Christmas 2009

My goodness...it seems like just yesterday I was writing about how EXCITED I was to bring on the holiday season, and now it's wrapping up right before our very eyes!!! But, Christmas of 2009 was a wonderful one, short as it seemed..and, the New Year is upon us. The earth has been blanketed with snow, I'm sipping my coffee, reflecting on the majesty of the season, (as much as one can reflect with two small children dancing and jumping around while Laurie Berkner sings in the background :) and dreaming about how nice it would be to go back to bed to reflect! Ha!

I was dreaming of a white Christmas, and it seemed as if our prayers would be answered, when we received a wonderful Christmas surprise on Saturday the 19th....SNOW!!!! Driving up the hill to my parents house that morning was truly breath-taking. Like a winter wonderland...just heavenly. All the trees canopied the road, and the puffy white snow upon the branches was a graceful and beautiful site to behold! Ahhhhh....Merry Christmas!!! But, the weather forecast was not to cooperate with my dreams for a white Christmas. It warmed up on Christmas eve, though the rain held off--so we had a white Christmas eve, at least. On Christmas morning, we woke up to the rain...pelting on the windows. Ick. But, the magic of Christmas allowed us to forget about the un-cooperative weather, and concentrate on the glory of the day.

The kids definitely made Christmas. Considering they have consumed hardly a morsel of food over the last couple of weeks that doesn't contain sugar as the first and foremost ingredient, they were in super-duper rare form! Brookie was the highlight of Christmas eve, running the "loop" inside my parents house, stripping naked, and slapping her little behind the whole distance. Brad and Anna lovingly dubbed her "cave girl". Even with her beautiful new fur coat from Auntie Anna, she still managed to earn the title with her grunts, points, and crazy antics!

The girl still loves her candy canes!

Opening a present that wasn't even for her....sorry Ellie! ;)

WE all sat down to a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner--minus Daddy, who had to work until 7:45 on Christmas Eve...much to our (and his) dismay. Brad and Anna were the Manhattan makers (gag me with a spoon--I stuck to my vino :), and Mimi even had beautiful table gifts for all. Spectacular!

Table gifts!

Connor and his shades, opening his gift with Gramps!

Brad....beer...Yum!!!


Church was...interesting...the kids aren't so awesome at sitting in church, but we made it! Unscathed...nearly. I was letting Brooke climb the stairs up to the third floor to burn some energy, when she tripped and cracked her head on the metal railing--sending the two nursery workers running out to see what happened. She cried for awhile, and had a good lump, but quickly recovered enough to *almost* disrupt the sermon! Ha! The best part was when I busted out a candy cane before a prayer thinking that would keep them distracted, but instead, Brooke shouts.."YAY, YAY, YAY, YAY" VERY loudly...like I said, the girl loves her candy canes! ;)

After Church, before Christmas Eve presents...

The kiddos in rare form...(or maybe not so rare :)


Trying on my new pj top! ;)


And, our night culminated with a visit from Rudolph. Yes, you read that right, Rudolph. Mr. Connor has decided that he's not such a fan of the Man in red, so we left a letter asking Rudolph to come instead. And, he obeyed Connor's wishes!



He even ate the red pepper (we didn't have any carrots ;)!

Rodolph left some wonderful gifts for us all, and we had a wonderful morning opening presents at home, going back to Mimi and Grandpas (where Santa was permitted to come--since Connor didn't sleep in the premises ;), and then to Grandma and Grandpa Smith's house to have Christmas dinner and open MORE presents! Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera Christmas day, so you'll have to do without the visuals! :) We had a wonderful Christmas, and are hoping that all of our wonderful friends and family did, too!!

Wishing you all a happy and blessed 2010!!!

XOXO!!!

Okay, you all Made This Easy! ;)

Shannon, Julie and Jessica......



You're ALL WINNERS!!!! Because I'm really in the Christmas spirit, and am swimming with bows :) I want to send each of you one! Just email me with your info ASAP so I can get it in the mail, ASAP!
brookiecookiesbows@yahoo.com
MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

XOXO,

Liz ;)

Last GIVE AWAY before CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!

One more chance to win a custom hair clip before Christmas!!! This lovely little clip is up for grabs--perfect for a stocking stuffer!!!!

This is a quick turn-around due to time constraints.....we'll draw a winner TOMORROW evening......so enter now!!!!!!!! Leave a comment for one entry, and if you follow, that's an automatic second entry!

XOXO,

Liz :)

Christmas Edition of Getting to Know your Friends!

Here's my version! Now, cut and paste it from here, put it on YOUR blog, with your very own answers!!!! As my friend Jess said over at the Entertaining House, don't be a SCROOGE! :)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Hmmmm...both. I usually wrap until I'm utterly sick of it, and then start pullling out the gift bags as a last ditch attempt to finish! ;)

2. Real tree or Artificial?
Well, sadly enough I have to say we're a big bunch of fakers. Too many allergies in this household (I swear it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm also a little bit lazy and sweeping up pine needles drives me crazy :).

3. When do you put up the tree?
The weekend after Thanksgiving--which is another reason we have to be a big bunch of fakers! ;)

4. When do you take the tree down?
Usually right after New Years Day.

5. Do you like eggnog?
Yum!!! I love everything about it!!! We put it in our coffee every morning during the holiday season...mmmmmmmm!

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Wow! There were so many! I specifically remember getting a "Teddy Ruxpin" doll that I had really been wanting! Also, one year all of my cousins (girl cousins, that is) and I all recieved Cabbage Patch dolls from our grandparents on Christmas Eve....that was soooo exciting!

7. Hardest person to buy for?
All of the males in my life, with the exception of Connor, who continues to "add" something to his Christmas list at least twice a day! ;)

8. Easiest person to buy for?
Connor and Brooke are tied on this one!!!

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes, but I'm still searching for the perfect place for it. It's breakable, you see, meaning that at the moment it's 15 up on a crazy over-hang in our foyer...and it's pretty much invisible....but it's still intact! ;)

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Snail Mail. We had our beautiful cards designed by my friend Steph over at LifePrintsDesigns...it was so much fun seeing what she came up with! I've *almost* got them all mailed...just a few more to go! ;)

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Ummmm...how about the most un-romantic gift ever received? That would be a Dyson vaccuum cleaner from my Dear Husband. Now, I really did want this...but unwrapping a vaccuum on Christmas morning leaves a lot to be desired! ;) Other than my diamond ring/earrings, it's definitely gotten the most use of any gift so far, though!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
I am in love with Christmas, and Christmas movies. I sincerely miss my little sister this time of year. I have the most wonderful memories of she and I wrapping furiously in my parents basement (usually on Christmas Eve), watching movie after movie..."White Christmas", "Scrooge" (the one with Albert Finney is my favorite), and many, many more. Then, we'd go to sleep together after Church on Christmas Eve, with Nick at Nite's Christmas marathon playing in the background.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
I am sooo behind this year. I'm almost done with the kiddos, but that's about it....ugh!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Oh, I'm sure I have! ;)

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Everything....Tommy wanted me to go jeans shopping yesterday and I told him he was absolutely crazy! Jeans shopping on the same day you make a zillion butter cookies, a frittata for breakfast, and eat left-over mac and cheese for lunch is NOT the day to try on jeans....yikes!

16. Lights on the tree?
Our main tree in the living room has white lights, but the kids have a smaller one in their toy room, with colored lights. I actually miss having a big tree with colored lights...

17. Favorite Christmas song?
I adore "Oh Holy Night", "Away in a Manger", "Silent Night"....the list goes on, and on, and on! ;)

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
We stay in town but travel to both sets of Grandparents (our parents) houses. We spend Christmas eve at my parents, have dinner, go to church, etc., come back home, and let the kids open their presents from "Santa" Christmas morning here. Then, head back to my parents for more presents/brunch, and then to Tommy's parents for more presents and lunch/dinner!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Yes.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Star. Mimi had to go buy a new star for Connor this year, as ours wasn't "sparkly" enough and this was really bothering him! ;)

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
We all get PJ's from Mimi and Gramps on Christmas Eve! Back in the day, before kiddos, Tommy and I used to exchange our gifts to each other on Christmas Eve...so magical and romantic by the twinkling tree lights with a fire going. Now, we're too consumed with getting all the kiddos gifts assembled and set up!!!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
No snow....but rain, instead. Blah!

23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color?
I have many ornaments from my childhood that are dear to me. And, I just love a deep crimson color....yummy!

24. Favorite for Christmas Dinner?
We typically have ham, or turkey with Tommy's parents...

25. What do you want to do for Christmas this year?
I agree with Jess--send the SNOW!!!!

26. Favorite Christmas tradition growing up?
Christmas Eve at my Grandparents house. They had a big, open house, up on top of a hill, with a HUGE great/room. Perfect, perfect for celebrations. This could be a seperate post all of it's own, but we would all arrive sometime during the day on Christmas Eve, play Christmas Carols on the piano, sit by the fire, admire the HUGE pile of presents under the elevated tree! The house was FILLED with people! We would all eat together, get dressed in our special Christmas attire, and head to church--all of us!!! After church we'd all come back to the house, and each grandchild would "perform"--from playing the piano, to the violin, singing, reading the Christmas story, or "The Night Before Christmas" (my specialty :). Then, we would get to open our presents.....talk about worth waiting for! The anticipation was sooo great by that time of the night. I don't think Christmas has ever been the same since my Grandparents sold this house fifteen or so years ago. Oh, to spend one more Christmas Eve in the house in Maplewood.....

27. Favorite tradition now?
Making new memories/traditions with our little family of four! It's so fun to do things with the kiddos like make cinnamon dough ornaments, cookies, etc.

28. Favorite Christmas Memory?
I have way too many. Of course Christmas Eve at my Grandparents house, Tommy and I sitting by the fire and exchanging gifts--one year I got gorgeous diamond earrings, which I still wear almost daily. Seeing Connor's face last year as he emerged down the stairs on Christmas morning. Singing a solo at the Christmas Eve service at church when I was probably seven or eight, and being so nervous that I melted the wax candle in my hand before we performed! ;)

So many memories, and I'm so thankful to have the gift of making new ones!!! Merry Christmas, everybody!!!

LIVE on Etsy!

Wow!! This was a lot harder of a task than I imagined it to be, but I have a start, at least! Need to re-adjust the header, etc., but, at least I have some items listed...will be doing another give-away this week, so check back for more! :) (Can you tell I adore making these hair clips? ;)
http://www.etsy.com/shop/brookiecookiesbows

Precious Moments....

I had a bit of a wake-up call yesterday, so to speak. I was having one of those days...trying to get a ton of stuff done, feeling like someone was asking me for something, or to do something (including the dog) every 15 seconds...trying desperately to be productive, but not having much success...yada, yada, yada.

Well, I *finally* got Ms. Brooke down to sleep...ahhhhhh....success!!! I could get the floors clean, and get the laundry started, and all those other tasks I attempt to cram into that lovely period of the day we call "nap time". As I began to busy myself, Connor reminded me that he had slept in his own bed the night before and hadn't yet had his gum ball reward...so, I let him pick a gum ball, and sent him on his merry way. He asked to go play in his room, and I told him he could as long as he promised to be quiet, as his room is right next to Brooke's, and again, naptime is precious....

I finally had the main floor to myself and was extremely thankful. I was beginning to clean the counters when I heard a strange and horrific sound coming from Connor's room. My first instinct was to shout " BE Q-U-I-E-T"....I couldn't believe that he was shrieking like that when I had specifically told him to play quietly in his room...and he promised! But, the awful sound continued--and quickly turned into an eerie gagging noise, and then, it hit me like a ton of bricks...gum ball. He had taken his gum ball with him upstairs...I was so busy worrying about how and when I was going to get everything done that I had forgotten to ask him to bite it in front of me. Panic set in. Like the kind of panic where you break into an immediate sweat and being shaking uncontrollably. I RAN up the stairs where I found Connor half-way down, standing on the landing, grabbing his throat, face beet-red, tears streaming down his cheeks, gasping for air. Words can't describe the fear that gripped me in that moment. Everything I'd learned in the many CPR classes I've taken was a blurry haze...so, I grabbed him instinctually and thumped him on the back, and in that moment I heard a scream from deep within his throat and thought--AIR--he's able to scream so he's getting air--that means that he's breathing!!!!!!!! Thank you Lord, Thank you, Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!!!!

I scooped him up carried him to the couch, and held him in my arms while I cried and he cried. We had both been scared beyond belief, and that kind of fear and anxiety brings out more emotions that one can even begin to sort out. We stayed like that for a long, long time, until his little body ceased shaking, and he fell asleep in my arms. I held onto him as tight as possible, stroking his hair, and kissing the top of his head. As I sat there I was faced with pictures of him all around me--on the fridge, on the walls, framed and loose. From Connor as a baby with hair sticking up all over his sweet head, to a picture of he and Brooke taken last fall, laughing together in the double stroller on a care-free September day. I was granted such an incredible realization of just how PRECIOUS life is. I can't tell you the last time my first-born sat on my lap with me for more than 5 minutes--mostly because I'm always jumping up to do something. I don't hold him that much anymore. I encourage independant play. Though we do play together during Brookie's naps a lot of days (Candy Land, or a craft), a good part of the time we're sitting there, I'm not fully enjoying the moment like I should be, but instead, thinking of all the things that need to be done......

Anyway, the point to all this rambling is that I had a great wake-up call yesterday. As I said in a previous post, I am really going to try to slow down this holiday season and enjoy just being. Just doing fun things with the kids without thinking about all of those meaningless things that I need to accomplish. So, this afternoon, Connor and I spent a couple of hours in the "craft room" making hair clips for each of the little girls in his class. Then, we played Candy Land, and I enjoyed every minute of it..."The Year Without a Santa Claus" was on in the background and it was sooo much fun just hanging out and watching it with him. Exactly what I've been wanting to do!


Tonight, we had a quiet evening (both kids have yucky colds again so we had to cancel a get-together with family :(, but we made the most of it! I had sooo much fun dancing around the kitchen, Christmas music playing throughout the house, lights twinkling, all the while making white and dark chocolate covered pretzels! How wonderfully Christmasy! I am soooo thankful for all that we have this year. I could not ask for anything more! We are sooo blessed to have such wonderfully amazing family and friends...and, I'm very thankful that I was given a wake-up call to remember just how precious life is--all life, and to not take for granted a single second of it!




XOXO to you all!

And the WINNERS are...................

DRUM ROLL.....PLEASE........................









The winner of THIS "Sassy Santa" Bow is:












And, the winner of THIS "Holly Jolly" Bow is:






(uh oh....you're gonna need to surprise one of A's cute little friends!!! ;)



CONGRATS, ladies!!!!! Email me with your contact info (brookiecookiesbows@yahoo.com) and I'll mail them out right away!!!!! Thanks so much to all my readers--we'll have another bow give away soon!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)

What???? Only 17 Days???

I truly cannot believe that Christmas is only seventeen days away! This happens every year. I wait anxiously, all through November, to officially "let" myself get into the Christmas spirit. I adore this time of year, and each year without fail, I long to recapture those December days from my youth....so, I promise myself that this year, it will be different. I will do something "Christmasy" with the kids each and every day. I will take time to sit and enjoy the smell of something yummy baking in the oven, without rushing around, moving onto the next thing--failing to really STOP and breathe it in. I long for the care-free days of sitting in the little white house I spent the first five years of my youth in on College Street. Making homemade rock candy in our cozy little kitchen with my mom...the smell of *almost* burning sugar wafting from the stove! :) Waking up early to sit by the Christmas tree, staring for what seemed to be hours at the hundreds of twinkling (colored) lights. Taking moonlit walks hand in hand with my daddy up to the Buxton Inn to see the grandoise display of lights--the fresh snow glistening under the magic cast of the street lights. Christmas eve at my grandparents beautiful house in Maplewood....the absolute majesty of hearing "Silent Night" sung accapella at the candlelight service at church.
As I type this, the snow/sleet is falling, while Harry Conick Jr. is belting "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow" in the background. It is Christmastime. I may not ever be able to recapture the magic of the season like I knew it to be as a child. But, what I forget is that right at this moment, we are spinning the webs of memories that our children will carry with them always. So, as busy as things might seem, as tired as I may be at the end of the day (or the start of the morning :), I will enjoy every minute possible of this holiday season, and we WILL make those paper chains, cinnamon ornaments, popcorn balls, and even go caroling! And instead of trying to recapture something that just might be impossible, I am trying to focus on the birth of our Lord and Savior this December, and teach our children to do so, too! ;) Merry Christmas, dear friends and family!!!!



Brookie was so sweet yesterday, in her little Christmas dress. We were playing dress-up, as she was ready to act as my "bow" model! ;) Now, why didn't I get this sweet picture BEFORE we had the Christmas cards designed? ;)

Because I went CRAZY making Bows... :)

I'm GIVING two away!!! I want to send one to you!!! Leave a comment here, and "we" (the kiddos) will draw two lucky winners!!! And, you have a REALLY good chance of winning....because this is still a small-time blog!!! Lol!!! :) Love all the readers of this "small-time" blog, though!!!! Oh, and if you follow, you get entered into the drawing automatically (comment and follow and you'll get TWO entries)!!! We'll draw the winners on WEDNESDAY, so check back then!!! Yay...MERRY CHRISTMAS & Happy Chanukah!!! ;)

XOXO to you all (I did consume a glass of wine very quickly before writing this post--can you tell?---I was in charge of the card making activity at Connor's preschool as part of our town's Candlelight Walking Tour today, and I am B.E.A.T.....I think I need another...and another? ;)

Latest (Ad)Venture....

Tommy is always laughing at me because I'm a dreamer and a schemer...I'm forever coming up with new ideas, projects, time-wasters...you know, things that help me fill my day with color, and creativity! ;) Sooooooo....here is my latest "thing"! I decided to make adorable little hair accessories for all the adorable little girls I know! I know an adorable little lady in a neighboring town who makes these, and she totally inspired me to try it myself. Oh my goodness, I have had sooooo much fun with this!!! If you want a bow, let me know....I'm selling each one at $5 a pop, and 10% of all proceeds goes to Compassion International...an awesome organization!!!! I think I'm going to have too much fun with this...my poor kiddos were fending for themselves quite a bit today...lol...no worries, though, no small children were harmed during the making of these bows...at least, I don't think they were! ;)

Sickos Survive Thanksgiving!

We are officially a family of sickos! This is day number 12 for Brooke (woke up with a fever AGAIN this morning)...the rest of us have all been sick for well over a week, and are still not up to par. I'm not sure if this is the same bug, or if it morphed, or, if we caught something else over the weekend. In any case, I will be soooooooooo grateful when everyone is healthy and feeling GOOD again!!!!!! But, things could be much worse, so I'm trying to stay positive!

Because of the (s)ickies in our house, we stayed home on Thanksgiving. It was a very quiet day--just the four of us. Tommy wasn't feeling all that bad yet, so he still got up and ran the Turkey Trot--I was so jealous! He finished in the top 5% too, so I was excited for him!!! After the run I cooked my first ever bird, and we dined a "formal" dinner around our table...which was oh, so nice, until about 2.5 seconds into the feast when Connor began spewing his green beans, and Brookie started to re-mash her potatoes with her chubby little fingers. Mmmmmmmmm....a meal fit for....our family, that's for sure! ;)

But I was still proud of my turkey-bird! I used a recipe from W.S., rolling softened butter mixed with turkey herbs into a log, refrigerating, and then, when preparing the turkey, cut the "log" into discs and slid them under the skin. I then filled the bird with apples, onions, and garlic, rubbed it down with olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs, and added a little white wine to the mix. It ended up being very juicy, and succulent, and we were pleased!!! Yay! ;)


Auntie Teah braved the "infirmary" on Friday, and declared that she didn't care if we had scarlet fever--she was coming over to see us! We love you Auntie Tea! ;) She came bearing gifts, and man oh man, for kiddos who had seen no faces except for mine and Tommy's for a week, they were no less than THRILLED to see Teah's beautiful smiling countenance!


It even SNOWED on Friday morning! It was beautiful, and though it melted quickly, there was time for the kiddos to catch a little fresh air, bundle up, and play outside on the deck for a few minutes, at least! ;) Connor was in seventh-heaven. I still have to get Brooke snow boots for this winter, so all I could find in the closet were a pair of hand-me-downs....which she was not so impressed with. My little diva was stubborn for at least 15 minutes before she finally lamented and let me put the boots on her so she could go out, too! Ha! Auntie Anna, we're pretty sure she might take after you...a little! ;)




Thankfully, Tommy and I felt better by the weekend, so we were able to escape for a little while, and see friends and family. Brad, our Anna's future husband--and his family were in town, too, so it was so wonderful to get to spend time with them. Wow, Anna is going to have so much fun being a part of that family--they are just awesome!






Unfortunately, socializing and talking over the weekend was really hard on the ol' voice, and, I pretty much lost it by Sunday...still waiting to regain it today! But, it was worth it to catch up with wonderful friends, and celebrate the holidays. Bring on December, and we're kicking this flu bug out the door with November! ;)