Top 2 Tuesday

Top 2 Tuesday

I’ve skipped these for a few weeks, but this one I love and can churn out in just a few.

Two Things I’ve Learned about Blogging….

1.  People will actually read what you write (and sometimes quote it back to you).  So don’t put it out there if you don’t want to talk about, laugh about it, be teased about it, or never forget about it.  Whatever it may be.

2.  Write like you’re talking to a friend.  Blogs are not for great writing, they’re for real writing.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that editing and revising my blog post is not giving my readers a glimpse at what is really going on in my head.  So, lately I’ve really been concentrating on writing the way I talk to my closest friends, my sisters, or my mom.  But, don’t forget the punctuation 🙂

What have you learned fellow blogger?

Head over the the Undomestic Mama to get more tips and link up.

Christmas · Top 2 Tuesday

(Late) Top 2 Tuesday

So I’m a little late with this week’s Top 2 Tuesday post but better late than never, right?  I mean, after all, it’s the thought that counts.  Best intentions and all….I could go on like this forever.

Moving on.

This week’s top 2 Tuesday is favorite Christmas memories which is hard because I have been blessed with a lot of wonderful Christmas memories (and that’s something I need to remember more often).

My first is from my growing up years in the Granite Capitol.  My home church has a Christmas Eve candlelight service every year and we always went.  I remember being a child on the pew between my fidgity brother and squirmy sister who always managed to settle down just as the flames began to glow all around the sanctuary and Tom Wilhite sang “Sweet Little Jesus Boy.”  The first Christmas he was singing that in Heaven instead of First Baptist, a recording of him singing that old spiritual was played.  Some things are more than tradition. 

It seemed everyone I ever knew from that church came home for the service and I remember dreaming of the day I’d bring my own babies to church on Christmas Eve to sit proudly beside their grandparents.  Madelynne’s first Christmas she was dressed to the nines and sat proudly (and sleepily) in the crook of her granddaddy’s arm for the service.  Now, we take my little girls to our church for the candlelight service.  I hope someday it’s a memory they’ll treasure.

My second favorite memory is more recent, but still has it’s roots in my childhood.  We don’t always celebrate on Christmas Eve or Day with my family anymore because trying to schedule three married children, two teenagers, and two twenty-somethings is more than even google calendar can handle.  But whenever we do finally get together there always comes a time when we get settled around the big fireplace and the giant Frasier fir, when Daddy’s drinking coffee and Mama’s rubbing her feet because she’s been cooking since dawn, when the grandbabies are finally sleeping and Audrey’s turned off her cell phone, and we start to talk about all those other Christmases. 

The tree that was so big Daddy had to cut it apart to get it out of the house.

The time Corey got a puppy and Mama tricked him by hiding the little fur ball in her KitchenAid mixer box.

The time we opened a great big huge box to find nothing but Mickey Mouse ears and a guessing game which was answered with “Disney World!”

For a brief time, no one is fighting or complaining.  There’s no drama and no tempers.  It’s our own little world of Christmas Peace, a moment I could hold onto forever.

Christmas · Top 2 Tuesday

Top 2 Tuesday/2nd Day of Christmas

Well, I gave into another of Julia’s great ideas and linked up to Taylor at the Undomestic Momma and Top 2 Tuesday.  I was planning to post about our favorite Christmas ornaments anyway, so why not?  Plus, this follows up my First Day of Christmas Blog by letting you know that despite the, um, unwelcome visitors we’re currently hosting, we did find time to decorate the tree.  Finally.

Top 2 Favorite Ornaments?  It’s so hard to pick just two…so I’m cheating and choosing categories.  That’s right, sometimes I break the rules.

Category 1: Ornaments with meaning.  This year we chose this sweet little snow baby from one of my favorite places, Target.  It’s special not because we bought it on a trip that didn’t make me regret shopping with three kids by myself, but because it represents the biggest change in our lives this year…the year Annabelle became a big sister, too! 

 Category 2: Think Pots Ornaments. Joshua’s Aunt Beth is a potter and her beautiful work is the showcase of our tree.  In a few years, I’ll have enough to have just a “Beth Tree” and I can’t wait.  Each year she gifts us with a handmade angel (which are my favorite ornaments of all time) and she has blessed us with beautiful ornaments commemorating the birth of our girls.  Can’t wait for Amelia’s!

 Well, here’s the finished project…as well as a couple of moments in the process. 

The first of many “No, Amelia!” shrieks.

 As for the Second Day of Christmas tip for enjoying the soul of the season….don’t worry about the perfect tree with the perfect combination of coordinated decor.  We always have a lot more fun when I carefully place the ornaments I love and don’t worry that the girls have hung the bottom half of the tree with their macaroni and cardstock creations.  Although, this year I did give in and let them pick and decorate a tree for their room…it’s purple, plastic, and perfect for the girls!  Maybe I’ll get a pic of that soon.

Have a great Tuesday.  And remember when you’re stressing today you could be at my house with  a cup of hot cocoa and a fine tooth comb.

On that note…