turn out the lights the party's over

done.  finito.

because about now my beloved christmas decor has turned into christmas clutter.

i need to get back to normal.

whatever that is.

christmas 2010

at carrabbas.  before the nutcracker ballet.

christmas eve dinner.  prime rib.  might have to be a new tradition.

its christmas morning.  where are those bouncing ball?  we've got presents to open!

happy will.  and apparently bumpa likes little people too.

drew was happy too...but was still looking for that nerf recon.  (yes, he found it.)

wessie got to building right away.  cool stuff.

geez nana...clothes...that all you got.

yea skechers twinkle toes rock!

elise was happy...she hadn't found her clothes yet.

now if we could get the rest of those bouncing balls home from michigan,

 we could wrap this christrmas thing up.

cause this nana has cooked her goose and needs to cuddle.

with this. (since the boy i live with went hunting...again.)

but i'm not complaining cause this keeps me nice and warm too.

with sleepytime herbal, lemon zinger, mandarin orange spice, cozy chamomile, peppermint, white hot chocolate, double chocolate, cafe mocha, and caramel apple cider.
and if this mormon momma gets to feeling edgy
she's got her eye on the butter toffee, hazlenut, raspberry chocolate truffle decafs.
thanks again babe...i love it.  but you should know if you keep up this hunting pace,
my new keurig will be getting the best of me.

christmas baking



UPDATE:  i'm out of biscotti...i'm out of pizzelles.
mom, can i borrow your pizzelle maker?

is finally done.  8 loaves of biscotti, 3 sheets of toffee, 7 pumpkin spice jar cakes, and about 18 dozen anisette pizzelles.

we are in sweet overload over here.

except for elise.  we can never get enough of her sweetness.

 
while baking she says to me, "nana, you're cute".
yep, full of sweetness and sass that one.

additions

i wish i could be one of those bloggers who posts everyday but things have been busy around here.  real busy.  and all this busyness has included a couple of new additions.

addition number one is by far the most beautiful, enchanting and heralded addition to come into our lives, well, since the last most beautiful, enchanting and heralded addition.

introducing

natalie olivia

natalie came into the world on tuesday, december 7, 2010 at 4:43 pm.

7 pounds and 11 ounces of pure joy.

i am most blessed.  she has filled my heart during a time i was afraid it was breaking.

and while natalie and mom and dad were resting in the hospital

this sassy little creature spent the night with me.

she let me take two pictures and then proclaimed,

"ok nana, that's enough".

during all this busyness i was drooling over christmas ball wreaths.  i had to have one.

i liked the more abstract ones best.  i didn't want my balls all lined up.

(in contrast to the days when i needed all my "balls" lined up and the boy i live with gave me some telling advice..."all your 'balls' are swimming on different ponds.  get used to it".)

so i made me a christmas ball wreath.  and my balls are not all lined up.

additions are a very good thing.

not quite the same

decorating for christmas 2010 has been a struggle.  i love this time of year.  celebrating the birth and life and ministry of christ and making my home reflect my heart has always been a joy for me.  but this year my dad is facing his final journey.  much of my time has been spent pondering all he did and gave and sacrificed for his family.  my dad is a remarkable man.  he is tough and stern.  right is right and wrong is wrong.  principled and strong, he is passionate about many things.  he loves deeply.
his lessons have served me well and taught me much.

this year my dad probably won't be able to make the trip to my home to enjoy our traditional christmas festivities and to share in the love we have for each other...
a love and a legacy that has grown and flourished, in part, because of a man i call dad.
but daddy, i don't want you to miss anything.  you will always be a part of my life.

so here is a little bit of christmas 2010 at the ball home.

siblings

the first time in a very long time that my three siblings and i had a chance to get together...just the four of us.  no spouses.  no children.  not that their spouses and children aren't wonderful...they are. 
but it was so nice to just have us.
and while the occasion that brought us all together is a sad and painful one,
i am so grateful for the time we had together.
i love you bobby.
i love you charlie.
               i love you jo.      

headed out

in the morning.  to here.

chick trip 2010

just outside of palm springs.

to laugh, eat, shop, cry and laugh some more.

because that's what best friends do.

and these two girls are the best.

to quote donna, "i'd clean sewers with these two."

can't stop...

gathering ideas and planning my christmas decorating .  because while thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday (much less stressful) i A.D.O.R.E christmas decorating.  here are some pics of the ideas i would like to incorporate for my christmas tablescape.  can't wait to get started.

(from http://www.iheartnaptime.blogspot.com/)

(reindeer and birds from www.potterybarn.com)

i want to start right now.  but my kitchen is only half painted. 

and this weekend is palm springs with my besties.

curse you menopause.  it's all your fault that i can't stay focused.

update

i loathe painting.  it's still not right.

i should have gone to disneyland.

while the cats away

i L.O.V.E. it when my boys go off together.  trampling in the wilderness.  chasing the big one.  sitting around a campfire telling remember when stories.  patting each other on the back.  eating soup that i made just for them.  makes me feel all warm inside.

it's their own male bonding time.
and over the years their male bonding time has given me plenty of opportunities too.
girlfriend time, sleeping in time, chick flick time, shopping time, and best of all...
daughter time.
why one time when they went hunting carrie and i left them a note on the kitchen table.
'gone to disneyland', it said.  'see you when we get back'.
now their latest hunting trip hasn't taken me to disneyland.
but that doesn't mean i'm sitting around whining and crying in my diet coke.

no sireee.  let the fun begin.
painting the kitchen.
because while i love the kitchen cabinet redo from last year,

i hate the way the cabinets look with the current color of my kitchen walls.
a nice, soft swiss coffee background is just what they need.

so thank you, my boys, for giving me a free weekend.
i hope you are enjoying your male bonding time.
and that pot of  soup.  it's filled with love. 

my new strategy

wear skin tight jeans...no breathing room.

should equate to no eating room.

because in 2 weeks my 2 skinny besties and i will be heading out to our annual

palm springs weekend.

i can't help that i'm the oldest.

but dang, do i have to be the fattest.

i'll let you know if my new strategy works.

for now, i'm in pain.

tight jean pain.

i think my ocd is showing

i can't stand it when the "header" end of my sheets is wrinkled.  

see that big wrinkle.  it's tragic.

so every week when i wash my sheets i end up ironing the header.

but i do it when it's on my bed.

makes me feel less neurotic.

you know as opposed to putting up the ironing board.

check it out!

my dining room side chairs (you know, the ones decked out with roosters and other farm animals) make-over made it over here!  and the story she tells about them...it's not my story.  but oh, so accurate.
thank you better ater.

can i just say sweet.

my panties are all bunched up

there is much in today's world i don't understand.  some of it i'm just fine with.  but some of these modern day behaviors have me either chuckling to myself or shaking my head.  sometimes i even seeth.

for instance.

initialism.

lol (always thought it was lots of love), omg (what's wrong with 'heck'?) bff (cute if you're 12), lmao (if it were only that easy to get rid of my 'a').

these are the chuckling, head shaking ones.

but then there are the 'other' ones.

wtf (really...) and fml (a sign that therapy is needed).

please america.  if you are under 20 go ahead.  initialize.

if you are anywhere in the adult world, articulate.

with decorum and respect please.

maybe then our rising generation will have something to rise to.

finishing touch

i finished the burlap pillows.

i'm liking the texture. 

and the best part of these little pillows...i didn't have to buy a thing.  i had looked for a pillow insert that was the size i wanted, about 8" X 16".  couldn't find that size anywhere. but all i needed to do was check my pillow stash.

there it was.  the average pillow.  16" X 16".  so i cut it in half.

oh how i love upcycling.

p.s.  no bathroom jokes allowed.

at last

finally...my chairs are reupholstered.  and i couldn't be happier with them.

here they are before.

during

and after

now i'm off to make some little burlap back pillows.  i think they could use the texture.

that and i love burlap.