our 25 days of christmas countdown

for as long as the girls can remember

we have been preparing for the 

birth of baby jesus with our 

25 days of christmas countdown

essentially it's just an advent calendar

but instead of chocolates to count down the days

husband and i try to do activities

with the girls that embody the spirit of christmas

of course with the girls in school during the day

and busy, busy evenings with after school activities and homework etc

there are days when treats and not activities make it onto the calendar

we also have our whole family get involved

both sets of grandparents choose a day and activity

and so do both of my sisters

the activities don't cost a lot

actually most of the ones we choose to do are free

(since the holidays get so costly already!)

here is what the first week of advent has looked like for us

(if you follow me on instagram you already know!)

 

day 1: breakfast with santa

day 2: santa claus parade

day 3: toy slinkys

day 4: visit and photo with santa

day 5: donate toys to the toy drive

day 6: go to the store and choose your very own ornament

day 7: christmas movie night

and today for day 8 it's extra special

 they had waffles for breakfast and received mini blythe dolls

and in the evening my in laws

will be picking them up and taking them to a christmas party!

the countdown is really fun to do

but it really does showcase how time just flies

the first week of december is almost over!

 (eek!)

i'm off to wrap more presents

happy weekending folks!

a new tradition

wow! was this new tradition

quite the adventure for our little family

i have always wanted a fresh tree

but growing up we always had an artificial one

and our first christmas together

husband and i lived in a townhouse 

where they didn't allow fresh trees

so we bought an artificial one and have been

using that for the past eight christmases

last christmas husband proclaimed

next year we are finally getting a real tree!

so a few days ago 

our little family bundled up and headed to a local tree farm

we were greeted by a friendly gentleman who proceeded to show us

the fresh trees he had just chopped down

no thanks we said, we are going to chop one down ourselves!

after much deliberation (and i thought nothing would top our pumpkin hunt!)

we finally settled on a 10 foot (yes! TEN FEET FOLKS) noble fir

husband got down to business

it was quite a feat because they didn't allow axes or power saws

he had to use a hand saw

and he may or may not have gotten pooped on by a few 

birds once or twice

ok, so after the tree was chopped down

we had to drag/carry the 10 foot, very heavy tree back to the lot

(of course pia had to use the bathroom at this time... side note: porta-potties are not

mom and 5 year old friendly)

phew! now we had to stuff this tree into our mini van

which we managed to do, but the top was sticking out

therefore we had to drive with our trunk slightly open

and pia crying and saying that we were going to get a ticket

the whole 10 minute drive home

after a quick trip to wal-mart to get a stand we finally got home

and seriously folks, i wasn't sure if we were going to get

this tree into my home!

we finally did, and wow was it tall!

yes we knew it was 10 feet and our ceilings are about 11 feet

but it reached our ceiling! 

we needed to make not one but two more trips to wal-mart because

we didn't have enough lights for this monster of a christmas tree

i honestly wasn't sure if we had enough ornaments to decorate it either

(but of course i would have happily obliged to shop for more!)

but as you can see we had more than enough

(ahem-- i have a slight christmas ornament addiction)

ok, you might be thinking

she said tradition--she actually wants to do this again next year?

oh yes i do!

and you want to know why?

mommy, we have the best tree, it's like 

one huge air freshener

proclaimed by my zoe

 age 7, christmas 2012

meet my new friend: mr. kitchenaid mixer

 

for my christmas gift, my sweet sisters and mom all pitched in

and bought me my very own

lovely kitchenaid mixer!!

since it was a special order (i wanted the majestic yellow)

it only arrived yesterday

but it was totally worth the wait!!

i would love to bake these or these this weekend

but my little family will be in portland

visiting my sister in law and eating our hearts out!

hope you lovelies have a lovely weekend!

p.s. if you have any suggestions on what to do, where to eat in portland...

please leave me a comment!

our blessed christmas

 our christmas was filled with

bellies stuffed with wonderful food

good conversation

quality time with family and friends

and many, many thoughtful gifts

i am truly blessed with so many

wonderful people in my life who spoiled me!

my girls gave me the lovely yellow tea kettle

and my mom and sisters gave me the yellow kitchenaid mixer

the only thing better than receiving lovely gifts is giving them!

this year we gave the girls

a space just for them

their very own play room!

 

they love to play "house" so we decided to get them

their very own kitchen set

they spend hours and hours in there, just letting their

imaginations run wild

my hubby and i decided not to exchange gifts this year

instead, the day after christmas we took off--just the two of us

for a day trip down south to one our of favorite cities: seattle

it was lovely, spending the whole day with each other, just the two of us

 we enjoyed good conversation during our 2 hour car ride there and back

did a little shopping... did some great eating... but mainly just enjoyed being with each other.

that same day, zoe and pia were enjoying their christmas present

from their tata and tikko (what they call my sister and her bf)

my sister was generous enough to take these two lucky girls to see a musical!

after the show, they were treated to cupcakes and hot chocolate

when we picked them up, they wouldn't stop 

talking about it and they have been wearing

their souvenir hats all day!

still in their pj's!

i love that my sister gave them an "experience" to enjoy

the holidays aren't quite over just yet...

it's new years eve tonight!

we don't have big plans... just an evening in with family and friends

just the way we like it!

how ever you decide to ring in the new year--with a big bang or with a quiet evening in

from my family to yours---happy 2011!!!

25 days of christmas: days 20-24

merry christmas eve dear friends!!!

i look forward to christmas eve just as much as christmas day

our countdown to our Lord's birth is finally complete!

 here is a recap of what we did for the last few days:

day 20: we made home made hot chocolate

day 21: we made our christmas cards!

my girls were such troopers... cranking out over 50 hand drawn

christmas cards for our friends and family

jolly ol' saint nick!

a christmas tree

a "fairy angel "

and a snow man

day 22: the girls watched the classic movie rudolph the red nosed reindeer

day 23: rode the giant rocking horse at our local mall (for all you locals, it's a must do!)

and today for day 24, we take the girls to mass and then head on over

to my hubby's side of the family to celebrate with everyone. 

we exchange gifts at midnight, a tradition that my husband's family 

has been doing since he could remember.

i hope you all have enjoyed sharing in our little countdown!

from my little family to yours...

may your christmas be happy 

and your new year blessed!!!

spoiler alert!!

i made a whole bunch of these for christmas...

it's safe to say that if you are in my family or are my friend  

you just saw part of your christmas present

quick! close your eyes!

"mommy wants a red sparkly christmas ballgown!"

yesterday i get a phone call from my hubby

"i am at the mall with the girls, i brought them here

so that they can buy you a christmas present.."

me: "oh, that's sweet of you!"

him (without beating around the bush): "what do you want?"

me: "anything! let them choose... "

him: "ok, well you are going to get a red, sparkly christmas ballgown."

me: "um....."

him: "zoe says you need it to wear to all the christmas parties."

of course, i would just love a red sparkly christmas ballgown to wear

to all the christmas parties... but i also wouldn't mind

seeing these under the tree.... *wink wink*



Vintage yellow dress




yellow tea pot




yellow rosettes pillow



yellow kitchenaid mixer



i am almost done wrapping christmas gifts! phew!

has anyone ever calculated how many hours you

spend each year wrapping gifts?

i have spent 3 hours a day for the past 4 days.. yikes!

and i am still not done...

make sure you drop by later on this week

to check out days 11-17

of our 25 days of christmas