Enough said.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
A Christmas Meme
I was tagged by Flo!
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Well, it depends. I LOVE using thick, cute (and expensive) wrapping paper and topping it off with a coordinating fabric ribbon. There are times though that it's just not practical to wrap every gift that way.
2. Real or fake tree?
REAL! One of my favorite things about the Christmas season is going to get our tree. Both Karl and I were total psychos when it came to getting the perfect Christmas tree when we were growing up. Not much has changed since then. And seriously, nothing compares to the smell of a fresh pine tree in your house!
3. When do you put up the tree?
Usually the first weekend in December. We're strong believers that you should allow at least a couple of weeks between one holiday and start of the next.
4. When do you take the tree down?
It's never up past New Years Day (unless we are traveling.) It's usually pretty dead by then and a major fire hazard since we're not the best at watering our trees.
5. Do you like eggnog?
Not really. I guess I like smelling it, but the ingredients kind of gross me out.
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
A porcelain puppy that my parents gave me when I was 5. I played with it the entire day and made a make-shift crate for it to sleep in. When it was time to go home, I was trying to juggle the crate and puppy and open the door to get outside. I dropped it and it fell to pieces on the tile floor. I didn't even have it for 24 hours.
7. Do you have a nativity scene?
Nope. Sad, huh?
8. Hardest person to buy for?
My mom.
9. Easiest person to buy for?
Karl. It's always a battle trying to narrow it down. It's going to be bad news when/if we ever have money.
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Survival gear - in case we got stranded in a snow storm on the way back to Colorado.
11. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards?
Mail. I'm really proud of myself for getting our cards out before Christmas this year!
12. Favorite Christmas movie?
I don't really know of any Christmas movies, except Miracle on 34th Street. I used to love watching that movie during the holidays, and apparently, I used to love watching Dylan McDermott too! (Thanks for that memory Flo!)
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Usually December. I am not a pre-planner when it comes to shopping for presents.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Not that I recall.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Pfeffernusse that my mom makes. Yummy!
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
No question about it - WHITE!
17. Favorite Christmas song?
The Sarah McLachlan and BNL version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." I'm in love with "It Really Is (A Wonderful Life)" by Mindy Smith and "Sister Winter" by Sufjan Stevens. "Merry Christmas Darling" by The Carpenters always makes me feel really festive.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Changes (ideally) every year.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Nope. My mom hates Santa Claus (or the idea of him), so I don't know much about him or his entourage.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Star. Angels creep me out.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
It's a family tradition that we open 1 gift late at night on Christmas Eve. It's always pajamas, which means a lot because it is not an easy task finding pajamas that are long enough for me. (Thanks mom!)
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
The "Christmas Shoes" song.
23. What I love most about Christmas?
Giving the perfect gift. Drinking cider. Cold weather. Being with family. Decorating the tree. Listening to Christmas music. Baking Pfeffernusse. Waking up to a white Christmas. Wait...
I hereby tag Caris and Betsy.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Well, it depends. I LOVE using thick, cute (and expensive) wrapping paper and topping it off with a coordinating fabric ribbon. There are times though that it's just not practical to wrap every gift that way.
2. Real or fake tree?
REAL! One of my favorite things about the Christmas season is going to get our tree. Both Karl and I were total psychos when it came to getting the perfect Christmas tree when we were growing up. Not much has changed since then. And seriously, nothing compares to the smell of a fresh pine tree in your house!
3. When do you put up the tree?
Usually the first weekend in December. We're strong believers that you should allow at least a couple of weeks between one holiday and start of the next.
4. When do you take the tree down?
It's never up past New Years Day (unless we are traveling.) It's usually pretty dead by then and a major fire hazard since we're not the best at watering our trees.
5. Do you like eggnog?
Not really. I guess I like smelling it, but the ingredients kind of gross me out.
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
A porcelain puppy that my parents gave me when I was 5. I played with it the entire day and made a make-shift crate for it to sleep in. When it was time to go home, I was trying to juggle the crate and puppy and open the door to get outside. I dropped it and it fell to pieces on the tile floor. I didn't even have it for 24 hours.
7. Do you have a nativity scene?
Nope. Sad, huh?
8. Hardest person to buy for?
My mom.
9. Easiest person to buy for?
Karl. It's always a battle trying to narrow it down. It's going to be bad news when/if we ever have money.
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Survival gear - in case we got stranded in a snow storm on the way back to Colorado.
11. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards?
Mail. I'm really proud of myself for getting our cards out before Christmas this year!
12. Favorite Christmas movie?
I don't really know of any Christmas movies, except Miracle on 34th Street. I used to love watching that movie during the holidays, and apparently, I used to love watching Dylan McDermott too! (Thanks for that memory Flo!)
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Usually December. I am not a pre-planner when it comes to shopping for presents.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Not that I recall.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Pfeffernusse that my mom makes. Yummy!
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
No question about it - WHITE!
17. Favorite Christmas song?
The Sarah McLachlan and BNL version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." I'm in love with "It Really Is (A Wonderful Life)" by Mindy Smith and "Sister Winter" by Sufjan Stevens. "Merry Christmas Darling" by The Carpenters always makes me feel really festive.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Changes (ideally) every year.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Nope. My mom hates Santa Claus (or the idea of him), so I don't know much about him or his entourage.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Star. Angels creep me out.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
It's a family tradition that we open 1 gift late at night on Christmas Eve. It's always pajamas, which means a lot because it is not an easy task finding pajamas that are long enough for me. (Thanks mom!)
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
The "Christmas Shoes" song.
23. What I love most about Christmas?
Giving the perfect gift. Drinking cider. Cold weather. Being with family. Decorating the tree. Listening to Christmas music. Baking Pfeffernusse. Waking up to a white Christmas. Wait...
I hereby tag Caris and Betsy.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Wounded Soldier
Soren has been up to some new tricks lately. He's been practicing this crawling thing for several weeks now, but it's really starting to get faster. Today I finally caught a brief moment of him crawling on video. (Yes, this is considered crawling - right Sarah?) You have to be patient, because he holds out until the very end. Nevertheless, there's some cuteness to be enjoyed throughout. I can't believe I have a little boy who can already get around.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
I'm Ready to Talk About It
It has taken me almost 2 months to talk about the fact that our cat James is not with us anymore. That's not a euphemism, he's still alive - he's just not with us anymore.
When we went to the pound to find a little gray kitten (just like my childhood cat), we looked all around and only found one. Just one scroungy gray kitten with conjunctivitis. We asked if there were more in the back. There weren't. So we decided that he was the one. That's how our life with James began. We loved having another little being in our home, despite all of his little (big) quirks.
Fast forward 4 years later, when our lives were about to change in a big way. In September 2006 we added a Golden Retriever to our lives, finally fulfilling our desire to raise a dog (and to fill the baby void in our lives until we were done with school.) The *funny* part about that is that I was actually pregnant when we picked our puppy up from the airport. So, within a year we went from having a quiet life with just us and our cat to a full house! James had a hard time with the change. He missed our quiet life.
After Soren was born, two bad things started happening. Soren would sneeze whenever he was around James. I figured that since he had been around him since birth, then he would escape any allergies to cats, but I couldn't deny what I saw every time. Also, James started acting out in really unbecoming ways - obviously protesting his new position in the family. We felt awful that we had to look for a new home for him, but our little baby took priority.
When I had to say my final good-bye to James, I lost it. As much as I tried to harden my heart and tell myself it was just an animal, I couldn't kid myself. He was our first baby and we had so many memories with him. I felt like an evil woman and he probably felt confused.
Anyway, tonight I was cleaning my kitchen and noticed something that I had been purposely ignoring for months. James' food bowl, still on our kitchen floor with tiny cat food crumbs left from his last meal at home. I haven't been able to even deal with the fact that he's really gone, so his food bowl has remained untouched this whole time. Karl and I haven't really been able to talk about it, so hardly any of our friends know that James is gone. Tonight I realized that I was ready to talk about it. Thanks for listening, even if it was just about a cat.
When we went to the pound to find a little gray kitten (just like my childhood cat), we looked all around and only found one. Just one scroungy gray kitten with conjunctivitis. We asked if there were more in the back. There weren't. So we decided that he was the one. That's how our life with James began. We loved having another little being in our home, despite all of his little (big) quirks.
Fast forward 4 years later, when our lives were about to change in a big way. In September 2006 we added a Golden Retriever to our lives, finally fulfilling our desire to raise a dog (and to fill the baby void in our lives until we were done with school.) The *funny* part about that is that I was actually pregnant when we picked our puppy up from the airport. So, within a year we went from having a quiet life with just us and our cat to a full house! James had a hard time with the change. He missed our quiet life.
After Soren was born, two bad things started happening. Soren would sneeze whenever he was around James. I figured that since he had been around him since birth, then he would escape any allergies to cats, but I couldn't deny what I saw every time. Also, James started acting out in really unbecoming ways - obviously protesting his new position in the family. We felt awful that we had to look for a new home for him, but our little baby took priority.
When I had to say my final good-bye to James, I lost it. As much as I tried to harden my heart and tell myself it was just an animal, I couldn't kid myself. He was our first baby and we had so many memories with him. I felt like an evil woman and he probably felt confused.
Anyway, tonight I was cleaning my kitchen and noticed something that I had been purposely ignoring for months. James' food bowl, still on our kitchen floor with tiny cat food crumbs left from his last meal at home. I haven't been able to even deal with the fact that he's really gone, so his food bowl has remained untouched this whole time. Karl and I haven't really been able to talk about it, so hardly any of our friends know that James is gone. Tonight I realized that I was ready to talk about it. Thanks for listening, even if it was just about a cat.
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