christmas in black and white.

 

it was perfect. <3

it's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas!

Last Christmas I was 7 months pregnant, in extreme nesting mode, and our house looked like a Christmas museum.  I loved it.  Ahh the sheen of freshly waxed floors in the candlelight.

This year Finn is 9 months old.  Our house has certainly lost it's museum status.  I didn't manage to get the Christmas wreaths outside on all of the windows.  But I did manage to put candles in them.  The floors boast lots of crumbs and little footprints.  But we did get out all of our decorations.  And despite the fact that they are not perfectly arranged... I love it even more.  Our house feels like a home this Christmas. 

I made a pot of chicken soup and put it on the stove to simmer until dinner time... and planned to bake a batch of Christmas cookies next.  But I thought I'd stop and take it all in a little bit before I jumped to the next task.  We have a lot to be thankful for this Christmas. <3

little finds.

a quick post on a couple of new little finds i scored for our master bedroom...

 a small handmade rug from one of the craft tables at joanna's furnace...

it was $10 and i love it!

and a couple of new quilted pillowcases from the shop...

according to southern living this month, quilts are very "in" right now, mmmkay? 
well, i'd love them even if they weren't.
<3

good housekeeping.

i read a piece of marriage advice one time that said to always set the table.  even if you're late getting dinner ready.  that way, when your husband gets home he thinks he'll be eating very shortly, even if you're still scrambling.

obviously this advice was straight out of june cleaver's kitchen circa 1953.
and i wouldn't necessarily call it "marriage" advice.
basically, it's kinda ridiculous.

that being said, there is something to be said for always setting the table.
if the table looks great, the meal can kind of be sub-par and you can get away with it.

it's like busting out a mediocre essay the night before it's due, but having a really nice cover page on linen paper.

 

we're having pizza.

call me old fashioned...

this time of year i always start to suffer from technology overload.

black friday sales kind of kick it off advertising super "low" prices on flat screen tv's, computers, nooks and ipads and a zillion other technological devices.  then it runs throughout the whole holiday season.  everyone seems to want the "new" kindle or the "new" ipad or a bigger and "better" tv for christmas.  i just don't get it!  i come from a family of techies, many of whom work for big techy companies!  but i am just not one of them. 

don't get me wrong, i love my iphone.  but that's pretty much it.  i mostly use it for the camera.  we are a one tv family, and i am proud of that.  and more often than not, when the tv is on it's because it's playing one of the music channels (solid gold oldies, what what.)  i am a firm believer in no tv's in the bedroom (grown ups and kids alike), and i think computers belong in your home office. 

as for the new technological reading devices, those scare me the most.  first i should say that i am a big proponent of reading no matter how you do it.  i realize that reading on a kindle is kind of the writing equivalent of journaling on a blog. but i just can't do it.  isn't one of the best parts of reading a book the way the book smells?  and holding the pages between your fingers and feeling the sense of accomplishment that you get when you're over halfway through a book and there's a thick chunk of pages behind you and a small chunk waiting ahead?  that's the best feeling!  i could never give that up.  books, books, well loved, well read books.  with worn bindings and soft edges that tell a story all their own. 

in a fast paced technological world, i want to be one of the families that holds still.  i want to spend christmases around our piano singing... not taking turns on guitar hero.  i want to use our tv to watch old movies snuggled up in blankets on the couch together... not in bed falling asleep with infomercials on.  i want to glance over at billy reading the paper in the morning while i make coffee.  i want to take finn to the library.  i want him to grow up to be the kind of kid that wants a swingset for christmas and not an xbox.  call me old fashioned, but that's the way for me!

thankful.

thankful for one great, big, happy family.

thankful for a happy baby.

thankful for a husband with a great sense of humor.

 

thankful for a week of gorgeous, sunny weather.

thankful for cousins that made my job easy.

thankful to be our own little family amidst our amazing great big one.

thankful for a great thanksgiving!

we really enjoyed our time in virginia with the isaac family.  it is always a blessing to be able to meet with everyone each year and give thanks for everything God has blessed us with!  this year was filled with so many blessings throughout our whole family and we are so so grateful!

we are gearing up for the holiday season here at edges mill and couldn't be more excited about finn's first christmas.  hopefully there will be lots of blogs to come!

finn has been doing great the past week or so.  he is on amoxicillin which manages his repeat ear infections but doesn't upset his stomach the way the last round of augmentin did.  we are looking ahead to his tube surgery next week and praying it will be a good solution for him.  we don't want him to have to live on antibiotics and after lots of research and doctor visits we've decided having tubes put in his ears is the safest and most natural solution so that his little ears can drain fluid on their own.  if you think of him, please pray for his surgery next wednesday!

hoping everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving and is gearing up for a great holiday season! 
xo