our Boston trip

My Christmas gift to Eric was a day trip to Boston.

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We rode the train into the city

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. and took the Samuel Adams Brewery tour

and did the beer tasting

usually the tours have eighty people, but because the weather was so bad, we had less than fifteen

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we had lunch (Doyle's) and dinner (Jacob Wirth)

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We saw the Blue Man Group

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and had a wonderful time!

Definitely a show worth seeing.

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It snowed the entire day. We had never seen such large and perfect snowflakes.
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.Everything was decorated for Christmas and the snow made it all the more lovely.
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Christmas in Boston is beautiful
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. Merry Christmas!

now we are both 26

Eric made me the most beautiful carrot cake

my birthday gift (Narnia collection on CD from Focus on the Family) (in my opinion, the best option on CD)




we had dinner at Margaritas (my favorite restuarant)

the tree in downtown Mystic on the river (we could see it from the restaurant)

our little snow storm

Friday delivered lots and lots of snow. It was snowing so hard and coming down so fast that I actually got out of work early (thank you Ryan) (and Jared for cleaning off my car).

One of our neighbors used his snow blower and cleaned all of our sidewalks and the end of the driveways. He had to come out a few times (the snow was coming down at about an inch an hour). We love living in a neighborhood where the people take care of each other.

this is after our freezing rain

(I used the windshield protectors that my Bob made me years ago) (they are pink kitchen shelf liner and you put them on before it snows. then you just peel them off and have a bare spot on your windshield!)

Eric taking care of business

we took full advantage of the eight inches we got and made a snowman. he originally was much taller than me, but after the freezing rain, he shrank (and tilted forward). he is still cute!






hopefully our friend Larry will hang out in our front yard for a while.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday (handsome) brother Michael!

We called my mother last night to wish her a Happy Birthday and she said what my heart longed for: "You and Michael were my birthday presents!" I've heard that so many times growing up, but I never tire of it.

lots of love from my inbox this morning

Chris,
This is your special day, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR CHRIS, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Enjoy your day,
Love and miss you lots,
Mom (Adair)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR CHRIS!

May you have a very Special Day!!!!!

We love you so much,

Mom and Dad (Adair)

Happy Birthday Poem

It's Chris' Birthday'

Hip, hip hooray!

It's Chris' Birthday

Have a great day!

It's Chris' Birthday

You know she'll be blessed

It's Chris' Birthday

I hope she gets a new dress:)

(I know..I couldn't think of any thing to rhyme with blessed!)
Anyway have a great day:)

Love,
Deb

shhhhhhhhh....

today is our secret trip. by the time you read this, we will already be on the train traveling. wish us luck and safe travels through the snow.

Please Help Save Homemade!

Handmade children's item may become a thing of the past. While we do not currently have children, we were looking forward to purchasing toys and clothes from mothers who run their own small businesses and wood toys from years past. But new legislation is threatening this. I'm not asking for you to make phone calls or write letters (I know that these things take time), but please spend the moment to vote on the President Elect's site (https://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia).

If you feel strongly about this, you can find more information here:
http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/handmade-childrens-items-unintended-consequences-consumer-pr-3056/
http://www.rescuemarketing.com/blog/2008/12/15/cpsia-and-homemade-toys/
http://www.coolmompicks.com/savehandmade/

This legislation was intended for good and will keep many children safe. But the unintended victims (sellers of homemade toys and handmade clothing) will be severely crushed.

Thank you.

little update

We are having ourselves a very Merry little Christmas. Christmas is more than just a day for us, it is an entire season. Our tree came home on the first and will stay up as long as the needles stay on. This week we are getting our cards out (each one handwritten and full of love) and the care packages have already been sent.

Each year, Christmas is a treasure, never getting old, never getting tiring.

It can be easy to fall into the "must get everyone a perfect gift" - "must attend every function" - "must make this the best year ever" mentality. But we've avoided it each year. There will always be something I don't get to (whether it be baking, visits, phone calls), but this time of year is about so much more than that.

The wise men brought extravagant, but fitting gifts for the newborn King. Things that Jesus deserved, but wasn't going to ever get for himself. I try to follow this pattern when giving gifts to Eric. There are things that he would love and deserves, but never get himself. So I try to put a few of them under the tree each year. I believe that this is in the spirit of Christmas. (and yes, I generally try to do three) Our tree doesn't need to be packed full or overflowing. There only needs to be kindness, love, and thoughtfulness.

We've been blessed this month with being able to see friends and enjoy great company. Christ came so that we may have LIFE! Life here on earth and eternally. And the month of December has brought much life into our lives.

Praises and Prayer Requests:
-A woman interested in the apartment below us came for a visit this morning. It was wonderful telling her about our great neighborhood and house. She seemed genuine and kind. We would be lucky to have her as a neighbor. (Plus, our floors would be heated again!)
-Eric's interview has been pushed back another month. So we'll see what January has in store for us.
-We are counting down to my birthday!!
-Every single angel on the tree at church has been taken. This means many much needed gifts going to children who would otherwise go without. Thankfully, a guy working at Target helped me with the colors for my gifts for the teenage boys we chose.
-Sushi's spot on his belly has completely healed and his hair is growing back.
-Eric and Friends did Christmas music at church this past Sunday. They sounded great! (sorry, no pictures or video this time, practice started at 7:30 am and I stayed in bed)

It is especially important at this time of the year to count our blessings. And we have so many!

family

a strong marriage

great friends

our health

jobs

a wonderful place to live

a church family

knowing the King that was born

never seen before (at least online)

this is the 'spare room' which we have labeled our studio. after a few months of being filled with boxes (the only ones left in the new home), Eric spent hours sorting and setting up this special room. it was such a wonderful surprise to come home to!

the studio is a great place for:
his guitars

sewing (we got the sewing table at a consignment shop)

crafting

reading next to the sunlit window

being away from the rest of the house (i.e. kitchen, television, computer)

we love having the luxury of an extra room and plan to make good use of it in the upcoming months

secret girl stuff

on nights Eric works, I always tell him that I'm doing Secret Girl Stuff

it sounds much better than Sparing You Things You Wouldn't Like To Do

my latest night included ciabatta bread pizza in the toaster oven (and foil so I wouldn't make a mess)

and painting my nails for the first time in over four years. during high school and college, painting my nails seemed normal. and then sometime in college (in between classes and work) it seemed like too much work. so I stopped. and hadn't done it since. I didn't realize that Eric had never seem my nails with color. it is a lot of fun, but even after two days, they are showing wear.

other Secret Girl Stuff includes:
napping

taking a long bath

reading

baking

watching movies

crafting

writing letters

making packages

what do you do when you have the house to yourself?

'tis the season

December has arrived! And so have our Christmas decorations.

my small Rudy (reminiscent of the larger one my Bob bought my Mom years ago)

my grandmother's nativity scene

Fraser, our new Christmas tree


a Starbucks snowman cookie (he didn't last very long)

Eric setting up rice lights

even our bathroom got a small touch of the Christmas spirit

a spot for sugar

clementines are one of my favorite holiday treats

(two kinds of) angels glowing

we are very excited about Christmas this year. while it is the busiest time for many families, we are looking forward to a break. many of our weekly commitments have been put on hold until after the new year, we have no plans to travel, and are looking forward to exchanging gifts with each other.

hope you are feeling cheery and bright

my new little friend

Last Thanksgiving I started to make a sock monkey, but there was so much stuffing and sewing involved that I didn't finish. During this past trip to the midwest, I finally finished him.

I am in the process of making him a little red scarf so he won't get cold this winter.

He looks great on our couch and even does a good job of blocking the corner behind the couch (where the cat likes to crawl, but gets stuck and cries).

hear me roar

what I got done while at Mom & Dads
puzzles are a great way to spend your evening
(thank you Roy & Kelly)

though your nose gets a chillin'

yesterday, we had our first snow fall of the season.

it just dusted the trees

and had melted by the time we came from church

but it wonderful and lovely all the same

Christmas at Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving trip to the midwest to visit Eric's family. Not only did we celebrate turkey day - we did birthdays (Kelly, Mom, and me) and Christmas. It is really wonderful spending the holiday season(s) with them.

Mom had the entire house decorated for Christmas and even our stockings were hung.

Mom & Eric

Kelly & Mom working the Christmas card assembly line. It was a lot of fun to have all of the women at the table working on a common goal.

I love making messages from the sections in between stamps (learned this from Cindy). I thought that having five books worth of the extra little sections would be enough for a full holiday message, but I ran out.

Dad & Eric

There were lots of presents, smiles...

laughs, hugs, and family.

Eric learned Call of Duty and played with Dad.

Mom & I had movie marathons.

And I finished my 'craft' project I started last Thanksgiving (I'll post a picture later).

All in all, we had a lovely trip. And miss them!

laundry day

doing what kitties do best

(resting on clean laundry)

do you ever wish that you were a kitty?
napping when you're tired
playing when you feel like it
and getting lots of love

enjoy your weekend