Christmas is Done

The tree is down.

The decorations are all put away.

Hair color has been changed.

Toys are being enjoyed and fought over.

And the chocolate is almost gone.

I hope you all had as wonderful a Christmas as our family did.


And just so you know, I have packed three whole boxes.
More to be done today.

SHS 12/23

Christmas is almost here.

All shopping is done,
all decorating is finished,
most of the presents are wrapped.

Now to relax and enjoy the magic.
Tonight we will be caroling with friends,
and tomorrow he kids open a gift while
we watch The Nativity Story.
I love Christmas traditions.


For now, my Scavenger Hunt for this week....


Joy

Not only is my sister's name Joy,
but there is so much joy on their faces.
I love that my kids love their aunt so much.


Tangled

While I was out for a walk this week,
I found a tree with a lot of tangled branches.


Silver

This pretty silver star is my Christmas decoration for the front door.
I like it so much, I think I will keep it up all year.


Guilty Pleasure

I recently discovered this flavor.
Oh My Goodness! It is divine.
If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend doing so asap.
And hide it from the kids and husband.
They try to steal it.


Angel

This is one of my oldest Christmas ornaments.
I absolutely adore it.
It is always the first ornament I put on my tree each year.



I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!
And don't eat too much.
On second thought, go ahead.
It's Christmas, after all.
You can work it off later.

Random

My time here is slowly slipping away.
I am trying to avoid doing anything.
Like planning, and packing, and cooking, and...


So, I will post about my random week.

 I had a coffee date with an amazing friend this week.
She has these adorable world cities mugs.
I, of course, chose Paris.
I think I have to go to World Market now
and get some.

 The kids and I decorated Christmas cookies.
James was making faces the whole time.
This one cracked me up cause he looks like he is about to eat my face.

 A cute book display the boys loved while shopping for
Daddy's Christmas gift.

 This book.
Amazing.
Totally needed right now.

 It rained in El Paso this week.
We even had a rainbow.
It's the little things.

Jerry and I went on a movie date Monday.
The theater had an arcade.
With this old school game.
It made both of us smile.

How is your week going?
Hopefully more productive than mine.

Silent

Charlotte Bacon

Daniel Barden

Rachel DaVino

Olivia Engel

Josephine Gay

Ana M. Marquez-Greene

Dylan Hockley

Dawn Hochsprung

Madeleine F. Hsu

Catherine V. Hubbard

Chase Kowalski

Jesse Lewis

James Mattioli

Grace McDonnell

Anne Marie Murphy

Emilie Parker

Jack Pinto

Noah Pozner

Caroline Previdi

Jessica Rekos

Avielle Richman

Lauren Russeau

Mary Sherlach

Victoria Soto

Benjamin Wheeler

Allison N. Wyatt

SHS 12/17

I am a little late with the scavenger hunt this week.

I am going to blame it on the upcoming move
and all the packing.
So what if I haven't done any packing yet.
Don't judge.


Sparkly

 There is no shortage of sparkly things this time of year.
I love it!


Door

 James at his schoolroom door.


Decorate

 I made chocolate peppermint cookies this weekend for
a cookie exchange.
They were delicious.


Stripes

 Are there any stripes with more meaning?


A Few of My Favorite Things

 Kisses, cheesecake, roses, coffee, and wine.
Not all together, though.


I get to pick the Scavenger Hunt pictures next week.
I hope you all like them.

Joy
Tangled
Silver
Guilty Pleasure
Angel

Friday Letters

Dear Personal Christmas Tree,

I love that I now have my very own, small tree
for my collection of vintage ornaments.
And if my children touch you, there will be blood.

Dear Packing,
I know, I know. I have less than a month to get you done.
I suppose I should start soon....

Dear AMC,
I never thought it would happen.
I have never liked zombie shows.
To be fair, this is much more than zombies.
I am addicted.

 

Dear School Christmas Programs,
Thank you for the opportunity for cute pictures of the kids.

 

November 2012

November was full and fun.
I expect December to be the same.

I am a little late getting the collage up,
but better late than never.

Thanksgiving Dinner
Learning to Shoot
Woman with Gun
Nerd
Family Movie Night
Decorating the Tree
Pumpkin Spice Latte

Life is Changing

We are moving back home in less than a month.

My husband it getting out of the Army after 14 years.
Well, not technically. He has re enlisted for the Reserves
for 6 years so he can finish out his retirement.

But, the day to day, active Army life we had lived for years now.
That is over in a month.

We are finally going home.
We are finally going to be around family,
live in the same house for more than 3 years,
and the kids will now get to have a stable school life.

I am very excited about it, but I am also scared to death.
My entire adult life, I have been an Army wife.
It's all I know.

Now what?
What will I do as a civilian wife?
Will I still make friends as easily?
Should I start my career now?
Will I hate being planted and not
able to move around anymore?

This new adventure has made for some interesting conversations
between me and my husband.
A new job, a new house, a new life.
A new everything.

It's a big adjustment.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

This has always been my life verse.
I will cling to it now more than ever.
 


In the midst of all the chaos of moving, and planning, and Christmas,
I am still trying for normalcy.
So I am continuing my photography assignments.

This week for You Capture, the assignment was light.
I love taking pictures in different light.

SHS 12/9

Happy Sunday!

Here are my interpretations this week for
Scavenger Hunt Sunday:

Season

While I was taking this picture, there were even more leaves falling around me.
It was an Autumn wonderland for a few minutes.


Colorful

 My oldest son made me this felt Nativity a couple of years ago.


Weather

 
A dust storm from a few weeks ago.
Typical El Paso weather.


Silhouette

 Our beautiful mountain silhouetted in the dusk.


Calm 

It is such a rarity in our house, especially with two boys.
This is just about the only time it happens.

Next week:

Sparkly
Door
Decorate
Stripes
A Few of My Favorite Things