daily prompt {dec 7}

december seventh

{quote}
"christmas - that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance - a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved."  ~ augusta e. rundel

{write}
describe some of your favorite holiday foods

my favorite sweet item would be the yummy chocolate covered peanut butter balls that my mom makes. here are a few things i enjoy being at my holiday table: macaroni and cheese (with crusty top), deviled eggs, matt's mom's brown rice, sherry's white wine cake, dressing (as opposed to stuffing).

{photograph}
an item of food that reminds you of the holidays

this is kind of a tough one to do "on the spot". i'm sure there will be plenty of upcoming opportunities to capture better food shots, but today, this will do...even though it's actually a drink.

{do}
read christmas books

on my lunch hour, i went to the library. i picked up two books for myself that are christmas-themed mysteries (by mary higgins clark) and then got a few christmas books for coleman (there were practically NONE). i also picked up a christmas themed baby einstein video. i've been wanting to try one to see if it'll hold his attention or not. my guess is that he'd rather watch kellie pickler, but i digress.

{make}
hot chocolate

this afternoon i had a craving for some hot chocolate at work. luckily, i had one packet in my drawer. i made a note to bring in a selection of hot drinks for the winter. this craving worked out nicely so i could take a picture of it for today too :)

{remember}
what foods are present in many of your childhood memories? why do you think holiday foods are so important to our celebrations.

starting with the first half of that question...i honestly don't remember much about our holiday foods from the earlier part of my childhood (i may just have a terrible memory). but it makes me wonder if it actually suggests that the foods are not that important, but the time spent together preparing and sharing them. and that kind of leads into the second question. yes, people like to eat, but i think it's more about the feeling associated with the food. food is a form of nurturing, so those that are preparing it use it as a means to show family and friends they care. the food is an excuse for all to gather in one spot and enjoy each other's company. food is comforting and warm. i wonder if in 30 years, will coleman look back at his childhood and remember what food was on the table, or only that he was surrounded by people who love and adore him.

this week {11.30 - 12.6}

~ i ordered three sweaters and a scarf from victoria's secret for only $33. praying they fit. ~

~ we got spencer out of school early to go get our christmas tree ~

~ i did four loads of laundry (really?? that's it???) ~

~ i shopped at rite aid, bi-lo, blockbuster, cvs, target, game stop and food lion ~

~ i watched glee, lie to me, and private practice ~

~ matt and i rented wolverine. i fell asleep. ~

~ spencer and i put up three christmas trees and decorated them (matt did put the lights on the live tree but that's about the extent of his involvement) ~

this is spencer's tree in his room.

~ i caught a sweet brotherly moment ~

~ i cleaned out my desk at work. seriously overdue. ~

~ spencer took archery lessons at school in the mornings ~

~ we got a new coffee pot at work. yummy. ~

~ i finally mailed some cards for heroes and expired coupons to soldiers ~

~ coleman puked up a couple of meals...just enough to freak me out. he's fine now ~

~ i bought some cheesy gag gifts for my work christmas party ~

~ i finished reading "two dollar bill" by stuart woods ~

~ i made pumpkin bread (from a libby's kit) ~

~ les tried on the santa suit to make sure it'll work for our neighorhood caroling ~

~ coleman slept ten hours one night without benadryl ~

~ i hosted a social committee meeting at our house ~

~ i got several christmas gift orders in the mail (from black friday) ~

~ i got my free photobook in the mail. it is gorgeous! ~

~ instead of bothering the christmas trees, coleman is obsessed with the stockings ~

~ matt and i went to my christmas work dinner at pie town in charlotte ~

~ snuggies were the "gift of the night" at above mentioned dinner. we walked away with a burgundy one. matt also got an itunes gift card. ~

~ i worked on the jessica sprague daily prompts and have been posting them on my blog ~

~ we took the boys to visit santa and get gifts at an event that matt's work does every year. ~

coleman wasn't a happy camper

~ we watched the sec and acc championship games ~

~ i updated my blog background, header and signature for the holiday season ~

~ we attended christmasville and then ate at mchale's ~

~ matt put up some of the christmas lights outside ~

~ gamecocks bowl spot was announced: papajohns.com bowl, saturday, jan 2nd at 2 p.m. against uconn ~ 

~ i took 37 photos ~
see them all here: december 2009 and 2009 christmas season

daily prompt {dec 6}

december sixth

{quote}
at christmas, all roads lead home. ~ marjorie holmes

{write}
write about one symbol of the holidays that has particular meaning to you

it may seem obvious, but i think the manger/nativity scene is the most meaningful symbol of the season. there are so many symbols associated with the commercial side of the holidays - santa, christmas trees, snowmen, candy canes, wreaths, etc. These are all great, but there are far too few that focus on what's important.

{photograph}
take a close-up shot of angles of our holiday symbol

Christmas is represented by so many symbols (tree, star, santa, reindeer, candles, wreaths, snowmen, etc), but I think this ornament says it all. It's been a favorite of mine since I purchased it several years ago. Though I don't remember exactly where I got it (unusual for me), I was struck by its beauty and still am today.

{do}
attend christmasville (our town's christmas festival).

yesterday, the four of us headed downtown to enjoy some of the christmasville festivities (we didn't do quite as many as usual).

{make}
make your home and yard beautiful with white christmas lights

last night, matt got many of the outside lights put up: the icicles, my new trees that go on each side of the door, and the bushes.

{remember}
do you have any traditions or rituals placing meaningful symbols or decorations in your home?

i remember mom always putting up a nativity scene. but other than that, i'm kind of drawing a blank.

daily prompt {dec 5}

december fifth

quote:
"o holy night! the stars are brightly shining, it is the night of the dear saviour's birth." ~placide cappeau de roquemaure

write:
write about a specific holiday song that has meaning to you.

i love christmas music. i have a playlist on my iPod of 168 christmas songs. but surprisingly, there isn't one that has some significant meaning to me. there are plenty that i love (ok, tons and tons and tons that i love). some make me laugh and smile, other makes me cry. but none of them have special meaning outside of the obvious lyrics.

photograph:
something that reminds you of your favorite holiday song

the first song that popped into my head when i read this prompt was "sleigh ride". it's not necessarily my all-time favorite - i have plenty of favorites. but it's a fun song and i really enjoy debbie gibson's version (go ahead...laugh). Random note: this sleigh sits on the table in our foyer and holds our christmas cards as they roll in.

do:
visit santa clause

this morning we took spencer and coleman to a christmas event that matt's work does. they took a photo with santa and each got a gift. it was a really nice thing for his company to do. spencer got a wal-mart gift card for $20 and for coleman we chose a musical toy that he's really enjoyed. coleman, however, did not do so well on santa's lap.

make:
matt made chili and we watched the sec championship game.

remember:
recall a specific instance where you sang or listened to your favorite holiday song. what stands out in your mind?

i don't have any more to offer here than i did above. i listen to christmas music the entire season every year. love it. i do remember caroling once when i was in my college sorority. that was a lot of fun. our neighborhood is doing caroling next weekend and i'm looking forward to that.

{bragging rights}

this post is a week overdue, but i couldn't let it go unacknowledged here in my blog world :) we did it ... finally ... after a long streak of rivalry losses. go cocks!!!!!!!! i would've loved to have been at this game. you could tell the crowd was crazy energetic the entire game.

daily prompts {dec 4}

december fourth

quote:
"the joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others' burdens, and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of christmas." ~ w.c. jones

write:
talk about a sentimental piece of holiday decor

my favorite christmas ornament is a red sled that holds a photo of me and my grandpa doty. when i was little, i called him 'pop-pop'. i have the worst "i'm a brat" grumpy look on my face in this picture but it's one of the VERY few pictures of us together.

photograph:
a favorite piece of holiday decor

this is one of my favorite, newer piece of decor. i got these stockings on sale after christmas two years ago. luckily, i was smart enough to go ahead and buy four. last year, while pregnant, i went ahead and got our names embroidered on all of them. i love how different and whimsy they are! notice how there is also one on the ground in the photo? coleman has totally ignored the christmas tree, but he is all over these stockings!

do:
go to a christmas party

tonight is my work christmas party. we are going to *pie town* in charlotte.

make:
wrap a gift

ok, not very exciting, but we have to take cheesy gifts to the work party so i had to get those wrapped today. nothing fancy. one is just in a gift bag with tissue (which has been unwrapped and rewrapped, thanks to coleman). the other i wrapped using some cute new paper i just picked up at target yesterday (in the dollar spot - gotta love that), and ribbon of course.

remember:
do you have any decorating traditions that were handed down to you?

i can't think of any specific traditions, but my mom always made the holiday season very special. that was definitely passed down. our tree was always full of meaningful ornaments, which i think is why i am not one to go out and purchase a bunch of new ornaments for a themed tree each year. she filled our home with handmade crafts and yummy baked cookies. i'm no martha stewart, but i can whip up a homemade goody every once in a while (in the craft room...not so much in the kitchen).

daily prompts {dec 3}

december third

quote:
this is my wish for you: peace of mind, prosperity through the year, happiness that multiplies, health for you and yours, fun around every corner, energy to chase your dreams, joy to fill your holidays!" ~ d.m. dellinger

this would make a wonderful message instead a holiday greeting card!

write:
what does the word "joy" mean to you? does it play a part at the holidays?

joy is defined as "the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying." my perception of joy is definitely different now than it was a year or two ago. my life has always been full of joy. i've been blessed to have a relatively easy life - in the grand scheme of things. but since coleman has come into our lives, the *joy* and *happiness* and *elation* in our lives has multiplied. i never knew that such a tiny smile could bring me such great JOY.

photograph:
take a photo that represents the idea of "joy"

how's that for obvious??? yes, i could've taken a picture of coleman, or my family, or something equally predictable and cliche. i thought this was funnier. sorry the photo

do:
host a christmas party

ok, i didn't really host a christmas party. but i did a host a social committee meeting. and my house is decorated for christmas. and i served yummy snacks on christmas platters and what not. that almost counts, right????

make:
people feel welcome in my home

by hosting above-mentioned meeting in our home, i hope that my committee felt warm and welcome while they were here. i fixed a few tasty treats, made sure the house was fully decorated (inside), had scented candles burning, etc.

remember:
think back to a time of holiday joy in your life. where were you? who was there?

seriously...almost every holiday memory brings me joy - both at the time and reflecting back on it. i love christmas. my mom always did a great job of making christmas (and all holidays) seem so special. i am trying to continue that and i think it's working.
one relatively recent memory that comes to mind was several years ago when we finally figured out the best way to celebrate christmas with spencer (who we don't get until 2:00 on christmas day). it was a few years of trial and error, lots of frustration (and sadness)...but a wonderful recommendation from an online friend solved our woes. we've been doing the same thing every year since and it just *works*. i remember how elated i felt that first christmas that really *clicked*.

daily prompts {dec 2}

{december second}

quote:
there is no ideal christmas; only the one christmas you decide to make as a reflection of your values, desires, affections, and traditions. ~ bill mckibben

write:
read the article "welcome home, for the holidays!" and write your thoughts

This is definitely a good article and I'm glad Jessica recommended it. I couldn't relate to the first part of it one hundred percent, but there were some sentiments later on that really hit home. Though we don't live in a *grand* house, I feel very blessed for our home and I'm quite happy here. One of the reasons I chose our floor plan, though it may be sad, is because I could immediately invision a lit Christmas tree in the landing upstairs and the banister glowing with a lit garland. Considering we house shopped in mid-summer, this might be a straight thought process for some. Every year, when the decorations go up, I stand in the foyer and look up with a smile. We may have had to wait much longer for our first Christmas in this home than we'd hoped (long story), but it was worth the wait. I love our home year-round, but I truly adore it for this one month. There is something so wonderful and peaceful about the warm glow of Christmas lights. I don't know if I have one of those homes that makes people feel welcome when the arrive, but I hope so. Or I hope that it grows to be that.

photograph:
something warm

not very exciting, but i love this gray sweater. i bought it last year when i was pregnant because i could just button the top and let the big ole belly hang out. but i still love it. i like that i can wear practically any color with it, and it's warm enough that most days i don't have to wear a coat on top of it.

do:
donate to a charity
i finally made a long overdue trip to the post office. i mailed a large envelope of coupons overseas, as well as cards for soldiers. for more information on these two projects, see overseas coupon program and operation write home.

make:
make a special treat for neighbors
i made some yummy pumpkin bread (from a kit) and warm bacon dip (from a mix) that will be served to neighbors tonight at the social committee meeting i'm hosting. i also continued to make the house look beautiful by working on more decorations.

remember:
do you remember making any specific recipe with older family members? what was the experience like?
i do not have any such memories with grandparents (which is what comes to mind when i hear "older" family members). however, i do recall my mom always making chocolate covered peanut butter balls. they were (and still are) my favorite holiday treat. i remember standing at the stove many different times, helping her roll the balls and dipping them into the chocolate. back then it seemed so simple. but as an adult, i've never been able to master these. hey mom - if you are reading this, will you make me some of these for christmas this year?? pretty please??? :)

daily prompts {dec 1}

ok, so now i need to play catch-up with the daily prompts from jessica sprague's class, *holidays in hand*. i was hoping to do a digital scrapbook with daily december pages based on the prompts. however, i honestly think it's unrealistic for me and my schedule. i want this to be something that makes the holiday season more enjoyable, not more stressful. so, i think it's realistic to do a daily blog post based on her prompts instead. i will try to include pictures when possible.

{december first}

quote:
may your walls know joy,
may every room hold laughter,
and every window open to great possibility.
     ~ mary anne radmacher

i like this quote...kind of reminds me of an irish proverb but not quite as sing-songy.

write:
your thoughts about your family's holiday values

this is an area that i'd really like to strive to improve. i feel like christ should have a more prominent focus during the holiday season, in our home. i want to do a better job of teaching spencer what the holidays are really all about. and of course, get off to a good start with coleman. i'd also like an increased focus on charity and giving - something i feel we used to do a better job with when spencer was a bit younger.

photograph:
take a "welcome to december" photo of everyone in the family

ok, this is cheating a bit - but here's a family photo anyway. we actually tried to get one at the tree farm (which was 11.30), but the guy taking it didn't hit the button right or something. photo taken by lindsay alexander of la photography.

do:
i'm going to kind of cheat on this one too because the day before (11.30) was filled with christmasy *do* items. here are the things we did:

~ went to a christmas tree farm ~ bought and decorated a live tree ~ decorated two other christmas trees ~ drank hot chocolate ~ shared the stories of special ornaments (as we hung them on the tree)

make:
this might be a stretch but i guess you could say i made the house beautiful by working on getting more christmas decorations up

remember:
what is your earliest holiday memory?

i am honestly having a hard time figuring out my earliest, but i do remember some things from my young childhood. i recall my parents having a christmas eve party most years and i really enjoyed that. i also remember listening to my cabbage patch kids christmas album...over and over and over. i know these aren't my earliest though. i recall one christmas when i got my first cabbage patch kid, as well as my teddy bear (bradley) that i still have. 

holidays in hand {daily activities}

as mentioned before, the daily prompts from jessica sprague's "holidays in hand" class include blank spots for *do* and *make* activities. i wanted to come up with a list of 31 each, just for variety (not thinking i'd actually do them all). my list isn't quite that long, but still relatively extensive. i've decided that it doesn't make sense to go in and write them on days ahead of time, so I will just work from the list in general and maybe fill in the blanks after I actually do something. Some of these are very general and anyone could do. A few are more specific to our area. Some are things we'd only do once (if that), while others could be repeated throughout the season. And of course, things may come up this month that fall under *do* or *make* but weren't originally on my list.


TO DO
1. Watch Polar Express
2. Share the stories of a few special ornaments
3. Learn about a holiday celebration from another country
4. Sing a holiday song before bed
5. Go to light show at Stafford Park
6. Bundle up and go for a walk
7. Cuddle by the fire with a warm drink
8. Watch TV or a movie camped out on the floor of the den with popcorn
9. Read a holiday story before bed
10. Play board games
11. Visit Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens
12. Have an indoor picnic
13. Donate to a charity
14. Celebrate the longest night of the year (December 21) by lighting extra candles
15. Gather around the computer (or plug your computer into your TV) and play a slideshow of photos through the year
16. Adopt a new tradition
17. Use an advent calendar
18. Visit Santa and have a photo taken
19. Write goals for next year together as a family
20. Write letters to Santa
21. Go caroling
22. Read a holiday based novel
23. Do a scavenger hunt in the house
24. Eat dinner by candlelight
25. Go to the library and pick out Christmas books
26. Buy annual Hallmark ornaments
27. Take a ride in a horse drawn carriage
28. Go see Disney’s A Christmas Carol in 3D
29. Attend a holiday church service
30. Look at past Christmas scrapbooks together
31. Go for a walk at night with flashlights
32. Go to a Christmas Party
33. Host a Christmas Party


TO MAKE
1. Make a popcorn wreath
2. Make a yarn wreath
3. Decorate Styrofoam trees
4. Make a garland
5. Make a gift
6. Bake and decorate cookies
7. Wrap some gifts in a festive way!
8. Make Ornaments, either for your home or as small gifts
9. Make cards
10. Make a special treat for neighbors
11. Have breakfast for dinner
12. Slip a little note of holiday love into a backpack, laptop case, lunchbox, or set it on a pillow
13. Try a new recipe
14. Make a Christmas Card for Santa
15. Make a birthday cake for Jesus
16. Film a holiday video of singing Christmas songs
17. Cut out paper snowflakes
18. Bird Seed snacks for the yard
19. Make ornaments with gumdrops
20. Film family interviews