Colorado Christmas

We made it, there and back again! We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with my family this year. We drove to Amarillo on Wednesday and stayed overnight before making our way to Colorado. A rare occasion in Colorado - no snow! Not only was there no snow for Christmas, but it was warmer in Denver than it was at home in Louisiana.

After a fantastic time with the family, we headed back on Monday evening, driving straight through. I drove the first hour, and Kelly... well, he drove the next 15. It was tough, but I made it!! I must admit, my husband is some sort of driving superhero! 

Christmas Eve

Opening their new jammies before bed - a Christmas Eve tradition!

Cousins! (minus Samantha, she was already in bed!)

Lydia & Samantha on Christmas Morning

No snow = family walks to the park!

Gramma, Claire & Nolan at Noodles and Co.

Now that we're home, I'm in the midst of the annual post-Christmas purge. Cleaning out, organizing, scrubbing down and rearranging is in order! After several years of excitement, change and moving, we are looking forward to settling in, making our home, well, ours, and just... breathing. Happy New Year!

christmas in the rockies

This is where we're headed tomorrow! We were hoping for snow, but it sounds like we may miss it this year! Kelly isn't sad that he won't be driving in it, but the kids and I were hoping to be able to build a snowman or two. Either way, we'll be with my mom, sister, niece and nephew for the holiday. I am giddy just thinking about it. We'll spend about 10 hours in the car tomorrow and 8 more on Thursday. Now to start packing...

Merry Christmas!!

Lights, Camera, Christmas!

The school Christmas program was yesterday, and I just realized that it was the first that they've ever been in! Our kids have attended some wonderful schools, but I truly believe that NSU Elementary Lab is the best we've experienced. (Okay, so I'm a little biased, being the school secretary and all, but I felt that way before I worked there. My being there every day just increases that belief!) The kids worked so hard on their songs and parts, it was such a treat for everyone! As a part of Northwestern State University, we have the privilege to perform in the Fine Arts Center. It was packed!

Nolan's 2nd grade class (He's behind the mic stand!)

Singing "Must Be Santa" - it's been stuck in my head for the last 2 weeks!

'Up on the Housetop'

(Oh, that haircut!)

 Even mom had a little part! Check me out, an A+!

Ah, take in the drama!

Claire's 4th grade class performed 'Silent Night' in sign language.

Many tears were shed! (Not just me, I promise!)

Action shot: Claire and Hunter swing dance to Jingle Bell Rock! They got moves!

It was all so fantastic, and well... a little exhausting. But now it's Christmas Break and we're settling into relaxation mode. Truly the most wonderful time of the year!

puppy love

swap it!

I love a good cookie exchange! I have attended several fabulous cookie swaps over the years and have always wanted to host one myself. Claire & I thought it would be fun to host a 'Mother & Daughter' Cookie Exchange this year! We invited 8 moms & girls to bake and share 8 dozen of their choice of special cookies yesterday. Claire and I baked up peanut butter cookies (complete with chocolate chunks!) while friends shared Coconut Macaroons, Sugar Cookies, Brownies, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Sandwiches and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut. We had more than enough to share with neighbors. I think it may just become a yearly tradition!

8 Cute Cookie Bakers!!

Christmas Festival 2010

I've mentioned the Christmas Festival a few other times, we had a blast again this year! The kids and I walked in the Junior Parade with the E-Lab Running Club (Rumor it was 5 miles! I didn't measure, but we walked and walked and walked and... you get the idea!).

Nolan and his buddies waiting for the parade to start

E-Lab Running Club!

The new feature this year was sledding! Okay, so they slid down a hill on boxes, but it's the closest to sledding we're going to get! It was a beautiful day spent with friends, eating great food, watching the Main Parade and enjoying the kickoff to the Christmas Season. It was a great time. And the fireworks this year were the best we've seen!

Sledding... I mean Sliding!

Waiting for the fireworks to start!

Merry Christmas!!

christmas card fail

I staged an impromptu photo shoot this afternoon.It may or may not have involved a little of the following:

 "Here put this on! No, not that shirt, this one! now smile! where is the dog? smile! no, not like that!"

I did manage to get a few for the photo card, genuine smiles and all, but here are some that didn't quite make the cut...

The fact that I took photos and ordered cards all in one night, is a Christmas miracle in & of itself!

Now, just to gather my addresses...

lucky gal

We hosted family for Thanksgiving this year, as we've happily done for three years running. Kelly's Aunt Pam, Uncle Roy and Nana were with us through the weekend. We ate, visited, took the kids to a movie, ate some more, enjoyed the fireworks, climbed trees, climbed on the roof (!), relaxed and had a great time all around. Uncle Roy, being the handy guy that he is, gave us the early Christmas present of free labor! Thanks to Roy, Daisy now has a doggie door, we have gutters on the back of the house and a pull out kitchen garbage drawer (you know, the awesome kind that looks like the rest of the cabinets?!). I am a very lucky gal!

Uncle Roy!

 Sky high!

'Boy in Tree'

Last weekend we caved and bought a... fake faux Christmas tree. We've always always had a real tree, until we moved to Louisiana, that is. Since we've been here we haven't had the room or desire to put up a full-sized tree. After a trip (or two) to Home Depot, we came home with a beaut. She's up and dressed!

 I made book-page garland. Through The Looking Glass and Swiss Family Robinson.

The tree may not be real, but I added some greenery from the backyard. Texture, dimension, blah, blah, blah.

We head back to school tomorrow for a short week (yay!) and look forward to the Christmas Festival next weekend (watch Steel Magnolias if you're not familiar). It's party/cookie/baking/shopping/wrapping/travel season - and I couldn't be more thrilled! Happy Holidays, people!

giving thanks

i am blessed. beyond even the tiniest scope of measure. here are just a few of the things i'm most thankful for:

a family in perfect health

coconut cream coffee creamer

a pool in our backyard

a few fantastic friends

a house that is truly a home

the spann van

daisy mae (even if she barks like a mad-dog)

a job that i love

my jesus

peppermint ice cream

our guest room

my sewing machine

my amazing husband

san luis mexican restaurant

my extended (and far-away) family

that kelly loves his job

christmas decorations

magazine subscriptions

a god that rules the universe & loves me more than i can imagine

and that's just the tip of the thanksgiving iceberg.

new (old)

Since we moved in February, I have been picturing... dreaming... fantasizing about making changes. Changes to our living room, kitchen, bedroom - okay, like everything. I've made a few teeny, tiny changes here and there, but nothing too noticeable.

This week, the changes get bigger. New pillows, curtains, art (well, the DIY crafty kind), decor, oh - and TV (which changes EVERYTHING). Some things are old and are just being repainted, repurposed or recycled to have a new purpose.

Is it silly that these changes bring me such joy? Yes, I'm sure it is. But isn't it amazing that these small differences change the way I feel about my house, myself? Silly? Yes. Wonderful? Yes sir!

adventures in fall

Last weekend, Claire and I headed to Shreveport for her last softball tournament of the year. I knew it was going to be chilly, but had no idea that it would be downright freezing! It was a long day, as the girls played 6 (count 'em - SIX!) games! It was too cold to come out from under the blanket to shoot too many pictures, but I did manage to capture this moment...

This pretty much sums it all up, I think. I was proud of the girls, who hung in there, even when our last game started at 9:15 pm.

On Friday, our Running Club took seventy 2nd - 5th graders across campus to the Middle Lab School to run in a 1 Mile & 5K race. Nolan and I ran the 1 mile, (which ended up being closer to 2 miles due to a slight error in the route markings - argh! kill me now!) and Claire ran in the 5K. She took 2nd place in her age division! It was another cold, cold morning, and another reason to be proud!

Our adventures over the past few days have also taken us to Alexandria, Chuck E Cheese, Shreveport, Olive Garden, and Christmas Tree shopping! The kids are at a 2-day basketball camp while Kelly & I clean, paint, volunteer, cook, shop and relax! It's going to be a great week!

playoffs

As I type, Kelly is coaching the NCHS Chiefs in their first 5A Football Playoff game in over 10 years. They are 5 hours away, playing the #3 team in the state. I'm listening to the play-by-play in our bedroom. We're down thus far, but not out. No matter the outcome, it's been a fantastic season and am thrilled with the team's success this year. GO CHIEFS!

bliss

What is 'bliss' these days?

Sleeping until 9am after my husband's team wins to make the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.

Making a quick trip to Goodwill and find a few treasures.

Crafting - making a Book Page Wreath, to be exact.

Baking an autumn batch of snickerdoodles while my husband naps and the kids play Legos, quietly.

Assembling ingredients for chili on a chilly evening.

Plans to hunker down with the family to watch a movie before getting up for church in the morning.

In other words: A Saturday without any commitments. Next weekend brings another football game and an all-weekend girl's softball tournament. Today... we rest.

i won, i won!!

So, I've shared the fact that I love a good blog. Really, I do. I have a list of favorites that I peruse on a regular basis. One that I've come to know and love is Jones Design Company. Emily is an extremely talented designer - of stationary, family & home. Her blog is a generous one, she features simple tutorials like this gorgeous little flower pin that I made.

She features a monthly giveaway that is not one item, but a collection of new & vintage items that are absolutely perfect for each season. You won't believe this, but I WON the November giveaway! Can you believe it? Take a look at my loot:

Pure gorgeousness, no? Thank you, Emily, for the giveaway, but even more so for the daily dose of inspiration I receive each day! xo



sore

I woke up sore this morning. But it's a good sore, you know... a "I ran a 5K yesterday and am pretty dern proud of myself" kind of sore. That's right, I actually participated in an event where I had to pay to run 3.1 miles along with a bunch of other people. Claire (being a veteran with 5 races under her belt, 3 of them 5Ks) and I ran together. She beat me, of course, but only by a little because she was sickly. What a trooper!

Did I love it and want to do it again? Kind of. It was a very weird feeling. Watch out Running World... here I come!

backyard photo shoot

We dressed up this past weekend to attend a local church's "Trunk or Treat". Claire dressed as a French Artist and Nolan made his daddy proud as a Texas Ranger. We couldn't go before having a little backyard photo shoot, of course...