December Wrap-Up

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season! Our seasonal festivities have come to an end and we are looking to get back to our regular routine in the upcoming week. I know I've been on a little hiatus from blogging for a little while, but I'm ready to jump back in and keep this thing rolling! It's been months since I last posted so I'd like to catch up a little before moving forward.

I feel like these past couple of months have been lived in fast-forward. There has been a whirlwind since about Thanksgiving. We celebrated Thanksgiving with friends in Birmingham before going home for the holiday. Kelsey cooked the turkey and the rest of us sparked our culinary skills to create quite the spread.

We went home to Luverne for a few days during Thanksgiving and spent some much-needed time with our families! After returning to Birmingham I prepared for the last couple of weeks of the semester and final exams. And then, of course, the Christmas festivities began. Our community group had our final get together of the year where we swapped gifts by playing Dirty Santa. We opted for getting good, creative gifts instead of funny/cheesy ones, so everyone left with something nice. Four of us with Steel City Pops gift cards - the ultimate Christmas gift!

In celebration of the end of my school semester we got together with Mike and Kelsey to watch one of her favorite Christmas classics: White Christmas. This was the first time Jesse and I had watched it, and I loved it! The night was complete with hot cocoa and cookies.  :)

We went home for Christmas with my side of the family for the weekend where my mom had prepared a delicious brunch full of all the dishes we crave for this annual gathering! We had a great day catching up with my sister and her family and exchanging gifts. Tara gave us the most unique present we received - a photo-collage puzzle of our summer vacation from Shutterfly! Such a neat gift!

A little more back and forth brought Christmas with Jesse's side of the family. We had the annual Christmas Eve seven-fish dinner with his parents, brother, and sister-in-law. Then woke up Christmas morning to exchange gifts and eat a yummy fondue lunch. We then spent Christmas evening with all of my mom's side of the family for dinner and our second round of Dirty Santa. The women do a nice job with gifts here, but you never know what will come out of the men's side of the tree. Last year Jesse came home with kindling wood; this year there was a pooping-snowman.

For the day after Christmas, Marilyn had planned for us to go to the Fantasy of Lights at Callaway Gardens. We arrived a little early and had time to admire the Butterfly Conservatory. Next, we took a walk through Christmas Village, grabbed some kettle corn, then lined up for the drive through the light show. Although we were a car full of adults, there is something warm and sentimental about Christmas lights.

 Sometime in the midst of all this, Jesse and I exchanged our gifts to each other. He can be difficult to buy for and surprise, but I got him this year with an unexpected suitcase and finally framed some street art we got last year in NYC.  He got me a few things I'd asked for and a couple of surprises as well. My little organized heart did a flutter when I opened the label maker.

More blogging coming soon in 2015!!!

Christmas Round-Up

A quick review from some of my favorite (captured) moments this Christmas season.  Thankfully Jesse had the week off for Christmas too, so we went to Luverne to start the Christmas rounds. It was a busy time, going from house to house to visit different parts of our families, but I love spending time with everyone. It doesn't happen that often.

I got coal for Christmas!! And Jesse's stocking for packed full. :( 

Not really.  Jesse and I only did stockings this year, which was fun to see what little goodies we would pull out next.

Moseley Christmas

SO glad we got to see ALL of these faces, especially Ethan and Amy from California.

Yay, my parents got new towels for Christmas! :)

Hatcher Christmas. There were lots of surprises and a little danger...

...and cuteness. Just look at that face!

Wilson Christmas

Budraitis Christmas
(I promise Matt was there, just behind the camera!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

A thrill of Hope

It's the time of year that we can get wrapped up in gift-giving and receiving, and cooking and cleaning for family to get together. But none of that has to do with the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas began in the middle of the night thousands of years ago when an amazing thing happened. A simple, normal woman gave birth to a baby boy, that was the most special baby boy there could ever be - Jesus- a Savior for all. He would walk this earth for only a short time before he became the ultimate sacrifice to save each of us from our ugly sin. That's why I love this song. No matter where I am, I love to stop and listen to these beautiful words, and take in the emphasis of each word as I try to imagine what that night was like.

O Holy Night

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;

It is the night of the dear Savoir's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of HOPE, the weary soul rejoices,

for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall.... on your knees,

Oh hear the angel voices!

O night...

DIVINE...

O night, when Christ was born!

O night!

O holy night,

O night divine!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...  I just realized I could truthfully say that this year. Jesse and I finally both have stockings, and we have a chimney!

I decorated the mantel with Christmas trimmings, instead of a tree again this year. We decided that there's not much room for a tree, and we aren't even there for Christmas anyway, so a tree is not necessary.  Well, really... Jesse has talked me out of a tree for two years in a row for those reasons. I relent at the beginning, but then see his logic and agree. So I made the most of decorating the mantel, reusing a lot of last years decor.

The frame (thrift store), you remember from the fall mantel; the large snowflake and the tinsel were from Christmas 2 years ago in Auburn (when we had a tree); the garland was from last year ("borrowed" from my mother-in-law); I found the stocking hangers this year at Goodwill (they were from Target; I has almost purchased them last year but Jesse had no stocking); Jesse's stocking came from Target this year (a Christmas miracle he found one he liked... I didn't know men could be so picky about a hanging sock), along with the twinkle lights we added to the garland. The ornaments were from last year's Christmas mantel decor, as well as the metal Christmas trees (a yard sale find). The hanging bags are part of an advent set (with a book) made and written by a couple of people in our church.  We had hoped to read the daily message for advent each day, but I'll be honest and confess that we only made it through a few days. I shouldn't be too busy to focus on Jesus each day of December, but that happened. We hope to complete it next year.

I loved being able to pull different pieces together I already have to create something completely different from last year. 

Merry Christmas everyone!