Elf Kit

I've been making the Martha Stewart Elf Kits for a few years now and have always found my own kit to be such a lifesaver! Last year I gave one to each of my siblings on Christmas Eve. I found a cute box at the craft store and included the following inside...

scissors
batteries
small ziploc baggies
large trash bags
pocket knife
screwdrivers
small notepad
pen

You could also include an extra memory card or camera battery. And almost all of this can be found at the dollar store.

Having all these necessities on hand Christmas morning is so great. When Christmas is all said and done, refill the things you used and you'll be ready for next year!

Snow Finally!

It seems like last winter we couldn't get the snow to stop and this year I have to say I have been wondering when it was finally going to come! Well we got a nice snowfall on Sunday. Luckily we had bought a snow blower on Saturday. I actually had to talk my husband into getting it. What man doesn't want an excuse to spend $600+ on a machine that only he can operate?? He fired it up on Sunday afternoon. After 25 minutes he came inside and I asked him what happened? He said nothing, I'm done! Good purchase, very good purchase. We might actually stayed married through the winter.

Baby Anna

My sister was being induced with her 4th child last Friday and invited me to come. I have always lived in another state when my sister has had her babies and I've never actually watched the birth of one of my own children. The fear of fainting or throwing up at the site of them coming into the world has always deterred me from watching. But I decided this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I spent the day with her in the hospital while she labored and finally that evening I got to witness the coolest thing ever...her birth! I was overwhelmed by the feeling of this miraculous event that we as women get to be a part of. Baby Anna is beautiful! And I even got to cut the cord (thanks, Scott!). This day will definitely be remembered as one of my favorites that I am sure I will remind Anna of in years to come. Thanks to my sister and her husband for letting me be a part of this day with them.

Strep x 5

So I haven't posted in a while because we have been overtaken by the Strep Throat monster at our house. Nathan got it right before Thanksgiving, gave it to me right after Thanksgiving, then I gave it to Lauren who then gave it to Jason and now Nathan has it for the second time! Little Luke has endured a bunch of grumpy people for the last couple weeks and hasn't gotten it...YET. I guess we were all just feeling the spirit of giving this holiday season in a slightly different way. I'm done with giving (of strep throat at least).

On a lighter note we had my entire family to our house for Thanksgiving. We deep fried a turkey for the first time and it was SO delicious. We had such a wonderful time with everyone here. The girls all spent the night and headed out at 5 am for Black Friday shopping. That was a blast as usual and I ended up with some pretty good deals. Being with my sisters and mom (and my friend Megan) was really the best part. AND my dad came along this year to be our personal buggy attendant/line holder. How cool is that??

Last Friday we hosted a White Elephant Party at our house. It was so fun! Jason and I couldn't stop talking about how much fun we had and how blessed we feel to have such wonderful friends and neighbors around us. We had some great gifts and some even better food (I feel the need for a recipe exchange!). I can't wait to do it again next year.