It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

This has been a spectacular week! Not a lot of house stuff but a whole lot of fun and some good R & R! Last weekend we had our first snow and it was magical. The girls played in it all day, lots of Christmas crafting and baking, we went to a Christmas tree festival, and visited an artisanal holiday bazaar with lots of local food and handmade goodies. We finished decorating the tree and did a lot of chilling out with the seasonal colds settling in a bit too. Note: House pics at the bottom finally!

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On Wednesday we had a very special surprise, our niece Madelyn was born! She is our daughter’s first first cousin and they’re over the moon for another girl in the family! We all can not wait to meet her, hold her, and smell that new baby smell.

Also on Wednesday we had another reason it was a special day! We went wedding dress shopping with one of my two sisters. One dress shop helped us determine more of the look she was going for, then we stopped for lunch, and then went to the second dress shop. With tears in my eyes she tried on the most beautiful, perfect, gorgeous dress! It was such a spectacular moment and so special that the girls and I got to share it with her. (no pictures not to ruin essence of surprise)

img_7202With Shaun traveling this week we had a special sleepover with my other sister. We shared a special dinner I slaved over, watched Polar Express, and snuggled a lot. Good times!

So many wonderful memories, specialness, and holiday goodness happening right now it’s making me all warm and toasty inside. As the season approaches, I want to share one idea my family does every Christmas morning. It is called the First Gift of Christmas and the link brings you to the full article for more details. Before anything else happens in our family on Christmas morning, we take time to do this and it makes us stop, reflect, and really remember the reason for the season.

I took some pictures of our house…the parts that are photo ready. Note that there isn’t anything on the walls on purpose. I don’t like to commit to hanging things until we are 100% sure and it takes a loooong time for us to do so. But I’m totally digging just enjoying our new paint colors on the walls also.