Category: Christmas

amelia · Christmas · http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · madelynne

Weekend Wipeout

Lindsey P. BrackettLeave a comment

Here’s a brief glimpse of what’s been keeping us on our toes the past few days…and this doesn’t even include the participation of the cutest baby angel in the community theatre production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. 

Madelynne teaching Amelia to read.

There’s a reason Joshua’s granddad is wearing this hat…                            
..and Annabelle is dressed like a cow.

Ashley’s water broke on Saturday and we’re all waiting to hear the good news that baby Colton is safely here.  He’s taking his time…I think he’s scared to meet Big Daddy…or maybe he’s afraid Marmee is going to kidnap him and bring him back to Georgia!    
Weekend Wipeout

 

Christmas

On the First Day of Christmas…

Lindsey P. BrackettLeave a comment

Well, it’s December 5th.  I have a tree with lights, “DecemBear” (a calendar from Joshua’s childhood), and a fake poinsettia.  Which brings me to my first tip for focusing on the holiness of the season and not the holiday: SIMPLIFY.

I’m working on it.  We’re going to try to simplify this year.  Fewer decorations translates into fewer times I have to say, “No, Amelia,” and it also gives us the chance to enjoy our new living room set up.  Since the point of that was to gain space, I’m not too interested in immediately cluttering it up with lots of decorations.  Especially since I haven’t even figured out what it’s really going to look like on a regular basis.

So, this year our decorations will include the tree…and it may get ornaments this week.  We’ll see.  Time is not something that multiplies with the joys of this season.

Willow Tree Nativity SetAnd the manger scene we’ll set up as soon as I find it in one of the many boxes currently residing in my bedroom.  I have the Willow Tree Nativity set and I love it for it’s simplicity.

We’ll definitely hang the stockings because the girls have been begging since Thanksgiving to hang stockings.  We had (and by that I mean I wanted) to order new ones so that the girls would all coordinate.  See why I’m trying to simplify?  I over analyze this decor stuff way too much.

And beyond that?  Well, the only items I’m really keen on are the Christmas cards I expect to find filling my mailbox soon.  I’ve got a post coming in the next few days on what my plans are for all those…

Christmas

It’s beginning to look a lot like…

Lindsey P. Brackett2 Comments

Christmas.  It’s making it’s way into our house and although I vow every year to slow down and savor the holiday more, once again it feels like a race to the finish with the prize being just plain survival. 

More on that later.

Here’s what we’ve been doing to get ready for this year’s marathon of parties and plays and promises.

Having breakfast with Santa…

Is that beard real?

Playing with Aunt Brooke and riding the Macy’s Pink Pig.

Choosing the perfect tree. (This isn’t it.)

Taking our living room from this….

…to this.

Much better don’t you think?
Oh, and Joshua finally blew all the leaves out of the yard when he discovered an infestation of “leaf groundhogs”.

What are you doing to get ready for Christmas around your house?  I’m drinking a glass of wine and reminding myself it’s not really about perfect trees or fancy cookies (though I plan to talk about both soon). 

And I’m going to add a blog feature for December on the ways we’re trying to celebrate the true Spirit and then ways we can remember that all year long.  But since I’m trying to limit my stress, don’t look for one everyday…I think I’ll aim for Twelve…as in the Twelve Days of Christmas.  I do, however, promise to start tomorrow.  Any suggestions?

Christmas · Paynes · sisters

How do you know Katy?

Lindsey P. Brackett3 Comments

How do I know Katy?  Well, she just happens to be my own personal Black Friday Crazed sister.  So I bet I know her better than any of the random folk she befriended last night when she drug me out to Wal-Mart at 11 p.m. 

Now to be fair, I suggested the Wal-Mart frenzy because the line at Toys R Us was beyond ridiculous and I was claustrophobic just thinking about entering that building with all those people.  For those of you who don’t know, Wal-Mart will price match any competitor’s price on the same item for Black Friday, so why go anywhere else? 

Once I reminded my shopping savvy sister who always loves a good bargain (though why she’s not a coupon fanatic I don’t understand) about this little realized fact, we were in the Honda Pilot and on our way faster than those fat turkeys flying away from the farmer in Madelynne’s Thanksgiving song.

And it was on the end of the bike aisle between a case of Leggos and a pallet of scooters that I began to learn some interesting things about this sister of mine…

…she has never met a stranger.  Within two minutes she had reconnected with a worker from her childrens’ old daycare center, befriended another young mom staking out those Leggos, and talked the sweet lady guarding the scooters into saving two for her.

…she is not afraid.  There were some shoppers who were bigger, bolder, and scarier than her, but there was no one louder or more helpful.  You want to know if that Magna Doodle that’s $18 is on sale in the Target ad?  Don’t worry, Katy will let you know.  And if you guard her cart or stand in a line for her, she’ll run down the aisle and fetch you anything you want.  Then she’ll tell the manager what price you’ll be paying and show him the ad so all you have to do is whip out the VISA.

…she can operate within her parameters.  She may not like it.  Budgets and Katy have never been the best of friends, but if she’s got a certain amount than she’s going to stay up all night and be back in line at Wal-Mart at 5 a.m. because that’s when the portable DVD players went on sale just to make sure she’s stretched her dollar thin enough to make Christmas for her kids and someone else’s. 

Because truthfully she does have a heart of gold and that’s worth more than a price match on a pink Leapster anyday of the year.

P.S.  My favorite Black Friday deal?  A Shark Steamer Mop for $36 and my free toothpaste and M&Ms I scored at CVS.  How was your shopping adventure?