A Christmas morning road trip, freshly fallen snow, two sleepy (oblivious) boys made for an irresistible urge for a photo detour along the route to grandma and papa’s house.    My original destination was a tree farm, but snow makes even the most boring landscapes absolutely breathtaking. So my little detour took a bit longer…

Some Christmas Eve snowfall called for a little snowman build. Literally — a little snowman. So little, in fact, that our UPS delivery lady didn’t see him on her way back to the truck. So harsh.  But what a perfect day. French toast, snowfall, Christmas movie marathon, a full day curled up at home. Merry…

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Two favorite office Christmas gifts (posed with panda because pandas always make things cuter) + another new photo app = totally fun day.   (A bum furnace + a tense MU/Illini ball game = totally NOT fun night. I’m such a poor sport.)

The kids and I stopped by my aunt’s house this weekend — the same house where my grampa used to live and the same house we visited on Christmas day almost every year when I was growing up. It was fun to see some of the same decorations around the house — including this little chapel…

Last night, the kids and I made a quick trip to Belleville, Illinois, to take in the Christmas lights at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows. As usual, it was beautiful. Above and below were taken at the Lourdes Grotto where the nativity is kept. Tanner’s silhouette gives you an idea of its…

A friend at work read about our Advent Elves and gave us a gift for the project. Two little panda ornaments — one for each of the boys. How sweet and unbelievably adorable are these?! And on another panda-related note, I gave myself one more Christmas present.  Non-skid panda socks, baby!

Since my kids don’t read my blog, I’m very comfortable dropping a little hint about one of their Christmas gifts in this post. I had it delivered to my office since its recipient gets home before I do and has NO idea that it’s coming. It arrived today — and the above logo was on…

I know it’s a strange quirk, but I haven’t owned or worn a watch in probably fifteen years.  As of today, I now have seven. My collection was completed over the lunch hour. And I spent less than $2 apiece on these. Merry Christmas to me! 

A few characters are late — and much welcome — arrivals to our tree.  Hello Kitty, courtesy of my mom. And this quite …curvaceous… penguin that I picked up at the craft store for like $2.50.  While I was at the craft store, I overheard this woman complaining to her husband about Christmas cards. She…

Not only was the fresh blanket of snow beautiful, it brought out a myriad of birds in the backyard this morning. They were everywhere!  They all seemed to really dig this berry bush. The kitties and I sat at the back door and watched them for the longest time. Such poor table manners these little…

A different look at the horse farm on the route to work. The sunrise cast this great orange sherbert-ish glow over everything. Taken with a great new camera app on my iPhone. As soon as I loaded it, I used the panda on my desk as the subject of the first “test photo.” And that’s…

My new favorite cupcake recipe, plus an old favorite cupcake recipe.

Country Bear Jamboree now appears to be ready to spread some holiday cheer.  I love these people.

If anything like this is offered at our office cookie crawl, I’m going to declare it the best holiday function ever. So freaking awesome. (Photo from Cakewrecks.)

For my office’s overly complicated cookie crawl later this week, I’ve decided to make cupcakes. Big surprise, I know. Believe it or not, it’s not because I’m partial to cupcakes. It’s actually because I can’t bake cookies. It’s the darndest thing. Anyway, when I was picking up the ingredients for my latest baking experiment (pomegranate…

This house in a nearby neighborhood outdoes itself every year. It has every inflatable, mechanical inflatable and pre-lit decoration imaginable. Ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds, snow globes, a mechanical jack-in-the-boss with penguins, teeter totter, Pooh, Rudolph, Grinch, you name it, this house has got it. Oh! And Santa’s airplane. I wonder who is pushing this… the husband…

– The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor.– Louis Pasteur successfully tested his vaccine against rabies.– Mark Twain first published Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.– The first appendectomy was performed.– The Washington Monument was dedicated.– The soft drink Dr. Pepper was first served. What do all of these events have in common? 1885. The…

This is Rory. She lives at a Farm Sanctuary shelter in New York after having been rescued from a flood in 2008. She is described as “jubilant and friendly,” her favorite foods are “Pears and Rice Cakes,” and she was adopted by our family on November 26, 2010. This is her picture from the packet…

 “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” I’d heard that quote before, but didn’t realize that it came from John Lennon. Hmph. Learn something new every day.  Anyhoo, I found myself thinking of that quote this morning when I opened the curtains and saw the view from our hotel room (we…

… a little miracle is growing in my kitchen. … my Charlie Brown Christmas tree is one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.  … a trip to the zoo’s penguin parade will happen this year.   … taking a few days off from work can actually make a person more productive. … I’d like to…

Meet Oliver. And you can’t really see him, but his colleague Buddy is in the background. These little guys are helping us get started with Advent. Another hair-brained idea of mine that merges “Elf on the Shelf” with an Advent calendar. For each day of Advent, these guys will appear somewhere in the house with…

Have you ever noticed how often hearts happen in nature?  Here’s a heart of stone (taken today)… Hearts in knots…  Hearts on the path… And bleeding hearts (obviously). I read something recently that said, “Even without taking pictures, carrying a camera enhances life.” I hadn’t really thought about it before. But these six photos are the…

I’m typing by the glow of our freshly decorated and totally overloaded family Christmas tree.  The boys hung many of the ornaments this year … and the kitties seemed to want to help.  They all did a beautiful job. Each ornament was carefully unwrapped with a unique story attached.  Below was handmade (paper pinecone – instructions here)….

Thank God for dirty dishes, they have a tale to tell. While in this world there’s hunger, we’re eating very well.  With home and health and happiness, we shouldn’t want to fuss. For by this stack of evidence, God’s very good to us. Among my many dirty dishes and many blessings, I’m thankful for:  Dad…