a rustic texas christmas

Here it is, the Christmas post.

I have few words to say really...except that it was quite possibly the most perfect thing our little family could have done for Christmas this year.

We cut down a tree

did a little of thisand a little of thatwith a lot of up and down on thistreasured moments like these

and spent a little more time here

It was our own little slice of heaven.

Should you find yourself driving through Texas on Christmas Eve...

keep an eye out for these. (This would have been so much better if it had been one of those trucks I see with horns on the front. Still, the kids were filled with excitement at spying the big guy himself until the excitement turned frantic at the thought of Santa getting to the cabin before we did. We assured them that we had plenty of time since Santa still had to get the blue bullet home and the sleigh packed up.)

off we go...

A bout with the flu yesterday threatened to ruin our plans for a Rustic Texas Christmas, but things are looking up today. We've got Christmas all packed up and are just about ready to go.

3 days with nothing but the trees, the local animals, the dirt, the hot tub, and my little family in the middle of nowhere- I can't wait!

Enjoy your Christmas, wherever you are.

(And thanks for the wonderful idea, Kristin!)

a little story

the beginning

the middle

the end

curtains

So here's how it goes. For the last several years we've never stayed anywhere long enough to really warrant the time, effort, and money that curtains sometimes require.

The last place we hung curtains was in Wymount at BYU. That was 5 or 6 moves ago.

When we moved here, curtains were one of the first things to do. I got three and a half rooms done before moving onto higher ranking priorities. While she was here, Mom finished two more rooms for me. Bless you, mother.

These are my favorite. I like to just stare at them...probably too much. After all, they're just curtains. I love them though. For me they do more than complete the room.

They remind me we're sticking around.

ice skating with Grandma

To our good forture, we were in the middle of a cold front on this particular weekend in early December, so it really was cold enough to pretend like we were somewhere they don't have to make their own ice.

Darn photobucket...here's a glimpse of the fun minus the slideshow.

because just one just wouldn't do

Thanks, Mom.

Can't.

Get.

Enough.

and then she was gone

Thanksgiving feasting

Black Friday shopping

Christmas tree trimming

chocolate fondue-ing

sewing and sewing

caramel corn making

The thought did cross my mind to get on southwest.com early Thursday morning and cancel her flight so she couldn't leave.

But we have to share, so we let Grandma go to continue gallivanting around the country bringing happiness and joy to adoring children.... she's sort of like our family's Santa Claus.

Until it's our turn again...

projecting

I can't blog right now.

Mom's here, and we're projecting.

Not pro-JECT-ing, PROJECT-ing.

I've had lots of projects to finish since we moved in that are just a lot more fun to do with someone else (especially when that someone else is an accomplished seamstress). Right now we're finishing curtains. I ran out of steam on the curtains about 3 months ago.

So, until I have more time to blog about all the fun and joy that comes with December and with Grandma being here, I'll just show off my irresistible Liddy, in her new Christmas dress (courtesy of Grandma, of course).

the project that never ends

I came across these pictures a few days ago, and I just couldn't resist.

I love how little and adorable my boys look.

I love the piles and piles of leaves.

I love the memories of our days at Wymount.

I had some spare time last week so I bravely revisited my quest to scrapbook (Wikipedia uses it as a verb, so I can use it as a verb) the lives of my kids and my family.

With the addition of these pictures, our family scrapbook is now up to November 2004.

Considering I've done a year and a half of Garrett's book and haven't even started on the other two, I'm over 16 years behind, cumulatively.

That's just downright depressing.

It's not that I don't like to scrapbook. I really quite enjoy it, especially when I've got a good Jane Austin flick playing that I can half listen to while I'm in my zone. I've tried a myriad of methods and I've got my system down, now I just need a good year with nothing else to do...at all.

overloaded

A week with sick kids followed by a week with sick parents (although mine was really just a mean, mean allergy attack) and we end up like this:

Somewhere under there is our bed. It's got to be at least 10 super capacity loads. Would you believe I did not fold one piece of it? Not one.

Matt did though. All of it- while I was out with some 25 girls from my ward seeing Twilight. Which is sort of funny, because I've never read it, nor did I really even know what it was until, uh...Friday night.

What? I've been out of the country, remember?

Of course I want them to think I'm cool and all (and I clearly need some tutoring in pop culture) so I went along and stared at them like they were nuts as they laughed at...well, I'm still not sure what was funny about the movie, but whatever, it was a lot of fun. Dinner was a lot of fun. They're a lot of fun.

Oh wait, this was about Matt...

Seriously, though. Isn't he great? What a guy. So good to me. Love ya, babe!

seriously, what WAS I thinking?

After 2 weeks of Matt being out of town and 4 days< with 3 kids vomiting, I think the sleep deprivation might be clouding my judgement just a little.

On our way up to bed tonight, I had the kids help me carry various items up the stairs to be put away.

I handed my 2 year-old a tube of lipstick and 2 tubes of lipgloss and asked her to go put them in my bathroom drawer.

Fabulous idea.

Matt's home, our collective health is restored, and the house is almost sanitized. I think after I throw in the gazillionth load of laundry and start some cinnamon rolls for tomorrow morning ('cuz something's got to get us up for 8 am church), I'll go to bed.

*For those of you using your google reader- HOLY SMOKES, is the text for this post as ginormous in your reader as it is in mine? I edited the HTML, but it's still larger than life. It's not really that big on my actual blog. Surely this post doesn't warrent such exciting text, but oh well. Maybe it will go away.

**Lest you feel sorry for me- Matt was home on the weekend between the 2 weeks, a maximum of only 2 kids were throwing up on any 1 of the 4 given days, and I really do like 8 am chuch...except for the getting up part.

well, what do you know

Our Halloween rocked.

Instead of snuggling up sipping spiced apple cider we made Pumpkin Smoothies, which no one really liked but hey, we're trying to make the most of it.

We decided to carve a (as in one and only one) pumpkin at 4:30 this afternoon for the first time in three years. See, we're making progress.

Our last minute (as in 5 minutes prior to the party) costumes won the awards for funniest, most creative and 1st place at our neighborhood Halloween party.

(can you read his sign? He's Joe the Plumber and I'm Sarah Palin. But you knew that, right? Please?)

I could have never gotten away with that one in Jersey...

And the kids had a great time on the neighborhood trick or treating trailer ride. When we got home from trick or treating, I told the kids to each pick their 10 favorite pieces of candy, and then threw the rest back into our bucket to give away. To my surprise, they totally went for it, all excited about choosing their favorite 10. Well, huh. We are so doing that every year.

And no one will ever know that Lydia's wearing last year's costume, right? She really wanted to be a monkey (because ever since Brazil, that's her favorite animal) but Carter's super cute monkey costume that Erin made was way too big. Then I thought it would be cute for her to be super girl to go with the boys, but I was too late to buy it and not ambitious enough to make it. She didn't seem to mind being a fairy again, since she got to wear glittery make up.

Happy Halloween!

A Houston Halloween

Halloween is a fall holiday right?

Evidently here in Texas, we just pretend it's fall. People around here look at me like I'm crazy when I complain about it not feeling like fall so I'm really trying to be positive and appreciate Houston for all it's own inner beauty. But something's just not right about it being in the 80s on Halloween.

We have had some really fantastic cooler, less humid days lately. I even wore a sweater twice this week, until I got too hot in the afternoon.

I know, I know. We're going to be here for a while. Get over it. Fine, I will. But I totally may spray paint the leaves on our trees this weekend.

A little Time Out

I adore my husband.

I'm in love with my kids.

And I also really enjoy my occasional weekends away from them.

Matt has quickly caught on to what a little time away with the girls does for me as a wife and mom and readily encourages these now annual trips to relax, recharge and refocus.

This year it was a trip to Philly to go to this:

It was a perfect weekend. Of course we squeezed in a little New York time, but the highlight was going to the conference with my dear Jersey friends who always have a way of inspiring and uplifting me. I even ran into my cute friend Jessica (who lived in Redlands once upon a time and now lives in PA) unexpectedly at the conference. It was so fun to see you, Jess! The only thing that could have made the weekend more perfect would have been to have Matt and the kids there with me. I loved being back in New Jersey. I loved the cool weather and the fall colors. Most of all I loved going to back to church in East Brunswick. After a year and a half, it still felt like I never left. There's something pretty special about that ward (that really feels life family) that I can't quite let go of. If it hadn't been for Matt and the kids back in Texas, I might not have ever left.

Then again, had Matt and the kids come with me, it would have defeated the whole purpose of the girls weekend. And it really was all just what I needed. I left here one Thursday night a few weeks ago, feeling like I was running somewhat on empty. While the last year has been incredibly enriching, exciting and adventurous for our family, it's also been extremely draining on me.

I came home at peace and empowered in my own little ways to face my own challenges.

I started reading on the flight home:

Good thing I was in a window seat and could somewhat curl up in my little corner as the tears poured down my face onto my dry roasted peanuts. It seemed to just sum up the message I felt from my Heavenly Father throughout the weekend.

And have you read this little book?

I read it on a monthly basis.