Heritage Christmas

At the beginning of December, we went on a trip back to Texas to visit my family. One of the nights was really special. A complete Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner was made from scratch. The turkey sat in brine for hours. My sisters, my mom, and I bustled around each other in the kitchen, each adding our own flair to the dishes. Peter and my brother sat in the living room and played video games. We all had a good time. Yes, the turkey got cooked upside down, but it still looked pretty and it was delectable. There was too much food eaten and too much laughing on such full stomachs. A very special memory was created.

One of the best things about the night was seeing all the family heritage. Sadly, my Grandma passed away last year, but she passed a lot of things on to my mom and so I thought about her all through that night. My mom furnished the dining room with her table and chairs and my sisters used her dishes to set the table.

 

It's an amazing thing to see items passed on from generation to generation becoming more beautiful with each person's touch until they seem to glow. They're my grandma's things in my mom's house placed with my sisters love and surrounded in a baby's laugh. I know without a doubt that Grandma loves seeing Abby sit in those chairs.

Silent Night

Last night, our neighborhood was without power for about 3 hours. It was about 5 o'clock, Peter wasn't home yet and all of our candles were packed deep in the garage except one lone Christmas candle. I lit that pathetically and tried to keep Abby happy. Did I mention she's afraid of the dark? Then our new neighbors came over and lent me a flashlight. So kind!

When Peter did get home, we took the neighbors flashlight and the one Peter keeps in his car and went spelunking in the garage for candles so there would be enough light to make dinner. After about 5 candles were lit, Abby was content to sit in her high chair. The yummy Gerber puffs helped her mood a little too.

Despite not being ready for such an emergency and the initial stress of trying to make do, the evening was actually kinda nice. The neighbors came over again after about an hour and gave us some glow sticks they had which made a perfect nightlight for Miss Scardy Pants so she went to bed relatively peacefully. And Peter and I got a chance to just sit and talk. It's amazing how quiet it was with no TV and candles flickering.

Best of all, the power came back on and we watched TV and I got the Christmas cards addressed. All in all, it was a good night.

Before and...

The house is becoming a home.
We've been working our butts off to do the stuff we want to get done to this place. Meanwhile, Christmas kinda sneaked up us. So, Peter made an executive decision last Saturday. Let's take a break. Let's clean up the drop cloths and put away the paint brushes until after the holidays. And I'm so glad we did. We put up the Christmas tree and hung the stockings. Most of the presents are wrapped and under the tree. It's Christmas and it's so cozy in the Herman House. Yes, the wreath is hung over the dry wall patches and the paint cans are sitting on the patio obtrusively. But I can sit on my couch in the glow of the Christmas lights and look forward to family time and celebrating the birth of Christ. That's what is making it homey in here.

So, I don't have the after pictures yet. But I do have the Before pictures and I know certain people would like to see those. So, here ya go:

 Living room


 Kitchen

Hall bath complete with paint swatches


Abby's glowing bedroom

 Master bath

 Master bedroom

The pictures of the works in progress are still to come and hopefully the after pictures will soon follow.

Mommy Magic

I'm going to be changing the name of my blog in honor of a big new change in our lives: we bought a condo! I'm so thrilled with it. God really amazed us by moving some big mountains. I'll be posting some pictures of the process from pretty but empty rooms to beautiful and homey rooms.

Meanwhile, we're kinda camping. We have the necessities but we still have to be "creative" at times leaving me feel not quite as comfortable as I'd like. AND Abby's world has also been so topsy turvy for almost four weeks that she's going through some separation anxiety and she's getting a cold on top of that. Needless to say, those things are making it slightly more difficult for Mommy to get anything done.

That's when I use some Mommy Magic:

 A little time with NickJr and...

A second cup of coffee with Belgian White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Creamer.

It might not change the circumstances, cure the cold, or get a couch in the living room, but it can take me from "How in the world am I going to get anything done today?" to "Ok, I think I can do this."

Let's take on the world, Kid.

My Nanaw's House

My NaNaw passed away on the 13th of November. She was a beautiful woman. Vibrant.
The childhood memories I have of her house are some the most clear.
I got a chance to go to her house and capture on film some of the things that I will always think of when I think of her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An excellent woman, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her, saying: "Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all." Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
Proverbs 31:10, 25-31

Hats Off to You All

Last Friday, I scheduled a much needed massage. Thank you so much, Sue. It's gotten me through this week. I'll be calling you again soon.

My friend, Rachel, babysat Abby for me while I was out. I think they had some fun.

The last couple days, Abby's hung out with Erin and Cade, and Ellen, Gabi, and Audrey. They've helped me get so much done during a crazy crunch time. And I know that Abby was well loved and cared for while I was away. Thank you all sooo much for helping out this mommy. I love you guys.

Abby Oakley: Halloween Costume Tutorial

I'm playing some blog catch up. Life is crazy right now, and always.

But! I wanted to share how I made Abby a costume on a budget and a time crunch. I think she turned out darn tootin' cute.

The idea started with the hand-me-down of a cute embellished onesie made by my cute and creative friend, Jeanne. (Here's her blog, Bubsies Boutique.)

So all I needed were the accessories. I had seen a costume cowboy hat headband in Michael's complete with yarn pigtails. It was cute, but I knew I could do better.

I got a kids cowboy hat from the Party Store. It was the most expensive part of the costume but it was only 7 bucks and I have a feeling it might be part of costumes and pretend in years to come. I made the pigtails from some left over yellow yarn. I laid it out and cut the strands all the same length. I tied it in the middle and taped it to the inside of the hat. I then braided the ends, fastened it with some rubber bands and tied on some red ribbon.

I dressed Abby in the onesie, some tights and sweater for toasty toesies and the hat made the outfit complete. She was ready to ride off into the sunset and party the night away. I'm really loving all of these holidays as a parent. Celebrating with a kid can make everything so much more fun. And I think the first Halloween was a big success.