Jolly Holidays

I find comfort in the Christmas holiday season, in traditions old and new, in decking the halls and in trimming the tree. I love to get out the boxes of decorations and ornaments....retelling, once more, the stories behind each & every ornament. Carefully hanging the treasured stockings from their hooks, cuddling while reading or watching favorite holiday tales, placing vinyl clings on windows, strolling down Main Street to take in window displays, joining our quaint community for caroling and tree lighting, and participating in the annual Parade of Lights. It's activities like these that fill my heart with the spirit of the season.

This year, not only have the girls & I revisited some of our favorite activities and traditions, we have also started some new ones. One of those was to try our hand at glass ornament painting. While it took a few bulbs to develop our technique, we had a wonderful time and created hand-made gifts sure to be enjoyed by friends & family alike. The girls will be giving a couple as gifts to girls in the Girl Scout troop while the majority will be traveling the friendly skies to be given as presents to their aunts, uncle & grandmother in Michigan.

One of my goals for this year was to help the girls to understand how fortunate they really are. So, one of the things that we did was give to two of my favorite charities--Operation Christmas Child & Toys For Tots. For Operation Christmas Child, we filled a large shoe box with simple items and a few treats for a girl in need. I think it was a wake-up call to Caitlin that some children do not have such basic items as a toothbrush or a box of crayons. Toys For Tots in our town tries to fill up a school bus with toys for children in our local community who would otherwise not receive a gift (or not many) on Christmas. I took both girls shopping where we selected a gift for a little girl--picking out a very cute doll. Then we drove to where the big bus was parked and Caitlin presented our donation. She saw the volunteer put it on the bus and remarked that while they had come a long way towards filling the bus, that there was still quite a ways to go and that she hoped many other people would help. I made a point of telling her approximately how many children in our county would, most likely, not have a Christmas like the one she would. I really think it's important for children to understand how fortunate they are and to really embrace the true meaning of Christmas--love, humility, charity, thankfulness, togetherness, giving and so much more. Hopefully, Caitlin does understand that Christmas is about more than gifts under the tree. When Cara is older and can understand, I will be teaching her these same lessons. In the meantime, she can just tag along and hopefully absorb what is being said and done.

We also have plans to make an actual gingerbread house (well, it's a kit but...at least it's real gingerbread), visit Santa @ his cabin and make treats to hang in the trees for birds and other woodland creatures. I am really looking forward to making memories and creating new traditions with the girls.

This year, the girls will be making precious memories with their father & his side of the family as they are to spend a week, right around Christmas, with him in Michigan. Stockings are to be decorated and hung from the mantle and new traditions started for them there. No doubt, they will have a wonderful time and be spoiled both with gifts and love. The girls are very excited to see their aunts, uncle, little cousin and grandma. While I will miss them terribly, I cannot wait to hear the stories they were surely tell of the magical time they had in Michigan.

The girls & I will be having our intimate Christmas here in our cozy apartment next weekend prior to their departure for the midwest. I cannot wait to see their eyes light up when they see the carefully-selected, and brightly wrapped, presents under the tree. Christmas really does live in the heart of children in so many ways.


This time of year means something different to everyone. To me, it embodies everything good in the world and celebrates the values that I hold dear all while cherishing the birth of a true miracle. What does this season mean to you?

All Things Fall

Fall is, by far, my favorite time of year. What's not to love about cool nights, brilliant blue skies, crisp air, changing & falling leaves, pumpkins, rich colors, cozy sweaters...I could go on & on. I love all things Fall. The girls & I have taken part in some of my favorite autumn activities--caramel apple making, Fall colors driving tour, a visit to the pumpkin patch--and we are anxiously awaiting Halloween and the fun that this holiday brings (not to mention the sugar rush).
I love that autumn gives us the excuse to cuddle under warm blankets while sipping cocoa and reading some of my all-time favorite children's books. Crockpot meals, soups and comfort foods are always on the menu. I can often be found sitting in my chair wrapped in my down blanket reading a book or a blog. Perfection.

The girls & I have settled into a happy little routine and are savoring each & every moment that we have together. I don't know what it is about Fall that seems to bring families together, but that's exactly what it does for us.

Hope that you all are enjoying autumn and all the wonderful sights, sounds & smells it brings.

Pizza & A Movie Nights

We have a tradition around here. Once a week, or thereabouts depending on schedules, the girls & I have pizza & a movie nights. Sometimes, we order pizza from Papa Murphy's Take & Bake and sometimes, we make our own. The girls love to be little chefs in creating their own pizza pies so, we've been doing that lately. While the pizzas are a-baking, we'll curl up in the big red chair and start the movie. Sometimes, we play board games or Wii instead of watching a movie, sometimes, we read books. The constant, central theme is that we spend time together...momma & her girls. All three of us look forward to these nights and wish they were more frequent.

On the marque for tonight is: Alvin & The Chimpmucks-The Squeakquel. Please excuse me, I'm off to preheat the oven and chop up cherry tomatoes and basil.

Pumpkin Pickin'

This past Sunday was the perfect day, with the perfect weather (highs in the 70s), for pumpkin picking. We loaded everyone (including my youngest brother, Matt) into the Subaru and headed an hour or so north to Fort Collins to Bartel's Pumpkin Patch. We all had lots of fun getting lost in a corn maze, petting some farm animals and searching for the perfect pumpkins and gourds among thousands of candidates spread over hundreds of acres. The girls got to pull their pumpkins from the vine, a unique experience that I wanted them to have. It was so neat to see all the variety of pumpkins, not only in shapes and sizes, but colors too. We even saw melons and other members of the squash family. The girls were also able to see how pumpkins and other fall crops are grown and harvested on this working farm. Even though it was a bit of a drive, I just know that Bartel's will become an annual tradition!

Here's a sampling of pictures from our trip to the patch, for more, click here:

O Tannenbaum

How ever full your branches! We decked our tree out in style tonight with two popcorn tins and several boxes full of ornaments. It is so much fun to put them up, remembering the memories attach to practically every one. Even Cara got in the action this year. Now, if only we can get her to leave the ornaments ON the tree!


Cara, with some assistance from Ben, putting ornaments on our tree.


Caitlin, showing her seniority in ornament placement.


The finished product.

Holiday Spirit

We all been enjoying getting into the holiday spirit this year. Mother Nature (or is it Jack Frost?) has blessed us with snow numerous times, which has helped set the mood.



So far, we have taken in a Snack with Santa and Denver's annual Parade of Lights. Snack with Santa tanked again this year, with Cara, as she would not go within 5 feet of the man in red. We tried numerous approaches which only resulted in tears. Thankfully, I think Santa knows that Cara has been a good girl this year. Caitlin, on the other hand, climbed right up into his lap and told him that she wants an iPod Nano and a Barbie Jeep Power Wheel. Smart Santa said, "I will be sure to leave you a present that I know you will enjoy". Thank you Santa, our budget does not allow for such pricey gifts. We were fortunate to get a family picture following snack time, which I've posted below.



The Parade of Lights was just amazing. We went downtown early, via the Light Rail, and picked our spot along the curb. Some very good friends of ours joined us, to make it that much more fun. We watched in awe as floats, bands, balloons, flame throwers and the jolly old elf himself made their trek through lower downtown Denver. The girls were captivated the whole time and we've decided that the Parade is going to be part of our yearly Christmas season traditions.

On the 13th, Caitlin had her dance recital. She has been taking ballet/jazz classes through a dance studio that comes to her school for about 5 weeks now. Her class performed a short but cute number called, "Hanging Your Stockings". All the kids wore their PJs and used their stockings as a prop. It was so fun to watch Caitlin perform! She said she had a great time. Unfortunately, my pictures didn't turn out very well. I did, however, get two videos, but they seem to be too large to post here.



We were to take in the annual TubaChristmas (400 tuba players from around our area playing festive musical numbers) concert in downtown Denver on Sunday, but with temperatures in the single digits and windchill in the negatives, we decided to pass. It looks like the show went on, regardless of the weather. We will have to try again next year, especially if my brother happens to join the mass of players (*hint hint*).

This week, Caitlin has a holiday party at school in which I have been elected to make dozens of sugar cookies. This will be my first time making cookies as we are usually away from home around the holidays. Caitlin's class will be decorating the said sugar cookies, playing some games, enjoying a potluck lunch and having a book exchange to wrap up 2008. She is then off of school until after the New Year.

Christmas plans include a trek to my parents' home, 5 hours west, where we will celebrate the holiday and be in good company.

Hopefully, you all have been enjoying welcoming the holiday season as well. Happy Holidays!