Christmas Recap

I’m happy to report that we had a very wonderful Christmas. We had a nice quiet time at home; ate some great food, watched some Christmas classics on tv, had a fun Skype session with Nana and Papaw, ate some more food… :) You get the idea.

The day started off to a slow start. I was up around 6:30. I puttered around downstairs for awhile, and then put together a batch of homemade cinnamon rolls thinking for sure there would be movement from the boys by the time I was ready to put the rolls in the oven.

Well…I was wrong.

It was 7:55, and there were no signs of anyone else stirring in the house. So I did the only logical thing I could think of, I went back upstairs and jumped on the bed. Thankfully, Jason was already awake, or my next move was going to be to put my cold hands on him. Merry Christmas, Honey!!

It only took a couple of minutes of Jason and I talking and I heard Brennan awake in his room. Yay!

So we all went downstairs together, and this is what we found.



At first Brennan was a little tentative…



But then, hmmmm...do you think he liked it?


And then this happened.

It looked like all the rest of the morning’s festivities were going to be conducted from Brennan’s new “bike.”



What? You want me to get off my “bike,” and open more presents. No way!!


Ohhh, there’s more cool stuff here!


Rolling over to show me his new movie.




OK, I’ll sit with Mommy and open some more presents as long as my “bike” is right here, too.



A new wii game for Daddy.


A Paula Deen skillet for Mommy.


Time to open another box. Lots of new book to add to Brennan’s library. Of course, we had to take every one of them out of the box.


Time to check out the stockings. Whew, look at that mess!



Maggie found a bone in here stocking.


Brennan got some big boy undies in his stocking.



He thought that was pretty cool.



He wanted to wear them right away.

…


…


…


…

So of course we let him.

He must take that after his Dad.

:)

It was a great day.

Hugs,
Heather

RAWR!

Here's another recent crafty mommy project - Brennan's dinosaur shirt.

Since I have more time to be crafty these days, I've recently started a fascination with embroidering things. I had no idea that embroidery had gotten modern! I found a really cool site, Sublime Stitching, that has some really neat-o patterns. (I love the tag line - "This ain't your Gramma's embroidery!") I even found there's flickr groups dedicated to photographs of embroidered art. Who knew?

I think the next shirt I'm going to make for Brennan is the pirate flag, or maybe the Mom heart tattoo (for Valentine's, how cute!)...or maybe some dishtowels...or a tote...or an apron.

So many options, so many needle pokes and finger calluses in my future.

Hugs,
Heather

Merry Christmas

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Diggin' Out Some Oldies

I didn't really have anything ready to post here for Christmas Eve, besides pointing out that Jason has to work today for the first time since we've been together. Boo!

But since we can't do anything about that, I was going through my photo uploads I came across some pictures of Brennan that I took back in March. I was surprised to find that I had never blogged about them, so I thought I would share.


I can't believe how much he's grown since then, and how much he's lost his baby-ness.



He thought he was big stuff sitting up there by himself.


Chubby cheeks!

I hope everyone enjoyed them as much as I did. I wonder what else I have hidden in the archives?

Have a wonderful Christmas Eve!

Hugs,
Heather

Wordless Wednesday - Christmas Edition

Sunday Drive

Over the weekend we decided we were going to go driving around on Sunday.

Yay, a chance to see some new places, relax with Brennan and Jason, and take some pictures of the mountains!

Well Sunday came, and we went on our drive, and this is how it went:
First, there would be no pictures of mountains. The fog was so thick once we got off base, that all we could see was about five feet on each side of the road.


The fog did break enough that I did get some pictures of some sheep. There should be mountains behind them, just pretend you can see through the gray nothingness.


The relaxing part didn't happen either. Our usually happy boy decided to be a screamin' me-me most of the way home.

It was a long way home.

You'd think that would be the worst of the day, right?

Nope...
We got home and Brennan took a nap, so all was well there. But...Jason decided to watch a DVD after the BRONCOS LOST (another sreaming me-me moment, for Jason, not Brennan), and within about 10 minutes of the DVD playing, the TV died.

Yes, died.

No fanfare, no warning, just all the sudden nothing.
Boo.

One good thing of the day: I made some cream cheese and salsa dip to eat during the aforementioned football game. It was yummy, and we decided that would be supper for the day.

Oh, and don't forget, I got some pictures of sheep.

Snow Baby

Last week the temperature outside finally raised into the 30s, so we were able to go outside and play.


I say play, but it was more like snow standing. It was too deep for Brennan to walk so we just picked him up and moved him from place to place, ha!



The tiny snowman Jason built for us.



Snow standing in the side yard.



Snow standing in the front yard.



We finally convinced him to touch the snow. Now we're on the right track!



Brennan's footprints from snow standing in the front yard.



The king of the mountain! (I'm thinking that if the snow keeps up like this, by February we won't even be able to see the street anymore!)



Oh no, I've fallen and I can't get up!



Yay, back on the sidewalk! I'm free!


I'm sure we'll have many more days to play in the snow. Apparently, once a good coat of snow gets on the ground around here, it pretty much stays until April. I don't know if I'm looking forward to that, but at least we'll have a White Christmas!

I Heart Bokeh!

I've seen people do some cool things making heart bokeh, but I have never tried it myself.  I was taking some pictures of our Christmas lights this evening, and thought I would give it a try.  I think they turned out pretty neat.


The white lights on our tree.


The colored lights on the back fence.  (Taken through the window.  It's cold out there!)

Book of Christmas

This is a page in a book I have called "The Book of Christmas."  The book is very special to me, as it was given to me by my mom several years ago.  I've read the book cover to cover many times, and every year at Christmas time, it gets pulled out, and browsed through again.  It's a beautifully illustrated book that includes all the classic stories of Christmas, the history of Christmas, and different Christmas customs celebrated all over the world.  Being an Air Force family, we celebrate Christmas in a new house every couple of years.  It's sometimes hard to create lasting traditions being in such "temporary" circumstances, but having this book always brings a bit of wonderful nostalgia to our holidays.

Friday Favorites - The Geico Commercial

This is currently the favorite commercial in the Bal household. You know, the one with "Oh no, your tire's all flat and junk." Cracks us up every time! And no, I'm not endorsing Geico in any way, that's just some hilarious stuff there.



I know, we don't get out much.

SOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo....
K, Bye!!!!!!!!

"Magnetic" Cookies

So Tuesday I wrote a post about Brennan and his new animal magnets. Apparently, he is so impressed with the magnets, he is now out to find new and interesting things to stick to the walls.

Wordless Wednesday...Because Sometimes Words Just Can't Describe

It's a Jungle In Here

St. Nick brought Brennan some Melissa and Doug Animal Magnets. After the excitement of finding his stocking full of toys and candy wore off, these magnets became the most fascinating thing ever.



First we stuck them all to the refrigerator, you know, the usual place you find magnets.



Next thing I know all the magnets have migrated to the back door.



...and then to the front door.



...and then back to the kitchen on the dishwasher.

A few tears were shed during the dishwasher migration. I had no idea that they would all fall off when I opened the dishwasher door. They did. More tears were shed when I tried to help him pick them up. I had no idea that the animals all had a specific spot to be in on the dishwasher. Oh yes, they did.



Next, I found these little guys in the laundry room on the freezer.



And then these characters showed up on the milk can in the kitchen.


Currently, all the animals have made their journeys, and they're back corralled on the refrigerator. I don't think we have too many magnetic surfaces left, but if we do, I'm sure Brennan and his new friends with find them soon.

Lil' Froggie

The froggie towel is one of Brennan's newest favorite things. And typing here is one proud Momma because I made it myself!

It's actually the second attempt at making the frog towel. I started this project back in Florida after I found some cute hooded animal towels in a Pottery Barn Kids catalog. What I didn't like was the price tag, so I decided to make some myself. I found a couple of different tutorials online, so I printed them out and away I went.

The reason for the second attempt? Well, the condensed version is: The hood portion of the towel is made by tracing two large half circles. The tutorial I was using referenced a five gallon bucket as the ideal size. We keep Maggie's dog food in just such a bucket, so I used the lid to trace my circles and then sewed those babies together. Well, when I was through, my froggie "hood" looked more like an oversized hand puppet!

On take two, I used a round clothes basket to trace the circles. It worked perfectly. Brennan loves it, and I am super happy that I was able to finish it now that I have extra time to work on my projects and crafts.

The only problem? Froggie has to go in the washer sometimes!

So it looks like I'm going to have to make some more. I think there is going to be a whole zoo full of animal towels in our future. Just think, absorbent lions and tigers and bears. Oh my!

Our Visit with Santa

We ventured out in the snow today to go see Santa at the mall.

It went pretty well. No Brennan or Daddy meltdowns at all. Santa was on the lower level, so we had to take the stroller on the escalator. Well, I guess we didn't have to, we could have taken the elevator, but what fun is that?

Thankfully, the line was short when we got to Santaland, and there were only two families in front of us. The first family was in and out in no time flat. The second family was another story. Mom was definitely looking for the perfect poses and expressions from her two little girls and tiny baby boy. There were several runs back and forth from the kids to the photographer, but in the end I think she got what she was after. Brennan was fascinated by all the toys and all the people and kids around, so we didn't have to worry about him (or Daddy) losing their patience.

When it was our turn to see Santa, Brennan was cool with the whole thing. He gave Santa a high five and a low five, and had no problem sitting on his lap. We couldn't get him to smile when it was time, but at least he wasn't crying. Actually, I wish I could have pictures of some of the faces he was making at us. We were all yelling and waving for him to smile, and the photographer was squeaking her fuzzy duck and pointing at her dancing Santa doll. Brennan just looked at us as if to say, "Have you all lost your minds? What is wrong with you people? I'm just trying to chill with Santa."

So here's the picture, and below that one is the one from 2008. It's amazing how much he's grown! *sniff sniff* But I won't comment about how much Santa has grown. Because, you know, it's almost Christmas and I want to stay on the Nice list.


2009


2008

UPDATE: Baby Jesus is Found!

Thank goodness! It was weighing heavily on my mind, I was afraid he accidentally got thrown away! Turns out, he was under the couch. We looked under there before, but nobody saw him. While Brennan was napping today, I had to crawl under the recliner to tighten up one of the leg adjustments, and I saw his silhouette way in the back. After some finagling and some fishing with Brennan's stick pony, he was back. Whew!

Friday Favorites - Christmas Ornaments

One of our family traditions is adding a Christmas ornament to the tree every year. Jason and I started doing this back in 2000 for our first Christmas together, and we've had fun finding an ornament that reflects what's happening in our life each year. In 2008, we started the same tradition for Brennan for his first Christmas. We also have a large assortment of ornaments we've gotten as gifts from friends and family, as well as several ornaments I have made over the years.

Here are a few of my favorites.


The Ornament That Started it All - Our first Christmas ornament, back from when we were engaged and living with my parents. We hung our ornament on a tiny tree that sat on top of the television in our room. We've come a long way!




Brennan's First Christmas




Santa Moon - One of the crafty ornaments painted by me. I don't remember what year it was, but we were living in North Carolina at the time. I painted a lot of ornaments that year! I used them as gift tags, and I also made one for each of my co-workers.




Paper Quilled Snowflakes - There are several of these on the tree. Another handmade goody by me. A dear childhood neighbor made beautiful framed and quilled memory frames, and gave me one for my high school graduation. I was inspired to learn how to paper quill, and taught myself how to do it. Most of the time I quill flowers and leaves to use as borders around wedding invitations or pictures, but quilled snowflakes are pretty too.




Our 2009 Ornament - We wanted something to signify our move to Utah. I found this one at Northwest Jewelry, and thought it was perfect.




2007 - A souvenir from our trip to the Biltmore estate. It's a miniature reproduction of the Vanderbilt china.




Flying Pigs - There's no "When Pigs Fly" story, Jason just likes pigs, and they were a gift from his Mom.




The Cardinal - Redbirds are significant in my family. They were a favorite of my grandparents, and we grew up watching them at the bird feeders in Grandma and Grandpa's front yard. Grandma and Grandpa have since passed on, and redbirds have become more like guardian angels. If you see one, you know Grandma and Grandpa are watching over you, and you are sure to have a good day. He's a must on our Christmas tree.




2001 - A Ne'Qwa Handpainted Ornament - This was our second ornament. A lot happened in 2001; Jason and I had gotten married, he finished basic training and tech school, and we moved to North Carolina. We found this one in a little boutique and both thought it was perfect. Ne'Qwa is an art technique of reverse painting. It's painted in reverse, on the inside of the ornament. I can't imagine painting the whole ornament in reverse through the tiny hole at the top. I tried to reverse paint an acrylic keychain back in high school, and let's just say it wasn't pretty.




The Brass Heart - This "ornament" is from 2004. I know it's hard to see in the picture, but that's how it is on the tree, tucked inside and hard to see. We get a big laugh out of the brass heart every year. Of course it has a story. I ordered it online that year, I loved how it looked in the picture, but I didn't pay attention to the dimensions. It was described as an ornament, so I just assumed it was regular ornament size. It's actually about 12" wide! I was not happy when it came in, but Jason wouldn't let me send it back. He said that's the one we picked, so that's the one we're keeping. It took me a couple years, but I'm glad we kept it. It gives our tree some heart, ha ha.




Apples - Gotta have apples. Mom always had them on the tree when we were growing up, and a Christmas tree is just not complete without them.




Bells - Same reason as the apples. Apples and Bells go together like peas and carrots.




Hand-sewn hearts and stars - Some more ornaments made by me. Back in 2003 we bought a new Christmas tree, and there was a lot of empty space to fill up on that big ol' tree. I bought a couple yards of different Christmas-y fabrics and made these.




Military Branches Ornament - A gift to Jason from his great aunt after he joined the Air Force.

So there you have it. I love that each ornament has a history and reminds us of special times in our lives, and I look forward to all the ornaments of our future.

Thursday Tidbits

Some little tidbits from our week.

Maggie is almost out of dog food.
Normally not a big deal, we'd just go get some. But this week it's really cold. And windy. And Snowy. And really cold. In order to delay having to leave the house for a day or two, I've been giving her extra table scraps...and leftovers. Like when all the salisbury steak I made the other day didn't fit into the plastic bowl I picked, I didn't get another bowl, I just put the extras in Maggie's food dish. Or when I made Pigs in Blankets yesterday, I had too many pigs and not enough blankets. Maggie gobbled those pigs right up. I also made her scrambled eggs for breakfast. We had french toast, and after I was done with the toast, I cooked up the leftover egg mixture. Well, Maggie's a big dog, and what I had left didn't look like enough for a hearty breakfast, so I added another egg (or two). Believe me, she's in doggie heaven.

I resent Jason superhuman willpower against chocolate and cookies.
I just don't understand it. At Christmas time, Jason loves peanut butter balls, and peanut butter fudge, and sugar cookies, and butterscotch haystacks. This year since we're not going to be visiting family for Christmas, I thought I would try to whip up some of those tasty treats right here at home. So far I have made the peanut butter balls and the sugar cookies. Both turned out absolutely scrumptious. The downside of that is, Jason can eat one or two of them and he's done.

Not one or two a day, one or two total.

Now what exactly is supposed to happen to the other 38 peanut butter balls, and the other 22 sugar cookies? That's right, somebody has to eat them. And who does that leave. You guessed it, me. Brennan doesn't count, if I give him a half a ball, I still have to eat the other half, and he only licks the icing off the cookies. Not that I eat the leftover cookie, that's just gross, but Maggie enjoys them. Now I was able to ship off half of the peanut butter balls to work with Jason. That still leaves a dangerous amount of peanut butter balls lurking in the refrigerator.

Baby Jesus is missing.
Last year for Christmas, Santa brought Brennan a Fisher-Price Nativity play set. This year we set it up on the coffee table for Brennan to play with. He is very proud of it, and was doing a good job of learning all the characters. Of course, Baby Jesus was his favorite. He carried him all through the house. Well, for the last couple days Baby Jesus has been MIA. (Oh, why couldn't it have been the sheep!) I keep hoping he will turn up. I've looked everywhere I can think he might be stashed, but no luck. I'm hoping for a Christmas miracle...or if it comes to it, an awesome eBay auction.

You can find anything on eBay, right?

The Wonder of Christmas

Where Does the Wind Go?

Where does the wind go when it doesn't blow?

This is a question from my Dad that got us all to ponder from a young age.

Where does the wind go when it doesn't blow?

Hmm, of course, we always had an answer. It goes someplace else. But where? It goes in the trees? Can you see it? The list goes on. Even as an adult, usually in a circle with other adults who are drinking adult beverages, the question comes up from time to time, and we all sit and ponder the deepness of the question, and crack up at all the crazy answers. Somehow everyone knows you can't answer the question with scientific reasoning, and talk of fronts and the jet stream.

Until now.

Now I know where the wind goes when it doesn't blow.

It comes to Utah, specifically to the Wasatch Front, for a fabulous ski vacation. It comes and sets up camp and brings it's buddy snow with it. For the last three days it has been here on vacation and it's giving no sign of when it's leaving. And since it's on vacation, it's got to show off a little for the locals. No small breezes here, no way. These are near hurricane strength winds we're talking about. Constant. Wind sure nows how to party.

You'd think I'd be used to it, living in Florida for 5+ years. Completely different. In Florida, the wind picked up, got stronger, and blew on through. It rarely stayed for very long at a time.

So here we go, another day surrounded by snow drifts and listening to the wind blow. I've found it's got quite a personality, too. In our bedroom, the wind whistling through some unseeable opening around the window sounds like a harmonica. I had to camp out on the couch last night for awhile, because it was so nerve-racking. Oh, and if your in one of the bathrooms, it sounds like one of those long lumber carts from Lowe's being pushed down the aisle. Twice, before I figured it out, I looked outside to see what kind of truck was out there.

Funny, that wind, quite a character. I'm just glad I finally mastered the question. Not as glad as I am that the heat works, and that Brennan and I don't have to go outside for any reason today, but a small victory all the same.

Hugs From Windy Utah,
Heather

We're Rockin' This Christmas

Never in the history of our relationship, have Jason and I been so ready for Christmas so early. I mean, we've had good intentions, but for one reason or another things never come together. Some years it's because we travel over Thanksgiving. By the time we get back and get settled and get in the mood to tackle Christmas shopping and decorating, it's the middle of December, we have no idea what we're buying, and the tree is still in the attic. Other years, when we're not going to be at our own home for Christmas, it's hard to get in the spirit to decorate when no one is going to be there to see it. You can imagine that this cycle drives my slightly OCD perfectionist self nuts!



This year is different, we have all our decorations up, inside and out. Actually, we started putting them up Thanksgiving evening, and finished them over the weekend. All of the presents are bought, and most of them are wrapped and either already under the tree, or stashed in the garage. Well, I can speak for the presents I take care of, which is all of them except for my own. Jason still might have some shopping to do, ha! Our Christmas cards are in the envelopes, just waiting to be addressed. All the packages I need to send are wrapped and packed and taped and just waiting to go to the post office. I have already bought Christmas jammies, and a Christmas outfit for Little Man, and I even remembered stocking stuffers! That is definitely a first in this house. I also have all the ingredients in the pantry for all the Christmas goodies I plan on making this year.



So as we are getting ready for the first weekend of December, I'll be so glad that we can sit at home and admire our work, and not have to make any last minute shopping lists or hectic trips to the mall. No last minute baking, or cooking, or wrapping, or standing in line. Yahoo!

This is how Christmas should be, enjoying family, and all the sights and sounds and smells of Christmas without the underlying current of stress. Hopefully we can make it happen this way every year, it's definitely worth it.

And now, I think I'll go work on making some peanut butter balls, and I'll take my time, just because I can.