pixiegenné

holiday saturation

i think i've gotten to that point where i'm ready to move on from the holidays. i'm feeling like i want to gut my house...big bags full of stuff for goodwill, garbage, hand-me-downs, maybe a little e-bay action. you know what i mean?

i'm cleaning things up around here as well. i've got a few new things in the shop if you are feeling flush from the holidays...or maybe you are saving up to spend your cash at the kim family auction. i've donated a suitcase to the cause and encourage you to bid bid bid!

jane got lots of cool craft supplies for christmas, including some new fimo. she made me this sweet ring holder yesterday...

she's so crafty.

hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. chat more soon.

exhale

not to be all braggy, but i am usually done w/the holiday prep a good week or so before the big day and have a little time to sit back and enjoy it all. this year, craft fairs, new job, sick kids, tight budget, etc. transpired against me and i found myself rushing off to target late in the day on the 24th. which is just gross.

but we did have a sweet holiday. christmas morning charlie said "why are my legs shaking? i'm not cold..." - he was pretty excited. as was jane. then we hopped in the car and headed down toward the cape (cod) for a visit with my family. we pigged out, visited, did a big puzzle, watched cable (which is a treat because we don't have it at home), generally lazed around...it was nice.

now i am back home and eager to get a jump on the new year. organize, prioritize, economize, conceptualize, etc. i plan on sprucing things up here in blog-land and updating the shop as well, so stay tuned.

here are a couple things making me happy today...

super cool vintage linen tablecloth from my good friend and neighbor, betsy

jane's paperwhites, which bloomed on christmas

vintage tile i got while thrifting with my mom. i also got this vintage tissue paper. how is it that i've never gone thrifting down at my mom's before? it's practically a retirement community. there was good stuff to be had. fo' sho'.

that's it for today. more soon. hope you are all having a wonderful week!

merry making

surprise balls for the neighborhood secret santa party today (idea stolen from jen).

i'm signing off for a bit and i just wanted to say a big "merry christmas" to all of you. i hope it is wonderful, magical, peaceful, relaxing, etc....

i'll catch up with you on flickr, i'm sure.

playing catch-up

being pukey smurf with christmas less than a week away sets you back a bit - i've been playing catch-up big time the last 48 hours. every time i rush by my living room, i feel like my christmas tree is whispering to me "stop..admire me...sit awhile and look at the sparklies...pay attention to me dammit! i'm a pretty princess!!"

anyway...

i did an ornament swap with some super-talented ladies. i haven't had a chance to take pictures (and my kids have claimed them as their own) but you can see all the crafty goodness here (and scroll down to see alice's amazing octophrost, santa of the sea).

i mentioned yesterday that jen and i did a stocking exchange yesterday. i wanted to mention here the amazingly talented kristen who made this beautiful pendant that jen is in love with. thanks again, kristen!

also, if you were the kind person who sent me a sweet bag and way-cute vintage picture book, could you reveal yourself? i would like to thank you properly!

that's all for today. back to wrapping, baking, party-prepping, laundering, tidying, crafting....

merry, merry!

ugh

this blogging break brought to you by suspected food poisoning. crab cakes? perhaps. spinach salad? clearly not a smart choice of greens. whatever it was, i can't imagine there is a speck of it left in my system. i'm better today but definitely running at half speed.

jen and i exchanged stockings today (tradition we started last year). how fun is it to pick out and receive gifties from someone who knows you so well? wicked fun, i tell you. i heart everything. so much.

i have lots and lots of craft and gift to blog about but i am not up to it today. stomach still gurgly.

more soon...

spent

great fair! glad i did it + glad it's over.

i owe my good friend, jen, big-time for coming with me.

it was so great to meet some fellow bloggers and blog-readers in person. thanks everyone who came!

i still have lots of mail to brag about - but i am rushing through a huge list of to-dos today so it will wait another day....

happy monday!

will you come to my party, will you come?

bazaar bizarre tomorrow. come visit if you are local. i'll be there with my best girl, jen. we'll be the incredibly socially awkward girls who look like we want to crawl under the table and suck our thumbs. you can't miss us.

i'm just kidding (sort of). i'm really looking forward to meeting some of my bloggy friends. my stomach is all aflutter with excitement.

plus, it has been a banner mail week here. can't wait to brag all about it next week...

have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

sacrilicious

saltine surprises (aka white trash treats):

• line w/foil or grease cookie sheet (one w/edges is better)
• cover with saltines
• boil 2 sticks of butter + 1 cup sugar for 3 minutes
• pour over saltines (use spatula to spread)
• put in 400 oven for 5 minutes
• let stand 1 minute
• sprinkle 2 cups of chocolate chips, let them get a little melty, then spread w/spatula
• sprinkle crushed nuts on tops
• put in fridge for 4 hours (or freezer for 1 hour)
• break into pieces

the dangerous thing about these is that you almost always have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make them. that's why you have to promise yourself that these are only for the holidays. really, it is for your own good.

so the other day, kristin posted these on flickr and i jokingly told her i wanted them for christmas. and then she sent them to me! how crazy is that? it reminds me of this thing my roommates used to do in college...when one person would compliment a piece of clothing, we would whip it off and throw it at them (well, not me, because i'm kinda shy about my body, but the rest of them were a bunch of exhibitionists...am i right, gritty?) anyway, it's like kristin whipped off her shirt and threw it across the country at me...

and she even sent me some cocoa! and it was good.

oh crap

i appear to have over-extended myself.

a craft fair the week before christmas? what was i thinking?!!

apropos of nothing (and because you know i can't post w/out a picture), here's our family christmas card this year...

(you know, because my husband's name is john and our dog's name is yoko?)
hokey or brilliantly clever? i'll let you be the judge.

white trash treats here soon. i promise...

christmas meme

tagged by sarah. and, really, i do whatever sarah says...

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

santa wraps most (unless too bulky or just too fabulous). and santa has learned that he needs to use different paper than mom + dad so suspicious-doesn't-miss-a-trick jane doesn't start wondering.

Colored lights on tree/house or white?

john likes white lights - i like colored lights. we've gone back and forth but i think i've won (see photo above)

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

yummy breakfast casserole (egg, bread, peppers, cheese, sausage). and sticky buns.

Favorite Holiday memory as a child:

laying on the couch and staring at the tree

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

one gift on christmas eve (pajamas, usually)

How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?

it's a free-for-all. i like lots of garland (cheap gold stars on wire, vintage glass balls, paper chains). growing up, santa always added lots of tinsel on christmas eve. i tried to keep that tradition alive because it was pretty damn magical christmas morning, but it is just too messy (and kind of dangerous for the dog).

Snow! Love it or Dread it?

love

What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? 

russian tea cakes

i also love something we call "saltine surprises" or "white trash treats". i'll have to post those here soon...

What is your favorite Christmas Song? 

too many. favorite albums include johnnie mathis and john denver + the muppets.

Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?

yum.

Favorite Christmas Tradition growing up: 

santa walked through the woods behind our house at bedtime. it was always pretty cool to see him.

and he left our stockings at the foot of our beds (which he does for our kids as well).

and i loved driving around to look at pretty christmas displays at night.

Least Favorite Christmas Tradition Growing Up:

?

Breakfast or Presents First?

presents while eating breakfast.

(no idea why some things are showing up super bold. typepad is laughing at me this morning)

join in if you feel so inclined. as you can see, we got our tree up this weekend. the season has just reached warp speed (my parents are trekkies, it rubs off sometimes)

happy monday!