December 25th & 26th

Hope you're all having a wonderful New Years Eve and that you have plans for loads of fun tonight!

December 25th/Christmas Day/The First Day of Christmas

Reads
After last year's ridiculously early Christmas waking - {The Little Guy} was strictly warned to stay in bed til 6 AM. He did and the day was merrier for all of us with adequate sleep! Santa's visit and a few gifts from us made {The Little Guy} super happy and a quiet day in jammies followed.


December 26th/Boxing Day/The Second Day of Christmas

Reads:
At our house, new board and card games are a Christmas must-have and the days after they're opened are play-time!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

December 23rd & Christmas Eve

Here's two more JYC pages.

December 23rd

Reads:
Combining {The Little Guy}'s Little People with Marvel Superheroes and STar Wars toys is the sort of silliness the boys manage to get up to ... I can't help but laugh when they explain such things. Despite the obvious irreverence - I find their mix of secular and religious pretty amusing, and sort of apt. I spent some time this afternoon trying to figure out a way to attend a Christmas Eve service without interfering with our traditional gathering at my Mom's. In the end I let the notion go, to focus on family tradition.

December 24th/Christmas Eve

Journal reads:
{The Little Guy} was asleep when we got home from Grandma's, he woke up just enough to leave Santa a note and a treat.

Note reads:
Dear Santa, Before you put my presents in my stocking enjoy the milk and kookiEs (sic). Well, Bye Now.

Thank You {Little Guy} Merry Christmas - Love, Santa

December 20 & 21 & 22

Right around the 19th I dropped off the scrappy wagon... not much getting done on the JYC front for a while there... but now it's all caught up and on track for the twelve days of Christmas* and here's a few pages for you....

December 20th

Reads:
While I've not been as in the Spirit this year as I'd like, remembering that Christmas is about counting our many blessings can put me back on track. Having my children together has to be at the top of that list. A family that laughs together. {Little Guy}'s indomitable joy. {Muppet Boy}'s grin and his scowl - which with a preteen we see more of than we might choose. A season of seeing the fruits of {Oldest}'s labors - college acceptances, etc. Holding hands, Praying hearts, the ways we've grown this year and all our hopes for things to come. Hope, Joy, Love, Gratitude - that's Christmas Magic!
Please excuse this super fuzzy photo -- My scanner does not like dimensional stuff like these snowflakes!

December 21st

Reads
In November while I was away, DH made the boys French Toast one morning and {The Little Guy} decided that it was the BEST French Toast in the WORLD. So when a brunch themed party was announced for the 2nd grade, that is what he volunteered to bring. So Scott DH made it, and the kids gobbled it up!

December 22nd

Reads:
Tonight we attended a lovely open house party for the V7 Choir - who over the last year have taught me the meaning of "Come into His presence with singing!" - at the Friend's. DH slipped away - still feeling under the weather, and {Oldest} was in Pueblo wrestling. {Muppet Boy}, {The Little Guy} and I stayed to go caroling at a couple of homes in need of a little Christmas Spirit. While I am sure that the music blessed these families, the blessing and gift to us was just as great! Gloria In Excelsis Deo!

December 19th

December 19th

Read:
I went to bed knowing that the forecast - which included Blizzard warnings in our area - did not bode well for school on Wednesday. So it wasn't a surprise when DH shut off my alarm to let me sleep, since no one needed dropping off. We stayed in our pajamas and watched Christmas specials, played MineCraft, ate Munchies and Muppet Boy & Youngest decorated our Gingerbread House - a fresh one! Smells AMAZING!

Dec 17th & Dec 18th

December 17th

Reads:
After dropping off my poor, damaged van at the shop, I convinced DH, who was feeling under the weather, to take a little date to see the decor at the Broadmoor - especially the Gingerbread Village - and then to get some lunch.

December 18th

The background page is a printout of my mom's menu planning e-mail.
Reads:
We have pretty much the same collection of treats, appetizers and finger foods every Christmas Eve but there's still coordinating to do - which falls to my Mom. She tried to call me on Tuesday morning - the only day I always work. Finally she gave up and sent an e-mail to me, Aunt MB & SIL.

Dec 15th & 16th

December 15th, 2012

Reads:
We've attended a number of Breakfast with Santa events over the year - I wasn't sure if you might have outgrown such activities but since this was held at an arcade - I knew we couldn't go wrong! Even Dad went with us!

December 16th

 Reads:
I think the Simpich Showcase Marionette Show may become a new tradition. We had an amazing time, along with Eve and Diego.

Dec 14th

December 14th

Reads:
I feel like I've been waiting my whole life for a Hobbit movie! And it felt worth the wait! So glad we went for opening day!

December 12 & 13

December 12,  2012

Reads:
Our new tree topper from Germany, Oldest was disappointed to change!

	Re

December 13, 2012

Reads:
Tonight was Muppet Boy's First band concert. He's been practicing his clarinet a lot... It was definitely a sixth grade concert, still they did well.

Dec 11

December 11, 2012

Reads:
I went ahead and gave you boys you Christmas pajamas to decorate the tree. I asked for a quick posed photo, I only took two. I may never take a photo like this of the three of you again. That's hard to wrap my head around. 

It's okay. You can cry now. I'm going to.

Dec 10th JYC

December, 10th, 2012

Reads:
I admit it- I am notoriously hard to buy gifts for. Scott recently told me "I'm never buying you jewelry again," and I responded "Probably a good idea." I do keep an Amazon wishlist - which Scott likes, he can get what I like and never leave his comfy recliner. Makes it easy all around.

JYC Dec 9th

December 9, 2012

Lazy Baker

Reads:
I love holiday treats and cookies, but I'm not terribly good at making them. Some of our favorites start with store-bought dough or baking mixes, and even those don't always come out! (I blame the altitude mostly but there's probably some aptitude at play, too!) Our other favorites start with the double-boiler - nut clusters, white chocolate drizzled pretzels, and Eagle Brand fudge -- yummy and hard to mess up!

Dec 6th and 7th and 8th

December 6, 2012

 Reads:
I intend to make two cards this year but so far I've only settled on this design, but I do LOVE it! Haven't mailed ANY yet!

December 7th, 2012

Reads:
A week in Germany, even in October, is bound to leave a lasting impression on your Christmas feeling. I so wish we could have enjoyed Old World Christmas Markets but the dedicated shops at Rothenburg and Kindsbach were also amazing!

Dec 8, 2012
This photo is from the year the Christmas tree nearly killed my baby brother. 

Reads:
This tree was my family's first artificial tree (at least that is how I remember it!) In 1985, we bought our tree, brought it home, set it up, and within hours discovered that Andrew has asthma. He nearly stopped breathing. While he and Mom stayed at the hospital, Dad, Jason and I went home, took down the tree, disposed of it and cleaned. A few days later, we got this one. My parents have always had artificial trees since then!

Dec 4th and 5th

December 4, 2012

Reads:
My family was always generous with gifts but this gift, and others like it ... but especially this one ... stands out in my mind. I've read them to tatters, these paperback Box Sets of Narnia, Little House and Ramona and these - MY Anne Books. A few came from my parents but Aunt Donna provided Anne. Some of these moldy old copies have been replaced with sturdy hardbacks, and in some cases, only the frail old ones will do! These books fed my life-long passion for good books, and my own kids', too!

December 5, 2012

Reads:
When I was a kid, all the lights on our tree were red.I loved their warm glow. This year, in need of new outdoor lights, I bought all red lights. DS and I hung them. When Scott saw them he asked "Why is our house evil?"

JYC Dec 2nd and 3rd

I am actually caught up on MAKING my December Daily/Journal Your Christmas Album, just behind on POSTING it!

December 2, 2012

Reads:
Singing Handel's Messiah is no small undertaking! I stressed over missing so many rehearsals while in Germany, and later in Hawaii... but I am so glad I didn't give it up! Saturday night's kid-friendly performance was a lot of fun. Sunday night - V7 was so full there were chairs in the Narthex. If I didn't know before why people stood for the Hallelujah Chorus, I do now -- it's simply because they cannot fly!

December 3, 2012

Reads:
It always feels as though the Calendar in December seems fairly free then is suddenly FULL! It started with my trip to Hawaii to visit Z, John and baby Gwen, then I got back and WHAM! It was Thanksgiving! Then a week packed with Messiah rehearsals, Advent Workshop, Messiah performances; and then it's wrestling season and time for holiday parties! 10th - my work luncheon, 12th Youth Group Christmas Cattywompus, 13th Concert, 14th (friend's) Party, 15th- Breakfast with Santa, 16th - Simpich "A Christmas Carol", 21st Out of School & Ice Skating party... and probably more still to come!

Journal Your Christmas 2012

I swear I'm the world's worst blogger!

Here's my entry from back on December 1st!

In my sixth year of Journal Your Christmas, for the first time, I used the Manifesto provided by Shimelle.

Reads:
"A holiday season dedicated to making the very Best memories.
More time spent smiling, listening, loving, enjoying.
More sparkle.
More Magic.
More gratitude,
More remembering what is Most Important this very Special Christmas!"

November got away from me...

I had good intentions of more blogging this month but...it didn't happen.

Soon I will update with a trip review of my trip to Oahu and a glimpse at the Smashbooks I worked on in Europe and Hawaii. And hopefully some Project 12 layouts that I'm missing... and Christmas Cards, yeah I should make those...

But December is nearly here, which means... JOURNAL YOUR CHRISTMAS!!!

What is Journal Your Christmas (JYC), you ask?

It's a class. It's a community. It's a great annual craft project... and it's super fun!

You're thinking... OH But... December is so BUSY! When would I find time? Isn't that just adding to the pressure?

Well here's my first page from 2010, for an answer...

Today is Dec 1st. which means the start of our annual countdown to Christmas (and New Years!) and the beginning of my fourth Journal Your Christmas. When I first signed up for JYC, I was nervous that it would be another Christmas-time obligation that would bring stress as well as joy. I am delighted to report that I was wrong. Opening my e-mail to find a JYC prompt is one of my favorite things and carving out time to journal and create every day - instead of feeling like a seasonal obligation, brings me a moment of solace from the busy-ness of everyday and time to reflect on the things I love most about Christmas. So I'm committing myself to another year!

If you'd like to see my previous albums, you can check them out:

 Christmas Magic 2007

A Christmas to Remember 2008

Most Wonderful Time of 2009

Journal 2010

Christmas Journal 2011

Trip Recap #2

Germany

We arrived in Frankfurt and drove to our hotel in Landstuhl -- Schloss Hotel (which means "Castle Hotel" because you can walk to the Landstuhl castle)

We headed for Belgium! It was an adventure!

We were driving through crazy construction and a lot of exits were closed... we got off at a small town in search of a bathroom... and found NOTHING. I asked a local man who was working on his car where there was a bathroom and found myself in his house using his bathroom! CRAZINESS!
We stopped in Trier at Porta Nigra.

Then we drove through Luxembourg, hit terrible traffic... and arrived in Arlon in search of chocolates ... TOO LATE. Everything was closed. We wandered down the street and found the shop Scott had visited before and stood staring in the windows... When Chi Sun spotted the owner walking around the back. She knocked on the window, and lo and behold -- she came and opened up the shop for us! (Good for her because she made over 100 Euros for five minutes work!)

The next day we made a trip through the wine country, first to Bad Durkheim

At the suggestion of some friends,we drove on to Rothenburg ob der Tabor, an historical walled city.... where we walked around the charming cobbled streets admiring...

We visited St. Jakob's church where they have the amazing Riemenschneider altarpiece...I've never seen anything like it! So beautiful!

and the biggest craziest Christmas store I've ever seen! (Love it!) and the Crime and Punishment Museum which was so fun...

The next day we visited the Landstuhl Castle which was fantastic!

These carved stumps were hidden along the walk between our hotel and the castle

We also visited Heidelberg and Heidelberg castle with our group of friends

Then we headed back to Frankfurt to fly out. The trip was a whirlwind of amazing!

Trip Recap - #1

Part 1 - Paris

We arrived in Paris on Friday Evening. We had the most amazing meal ever at a little restaurant near our hotel where no one spoke English.

This is the Eiffel Tower from the rooftop garden of the hotel


Our only full day in Paris we spent travelling about on our hop-on, hop-off bus tour. We got to see all the big sites.

We hopped off at the Eiffel Tower, walked about and went on a river tour on the Seine.

And then to the Louvre. Where we had lunch, spent hours exploring and could have stayed forever.... (Knowing that the Louvre would suck us in time-wise... I tried to put it off at least...)

When the Louvre closed they chased us out... it's actually a remarkable closing procedure! Then we visited the shops at the Carrousel du Louvre.

We walked along the Seine by night, then back onto our bus to see the sights by night, and then off at the Eiffel tower, to get back on the Metro and back to our hotel.

The next day we visited Saint Chapelle, Notre Dame and the Rodin museum

Then we headed for the airport and back to Germany...

Pumpkin Fun!

On Sunday my kids tackled their pumpkin carving! Such a fun tradition...

All three decided to go their own way.

Oldest recreated the USA Wrestling Logo --- his pumpkin turned out to be SUPER thick and shading it was really hard!

Muppet Boy, surprise, surprise, went for Kermit on his beloved Boo Pumpkin

The Little Guy picked a weird and wart pumpkin and transformed it into...
Jack the Pumpkin King!

(with some help from Dad)

Happy Halloween!