

my basket of greens 

are at the ready.

I'm constantly snipping them

and putting them all over the house.

Even the decoys get bows

and a little greenery.

I strung little white lights

around my porch.

And they'll be staying up year round.

I love how it looks out there now!

Notice the NO SNOW on the ground.

It was 60 today.

Yuck.

Let it snow

Let it snow

Let it snow!!!!

Corners of My Home at Christmas

I think I could decorate every corner of my home

if I had the time.

I like to walk through each of the 

rooms in my home and see 

a bit of Christmas.

I cleared a shelf in the study room

and declared this room to be a 

crafting/wrapping room for the month of December.

I love having all my wrapping supplies

not just ready to go

but looking pretty in glass jars.

I had to include this one

with Griffy and Ziggy

in the kitchen coloring.

Wrapping paper

ready to go to work.

Now I just need 

presents to wrap.

Seriously,

when am I going to start shopping?

And as I was posting this blog

thinking Griffy is coloring nicely

on his paper

he was coloring his face.

Happy Christmasing!

Our Advent Tree

December 1st means our Advent Tree!

Last year we started this new tradition.

The kids love it.

This year I bought these bags for the little gifts.

So fun!

Griffy opened first today.

No picture..but he got a moo-ing cow.

Dollar bin at Target.

Happy December!

And love that so many of you listen to 

George Winston's December.

It's my all time favorite.

:)

Right Now..

I'm loving my white tree in the dining room

trimmed with jewel tones!

 We're happy that Buddy the elf is back!

I'm proud!

Stephen received the  Outstanding Sportsmanship award 

at his rowing banquet.

It's warm.

Too warm.

I want snow!

We're knee deep in Nutcracker performances.

We've got 16 of them this year!

...I'm wearing out the Christmas Radio station on Pandora.

And my George Winston December CD..

...I'm happy!

Happy it's December!

Happy to be

decorating

planning

shopping

wrapping

cooking

baking

crafting

for all things Christmas!!

A Thankful Weekend of...

Cooking

Baking

Entertaining

Decorating

Dancing

Dog Walking

Raking

Cleaning

Sleeping

Volunteering

Mothering

Cheers!

May you be

happy

healthy

safe

and warm

:)

A Winner..and We've been

Ok

I have no idea how to do the random generator thing

so I picked a name and

Five Little Moberly's won! 

:)

Can you email me with your address

and I'll (finally) get the book off to you!

I hope you like it!

I'm trying so many new recipes from it!

Life has been crazy lately.

Like really busy crazy.

Steve just got home Saturday night 

after being gone for two weeks.

Vietnam, India and Dubai.

We are so happy he's home.

And looking forward to some 

much needed family time.

I've been busy preparing for Thanksgiving.

I love all the preparations.

My dining room is

once again

upside down.

Last year

we were painting the walls.

This year 

I'm painting the chairs. 

I started with the chartreuse..

wasn't crazy about it. 

So,

I brought

my sweater

(in Burnished Olive)

to my local paint store and had them

match it.

Love it.

It looks so good with the red walls

and all my teal accents!

We're also busy with Nutcracker.

Hannah is a soldier this year

and double casted.

Which means 16 performances.

Wow.

Even though our lives are 

so full and busy right now,

I'm trying to stop and relax

and enjoy these days in my life.

I often think about the years to come,

when I don't have a house full of children

to care for.

I know I'll long for these days.

Even the crazy busy ones.

I have much to be thankful for.

Making Me Smile Today...

....Our Thankful leaves.

....DOGGY DAY CARE 

.....The smell of Murphy's oil soap

....painting my dining room chairs chartreuse!

.....my starbucks peppermint mocha latte.

.....the holidays are here!

....my rosemary plant

....watching an episode of Mad Men while Griffy naps

.....magazines filled with ideas

....the playground with Griffy 

....doing all my Christmas shopping online

.....Steve is almost home.

Plimouth Plantation and I'm Giving

The kids had no school on Monday.

I thought it was a great day to go to 

Plimoth Plantation

It's literally 15 minutes from my house.

And it's the first time I've taken the kids.

Will has gone on a field trip with school

but the other kids hadn't been.

We had such a great day!

Learning how to make a boat in the Wampanoag village

The Indians and Pilgrims are all in full character.

She was making a belt.

I said to her.."wow, that's a big belt"

she just kind of stared at me.

Visiting the huts.

When we got to the Pilgrim's village

I said to the kids..."oh I could totally live here!"

Seriously, look at that view.

Can't you just see the Mayflower sailing in?

Bad picture

but I had to show her open shelving.

Love that.

wonder what her view from her kitchen sink is.

Stephen loves history.

And was pretty much quizzing me on the way home.

We ate lunch there

and of course visited the gift shops.

I bought this cookbook.

I love it! 

So many great photos and stories and recipes.

It was on sale

so I got two.

Want one?

Leave a comment telling me

if you make your own pie crust or cheat and buy the frozen kind.

:)

Weekending

My mom and sister

and her 3 kids came to visit this weekend.

We have so much fun when we're all together.

We celebrated little Richie's 7th birthday

with a candy cake!

I made salmon for dinner with 

this yummy couscous salad.

Sunday morning we all piled in to two cars

and went to Michael's. 

Who takes 6 kids into Michael's?

My 50% off Martha Stewart coupon

was just burning a whole in my pocket.

I bought the star punch to make luminaries.

I am so psyched!

(sad, I know)

Then we all went out to lunch

and my mom bought me an early birthday present.

Woohoo!

Thanks Mom!

My feet are happy!

And 

thanks for coming to visit!

The house is just too quiet.

:)