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!

Thankful

Thankful for family vacations together~memories made~coming home~being home~families and loved ones~food in the fridge~water and heat and clothing~a church~ a priest~our faith~friends who are really family~health~physical and mental~puppies~coffee~and friends made in this wonderful world of Blogging.

Have a wonderful, cozy Thanksgiving Day, my friends!

We will be watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, cooking a turkey with all the fixings, sharing our first Thanksgiving in this house, eating pumpkin pie, and putting up our tree.

What are your plans?

Whatever they are, wherever you'll be, enjoy every moment with your people.

Monday Morning

We interrupt our regularly scheduled posts concerning cozy November evenings, changing leaves, and cute little puppies. This week is all about a special little mouse who is having a birthday! Yep. We are taking a trip down to Florida to celebrate two very special birthdays...Mickey Mouse turning 90, and our sweet little Flynn turning 9! We are blessed to have some awesome people staying here and caring for our puppies and our home, and are looking forward to spending some family time together, as well as meeting up with some special people too. : ) In the meantime,

Selfies on the way to Mass are still a thing around here.

Friday!

Welcome to the weekend, my friends. This promises to be our first cold and possibly snowy weekend! Just in time for the cozy, dark, early evenings. It is time to fluff those cushions, pull out the soft throws, pop the popcorn, and get out the games. Cozy nights at home are back. : )

Someone helped us clean up the yard this week.

Let's Talk About...Christmas!

I know, I know. We still have bowls full of Halloween candy stashed in the pantry. We have a delicious turkey dinner to plan and prepare. But. Christmas! 

Let's talk about Christmas, shall we?

Here are a few things you should know about Christmastime around here.

Monday Morning

It is Monday morning. The fireplace is on, adding warmth to our cozy livingroom. The washing machine is humming away, and a new week begins. Today we will do our schooling, change the bedsheets, make a good dinner of turkey loin with steamed veggies, and watch the first episode of The Holiday Baking Championship on Food Network. Yay! 

Are you tired of my leaf pictures yet???

Friday!

Happy Friday, friends. Halloween is packed up for another year, but the memories and the candy remain. Because we had trick~or~treating last weekend, our Halloween was free to celebrate however we wanted. Peyton, Flynn, and I took a late morning walk with the dogs, and enjoyed the fact that it looked exactly how Halloween should! The sky was a weird shade of pinkish orange, the leaves were blowing in the wind, and the air smelled like crunchy leaves. Do you know that smell?? It took me right back to my childhood, walking through the piles of fallen, crunchy leaves while trick~or~treating.

Halloween in our part of the world...

November

“November comes

And November goes,

With the last red berries

And the first white snows.

With night coming early,

And dawn coming late,

And ice in the bucket

And frost by the gate.

The fires burn

And the kettles sing,

And earth sinks to rest

Until next spring.”

― Clyde Watson

October slipped away last night, much like the faded leaves slip from the trees and float to the ground, their job complete for another year. We awoke to November, a month that begins in quiet and calm reflection and ends with excitement and anticipation of all things Christmas. November is a bridge of sorts, carrying us from the ordinary days of autumn to the festive ending of another year. Life passes quickly, especially if we forget to savor each and every day. So today, I choose to take a deep breath, look around, and settle into this most wonderful and cozy time of year.

Happy November, my friends!