Happy Anniversary!!!

Nearly eight years ago, Tommy and I said our "I-do's" on a bright, sunny, 50 degree day, that made conditions perfect for taking pictures outdoors! I wore a strapless dress, and was so warm due to the brilliant sunshine, blue skies, happiness and adrenaline, that I was able to get all of my outdoor shots without wearing a cape around my shoulders! My poor bridesmaides must not have been quite as high on adrenaline, as I do believe they froze in their strapless gowns, taking pictures outside the church with bare shoulders and arms! ;)

Our wedding was perfection, aside from the groomsmen (and women) dropping like flies with various illnesses...Tommy's one and only sister was so excited to be his best (wo)man, and was over-taken by the flu during our rehearsal dinner. God bless her, she made it to the wedding, flu and all, but was in no shape or condition to walk down the isle...I can't believe looking back, that she made it at all--unable to keep anything down! Poor thing! Thankfully her husband stepped in as a groomsmen!
One of the problems with holding a winter wedding, and flying people in from all over the country, is the germs that come with them...especially on planes! Tommy's poor eldest brother (who had graciously stepped in as his best man) made it through half of the ceremony, until, over-taken by strep throat and the overwhelming urge to faint, had to step down and sit out the rest....meaning Tommy's next brother stepped in as the best man, and was forced to write a speech on the way over to the reception--which was actually very well-written and poignant!

But, other than all of the illness in Tommy's poor family, our wedding was perfect--a dream come true! :) Eight years ago on February 23rd we promised to love each other, respect each other, be true to each other, in sickness and in health, through thick and thin, kids and tantrums, puppy training, potty training, breastfeeding, no sleep, times when the money is flowing, and when it comes to a complete hault, grumpy times, and happy times, through moves, new jobs, lost jobs, births, and deaths, new wrinkles, balding heads, and graying hair (all due to the two who joined us since our wedding ;)...we've seen a lot in eight short years. And though at some points I'm sure we've re-neged a bit on our promise to respect, I know that we have never stopped loving. And that promise remains true today, tomorrow, and always! (And the respect thing--well, that's always a work in progress, and has gotten a lot better over the years! ;)

In order to celebrate eight years together, we are going away tomorrow night. A beautiful Scottish Inn amidst a hundred acres of hiking trails in the middle of the snowiest winter we may have ever seen, awaits us. A six course meal, and a beautiful room looking over the woods...and, no kiddos! For 24 hours....bliss! ;) We are very excited, and although our time away will be short, it will be worth every second, I am sure! Happy anniversary my love...looking forward to an eternity together with you!

xoxoxoxo!

I WON, I WON!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm soooo excited! I jumped on here to check on all of my lovely friend's blogs, and as I hopped over to With a Chirp, a Buzz, and a Lion's Roar by the lovely Jess (who just so happens to be one of my earliest childhood friends :), I was in shock and awe as I realized I WON HER GIVE-AWAY!!! Woohooo!

Jess is an incredible seamstress and designer of children's clothing, and I'm off to email her Brookie's size and will be overcome with anticipation and excitement, waiting to see what she creates!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU, JESS!!!

xoxoxoxo!!!

Rockin'

My awesome friend Heather made this hat for Connor...she needed a project during our winter snowstorm, so she tried something new! How cute is this??? :)

Taken....

I've been "window shopping" today as I sit from my couch, comfy and SNOWED IN!!! I spied this in the Boden catalogue that came today...I'm taken. I'm contemplating attempting to hand-make one...what do you think? :)

Snowmagoodness....

The snow began on Friday--the heaviest, fattest, flakes I've seen in a loooong time, falling at the rate of an inch an hour! We had some dear friends over for a playdate...some of whom got to be snowed-in with us a good part of the day!




And, it kept falling all of Friday night until noon on Saturday! I think we had snowfall totals of 15 or 16 inches....





We had a couple of really cold, sunny days, and voila, it's snowing again! Another 5-8 inches today! Eeeeks! Tommy just got home early, and I cancelled my classes this morning...we're snowed in, again! Thank the Lord for our wonderful neighbors up the street who had Connor over this afternoon, because cabin fever has set in, big-time! ;)

I think I'll attempt to bake shortbread cookies with my new cookie press that was just delivered from the Pampered Chef this afternoon....it's a shortbread kind of day! ;)

Hope you're all staying safe and warm...I know a lot of you are snowed in, as well!!!

xoxoxoxoxo!!!!

Five for Five....

Copied from. Ms. Marie's blog Every Day Matters

Here’s how it works:

The first five people to leave a comment on this post will get something from me.
But in return, you have to do the same thing on your blog and make something for five other people. The details are as follows, and if you want to play, copy the following onto your blog and leave me a post:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get.
2. What I create will be just for you, with love.

3. It’ll be done this year (2010).

4. I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. Or it may be monstrous and annoying. Heck, I might bake something for you and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that’s for sure!

5. I reserve the right to do something strange.

6. In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your blog post.

7. Send your mailing address – after I contact you.

Progression of the White Paint Project

So, we started painting some of our trim last week.....the living room is done, and I was so excited to hang my new espresso colored, silk dupioni drapes from the Barn (as my husband so lovingly refers to it ;), but alas, I'm not too happy with the purchase. To the right, the gold drapes that we already had, and to the left, the espresso colored new drape. Not digging it. Oh well...I have a lot of other stuff to buy still, so that's okay. What do you all think?



Here's a close-up of the mantle:


And, a close-up of one of the pics on the mantle. I found it in the basement last week, and it's hilarious! I can't believe how young we were--16, and 18 respectively...right before T's senior prom! ;)



We still have a lot of work to do--I'll keep updating as more progress is made...but first, that means I have to get back to it...yikeys! ;)

Ms. Brooke

A little less than 2 months shy of two, and she's definitely a diva in training. Here are a couple recent pics of Ms. Brookie Cookie herself! ;)

Giant Busy Box....

This was a Christmas gift from my dear Aunt Amy for Brookie....and it's soooo much fun!!! The kids have found so many awesome projects within this giant busy box! Today, we made four paper bag puppets! Connor and Brookie made a cow and a lion this morning, and Connor's friend is over this afternoon and they are currently working extremely hard making an elephant and a frog, respectively!

A perfect way to keep busy on these dreary winter days.... :)

Seriously?

Did I really type the word "inpact" below in my "Much Ado About Nothing Post"? Seriously.....

Sorry all, apparently the lack of sleep has been affecting me lately. Wait, is it affecting, or effecting? Seriously? Seriously....

XOXO! ;)

A Joyful Heart...

I think of myself as a happy person, glass half-full (or over-flowing sometimes :) kinda girl. But, as of late, I've caught sight of "Ms. Grumpy Pants" reflecting in the mirror. I don't know why....maybe I'm tired? Maybe I've been burning the candle at both ends...maybe a little bit of everything all thrown in the mix. Connor will say, "Mommy, are you mad at me?"...to which I'll respond (certainly with no grumpy or slightly annoyed undertones)..."NO Connor, WHY would I be mad at you?" Tommy has accused me on quite a few occassions of being grouchy over the last couple of weeks, which then really gets my blood boiling, and makes me even more so, (even though I'm NOT grouchy...of course). ;)

Well, as I told you last time, I've made a few life-style adjustments lately. I'm revamping my eating habits, getting back into the habit of regular exercise, working on some home-improvements....but last night I came to a realization. All of this is well and good, but if I'm not doing these things with a joyful heart, than I might as well not do them at all!!!

I teach music classes for children a couple mornings a week-something which makes me oh, so happy. I consider it more of a priviledge than a job, for the most part! Our extraordinary director had a belated holiday party for all of us last night, and the theme was "Simple Gifts". After a delightfully elegant dinner, she read the words to the Quaker song which says:


'Tis the gift to be simple,
'tis the gift to be free,
'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
It will be in the valley of love and delight.

Refrain:

When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed.
To turn, turn will be our delight,
'Til by turning, turning we come round right

'Tis the gift to be loved and that love to return,
'Tis the gift to be taught and a richer gift to learn,
And when we expect of others what we try to live each day,
Then we'll all live together and we'll all learn to say,

Refrain:

'Tis the gift to have friends and a true friend to be,
'Tis the gift to think of others not to only think of "me",
And when we hear what others really think and really feel,
Then we'll all live together with a love that is real.


I adore this song. I've always loved the melody, but never stopped to really let the words sink in. I love the idea of "simple gifts", and a JOYFUL heart! I am so excited to not only begin a few life-style adjustments, but also a reformation of the heart!!!! I have so much to be thankful for--so, so many gifts. And I thank you, all of my wonderful friends and family, for the simple gift of your friendship. And with a joyful heart, I'm off to paint another section of window molding! ;)

Much Ado About Nothing.....

Sooooo....first and foremost, I need to get my act into gear. Remember all of those lovely posts about running...yeah, I sure was loving it...when it wasn't bittah cold out...like it is now. Now, I'm really enjoying my evenings snuggling in for the night with a glass of wine and some chocolate, or cookies, or something delightfully sinful that's totally unhealthy...whilst crafting, or watching t.v....on my bottom...which is growing larger by the minute!

Ridiculous, I say, absolutely ridiculous! I have got to amend this situation and now. I have a bad habit of just picking at food all day long, insead of planning healthy meals, three times a day. That needs to change, too. So, I am about to begin a reformation...we'll see how it goes...I'll keep you posted! Anna's wedding is in September, and she sent me pics of some ideas for bridesmaid dresses...yep...gotta start working now so that come September, I'll be ready to squeeze myself into one of those hottie dresses! ;) HA!!!! ;)

On a totally different note, we are doing some house reformation, or renovation as the case may be, as well. We didn't build our house, but the people who did opted to put in dark stained trim, throughout. I really, really detest it, but have detested even more the thought of having to 1) replace all of the trim, or 2) PAINT all of the trim....but, we're sucking it up and getting out our painter's tape and our brushes. We're almost done with the living room, and although it does take a lot of time, it's so incredibly worth it. I finished the mantle and the window casings in the living room this afternoon, and the inpact it makes is amazing. New drapes and a few new accessories and at least one room will be good to go....it's a start, at least! :) I'll have to post before and after pics soon!

WINNER, WINNER!!!!

Thank you so much for all of your entries! ;) I took pics of the kiddos drawing name(s), but alas, the camera is downstairs and I am upstairs, and I think it might be asking too much of my lazy buns to go all the way down there to upload pictures of the official drawing! :) So, you'll just have to trust me on this one!!!! ;)

Because I have TWO kiddos, who bicker over everything, one didn't think it was fair that the other one got to draw a name and he didn't, I had to be fair to avoid an argument, so two names were drawn from from the pile.....



And..............






Heather Beach Photography was drawn by the lovely Brooke! ;)







And................







"So Happily Us" (Margaret) was drawn by the dashing Connor!






Congrats ladies!!! Email me with your info and I'll send out your gifts right away! :)
brookiecookiesbows@yahoo.com

And, to all of you who didn't win this time, no worries...I'm sure you can tell how much I love to give these things away, so we'll do a V-day giveaway in February, fo sho! ;)

Thanks so much for all of your sweet comments and words of encouragement!!!

XOXO,

Liz

Celebrating 200 Posts with a Vimeo...

Dear readers,

I woke up to an email today from my amazing and beautiful friend, T., who attends Builtmore Baptist Church....an awesome church that has an incredible outreach and ministry and welcomes those from all walks of life with open arms!

I was looking for something neat and exciting to celebrate my 200th post (woohoo! ;), and I think this is just perfect!

I am crying as I write this....what an incredible testimony to the fact that God has a plan for each and every one of us, and there is ALWAYS hope in Him!

Have a wonderful and blessed day!!!

XOXO,

Liz

Happy New Year--Time for Another Give-Away!

Okay, so I've been busy, busy, busy making these addictive little hair clips and bows....my house is suffering, my kids are sick of the bow habit...well, Connor is, at least, Brookie's like a kid in a candy store b/c my addiction now = her addiction and she has to change her bow at least three times a day! ;) I'm really excited because I've been conversing with a local clothing boutique about selling my accessories there, and we have a final meeting on Friday! Yay!

So, I've gotten a lot better at making these too...I'm learning which clips are best, which ribbon is best, how to heat-treat the ribbon to keep it from fraying, etc...I also just made my first donation to Compassion International with my proceeds, and am so excited that we are able to sponsor a child, and will receive info. about him or her in a week or two!!! I can't tell you how happy that makes me, and I hope my donation abilities are able to be greatly increased as my business grows!

So, in honor of my new found love for all things "ribbony" :), I'm having another GIVE-AWAY!!!! Yay!!!!! It makes me giddy to share these with friends, and one of my lucky bloggy friends will receive a pretty Trio set, a lot like this:




To enter, simply follow this blog if you don't already, and leave me a comment! One entry per comment!!!! We'll draw the winner on Friday, January 15th!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish I could ship all of my friends a Brookie Cookie's Bow, but I'm just not that bountiful, yet. :) However, I can give all of you a great deal....if you place an order on my Etsy site, simply leave a msg. with the order that says "These Are the Days" and you will receive a FREE clip or bow that compliments your order (I'll choose something really pretty ;)! No exclusions, or minimums to your order, either! And, if you spend $20 or more, you'll receive TWO free clips or bows!

Okay, enough promotion of this crazy new venture of mine....please, please forgive me! ;) I promise I'll only do one give-away a month from now on!!!!

XOXO!!! :)

Let it SNOW!!!

We are in the middle of a winter snow storm which has pounded us all day with gorgeous, powdery, sparkling, white snow. It's been glorious to sit sipping yummy wintery beverages (Guiness was my choice tonight) and marvel at the fact that we have nothing to do (well, sort of ;), and no place to be! Daddy brought snow inside and put it in the kid's water table while I worked upstairs on my bows (I'm addicted, by the way). I heard squeals of delight filtering up the stairs into my office, as they scooped and shoveled the snow!
After I scrambled to make dinner (time passes so quickly while I'm busy crafting) we took the kids out for a night-time snow adventure. Daddy shoveled the driveway and sidewalks, while the kids flopped in, ran on, swept up, and gobbled the snow! They had a ball, and it was so much fun. Connor remarked to me at one point that the snow was sparkling, and it WAS. So beautiful under the street lights. I didn't take pictures, because our escapade was quite impromptu, but it was breath-taking.

I did have a moment when I went chasing after Brookie as she ran down the drive way. Apparently I have no traction on my boots, and my feet flew out from under me and I landed (hard) on my hip and shoulder--taking Brookie down with me! Daddy thought it was quite hilarious as I grumbled about needing new boots, (that's next on my list tonight :). I'm gonna be feeling that one tomorrow, for sure! But other than that we had a brilliant day, and who knows, we might even take a snow day tomorrow, too!!!!

Happy Winter, everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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!!!