Weekend Plans

I decided to bring back my "Weekend Plans" posts on Fridays, despite the fact that we usually have little to no plans on the weekends. Go figure. Anyway, this weekend ushers in the magical month of December, and I am happy about that. Sure a little voice in the back of my head reminds me of the gifts that need purchased and wrapped and all that, but now I am able to shush that voice with a cup of coffee and a warm Christmas throw. Thanks middle age. You are awesome!

This weekend Steve and Rhett will continue their hunt for the elusive big buck while the rest of us relax at home with Christmas music playing in the background. Saturday we have mass, and then Madison and Nicolas are attending a Holiday Ball and I plan on a perfectly cozy night of ironing in my Christmas jammies. 

Sunday is supposed to be warm here, so I have plans for the guys to decorate the outside of the house with some reindeer and ribbon. We never used to decorate outside, as our old house sat so far off the road that no one could see it. This house lends itself to some tasteful outside decor. Says the woman who has no intention of actually doing any of the decorating. Sunday night we will watch our Steelers and hope the right team shows up to play. You never know with those guys. I am thinking of making a pot of soup for dinner on Sunday too.

So that is that. And now a quick look at what we have been up to here in our cozy little home.

A Newer Approach To Preparing For Christmas

Christmas comes every December. We wait for it, dream about it, and prepare for it. Recently I realized that although Christmas comes every year, I don't have to prepare our family to celebrate it the exact same way. We grow and change. Our lives and family circumstances evolve. It is alright to change the way we choose to enjoy this most special time of year, while still keeping our focus on what is important to us.

When I was a young mother of little children, I found it necessary to schedule our December in a very detailed way. I planned the shopping, wrapping, baking, Santa visiting, and picture taking well in advance. I even made a handwritten schedule complete with dates and events and little festive stickers. And that worked for us. Then.

Now, I am an older mother of older children, and our focus remains the same: Keeping December centered on our family and the cozy time we spend together preparing for the most blessed Christmas Day. My approach, however, has changed. Gone are the detailed lists and scheduled events. Now we are much more relaxed about what we do and when it happens. We are still focused on our little family and spending these precious days together.

So what will these December days look like around here? Well, because these days seem to pass so quickly, I plan on spending them here in our cozy home sipping coffee and cocoa from Santa mugs, playing Christmas games, listening to classic Christmas music and watching our favorite Christmas movies. We will venture out to do some local Christmas shopping and to Mass, and we do have a special wedding shower for a special bride to be! Other than that, we will be right here. Safe and sound. Together.

How about you, my friends?

What season of life are you in?

And how will you spend your December days?

Thanks for visiting!

Disney World At Christmastime

This was our first visit to the Most Magical Place on Earth at Christmas. Imagine combining two of your favorite, festive, happy things and Disney World all decked out for the holidays is the amazing result. Here are way too many photos of our recent family trip to see that very special mouse.

Nine...In Disney World!

My baby turned nine last week. Nine! We celebrated her during our recent trip to Disney, and she was thrilled! Flynn brings such joy to our days, and we were so happy to bring joy to her all week long.

Disney does an amazing job recognizing any special event you may be celebrating...especially birthdays!