Christmas Tree and Cookies

This Christmas Season has been one for the books! I can't seem to get everything on my list tackled. But two things definitely got done. The tree and the cookies. Oh who am I kidding...somehow I got it all done, I was running around like a crazy person, but it all got done. Oh wait, except the Gingerbread men. Oh well, there's always next year. I normally take tons of pictures of the girls decorating the tree, but this year we had a few new ornaments so while the girls were decorating their little hearts out I was tying string to the new ornaments so they could hang them.

Then there were the cookies! Kiersten got an American Girl Doll magazine with many fantastic recipes. So we gave many of them a go. We actually made Molasses Ginger Snaps on Thursday night, and then spent all of Saturday the 9th, working on the craberry oatmeal (which ended up being my fave), the chocoloate dipped, the red velvet, and regular chocolate chip. We donated most of them to the Mt. Zion Community Club Cookie walk. Then Kiersten made additional Cranberry Oatmeal and Chocolate Dipped for our holiday celebrations. Lots of baking, but lots of fun and memories too!

Tales of the 4th grade orchestra!

For a few years, Leah told me she wanted to play the violin and I brushed her off...told her to find something a little more simple. But then orchestra sign ups came along and she was determined. She has music everyday, and it's crazy how much progress they've made in a such a short time. She was so excited to have her first concert last night. Gigi and Aunt Laura even came over to support her. She was nervous but they did a wonderful job. Kiersten was less than thrilled she said at one point "how come none of these songs have any words?" It's probably a safe bet that she will be signing up for Chorus!

Myerscough Family Christmas

We were so excited waiting for Aunt Laura, Uncle Jeff, Nat and Jo to arrive!!! They got in on Friday the 15th. So of course we headed to Charleston on Saturday the 16th. We had lunch and went to see the movie Ferdinand. We hung out into the evening before heading home. On Sunday we headed back over after Church for our family Christmas.

Gigi wanted to keep things simple. She didn't want to be in the kitchen all afternoon. She asked if we were good with a lasagna she could make ahead. Of course we were! Mitch and I made a spinach lettuce salad with figs, pears, pecans and a honey balsalmic dressing. There was plenty of Christmas cookies too. Around 3 we wandered into the living room to open gifts. The kids did a great job, they were patient taking turns and everyone was so excited to see what they got. Gigi got all the little girls Wellie Wishers. Colby, Macy and Leah got Echo Dots and Jackson got a Paw Patrol toy. And of course they each got a bag of new clothes! Mom was thrilled with her spa certificate and Dad was excited about his Ipad. Laura, Cynthia and myself were thrilled to recieve new IRobot Roomba's.  Grandpa Merle was a hoot, he had all his presents unwrapped and had polished off a box of chocolates before the presents were even passed out.

Early on in the evening we got the kids into their Christmas jammies so we could get some pictures. Pretty soon they won't all fit on that couch. And then Aunt Laura got a mean game of Kerplunk going. It was fun to watch them all play together. Looking forward to a few more days with family before they head back to Arizona.

Church Singin'

I miss the days of Christmas Church Pageants. Maybe some churches still do them, but since we live in a town with a Lutheran Private School, they do their program at school. When I was a kid, everyone got a part, and a verse to speak. We learned all the Christmas Songs and always marched out to "Joy to the World".  I don't get the joy of seeing my kiddos dressed as shabby angels or shepherds or sheep. I get the school Christmas programs that can't mention Christ!

But this year the girls actually sang at church. For weeks they told me they were singing 'Silent Night", when in fact it was "Away in a Manger" but that's a minor detail. I loved seeing them up there. Here's to hoping they do it again next year.

Christmas with Cousins

For the Second year in a row, my cousin David and his wife Sanya offered to host the Myerscough Family Christmas. It's so lovely of them to open their home to all of us. And while the turn out wasn't quite as big as last year, we had so much fun with the family that was there. The girls had a great time visiting with cousins they don't see too often.

David always makes things interesting when he dresses up as Santa and delivers gifts. The kids all get a kick out of him, and I'm guessing he really enjoys it too. The girls were so happy to pose in their new JoJo Siwa bows. I don't even know who JoJo Siwa is!!! I have grand hopes of hosting everyone sometime this summer for a cookout. We'll see if we can make it happen!

Santa Session 2017

This is absolutely one of my FAVORITE Christmas traditions. And I believe this was the 6th time we had gone to see Santa at Laura Kruger's studio. My kids even know by now, that this is the REAL Santa. All the other ones are just his helpers.

The girls aren't shy at all. They hop right up and talk to him. They tell him what they want for Christmas. They ask about the reindeer and ask what kind of cookies he would like this year. So even though its always a quick visit, it's always well worth it! Already looking forward to next year, Santa!

Christmas Craft

Pinterest is the worst! It just sucks you in and next thing you know you have grand visions of all the stuff you want to do. But seriously, this was a win...except for the cost, LOL! I saw them and knew that we had to make them for the girls rooms.

We started with a planter pot, and a tomato cage. Mitch trimmed the cages down and attached them with zip ties. He's so handy. After that we wrapped lights around the cages, and then feather boa's from Hobby Lobby! The girls had fun decorating them with little twirly sprigs of glitter. We topped them off with a glittery ornament and they made the perfect Christmas Night Light! Pinterest WIN.

10 years

 It hardly seems possible that yesterday, Mitch and I celebrated our ten year anniversary. Some days it seems like we are still in those early days of romance and getting to know one another, and others it seems that he's always been a part of my life. I guess that's the thing about being with your best friend. I just couldn't imagine a more perfect person to complete my life.

I knew he had a little something planned for our anniversary, but I really had no clue what it was. I was happy to let him surprise me. But he wasn't the only one with a surprise. I found a baker to recreate one of our wedding cakes. I was thrilled with the way it turned out. I figured it would be a very special way to share our day with the girls. They loved it, and were so excited to see us recreate eating our wedding cake. Mitch was surprised too. He actually asked if it was one of the originals. It was even better!

Mitch whisked me away to St. Louis for a night. We checked into the Union Station Hotel that was decorated beautifully for the Holidays, we had a dinner at Eleven Eleven Mississippi...it was amazing. And then we headed to The Fox Theater to see the King and I. It was a Broadway quality production for sure. It was lovely to get away with my sweetheart for a night. I'm a lucky girl, indeed.