T-minus two days until Winter break! Per usual for this time of the year, I feel like we’re hanging on by a thread over here! I always say…”Tis the season…for mom to lose her mind!” 😆
The weather went from beautiful to soggy and dreary in a matter of a day! I think that’s making us all feel extra tired and just ready for a break!
Today, I thought I’d share a quick Currently post about what’s been going on around here!
I’m currrently…
Appreciating:
Travis! He gave Hadley and me this Mary Kay 12 Days of Christmas gift set. I have two friends who sell MK, so he purchased one for Hadley and me as well as one for each of his sisters (and their daughters). Travis has always been a great gift giver! Also, Hadley has already opened all 12 days! 😂
Giving:
Teacher gifts! We gave the pod teacher a gift card to one of her favorite local stores. Then, the kids dropped off gifts for their teachers yesterday at school (front office). I’d had these zip pouches saved on my Etsy app as an idea for teacher gifts. They turned out so cute, and I put some sticky notes and felt tip markers in each one. The kids each wrote a card to their teachers, and those notes are always sweet and fun to read. I was happy to support small businesses during this holiday season.
Loving:
The generosity of others! This time of the year tends to bring out the best in people, but I feel like people have been extra generous in 2020.
From food drop off for God’s Pantry, clothing donations, Angel Tree gifts, and dinners for families in need at school, I love seeing the community come together to spread joy and happiness in such a trying time for so many.
Watching:
Baking shows! Like last month, I just love to watch these holiday baking shows on the Food Network. I enjoy them like some people enjoy Hallmark movies!
Reading:
Two books…I’m currently reading Holidaze on my Kindle and 25 Days ’til Christmas from the library. I usually have one Kindle book and one paperback book I’m reading. I’m enjoying both of these books, and they are certainly sweet Christmas books to read in December.
Supporting:
UPS workers! Travis did the shopping, and Hadley helped me put this basket together for our mailman and the other workers dropping off packages. I printed the sign from Etsy! (only 99 cents!)
Reminiscing:
About the kids looking out window in 2011. I love when this picture pops up in my Facebook memories, and I loved those pjs with their names on their bottoms.
Prepping:
The final touches of Christmas for our elf. He moves every night, leaves little sayings on our sign, gives little gifts, or just does something silly. He likes to have a plan for his visits!
He always leaves a bag of Reindeer Food: oats, glitter, and this cute poem for the kids to find the morning of December 24th.
Feeling:
Like Homer…so tired 😂
Laughing:
At this meme…
I know the postal service is overworked. I saw someone share a photo of a process room at a post office, and it was slammed.
My Christmas cards that I ordered on November 30th finally arrived yesterday. According to tracking, they’d been in Kentucky since December 9th, so I tried not to lose hope that they’d arrive on my doorstep! I was afraid I’d have mark out, “Merry Christmas” and write “Happy New Year!”
I guess it still might be a good idea because who knows when I will get them out or when others will receive them!
So, there’s a little glimpse of what’s been going on around here. See you back here tomorrow for my last Friday Favorites post of 2020!
It’s Tuesday Talk day with Ashley and Erika. For this linkup, we can chat about any topic we’d like to focus on for the post! I’m linking up with them again this month to focus on a little this or that and favorites for the holiday!
So here we go…
I’ve seen so many this or that posts shared in Insta Stories, so I thought I’d snag one and share my thoughts.
template c/0 @brewedtea4you
Christmas music or Christmas movies:I love Christmas songs while driving in the car, but I’d say I prefer Christmas movies during the holidays.
Store bought gifts or handmade gifts:Well, I love to buy gifts for others especially with the help of Amazon and Etsy. That being said, I love nothing more than receiving a handmade gift…especially from my kids!
Egg nog or spiced cider:Egg nog all the way. When the kids were little, my dad started calling it “Christmas milk,” so that’s what they still call it. Hayden tends to hog the egg nog at our house!
Gingerbread or sugar cookies:Gingerbread cookies for sure. I feel like we can have sugar cookies anytime!
Real tree or fake tree:We used to always have a fake tree, but I’ve come to love the tradition of getting a real tree. I love how the scent of the tree fills our home for a few days…even though sometimes it sends my allergies into overdrive!
It’s a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story:Christmas Story for sure. We always watch it on Christmas Day.
Elves or Snowmen:Snowmen are so cute!
White lights or colored lights:I like the glow and simplicity of white lights.
A few of my….
Favorites:
Favorite Christmas movie: Home Alone or A Christmas Story
Favorite holiday scented candle: Bath & Body Works: Winter
Favorite Christmas tradition: As a kid: driving through the Plaza lights in Kansas City with a stop at Winstead’s for a burger and a shake. As a parent: My kids wearing their Christmas pjs and then exchanging gifts that they picked out for each other on Christmas Eve.
Favorite Christmas song: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and Let it Snow
Favorite Christmas ornament:An ornament we received for our first Christmas in 2005 after we got married and the kids’ first Christmas (2009) under the tree. We purchased one of these ornaments for all of our family members.
So, there’s a little peek at some of favorites in regards to Christmas. How do we only have ten days left until the big day?! Thankfully, I’m finished with shopping except for a gift card and a stocking stuffer or two! What are some of your favorites about Christmastime?
Don’t forget to check out the other ladies’ posts! Thanks so much for reading.
Hello and Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Compared to last weekend, we had a relatively low-key couple of days. The kids had a cross country meet on Saturday, but Sunday I pretty much stayed in my pajamas all day. Travis was kind enough to pick up our grocery order while I did things around the house…including purging the kids’ closets! We only do this a couple times a year, but I dread it so much! I’m glad to have that checked off my list.
We are counting down this five day week and ready for a couple weeks off! Breaks is right around the corner.
Today, I’m linking up with Lauren (and others!) for their Not Just a Mom series.
This month’s topic is Special Holiday Traditions.
I grew up with some holiday traditions like seeing the Plaza lights in KC, ice skating at Crown Center, picking out an ornament at Hallmark, baking cookies, seeing Christmas lights, and more!
So, needless to say, I have now made quite a few traditions for my kids to celebrate the holiday.
Here are some of our family traditions:
Santa:
We take the kids to see Santa every year. When they were little, we didn’t take them. Once they were two to five years old or so, they’d see Santa at my school Christmas party or Trav’s work party.
Then, in 2016, we started getting a real tree, and see the perfect Santa while doing so. Our club also hosts a Cookies with Santa party, so we attend that most years. Lastly, one of our friends has hosted a Santa at her house every other year, so the kids have had plenty of opportunities to share with Santa what they hope to receive for Christmas.
2020 Santa Visit:
Santa visits through the years…
Elf on the Shelf:
Our elf, Red, has visited us since 2012. I’m not sure how many more years he will visit, but he’s always fun to have around.
Bake Cookies:
We always receive lots of cookies from my mom. When those are gone, we bake some cookies to get use through the second half of December 😉
This year, my mom visited, and had quite the crew to help with our traditional family cookies.
Cooking baking through the years…
I will say my kids are at a great age (and have been for a couple years) where they are big help in the baking process.
Southern Lights:
I grew up going to the Plaza lights as well as driving through park lights, so Travis and I have continued that tradition through the years. Even when we were dating, we drove through lights in KC or Columbia. Once I moved to Kentucky, we started going through the Southern Lights at the Kentucky Horse Park.
We’ve realized through the years to go on a Monday or Tuesday night early in the season when it’s less crowded. Also, they have indoor activities, but my kids still have no clue about the inside activities. haha
Angel Tree:
We always choose a family from the Angel Tree to buy gifts for in early December. This used to be something I would just do, but the past few years, I’ve found it to be important to take the kids along with us to choose the gifts. I feel like my kids are pretty aware of others’ needs, but having them participate in the act of buying for those in need is something that I obviously hope they remember all year long and not just around the holidays.
PJs and Gifts:
I always give the kids Christmas pajamas as one of their birthday gifts in November. When they kids were probably three, we started taking them to pick out a gift for each other. I remember when they were little, we’d barely make it to the car before they’d tell each other what they picked out. haha
We usually let them open it on Christmas Eve before going to bed. It’s always fun to see what they pick out for each other. They know each other pretty well. 😉
Gingerbread House:
One of our traditions has been decorating gingerbread houses. Some years, the elf brings one and other years I will get one for them to decorate. The elf usually hot glues the house together for them to find in the morning and then we’ll decorate it in the evening.
The past couple years, they’ve each had a house to decorate, and it’s a fun activity…as long as the house doesn’t collapse!
Decorating through the years…
The kids decorated their houses on Saturday night. Again, it’s fun to be a part of that process, but it’s nice they are old enough to decorate on their own. Unfortunately, Hayden’s house imploded and then one of the walls fell on the floor and broke. So, he just decorated the roof while eating bites of gingerbread as Hadley finished up her house.
Hayden ended up decorating the gingerbread man and tree that came with one of the kids.
When I took the pic of Hayden’s roof, he made this face (bottom right) to demonstrate how he felt about the house collapsing!
For once, we couldn’t blame Homer for the destruction, but he sure was tempted by the icing and the treats!
So those are some of our special holiday traditions. While the holidays are such a hectic time, I’m glad we have these traditions, so that we can spend time together as a family even during the busyness of the season.
What are some of your favorite holiday traditions??
2021 link up:
I’m excited to join the Not Just a Mom link up starting in January 2021! I joked with the ladies that I felt like I was invited to the cool kids’ table at lunch! haha. I’ve very excited to join this link up. If you are a blogger, make sure you join us on the second Monday of the month too!
Here are the 2021 topics:
That’s a wrap on our special holiday traditions! I know this holiday season looks different for everyone, and while, at times, that makes be feel anxious and even sometimes sad, I’m trying to focus on the things I can control like some of these traditions. Christmas cookies help ease the anxiety as well!
I hope you had a great weekend! Don’t forget to check out the other ladies’ posts!
Hey, hey! We made it to Friday. We’ve had a pretty good week around here, and we are counting down the days until Winter Break! It’s right around the corner, so we’ll just keep chugging right along until break arrives.
Of course, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites post.
One of my favorite things to do for the holidays is decorate. Even before my blog, I would always take photos of where I put decorations to make the process as easy as possible. The weekend after Thanksgiving is when I do most of my decorating, and it’s typically a one (wo)man job…until I can’t carry something or need Travis to hang the garland. 😉
I saw this meme recently, and, of course, it fits today’s blog topic.
While 90% of my decorations have been used through the years, I do move things around and often can’t help myself from buying a new item or two along the way. #michaelsiswhereitsat
Here’s a little tour around our home:
Kitchen:
My kitchen buffet stayed pretty much the same, but I added fresh garland to the top for about a week.
I figured it wouldn’t last long with Homer. He did pull it down a couple of times, but thankfully, he didn’t destroy it.
I love the Christmas dishes that I display this time of the year.
In the cabinet near the buffet, I added in some trees I’ve collected over the years and a cinnamon scented candle. I actually made the burlap trees a few years ago.
Our fire place and mantle remain the same, but I did buy new garland. What I’ve had for the past few years is extra bulky, and I just wanted a more seamless look. Hadley pointed out that the red and the green of the garland match our stockings perfectly. My previous garland was pre-lit, but I had to add lights to this new garland.
I used some extra greenery on our table centerpiece.
I definitely do the love traditional red and green Christmas decor.
This view is definitely a favorite.
One of my friends painted this pallet a few years ago, and it’s one of my favorite holiday pieces.
Office Area:
In the first few years in this house, we never really knew where to put the tree. Once we made this space the office rather than the dining room, the tree fit perfectly in here. I like that you can see the glow of the tree lights from the kitchen and the living room as well as from the street when the shutters are open.
I always put out the picture of the kids under the tree for their first Christmas. They were a month old (and a few days) old on Christmas 2009.
Front Hall:
I kept the front hall the same as years past with the light up tree, Christmas card holder, snowman tea light, and Merry and Bright sign.
I love Bath and Body Works and always have a few candles to burn like the peppermint one on this entry table.
Living Room:
The tall Santa was a Home Goods find a few years ago. I kept it simple on the coffee table with the flocked tree and candle. The light up present provides the perfect glow in the morning and night. I added a lantern and Merry Christmas canvas to my regular decor on my antique chest.
I always keep my cream pillows out and add seasonal pillows for fall and Christmas.
Outside:
This is the first year we’ve put garland out front. I’ve mentioned previously that I was on the hunt for some artificial garland, but never really found any I liked. Then, I saw the real garland at Trader Joe’s and thought I’d give it a try. Travis was kind enough to hang it for me. Now, I have no clue how long it will last, but after a week, it still is looking good. I’ve sprayed it with water a few times. I have no clue if that’s what I’m supposed to do, but that’s what I’ve been doing!
I’ve had the lanterns and poinsettias for years. My cute stocking door hanger was painted by a local Lexington small business. It’s perfectly festive and, again, I love the traditional red and green.
The Rudolph pillow covers are from Etsy, and I’ve had them for years. The trees in the planters light up, and the Merry Christmas garden flag is the final touch outside.
When the garland on the kitchen buffet was starting to look tired, I sprayed it with water and then put little pieces of it in the outside planters.
Sun room:
I’ve shared this room already as it was the first room I decorated for the season. Until this past spring (#thanksquarantine), we didn’t really use the sun room that often. This year, I thought I’d go ahead and decorate it since we are out here so much now. The pillow covers are new (from Amazon) and the basket wreath is a new find from TJ Maxx this year. We’ve had the tree for years as it’s the one we used for a few years before starting to get a real tree for the living room/office area.
I added a few little trees to the tray that’s always on this table, and I burn the Bath and Body Works Winter scented candle when hanging out in the sun room.
A few other faves:
Dinners this week:
It’s no secret that I use Shay’s cookbooks (especially Simmers) quite frequently for meal ideas. Well, last week, she posted about 24 Crazy Easy December Dinners, and I used it as my guide for meals this week. This week, we’ve eaten: Chicken Tortilla Soup, Beefy Mushroom Pasta, Cheesy Ranch Tacos, and King Ranch Joes. (I don’t think KRJ were listed in that post, but here’s the recipe.) This one post was a life saver for me. We eat the soup and KRJs pretty often, but the pasta and tacos were new recipes for me to make. We all loved them.
The Outsiders
A neighbor had a few books in her garage to give away. One of the books I brought home was The Outsiders which piqued Hayden’s interest. He started reading it Monday night at bedtime and then was telling me all about it Tuesday evening. I stopped him, mid-summary, because I was shocked he’d already read the entire book. Hadley then said that he was reading some during the day while listening to his teacher on Zoom. Anyway, he loved the book so much. With his summary of the stabbing and teenagers smoking and drinking, I was reminded why this is a classic middle school book! haha
He deemed this the second best book he’s ever read. Hatchet was recommended by my mom and still his fave.
I hope he always loves reading as much as he does now.
Then, Wednesday night, he begged us to watch the movie. Travis and I watched it with him. He really liked it, but said the book was better. A friend of mine shared a @historic_imagery post with me on Instagram. I never knew that Francis Ford Coppola hadn’t planned on making the movie but then did so after receiving a letter from a librarian as well as over 100 of her seventh and eighth graders in Fresno, CA. They also share that fact in the credits of the movie.
Southern Lights:
Our Southern Lights Horse Park tradition continued this week. We drove through the park on Tuesday night, and loved seeing the upgraded and updated displays. They had the usual displays, but had also added other lights and features. Also, Santa was sitting outside the North Pole waving at the cars. Usually, Santa is inside the pavilion.
Classic Kentucky lights with the horses, Wildcat basketball player, and Keeneland.
Winter Drive-Thru:
The kids’ school had a Winter Drive Thru this week where they handed out fun packs and free books (as well as supplies for the beginning of second semester).
There was a line around the school, and it was so wonderful to see the teachers outside, waving, and so excited to see their students. Teachers and staff were dressed as Elsa, Rudolph, elves, and Santa! To see the hustle and bustle at school as well as the staff and teachers literally brought tears to my eyes. I hope my kids are able to go back to school sooner rather than later.
Books, games and hot chocolate!
Trader Joe’s Snack Mix
It’s the time of the year for Trader Joe’s to have my favorite snack mix. I found out the hard way a couple years ago when I was looking for it in January that it’s seasonal.
Some people are hoarding toilet paper again, and I left TJ with six cans of this mix! Delish!
Favorite Mom Meme:
Y’all, I feel this deeply.
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday
Facebook memories from 2017 provided this gem. I love this picture from Trav’s work holiday party. It didn’t really dawn on me until seeing this that we are missing out on some fun during this season. There’s always the work party, a neighborhood party as well as a party with some of our friends. Hopefully, those traditions will be back in 2021. Sometimes I do miss the normal chaos that the holidays bring.
And for fun….here’s a 1980’s flashback for you…it’s a classic!
Weekly Recap:
Here are my posts for this week! We sure have been busy!
Well, the spirit of Christmas continues in our house through the magic of Red. I’ve mentioned before that Red doesn’t arrive until December 1st, at the earliest!
He did make his arrival right on time, so today I’m sharing a bit of what he’s been up to.
The morning of December 1st, the kids found him in the kitchen with his book, and he initiated the countdown to Christmas on our family calendar.
The second morning, Red brought the kids their Christmas wish lists in order to report back to Santa at the North Pole. These lists have room for what the kids want, need, wear, and read. Red went ahead and filled out a “need” for each of them: deodorant for one and toothpaste for the other. The kids then proceeded to debate who Red thought “needed” each item. 😆
Other mornings, we found Red in the tree with a Santa balloon and then hanging out on one of our decorative trees with a golf ball ornament for Hayden, and a ballerina ornament for Hadley.
Red must love chips and salsa. He even brought red and green holiday chips.
After we all worked so hard baking over the weekend, Red helped himself to a few of our cookies.
Red must have known the kids ran for Pod President, and wanted to join in on the fun.
Of course, Red has been practicing social distancing since the beginning of time! Here, he reminded the kids to keep their distance…especially in 2020.
On Wednesday morning, we found Red in our cabinet all wrapped up in twinkle lights.
Then, this morning, he brought the kids a Would You Rather book (Christmas edition!) because he must know they love to ask each other (and their friends!) those questions. #fifthgradehumor 😂
While Red’s visits don’t provide all the oohs and aahhs and innocence of when the kids were little, we still laugh at his antics and appreciate the few gifts he leaves along the way.
#tistheseasonforred He’s pretty funny and generous if I do say so myself! 😉
I hope you are having a great week, and see you back here tomorrow for Friday Favorites.
Fun fact: My January Let’s Look post was (I think) my top viewed post of the year. Almost 700 people apparently wanted to check out my bedside table! 😀
This month’s topic is Let’s Look: holiday cards.
Well, my holiday cards haven’t arrived just yet, so I thought I’d share our holiday cards through the years.
Travis and I had some form of Christmas card off and on before we had kids, but once the kids were born, I did a better job of taking and saving photos, cards, and other momentos.
Here’s a little trip down memory lane…
2009:
The kids were barely a month old by the time Christmas rolled around in 2009. So, we combined a Christmas card with their birth announcement. I still have this Christmas storage box, and it sits under the tree each year until I start putting wrapped presents under the tree.
2010:
Well, here are the kids are in 2010, and they barely fit in the Christmas storage box anymore!
They also refused to sit still for the Christmas card photo! I literally remember sweating as I would get one situated, back away to take the photo, and then the other would move! 😅
I couldn’t find the card, but I know we used those pics!
2011:
In 2011, I put them in a laundry basket to sit still for the photo! 😂
Hadley’s signature move at that age was giving all the hugs…in a very “you have no choice but to hug me” way!
We included our dogs, Shiloh and Scout, in the card that year!
2012:
My brother got married in the fall of 2012 which provided the perfect opportunity for some memorable photos. Again, Shiloh and Scout made the cut again to be included on the card and the kids continued to make use of the Christmas storages boxes.
2013:
The card for 2013 was definitely a Pinterest idea, and it wasn’t a fail. I love this pic of Hayden and Hadley. So little and cozy in their jammies.
2014:
Again, for some reason, I can’t find our 2014 Christmas card, but my brother used his fancy camera to take these photos. This was our first Christmas in our current house.
I still have these individual photos framed, and they are in our gallery wall in our kitchen.
So sweet.
2015:
For the 2015 Christmas card, my brother took these photos as well. I remember it was pretty mild weather around Thanksgiving time, so I asked him to take a few photos of the kids.
They turned out so precious…
and the back of the card shows Hadley’s personality perfectly! 😂
2016:
This is another favorite card of mine that we shared with family and friends. You can’t tell from the photo, but Hayden was playing football with friends a few minutes before picture time and ended up with a busted lip! Of course he did! I made sure when I took the photo not to zoom in!
2017:
My brother helped me by taking these photos as well. Man oh man, I remember the kids acting ridiculous while he took some of these photos….especially Hayden. I had to be thankful for whatever good ones he got!
2018:
For fall break 2018, we went to South Carolina. One night before dinner, I told the kids I wanted to take their pictures by the water at sunset. Well, I ended up asking someone to take our family photo, and I couldn’t believe how great it was.
Once December rolled around, I was so happy to have a perfect family photo from one of our favorite places.
And, again, Hayden fell victim to Hadley’s silly and sassy personality…Hadley throwing up the peace sign behind him, and he had no clue.
2019:
The kids didn’t fight me on wearing nice clothes for the 2019 photo if we could bring Homer along for the photo. Well, this time, Homer stole the show! We got a great pic with him and the kids.
Even with Homer, this was one of our easiest photo sessions to date. I snapped a few photos with my phone, and that was all we needed.
2020:
As I previously mentioned, my 2020 cards haven’t arrived yet. I took a few photos of the kids the Friday after Thanksgiving…
…and Homer was invited back again for the photo sesh.
The Henry Clay Estate provided for the perfect place (with perfect weather that day) to take a few pics of the kids for this year’s card.
I can’t get over how big they are getting!
Until this post, I hadn’t realized how many times I’d asked my brother to take the kids’ photos. I should really get him a gift card or something!
Ironically, Trav’s brother is a professional sports photographer, but I don’t want to bug him like I bug my brother!
It’s that time of the year when the “picture perfect” cards start to roll in. Of course, I try to find the most perfect picture too, but I like to include an outtake or two on the back!
Behind every “perfect” photo, there’s usually a stressed out mom handing out bribes for the photo 😂 I’m forever trying to keep it real around here!
When my 2020 cards arrive, I will definitely share those closer to Christmas. I really do love giving and receiving cards. I’d say with all that’s gone on in 2020, I will appreciate receiving those cards more than in previous years. I hope sending Christmas cards is a tradition that never fades.
Don’t forget to check out the other ladies’ posts as well!
Hello and happy Monday! Tuesday! I took yesterday off from blogging because I was swamped from our action packed weekend! So, I’m recapping that for you today…just on on Tuesday rather than a Monday!
Here’s our Weekend Top 5:
1.
Hadley requested Chick-fil-A for lunch on Friday (what’s new?!), so I picked up a peppermint milkshake for myself! (Also, I’m late to the party using the Chick-fil-A app–I’ve been using it now for a couple months, and it’s life changing. Even better is usually Hadley rides along with me to pick up our order and runs inside to get it!)
2.
Cookies, cookies and more cookies.
My mom came to visit, and we baked lots of Christmas cookies over the weekend. Hadley helped her bake gingerbread cookies on Friday. On Saturday, most of us helped make Spritz cookies and Pfeffernuse. Then, Hayden helped her make more gingerbread men because he missed out on that fun on Friday. Saturday night, Hadley helped GG make fudge, and then on Sunday, Hadley (and others) helped dip the Lebkuchen in the icing.
Ta da!!! the finished Pfeffernuse…
Pfeffernuse, Spritz, and Lebkuchen cookies. Often times, GG bakes ahead of time or when we are in KC for Thanksgiving and sends us home with the goodies. Some years she mails the the cookies to us. This was the first year we all baked together (or took turns baking because…too many cooks in the kitchen…) 😂
A few weeks ago, I ordered cookies to decorate from a local small business baker/decorator (One Smart Cookie). The kids decorated those on Sunday after dinner, and those cookies were our dessert.
We always save a decorated cookie + a few of the family cookies for Santa. I just put them in a baggie and freeze them until Christmas Eve.
3.
I always put a few front porch decorations out, and Travis always puts the lights out on the porch and/or bushes. This year, I wanted to add garland to the porch. I couldn’t really find any I liked until…I made a stop at Trader Joe’s for a few goodies and saw their beautiful (and inexpensive!) garland.
I bought two swags of it…and Travis worked his magic in hanging it! I love it so much.
This may be what I do every year since I only need it a few weeks, it’s inexpensive, looks beautiful, and we won’t have to store it.
4.
Well, it happened! I know I mentioned last week that our favorite Santa spot wasn’t hosting Santa. This year, our club organized a drive thru Santa visit, so we decided to go for it. I’m assuming this will be our last year to visit Santa, so I wanted to take advantage of this offer. We waited in the car line and pulled right up when it was our turn. The kids got to chat with him outside for a few minutes, we hopped back in the car, and headed home.
It was a really sweet experience even if we didn’t get to enjoy all the usual festivities that the club typically offers.
Chatting with Santa, hand “Santa”-tizer, and waiting for their turn to see Santa while wearing their masks.
5.
Holiday lights! We usually drive by these festive lights at some point in December, and we decided to go ahead and swing by while we were out after visiting Santa. We ooh and ahh at them every year!
Bonus:
My mom brought Hayden the rest of her Harry Potter books. Hayden’s read the first few, and she gifted him the rest, so he can continue reading them through the years.
Shew! I told you we were busy! I was even able to wrap a few gifts while watching the Chiefs game on Sunday night! That made for a late bedtime, but it was worth it to cross one more thing off my list!
I hope you’ve had a great start to your week. See you back here tomorrow for Let’s Look.
Hello and Happy Friday! How’s it going? We’ve had a good week around here, and it actually felt like winter! We are back in a school groove with only a few evening activities, and we’ve been enjoying the holiday season so far.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Favorites from this week:
Angel Tree:
Purchasing gifts for families on the angel tree is one of our favorite family traditions. It’s fun to let the kids pick out gifts for the kids on the list. As a family, we sponsored a boy and girl and then Hayden and Hadley’s pod also bought presents for a family as well. Of course, I try to instill in the kids to always be grateful and always help those in need…not just during the holidays.
Black Friday Discounts:
I’ve never been a Black Friday shopper, but we took advantage of a sale at a local retailer once I saw that our weather was taking a turn to the colder side early this week. Hadley’s coat was 50% off and Hayden’s was 30% off. My kids know I love a coupon and a discount. I tell them they should never purchase anything full price. 😆
Candles:
After picking out the kids’ coats, I made a stop in Bath and Body Works and picked up some holiday season candles. They had buy 3, get 3 free, so I picked up two hand soaps, two 3-wick candles, and then 2 single wick candles. On my way to the register a nice customer handed me a coupon for a free single wick candle, so I ended up with a third candle! I was very appreciative.
I always pick up the ‘Winter’ candle every year. It has such a clean and fresh smell. I love it so much.
Running Buddies:
The weather was warm enough on Sunday for a run, and I looked out the window to see Trav and Hayden stretching after their afternoon jog. They looked like twins! Homer didn’t get the invite for the run!
Turkey Rice Soup:
We usually use the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving for soup on the Friday after Thanksgiving…but I didn’t end up making the soup until Sunday. It was the perfect Sunday night dinner.
SnOMG:
Monday and Tuesday mornings we woke up to snow! I knew there was talk of colder weather and some precipitation, but I was still surprised to see measurable amounts of snow both mornings.
We got those Christmas lights up just in time!
I usually make snowman pancakes on the first snow day of the season. With virtual school for the foreseeable future, I’m not sure we’ll get a traditional snow day any time soon. So, I went ahead and made snowman pancakes for the kids on Monday morning.
Tuesday’s snow stuck around for a couple days and was enough to play in. The kids dressed accordingly for recess at the pod and then Hadley played with her friend in the snow for a couple hours after school. Hayden did as well, but he was nowhere to be found when I wanted to take a snowy pic!
Homer:
I found Homer on the couch all snuggled up on Tuesday afternoon. Both kids swear they didn’t cover him with the blanket, so who knows! Homer is either into trouble or snoozing! There’s rarely an in between.
Starbucks:
I made not one, but two trips to Starbucks this week. I wanted something warm to drink, but I’d already had my morning coffee; so, I ordered a London Fog tea during both visits! So good. I enjoyed them from the quiet of my classroom.
Winter Decorations:
Over the weekend, I put out our Christmas decorations. I couldn’t help myself, and I did make a trip (or two) to Michaels. I use most of the same decorations each year. This year, I actually did take the time to get rid of the fall decorations I haven’t used in recent years and will do the same when I put these winter decorations away in January.
I picked up two of these crock lanterns and put tealights in them. I also purchased four snow covered swags for our front windows and a few other items. Of course, everything was 50% off and teachers get an additional 10% off all their orders, so I used that as well.
Red doesn’t come until December in our house, and he made his arrival right on time on December 1st. On the second night, he left the kids their “Want, Need, Wear, Read” list to fill out, so he can report back to Santa.
He filled in a couple of “needs” for them 😉
GG:
My mom is in town visiting and took over virtual school yesterday. With over 30 years experience teaching 7th grade English we knew the kids would be well supervised.
Favorite gift idea:
I debated on sharing this as to not give away a gift for a few family members, so I will just share this sneak peek.
Every year since my kids were born, I’ve ordered this desk calendar from Vistaprint for my immediate family. I always place the order on Cyber Monday because they offer a great discount. Once my brother and sister-in-law had their kids, we started to include their photos too.
I upload the photos (and we use the same pattern of January is a pic of my kids, February includes a pic of my niece and nephew and then some months, like October, is the four kids) I placed this order late Monday night, and it already arrived yesterday! As usual, it turned out perfectly, and we can’t wait to give it to them. (I even order one for myself and my brother’s family)
Like I said, I’m sure my family is expecting this gift. It’s one I love giving, and they love receiving.
Selfies:
Found this gem on my phone, and it made me smile!
Friday Funny:
Y’all, I feel this deeply. haha
My brother decided to remind me this week that I’m almost 41. Wow…40 has gone by quickly!
Favorite Mom Meme:
Tis the season for my kids to think we are millionaires 😅
Well, Thanksgiving was already a week ago, and we are in full Christmas spirit in my house. We’ve taken Christmas card photos, picked out our tree, decorated, welcomed our Elf back from the North Pole, and even had our first snowfall of the season!
Today, I’m sharing the details of our decking the halls and Christmas cheer so far this holiday season.
Starting with…this meme…
It cracks me up. I’m either watching a holiday baking show or Ozark. My tv watching goes from G to rated R real quick!
I mentioned in Monday’s post that we were pretty busy on the Friday after Thanksgiving. One of our errands was stopping by our favorite place to pick out the Christmas tree for our living room. The weather was perfect for wandering around to find just the right tree. Well, technically the kids each found a “perfect” tree, and had to rock, paper, scissors over which tree we’d bring home. Hadley won.
This is also the place we usually go to see Santa. Unfortunately, Covid is cramping Santa’s style this year! I know there are probably other options, but this Santa is our fave, and I guess for now, we’ll have to live with this very 2020 Santa experience. (or lack thereof)
Y,’all, this Santa really is the best!
A few Santa pics through the years…
Top: 2017; bottom left: 2016; bottom right: 2019
2020:
I’m assuming my kids won’t be “believers” for much longer, so I actually did tear up taking this pic. As the years pass by, I do miss the innocence of having little ones and seeing Christmas through their eyes. They are still excited for the holidays, but it’s just different than when they were little.
Travis strung the lights on the tree Friday night, so we could decorate on Saturday morning before everyone got busy.
I put any leftover ornaments not used on the living room tree on the artificial tree in the sun room. I think this is our fourth or fifth year getting a real tree for the living room. Last year was the first year we put our older artificial tree up in the sun room, and I’m glad we did that again this year.
We now have a total of five trees up in the house.
The kids each have a small tree in their rooms.
We have the artificial tree in the sun room.
The real tree is in the living room / office area.
and… I (Trav) moved my new pencil tree to our bedroom.
Then…we had to have a talk with Homer about behaving and not taking oraments off the tree.
“Who, me?”
He looks innocent, but last year he had a real knack for #Homering nostalgic ornaments and family heirlooms. 😂
I was hoping we could trust him because for the month the skinny tree was in the sun room, he didn’t bother a single ornament. But…within an hour on Saturday, he’d already taken three ornaments off the living room tree. So, I moved most of the ornaments up higher (even though he can still probably reach some), and now our tree is decorated like it was in 2010-2012 or so when we had two toddlers!
On Friday, I also had the kids dress up, so I could take pics for our Christmas cards. I always think I will have my act together in the fall for family photos for our cards, but that never seems to happen.
The last time we had a fall family photo for our Christmas card was 2014…
This year, the kids were adamant we bring Homer again for the photo, so I decided to head back to where we had our 2014 family photos, the Henry Clay Estate. I knew we’d have space to walk around and would be able to keep our distance from people and enjoy the beautiful weather.
When I saw the bench, I knew I wanted to have the kids sit there again, but later noticed they put their hands in the same spots they did for the photo years ago.
This was a very how it started…
how it’s going…
moment! 😆
I will share our Christmas cards (and photos that made the cut) when they arrive. I always order from Shutterfly and take advantage of the Cyber Monday deal they always have.
And…to really keep the spirit alive, Red, our elf, arrived on Tuesday morning. My kids were panicking a bit because some of their friends’ elves arrived after Thanksgiving. I told mine that Red was probably still in quarantine before safely entering our home (just kidding!) Really, I reminded them at Red doesn’t show up until December first, at the earliest!
When we were talking about our elf’s return, Hadley did ask how long the elf will visit. I said, “Well, I guess as long as you believe.” She said, “Well, shouldn’t you always believe?” It was the sweetest and something I need to remember for the next 20+ days 😉
Upon Red’s arrival, he brought the book that we’ve had since 2012. We know he’s our elf because he has the book and a few years ago, he glued a cotton ball to his hat, and the residue has been there every since. Also, last year Red was #Homered, and his torn hat and bandaged hand proves that the right elf came back to our house from the North Pole.
I know these holidays are going to be different (and I’m tired of saying that!), but I’m thankful some traditions remain: decorating, Christmas tree picking, fussing at my kids for pictures, and the return of Red are only the beginning.
I hope your December is off to a great start! See you back here tomorrow for a hodge podge of Friday Favorites.
It’s Prime Purchases blog post day! I love this link up with Tanya because I always like to see what people have purchased over the past month! Today’s post is a two for one because I’m sharing what I purchased in November as well as sharing my TOP 5 Prime Purchases of 2020.
November Purchases:
Clothes:
I’ve had a couple of sweaters on my list to purchase once the weather turned colder. At the end of the month, I ordered these two sweaters, and I love them. They are both soft and cozy.
This one is “one size fits all,” and is a bit over-sized on me. (Apparently, at some point, it was $80…I can assure you I paid this cheaper price tag!)
Both are perfect to wear with leggings or jeans!
Kids:
Erika shared these practice baseballs that her sons use, so I picked them up for Hayden as a last minute birthday gift.
Speaking of birthdays, Hadley has asked me for blue light blocker glasses since the beginning of the school year. Since the kids are learning online right now, I thought they would be the perfect gift to go along with a couple other goodies I’d picked up for her for her birthday.
She’s always wanted to wear glasses, and they look so cute on her. I keep telling her that her day will come when she will actually need glasses, but I guess she’s felt left out since Hayden (and Trav and I) have glasses.
Since it was a 4 pack of glasses, I claimed one pair for myself!
Funny flashback story: For kindergarten registration, we had to get their vision checked. Neither kid needed glasses at the time, but Hadley had her sights set on glasses. Halfway through the exam, the technician turned to me and said, “I think she’s just making this up as she goes!” Needless to say, we had to start the exam over! 😂
Christmas:
I ordered this cable knit tree skirt for my new pencil tree. It’s perfect and fits the homey vibe I was going for with the tree.
Here it is on our tree…that Hadley has named Frosty! 😊
I’ve now moved the tree into our bedroom to make room for our bigger artificial tree.
I hardly decorated the sun room in years past, but we do hang out there so much more now that we switched out the furniture back in the spring. So, I ordered these pillow covers to go over my usual pillows that are out there. They are absolutely perfect, and there are a ton of cute options. I was so pleased with them when they arrived (and happy to not have to also get pillow inserts since I could use my current pillows!)
Here they are in the sun room…
Other:
Last year, I bought a “Clapper” at Walgreens for the sun room Christmas tree since it’s hard to get back behind the tree to plug it in every night. The kids each have a tree in their room, and I moved the pencil tree to our bedroom, so I looked on Amazon and found these plug ins…with one remote. From my bedroom, I can turn off each kid’s tree and my tree with the one remote! Genius.
Since both the kids, especially Hadley, like to fall asleep to the glow of their tree, this has been a life saver!
I love PB2 for my shakes…but it seems to be hard to find at Kroger these days. I found this two pack on Amazon, and they will last me quite some time!
Amazon 2020 Faves:
Tanya mentioned for December’s post, we could also share our fave Amazon finds of 2020.
Here mine are…in no particular order…
1.
This fleece waffle blanket is so perfect that I bought two of them for the chairs in our living room. They come in a variety of colors, but mine are this “slate blue” color.
2.
I’ve been raving about these Hanes sweatshirts since the spring. I have them in pink, black, and this blue color. You can’t beat the price at under $9!!
3.
I shared about this tank last month, and I still wear the black or glacier gray one under most sweatshirts or cardigans I wear. The tank is a perfect staple for your wardrobe.
4.
I heart this mug so much. It’s stainless steel and keeps my coffee warm. I have the aqua color, and use it almost daily. That being said, the only downside is that it doesn’t fit in my car cup holder, but I use it for my morning coffee while at home. I rarely use the lid unless I’m going somewhere and know I can manage not spilling it even while in my car.
I just love the fact that it keeps my coffee warm for quite some time while I’m at home.
5.
These slippers are EVERYTHING. I’ve worn these since the summer, and so far, they haven’t been #Homered. haha They keep my feet warm, I can wear them outside if needed, they are so soft. These are definitely a great gift idea!
I saw Shay share this graphic in her Instagram stories the other day, and it made me laugh.
I’m sure Amazon will continue to come in clutch for holiday shopping! I only purchased a few things yesterday for Cyber Monday on Amazon, but I know that it will continue to be a great resource for me during the holidays.
What have you been Priming lately? Don’t forget to check out the other posts in Tanya’s link up!
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