Family Pictures, Christmas Letter and a Confession

In December, we had family pictures taken for the first time in over five years.  Stephanie was such a sport to oblige us and I'm so grateful to her.    I feel a little intimidated posting these pictures, because they don't look like all the other family pictures I see out there.  There are no fancy bows in our hair, I'm not wearing any fancy accessories, Camp's hair desperately needs to be (and has since been) cut, and on and on and on.  But the fact is--even though I do wish sometimes that it were different--if these pictures showed us in any other way--who would we be kidding?  (Heck, the fact that my hair is done, there are no stains on our shirts and our shoes are on the right feet makes me feel like we've got the wool pulled over your eyes a little.)  
It's funny because I remember feeling worried that it would come time for our pictures to be taken and we would be fighting and complaining and miserable and the smiles on our faces would be a complete misrepresentation of the way we were feeling in those moments--and I would feel dishonest.  I know.  Weird.  But you know what?  Those were actually a wonderful 20 minutes.  Despite my being late and Brian's being REALLy late (because of an errand he was on for me--doh!) and the sun quickly setting, those were good minutes for me.  Brian was so wonderful to make it a point to be happy and cheerful; and because Stephanie was so cool, the kids were happy and cheerful; and because everyone else was happy and cheerful, I was happy and cheerful, too.  So anyway....those smiles weren't lying. 

Aaaaaaannnnnd, just for documentation purposes, this was our 2011 Christmas letter.  I think I'm done with Christmas letters.

  

December 15, 2011

Dear Family and Friends, 

I have absolutely nothing to say this year.  Usually I think about the content of my Christmas letter all year long. Pathetic, I realize.   But this year?  Nothing.  Not a single idea.  

We welcomed Skip in January, and man, that kid is darling.  He really has only added joy to our family at this point.   We’re all very glad to have him. 

 And that’s pretty much it.

Things are going fine with us.  We have highs and lows like every family.  Brian and I have struggled to understand and like each other at times.  In October, after a tough couple  of months, I decided to ask for a day off--which Brian readily granted.  I drove to Portland and went shopping, and ever since then, things have been considerably better.  I’m not sure what made the difference--Brian and the kids having gotten a 14 hour break from me or my having gotten some new clothes and toss pillows, but whatever it was, it helped a lot.   I’m not trying to encourage anything--I’m just saying....And like I’ve said before, we all still love each other, despite our differences, and are in this thing for the long haul.  I really do love my husband and children more than anything else.  

And I love all of you, too.  Every one of you has made my life better, and I’m so thankful.

So have a wonderful Christmas.  I mean it.  

Love, 

Ann

Oh, and I have a confession.  I've already been reading your dinner suggestions...I just couldn't bear to wait.  I'm a little worried, though, that picking which meals to make is going to be a little tougher than I had imagined.  I already made Kat's french dip sandwiches.  I served them with asparagus and this cauliflower soup, and there was a party in my tummy  it was really good. So maybe I'll end up making every suggested meal you give me...Who knows... Just please continue to tell me What's For Dinner, because the suggestions so far have been PERfect.   Yeah, this is seriously going to be the best thing ever.  You guys are the best.  


Oh, and I have a question...how many times a week is some type of meat a part of your dinner?  Meat is expensive, but I just seem to have a hard time coming up with meals without it that are still filling and substantial.   Any thoughts?

My Christmas Rug

As I've told you before, the only thing that gets me through taking down Christmas without sliding into depression is the excitement surrounding whatever decorating items I get.  This year Brian gave me the rug I had pinned on my Pinterest board a couple months ago.  I love it.  I also got a little money to go after-Christmas shopping and picked up a couple fun stars at Pier 1 (and a bunch of stuff from Target).  I'm going to enjoy the stars for a couple of weeks and then I'll pack them away with my Christmas stuff.  I  also kept a little holiday spirit by making a couple of holiday arrangements with Christmas tree branches, berries and pine cones.   I feel like they are neutral enough to just be winter decor.  What do you think?  Also, I never showed you the headboards I made for my girls' beds.  I was going to do tufting, but I forgot to buy button-covering kits and then I just got too impatient...So anyway...they are still a huge improvement just the way they are.  And a while back I did a little project on my bedroom walls with my kids' silhouettes.  I love them.  It's amazing how individual and unique the outline of each of their faces is and how much personality each shows. And any day now, I'm going to be painting again, so I'll show you how that looks when it happens.

I haven't done Skip's silhouette yet because he wouldn't hold still; but can you see where it will go when it's done?

And by the way, we had a wonderful Christmas.  Lots of relaxing, lots of candy, lots of watching movies, lots of messes, lots of fun.

My First Giveaway and What's For Dinner?!

You know how I've told you how much I love my favorite things party?  And you know how I've told you that I REALLY dislike having to think about what to cook for dinner?   Well, I've decided to do a new thing on my blog--a series called What's For Dinner.  The way it will work is this:  Every Saturday, I will post an entry called What's For Dinner? .  You will then have a week to post a comment on that entry giving me a suggestion as to what to cook for dinner.  That next Friday night, I will have my husband read off the suggestions and I will choose at least one to cook during the upcoming week.  Then on Saturday, I will post which meal(s) I chose and I will ask you again What's For Dinner for the next week, etc.  Now--each of the names of those whose suggested meals I choose will be put into a monthly drawing for one of my favorite things!  (I will tell you beforehand which of my favorite things it will be) Then, on the night of My Favorite Things Party in December, I will randomly draw one final entry from all of the dinner suggestions submitted throughout the year, and the winner will receive one of Brian's storage or entry shelves--valued at 229! (You can see Pottery Barn's here )  So even if you suggest that I make Tofu and olives for dinner, and I do not choose it (and I surely won't)  you will still get a chance at the shelf.  However, if I do make the meal you suggest, you will get double entries in the December giveaway.  Get it?  What do you think?  

The winner will choose this shelf in white or black and have a couple hook options.

So.....What's For Dinner?  Oh, and don't forget to tell me how to make it--this at least triples your chances of my choosing it :) (The winner of this month's drawing will receive a combo pack of 3M picture hanging strips that I mentioned here.  The winner will be drawn on Saturday, January 28th.  

P.S.  I prefer meals that are fairly well balanced and nutritious--whole grains, fresh veggies, etc., but don't get too crazy.  I'd probably feel overwhelmed by anything too extreme.  And as you may have guessed, I'm not super big on tofu or olives. :)  Thanks in advance for your help with dinner!!

Thank goodness

....and Mom and Dad could hardly wait for school to start again.   Amen to that.

Just Barely Golden

On Sunday I baked 6 dozen sugar cookies for me and the kids to decorate.  And guess what?  I didn't burn a single one.  I didn't even overcook a single one.  Now THAT, my friends is a Christmas miracle.

We Three Trees

Man, I hate getting behind. Where was I ....

Brian turned 33, and just like last year, he and I (and Skip this year) spent his birthday weekend in Ashland. And once again, he ran a 31-mile, muddy, freezing, trail run. Crazy. And I went shopping--Walmart, Costco, and the shops and Farmers' Market of Ashland. At the Farmers' Market, I was so excited to find a bunch of berry boughs ( I can't remember what kind of berries they are) to hang on the branch that I have suspended over my kitchen table. I wish I had better pictures of it. The lady that sold them to me told me that she had just sold her entire crop to the folks at Sundance Magazine. I thought that was kinda cool. (A quick aside: lately I've been very discouraged by the fact that I'm never going to be able to capture any pretty part of my home on my blog because I don't have the camera or skill to take good pictures. Do you know what I mean? As I've drooled over decorating blogs over the last year, it has been clear that these girls don't just know how to decorate, they also know how to take pictures. But anyway...what can you do?)

And then later in November, my Gain Goo turned 6, and Sarah's whole family was here to celebrate that and Thanksgiving with us. And can I tell you? I LOVE MY SISTER. I love all my sisters (and brothers, for that matter) but it is just so, so fun being in the same stage of life as my older sister. We understand each other's lives. You know what I mean. So anyway...Jane had a wonderful birthday. She's such a good girl--a little bossy at times, maybe, but practically perfect in every other way :) She still has a lisp that Brian and I love, and she still spends hours a day creating artwork to deliver to the

neighbors. She's loving school, of course. Yesterday, she walked into school in tears for fear of the lunch ladies pressuring her to eat her veggies. I had run out of stuff to make her a lunch, so I insisted she buy one. The funny thing is--it's not that she's so afraid of eating the vegetables (she gets forced to eat vegetables by me every day.) It's the experience of having adults requiring something of her that makes her feel disapproved of. You know what I mean? I was the same way. Before she left the car, though, we said a prayer that everything would be alright and would you know it? Everything went just fine--pizza eaten, vegetables averted. Happy Jane. Happy Mom.

And then I celebrated my second favorite holiday--my Favorite Things Party day :). Yep. I turned 33, too. And this year's party was super fun, although maybe not quite as fun as in years passed. This year I was super tired and much more unprepared than I would like to have been. I hadn't finished decorating my house and my bathroom was a mess--and those two things alone were enough to throw me out of my groove. But thankfully, Becky was here again (it is a tradition) and she totally saved me again. She wrapped all my gifts up nice and pretty in brown paper and string ((you know, from the favorite things song)--dang, I wish I had taken a picture of them. Thanks, Stacy, for that idea) and helped me clean the house and get the food on the table. And hopefully, my guests had as good a time as in the past. I really do love it.

 This year my 33 favorite things are (in no particular order): my Pottery Barn-like entry shelves (the ones with the hooks) that Brian built, the leaf trivet that Camp made me, 3M picture hanging strips, tomato and red onion sandwiches (thank-you, Heather), blackberry cobbler, my IKEA drying rack, bedding, my blue and yellow t-shirt, boughs of berries, Christmas decor, DIY projects, decorating blogs, my magazines, my driftwood wreaths, Christmas tree light remotes, sales, dinner someone else made, my blue earrings, B&BW Mentha Lip Gloss, Costco's version of Bare Minerals makeup--the powder/bronzer (which is no longer being sold as far as I know. If you can get me some in medium, I will do something really nice for you!), my Walmart jars, blank notecards, white eyeshadow, cut branches, 3X5 index cards, my yellow book, my blue book, Brummel and Brown butter spread, the scents of Christmas, new clothes, my black exercise pants....and finally--Adele's Someone Like You . And have you ever seen this version or this version? I LOVE all of them. And you know why I love this song? Because I have been heartbroken before and because it reminds me of Sarah. She hooked me on it while we were both at my mom's this summer. We'd float around in the pool belting out the chorus: Nevermind, I'll find someone like you....Oh, man...I wish you were all here to sing with me again. So there you go. Maybe someday you will all get to come to my party and you will all sing and dance with me and I will send you all home with one of my shelves (Stephanie got it this year :) ). I would sure love that...

And finally, I've been decorating for Christmas and putting away the boxes left from decorating for Christmas for about three weeks now, and I'm loving it. I do wish I had some holiday toss pillows. I had intended on making some, but oh, well. My front room and family room trees are both Frasier Firs this year. It's funny, because every year it seems my trees are leaning more and more toward the Charlie Brown variety. As a young kid, we always got Douglas Fir trees, and then at some point we all got smart and went for the Nobles--no offense to you true blue Douglas fans. And now I just seem to me more and more drawn to the trees with more space in between the branches. The thing is, though--I really miss the smell of the Douglas Firs. Nobles and Fraziers don't smell like anything and that is a major sacrifice. So maybe next year I'll get Douglas Firs and just chop a bunch of branches out. Yeah, that might work... But this year I felt a little sad that my bedroom didn't have any sparkly lights, so when my friend mentioned to me that she lived on an old Christmas tree farm, I packed up my saw and some rope and headed out to chop down a third tree. We all know it's best to decorate in threes. And this third one--well it really is a Charley brown tree, but I really love it. Every night I go to sleep to it's glowing lights and Manheim Steamroller's Silent Night on repeat. So wonderful.

Still, Still, Still

You know what? Ignore what I have written in my personal little ditty on the left side of my blog. Sometimes it isn't fun being a mom. I don't always love it. Some of the time I don't even like it. Too often I realize I've gone through an entire day without really smiling or laughing with or even at my children. And I then I feel awful. But it is really, really hard. My personal belief is that we are commanded to get married and have kids mainly because it is in doing so that we have the greatest opportunity to become perfected. In other words--it is in marriage and raising children that we are forced to confront each of our weaknesses. And I've got a slew of them. Thank goodness for forgiveness. Thank goodness for the atonement. Thank goodness for tomorrow. Oh, thank goodness for tomorrow.

What would I do without my children? I would go shopping all the time. I would have a really clean house. I'd have conversations all day long without being interrupted. I'd probably get dressed and do my hair everyday. And I'd be miserable. That's for sure.

You know what I love? Mannheim Steamroller's Still, Still, Still. There's nothing like a little Still, Still, Still to restore my peace.