Our Thanksgiving Tradition

A funny thing about growing older is that when you reflect on the past years, you realize you have created traditions without intending to. Our Thanksgiving tradition is to spend it with just our friends. Honestly, I can't remember the last time we saw family on Thanksgiving. Some people think that is sad but it is just the harsh reality of living so far away. But we have always made the most of it and I LOVE our Thanksgiving traditions. We have so many great friends who also don't have family here so, after so many years together, we are now family. Some friends moved away this year and it will feel weird without them around the table. I feel so thankful for so many great people in our lives, even though many are missed at holidays.This Thanksgiving we are spending with our friends in the mountains again. It is always nice to visit the snow and cold and then get back to the coast to thaw out. Our weekend will consist of cooking together, hiking, biking, and drinking in the hot tub. We will Skype and call our families far away because we do miss and love them all. But we will also celebrate our new traditions and have fun with our friends.

So, one of the many blessings I am counting this year is traditions. New and old. May you have a great time celebrating Thanksgiving and cherishing your old traditions, or making a new one.
Cheers!
Christy

Snow play

We just got back from a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend in Big Bear (San Jacinto Mountains) with our friends and snow. Lots of snow! There was only a 10% chance that we'd get any but sure enough, about 6 inches fell the morning we were supposed to leave.

Our So-Cal kiddos had a great time exploring in this stuff they only see once a year, if they are lucky. Having grown up in Minnesota, I think its funny that they think this stuff is great.
This is one of my favorite pictures from the weekend. Sam is such a ham for the camera!

Ok, so snow is fun to play in. But when you actually have to go somewhere...not so much fun. (Unfortunately, we missed a lunch date with Jordan on Saturday.) We were happy that we threw the chains in for the van. It was slow getting going but we made it back Saturday night.

Here are a couple other shots from the weekend. I wish the lighting were better on this picture, but I just had to show you Max in his turkey bib on Thanksgiving Day. So cute! He was such a good baby this weekend in a cabin with 8 adults, 9 kids, and 3 dogs. Crazy, happy times!Thanks for checking in. I hope your Thanksgiving was a good one too. Can you believe tomorrow is December 1st? Bring on Christmas!
Cheers,
Christy

What? It's December?

Ok, I know this is a cliche but... where does the time go? Here's another one: Time flies when you're having fun. Right...? Well Thanksgiving weekend was a lot of fun but I have no idea what's happened with the rest of the past two weeks. Anyways, I'm back and really ready to dive head-first into Christmas. But first... I wanted to share some Thanksgiving pictures.

We rented a cabin up in Big Bear Lake, CA with some friends. 8 adults, 7 kids, 3 dogs, and one house. It was great! Honestly! The first morning we woke up to a dusting of snow. Most people back East consider snow more of a nuisance but not these California kids. Sammy was fascinated with the noise it made when he walked on it. Its weird but Maddie was surprised that the snow could go on everything outside. I grew up in snow so this new discovery for her was bizarre to me that it was even a discovery. Even though she has a jacket, our puppy Luna did not take a liking to the snow. She just sort of stood there. And then the kids learned it was ok to throw the snow. Where else in their young years are they encouraged to throw stuff at each other? But it didn't take long for the snow to melt.
Here are Shelly and Laurie stuffing the bird. But Phil did the actual cooking of Turkey... on the BBQ. I'll admit, I was skeptical of this non-conventional cooking style but it was the most amazing turkey I ever had.

Here are the girls working with Bernice on the sweet potato souffle. That also was AMAZING!What a kids table?! I never remember feasting in such style.

Sam's favorite candy: a lollipop!

And then back to reality. 75 degrees and sunny. Now for the gift wrapping, shopping, shipping, baking, decorating and more. But I do have some fun things coming up on my blog. Check back soon for the 12 Days of Christmas! Have a great day!

It's not Christmas yet....

Only 44 more days until Christmas! Wahoo!!!! Ok, I get really giddy about Christmas--prepare yourselves! But it is only November 11th. (Bummer. Sigh....) So, in an effort to stay grounded and live in the moment, I'm going to show you 2 projects that are not Christmas related.

Some of you know that I'm head-over-heels in love with the Pink Paislee products so this sign will be no surprise. Maddie had to have a matching room sign like Sammy's and this one is pink, dreamy and fabulous! My opinion, anyway...Sorry, the lighting is crappy. That's what I get for taking pictures at nearly midnight when I SHOULD BE SLEEPING! The time change has really messed me up. Anyway... this sign is made from Pink Paislee's Topsiders in their Pop Fashion line, a felt crown accent by Autumn Leaves, and velvet flowers by Maya Road. The alpha stickers are also Pink Paislee. A little ribbon, tinsel and .... voila: another piece of pink dreaminess! ;)

This second item is my new pride and joy! I call it "Our Thankfulness Box." Design-wise, its not earth shattering but I love the tradition that it will bring to our family. It is a wooden box (bought at Michaels) meant to be a centerpiece at our table. Inside the lid is a log where we will spend Thanksgiving and who we are with. Then each person at the Thanksgiving table writes on a leaf (inside the box) what they are Thankful for, what year it is, and how old they are. I hope that several years down the line my kids will dig through the past years' leaves and giggle about what they were thankful for in 2008. It's sort of like a Thanksgiving scrapbook in a box. I also plan to add photos in there to "float" around with all the leaves. I love the idea of a Thankfulness Box. Its a good lesson for the kids, a fun way to remember how we've spent the Thanksgiving holiday and a great way to count our blessings. I feel so blessed that I'm not sure this box will be big enough. I hope that you have a lot to be thankful for this year too!

Cheers!
Christy