joy rising ...

as oprah would say, we had a whole lot of 'joy rising' this last weekend thanks to our annual weekend-after-thanksgiving explosion of christmas cheer ... everything christmas-related came out of hibernation and let's just say that toddy the elf is thrilled to be reunited with his old pals ...

it was an all-weekend commitment to let in the JOY ... we started off with gingerbread houses ...

which led to a whole new career path for the little ladybug ...

future cake boss at work ...

meanwhile, momma ladybug was busy being a christmas sherpa ...

then we took a break to bake some of this delicious gingerbread from a trader joe's kit ... can you smell it when you see these photos?  It was fabulous!

after fueling up on warm gingerbread, it was go-time!

first the angels ...

then the nativity ...

even the pre-school nativity scene made a reappearance for the first time in years ...

then came the wreaths and garland, both indoors and out ...

and finally, the stockings ...

By this time, it was late afternoon - not a moment to spare, it was time to choose our tree!

once we were finished with the drama of getting the tree into the house and into the stand (why is this always so frustrating?!), we got right down to the business of decorating - the sun had just set, the christmas tunes were playing, and a fire was burning in the fireplace.  And in the end, we had this ...

... we also have a 4-foot fiber optic tree that belongs to the ladybugs, complete with all of their homemade ornaments that date back a full decade at this point ...

we always celebrate the completion of our christmas setup with a big family dinner in the dining room, which is otherwise sadly underused in our house ... one of my favorite parts about christmastime is that with the dining/living rooms (they are open to one another) looking so festive, we actually use these rooms just about every day of the week ... such a great side effect of the JOY of christmas ...

not bad for a 36-hour stretch!  each year the JOY of christmas rises just like this over one wonderful weekend ~ and they are truly my favorite moments of all other than christmas morning itself ~

merry merry christmas from our house to yours ...

elf-ing ...

image via pinterest

Actually, I'm not talking about the movie (and btw don't even get me started on how funny I still find that movie even after 17,000 viewings!), I'm talking about Toddy ... our "elf on the shelf" - anyone who has been here a while might remember his appearances last year when little ladybug was fashioning teeny tiny handmade lunchboxes and to-do lists for him - not to mention serving him miniature portions of pie and knitting him his very own shawl to stay warm.  Amazingly, this year is Toddy's fifth year with us - half of little ladybug's whole life - and the magic is still there.  I think my girls will be coming home from college and still expecting to find Toddy changing places with each new morning ... he's just that special to us ♥

But I nearly blew it with poor Toddy this year - those of you who already partake in this tradition know that your elf is supposed to appear the morning after Thanksgiving and stay with you through Christmas Eve, when he returns back to the North Pole with Santa's visit that night.  Of course, we were in Florida the morning after Thanksgiving and the thought hadn't even crossed my mind.  Nor did the thought cross my mind for 2 more nights after returning north ... until my sweet big ladybug turned to me in privacy after little ladybug's bedtime and mentioned that she hadn't noticed Toddy hanging around yet ... in a "just sayin" sort of way ... phew, thank goodness for that sweet eldest child of mine - her heart is pure gold for sure!

So after eldest was tucked in last Sunday night, I immediately dug poor Toddy out of his storage spot and put him in the front doorknocker as his first location of 2011 ... 

note that little ladybug's hand-knit shawl (and store-bought mittens) are still with him

... and it's been so much fun to search for clever new "finding" places for him ever since ... 

note which frame he's holding onto ... that's his picture inside ;-)

Our beloved Toddy is always the first sign of Christmas joy ... from that first morning with Toddy, it's a trickling wave of Christmas cheer that follows and within a week or so, we're full swing with all the decor ... a colorful tree, ribbon-wrapped wreaths, holly garland, advent calendars, stockings, tabletop carolers, the girls' angel collections, christmas card displays, etc etc ... such a magical season ...

At Christmas play and make good cheer
For Christmas comes but once a year
~Thomas Tusser~

thanksgiving weekending ...

my 48 hours in Florida have come and gone ...

... and Thanksgiving Day was perfect in every way - bright and sunny, about 80 degrees, gentle breeze, gorgeous electric blue sky ... just as Thanksgiving should be if you're a Floridian ;-)

The day started with a little of this ...

And it ended with a little of this ...

The following morning we went to the the ladybugs' favorite 50's diner for a little of this ...

... and then as if in a breath of wind, we were gone again ... 

... seems like a dream now that we're back in our regular routine again, those precious hours just flew right by, but they were wonderful hours in every way ... more important than ever before for me to be "at home" with my family, toasting that for which we are most thankful ... especially for our sweet gigi and the gift of f.a.m.i.l.y. she left behind ...

Happy Thanksgiving 2011
✈

s.l.o.w. weekend ...

i had to laugh at each and every one of the comments on my previous post about the sizes and portions that have been shrinking on grocery store shelves ... i was so glad that not only do you guys feel my pain, but you actually jumped right on board - the 15-oz mayo (so frustrating to be an ounce short, nicolle!), the peanut butter jars, the half-empty bags of chips, the less-than-a-half-gallon breyer's, the outrage goes on and on ... on the one hand, incredibly irritating, but on that day I had to laugh at all of us - an angry mob of blog-moms with our pitchforks and torches ;-)  As always in blogland, it was nice to know I'm not alone ...

Sadly, shortly after I posted, I came down with some sort of crazy fever virus and I was down and out for Thursday thru Sunday trying to withstand waves of fever and all of the things that come with it (aches, chills, and strong nausea in my case).  The "phantom fever" (the strangest part was that I never actually had a fever?!) was my one and only symptom, but having fought whatever it was for so many days, it really slammed me and now that I'm finally feeling better I've never been so grateful for my overall good health - truly truly grateful.

Thanks to an oddly clear calendar (not even skating thanks to a hockey tournament at the rink), we missed nothing at all and the lazy downtime ended up being a well-needed rest for everyone ... the ladybugs kept busy, started projects, and played with one another like old times. I heard lots of laughter and happiness and that made lying around in misery just a little less miserable!  So now it's Monday and thankfully I'm feeling much better because I have only today and tomorrow to get ready for Thanksgiving ...

The ladybugs and I are flying to Florida to spend this year's holiday with my family!  Manbug will stay home to be with his family ... to make a long story short, both of our families need a little extra support this year, so we're dividing up.  I haven't been with my family for Thanksgiving in 8 years, so I'm pretty excited!

This will be it until I'm back next weekend ... I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

In the name of Cindy's gratitude project ... this is what I'm grateful for this Thanksgiving:

1.  good health

2.  modern medicine

3. capable and independent daughters

4. sisters who love one another

5.  puppy kisses ...

so what's the deal with ...

... toilet paper these days?!

Anyone else noticing the huge difference in size here?  Last week, I inadvertently purchased a different brand of tp (Northern instead of Charmin), I was in a rush and was wooed by a promotional markdown ... but when I got home to put the rolls away with my existing rolls I noticed the huge size difference - so much smaller!  In fact, these newer rolls are so skinny from side to side they even look ridiculous on the fixture ... 

Not only do they look ridiculous, but I'm especially bothered by the fact that the folks at Northern think it's ok to quietly reduce the size (yet ask the same price) without anyone noticing ... what?!  And you know who else is guilty of the same?  Kraft mac and cheese ... okay, I know I shouldn't even admit to being familiar with this horrible chemical-laden brand of neon-orange "food", but that's beside the point ... they too have reduced the portion size of their boxes and significantly so with their "branded" boxes (Cars, Scooby Doo, Sponge Bob, etc) ... see for yourself ...

OK, I guess it's tough to see the fine print at the bottom, but what used to be a regular 8-oz package has been reduced to 7.25-oz and the one on the left with the special pasta shapes is down to a measly 5.5-oz ... this is ridiculous!  Not to mention a complete rip-off ... grrr ... i feel totally hoodwinked!  bamboozled!  These corporate games are so aggravating ... anyone remember the grocery store rant that Steve Martin went on in Father of the Bride over the hot dog packs vs. the bun packs?  yeah ... that's totally me right now ...

Anyone with me on this?!  I wish I had the time to get all postal on these giant companies and complain, but instead I'll just rant here and try to let it go ... deep breath, momma ladybug ... deeeeep breath ...