Christmas Eve

A year of anticipation and now the blessed night is upon us. Merry Christmas everyone! May you feel the love of the Savior on this, the celebration of the most momentous night in the history of mankind.

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I'm back..... barely.

We've been wanting to take the kids on the Polar Express train for years. Despite having a rather unusual year, we were fortunate enough to have saved ahead, purchased tickets in October, and made super cheap hotel reservations. We left for the mountains last week and could not wait to see the kid's reactions.

They freaked out over the snow. They spent the entire first day making snowmen, throwing snowballs, eating icicles and laughing about being able to see their breath. I owe a big thanks to my sisters-in-law, who loaned us warm clothes for the kids.

While J took the kids to explore and play in the snow, baby L and I napped. I had a terrible cold {that I'm still not quite over} and spent a lot of time sleeping, drinking soup, and eating hot roasted chicken & fresh oranges, then sleeping some more. It was actually really relaxing.

We don't have many pictures of the actual night on the Polar Express-- we mostly took video-- but it was great fun. We arrived in time to see the train pull into the station, and waited in the cold to board our car. When the lady behind us found out she was waiting in the wrong line, she took off muttering profanities and I found myself yelling after her, "Watch your mouth! There are children present!" Funny, I always think of myself as such a demure, ladylike woman. Until I find myself shaking my fist at a stupid driver or yelling at someone for swearing. Yeah, real demure. :)

The kids wore Christmas pajamas, drank hot cocoa, and received a bell from Santa. Baby L hopped from seat to seat and yelled 'choo choo!' all evening.

E was rather stubborn. He wanted to experience the evening in his own way, and became absolutely furious if we tried to talk to him at all. So we tried to ignore him and have fun. The next morning, you'd never know he'd acted like such a sourpuss. He couldn't stop talking about the train, and looked for it every time he heard a whistle in the distance.

The next day we took the kids tubing. E loved it, and got so that he'd go down the steepest, fastest route all by himself. L was terrified. I took him down once, then sat at the bottom and video taped while he ate fistfuls of snow.

Now we're home, and I need another nap. Heavens, I hope I'm not still sick come Christmas.

Off Air

I'm taking a little blogging break. Have a great {early} weekend and I'll be back Monday!

For Mom:

Forget gingerbread houses-- next time you're here for Christmas, let's make this fantastic sugar cube structure!! {via Chez Larsson}

Gift Guide: Zero Cost

All too often, the Christmas spirit is chased away by stress. For years, I thought Thanksgiving was the perfect holiday-- all the food, family and relaxation without any financial burden! But since then, I've become much more low key about the holidays. This next gift guide is dedicated to showing loved ones you care without spending any money.

1. Give something you already own. I'm not talking about re-gifting, which implies giving away something you were given but despised. Instead, give away something you've loved and cherished, but noticed that someone else has admired as well. My mother has always been the perfect example of this. The year I went away to college, I begged her to give me her apron. It had been given to her from a friend, and she loved it. She refused, but come Christmas, I found it laundered and wrapped up for me under the tree. I still have it.

2. Start a Christmas Book. My husband and I both come from large, close families. We'd love to buy gifts for our parents and siblings, but it's rarely financially feasible. So I stole an idea from my mother {told you she's the best!} and started a family Christmas book. Each year, one couple chooses a set of questions {one fun, one spiritual} that each family member must answer in writing. With J's family, we are fortunate to live close together, so we gather for a party {sans children- hallelujah!} to eat and read all our answers together. Copies are then distributed so that each family has a book of testimonies, memories, and entertaining family history stories. This has become one of my favorite Christmas traditions, and all it costs is time.

3. The best cookbook, ever. This was given to me right before I had Little Miss C. I lived far away from my family, and was about to start one of my own. Jennifer saw all this and gave me what has to be one of the best gifts I've ever received:

It's a cookbook full of recipes from both side of my family. Each recipe is written in the contributors handwriting, making it extremely personal. They also include photos of each loved one, and a bit of baby advice.

Whenever I miss my family, I flip through the book and bask in the familiar handwriting, my brother's crazy baby advice {"don't let the dingo eat the baby"} and whip up a batch of my grandpa's amazing Brown Beauty Icing.

4. Give unselfishly. This small kitchen stool may look old and worse for wear, but it's precious to me. The only memory of my grandmother involves me, at four years old, sitting in this stool while my mom talked with and cooked for my dying grandmother. Years later, when my grandpa died, I asked that I inherit the stool. Unfortunately, my uncle also wanted the stool-- he associated it with his childhood and his mother. Of course, he had stronger claim to it, so I retracted my request. But my uncle found out that I had wanted it, and told me I could have it. I couldn't even hold back the tears when I heard, and rushed to hug him. The point is, I firmly believe that if one is looking for ways to serve or give unselfishly, the opportunity presents itself. This time of year, unselfish service can mean much more than any trinket found in a store.

Spa Gift Certificate Winner & More Giveaways!

I have to admit, I couldn't even watch while I pushed the random number generator. I wish I could give each and every one of those nominated a gift certificate! You all have such deserving family and friends. But here goes-- the winner is:

Congrats Rebecca! Please email me with the name and address of your sister in law so I can send her Christmas surprise!

For those of you who did not win, there are still a few amazing Christmas Giveaway Giveaways going on! Check out this to die for play tent that Miggy is giving away:

Or the two infant sets that Liz is giving away:

Or the photography session with famed JUSTIN HACKWORTH that Molly is giving away:

Good luck and thank you for spreading the joy of giving this Christmas!

Headbands Winner

The winner of the Headbands for the Christmas Giveaway Giveaway is:

Congrats, Fig! Please email me with the name and address of the person you'd like me to send the headbands to.

And if you did not win, don't despair! There is still time to enter other Christmas Giveaway Giveaways here and here!

Christmas Giveaway Giveaway: Spa Gift Certificate!

Our week of giveaways that you give away continue!

Up next: do you know someone who feels stressed? Weighed down by the cares of the world? Would they benefit from a massage? A mud bath? A facial? A manicure or pedicure? Give them the gift of relaxation with this $25 spa gift certificate, good at locations worldwide.

To nominate someone, read the guidelines below and leave a comment. A winner will be announced on Friday.

Giveaway Giveaway guidelines:

-- In keeping with the spirit of Christmas this giveaway is meant to focus on others--therefore you are to enter only in behalf of someone else. We ask that this person be someone who is in particular need this holiday season. We appreciate your honesty in this.

-- Enter by leaving a brief and vague comment about the person you are entering for and why. Something along the lines of "I'm entering for my friend who has had a rough year." Please don't be too specific!

--1 entry per person.

-- The giveaway will be open for 2 days.

-- Once the winner has been announced they will need to send me an email with the name and address of the person they entered for. All packages will be mailed directly to the 'person in need' and all packages will be sent anonymously.

Merry Christmas, and don't forget to enter in these other participating Christmas Giveaway Giveaways here, here and here!

Christmas Giveaway Giveaway: Headbands!

I'm so excited to be teaming up with other bloggers this week in order to bring to you a week of giveaways! In keeping with the charitable spirit of Christmas, these giveaways are meant to focus on others, so please leave a comment nominating someone in need! First up: a pair of fabulous, feathery, fancy headbands made by yours truly.

Do you know someone who would enjoy some feastive headwear this season? Then please read the guidelines below and leave a comment!

Giveaway Giveaway guidelines:

-- In keeping with the spirit of Christmas this giveaway is meant to focus on others--therefore you are to enter only in behalf of someone else. We ask that this person be someone who is in particular need this holiday season. We appreciate your honesty in this.

-- Enter by leaving a brief and vague comment about the person you are entering for and why. Something along the lines of "I'm entering for my friend who has had a rough year." Please don't be too specific!

--1 entry per person.

-- The giveaway will be open for 2 days.

-- Once the winner has been announced they will need to send me an email with the name and address of the person they entered for. All packages will be mailed directly to the 'person in need' and all packages will be sent anonymously.

And there's still time to enter other participating giveaways. Go here and here and here!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Giveaway Giveaway!

The fabulous Miggy has organized a Christmas Giveaway Giveaway. Instead of signing up to win the prize, you nominate someone in need to win it. I'm thrilled to join in on the fun and will be hosting a giveaway tomorrow and Wednesday. In the meantime, be sure to check out these other participating giveaways:

Liz at Say Yes! to Hoboken is giving away these pillows from Freshly Picked!

And Molly is giving away a Target giftcard!

So don't be shy. Go nominate someone and bask in the spirit of giving this Christmas!

Gift Guide: For the Kids

This guide is put together with my own children in mind, but hopefully it can give you some ideas, too.

For the Chef: There are so many ways to do this, but I started by purchasing an adorable child-sized apron, a cookbook with simple instructions and lots of pictures, and a few cooking utensils. {If this cupcake keeper from Rose & Radish had been available, I'd fill it with fancy cupcake liners and a cupcake cookbook. Wouldn't that have been adorable?}

For the Artist: An inexpensive easel coupled with a roll of paper, loads of paints, brushes, markers and chalk, and your child is ready to create a masterpiece.

For the Author: I'm a big fan of these Illustory kits. We've given one to Little Miss C every year since she was 5 years old, and have delighted in seeing her storytelling abilities develop. I love that we're able to order more than one copy of the finished book. It makes a great Mother's Day present for the grandma's. :)

For the Engineer: E loves to spend hours making paper airplanes. Unfortunately, only his daddy knows how to make the kind that can fly. Hopefully this kit remedies the situation.

For the Kid with Too Much Energy: Sports equipment. Hockey sticks, soccer goals, t ball sets-- they all come with the added benefit of giving a child a place to channel all that energy. Kites are also good. They force a kid to run around a lot. :)

For the Planes, Trains and Automobiles Enthusiast: A dump truck made with STEEL! For some reason, my boys will happily spend the entire day filling the bed with gravel and dirt, dumping it out, then filling it again. I like that the steel can hold up to the abuse. Especially when E tries to give his little brother a ride.

For the Kid who has Everything: you can't go wrong with a big cardboard box and some packing peanuts. Half the time it's all they want to play with anyway. :)

Merry Christmas!

It's December! In lieu of Christmas cards, we've started sending out a Christmas video every year. This is the latest edition. From our home to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas! May your holiday season be filled with family, food, and lots of frolicking in the snow!

{If you missed last years Christmas Greeting, see it here}

Gift Guide: Handmade Gifts

I have a few rules when it comes to home-made gifts. One is that it has to be cost effective. It is far too easy to tell oneself that going home-made is cheaper, only to find oneself elbow deep in crafting supplies, out of time and out of money! Not that I speak from experience or anything....

No need to add stress to the holidays! Simply pick ONE project to do for the people you plan on gifting to. It's faster, far more inexpensive, and I often find that the results are more professional looking. Learning curve and whatnot. :)

Idea #1- Make a necklace! There are as many tutorials out there as there are colors and types of beads. Pictured above is my knock off of an Anthropologie necklace. Other favorites include this pearl and ribbon necklace, this jadeite necklace, or simply buy a bunch of these porcelain keys {or spray paint a few old skeleton keys} and string them on some ribbon. Viola!

Idea #2 Freezer Paper Stencils. These are so easy {and addictive!} You can stencil tee shirts! Tote bags! Pillows! The options are endless!

Idea #3 Make a Headband! Ruffles, flowers, sequins and feathers are all the rage right now. Why not take advantage and make a headband or two {or three or four...} I like these feathered varieties {with a vintage brooch attached} or one of these luxe looking velvet ones.

Idea #4 Make a Clock! With a clock kit from the craft store, you can make a clock out of pretty much anything. I like the idea of using buttons or embroidery.

Happy Crafting!