'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

musical boy

a few weeks ago, Eric & Friends (temporary name) (suggestions accepted) joined with someone from church to introduce Jesus Messiah to the congregation. it went well.

the pictures and video are from the practice (i generally do not take pictures during service. i'm listening)

my guitar man

paul (our friend and drummer)

pastor bob (posing for his son robby who took the picture)

enjoy

in a few weeks, Eric & Friends will be doing Christmas music