.

December 25

Merry Christmas everyone. 

December 24

Despite yesterday's fiasco, today is still Christmas Eve and we are still going to celebrate like it didn't happen.  This morning we made reindeer food we will sprinkle in the yard tonight after we set out luminarias.  The little guy emptied an entire container of green sugar sprinkles into his mix.  Santa better take his reindeer to the dentist after tonight.

Then we wrote letters to Santa and delivered them to the post office.  Tonight they will each get a video from Santa.  I told the kids that the post office had one of those tube vacuums that they have at the bank, direct to the North Pole.

Then we made Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls and delivered them to the  neighbors.

We have lots more projects to go today and lots more fun! They are at the most fun Christmas age!!!!!

December 23

So, the 23rd day of December brought me many surprises, gifts disguised as disasters....starting at 3:30 am.  I get up to take more cold meds, walk into the kitchen, take my Nyquil, and hear 'drip, drip, drip'...I assume that I did not tighten the faucet all the way. I tighten the faucet and the drips continue. I suddenly realize the drips are coming from the ceiling and the light fixture.  WHAT????? I race up the stairs : check the sinks, check the tubs, check the toilets, crawl around on the floor in my jammies. My mind was racing with the frantic mantra "where is it coming from, where is it coming from". I think back to earlier in the night when I yelled at my son because closet smelled so bad, "What are you putting in here, dirty poopy clothes???" He looked at me wide eyed and quietly said "no, I don't know".  I got down on my knees and felt his closet floor. Soaked. The hallway. Soaked. The walls. Damp. I felt small and mean. I yelled at my son and accused him. I scared him. And all that time, it was a leak.  I have apologized to him many times today.  This lesson was the first gift I received today.

I spent the rest of the night worrying about how I was going to have family over for Christmas with no water, no electricity. I could not sleep, so I went online, researching, filling out claim forms.  By 7am I was showered, I took care of getting a plumber, a contractor, and a home owners insurance claim. My second gift was realizing that I am strong and efficient when I need to be.

Fast forward to the plumber coming over. A ridiculously high quote to replace a water heater nearly brought me to my knees...I was already panicking about the deductible. A kind neighbor happened to be here and saved me from having to pay this absurd quote. I also had phone calls from friends and their husbands that helped me feel less alone in this frenzy. Gift 3, the kindness of friends. I am not alone. It is okay to accept help.  I sure am learning that the HARD way this year.

So, my carpets upstairs are pulled back, some baseboards are missing, and my house is filled with these LOUD LOUD LOUD dehumidifiers and fans...I am not allowed to turn them off:

So, yeah, my house is filled with the loud noise of blowers, cooking Christmas dinner will have to be managed around these contraptions,  my house will not be back to normal for a couple of weeks, and we are out a few thousand dollars:/...but the gifts I recieved today are worth so much more.  Besides the ones I mentioned above, my kids think this is a cool adventure. They stand over the fans and let the air blow up the backs of their shirts and pretend they a sky divers. The boys, displaced from their rooms, decided to camp out together for a few days. I realized that Christmas will be perfect...perfectly memorable.

December 22

A modern twist on the Christmas Story:

December 21

Happy 1st day of winter!  Since we are in a part of Texas that does not see snow, we made our own:

December 20

Yay!!! My parents sent Christmas cookies! We love getting this box in the mail.  My mom's cookies are always works of art.  You may remember the snowmen she sent us a few years ago. The kids love getting their marzipan snow people and this year we got beautiful snowflakes as well:

Apparently, my dad helped with the Christmas cookie decorating too. Nothing says Christmas like a ....red eyed monkey???? The kids said we needed to keep this one in the cookie jar on Christmas Eve so the reindeer would not be scared off.  Hahah. 

***Edited to add: Just got a message from my dad.  It's a teddy bear.  Oops! Sorry Dad!

Thanks mom and dad.  We love all of them!

December 19

We had all kinds of plans for this weekend..but strep throat and a cold virus had different plans for us that forced us to slow down and stay home. We are all going a little stir crazy being at home with a very sick little family member (hopefully she is on the mend), so I broke out the gingerbread houses and assembled them for the kids. Let's just say that crafts and putting things together are not my strong point. My jack-o-lanterns and gingerbread houses often look like my 4 year old did them. Between my lack building skills and my son's lack of decorating skills(my daughter is very good), I really thought our gingerbread village would look more like an abandoned shanty town. I was actually surprised at how cute it looks...but I could be looking at it through mom goggles:

So, at first, I thought this was some sort of Christmas Transformer or something. I have been informed that it is the town Christmas tree. Hm.

and my boys decided that making trees grow out of the rooftops was hilarious. Boys.

December 18

A favorite Christmas memory...these candies were in my great grandmother's candy dish every Christmas:

December 17

Too bad germs and bacteria don't know it's the holidays...

December 16 /Team Up ~December~

Amy's is the sweet cozy picture on top of her tree and the fire behind it.  Love the perspective.

Mine is of the long grasses that turn this pretty color in December here in Texas.  You should see them against a blue sky.  I have lived here for almost 5 years and it has taken me about this long to appreciate Texas in December.  I was so focused on missing fireplace fires, coats, boots, and snow that I missed out on things like these beautiful long grasses,  the way you can get away with jeans and a sweater during the day, how it gets just cold enough at night that you can comfortably sit out on the back porch with a fire in the fire pit.  It took me awhile, but I really have learned to love December in Texas.