A little holiday cheer...

 Straight No Chaser performing the "Christmas Can Can" - not the kind of holiday song that puts you to sleep - the kind that makes you grin 'til your face hurts. 

      

A craft you can squeeze in before breakfast...

I added a few more holiday decorations to the house this week, including a craft so easy a kindergartner could do it...

Simply, Mod Podge a printed holiday saying to a painted white wood board and you're done.

The Dreaded Delivery Man...

Roxy's one of the friendliest dogs you'll ever meet. But if you have drive a big brown truck it's best to stay off our street. The second Roxy hears the UPS truck turning into our neighborhood she goes ballistic. And when she sees it driving down our block she throws her 85-pound body at the living room window hoping sooner or later it will break giving her easy access to her arch enemy.  For some reason she can't stand the guy. Not sure if she's just protecting our neighbors from the strange man who runs up to their house with large objects in his hands or if she just hates his outfit. Funny, she doesn't seem to mind the Fed Ex dude...must be the uniform.

Holiday Obsession...

It's official. I've turned into one of those moms who pulls out Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving dinner is even over. By the time anyone helped themselves to a second plate of turkey last week I had already planned out the holiday look in my head then dressed up the house the very next day. Good thing I'm not into blowup Santas or our front yard would be nothing but plastic...

Let your fingers do the shopping...

Don't feel like heading out in the cold to go holiday shopping? No worries. Cyber Monday may be over but there are still some great deals to be had. Check out the ones below* from zulily**.


Lilac Patchwork Kantha Pillow
Retail: $119
zulily: $16.49 (86% off)


Slate & Chocolate Mona Grommet Panel
Retail: $75
zulily: $12.99 (83% off)



Beige Fancy Boucle Throw
Retail: $79
zulily: $18.99 (76% off)



Toy Story 3 Together Again Leapreader Interactive Book
Retail: $14
zulily: $5.99 (57% off)


Touch Magic Counting Train Toy
Retail: $22
zulily: $12.99 (41% off)

*Please note that prices are subject to change.
**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Life Happens When You're Making Other Plans...

When you think life is going in one direction then it takes a different turn...

Can't tell you how many times I've said "I'm never doing that..." Now, here I am nearly twenty years married with a kid. How about you?

Heading Indoors...

This year I remembered to bring the potted herbs on the back patio inside before they froze over.

Hopefully the plants will survive the winter indoors along with the citrus tree I picked up over the summer.

So far so good, it looks like the tree is developing flowers...might be able to pick our very own mandarin oranges...sometime next year. Don't know if I'm going to tell Natalia it can take up to nine months for fruit to ripen. She can't wait two minutes to grab an apple off the counter.

Not so fast lady...

I used to be able to snap a picture of Natalia at any time. Now, I'm lucky if I get her in frame at all. She loves the camera but likes to ham it up so much it's hard to get a decent photo of her without a hand or foot coming at me  at warp speed - most be all those karate lessons.

Anything but pink...

Natalia isn't the kind of girl who worships princesses, Barbie dolls and Disney fairy tales. Her Christmas list rarely contains anything frilly or pink. Natalia's the kind of kid who has to be told to wash her hands so her fingernails don't look like a mechanics. The kind of kid I have to talk into wearing any shade that even resembles pink. The kind of kid who rather skip a shower so the syrup and school glue can set in her hair. And you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way.

Now, that she's eight she understands that she has to take some time groom herself so she's half-way presentable but she knows I don't expect her to look perfect.  So, nowadays she does make an attempt to clean up for school but I let her slide at other times. I don't want her to ever obsess over her appearance. That's one of the many reasons I'm obsessed with the folks over at Goldie Blox an awesome company that creates cool stuff for all girls...not just girls like Natalia. Although the feisty blonde with the hammer in this commercial for their new action figure below sure reminds me of her...

Itsy bitsy spider...

Some of the best small town Halloween decorations are just a few miles down the road from my house in an area called the Kentlands. Lots of shops and homes with spectacular displays...makes you wonder where this law office keeps the gigantic spiders the rest of the year...

The 14th letter of the alphabet...

At last count Natalia has about a dozen things with her name embroidered, engraved or embossed on it and just as many with her beloved initial on them.  Since many of the items are now scattered about the house or lost... I decided to hang several above her bed so we always know where they are. A homemade initial on canvas and wooden letters I picked up during a panicked prenatal shopping spree years ago and a cheap buy from Michael's...a letter so small I had to tape it onto the wall.