thankful for..

1. He came.
2. mom came to celebrate it with us.
3. waking up before the sun on Christmas morning to "mom. SANTA CAME. our tree. it's FILLED with presents. lilah. she got a WHOLE kitchen. my stocking. i didn't get coal. it's FILLED with PRESENTS. i got a YODA pop." oh God thank you for leading him to my side of the bed first. perfect end to being up all night with a puking 3 y/o. :( for memory's sake: we had to stop several times through opening gifts for a sick little girl.
4. gifts that say they're listening to me, reading my posts, & care enough to seek it out. thoroughly surprised.
5. she's played with the kitchen every day since
6. a plate with "pizza" & a "fork", & "coffee mug" delivered to my laptop
7. waterslide the whole family can ride together at Great Wolf Lodge. their faces. the laughing. the shreiking
8. clara loving the humidity, laying on the floor in her diaper, grabbing her feet with a drooly grin
9. scoring months worth of [the good] loofahs for half price
10. kids are forgiving
11. "be joyful because you have hope. be patient when trouble comes, and pray at all times" Rom. 12:12 NCV

Why the list?

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He came

"As silent as snow falling, he came in. 
And when no one was looking, in the darkness, he came....

The God who flung planets into space and kept them whirling around and around, the God who made the universe with just a word, the one who could do anything at all~was making himself small. And coming down...as a baby.
Wait. God was sending a baby to rescue the world?
...
"But its too wonderful!" Mary said and felt her heart beating hard. "How can it be true?"
"Is anything too wonderful for God?"[the angel] Gabriel asked.
So Mary trusted God more than what her eyes could see. 
...
And there, in the stable, amongst the chickens and the donkeys and the cows, in the quiet of the night, God gave the world his wonderful gift. The baby that would change the world was born.
Mary and Joseph named him Jesus, "Emmanuel"-which means "God has come to live with us."

Because, he had."

~Jesus Storybook Bible, He's Here

My kids & I have watched this adorable video over and over! The story comes to life & cracks you up too!
In case you haven't seen this Christmas Story (pictured above), you can check it out here.

Merriest Christmas!

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thankful for...

1. my mom is coming to our house for Christmas
2. gifts hiding in closets and behind storage in the garage
3. smell of Gain-washed clothes
4. the accident was minor
5. silver-clad tree, aglow
6. 5 different cookies baked and shared, newbies just as good as they looked
7. new friend-prospects in our new city after 1 year, (incl. 1/2 a year in hiding w/newborn & pregnancy hormones
8. manicure
9. free shipping
10. sensible, solicited advice
11. clementines, kids can peel
12. Carter's foot & hands as a reindeer on his sweatshirt
13. Lilah requesting one for her brother even before taking her own prize
14. perfect stocking-stuffers come to mind, are available
15. giving
16. dan assembling toys without my nagging or even suggesting.
17. Clara chewing on Sophie & drooling & cooing, on her back w/her feet in the air
18. warm & fuzzy socks
19. finding Carter knows the true meaning, re-telling the story nearly perfectly
20. my mom is coming to my house for Christmas! (worth a second mention)


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gifts, suddenly inadequate

This is the day when I sabotage all of my efforts to be thoughtful, budget-friendly, and done in advance. With just five books left til Christmas, I have all of my gifts bought and wrapped.
Still, I start to think of the recipients and what they mean to me and second-guess my carefully chosen gift. 
Is this really enough? But she is so special...she teaches my kid every day OR 
he makes so much effort to be a great uncle 
OR she's always generous and supportive, I should add something more. 
I was especially pleased with the gifts I bought for my husband this year.
Until.....I found out what he got me!
Unintentionally, I swear.
Last week when he started beaming over my Christmas gift I made a conscious decision to keep my eyes & ears closed.
I expected it must be something grand, but couldn't imagine what it was.
Never anticipated it was....well, let me tell you what happened:
I sent a text message to a friend telling her "Coldplay tickets go on sale tomorrow" and she replied with "a friend with an AmEx card got her tickets presale".
A-Ha!
He told me he opened a new card so that I couldn't find out what he was buying when I saw the American Express envelope in his hand the other day.
For 8 minutes I considered trying to pretend I was surprised on Christmas morning to give him the satisfaction. But I could not contain my joy. I was BURSTING! Surprised! Elated! Shocked, really. It was completely his idea and he went to much trouble and come to find out, through many road blocks to get us close up when Coldplay comes to DC in July! I can hardly believe it! 

Needless to say, I'm questioning how my gifts stand up to his.
We weren't even going to give much to each other this year.

Same with my mom, I got her something perfect; something only I would get her & she wouldn't get herself.
Then yesterday she SHOCKED me with the news that she's coming to spend Christmas with us. A never-thought-in-a-million-years-she'd-leave-my-brothers-in-NY-and-come-to-VA-to-be-with-me kinda surprise.
Are you feeling like you need to add a bit more for the people that mean so much and do so much?

In the end, gifts, no matter how grand, never seem to adequately convey ones gratefulness and desire to bless another. 
I think you're pretty safe if you
give what means the most to you. 
Your time. Your attention. 
Turn your cell phone off in their company. 
Go to the party you'd rather skip but would mean so much for you to attend. 
Make their favorite, not yours.
Give them the best, take second pick. 
Make the effort. Make it special. Make it genuine.
More lessons I've learned on giving in Satin Sheets are Slippery

image

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2011 Christmas card to readers

Dearest detailgalblog readers,
I would have sent one to you if I had your name & address. 
Thank you for reading this gals' details and for commenting when they strike a cord with you. I've been surprised and blessed through this blog all year long.
May there be killer bargains wrapped under your tree, 
favorite finds in your stocking, 
good food shared with loved ones,
and may the Joy and Peace of God fill your home... 
Tina

card: tiny prints
photography: s.j.bridgeman photography buffalo, ny Pin It

thankful for...

• his face bounding off of the school bus toward me
• my husband conspicuously planning my Christmas gift
• pine & holly branches from the yard in my vignettes

• they have no idea those things are already here, hidden in the garage
• surprised by hometown-ers in my new town. talking best food & mutual friends.
• one-click & Amazon delivers it; cleaners & k-cups at good prices, w/free shipping
• Christmas cards from old friends; the faces once babies now grown
• Luke 1:28, 34, 37*&38
  
• "let every heart prepare Him room." what a lyric!
• Fresh Balsam on sale 2@$20. Now I'm not the only one not burning it this season. Still think this is my favorite.
• the Jesus Storybook Bible audio. He's here
• getting dark at 5 gets kids in bed by 7:30
• finding the doll, lost in NY, here in VA and on clearance
• MAC lipstick in Dubonnet; perfectly red. date-night lipstick.
• Clara's stocking hanging too, our family of five feeling right

Zack Morris in made-for-TV Christmas movie

weekend plans

answered prayers

this fun Nativity story video. what a way to introduce the story of Christmas to your kids!

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Christmas Baking Classics & Newbies

I cut out sugar & flour from my diet in September this year because I don't have the brain power to follow a complicated weight loss plan & after having #3 in 5 months ago, I still need to lose a bit.
My husband asked me this weekend if I could "please just buy a loaf of bread for dipping in his eggs on the weekends!" Awww...I had no idea he missed it!
So, like Christmas Cards and decorating, baking is a tradition I can't neglect just because I won't be able to eat the goods. (We're going to package them up & deliver them to neighbors & other fine folks in our new town. )
Each year I make the same three cookies & try one or two new ones.
The three classics are:
This peanut butter kiss cookies-which bakerella makes look divine here,
magic cookie bars,
& cut-out cookies going to try this recipe this year)
Thanks to Pinterest & appealing photography all over the web, I'm having trouble narrowing down my new recipe choices.

Top: Betty-Crocker Cranberry-Pistachio cookies. Photo & adapted recipe here.

Bottom:White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Photo & recipe from bhg

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

recipe & photo found at: Bakers Royale

I'd also like to try this recipe for Starbucks' Cranberry Bliss Bars

These Red Velvet Pancakes are screaming to be a part of the traditional Christmas morning breakfast! Photo & recipe found here

Okay, what are you baking?

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FREE Christmas gift tags

Talk about details!  
Trader Joes has printed holiday tags & links for a countdown chain onto their brown paper bags.

We're new to our neighborhood & are going to deliver cookie plates to those nearby. These tags will be perfect.
Also: the perfect 10 minute cutting project for your Kindergartener, who needs to be separated from his 3 y/o sister. Just saying.

In case you missed these Holiday projects using brown paper bags:

FREE Book Countdown to Christmas

Holiday Card Display

aren't these are lovely FREE printable gift tags?

 these seem fun from the kids:

More FREE printables here

And since my holidays seem to have a brown paper bag theme thus far, isnt this a cheery way to wrap?

, 

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Holiday Card Display & Card Coupon Codes

Are you watching for the mailman & trotting down to the box immediately like I am?
Oh what fun it is to open a Christmas card with family & friends' faces smiling back at me! My kids are just as amused. A few early birds have come in already & I can hardly wait to see what comes in over the next few weeks.

How do you display your collection? 

This year,  I transformed our family room wall, where the kids' artwork is typically displayed (like this).
I wrapped this IKEA curtain wire with berry garland & used the clips to hang the cards.
I switched out the framed art for our own family Christmas cards from years past. The background is a paper bag. (my favorite holiday use for your paper bag here)

I mailed my cards out on Wednesday. Tiny Prints came through with the perfect matte finish on a cheery card this year. I'll share it with you soon.

Still need to order your cards?
Great deals to be had:

• Get your cards by 12/16! Pay just $5 for EXPEDITED SHIPPING @Tiny Prints
• Tiny Prints (where I got my cards): 20% off plus FREE SHIPPING ($49 order) with 'HOLBA20' Ends 12/11
• 40% off Cards @Shutterfly with 'MERRY40' *also works on calendars & photo books. Ends 12/11) plus FREE SHIPPING (on $50 order) with SHIP50
• My Publisher: 30% off plus FREE SHIPPING with 'HOLCARD30'

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Thankful, by practice

I'm a dreamer. I revel in grand schemes. 
The little things have never been my strong point.
If you're been following me here for a while you know my toughest challenge being a stay-at-home mom of three littles has been the painful predictability of that sort of life. Mundane is not my thing.

I believed, looking around me & seeing no prospects, that "someday my prince would come" even if out-of-the-blue. And just like that, out-of-the-blue he called me because my cousin shared my number. A few months after our blind date, he asked me to marry him on a bridge in Central Park across from The Plaza hotel in NYC. I said "YES!" blinded by the rock he was holding out to me. Yes! to the ring, Yes! to the love story; Yes! Yes! Yes! to the extraordinary.

And nine years later, my life couldn't be more ordinary. Charmed, for sure, but ordinary.
My mundane life is peppered with exciting risks like selling our house by owner in 3 weeks last year & moving across the country to a place we'd never visited.

How did a dreamer like me end up living this typical life? 
The husband, the kids, they're as great as I could have dreamed, yes. Realizing I wasn't going to be changing the world because I was going to be busy for 8 years changing diapers has been the struggle. 
Every now & then something threatens what matters most to me, or I read a widow's blog, or a mother's heartbreaking battle with her child's illness & I am shaken to contentment.

Contentment an elusive goal for a dreamer like me.

Then I read this book: One Thousand Gifts.
A friend recommended it to me last year. I got it, read the first page & thought, "ugh. who cares?" I wasn't "in the mood" for this poetic challenge to gratefulness.
I picked it up again last month and I can say, it has forever changed me. 
I am enlightened to the practice of thankfulness and how it begets joy.
The practice of looking for things that bring a smile to my face, a sigh to my heart, a twinkle to my eye has changed me.
I'm making lists of these "gifts" each day and on Thursdays I'll share some of those here with you.
I do hope you will read this book.
If you're not "in the mood" now, pick it up so when the moment strikes you, you will have it on hand. One Thousand Gifts.

For Thankful posts, click on the "i'm thankful for" image in the sidebar
or the "being thankful" label, also in the sidebar

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Red lips, Wicked nails, Christmas Tree candle

Nearly all of my family & friends' gifts are here & ready to be wrapped.
Still, I'm shopping; mostly online & mostly for myself.
Do you do that?
I snagged a Real Simple magazine subscription after a year off for just $12 here.
A few things I'm still eyeing:

Clock wise from Top Left: Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture No 13-Kourtney Kardashian's signature ;
Fresh Balsam candle. Bath & Body Works-hearing so much about it;
Rosette Sweater Dress by Lauren Conrad @Kohls-tried it on & loved it;
Essie Nail Color in Wicked-since I'm no longer a nail-biter! Pin It

smells a lot like Christmas & other ramblings

My 3 year old started preschool after Thanksgiving. (I know, a bit late. But we had good reason, I promise). She could haaarrrrddly wait to put on her backpack & have her own teacher and classroom to head to in the morning after kissing her brother & father goodbye each morning. At first, she was distracted enough by being the oldest in the house & all the "yes-ing" I was handing out to her.  She must have told me thirty times the first week that she goes with daddy & carter in daddy's car to school in the morning. She LOVES it!
I'm enjoying three hours three times a week with just the baby (who sleeps for at least 1 of those hours). In the beginning I played the game: "see how much I can get done in those 3 hours without Lilah". As much as I love me some productivity, I quickly remembered I'd benefit greatly from at least half of the time spent as "me" time.
So this morning, I kissed them good-bye, lit the tea light beneath North Pole (the aroma is not overpowering but smells like you just opened the tin of peppermint bark) and lit up the Christmas tree.
Do you keep the Christmas tree aglow all day long while you're at home? Or just at night? 
If I'm home, it's lit.

I swaddled my sleepy baby & put her in bed. Among other pleasant time-wasters, I've enjoyed browsing fatwallet.com and slickdeals.net for today's best deals. All but 5 of my gifts have been bought online at deep discount with free shipping this year. I can't resist checking Groupon & Living Social. Still, the more I shop the more I'm sure we officially need nothing. 
This is the part of the morning when I realize I have just one hour left before I have to pick the pretty preschooler up and I regret that I was only partially productive and mostly indulgent and all I vow to make up for it in the next 60 minutes.... Pin It