Our Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to my husband!

I love you more than yesterday,

but not as much as tomorrow.

Coming up for Air

How are you, all my blogging friends?

If you're like me, the post-Christmas haze is beginning to lift.

The kids' stuff that layed all over the house for days is beginning to find a place to roost.

The tree is down.

The Santas and Snowmen are once again bundled up in their bin in the basement.

And so are the wreaths and berries. (**sniff**)

And I am rejoicing in the fact that, until January 5, I do not have to:

* wear heels or pantyhose
* listen to talk radio during rush hour
* slurp down my coffee while listening to talk radio during rush hour
* rise at the crack of dawn
* say "hurry or we will be late" 1,327 times before 7:30am
* stop reading at 11pm because I have to get up at the crack of dawn
* sell something
* rush
* wear mascara
* eat lunch at my desk
* kiss anyone good-bye. I can just kiss them and stay!
* make any decisions more pressing than what to wear, eat or watch

But, I do still have to do the laundry and load/unload the dishwasher 699 times a day.

Santa failed to bring me a maid once again.

(But he did bring me a kickin' new dress that I'll be wearing out to dinner on our anniversary- a.k.a. New Year's Eve).

So, what's up at your house? What did Santa bring you?

Merry, Merry

From our family to yours.....

Merry Christmas and best wishes for a bright new year!

Baby It's **Hot** Outside

So, here in the deep south it's been a little warm and muggy the past couple days.

Honestly, I made them turn the air on in my office today.

(Nobody likes a hot and cranky boss.)

Yesterday I was in a gift store and one of the cute, young sales clerks declared she was freezing! just freezing! as her skinny little legs shook inside her Uggs.

And the (ahem...older) sales clerk helping me said while rolling her eyes,

"Clearly she's under 40 and has never had kids. Otherwise, she'd be burning up like me."

Oh sweet mercy! Have truer words ever been spoken?

And then I promptly got in my SUV and blasted the A/C.

Three Glorious Years!

Today you are three.
My little boy is growing up!

You are my sunshine and my shining star...all 33 pounds and 39 inches of you.

You can say the Pledge of Allegiance, count to 20, and read Brown Bear, Brown Bear out loud before bed.

You throw a mean football and a pretty good tantrum, too.

You love fire trucks, Curious George and Thomas the Tank Engine.

And apple juice in those bright colored sippy cups. Will you ever give those things up? Even you say, in your best groaning voice, "I drank waaaaay too much juice!"

You are potty trained, for the most part, and now you've moved up to "da big kids class" at school. You are playing with the big boys now. Get used to it. It's part of the game of life my son.

Your blonde hair is darker this year than last; I think you're going to be a dark-haired, blue-eyed handsome man like your daddy.

And you have his nose.

My life with you is beyond blessed. You are so much more than I hoped for.

I always wanted to be a mama.

Then I got you and all my wishes came true.

My most precious gift - brought to us right before Christmas.

I love you more than I can say.

Forever and always, Your Mom

BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes

Welcome to my home! This is my third year taking part in BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes. Here in Atlanta the festivities are well under way, but the weather's not very cold. We certainly don't have any snow...unless you count colorful fall leaves still covering the ground.

Here's my family. We have a teen, a 'tween, and a toddler. Never a dull moment around our house. I'm a step-mom to the two oldest children and my husband and I have a son, Adam, together. He turns 3 years old on December 16th. My husband and I met on e-Harmony in 2003 and will celebrate our 5th anniversary on New Year's Eve.

One of my very favorite things about this time of year is displaying my snowman collection. I have almost 90 - all of them gifts - and I know the giver and story of each one I've received. I love them!


Every year since we've been married I design a frame for our Christmas card photo and display the whole collection of them in the bookcases in my living room over the holidays. Here's years 2003 and 2004...

2005 and 2006...

2007 and 2008...

On to my keeping room / kitchen, where my family spends a fair amount of time. This is one of my favorite places in the house to sit, looking out over our wooded back yard. I love hanging this festive wreath.



Another little corner niche in my keeping room. I keep the large blue and white vase out year-round and change out the greenery for the season. Decorating..easy and fast!


A little boxwood wreath hangs on the window above my sink. I got the Peace ornament at a neighborhood ornament exchange at my house earlier this month. Thanks, Kelley! And more of my beloved snowman collection. A family of five, just like in real life!



This table sits beside my laundry room off the kitchen and displays some of my now-growing collection of santas.


Another Santa tucked into a corner on my kitchen cabinet.

And a jolly trio by my stove.

On to my dining room, and the wine buffet. I love decorating with Christmas balls. They're inexpensive, shiny and very, very pretty just tossed in a container by themselves.

A little corner in the powder room

The living room, where our stockings are hung. One of my fondest memories of Christmas as a child is seeing what was in my stocking on Christmas morning. So Mom and Dad still have a stocking at our house. Santa lives in your heart, after all!

I keep the bookcases on either side of the mantle fairly simple - have to save room for all my books! A little sprig here... a little berry there...added to the things I keep up all year-round.

Our three year old calls this Nativity "Jesus' town". I bought it at Cracker Barrel (of all places!) one fall day on a road trip.

Thanks for stopping by my house on this fun bloggy tour of homes.

From our home to yours....
Best wishes for a wonderful Christmas and a bright New Year!

A Little Something

The perfect gift for a hostess, teacher, or hairdresser.

Under $15.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Shameless Self-Promotion

BEST OF ATLANTA 2008 - Best Framing Shop

(from Atlanta Magazine's Best of Atlanta issue - Dec. 2008)

"You may be partial to your neighborhood frame shop, but go to Avery when you want to preserve an heirloom or a special acquisition. Some twenty skilled artisans build and restore frames the old-fashioned way at the Miami Circle showroom. There is also a gallery showing eighteenth and nineteenth century oil paintings and hundreds of engravings, drawings, watercolors, prints, and other works on paper."

So.....

If you're ever in Atlanta - stop by the shop and see me.

The Diet Coke is always cold and the frames are FABULOUS!

Swap!

Not only was I the lucky duck who got Ms. ClemsonGirl herself for my swap partner, she personally delivered my swap box via the Monogrammed Minivan.
But, I was not home. So I did not have a ClemsonGirl sighting. :o(

(Rumor has it she waved at my hubs as she rounded the corner on two wheels.)

So close, but yet so far. I wonder if she was wearing The Magic Pants with a Gap Favorite T?

But the special delivery she left...

...spectacular!

Look! Festive hangers, a comfy/cozy "Merry Merry" throw, a Joy! bucket perfect for holding the Christmas cards we receive, and smudge cleaners for the car (what mom can't use that?)




And there's more! An adorable picture frame with a cute wooden ornament attached, recipe cards, note pads, napkins, another jingle bell ornament, a tea towel, sparkly snowflake table decor and peppermint bark.


I left it wrapped so you could see her festive ribbon and all the perfectly coordinated colors.

ClemsonGirl - Thank you so very, very much for hosting the swap and for the fun holiday things - via special delivery!

Merry Christmas!

If You Drive By My House Often...

...and look through the windows into my keeping room and think to yourself:

"Is it me, or does that lady seem to always be standing there folding laundry?"

The answer would be, sadly, yes.

I do always stand there and fold laundry.

Every.

Single.

Day.

But, never fear. I've usually got a glass of something good to sip on sitting on the table.

And a good show on the plasma that I've DVR'd.

A girl can't live by laundry alone, after all.

Oh So Fabulous!

My sweet, adorable blogging (and IRL) friend, Kat, passed this award on to me.

Thanks you so much, Kat! You're a blessing to me in so many ways - and you're certainly one fabulous lady yourself!

Here are the rules:

Copy and paste the rules and instructions in your post.

When posting on receiving the award, make sure you include who gave you the award and link it back to them.

Post five winners and link it back to them as well.

Post five of your addictions.

Add the award image.

Let your winners know you gave them an award by leaving them a comment on their blog.

OK.....
Regarding the addictions...

I thought I'd keep the Spirit of the Season alive by posting about my most addictive Christmas addictions:

1. Little boys in footy pajamas, especially freshly bathed with their hair combed to the side on their sweet little head.

2. Candy canes - I'm partial to the tiny ones that you can eat in one bite. No nibbling of candy canes for me.

3. Christmas Trees - I love every single Christmas tree I see. No Christmas tree can be ugly (can it?)

4. Sugar cookies - Can't make the roll-out/cut-up kind myself, but I'll take the plain round ones with a little frosting and sprinkles on top.

5. Shopping - Well, this is really an addiction at any time of year, but more so right now. I honestly love the hustle and bustle that goes along with holiday shopping. Except I don't like the hustle and bustle of driving to get to the shopping.

In the spirit of fabulous and The Season, I tag my Georgia Girls:

1. Buford Betty - Who wants to buy shoes but is resisting the urge.

2. ClemsonGirl - My partner and Hostess with the Mostess for Bloggy Christmas Swap.

3. Mom on the Run - Spent Thanksgiving in Hawaii **sigh**

4. Maggi - Helped to light up the Marietta Square for the holidays (and makes darn cute stockings)

5. Gracie Beth- An adorable college prep at Tennessee, but calls GA home.

Let's hear it girls! Addictions, please.

Lights, Camera, Action!

So, I just joined Netflix.

Even though I can't remember the last time I watched a movie at home in its entirety.

(Sleep seems to come so easily when I finally find the time to sit down. That's a 41 year old mama with a 2 year old for 'ya.)

So tell me....

What movies should I add to my list?

Any Day Now....

**UPDATED TO ADD: If this applies to any of my sweet, darling and precious blogging friends, please just consider this a friendly, gentle reminder. Because I love my blogging friends, even if you do still have little frozen pumpkins on your steps.

To everyone who is still displaying pumpkins, ghosts, goblins, and political signs:

Take them down already.

Halloween is over.

So is Thanksgiving.

And so are all the elections (thank heavens!).

Put up your Christmas decorations so you have something to do in March... when you finally take them down before the azaleas bloom.

Love, me

**Swoon**

Oh my! Look at the Pick of the Week from Francesca's, one of my favorite on-line shops.

A tunic for all seasons, if you ask me.

Here Comes Trouble

So The Elf on the Shelf has arrived at our house.

He's been named Trouble. By an almost-three-year-old. Imagine that.

The desire to touch Trouble far outweighs the fear that he will lose his magic if held.

So when Trouble is at our house he moves from one high place to the other.

Do you have an Elf at your house?

What is his/her name?

And what kind of excitement (or trouble!) has your Elf brought to your house?

I'd love to know.

Career Planning Gone Slightly Awry

Hey Mom, I'm gonna be a doorman when I get bigger.

Oh, I think that's a great thing to be. You could help so many people.

Yeah. I'd open all da doors for them. But I would only open da door if I wanted them to come inside.

Well, I think part of your job would be to help everyone. Maybe you could smile at everyone, too. That would be an important part of your job as a doorman.
If dere was a mean guy tryin' to get in through da door I'd hit him and kick him.

Well, I don't think too many bad guys would try to get in the door.

**making his ugly witch face** Den I would scare dem wiff my face and punch dem.

(silence)
Mom, I DO NOT want to be a doorman. I want to be Spiderman so I can get all dose bad guys wiff my web and stuff. And den I will be Batman and hit dem wiff my bat. And do not ask me to smile anymore BECAUSE! it is no fun to smile.

(silence)

Hey Mom. Do you have to smile at your job and hold da door for all dose people?

I do have to smile at my job and sometimes I do hold the door for people. And even when I'm not at my job I smile and hold doors for people.

Yeah. Like da doorman does. I'm gonna be da doorman when I grow up.