Haste makes waste, no less in life than in housekeeping

I have gotten horribly behind in just about every aspect of my life. Laundry, dishes, sleep, exercise. You name it. Recently, I have become determined to catch up on it all. Since it seemed the most logical place to start, I did the laundry and dishes first. Next, I started running again. Now I am working on catching up on my scrapbooking. I'd not done any since 2008. Slowly but surely, I am making my way through this past year. Next, 2009 will be under my belt and I will feel so much better. Anyhow, here is what I've done so far. I figured this would also be a good opportunity to update my blog for the year without actually doing much work.

Visiting Santa

I was a little worried about visiting Santa this year. Lily's first time seeing santa did not go well. And last year we didn't even get through the line before Lily decided she didn't want to go through with it. So I decided to try it again this year, but kept my expectations low. We decided that Santa in the park would probably be better than Santa in the mall. The basic theory was less stimulation, plus a locale she was familiar with, would equal greater chance of success.



While we were in line, she was very excited. She was gabbering on about what she was going to ask Santa for.

She sang Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (rather loudly, too), then proudly declared she was going to ask Santa if Rudolph was his favorite reindeer. "Mama," she said, "I love Santa. And Mrs. Clause, too."



So there we were. The moment of truth. I am happy to say that, while she was a bit shy, she wasn't scared.

She told Santa she wanted a giant teddy bear and a Rapunzel Tower for Christmas. She wasn't very chatty, but she left with a smile and it wasn't the traumatizing experience I feared.



The best part of the whole experience, though, was getting a candy cane from Mrs. Clause. She was every so excited about that.

After we finished meeting Santa and Mrs. Claus, we got steaming cups of hot chocolate and looked at Christmas lights. It was a very Christmasy kind of an evening.

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas

If you are not aware (though I think most of you are), we moved from the west coast to the east coast about a year ago. What you may not know is that it was sort of a spur-of-the-moment decision. Yeah, we're crazy like that. Well, along the way we ended up having to put some of our junk in storage. One of the boxes that made its way into storage was our Christmas decorations. Considering the box is in Arizona, I really had no motivation to go get it. But as I am rather attached to my decorations, I've had trouble feeling motivated to decorate this year. I spent a good deal of time and money on those decorations and I hate spending money when I feel I shouldn't have to. Well, I finally bit the bullet and found a few decorations, though I have yet to get a tree (I'm aiming for this weekend).



I still plan on making some ornaments with Lily, including some Christmas balls and wreaths. But this is all I have for now. I found the ribbon and the little heart ornaments at this great vintage fabric shop when I was looking for fabric for a quilt I'm making for Lily. I love them. Especially the ribbon. Now I just need to figure out what to do with them. The little paper balls I made from scrapbook paper. I've only made about ten so far, so I'm not finished yet. Anyhow, getting the decorations has put me in the Christmas spirit. It is finally begining to feel Christmasy.

It's The Small Things

Sometimes I have a hard time remembering my life before Lily was born. I remember worrying about law school and my future. I remember going out for dinner and dancing. I remember going to the theater to see movies that didn't include animation. I remember discussing books and philosophy with friends in coffee shops. But I never enjoyed any of those things as much as I did making Christmas cookies with Lily last night.

Not Your Usual Thanksgiving (otherwise known as my 100th blog post)

I love the holidays. All year long we get caught up in our day-to-day lives. The stress, the needs, the rush and hustle that is life. But from November through December, everything slows and our focus shifts. We think of our blessings and make time for loved ones. Family gathers with good food, laughter and memories. The weather cools and makes the world seem softer - magical, somehow.

This year is a bit different, seeing as Ernie is temporarily in Louisiana for work. But it was still a magical start with a big Thanksgiving with his family in Charleston.

Thanksgiving started out with breakfast at IHOP. It wasn't always IHOP, though. When I was a girl, I remember waking up with eager anticipation for that cup of hot chocolate from Mickey's with the mile-high whipped cream. I also remember the first time Jenifer ordered a belgian waffle for Thanksgiving breakfast. We all watched in envy as she savored what looked like her own personal cake for breakfast. Suffice it to say, we all got a belgian waffle the next year.

Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful, thanks to Ernie's mother, Ernestine. She made the best honey-glazed ham I've ever tasted, and she has made me a fan of sweet potatoes. I've never liked them before, but she makes them with this crumble on top that makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Once we were all in a food-induced coma, we relaxed and chatted while the kids played and watched movies. A very relaxed, idyllic holliday.

(This is just a picture before our Ghost Tour in Charleston, but I'm throwing it in because I think it is the only picture of just me and Ernie since Lily was born and I rather like it.)

Ernie took two weeks off from work, so after Thanksgiving, we did a bit of traveling.

My favorite part of our vacation was our trip to St. Augustine, Florida. If you didn't know the history, this is a little beach town south of Jacksonville that has been the longest continuously occupied town in our country. Juan Ponce de Leon came up to claim in in the early 16th Century and it has been occupied, mostly by the Spanish or French, ever since. It has the laid-back feel of a beach town as well as a healthy dose of Southern Charm and history.


This is the view from the Castillo de San Marcos. It is one of the most beautiful spots I've seen.



I realize this is a very fuzzy and funky picture, but it is also the only one of all of us that was taken during the trip, so I'm including it regardless of the fact that it looks like we all have two mouths and two sets of eyes. We're standing at the moat of the Castillo de San Marcos.



Look, its Ernie and his mini-me. I have never seen a daddy and daughter who look as much alike as they do in this picture. Its a good thing he's such a hottie.



St. Augustine also boasts the oldest standing wooden schoolhouse in the country. Right in the middle of St. George Street.

And a rather spectacular lighthouse.

To say nothing of the wildlife. Downside to the wildlife: alligators. My biggest irrational fear since moving here is that Lily will be gobbled up by a 'gator.

We also visited Beaufort, SC. We've gone several times in the past, but I've never had a chance to really take pictures. This is one of my favorite towns. It is so peaceful and beautiful and everything moves at a snail pace. I love it!

There is this great little park at the waterfront where Lily had a blast running around and playing in the leaves.

And hiding behind trees.

Lately, every time I tell Lily to smile for the camera, she cups her cheek. She calls it her "Princess smile." She's very into princesses, if you hadn't noticed.

Another princess smile.


Nothing like a kid to remind you to stop and smell the roses, eh?

I think these shots make up for my dissatisfaction with our family pictures. I got some great ones of her.

We passed by the visitor's center in Beaufort, which was once an artillery. Lily was convinced it was a castle and demanded we go inside.

When she saw these great benches, she was even further convinced and proceeded to act out Sleeping Beauty.

One of my favorite parts of Beaufort, other than the really great used bookstore, is this ice cream parlor They serve you homemade ice cream in these cute, retro dishes. The ice cream, as well as the kitschy atmosphere, make it a great place to visit. Lily loves it.

We didn't do much other than wander these gorgeous streets. But really, that was enough. All the streets are lined with great Antebellum homes.

To say nothing of the live oaks draping across everything. Notice how tiny Ernie, at 6'2", looks next to this one.

The trees also make for great photo ops. (And another princess smile)

And canons...

They have canons everywhere.

Overall, I think it was a very successful Thanksgiving.