The Stockings Were Hung

Not by the chimney but rather by the old cardboard fireplace that my parent's have set up every year that I can remember. It's getting a little more rickety and a little more faded but it only adds to the charm. So the fireplace is set up in a nook by the steps and the stockings were hung from nails on the stair treads. At home, our stockings are hung with care from a shelf or simply tossed on the back of the couch. Not a chimney in sight there either. Not having a chimney, however, has not prevented Saint Nick from finding my stocking. This year, as in all prior years, he found filled it with surprises. Mrs. Claus sent two pairs of cozy warm socks while her husband added the usual deodorant and toothpaste since hygiene has always been high on his list of priorities, a new audio book to help pass the several hour drive home tomorrow, and (best of all) a sample of the new laminate flooring that will (hopefully) soon cover the floor of our new addition. Santa was certainly generous this year.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year to everyone!

Wishing you all the best in this holiday season.

P.S. To those who sent us a card and didn't get one back (and a certain couple way up north who are patiently awaiting their Christmas gift) I will have them in the mail as soon as we get back from our holiday weekend vacation. If you still don't get one, I apologize and wish you a happy holiday season since I probably forgot to add your name to my Christmas card list...again... Maybe next year...

Holiday To Do List

1. Make Christmas cookies even though L will grumble. It's just not Christmas without cookies!
2. Get a tree and decorate it. Need to make sure it's up high so V doesn't un-decorate while I'm decorating.
3. Find presents for everyone. My secret hiding places idea backfired and now it's a scavenger hunt to find where I hid my gifts.
4. Make squeaky cheese. (Special request from my Dad since we are heading to my parent's home for the holidays)
5. Finish making and/or assembling gift baskets.
6. Finish any other gift projects.
7. Order pictures for Christmas cards. Wait, make that figure out how many pictures I need first. I am bound and determined to get my cards out before New Year's this year!
8. Make sure everything is ready for our holiday trip to my parent's for Christmas.
9. Keep V out of mischief while accomplishing the above tasks in a timely manner.
10. Wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season!

Baby's First: Tooth and Standing Up

Okay, well it's not exactly his first standing up but he's getting better at doing it on his own. He also mastered crawling forward. It's hilarious. He either can't get a bent leg out from under his belly or he does his inchworm imitation. V can get around everywhere in the house which means I am now on Red Alert when the woodstove is lit (which is all day now that it's winter), busy keeping little fingers out of everything they shouldn't be in, and constantly picking dust bunnies off of his clothes. Honestly, he finds all the dust that I somehow miss. I should just stick Swiffer cloths to his clothes and let HIM do the dusting! :) The tooth makes for interesting exploration as well. Everything he can get his hands on goes into the mouth. For some reason, V thinks that he has only three senses-touch, sight, and taste. First he spies a toy and after hurriedly scrambling to get it, he pokes the object of interest with a finger to ascertain if it moves. Then he grabs it, bangs it on the floor in exuberant fashion, and pokes some more. Finally, V decides the last thing to do is to stuff it in his mouth and slobber all over it. Oddly enough, he won't chew on the things he's allowed to-teething rings, chew toys, pacifier... It's everything else.

Speaking of chewing, I'd better go rescue the stuffed animal from Jaws right now.