Wrapping The Month

I may post a time or two before the end of the year. But December has seen a lot of celebrating so I'm taking it kind of easy from here on out. Peace on earth. Love to you.

Christmas Music Sampler 2013

Lately

Wrapping The Week

We closed on the house (yay). I got pink eye followed by a massive head cold that won't go away (boo). Am feeling a little behind the curve in the new year but will catch up soon. I'm wrapping the week with some photos that sort of capture the season. Happy Weekend. Love to all.

Wrapping The Week

This week, my baby turned five. I contemplated this as she enjoyed a three hour play date with her little friend Sydney and I assembled two apple crumb pies for the freezer. All my best thinking is done while I'm cooking. Perhaps too often, I ask myself, "How did I get so lucky?" And then I start to experience some anxiety - thinking how fleeting it all is - how everything that makes me feel most secure, most happy in this world could be gone in an instant. Will be gone in an instant. Every relationship I have is a gift. And all I can do is love as fully as possible while I'm here. Nine Eleven really rocked me. But that was before I was married and had a child. Sandy Hook at Christmas time. The world spins. And so do I. Praying for peace, civility, common sense, and compassion - for all of us. I'm unplugging from this blog through the end of the year and meditating. Love to you and yours this season.

Gun 'Control' is Not Enough

In Defense of Children

Brady Center to End Gun Violence

Wrapping The Week

This morning I attended a Christmas festival at Audrey's preschool. Surrounded by four and five year old children, loving teachers, moms, dads, grandmas--all of us oblivious to the events unfolding in Connecticut.

My heart is breaking into a million pieces. We are all failing miserably. We must do better. I'm at a loss.

Much reflecting to be done this weekend about what meaningful action I can take. My tolerance level for anyone who puts protecting gun rights over protecting children is zero. Absolutely zero.

Love to the civilized. The rest of you. I just don't know anymore. I don't know.

Weekend Bits & Pieces

Friday we kicked off the birthday celebrations with her school party. Saturday, her craft party with five friends. Then her first sleepover. Um, and her official birthday is still nine days away. We put up the tree on Sunday, but that was sort of anti-climactic. We were all in bed by 8:30 p.m. on Sunday.

This afternoon she said, "Mommy, my heart is bumping because I love you so much." I can't get enough of this kid's awesome.

Weekend Bits & Pieces

This is a real "family edition" blog post. This was the annual "shopping weekend" with my mom, aunts, and cousins. The second generation (my cousins and I) has been going for probably the last 25 years. Our moms, probably the last 40-45 years. There have been snowstorms, pregnancies, and calamities small and large, but no matter. Around the first weekend of December we descend upon St. Louis for shopping, dining, and mostly laughs. The past several years, everyone has spent the night with me and my brother. This will be the last shopping trip headquartered from our little Magnolia house. I drove them by the new house and they gushed-so happy for us. After our Friday night ritualistic feed at Biggie's, I took them to Ted Drewes and then through Candy Cane Lane. It was another wonderful weekend. We sure missed Aunt Debbie, but are looking forward to seeing her at Christmas.

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER
(The bar at Red Lobster on the Rock Road. No kidding.)

Mollie's girls. I love all the aunt's hands in this picture.

Nephew Jacob played "Tex Glitter" in school's holiday music program. What a star!
(And isn't my brother handsome? Such a great dad.)

My sweet girl woke with a terrible fever. Secretly, I'm just glad this happened this morning and not later in the week. Her school birthday party is Friday and real birthday party is Saturday. 

Wrapping The Week

It is the annual shopping weekend with my aunts and cousins and I have my work cut out for me. Audrey informed me she wants a trumpet from Santa. Do I make that happen? She sure loved the saxophone she got in 2010 and I want to encourage the music thing, since she seems to have an interest. But a trumpet? Good Lord.

Here are some goodies from the week...

In love with wall murals like this one and this one. How can I incorporate in my life?

I could have used table setting this refresher last week.

Minty watch. Yum.

Tree topper to go with our simple Christmas theme.

We may have to treat the elves to some donuts.

I have to add these hand soaps to my shopping list. 

Sure to be one of my favorite Christmas songs this season is Heartless Bastards, "Blue Christmas".
And I always kick off the season by sharing this video below.

Homemade Ornaments

Full of ambition and optimism, I packed all of our Christmas stuff in the pod back in July. Then, when we couldn't find a house, we decided to wait to sell our house until 2013. So this year, we are having a very homemade holiday, and actually, I'm really looking forward to it. We are simplifying the entire season out of necessity. On Thanksgiving, the three of us made ornaments from tree branch slices that my dad made for us. It was a fun family activity and Audrey was very proud of her decorations. She bedazzled the heck out of them. I can't wait to have a real tree this year, strung with popcorn and yarn poms.

Halloween 2012

Halloween Recap

Audrey comes downstairs and instead of having her ladybug costume with her, has on only a pull-up and silver glitter shoes, and Lindsey is carrying a pink sparkle dress.

"Mommy, I don't want to be a ladybug. I changed my mind."
"What do you want to be?"
"I want to be a ROCKET STAR!"
"I think she means a rock star," says Lindsey.
I put a pink wig on her and she sits down at her drum set and starts playing.

So I put her in the dress, rainbow tights and the silver glitter shoes.
"The wig scratches. I don't want to wear it."
"You have to wear a wig or know one will know what you are supposed to be."
"But I'm Audrey." (Duh!)
I reason, "How about the rainbow wig?"
"Okaaay," she agrees to this and a red nose and we trick-or-treat as some sort of rocket star rainbow clown.

I love that she had her own idea about what she wanted to be tonight and am glad that I just let her roll with it and didn't get (too) control freaky about it. She told her joke, all St. Louis style, and was really only afraid at one house, with a zombie scarecrow on the porch. The neighbors at the end of the street had a DJ Lance Rock on the front lawn performing, which overwhelmed her a little, but as she drifted off to sleep she said, "Mommy, DJ Lance was my favorite."