Today is New Year's Eve and I am looking forward to a fun night out with some great friends. This will be the 5th NYE we have spent together and it has become our little tradition. We usually pot-luck it and play card games until the wee hours of the morning, but this year we are going out, baby. A meal that doesn't require me to cut any of my food into bite size pieces to share with a toddler. A meal where I don't have to apologize to the waiter for the mess left on the floor. We're also going to a grown up movie. Not sure which movie yet, but truthfully, it doesn't really matter. I know it won't have singing frogs or the Jonas Brothers in it, so it's already a great movie to me.

Before I wrap up 2009, I wanted to share some of my favorite gifts from Christmas. Everyone needs birthday & gift ideas for the year, right? (Spoken by someone who has 7 birthday gifts to purchase in the next 6 weeks.)

Boots bought my mom, picked out by yours truly at the huge Macy's black Friday sale at 6:00 a.m. The bonus that makes them so fabulous is that my hubby will only refer to me as "officer" when I am wearing them. He's goofy like that, but I can't lie. I actually feel a little more "in charge" when I wear them and he makes me smile, so it's a win-win.

Love this Tickle Monster book! It comes with fuzzy gloves with the holes cut out for your fingers so you can tickle along with the story. The actual story isn't so great, but my little man already comes running to me with the book and gloves in tow, begging to sit in my lap and be tickled. Elevated to great gift status instantly.

Stitch-it-Owl Kit, by The Little Experience. These are great little projects to get some kiddos interested in the sewing world. (My oldest got a horse pattern, but no picture as she's already cut up the box to use as a trough.) They come with a fabric pattern, kid friendly scissors to cut them out, stuffing, floss, and step by step directions. The age on this box says 6-10 and I would put it in the 8-10 category. I had to do most all of the stitching on the owl. Thank goodness it is made more charming by the "made by a child" look. The website has lots of great ideas for girls AND boys. Priced under $20, these will be making some birthday party rounds this year for sure.

Jessica Simpson purse bought by my mother-in-law. Perfect for spring and way more money that I ever would have spent on a purse for myself. Love it!

Teavana Perfect Tea Maker. I am jumping on the loose leaf tea wagon. You can go to a tea store, watch them scoop out your own custom tea mix, and then brew it all right in this pitcher. It has an infuser at the bottom, so you just place it on top of your mug and viola - the tea strains right into your cup. Right now I am hooked on the Rooibos-Chai Tea, but my next flavor to try will be the Toasted Nut Brulee Oolong Tea. Doesn't that just sound yummy? In the summer, I'm going with something more fruity like Imperial Acai Blueberry White Tea. Thanks mom, for getting me jump-started!

Saved the best for last - something I've drooled over for a few years now. Thanks to my sweet Marty, a new book is as close as a few clicks away. I've read one complete book, and no joke when I got to the last page, just went to the next book on my wish list, clicked away and was holding it in hand in a matter of less than a minute. I also downloaded the Bible and loved that I could look up references, take notes, bookmark verses, and underline in church without ever having to fish around for a pen in the bottom of my purse. Can't wait for the kids to go back to school so I can get some serious reading accomplished!

A few of my favorite things

Stockings hung by the chimney with care


Beautiful new ribbon bought 75% off after Christmas last year


Ornament given to me when I started piano lessons at 6 yrs old


Yummy Christmas treats waiting to be eaten


Little boys in Christmas pajamas with chocolate on their faces


The beginnings of a beautiful white Christmas


My 2 girls going to sleep hoping to catch a glimpse of snow and Santa

God has blessed us so much this year, but the most treasured gift of all is the gift of salvation provided to us on that first Christmas night so long ago. Merry Christmas to all my friends and family!

some Christmas mischief

My husband has been pestering encouraging me to update my blog with a new post, but in all the frenzy of Christmas related activities, I have been waiting for something truly blog-worthy until I made an update. Quite unexpectedly, this morning, I was gifted with the next blog post. True to the words, Christmas break, the girls have been given a break about bed times and sleeping rules. We don't allow the girls to sleep together during the school year because it is too difficult to enforce actual sleeping times instead of just bedtimes. So, for the past 3 nights, they have been allowed to stay up and watch Christmas movies and then sleep together. Last night, I tucked them into bed around 10:15 and told them lights out and stay in bed. This is what I found this morning:










Not sure what gave them the bright idea to put on a winter coat and sleep together crammed into a little closet space, but it made me smile this morning. It does this mom good to know that amidst all of the bickering and fighting between them, there is a little friendship growing.