Merry Christmas!

My mystery gift from Jeff was...

A massive picture for our bedroom!

The idea for this year was that we each needed to print a physical photo from the past year. With so much of our lives belonging online, it's hard to find the time to actually print photos.

That's why my gift to Jeff was a 12x12 hardcover photo album of our cross country road trip! It is 108 pages!

So time consuming, but extremely worth it.  I recommend printing an album of your last year ASAP...or make it your new years resolution!

My present...

Jeff has been lugging my mystery gift all through the city all night!!!

WHAT IS IT?!

Yay for our Holiday Party!! The 2012 edition.

This year, our holiday party was different for a couple reasons.  Medically, I was going through something that involved lots of doctor visits that could pop up at any time.  Try planning a party when you know that you will be under anesthesia "at some point" this month and on bed rest "for 3 days a week after the first thing."  It wasn't easy.  I had the party planned for the 15th.  Previous years, Jeff and I have held this party on the weekend before Christmas. I liked that it was becoming a tradition.  However, as the month of December approached, I discovered that the bed rest thing would likely occur on or around the 15th.  Clearly, we had to move the party.  We bumped it up a week and were pleasantly surprised that even MORE of our beloved friends could make it!

However.

OF COURSE, 4 days before December 8th, I discover that the anesthesia appointment will be happening ON Saturday.  AT TWO PM!!!! What the heck?!  The party started at 6pm!  Most people would cancel.  Most people would not wake up out of anesthesia, in a painfully bloated state, trek to Panera, go home, shower, get ready and STILL have the party.  I am not most people.

The party went off without a hitch and somehow I survived.  I am glad that I did it, too.  For some reason, a good Christmas party can be very healing for me.  It was truly just what I needed.  A night with good food and good family and friends.

YAY for Christmas!

OHMYGOSH! It's party time!!!

Damn candle. I swear it went out as I walked past it to take this picture.

 

Let's host this thing!

Christmas time!

Remy, sleeping in the midst of the fun.

Photobomb.

Well, SOMEONE had to wear it.

The hubs, the bro, and the neph.

Sisters.

Giggles.

Somehow, this makes sense.

Remy was not wearing his holiday garb. Party pooper.

Not sure why we ended up in the guest bedroom.

The food was pretty depleted at this point.

The cutest, newest Ms. Pacman player.

Mess.

Merry Christmas!
Laura

Holiday lighting!

In my opinion, these luminary candles are the perfect way to decorate for a party.  They make it so Colonial-Williamsburg-esque in their simplicity and beauty.  And they give a big bang for their buck. Much better than regular Christmas lights.  

All you need are regular lunch bags or white lunch bags (I ended up switching my regulars for white ones), the cheapest kitty litter you can find and tea light candles. They will last for around 3 hours.

Remy approved holiday decor...even though he tried to pee on them a few times.

xoxo
L

Christmas time and new Neighbors!

I love this time of year SO much.  I mean, I could write about it all day and every day and I still don't believe I would get my point across accurately.  I LOVE it.  In fact, I kind of hate how much I love it because it's so typical and unoriginal to love Christmas, but I can't help it.  Something about seeing every house dressed up in lights and decorations, smelling firewood burning, hearing an entire collection of songs meant specifically for this time of year, seeing red and green splashed everywhere and just EVERYTHING.  It's the best.

So, imagine my surprise when I found that this year was going to be even better than the one before.  Right now you're probably like, "OHMYGOD! BETTER?! HOW?!" and all I have to say is HOLD YOUR HORSES...I'll tell you.  

My sister, bro-in-law and little baby neph moved 4 houses down from us!  How fun is that?!  Jeff and I couldn't be happier.  In a way, my excitement has forced me to realize just how lazy we actually were before considering they only lived a couple miles away, but enough about the past.  NOW they are so close that dropping by for a hug from my nephew or a Christmas cookie seems totally normal.  It's so easy!  Yay for family!

Basement- So close

We're almost there with the basement. I really love how its going so far. My goal is to move slowly with decorating since I have a tendency to power through things like this. I'm a tad...impatient.

Here is the latest:

I see Christmas!

Christmas time is here!

Basment Update - Done!

So, the basement if FINALLY finito and paid fo. We will no longer have men bang-a-langing around it's 22 crooked walls all the live long day. Woo hooo! I can't even believe it's true.  It's like the best news ever.  That and the fact that we love every inch of it.  Even the inch that already has chipped paint on it. Ack!  But don't get me wrong, I am SOOOO happy this reno is over. I used to think people who hated renovating were cray cray because hellooo, it's so worth it in the end, but now I see the light. The cold hard 'grass is greener' truth. Reno's are hard. Even without children and a month away from it all. They're hard, they just are.

So here we are...in a place between renovating and decorating.  And even though we can't really use it properly, it is super fun to hang out in. Who wouldn't want to hang out in the best insulated floor of the house?!  

Oh, and by the way Jeff's TV is 50 inches. I just felt that I should clarify that fact since he was worried these pictures might make it look small due to it not being mounted correctly. HA. 

Remy looooves the new basement.  You can tell from his hesitation in going down the steps.

The bah.

Bar into loungey area...couch being delivered Thursday! Woooooo!

Washer and Dryer or as I like to call 'em, old googly eyes

This room would be better with a bigger TV. I kid, I kid.

There is a window back there, not pictured.

From haunted to HALLELUJAH!!!!

Basement Reno - It is coming together!!!

From the beginning to now...here is a small idea of how far we've come...

And we thought clearing out the space was hard!

This basement renovation has really been an interesting learning experience for me. And don't get me wrong.  When I say interesting...I don't mean awe-inspiring, I mean equal parts AWFUL and INSPIRING.  There is something so incredibly inspirational in having a vision and then getting to watch it grow into something day by day.  And actually seeing the progress is really necessary and makes it all the more special to me.  I mean, when you hand over a 100 year old crappy basement, it is beyond impressive to see what can be done with a boat load of elbow grease and patience.

I guess that is why when I have a really hard reno day like today, and I am forced to stand witness to our contractor plow down a small portion of my neighbors' fence, I have to remind myself that this is all worth it.  It takes WORK and lots of it.  It is not going to just appear finished one day. There will be hiccups and blemishes in the process but I know it is a process.  It will be completed soon, though and I am confident that the finished product will be all 'us'.  

xoxo
L