{ a swoop and a dart }

Instagram Christmas

To say this December has been a little busy would be the understatement of the century—so busy, in fact, that it has made May, the month that historically has done our family in, look like a vacation. On the beaches of a Caribbean island. It was busy with many fun things, of course, and a few decidedly not-fun things (dental trauma for Matt and Maddie + a visit to Urgent Care on December 23 for me, Merrrrrrrrry Christmas). My plan to be ahead of the game this year was working really well through November and into the first few days of December, but the calendar that literally had 3-4 extra things per day in some instances shut that plan down quickly.

A few highlights from some of the pictures here:

+ going to the Christmas House at Hereford Ranch with friends

+ introducing myself to former WY first lady Sheri Geringer who was working at the Christmas House (you may remember I met her husband, former WY governor Jim Geringer, while dressed as Cat in the Hat some ten+ years ago); I told her how thrilled Maddie was to have a certificate issued after her birth that she signed, and she seemed genuinely thrilled to hear that

+ annual gingerbread party at Olivia's

+ buying our tree at Riverbend for the 6th time

+ live music while decorating the tree

+ touring the Historic Governor's Mansion with my parents, then visiting City News after

+ ordering the full Blu-Ray Harry Potter box set with extras from the UK Amazon store for under $50 USD, shipped

+ special projects for Big Picture Classes, wrapping up the Take Twelve Project for Ella Publishing Co. (more on that next week!)

+ Christmas programs at Maddie's and Gracie's schools

+ Operation Provide Joy

+ visiting our favorite Christmas lights

+ Maddie's mini-recital at her piano teacher's house (and getting to play two duets with her!)

+ chocolate-covered cherry making (over 150 this year total, whew)

+ Tuba Christmas with Abby and Wes

+ the joy of Christmas surprises: Captain John Smith and Ursula, requested by Bridget from Santa Claus

+ the joy of Christmas surprises: books and a box of chocolate, requested by Maddie from Santa Claus

+ the joy of Christmas surprises: a new dress and some accessories for Kaya (Gracie didn't really request anything from Santa Claus so it was a general surprise this year)

+ Hogwarts Express! We've had a lot of fun playing trains this week.

+ beautiful handmade dolls from Abby and Wes (only one pictured here)

+ contentment and downtime after Christmas—while I love the hustle and bustle (to some extent) of December, I found myself really hanging on for the week after Christmas this year. With almost nothing on the calendar, we've mostly stayed in jammies for extended mornings, worked on recovering from the year in general and illness in particular, and hung out with each other. It's been wonderful.

It's a little frightening to consider that this doesn't even cover half of what went on around here this month ; )

Scenes from a 7th Birthday

to and from Denver for the big surprise

 Gracie + Sue (the traveling Sue exhibit is on display at Denver Museum of Nature and Science through January)(and thank you, Denver Museum of Nature and Science for providing free admittance to active duty military members and their families!!!)

a birthday party filled with the birthday girl's favorite things

Grandma and Grandpa, Gracie and mama

It is a special birthday indeed when 14 out of 15 people in attendance at one's celebration have known you for your entire life (Bridget is the only one who can't claim that, and that isn't really fair, is it?)

Exhibits: T-Rex Encounter, Prehistoric Journey, Space Odyssey, Wildlife Exhibits, Ancient Egypt

beloved friends who will stand by you no matter what : )

Bridget and Matt picked out a balloon nearly bigger than Gracie; we always get her not-Christmas flowers to separate birthday from Christmas

the big reveal: Kaya, the American Girl doll of Gracie's dreams for more than three years

birthday treats are always by request, and Gracie requested "decorate your own cupcakes" (and yes, I am not only a cake wrecker but a cupcake wrecker too—but sprinkles and sugar cover up all sorts of ills)

this pretty much sums it up

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Dear Gracie,

As Olivia's mother once said, you wear us out by we love you anyway. So, so, so much. Happy Birthday, sweet Gracie-Grace.

Love, Mama, Daddy, Maddie, and Bridget

12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop

Welcome to the Big Picture Classes 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop! If you're clicking in through Kelly Purkey's blog, you're in the right place—and if not, well, jump on board now and click through the list below beginning with the amazing May Flaum! We're all sharing a few of our favorite Christmas decorations today and telling you about the upcoming 12 Days of Christmas class (begins December 13) at Big Picture Classes!

click to enlarge
My favorite grouping of Christmas items this year is atop the sideboard in our dining room (which, incidentally, is also the room where we have our tree because of how our house is laid out!). It didn't occur to me until after I had everything set up that the items on this surface are all hand—or nature—made. I have plenty of Christmas decorations I love that were purchased in stores, but I love that this year these things all found each other in one gathering spot. Here's a quick tour:

The Weird Pieces of Wood Stretching Across the Top
OK, OK, so we know it's a little strange, but those pieces of wood are actually the ends of the Christmas trees we've had since we got married, save for two years when we traveled and didn't get a tree. What at first seemed like a funny thing to collect has since become one of our most treasured displays of holiday décor. I'm thinking about sewing a super-skinny red and white runner to put underneath next year—what do you think?

Frame #1
This is my Grandma Watson's hand-carved and printed Christmas card I found in my grandfather's scrapbook last fall and reproduced for my mom and sisters as The Best Christmas Gift Ever. I am so happy to have made one for our house too; this is the first year it's being displayed.

Jar Candle
Last winter my girls and I made a whole slew of these easy-peasy Mason jar candles with white tissue paper and doilies. They're so simple but so lovely, and we'll bring them all out again in January when we need a lift after the Christmas decorations are put away.

Frame #2
I made this frame for a project at Simple Scrapbooks (RIP) a few years ago; it is a treasure because it features a photo from our first Christmas-with-three-children.

Mini-Album
Marie made this mini-album about ten years ago; it features photos through the years of our family's tradition of hearing our father read "Twas the Night Before Christmas each Christmas Eve. There are some very frightening fashion statements inside, which makes it even more fun for our girls to look at. Oh, the 1980s...and really, who are we kidding? The 1990s, too. Eeeeeeeek.

Here's a fakey arrangment on a different table with better light so you could get a better look at the Yuletide frame, the jar, and a few of the Christmas tree ends.

And here's a little info about the upcoming class!

How it works:
For the 12 days leading up to Christmas, you will receive an email from a BPC teacher with a photo prompt and a list of supplies to gather. Preparing specific holiday pictures and products as Christmas approaches will help you focus on the present moments and the joyful anticipation in a more thoughtful way—without feeling any pressure to scrapbook right away! Then, starting on December 25th, you'll get to "open" a new handout each day, designed to guide and inspire you in pulling together pictures and products to complete a dozen different layouts.

At the end of this workshop you'll have created 12 special memories with your family AND you'll have 12 finished pages. Rather than rushing through the holidays this year, give yourself the gift of happy memories documented in a delightfully doable way!

This workshop includes:
+ 12 daily emails from 12 different BPC teachers for the 12 days leading up to Christmas
+ Reminder emails when the classroom is updated with new materials
+ 12 colorful instructional handouts with step-by-step instructions for creating 12 layouts
+ Video messages from each teacher available as streaming videos and transcripts
+ Message board to share your thoughts with your classmates
+ Private posting gallery to share your work and view the work of your classmates

Here's a list of the participating teachers so you can check out more seasonal inspiration! If you're following along in order, please click on May Flaum's name for the next stop on the hop : )

1. Nic Howard

2. Georgana Hall

3. Stacy Julian

4. Tami Morrison

5. Wendy Smedley

6. Lisa Day

7. Kelly Purkey

8. Me! You're already here!

9. May Flaum

10. Karen Grünberg

So how about it? Click over to sign up—class begins on December 13!