It's (Finally) Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

This is my first December as an official working mom with 3 kids. Albeit, I am working part time, but that along with teaching a class at TCC, having a very busy husband and trying to keep everything managed at home really put December on the back-burner. Ah, finally, with the end of the work week came a newfound joy that bubbled up in my heart.... oh yes... Christmas is coming! Here are some signs that Christmas is indeed around the proverbial corner.

*Baking compulsion... I cannot get out of the kitchen without whipping up some kind of holiday treat, usually including chocolate as an ingredient. Puppy chow is one of our Christmas favorites, and today we drizzled pretzels with white and dark chocolate, dusting them with tiny red and green ball sprinkles. Easy and delicious!

*I actually sat down and watched Elf with the kids. Classic lines:

Buddy: The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear.
Buddy: We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.

I LOVE that movie. So does Ellie.

*We had our annual caroling day with friends... driving around town and singing to several different friends/family members. Here are the happy carolers:

Three girls who have been friends since birth...We drove all the way across to granny's house and sang to her and Uncle Rex... she said it was the best Christmas present she could ever get.... and I think she meant it. A tradition my kids have known is going to the Christmas celebration at my sister's country club... Here is Ellie trying to foil Brandini (yes, she picked up a cup in the middle of the trick; Brandini was NOT happy with her)

Luke and Nana (see the cute snowman on Luke's face....)Hallie and Ellie with the famous upside-down Christmas tree.and believe it or not, every Christmas I have a picture of one of my kids with a snake draped around his/her neck. Talk about heart-warming traditions. There is always a little petting zoo at the club and this year, Luke was the lucky one.

Now that we've taken our annual snake picture, it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Thank-FULL

Thanksgiving Dinner was as usual, fabulous! My top 3 favorite items on my plate? *Granny's Mashed Potatoes *Mom's Cream Cheese Corn *Carolyn's Salad w/ Bleu Cheese and Cranberries -The ham and turkey was very, very delicious too. I also had my first pop in 10 days, which fizzled fabulously as it slid down my throat. Here are some pics of our day at cousin Ronda's house: We played our annual game of spoons, of which I believe I am the defending champ. It is cut throat (especially right beside Kim R. and her nails.) We had a BLAST playing and I am proud to say that I defended my title well.

Well, back to Granny again. Words cannot accurately capture the amazing qualities of this woman. But I know you have all had someone in your life who is a warm electric blanket, a donut with sprinkles and a heart-warming movie all wrapped up into one. Comfort. She is comfort. She is love. She is happiness. She is the most with-it 96 year old on the planet. When I was a little girl , I just prayed God would let her live to be 88. I wanted my kids to know her. I wanted to cherish the years I had with her. And God has blessed us with her for longer than that. My kids are getting to know her. They are being covered by her prayers. And they got to spend another precious Christmas Eve at her house. As for me, I spent my 38th one there.

It feels good to have some new traditions of our own too. This Christmas Eve at our house was a lot of fun. We came home from Granny's house and made cookies for Santa, and then had a family game of Twister. Pictured here is the championship game in which the most fiercely competitive members of our family went head-to-head (and leg-to-leg and buns-to-buns) to determine the winner. After that, we let the kids open their presents to each other and tracked Santa on the internet. (Who woulda thought?) Then, we said our prayers and went to bed.