2011: A Year in Photo Review

So Long, Farewell

Tuesday, I took down Christmas.

I know.

I would have taken it down on the 26th, but Tyson begged me not too.

It's amazing how much bigger my house gets after Christmas.

But I do love the twinkling lights.

And the tree.

And the carols.

And the hot chocolate.

And the REASON why we celebrate.

Regardless, all the stuff needed to be packed away for another year.

Goodbye tree. I have some different plans for you next year.

Goodbye bedroom trees.

Goodbye hanging ornaments.

Goodbye Christmas dish and moose.

Goodbye Santa.

Goodbye snowmen candles.

Goodbye door stockings.

Goodbye nutcrackers. We'll be adding to you!

Goodbye pretty mantle.

Goodbye poinsettia.

Goodbye white Santa. Sorry Stuart hates you.

Goodbye twinkling staircase.

See y'all next Christmas!

Well right after Thanksgiving. :)

9

9 years ago, my dream came true.

I married my knight in shining armor.

My best friend.

The one chosen for me.

I thank God everyday for allowing me to stand beside him.

He is my better half.

Thank you for these 9 years.

Thank you for our family.

Thank you for you.

I love you more every day, week, month and year.

I can't wait to see what the next 99 years hold.

Happy anniversary honey.

Because their father said so

That would be the answer to why we took the boys to the shooting range this past week: because their father said so.

Originally it was set up to be a time for Stuart and some of his family members to get together and do what guys do but then he had the brilliant idea to take the boys with him so that I could have some time to myself. A) kuddos to Stuart for wanting to give my alone time 2 days in a week. B) there was NO WAY that I was missing the boys' first shooting experience.

So, we loaded up and headed really far away.

The whole drive Stuart talked to the boys about gun safety and what to do if they ever found a gun alone (tell mommy or daddy immediately), how to hold a gun (never, ever point it at another human) and that guns are fun but dangerous (duh).

Let me just interject that the thought of my little, itty-bitty boys with a weapon is sincerely the scariest thing on the planet. Well, second to cockroaches and snakes. Oh, and clowns.

I can't tell you what kind of guns exactly that they shot but I know there's a glock in Stuart's arsenal, so there.

First up, Tyson. A little explaining pre-shooting.

Oh gracious.

Next up, Tucker. {gulp}

Seriously. Scary.

1st day shooting. Y'all, hold on to your hats!

Merry Christmas!

May your day be filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, 

goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control!

Merry Christmas from the Dosses!

Want, Need, Won't

Today I want:
to crawl back under the covers and pretend I don't have to get up.
for the weather to drop a few more degrees so that it can really feel like winter (for once).
to have a fire in the fireplace.
to make lots of desserts.
to start watching our Christmas movies.

Today I need:

to clean certain parts of my house.

to finish wrapping presents (just to boys because theirs come from Santa so I also have to keep them hidden).

to pay bills (it's a shame they can't take a Christmas break too).

take my youngest to the doctor.

to paint my nails.

Today I won't:
be eating stinkbugs (sorry, we watched Fear Factor last night!).
be going to the grocery store.
be letting my dogs go potty in backyard (one day we'll  have grass and one day {soon} the dirt won't be mud).
have to think about being 31 for very long (my birthday is tomorrow).
be finishing the bathroom that is just waiting to be textured, painted and updated.

Five Things Friday

1. I am currently obsessing about these. I may or may not have purchased (and almost single-handedly eaten) a bag every time I go to the store.
2. There are FIVE days till my birthday. Yup.
3. I am FINISHED Christmas shopping! Hallelujah! Now, just to wrap all the gifts...
4. Today is Tyson's Christmas party at school. He is so stinkin' excited. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a bit excited too.
5. In Tucker's letter to Santa, he asked for a baby. Uh huh. This poor child wants another sibling that badly. 

Christmas Prints

So it's no surprise that pinterest has taken over the world. Seriously. What did we do before pinterest?

These are a few of my favorite prints for Christmas. You can find them on my pinterest.

Merry Christmas indeed.

Handmade Christmas Ornaments

Recently, I discovered this:

So, while Stuart was out shooting harmless antler laden animals, the boys and I did this:

It was super easy, but your hands do get messy. The clay works almost exactly like playdough; though next time I'll have the boys roll out the clay on parchment paper. It was a bit difficult to pull the creations off the cutting boards once they were cut out. We used a straw to create the hole at the top of the ornaments and then laid them out for 48 hours (some were a little too thick otherwise 24 hours of drying would have sufficed).

Next came painting!

And a little bit 'o glitter

Another 24 hours of drying...and viola!

Handmade Christmas Ornaments!

They're pretty cute if I do say so myself. :)