Winter Wonderland

blizzard.
white blanket.





bundling up.
snowman.
cold noses.





fireplace.
hot drinks.







calm.

Holiday Traditions

I confess that once at year I listen to Amy Grant. There you have it. I really like her Christmas Album, so every year when we bust out "Tennessee Christmas" and "Breath of Heaven" as we deck the halls.

We also drink Southern Comfort vanilla egg nog- it is non alchoholic and the most decadent egg nog we have ever tasted. I usually cook some comfort food for dinner, bake and we also purchase Red, Green & White mint M & M's for our candy jar centerpiece.

This also kicks off our "Old Movie" run. Chris and I rent or watch on Turner Classic old holiday favorites and then usually once a week for the rest of winter we watch old black and whites. Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant- all those great classic movies that are perfect on a snowy wintery night.

It is also the time of year we get our espresso maker out of storage and Chris starts to whip up special lattes to order- peppermint, mocha, egg nog. We usually host a get together with drinks and write our menu options on the chalkboard and Chris plays barista while our friends hang out to talk, play games and be with each other.

I so appreciate seasons. It is fun having things packed away that only come out once a year. It's fun having holiday traditions and things to look forward to. Christmas time is beautiful- the lights, decor, uplifting music.

Uncle Aj's Gift

My brother in law is one of those great single guys without kids that all children like to be around. He worked in years as a juvenile corrections officer, so gives the appearance of a tough guy. (trust me, he has taken down plenty of kids in his line of work and you wouldn't want to mess with him) However, he is one of the most tender hearted guys you would ever want to meet.

Aj loves his nieces and nephews and goes over the top with gifts. One gift is a potty seat that sings. Chris put batteries in last week and it has been the highlight around here. I haven't been this intense potty trainer at all, but Liliana goes through waves where she wants to sit on her potty seat and read books. So, this past week was one of the waves. She didn't know that Daddy put batteries in and what would happen. Sheer joy. Who knew a song could making peeing so fun! Liliana was so excited when it happened that I had to spend the next 45 min sitting on the bathroom floor reading books because she didn't want to get up. She was waiting for more pee so she could hear the song again.



I'm so thankful AJ went over the top with this potty chair. To be honest I would have bought the cheapest one and thought- It's just a toilet seat. But I have to say, it has been worth it to see the excitement on her face. So fun.

Thanksgiving

We had a FUN Thanksgiving. One thing I love is to cook with my husband. Chris is great at creating spices for meats (and he is an excellent barista, but that is a subject for another day). It was fun watching him create some rubs for the turkey and stuff our bird with all sorts of citrus, spices and such. We wanted to make sure we had plenty of food, so we ended up borrowing our neighbor's oven to cook up another turkey breast so that no one would go hungry.

Besides the food, I like Thanksgiving for the relationships. Most people are off that day, so we were able to make phone calls to family and friends we haven't talked to in awhile, which was nice. We ended up having a bunch of people from church cram into our apartment. I like seeing the dishes other people create and trying people's cooking. Thanksgiving is obviously a great holiday for that.

And of course Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful. Liliana took an extra long nap on Thursday and both Chris and I were able to spend a chunk of time journaling and just reflecting on all we have to be thankful for in life. It is a habit I practice regularly because it helps me keep good perspective in life, but it's nice that a holiday is dedicated to giving Thanks as well.

9 years and counting

today marks 9 years of being married to chris. we've had some amazing 9 years of life.

some friends stayed with liliana last night so we could celebrate. chris found a great b-n-b for us to go to and had all these sweet things prepared.

- i got in the car and he had a mix he made on the ipod for our drive with love songs and other songs he knows i like.

- when we got there he had treats in the car that he brought in with us- my favorite chocolate, a special microbrew cherry beer we tried months ago that i liked (i know it sounds gross, but it is actually quite delicious), and other food treats i like

-he also made me a home made anniversary card that was on my bedside when i woke up. that is one of my favorite things about chris is his home made cards. he started that our first year of marriage for b-days, valentines day and anniversaries and they are the best. some are with graphics on the computer, some are cut of of construction paper, some have pictures glued to make a collage. i keep them all and they are such an expression of chris' simple love for me.

so thankful for my life with chris and the years to follow....

Iron Chef Madison

This weekend we hosted Iron Chef Madison. It was great! We had 2 of our neighbors compete against each other and the secret ingredient was PASTA. Chris & I were judges, along with another neighbor Cassie. Each chef made 2 dishes for us to judge and we were so impressed with their creativity. The food was DELICIOUS!

Joe won with his Spinach & Artichoke Ravioli and Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup with Green Tea/5 Spice blend. Amazing!

How To Host A Murder

Last weekend we hosted a murder mystery party. We all dressed up as characters from the 1930's from England. Little did we know that same week "The Office" would feature a murder mystery. Nice to know we keep up with prime time tv!