We had a really nice Christmas this year...
I always regret not taking more action shots on Christmas mornings...
this year was no exception...
I tried to capture the cozy lighting feel by not using the flash, but the trade off was that the pictures were all a little blurry...
Mr. Boone (our good natured cat who is missing the tips of his ears thanks to Ellie a few years ago) always shows up for family gatherings (I.E. prayers, story time, Christmas morning, etc.)
It is tradition that I be the one to hand out all the non-Santa gifts every year...It has taken me years of practice to master this skill!
Notice my new Phillie's hat?! Now the guys at Davis Feed Mill won't harrass me about being a Yankees fan!
Apparently, the doll that wets only comes with ONE diaper! Who was the master mind behind the packaging of that toy, I wonder?! Gese! I found myself trying to potty train this *#@! doll later on that day....
Her signal that she's going to wet is that she starts "fussing" right before. I figured out how to avoid having to change her diaper by sticking her directly on the toy potty.
It provided Ellie hours of entertainment...(me...not so much!)
"Faux" UGGS for Reilly...(I hate these things but she was very excited to pick them out with the money that Grandma Judy and Grandpa Pete sent her)
Christmas cheer!
I was on such a blogging roll right up until Christmas Eve...
I had a wedding reception to decorate for on the 26th and then I've been on a major organizing kick ever since so blogging got put on the back burner--again!...
In addition to taking all of my Christmas decorations down, we did a massive overhaul/organization of our attic...
I also made and froze two more huge vats of Ina Garten's famous chicken soup (and just intime as I came down with a nasty cold yesterday)
I took advantage of Brian being home for a few days over the New Year's holiday to help me work on a few projects...I organized the side shelves in our pantry and Brian hung this shelf for me. I was so excited about this because it gives me a specific place to store things that I don't use on a daily basis...
I'm thrilled with the result and keep finding excuses for going in just to look at the shelf!
I should have taken BEFORE pictures of this to truly see the magnitude of this project...
This is our dank, wet , gross basement...
I have been storing all of my canning jars, pressure cooker, etc. down there but things were just thrown on the shelves...
I organized all of the jars in boxes according to size and labeled everything...
All of the lids were put in plastic containers so that nothing rusts...
We cleared off the grow light shelves so that I can start some seedlings in another few months and threw a bunch of stuff away...
One show you will NOT see me on is the hoarder show! I am addicted to throwing things out...
We don't have a lot of storage space, so this keeps me in check...
It's such a cleansing feeling to see a car load of things to taken to be donated at Good Will or to be recycled...
I can't think of a better way to start the New Year!
(fortunately, my head cold came at the tail end of my productivity spree)
Isn't it funny how exhilarating a new shelf or a little organizing project can be?? I know just what you mean about going to look at it repeatedly just to revel in it.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had the ability to constantly be throwing things out. My sister does that, and I can see that it would be a literal load off my shoulders.
I'm glad you got all that done before getting sick, and hope you feel better soon!
i absolutely LOVE filling up the car with old crap to go to the DI (good will). it is a thrill, i totally relate to the exhilaration that comes with organizing something - even a small area! several of my closets are due for a cleaning - and the garage, oh man. the list goes on!
ReplyDeletegood job getting stuff done, especially during christmas!
and by the way, allie (my daughter and i) LOVE our faux uggs. we got ours from costco a couple of months ago, and oh man, they are heaven! we also each got the costco "ugg" slippers and they're just as awesome, but for around the house. :)
Looks like you had a nice Christmas! YIPPEE for projects!! We are getting ready to start so major remodeling and organization projects at our house!!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your blogging absence is due to extreme productivity and not more computer woes, I've been wondering where you've been!
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed with all your organizing projects and really need to do a lot of that today because I'm going crazy with all the piles I've got going on around here.
You look adorable in your Phillies hat! I opted for blurry Christmas photos over flash photos as well.
I love the nightgowns - Josie wore hers christmas day too.
ReplyDeleteAHEM.... i'm also cleaning out and i started it BEFORE i read your blog! good job...
ReplyDeletewowza!! I love this post!
ReplyDeleteChristmas looks like a huge hit at your house :) sleeping mice & all... I love the low light of the photos.
I too have had the organizing bug... until the flu bug hit me. Luckily everything Christmas was out of sight by then-- I hate Christmas decorations the day after Christmas.
It sounds like you guys are getting pounded with snow & freezing temps- I hope you are enjoying it???
I love that the cat likes to hang around the family gatherings. That's pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteThe doll that wet with only one diaper and you potty-training her. That is HILLARIOUS!!!!
We've been doing a lot of organizing around here too. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It is a perfect way to start the new year!
I call the organizing a winter solstice celebration. I haven't done it yet. I think it's the lexapro. I like that your ball cap was red. Very festive!
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