Shabby Apple

I've always joked with John that I should have been born during the 70's. Simply because I like paisley, and some of the clothes that are coming back into fashion. Of course, I'm not a fan of the bell bottoms or flare jeans, but I'm short, and those just don't look right on me.

So when I got this email from Shabby Apple asking me to check out their stuff, I'm in love. I'm also broke now, but I'm in love and I'll look fantastic, so it's a win-win.

This dress. Oh, my. It's a wrap. It's a maxi dress. It's absolutely awesome.

 

 

 

This is a maxi too. I love the maxi's they are sooo comfortable. The knot at the top, gorgeous. Of course, because I'm short, I'll have to hem it up, but it's just so pretty, I couldn't resist.

 

 

I love the way this dress looks. It's fancy enough that I could wear it to church or a wedding and not feel over dressed or under dressed. It's just perfect. And it's a gorgeous shade of purple. Swoon.

 

 

The ruffles. The fact that it's modest and covers more than my panties. (Right now let's pause and imagine my husband cringing as he reads the word panties on the Internet, knowing I put them there.)

It's pink. It's perfect. It's so sad that summer's over. But next summer, I'm totally adding this to my collection of must have swimwear before I go on vacation.

 

 

 

 

I think my uterus just cried. Some lucky child I know is totally getting this for Christmas. Isn't it adorable. The best part - mom can't totally have a dress that matches. Awesome.

 

 

 

So, the best advice in the world is quickly grab your mouse and click over and check out their fantastic clothes. They have kids, women's, maternity (which is absolutely adorable, and they look oh, so comfy). They have gifts and all kinds of great stuff. So, start your Christmas shopping early. Or heck, start your "I need a new dress because I'm awesome" shopping now.

 

Don't worry honey, I didn't spend all of your "lease" fund money. Just most of it.

Newsflash: Life's Not Always Fair

I wanted to post this before Christmas, and I thought about just hanging on to it until this year, but I really wanted to post it, so here you go. Just think of it as either being really early or really late. Take your pick.


Sometimes it's easy to see how unfair life is when things don't go our way. It's hard to see the good in our lives when we are frustrated or unhappy about the direction that things are going. Instead we whine, we cry and we complain. And to some people our bouts of crazyness seem, well crazy, yet to others, they seem rational. Where's the balance?

Today I witnessed several people on Facebook (don't judge, I have no homework and nothing to do at work, so I'm married to Facebook from 8-5) complaining about a variety of things that were still on their to-do list before Sunday. Shopping, wrapping, cleaning, baking. The list was endless.

Yes, I'll be the first to admit that I have a huge to-do list of my own. But, I also know that if it doesn't happen, the world won't come to an end and Christmas won't be ruined. Life will go on. Christmas will go on.

I used to be all gung-ho about everything being perfect. Then I started back to college at 30 and realized that I would have to learn to prioritize and let things go. Some things would be worth the hassle, and in the end, other things would wait. I quit wrapping Christmas presents years ago. It stresses me out. I hate doing it. My packages look like a 2 year old wrapped them. So I started "cheating" and doing gift bags. It took me all of 45 minutes to bag up everything, and actually wrap 4 gifts. It was easy, it was quick, and most importantly, I was happy.

This year we cut out a lot of gift giving. We scaled way, way back. Not because of the economy, but because I'm a full time college student, and I couldn't shop all year long like I usually do. I manage to find great little deals and hold onto them for next year. Which usually allows us to be extravagant for little money. This year, most of my shopping has been done since Thanksgiving, and I'm even happy to admit, I'm still not quite through. I'm not stressed about it. I'm just thankful that we both work, and that we have the means to provide gifts for the family that we did.

Yes, I'll admit, we didn't do anything for John's family. With the lack of communication, and the space that we are all taking great advantage of, I didn't do anything for any of them. I don't feel bad about that either.

So I posted on Facebook today, and thought it might be relevant to some of you reading this post too.

I'm amazed at how many people are complaining today about the things that they feel like they have to do in order for Christmas to not completely and totally fall apart. Christmas should be about celebrating, not about stressing out. I'm pretty sure that God doesn't care if the presents are wrapped, the cookies are baked, or the gifts for our friends and family are bought. I'm pretty sure that he's more concerned about the real reason for Christmas, which as nothing to do with the above mentioned items. Perhaps we should take a step back and remember that Christmas is about celebrating the birth of a savior, not about the packages under the tree.

The Stranger

The Stranger

At Christmas time there was a man who looked so out of place,

as people who rushed about him at a hurried sort of pace.

He stared at all the Christmas lights, the tinsel everywhere,

The shopping center, Santa Claus, with children gathered near.

The Mall was packed with shoppers who were going to and fro,

Some with smiles and some with frowns and some too tired to go.

They rested on the benches or they hurried on their way,

to fight the crowd for purchases to carry home that day.

The music from a stereo was playing loud and clear

of Santa Claus, and snow men, and a funny-nosed reindeer.

He heard the people talk about the good times on the way,

Of parties, fun, and food galore, and gifts exchanged that day.

"I'd like to know what's going on," the man was heard to say,

"There seems to be some sort of celebration on the way."

"And would you tell me who this is, all dressed in red and white?

And why are children asking him about a special night?"

The answer came in disbelief, "I can't believe my ear!

I can't believe you do not know that Christmas time is here!"

"The time when Santa comes around with gifts for girls and boys,

When they're asleep on Christmas, he leaves them books and toys."

"The man you see in red and white is Santa Claus, so sly,

The children love his joyful laugh and twinkle in his eye."

"His gift packed sleigh is pulled along by very small reindeer,

As he flies quickly through the air, while darting here and there."

"The children learn of Santa while they are still quite small.

When Christmas comes, he is the most important one of all."

The stranger hung his head in shame, and closed a nail-pierced hand.

His body shook in disbelief; he did not understand.

A shadow crossed his stricken face, his voice was low but clear,

"After all these years, they still don't know."

And Jesus shed a tear.

- Author Unknown -

Merry Christmas

It's hard to believe that this year is approaching it's end.  It seems like the older I get the faster time moves.  This year has been a blur, yet I remember that there are days that I thought would never end, days that would never get here, and a lot of thought about tomorrow.  Yet here we are.  Everything after Christmas is just the final preparations for the finale. 

My Christmas festivities start tomorrow.  Or today, if you count all the cooking I have to do for tomorrow.  Yet, as I write this post (on Tuesday, just in case you were wondering, because when this post actually posts, I will be dreaming of sugar plums dancing in my head) it's hard to believe that another year is almost over.

Enjoy one of my favorite Christmas poems tomorrow, and I hope that on Saturday you find the joy in Christmas.  That you and your family (if you celebrate) remember the true meaning of the day, and find the joy in that.  I hope Santa fills your stocking with goodies and not coal.  I'm pretty sure I need a shovel to dig my way out of the coal.

Merry Christmas.  And Happy Birthday to Jesus.

Christmas Traditions

Holidays bring all sorts of traditions with them.  With Christmas comes Santa, with Easter the Easter Bunny, with St. Patrick's Day the leprechaun.  That doesn't even include the traditions that are passed through families and the ones that you make up as you go along.

Amazingly so, we don't have a lot of traditions in our family.  We all, for the most part, fly by the seat of our pants.  Christmas Eve is spent with my grandparents and parents.  Christmas Day I usually stay at home and veg, often my in-laws will join us for lunch or dinner, as Christmas isn't celebrated with them until the brother and family that lives out of town can join us.

Since my husband and I have lived near and far, we have tried to set up our own traditions, but it hasn't worked as well as we had hoped.  Life often interfered and one of us had to work.  I remember one year we had planned on staying home and watching movies.  It was 85* here, my husband, being in the ice business was slammed and ended up going to work, while I stayed home alone. 

Last year we had about 8 inches of snow and ice on the ground, and we were stuck at home.  We missed getting to spend the time with our family, but at the same time we enjoyed the time that we had together.

Some families do Christmas stockings on Christmas Eve, others wait until Christmas morning.  As a kid, we made cookies on Christmas Eve, it gave me something to do instead of waiting for Santa to come and us to be able to open presents.

What traditions does your own families have and do you like them, or would you rather introduce something different?  Chime in and let us know.

Santa Claus: Fact or Fiction

Several weeks ago I participated in a 5 Question Friday that Mama at My Little Life hosts each week.  One of the questions that week was in regards to how long you believed in Santa Claus and how you found out that he doesn't exist.

I still believe in Santa Claus.  I realize that he doesn't deliver toys to millions of children on Christmas Eve and that he doesn't pop down our chimney and fill our stockings.  I understand that.  I also understand that it was my mom who played Santa when I was a kid.

Yet, the person that our traditional Santa Claus is today, was modeled after an actual person.  After a Saint, who simply tried to bring happiness to another person's life with nothing asked for in return.  Sometimes I even wonder if the real Saint wasn't a legend as well.  Or perhaps he was modeled after someone else who gave their life without asking for anything in return.

I hate these people who teach their kids that he didn't exist, or even worse that Christmas is simply a time for greed and to expand their toy box.  I think that we tend to overdo in the gift giving and other "requirements" that we feel have been passed on to us each year.  You know what I mean, finding the perfect gift for everyone on your list from Aunt Betty to Uncle Steve.  You have to get them all something magnificent.  Then you have to buy stuff for your kids and for your kids from Santa.  It's a real mess, and I can imagine a real headache for a parent to put up with.  I don't have children, so I can only speculate.

I used to have a story that passed through my email a few years ago, that I would love to find again.  It was about a young boy who came home from school quite upset, because his friends had made fun of him and told him that Santa didn't exist.  The father, instead of confirming the young boys fears, told his son of Jesus birth and how Santa helped to celebrate the day, not how Christmas day was all about Santa.

I remember when I began to question Santa's existence.  I remember standing in the field with my grandfather.  We were walking looking for a cow who had gone off to have her calf.  I told him that one of my friends told me that there was no such thing as Santa and that it was really my mama. 

He could have told me a 100 different things.  He could have admitted that it was a sham.  But I think that he knew, on some level, how that would have destroyed my faith in all the things that my parents had told me, not just about Santa and Christmas, but about so much more.

Instead he begins to tell remind me that Christmas is about more than just Santa.  He began to tell me about how every good thing I did for someone who didn't have as much as I did, that I was doing Santa's work.  That in fact Santa was just a messenger or helper for someone higher up the chain of command.  It was the only time in my life that I can ever remember my grandfather openly discussing God.

I think that we live in a world where we put out so many different things.  Santa, the Easter Bunny, Leprechauns, fairies and imaginary friends.  We put so much into finding and buying the perfect gift that we so often forget that Christmas is about so much more than that.

It's about celebrating a birthday.  It's about renewing our faith.  It's about remembering our own childhood as we witness the joy in our children.  It's not about the presents, or the tinsel.  Maybe we all need to remember that and find the true meaning of Christmas before another year passes us by.

~Christmas is a time to open our hearts to God and his gifts.  Just like the rest of the year.  ~Author Unknown
~And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?  It came without ribbons.  It came without tags.  It came without packages, boxes or bags.  And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.  Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.  What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.  What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.  ~Dr Seuss

Christmas Crazies

What is it that happens the day after Thanksgiving that makes the “crazies” come out? I would bet money that these people have been hiding under a rock the rest of the year and they only come out until the day after Christmas, then they go back to where they came from.

Let me explain. I have noticed in the last few weeks that there are more drivers out, more people in the grocery store, Target, Walmart, even the pharmacy. What I want to know is there a switch that is flipped that turns normal people into rude, inconsiderate people that I am immune to?

I have been hit with baskets, had people cut in line, elbowed, kicked, cussed out, nearly ran over, and the list goes on and on.

I almost want to take out a billboard, and buy a ton of ad space on every local TV station, and in the newspaper and remind people what we are really supposed to be celebrating.

I can assure you, as well as the rest of the “crazies” I have encountered, it isn’t about the presents, or the baking, or the decorating. It’s about so much more than that.

It’s about celebrating a birthday of a special baby, of a Savior. It’s about spending time with family and friends and renewing our faith in that tiny baby.

Maybe a big enough ad would remind some of those who have forgotten. Maybe they need to watch the old version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, or read the book. Perhaps Dr. Suess was onto something after all.

~And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. ~Dr Seuss

5 Question Friday

Today, I'm so very thankful that it's Friday.  Wait, didn't I already do thankful posts.  Hmm, deja vu.  Weird.  Sorry, it's early on a Friday morning and my brain doesn't function correctly until at least noon.  Perhaps I should rethink the 8am class that I have scheduled myself for. 

This weekend is going to be busy (is there really any other kind?)  I have to go hunting for all the food for my graduation party.  I'll take pictures for you.  : )  Of course I can't post them, because I don't want anyone knowing who I am.  It's a win-win for both of us.  Then the usual course of cleaning, laundry, and a little making of fudge for the nuts my husband and I work with. 

Have a Happy Two Weeks Before Christmas Weekend!!
1. Do you open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?


Usually we spend Christmas Eve with my family.  We start out at my Aunt Nita's where in the past we have drawn names.  This year we are doing boy/girl gifts.  Because I'm a girl I take a girl gift and because my husband is a boy he would take a boy gift, and if our dogs went, well, they would take anything that smelled like bacon.  Or like Scentsy's Toasted Sugar and Caramel scent.  They go banana's when I open the package.  But I digress.

Then we break so that my grandparents can go to church.  The rest of us are heathens.  After they get back from church, we go to their house and the present orgy continues.  Then we usually head to my parents and finish up the night there.  This year, we are starting things out a little earlier, so we have a different game plan.  Which is nice, hopefully it won't mean that we get home at 2am like in years past.  Christmas day is usually just a day where we hang around and be lazy.
2. What is your favorite Christmas cookie (or candy)?

My favorite cookie is snickerdoodles.  There really isn't anything that is made at Christmas that I wish I had year round.  Although I do look forward to my grandmother's hot chocolate, which is just Swiss Miss doctored up, and the wassail.  There are so many festive goodies that I really don't understand why some of them are only made at Christmastime.  Like fudge.  When is chocolate not a good time?

3. What's the worst Christmas gift you've ever received?

Oh goodness.  I've received some "odd" religious things from my aunt and uncle, who are Mormon.  My inlaws put little thought into gifts, and so I often get a blanket, or something that I don't really need or that doesn't match my decor.  I realize it's supposed to be the thought that counts, but the thought of standing in line to return it, or regift it doesn't really thrill me either.

4. Christmas song that you love?

Didn't I already answer this question a few weeks ago?  I like most Christmas music, there are some that they are stuck on and just keep playing that I'm starting to get really sick of.  Like "Baby, it's cold outside."  If you work where I do, it's cold inside, so what's your point.  I guess it means that I'm old, but I like the stuff better that I grew up listening too.  I miss those songs, not the new hip stuff that's ok the radio now.  I listen to primarily country music, and I miss Alabama, Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks, George Strait.  But I miss the old stuff, you know, from the 90ies. 



5. How many trees do you put up?

Only one.  But when I get my own house and don't have to move it, I want more than that.  Just one big one and a few small ones.  Nothing big.  Nothing fancy.  This year we vetoed the tree, so we didn't put up any.  Unless you count the Christmas Card I taped up last night with a tree on it.  That's all we are doing this year.  With both of us going to school and working full time, we decided that this year less is more.  So to the family reading this, please understand that mentality also took over your gifts too.  Less is more.  It also make take over the wrapping of said gifts.  Or you might get lucky and I'll wrap it in a plastic bag from Target.

Where are you Christmas?

Where are you Christmas? Why can't I find you?

This thought has plagued me for weeks now. Where is Christmas? Where is the excitement that I found as a child? Where is the excitement I found a few years ago? Am I really getting so old that, as my grandfather used to say "It's just another day"? Where are you Christmas? Is it because I didn't put up any Christmas decorations? Why can't I find you?

I think that it is perhaps a combination of a lot of things. Christmas, as well as most other holidays, is actually a stress filled few days. We have 3 families to juggle, and this year there will actually be 4 "Christmas" days. I guess the older I get the more Scrooge like I am becoming. I'm not anti-Christmas just anti-presents. Yes, even the receiving of presents.

It seems like each year the shopping for gifts for our family is less fun and more demanding. Suddenly we are "required" to get gifts for people who are family, but we hardly see and really aren't close too. So it becomes a chore and a headache to find them something. We combined a gift for our niece, and 2 nephews this year. I'm sure that my in-laws as well as the children will be less than thrilled, but what do you buy for children you see twice a year? What do you buy for adults whom you haven't been to there home in 5 years? And if they don't want the present then my husband and I will gladly take it as we both love board games! I even no longer feel that the things that I make are gift worthy after comments made over different handmade gifts. The best one was probably the comment that came with the fake smile about how great it was - and where did I buy it so that they could exchange it for different colors. My personal favorite was the comment that said they didn't realize that we were having financial problems and couldn't afford to buy them something nice. So after this year - no more handmade gifts, except to my mother and my 9 year old niece. Because they both understand the time that went into them. Of course I said that last year too, and my in-laws, whom I hoping aren't reading this, are both getting a handmade something this year. I'll post pictures later. Just in case.

This post is becoming more rant like as I type.

Where are you Christmas? Why can't I find you?

In my perfect world, I would love to only exchange gifts with children. Why? Because most often they are the only ones who haven't "learned" how to react and show real emotions at their gifts. Give a kid a sweater and a Zhu Zhu pet and see the difference. It's priceless, and it is honesty at it's best. Plus they don't re gift or return gifts. It's always perfect. Yes, even the sweater.

As an adult we have been taught to show how fabulous each present is, even when we hate it. I'll admit that I have re gifted, and returned my fair share of things. Most of those gifts have come from people who were family, co-workers, friends and even strangers at Christmas parties. They have just been looking for a "gift", not for something that I would necessarily want. I have family members who are not, and this year, for the first time in my life, I have bought 5 gift cards and gave cash to another just because of the simple fact that they are hard to buy for, and my heart wasn't into it. I try to take the time to find the "perfect" gift, and it's becoming a chore, especially since no one else seems to really care anymore.

Where are you Christmas? Why can't I find you?

I know that at the end of the song - Christmas is found. This year? Probably not at our house. We have the true meaning of Christmas in our hearts year round. Which is celebrating the birth of a savior.

So maybe we have found Christmas after all. Maybe we never really lost it.

And as for next year - we are doing something different with the whole gift giving. We aren't. We are going from 30 people - yes, that is just immediate family and two of our close friends to 6. Instead, we are going to take the money we would have spent on the other 24 people and give it to a charity who provides Christmas to children who otherwise wouldn't have one. Giving wonder, hope, faith, and love to a child and helping mom and dad find Christmas. Isn't that what it's supposed to be about anyway? Besides, I'll save our family valuable time - they won't have to stand in the return line the day after Christmas.

I'm keeping things simple this year - no excessive baking - no fancy Christmas day dinner. I'm making a cheesecake Christmas eve or Christmas Day. We are having steaks, patrician potatoes, salad, rolls, and green beans for dinner. We are going to have grilled cheese sandwiches and soup for lunch. And stuffed french toast for breakfast, mostly because I want to make it. :) I'm going to spend Saturday with my parents, stepsister and her family and my best friend since like the 1st grade. Just hanging out, and laughing and catching up with her, because I don't see her as often as I would like too. And a trip to the in-laws because my husband won't be here for Christmas with his brother. Otherwise, I'm going to enjoy my days off from school, cross stitch, hopefully finish a border on an afghan that I'm finishing that my grandmother had started before she died. Maybe - just maybe - we can find Christmas. Maybe the rest of our family can too.

"Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. 'What if Christmas,' he thought, 'doesn't come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?'" ~Dr. Seuss