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What's Hap-pinning Wednesday.

Here it is, Wednesday before Christmas. It's my official last day at work before being off for a week (although we are technically open tomorrow). I have one big deadline to meet, but honestly I just need time off, away, brain shut down. This has been an exhausting year and now a little sore throat is trying to creep in so lathered in Theives and trying to just make it through today (I may have stopped and bought donuts for the office just so I could have 3 1). But alas, I am sharing our Christmas traditions.

Christmas Eve - We head to V&D's to open gifts with them and D's grandkids. It's a tad hectic with 4 impatient people trying to wait on the grownups, but oh well.  We open stocking first and always have the Christmas crackers (those things that pop and have a crown and small toys).

this is about 8 years old but you get the point

Then we take turns opening presents by age order (or at least as best we can with the littles).  We engage the younger ones by letting them becomes elves and pass out gifts.  We sip on wine and cheese and enjoy taking photos.  We always receive cozy socks and pjs from the animals, and my favorite are gifts that everyone has to open at the same time (because they are the same). We oh and ah and just enjoy the time.

After gifts we have our traditional tamale dinner complete with cheese enchiladas, rice, beans and Mexican chocolate mousse.

I used to open present Christmas day with V&D, but now that we travel to see J's family, we just do Christmas Eve.

Then, Christmas Day we are up early to catch a plane.  The last two years its been for Ohio, but this year, Florida. J's parents retired and moved and his brother and SIL also live there, so despite my " I have a baby come to  me" edict, we are flying Christmas day. Pray for me and my sanity.

We will most likely open present with my mom and brother early Christmas morning so they can see E have her first Christmas as well.

As for Christmas Day.... well its all new now with traveling to FL and the addition of E.  J's family has done away with gifts between each other and opted to only do gifts for E. (debate still out on how I feel about this). And well she is going to be spoiled.

This is a photo J's mom sent me... these are ALL for E. This does not count what his brother and SIL got her... We will need a sleigh to get these home.

Christmas is also my MIL's birthday so we always have birthday cake as dessert for dinner, which I think is a wonderful tradition.  It's a nice way to give her her own moment!

So, that is Christmas in a nutshell for us.

So, Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

Little Bits of Cheer & Countdown

It's the eve of the eve of Christmas Eve! Yeah I know totally lame. And this post is late and well I don't care. It's a post and its here.

Today's little bits of cheer and Christmas Countdown is an ode to my husband. Bless his heart he's been sick for over a week and finally went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a sinus infection and bronchitis.  He's all hopped up on meds now and on the road to recovery. But today, I share with you husbandisms. These things he says and does melt my heart.

• Hair rubber band = hair tie, as in the tiny thing I put in E's hair for a ponytail which leads me to
• Pony's Tail - yes, he totally thought I was saying I need to put her hair in a Pony's Tail not a ponytail
• Leggings - his universal term for anything that looks like a legging, i.e. yoga pants, tights, pantyhose
• When I come home from a hair appointment and I say do you like the color and he says I thought you said you were getting a hair cut (he does not realize hair appt. = color and cut)
• snack - bagel, cream cheese, beef jerky, coffee and 2-3 Christmas cookies
• watching a move - watching football or a show about football
• getting dressed up = long sleeve shirt, instead of short sleeve

I'm sure I could think of a million more, but he's pretty amazing.  He is my bit of cheer. Coming home to a loving husband and father is a huge blessing.

Tis the Season

Go ahead and google images for "tis the season." It will make your day... but here are a few of my favs...

We had a short, sweet and fun weekend.  We went to a Christmas party Friday night and were home and in bed by 10pm we are so cool these days.

Saturday was my firm's party and we went to Main Event for all you bowl, video games, Mexican buffet and I tell ya, it was pretty fun. 

And we got this sweet gem from Evie's school. Happy Christmas week all!

The Grinch

I have written in the past about my Grinchy Christmas ways. I have shared my rather obvious disdain for the holidays. But, I have tried to turn that corner. I vowed that with J I would be different. I would enjoy the family time, bake, decorate and embrace all that is Christmas (other than the obvious birth of our savior).  I was doing so well ya'll. House decorated, tree decorated, Santa visited, cards out, baking supplies ready... and then it hit. I came down with a case of the scrooges.

Little back story. This has been a whirlwind of a year for us.  We got married, had a baby, I changed jobs, we endured disaster with the rent house, we bought a house and currently have two houses sitting on the market, and the state of the aerospace job industry is well in the pits around here.

So, last night as my normally happy baby was fussing and whining for no reason, refusing to eat and throwing herself on the floor and I looked around at all the small projects that my husband said he was going to do this weekend (4 weekends ago) I lost it.  I threw present still in their shipping packages under the tree, I yelled at my poor baby girl, I sat on the floor and cried and declared that I hate Christmas. I whined about having to fly on Christmas day with a fussy infant who refuses to want to do anything these days and spend time away from my own bed.  I was frustrated at my husband for moping around for weeks. And to top it all off, I burned the crud out of my finger on the straightener this morning. I just want it to be January already.

So, as I drove E to school this morning, I felt the guilt. I feel guilty that I have not home with her all day. I feel awful that I only get an hour with her at night and that whole hour she is fussy and whiny. I am upset that J is so stressed and frustrated. I am bored at work... not much going on the week before Christmas. I want to get on place to a beach by myself for a week. I want Christmas to just be over with. Pity party, party of 1!

But, alas I do not have time to mope or have a party for one, why? Because I am the mama and I have to hold it altogether, right?

Happy Friday all. if you need me this weekend, I'll be trying to bake, wrap present and force myself into a holiday mood.

The Secret Life of Santa Haters

It's true. I know some of these people.  They live next door to you, attend church with you, heck they could be related to you. They seem normal from the outside and I bet they even have a finely decorated tree, the best ugly Christmas sweater, and will inevitably give the best gifts. But, they Santa hate.

I was totally unaware of this phenomenon until I read this post. And then I found more.... and more and more.

I get it. I do. Its your choice and you have your reasons. But I guess I was just so taken aback by the sentiment that people don't "do" Santa.  I think I was especially upset by the post on the New Orleans Mom Blog.  It just seemed harsh.  But, as a parent I respect each person's decisions when it comes to celebrating the season and making the best choices for their family.

So.... do you "do" Santa? How do you do it? Does Santa wrap his presents? Does he only bring small things so as not to make others feel unloved? Do you leave his cookies and milk?  Because this is our first Christmas with a baby, J and I are feeling out the whole Christmas with kids thing.  Are you a Santa hater? Santa lover? Or Santa indifferent?

What's Hap-"pinning" Wednesday

It's that time again to link up with Jenn and Jessi and tell us what's happening.

First of all, let's talk about what happened last night. I was rocking E while she had her night bottle and she was not having it.  She kept pushing it away and then crying because she wanted it.  Finally, I just gave up and rocked her and then it came.  She vomited the contents of dinner and her bottle, exorcist style all over me and her, the chair, the pillow, and pretty sure sophie who was laying below us.  So that completes the baby trifecta for me: pooped on, peed one, vomited on. Yay me!

But in other news... I have been into decorating our downstairs living room as of late.  I have done a total 180 on the style and have opted for a mid-century modern/eclectic look.  I knew we would be using this very traditional Persian rug I have, so that was my color pallet.

It's filled with red, blues, golds and some mauve.  I then found a steal of a couch on a local buy/sell page.

It's from Crate & Barrel and retails for $1700. I bought it for $300. It's a charcoal grey, with a touch of blueish tone, so it works perfectly. 

Then I was doing a little cyber Monday shopping and found this coffee table at Target.



Via

 I only paid $79! Not the $189 its currently at.  It was super easy to put together and totally says mid-century modern.

Now I have my sights set on an accent table to go between two slipper chairs I have.

Thinking something like this....

Via

These have that metal I love and I think will add to the eclectic nature of the room thus far.

I am also thinking of some geometric pattern accent pillow for the couch and then I'll need some drapes. Yes I said drapes people.  I have HUGE windows across the back of the couch, and I am thinking of just some sheer panels mainly to break up the wall.  We have 16 ft. ceilings so that wall needs something.

Promise to get some actual room shots once the tree is gone and I have a better view.  I am having problems deciding what to so on the wall where the tree is currently.  I have toyed with the idea of a loveseat or settee... and have my eye on this one from West Elm.

My problem is the layout of the room. We have a corner fireplace and it opens into the kitchen so just odd to design around.

Don't forget to link up with Jenn and Jessi.