The Week After Thanksgiving

I love the week after Thanksgiving. I've never given much thought to it, but I realize now that it's a blessedly quite week before the Christmas festivities begin. To ponder all the reasons I am thankful...

• I'm thankful for my family. For a hard working and kind husband, for the health of my children. For the ability to make memories as a family of four. 

• I'm thankful for several opportunity to bless others and be blessed in return. Cheesy? Perhaps.

• I'm thankful for a long and luscious fall this season. We had glorious colors that lasted for weeks! Typically, fall last for only a short window of time due to droughts, but this year we had more rain than ever!

• I'm thankful for our cozy home that has been decked out for Christmas since mid-November. What can I say? The twinkle lights just make me smile.

• I'm thankful for a little Black Friday fun and traditions: Cracker Barrel for breakfast and an afternoon of shopping. We let the girls pick out new clothes and they had a blast!

And most of all, I am forever grateful for the grace of our Lord and Savior...the very reason this time of year is extra special. To celebrate not only His birth, but the REASON He came. <3

My Little Unicorns

We found a couple of unicorns on our front porch yesterday! We decided to keep them. *wink*

😍

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day 2017

"For it is in the giving that we receive." ~ Francis of Assisi 

My favorite thing in the whole wide world: buying my girls Christmas dresses. Truly, it just makes my heart pitter patter. And then when I see them wearing said dresses, it just makes my heart skip a beat. I love being a momma. A girl momma is the most fun, I believe. So, on Christmas Eve I snapped this picture to remember the red frilly dresses with a gold crown. Celebrating the Prince of Peace right down to their Christmas dresses.

Christmas Eve has always been the big family dinner night on my side of the family. Every year, my entire life, we gathered around for food and presents. This was the first year without Mimmie so it was very sad. And my papaw is very sick, but he came. And I should back up....the day before, I had my hair trimmed and dyed. I had wanted bangs, but forgot to ask the hairdresser until he had already styled my ahir. When I got to my parents, my mom had the idea to ask papaw to cut my bangs. He's a barber...has been for 40+ years. And so he did. Snip snip.

The night before....the excitement was high! It may have taken over an hour to get a certain 3 year old to settle down enough to sleep. Hmm...wonder who that could be?

This is what they saw on Christmas morning! I had hunted for months for that dollhouse. It's discontinued, but I finally found one. It came with all the pieces!

"Christmas is the day that holds all time together." ~Alexander Smith

Their favorite gift was from daddy---a PJ masks car! They are obsessed.

We ended the morning with cinnamon & orange rolls, a tradition.

It was such a wonderful Christmas in every way. So happy. :)

"For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself." ~Charles Dickens

After all that excitement, mommy and daddy needed coffee. Of course. ;)

"It's true, Christmas can feel like a lot of work, particularly for mothers. But when you look back on all the Christmases in your life, you'll find you've created family traditions and lasting memories. Those memories, good and bad, are really what help to keep a family together over the long haul." ~Caroline Kennedy

A Special Visitor

Oliver the Elf arrived last week! He showed up with a box of surprises. Inside were new Christmas nightgowns, and a special movie!

It was a fun night. I love watching the girls get excited over all the Christmas things this season! Also, there is no such thing as too many Christmas pajamas. Am I right?  ;)

Christmas Ornaments

The girls worked on coloring their Christmas ornaments that we bought last week. I think Ella was more excited about getting to hold markers than anything. ;-)

Evie Grace takes her coloring, crafts and any artwork she does very seriously. I love watching her imagination come to life!

I know I'm biased, but I think they are the most precious ornaments. I know I will treasure them for years to come. And these memories. I want to bottle up every second of this season...

Christmas M&M Cookies!

Our church hosted a Festival of Nativity night, and it was so much fun! A first for us, actually. They also had a chili and dessert dinner. I took one of my favorite cookies--pudding cookies--and added Christmas M&M's...because red and green M&M's makes everything taste better, right?

Christmas M&M Cookies (a.k.a Pudding Cookies)

1 Cup Butter, softened
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup White Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 Eggs
1 3.4 oz Pkg. Instant Vanilla Pudding
1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt
2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/2 Cups M&M's

In a bowl, beat together butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs until creamy. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until the dough becomes soft and well incorporated.

Roll into balls by the tablespoon. Be sure to spray your pan with Pam! Then bake for 10-11 minutes at 375. Let them stand for at least one minute before moving onto a plate or cookie sheet.

Enjoy!

A Happy Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Lots of pie was had. Lots of visiting with family.

We hosted Thanksgiving Eve at our house this year for Josh's side of the family. Then on Thanksgiving day we headed to my folks house for dinner there.

We watched the Macy's parade, did quite a bit of shopping, and Josh decked the outside of our house for Christmas! The kids went wild over the lights!! It made me want to be a kid again...

So, today, back to salads and walking outside. Happy little routines!

One Year

It's been a year since we bought our home. One year of making memories and loving our "new" place.

Last year, I couldn't wait to spend fall here. Our trees are deep reds of orange and yellow. Our backyard, for two weeks, was a goldmine of crunchy leaves. The girls LOVED it! I knew they would. It's a wonderful backyard for little ones. I'm so thankful.

Today, I'm working on Thanksgiving dinner for Josh's side of the family. I'm making a Butter Roast, Homemade Noodles with broth (made the noodles weeks ago!), Hashbrown Casserole, and his mom is bringing salad and her Christmas cookies. Yum! Also, I need to walk a lot this weekend. ;)

For Thanksgiving day, I'll be making Watergate Salad and a Pumpkin Pie for my side of the family. Good food and good memories!

And Black Friday we have fun traditions that we always enjoy...and yes we like to get out and shop...but, just for fun. I love the music, the decorations and all the bustle.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

PS. My house is decorated for Christmas!!!! Pictures coming soon. ~The Crazy Christmas Gal

I Love Extra Long Weekends

Hot Springs has been our day trip destination for years. No matter how many times we visit, we always enjoy the shops, the architecture, and all the history that is there. It's also home to one of our favorite Ice Cream shops, Kilwin's! This time, I had Chocolate Peanut Butter. It was pretty much a Peanut Butter Lover's dream...

We also stopped at the Christmas Shoppe this year! I don't think it has ever been opened when we were there, so it was a treat. The store is very small, but every square inch is covered in all things, well, CHRISTMAS!!!!

Daddy and his girls:

By the time we had circled the downtown area, we were worn out. It was very humid, and well, toddlers have a way of making you extra tired. ;) So we stopped at our favorite coffee shops, except this time, I ordered an iced fruity tea. It was so good!

And now, I'm ready for  quiet day at home in my jammies, and catching up on housework. Hope you had a great weekend!

Our Home at Summer

I've been decorating here and there for summer, mainly the 4th of July. These check slipcovers are from Ikea (went shopping last weekend!). I really love that they add a bit of a country touch to the couch. I guess they aren't necessarily a "summer" accessory, ha.

I picked up this candle a few weeks ago. "Stony Cove" by Yankee. It smells a little bit like summer and the ocean. Perfect. :)

Added a mini flag to this flower arrangement. It used to be in my laundry room, but now I keep it in the kitchen. For now. ;)

I put this birthday card (it was Evie's) in our kitchen, because I thought the illustrations were adorable!

These little lanterns came from the Target dollar spot. The kids however have claimed them as their toys. It's a battle to keep them on the table. :P

We are excited about the extra long weekend ahead, and celebrating the 4th of July next week! Happy Friday. :)

A Belated Valentine Tea

My grandma's funeral was on Valentine's Day. Fitting, because she always sent us Valentine cards in the mail. Every year. So, I decided to have a belated Valentine tea party for the girls. I had a few tea & valentine themed books that I set up, along with the banner I had bought to hang up. I filled their tea cups with marshmallows and sprinkled them all around. I had also bought them Valentine jammies last month, and they've been wearing them this month.

They were all about the marshmallows. ;)

After Evie had finished eating hers, she decided to help sister finish her teacup off. ;) I love their little bond. Sweet, sweet sisters.

Our Christmas Home 2016

This year, it took me two weeks to decorate the tree. Mainly because we are still unpacking. Ha! And as you can see, little hands helped re-decorate it. ;) My favorite addition were the gold glittered phrases on the tree. A crown and "Lord of All" with red berry sticks served as our topper! I love it.

I found that set of matching stockings at my neighbors yard sale. That matched my pillows perfectly. And I think they make our entertainment stand look festive!

My mom decorated a Minnie mouse tree for the girls. We left it in the dining room, and I might just love it more than they do. ;)

Merry Christmas!!