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five happy things.

November 11, 2010 Filed in things i love


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1.  someone sent me THE coolest cup in the entire world.
     i don't know who sent it.

   thank you anonymous giver. 
     i could not love any cup more than i love this one. 
     whoever you are…YOU ROCK!
    (mug available at photojojo)

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2.   cute hat.  
      and cute hat weather.
      love them.

      (hat is from emily sparks.)

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3. new fabric in the mail from hawthorne threads.

    it makes me giddy with excitement for my photo season to be over so i can start sewing again.
    i love sewing.
    and fabric!

4. my lovely new friend shauna sent me the most fabulous gift in the mail.
    (because i begged her to do it….) 

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it is really loud.
but it will be so cool in our house.
i love it.  
(and i love her blog and shop!)

shauna has the bell in her house too.
we talked about naming our bells something….Lucy and Ethel….clooney and darcy….laverne and shirley?
what do you think?

(bell was from HomeGoods)

5.  HOLIDAY magazine winner is Jennifer….the one who wrote this:

We each get to open one present on Christmas Eve and it's always a new pair of jammies, washed and ready to put on. The kids of course know this is coming and they're always excited to snuggle in to
bed in their new cozy jams, waiting excitedly for the next morning.

Posted by: jennifer

email me jennifer with your address and stuff.
thanks!  

add a comment

crystal beutler - I was just with Emily Sparks yesterday!!!! And that hat she sent you was the hot item at the Queen Bee boutique. Everyone was trying it on . . . and I wanted it sooooo bad. But I have blonde hair so it didn’t look good. Plus, I don’t have a cool hat face so I had to let it go to a groovy gal with dark brown hair. I actually walked up to her when I was on security detail and said . . . “You HAVE to buy that hat, it looks amazing on you.” I’m selfless like that. 🙂 Just thought you should know.
And BTW, if you haven’t met Emily in person . . . she is an absolute doll. You would love her.

Debra - Oh that bell brings back memories…but not of a dinner bell or calling children inside. When my mom finished her last chemo treatment, the nurses asked if she wanted to ring the bell. It wasn’t until reading the plaque next to it that the significance really hit home:
Ring this bell
Three times well
It’s toll to clearly say
My treatment’s done
This course is run
And I am on my way.
I get teary just thinking about her ringing it…and all those who will never get the chance.

Brittany - Okay, here it is…plain and simple. I NEED all of those items! haha! LOVE THEM!!!!!!

Debi - Okay, I hope you’re happy! 🙂
The photo of coffee in the lens frightened me- no, made me soooo panicked!- I was so relieved to see that it’s just a mug. (mutters to self, it’s just a mug. it’s just a mug. just a mug.)

susan - love your hat, so cute! and your fabric, the mug, the bell, love it! susan

Sarah@Clover Lane - I LOVE that bell!

Jennifer - We have a dinner bell out in our garage like that. The girls love ringing it. Your mug freaked me out too-I wasn’t sure what the heck I was looking at.
And thanks for the Emily Sparks link-I bought her black hat and can’t wait to receive it! 🙂 (“I love it!”)

kat - Woo Hoo! Fun x 5 for sure! Although that lens mug totally freaked me out, I felt sick for a moment thinking your lens had a very bad day. Good thing it’s just a happy mug!

erlfisher - Sooooo gonna get the mug for my photographer dad for Christmas! He’s so hard to buy for and that mug is GREAT!

Nicole Q. - AWESOME cup and I WANT that bell! Wanted an outdoor one for this house!! LOVE love love it! And I love that you say “love it” all the time too!!

Courtney Walsh - Love the hat–super cute…I honestly don’t think i can wear hats, but I always thought it was because my hair is short. Maybe it’s just my head. haahaha…because you’re hair is short and it’s absolutely adorable!!!

Sheryl - Ok, three things. 1. Love the hat on you, so cute. 2. I LOVE the bell. Will be looking for one of those…. 3. I hope your sewing will include some pillowcase dresses (or any other kind of dress since you’re especially crafty! I am working on another round of “Project Pillowcase”. Stop by – OfferThemChrist.blogspot.com.

CarrieBeth - what a fun post! i’m obsessed with coffee mugs and want to buy one everywhere i go. but in reality, i have my favorite cup and i use it almost every day. all my other ones sit lonely (and beautifully!) in the cabinet. i need to find a way to display them!

Kacee - In the neighborhood I grew up in, many of the neighbors and my family had bells on their porches. When a bell would start ringing we would be quiet and listen — they had different sounds. When it was determined whose bell was ringing those poor kids had to go home and the rest got to keep playing! My mom said it saved her from yelling for us as we had a neighborhood full of kids and could have been anywhere on the block.
Thanks for bringing back such a fun memory!
And does that coffee cup have a lid? It would be a cool gift for my husband, but he’d need it in a travel style.

Gina - Love the bell! Except I would afraid I’d be listening to it all the live long day-cute hat too!

kelly - how about ding & dong!!! the hat looks great on you.

Sara - The hat is so cute!!!! My friend gave me a vintage bell that she found when she moved in her new place.My boys love it now that I ring the bell for dinner instead of screaming for them to come and eat!!!! I still need to hang mine up though!!!!!

crystal - cute. 🙂 my sewing machine is Ethel and my camera is Lucy. 🙂

Amy R. - LOVE that bell and that hat! Can you believe I found a hat like that tonight at a Christmas open house at an antique store in my town and it was $6. I want to buy one for everyone on my list!
Your little girl is precious too!

Amy Lynne - I agree, those are happy things! I love that colorful fabric and your hat!!

Heather - Love the freaking coffee cup. Love you in that hat. You know, of all the blogs I frequent, you’re the one that I’m always thinking; Gosh, I want to meet her one day.
I think you’re just fantastic!

Peta - You are totally rocking that hat, Meg! I love love love it! And that mug? Wow. That is cool. Happy happy mail!

Gemma - When I saw the top photo I first though..Wooahh…why on earth has she done that? HA!
Then I realised it was a mug…sweet!
Loving the hat : )
Gemma x

The Fairy's Apprentice - Thank you! Thank You! Thank you! You made a wife happy with the mug lens, because now I know what I’m gonna order for Christmas for my man! The bell is beautiful, we could use one :)).
XOXO

se7en - We have a bell, a beautiful bell… It is one way to get all my kids to dash all at once, with a purpose. I blogged about all our bells and whistles right here: http://www.se7en.org.za/2008/10/12/saturday-spot-bells-and-whistles

Rebecca - That mug is super-rad! Saw it in your sidebar a while ago. So neat somebody sent it to ya!
Hat is cute and the fabric is soooo bright and cheerful. 🙂 FUN!!

Flower Patch Farmgirl - My husband so wants that coffee mug. He also found a (very cheesy) f-stop watch. Hardy har. He loved it.
Shauna rocks. Love the fabric.

Laura Phelps - I want that hat
really, really badly
I need to find money first
ugh
that cup is amazing
I first read this post on my iphone..couldn’t see the cup
now I can…and WOW
fabulous
and that bell
my kids would drive me nuts with that
they have one at our grocery store..and Luke rings it non stop
they love us
Nick and Laura…that is what you should name your bells 🙂

valerie @ chateau a la mode - How fun is that bell and love that cute hat!

april - you are a lucky girl….

j - love the bell….but there is no way on God’s green earth I will ever let my kids get a hold of one of those….love your new mug. Lucky Duck. What are your plans for the fabric?

Meredith - Where did someone buy that bell? I need one to get my son home from the neighbors. Our neighbors had one growing up and when the bell rang everyone went home for dinner.
With the jammies, we do the same thing for Christmas Eve, my parents did it fore me until we were teens. It was one of my favorite presents.

sandy toe - Okay…I love that bell…perfect to ring at dinner!
sandy toe

Rachel - I have one of those bells too; it is in my front porch but nobody rings it (thank goodness – it is REALLY loud and makes the dogs crazy). Both my parents were in the British navy so they were always collecting nautical-themed antiques and decor. My mother gave me the bell a few years ago.

Laura M - In my husband’s neighborhood where he grew up there is a family in the neighborhood who has a dinner bell outside and they ring it every day! It’s the most hilarious and funnest thing ever! Love it. Love the coffee cup…there are a few shutterbugs in my family and that will make an awesome Christmas gift! Love the hats and fabric too! You rock lady!

Susan. - I think the coffee cup is awsome but how did they get your address???

karen - Annie is so cute! Does she pick out her clothes?

patti - ok, what makes me smile the most about this post is the photo with annie…my 5 year old has on that same dress and she is wearing leggings and striped socks…that don’t at all match. totally twins! 🙂

jennifer - We have a dinner bell too and it is the best! Don’t know what we’d do without it.
And I can’t believe I won! Woo Hoo!

Rebekah Jean - I LOVE your hat. If I had a hat that cute I would definitely wear it evvery day of my life!!!
Love your blog by the way, it’s awesome.

Katrina - Have to put a vote in for Lucy and Ethel (which my cats are named as well!). Love the fun fabric too!

Becky @ Farmgirl Paints - I didn’t think it was a cup…even after you said that. I kept looking for it. DUH! Love the bell. Well have a cast iron one of the outside of the house that I ring when it’s time for the girls to come in.

Crystal @ Ordinary Days - I am in love with the bell! I think that would be great in my kitchen!! Now…how to find a bell? 🙂
Crystal

mel - I need that cup ASAP!!!!! LOVE it!!! Love it SO much!
and, that dinner bell is freaking awesome.

Shann - That cup is just your cup of tea. Well, I mean coffee. 🙂 You got a lot of fun stuff in the mail. Love days like that.

Trina McNeilly - Now I want a bell… who would have thought… ringing the bell “DINNER!” I’d just be afraid of the bell being rung all the time.. you know like giving a child a whistle. But love it!
xo

Daniele Valois - Holy CUP that is awesome!!!

nichole shinners - I Love that bell. When I would visit my best friend back home in Michigan her mom would ring a bell like that for lunch. I thought that was the coolest thing ever! (I might need to get one) 🙂

shauna - beauty and the beast?
(get it “belle”)
or what about southern belles
like scarlett and…..no more are coming to mind….
oh my gosh i am taking it too far…
Jake, keeps staring at the picture saying, “are you SURE that’s not ella ringing OUR bell?”
so glad you like it.
ps.
LOVE that cup…you are lucky

Transparent Mama - I am loving that coffee cup. I have never seen that before. Anonymous Giver- I want one too! Cute bell too.

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craft thursday #14

November 10, 2010 Filed in crafts & art

ok….no judgement today.
it's just an art project.

we made another from Deep Space Sparkle.
 
I showed my kids her post and photos.
we talked about it not being scary skeletons but using skeletons as a another place to make art.
we even looked at this image on google.

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it is happy right…in a weird kind of way?

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we started with drawing skulls on white paper.
we used oil pastels.
do you have them?  if you keep them away from your dog….they are really cool.

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then we just colored designs all over.
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we also made flowers on a different sheet of white construction paper.
annie used watercolor paint on hers also.

then after the coloring or painting is finished we cut out our skulls and flowers.
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then glued it all to black construction paper.
they are really fun!

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my dad got me a Dia De los Muertos t-shirt when i was a kid with dancing skeletons on the front.
i loved it.
or wait….maybe it was his shirt and i would wear it?
either way it was colorful and i liked it.
this project reminded me of it.

sean didn't get to finish his.
we were crafting and craig walked in from work and said "what are you doing? sean has football in 5 minutes." 
we just got busy being artsy that we forgot all about our schedule.

****************************************************************************************** 
some people asked what kind of watercolor paint we use because the color is so vivid.
it's just the Crayola pack you can buy at any store…even the grocery store.
we just use very little water.
just enough to make it go from a solid to a liquid.
less water means more concentrated color.
hope that helps.

add a comment

Shawnene Woodall - I started reading your blog because Ashley of “Under the Sycamore” always spoke so highly of you in her posts. I was instantly hooked. You are a delight to follow. I love your “craft Thursday”. In this post you mentioned “Deep Space Sparkle” as your inspiration. So I followed the link. Much to my surprise the author of the blog just happens to be my daughter’s 1st grade art teacher here in CA! Suddenly I felt just how small the world really is. That I could be brought all the home when so far away in the blog-o-sphere.
Amazing

michelle - haha! “no judgment today”! love it.
you are such a good momma.

Ashley B. - That skull pic is my profile pic on facebook! (before I saw it on your site lol) I love it! 🙂 It made me very happy to come on here and see it. I was at a chalk festival (Sarasota, FL Chalk Festival Oct. 30th 2010) a little bit ago and saw someone drawing that pic in chalk. She wasn’t finished with it, but it was by far my favorite of them all. I love Dia de Los Muertos, even though it’s morbid…the bold colors make me so happy. Awesome craft! And again…I LOVE IT! 🙂

Nichole - We didn’t really learn about the day of the dead until I was in college. Then we decorated sugar skulls – it was rather awesome.

the domestic fringe - I love these! My kids and I just made something from Deep Space Sparkle too. It was SO MUCH fun. I had as much fun as my kids. You guys did an awesome. Those are the best skulls I’ve seen in a long time. 😉
Here’s the link to our project…
http://thedomesticfringe.wordpress.com/2010/11/10/artsy-chics/
Come visit!
-FringeGirl

Julie - When I was in high school, our art class “stole” the skeleton from the science dept. ~ we not only enjoyed sketching this skeleton, we’d “dress” him in funny hats and scarves and such and put him at the door for the kids going to lunch to enjoy each day. Those were fun times. I like this craft ~ you guys always do fun stuff!

Stacy - Makes me wish I was still an elementary art teacher!!!(They cut the jobs in our elementary schools.) 🙁 I taught Kahlo and O’Keefe too! I even had some real animal skulls to use for inspiration.

Vicki - I LOVE that your son is all foot ball and boy in one instance and all craft and artsy with his sisters in the next. Awesome. Craft on you crafty crafters!

Beth - I love dia de los muertos. I’ve been kind of leery about doing it at school because I didn’t want parents to freak out. But, really, it’s a very cool way of celebrating those who have come before us. I did an activity at our church once, we went to visit some graves in the cemetery and had family memeber share about the person, we sang some songs there, then we went back to church and decorated sugar skulls. And we had a family from latin America share about what the day means to them. It was very cool. Your skulls/calaveras are awesome!!!

Rebekah Jean - It’s not creepy! It’s a really cute craft. I love how you put them on black paper and added the flowers. Really, really cute!

Karen Gerstenberger - I love the fact that you were all so into your art project that you forgot the time – a sure sign of success! You are giving everyone a gift, by encouraging them to use their imagination and relax. Good job, Mom!

*LuLu* - Good Job Everyone!

sandy toe - I love watercolors…they are fun and not too messy!
sandy toe

Whitney - Not creepy! It’s sort of like Spanish people celebrating the day of the day- bright and cheery! Love it!

Courtney Walsh - football shmootball! 🙂
Love the crazy skulls!

elisa - Oh I love day of the dead stuff. So fun!

Maria - love it. When ds9 was in third grade, they did world themed turkeys…we picked Mexico and turned our turkey into a Dia de los Muertos turkey, marigold and all!
thanks for sharing!

Christy Pair - You might also try liquid watercolors. They are beautiful!

ashley - When I first started reading, Dia de los Muertos was exactly my thought! And honestly, if you think about what it means, you’re just remembering lives past. Makes the skulls a little less scary. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your crafty days!

kristine - i love them! and i don’t think a skeleton could be any more cute! way to go!

Beth Iversen - I did this project at my elementary school with 2nd grade and taught some background about Day of the Dead. It was very successful and all the other grades wanted to do it. Very Fun!! Love Deep Space Sparkle!

april - Looks great…so colorful…glad to see craft Thursay is going strong…have a great day!

Tracy - Meg – I love your art projects…and no, skulls are not scary. I have your art posts tucked away into a special folder for when I actually find the time to do something with my kiddos. Question for you…because I love your ideas…do you display their artwork or tuck it away? I would love to do some of these projects with the kids, but wouldn’t know what to do with them when they were finished (the projects…not the kids).

Becky @ Farmgirl Paints - Those were so good! I love your art days. I need to be better and do that more with my girlies.

MGF - Reminds me that my middle was just studying ‘Day of the Dead’ in school. Great project

Suzanne - Thanks for sharing all your art projects – I always look forward to Crafty Thursdays so, my kids can have Crafty Fridays!

sara @ it's good to be queen - so fun! skulls aren’t scary…death has no sting. 🙂

AshleyAnn - In high school I was assigned a Freda Kahlo focus. For 2 months all my work had to be inspired by hers. Other students got Monet, O’Keefe, Picasso….I got Kahlo. Go look her up. It was stretching and I loved it.

Heather R. - My daughter had a teacher that would celebrate Dia De los Muertos in her class. It was a cool celebration. They would do black construction paper and did colored chalk…I thought it was pretty. I love your ideas. 🙂

Penny - This makes me miss my girls being young and doing crafts together. We didn’t have a set day, but every week at least once, we did crafts and I miss that. I do adult crafts with my friends often, but I miss the kids stuff! Thanks for letting me watch you and your little ones enjoy it! Great job. You are a wonderful Mom, even if you forget about football. Who needs to go get beat up. LOL

se7en - Oh your guys are such brilliant artists!!! I love the finished head pictures!!! Very fun!!!

Amy Lynne - I think your projects turned out great! When I saw that picture I immediately thought of Dia De los Muertos. I saw some pajama pants at Target that had the dancing skeletons and bright colors. They were too cute!

Gemma - Hi Meg!
Ooo this craft is very funky..I like it!!!
Hope you’re having a great day : )
Gemma x

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out takes

November 9, 2010 Filed in my goofball kids

i called craig outside to take our birthday picture with annie before he changed out of his suit.
he wears a suit everyday.
i love that he does….so handsome.
and i love that he wears pink shirts and POLKA DOT ties….i didn't pick that out…he is just that classy.

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#1….pretty good….craig is faking.

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 #2  um…this is for annie only…..they can't resist.

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#3  seriously….it's only for annie!

and i know what you are thinking….."YOUR ROOTS ARE SHOWING!"  i know i know.
my hairdresser is sunning herself in the caribbean and i have to wait.  
i just want you to know that i am aware of this problem.
and wanted you to feel confident that i am most definitely a brunette.

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#4  she always gives long kisses & her mouth is always half open….makes for a sloppy kiss….but it is her thing!

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#5 oh my….another one….this is only for annnnniiiiiiieeee.

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#6  oops….sock is falling down.

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#8 getting tickled….squirming…mom's eyes half closed.

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#9  oh come on!!   bunny ears?    on the best one?!

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 #10  craig got behind the camera.  all the girls in one shot.  i love my girls.

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#11 more bunny ears.   i am done.  get me outta here.  i am not the one giving the bunny ears.

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 #12  never mind.  forget it.  let's go open presents.  

add a comment

christine - those are so great 🙂 and #9? Photoshop, my friend. Easy-peasy! Send it to me and I’ll remove the ears for ya!

crystal beutler - Your family is just toooooooo cute! Love the pink shirt and polka dot tie. I wish more men still wore suits to work.

Nicole Q. - So cute! Love the one of you and your girls!

Kristin S - Outtakes are my favorite part of photo/video shoots!
Am I sick?

Christina - Pretty darling. I like #8!
And the first bunny ears…could you tilt it to one side, cropping out the ears? 🙂

jeanne - Annie is so stinkin cute!!!

Valerie - Don’t you think that the best pictures you take are the ones not so serious and definitely not posed. Love all of them. So cute!

Maria - where would we be without digital cameras? I don’t think I’d ever get a decent shot without one! so cute!

Grace - Love Annie’s smile in #10. Your family’s smiles exude the fact that they are loved. 🙂

michelle - oh my word!!! you crack me up. i love the pictures. ALL of them. but, especially the ones of you and all your girls. so so sweet to the bones. i think i need to get a remote for my camera and try this with my family. we never get pictures together!

Tammy @ Making a House a Home! - Love them all, such wonderful memories!

jessica kiehn - craig is so handsome! Love a man in a suit:)
Those DADGUM BUNNY EARS! Why do kids think that’s sooo funny?!
Hey, outtakes are my favorite, so these turned out great in my opinion:)

Tammy @ The Sabourin Family - LOL @ “sock falling down”

tara pollard pakosta - so adorable!
seriously, your girls are so CUTE!
your older daughter, um you need to lock her up til she’s at least 27!!!!
gorgeous!
love the birthday shot idea.
we try to do this too!
tara

Juli - #6…yup that’s the expression my hubby would’ve been wearing in each photo. Getting photographed pains him!

cassi - You could always edit out the bunny ears in number #9, that one is soo cute

Kirsten - I love #5!!!! – and I think it’s totally salvageable. Just a little photoshopping needed…
thanks so much for sharing. 🙂

Darcie L. - I’ll Photoshop the bunny ears out of #9 if you want. 🙂 Our daughter is 2 and FINALLY learning to smile for a camera. We have 2 years worth of random faces…

Lisa - This made me laugh so hard! I have 4 kids and CANNOT get a picture of everyone even looking at the camera! The older ones always mess around making silly faces. So funny! I’ve actually given up trying to get a good picture and figure I’m documenting what my family is really like! 🙂

Courtney Walsh - love it!! 🙂 I think you should frame the one where you’re getting bunny ears! It’s ridiculously cute! 🙂

elisa - You are so stinkin cute- blonde or brunette!

sandy toe - What a cute family you are. I love polka dots too!
sandy toe

Amy - I love your style! And I love your clothing style too! Links for the WHOLE outfit, please! 🙂

Debby - Funny stuff! Removing the bunny ears with Photoshop would be a great way to learn!!

Jennifer - I love Annie’s smooches!! My little boy has been trying to ‘marriage kiss’ me, and it looks pretty similar to Annie’s!! I have to tell him, I only marriage kiss daddy. It’s heartbreaking to him!! I love your blog!!

Mary - Great post!
Sometimes the outtakes are better than the perfect photo.

Kate @ Songs Kate Sang - OH! I love the one of all the girls. You have such a beautiful family!

midwestmom - Great pictures!! need a link for the gorgeous sweater please!! you guy are too fun!

Lindsay - I love this! Awesome tradition! I think I will start doing this too. Thanks for the great idea.

Dana@Bungalow'56 - Those family shots are sooo hard to come by. Good effort though!
Dana

april - funny stuff…its like that cloud commercial where the mom cuts and pastes the faces of the kids to have normal smiling faces…it made for a funny blog posting though……have a great day!!

shauna - love the daddy kiss! soooooo precious! Ella does the same thing and her daddy is the MOST common recipient of the the slobber…

Jaime @ Queen of the Creek - How cute! 😀 I think outtakes are the best!!
They show what’s REALLY going on!

Staci - Love em all 🙂

Becky @ Farmgirl Paints - this is why i love you!

Kimberlee J. - No. 9 is my fav…keep the bunny ears. 🙂

Cari - Outtakes are hilarious! Frustrating at the time? Oh yes! Fun to look back on later? Definitely! 🙂

Trish - so funny! I like #8 your eyes don’t look 1/2 closed it looks like you are looking at annie affectionately 🙂

Alma - Hilarious! my camera is full of outtakes too. Too funy

se7en - Those kids of yours are just delightful!!! So so so cute!!! And I have no idea when Annie grew up so fast!!!

Sandy - These are great and fun to look at. It’s nice to see the missing teen, I mean Lauren again. She’s naturally beautiful. Love her tights too. 🙂

Laura Phelps - good tradition…even if it takes 478 pictures to get it right!
of course, the best are always the out takes
in pictures and in life

Lindsay - I love that the outtakes tell the story. Cute!

Julie - Oh so cute! Love it! Hope the birthday girl had a Very Happy Day!

Heather R. - So it is not just us…ha! 🙂 Too funny.

Denise - thank you for inspiring me to get out from behind the camera. these pictures are so fun!

Four Flights - So Cute! Happy Birthday Annie!

Annie - These are all hysterical! Gotta love family pictures! (P.S.~ Where did your daughter get her floral tights? I love them!)

pam - FUN! Our oldest is getting into new editing stuff and she just edited out something like the bunny ears on your favorite pic…CRAZY. I couldn’t believe she could do it.

Karen Lehmann - These are so cute. I LOVE the bunny ears. And I didnt even notice any roots, even when i tried to notice them because you mentioned it – 🙂 Guess I should go check my own roots

Linda @bushel and a pickle - This is a very happy group of people who seem to love and enjoy each other. Isn’t great to actually like your kids! Hope the presents opening was a blast. Have a good day!

Holly - How fun is that! Also, Craig rocks the pink shirt and polka dot tie!

Kirsten J - Love the outtakes – WE tried at least a dozen to get my folks with the grandkids. All I had were outtakes. But that’s okay.

Anita Ogle - Love the photos and lurvvve your shoes. Please share where you found them.
Anita

Gemma - Hi Meg!
These outakes are so cute!!
Cherish them forever : )
It’s been ages since we’ve seen Lauren on here!!
Gemma x

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12 days

November 8, 2010 Filed in Uncategorized

              
               i am blogging with edie today.
                    
                         you can come too!
                


add a comment

Tamara - I loved your craft!! I am so going to try that…
Check out a neat craft I did for Christmas
Here you go..
http://climbingthelatter.blogspot.com/2010/11/christmas-family-portrait.html
I would love to know what you think!!!

Tammy @ Making a House a Home! - As with every thing on your blog, I LOVE this idea.

Charlene@Adventures-In-Mommy-Land - My little boys (well okay, probably all my kids) would love these! Neat idea!

carols - Hey Meg, just noticed you said you never use capitals. I’ve been noticing lately with work emails to my closer coworkers, I’ve been dropping using capitals more and more lately. Could it be from reading your blog, lol? Barely noticed until you mentioned it. I think it’s easy to read, and sooooo much easier to type. that’s it for capitals for now.
thanks,
carol

Crystal @ Ordinary Days - I LOVE this idea. Will definitely have to try!!

Irene - Meg – I have such a girl crush on you , you have the best imagination ever!

Joy - I am sooooo excited! I made some today while my little artist was at school. The only silicone pan I had happened to be a snowflake. They turned out so beautifully! I am going to put them in his Christmas stocking. He’s going to love them. Thanks!

Susan. - I eagerly went to Edie’s blog but was dissapointed to read that I am a “begger “.I am not.Because I follow Megs blog doesn’t mean that I always have to agree with people faiths and views,I still read with enthusiasm what Meg had to say and will continue to follow her great ideas.Just dissapointed in Edie strong religious views about other people she knows nothing about.

Courtney Walsh - can’t wait to check it out! 🙂 Caught up on your blog this morning. You know, I am NOT a dog person, but i want your dog. lol 🙂 He’s adorable!!

Jenny - Hi Meg! What a fantastic idea! After reading your guest post I went and ordered the ice cube trays, I can’t wait to try it out!

Jodi - I seriously read through your entire blog. So thankful for you! Thank you for writing this blog, showing all your awesome crafts, photos and recipes. :o)

Julie - Looks like a craft even I can do! Thanks for another great idea and I’ll be going (back) over to Edie’s to see what else I might be able to do in time for Christmas. Thanks Meg!

Holly - those crayons are adorable. i am typing in all lower case in to show you my solidarity. woot woot!!

kat - SO glad for this post (well, the one over there) i was looking at my boys’ crayon box thinking it’s time to do that ‘melty crayon thing meg does’ yesterday and now i don’t even have to go find the post =D super love your blog. 🙂

kristine - yay for blogging with edie! and i always love those alphabet crayons! i am finally starting my collection of broken ones because i have a three year old who always snaps a few before she can start coloring! 🙂

MGF - I made your alphabet crayons a year or so ago and the all the kids loved them.
happy monday

Gemma @ Musings of a gem - I love this idea!! Very colourful : )
Gemma x

Peggy in TN - The alphabet crayons are an excellent idea! You look adorable in the picture on edie’s blog by the way. 🙂 ~Peggy in TN

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holiday

November 6, 2010 Filed in awesome bloggers

are you ready for the holidays?
i am.
i'm not ready….but i am ready to get started.
ready for christmas music…decorations….shopping…stockings….all that. 

have you seen the Matthe Mead Holiday magazine previews yet?

Gifts from nature Blue

IMG_1033 IMG_1341

i ordered mine months ago.
i don't even remember when.

have you ordered your copy?
you can't buy it in stores….it is a purchase ONLINE ONLY magazine.

i am so excited to see it.

would you like to WIN YOUR OWN COPY? 

leave a comment today with your favorite christmas tradition you are excited about.

winner chosen on thursday, november 11. 

add a comment

Trudy - Decorating and shopping on Thanksgiving weekend. …and I love watching Christmas shows…my all time fav….The Family Stone!

ella - My Christmas tradition started 5 years ago when my we got married. We started to each buy a new christmas ornament for the tree.(that was like a gift for us as well). It didn’t have to match or anything. It could even be handmade. This was a good warm up to the eclectic (unmatched) tree we now have with our daughter.

Julie - The day after Thanksgiving is the beginning of Christmas in our home. It starts with crazy early Black Friday shopping–even it’s only window shopping. After a morning filled with crowds and lines, I come home, show off my bargains to the hubs, give a snuggle to the kids, and then put a turkey in the oven. The bulk of my day is spent re-creating a traditional Thanksgiving meal, since we have the real deal at my mom’s house. After dinner we leave the dishes in the sink and bundle up and head out to a nearby tree lot and pick out our Christmas tree for the season. When we get home, dad and the kids bring the tree in and set it in the stand while I dish up plates of pumpkin pie and mugs of hot cocoa. We enjoy our sweet treats and then the kiddies go to bed. That night my wonderful husband gets out the lights and strings them on the tree. We will decorate the following day as a family.
I love this day because it’s filled with so much suspense, excitement, and joy–and we do it all as a family.

robyn - driving out into the woods and chopping down a Christmas tree with my family, my sisters family and my parents!

Nisa - The girls get Christmas ornaments and new pjs that they open on Christmas Eve. I can’t wait!!

Mary Ann - Over the past 3 years since our son was born we’ve started our own traditions! We go with friends to cut down a tree (so much fun) … we go to a garden (and a suspension bridge) to see Christmas lights … and best of all, Christmas morning is just the three of us! Oh … and I always make Christmas Morning Wife Saver from the Best of Bridge!

Callie - The story of Christ birth on Christmas Eve. Its always a treat!

Mandi - On Christmas morning we read the nativity story and then my children each get 3 gifts to represent the gifts Jesus received.

Tracey Husted - I LOVE Christmas. I get up before everyone else and eat a piece of chocolate cake for breakfast next to the tree. No exercise allowed!

s - I absolutely putting wrapping paper on one of our doors and then putting each and every xmas card we receive up on it – its fun to see the different cards!

Johnthorne6978 - Making Christmas cookies, icing, spinkles, and all! We do this every year and all 3 of us look forward to it. My daughter turned the big 12 this year, I hope she doesn’t ‘outgrow’ the fun of this tradition!

Christina - i’ve never seen that magazine, but now I want it!
Favorite tradition is a new one that started last year out of pure exhaustion. The kids decorated the tree all by themselves and it was the best ever!

Andrea - I love baking cookies with my two little helpers! It’s something I did with my mom every year, and have looked forward to doing with my own children since I was young!

Jaime B. - Making popcorn ball with my great-grandma to give out to everyone in the family on Christmas Eve. She has passed but I hope once my husband and I have a family we can continue this tradition!

Rachel - Making cookies and spending time as a family during the holidays is what I am most excited about! love your blog girly!

Tami Hiebert - This is the second blog that has talked about this book or magazine and I had never heard of it before! My favorite tradition that I am looking forward to is putting up the tree. In fact I considered putting it up yesterday as we moved some furniture around!! If I didn’t put the decorations on it until after Thanksgiving it wouldn’t be that obvious would it? I mean it’s only a 9 foot pre-lit tree!

Mrs. - My favorite Christmas tradition is new (we have been doing it only two years)…now that my girls are older (11, 13) we host the after church fellowship at the midnight service. They can stay up late, be helpful, and since we don’t live near family, we don’t have any other obligations. This is a small thing we can do to offer hospitality when everyone else seems so busy. BEsides, they like the midnight service. Last year my younger daughter said she couldn’t imagine singing “Silent Night” at the 5pm service when it isn’t even dark!

Yolanda - our favorite tradition is doing advent with our kids. they love adding to the nativity scene every day until the day of Christmas when Jesus is born!

Diana P - Baking every day and giving the goods to different, special people. That’s my FAVORITE. 🙂

Cindy B - The Elves leave new pj’s for the kids and the adults every year when we get back from Christmas eve service. We enlist neighbors and the kids are always confused:) They leave flour footprints too.

Amber - I’m excited to do the Jesse Tree with the kids again.

karen - lying for what seems like hours under the christmas tree… looking at the lights, colours, ornaments…oh i love it.

Valerie - I love doing an advent calendar with the kids – one I’ve quilted and has ornaments for each day for them to hang, and then I make one out of Hershey Kisses for each of the kids – serves as both a decoration and a treat every day for the countdown. Oh, and giving them each a Christmas book and pj’s several weeks before Christmas so we can get in the spirit every night. It’s all about Jesus!

Kelly - This is my first Christmas with a baby! I am excited to celebrate with my little family of three and also with extended family! We decided to do a stocking for our son and I’m excited about some of the things I’ve found to go in it. We know he will be getting lots of presents from extended family so we plan to buy for a child in need instead of piling more gifts on him when he is too young to even know what gifts are. We’re excited about that plan. I think I will also start a Christmas album scrapbook for my little family. I’ve done one for my mom and added to it each year but now I need one for my little family. Kelly

Mallory - My favorite traditions are the tree trimming party and taking a ride in the car to look at Christmas lights while enjoying a nice cup of hot cocoa.

Charli - We go out for breakfast on Christmas Eve morning with my parents and my brother and sister and our significant others. We talk about our highs and lows from the year and what we’re excited about for the year to come. It is such a special time.

Linda - Do I have to only pick one? I love trudging through a forest finding the perfect tree, listening to Bing Crosby singing Christmas Carols, baking, baking and more baking, searching for the exact gift, twinkling lights, Christmas Eve pageant, and having my family around me. OK I just couldn’t pick one tradition. They all just go together. I love this time of year!!!

Jess - Since our oldest is learning the meaning of Christmas, we’re teaching her to make a huge deal about Jesus for Christmas instead of making a huge deal gratifying herself. It’s his birthday so why not presents for him? So this year, my 5-year old daughter wants to give toys to other kids instead! I’m so excited! She keeps saying I can’t wait for Jesus’s birthday!
Jess
http://www.ourlifeinhisgrace.tumblr.com

Reneelovestoshop - Our Christmas Eve dice game!

Mandi - Every year, my family goes to my Granny’s house for Christmas Eve.
We eat a delicious dinner, celebrate my cousin’s birthday, open presents and spent lots of time with each other.
On the way home, even though my siblings and I are grown, we look for “Rudolph” in the sky.
I am so ready!

Su@The Intentional Home - oh I’d love to win this bookazine. Our favorite tradition is acting out the Christmas story with impromptu costumes and props. Hubby, me and 4 kids all act it out. . fun!!

Mindy Harris - my favorite tradition is when Daddy reads the Christmas story from his Bible (I think it is from the 70’s; it is brown faux leather with a fish on it). it reminds us that Jesus is what the holiday is about, not gifts.

Jenna - Unruh Photography - We open gifts one by one. each person guesses what’s inside before opening. It takes hours and I enjoy every second. I highly suggest it. And I NEED this magazine!

Jules - I am SO excited for Christmas this year. I’ve been thinking about what type of Christmas cards to make for a while now, that’s my favorite. I think I’m more excited this year than I have ever been. Can’t wait! (Who needs to wait until after Thanksgiving? I’m going to start decorating soon.)

Courtney M - So many favorite traditions by my favorite by far is making pierogis from scratch with my family while listening to my Dean Martin Christmas CD.

Amy - I am excited about going sledding with my little girls and then coming inside for hot chocolate and popcorn while our socks and shoes dry out by the fire…and then go outside for more!

Jen - i’ve never heard of the magazine before and would LOVE to check it out. I’m a newlywed with 2 christmas’s under our belt and i love waking up on christmas morning together and laying in bed a few extra minutes!
LOVE seeing all the members of our GIANT families and wreaths!

Heidi - Decorating the tree. Because one year I was frustrated about wanting to have that tradition be “perfect” so the kids would remember it when they got older and I *may* have thrown a fit and just generally been not fun. The next year, my 4 year old daughter told her preschool teacher about the “fun tradition” of decorating the tree and having popcorn and hot chocolate. Then I realized that even if it’s not “perfect”, it’s still a tradition that’s special to them!

Tara Laudie - My favorite Christmas tradition is the MUSIC – all day, wherever I may be. That’s what makes it Christmas for me.

Jules - Hard to pick a fave… I would have to say having our Christmas Eve “display” (buffet, but that’s what the kids always used to say)..with just our family..tree lit, candles on, Christmas music and hopefully lots of snow! I also love going to the kids’ Christmas program at school!

Breeana - We go and cut down our own tree. Last year, my hubby had a broken leg, so we missed out on our tradition. Looking forward to catching up on it this year!

Rachel J - Tree day!! It is actually Thanksgiving weekend- but we make a big deal out of the tradition of decorating our house for the month. This year we are thinking about introducing the Elf on a Shelf or something like it…we have a four year old. Any suggestions?

shelby - my favorite tradition is going to get the tree! 🙂

Jessica H. - Going to the cabin the day after Christmas and chopping down a tree from the woods and decorating it with popcorn and cranberries!

Maggie Rose - I love decorating the tree. We put on the Nutcracker music, drink eggnog, and unpack all our special ornaments. Looking forward to it!

Shelly - Giving an orange and a peppermint stick or candy cane each Christmas is a four generation tradition in our family. I carry on the tradition with my own children. I love seeing my kiddos stab their oranges and start sucking the peppermint. My oldest kids actually do get the hole to come through the peppermint stick then they drink the orange juice! So many memories!

Donna - My favorite Christmas tradition is pulling out the “countdown to Christmas” calendar. My kids are young and enjoy the magic of Santa and Christmas. (And I do, too!)

jen smith - every year since we’ve been married(15 years!) christmas eve has looked the same. first we go to the chrstmas eve service at church, then we take a drive and look at all the best chrismtas lights in town. after we are all lighted out we go back to the inlaws and snack our hearts out on christmas goodies.

Jill - singing carols at Christmas Eve mass. I love this time of year!

Kyle - my husband and i wake up the kids to rich mullin’s “christmas morning”, open our presents and have homemade cinnamon rolls.

Meredith Salmon - Ever since we were little my Mom always said “this Christmas (present wise) is not that great” and it always would be great. It is obnoxious even as adults. My brother has missed a couple of years, but he will be home this year, with his wife. It will be her first Christmas of Crazyness and I can not wait. She is going to love it. Paper everywhere, kids running around.

Mirys - Hi Meg!!!
I think the best Christmas traditions ever in my family is homemade gretting cards (I make them myself & photoshop – according to the age of my kids, the most important events of the year and a beautiful / personal message).
All my friends and family keep waiting for them (and if I dont send them before the 15th, 16th December… I start receveing so many phone calls!).
I´m brazilian, virtual friends with Ashley Ann (under the sicamore) and also have a blog. Anytime soon, I´ll post about the past 5 years cards. Stop by if you want! It´d be a pleasure!!
Mirys – http://www.diariodos3mosqueteiros.blogspot.com
PS: there are some posts in English ´cause this was my “special language” with my husband.

Robin - So many memories as a child of going to Grandma’s…and so sad that so much has changed as parents grow old and leave us..one tradition that hasn’t changed is our church service on Christmas Eve. Everyone gathers for a beautiful candlelit service together. I love that.

Betsy - My favorite tradition is the hunt for the elusive yet perfect Christmas tree. For 13 years, my husband and I (and later 2 kids) have always gone to a Christmas tree farm to cut down our own. We mark our favorites with our mittens and then have to retrace out steps to find our mittens and pick the perfect one!

jessica kiehn - Every year on Christmas Eve, we all open one present and it’s always new pajamas to wear that night and Christmas morning. So fun and so cute!
Also, this is mine and my husband’s first Christmas with a child! So we are excited about starting new traditions, as well!

Terri - My favorite family tradition growing up was reading “The Night Before Christmas” just before going to bed Christmas Eve. I now read it to my children and I love this cuddle time together.

Shairee - I’m totally excited about making ornaments this year with my 4 wonderful children (among other crafts 🙂

Jenny - My favorite Christmas tradition I am excited about would have to be loading the kids in the car with hot chocolate and candy canes & driving around to look at Christmas lights!

Alli - Decorating my tree and baking, baking, baking!!!

josieswtt@Hotmail.com - My favorite tradition is hosting a gingerbread house party,both for kids and adults. Its a relaxing holiday event and everyone has fun decorating their houses, visiting and of course eating good food.

Lou Ann - A favorite tradition of mine is gathering together with all of the family and watching everyone’s faces as they open presents. After that we all gather round and sing and play. Before my grandfather passed away, he would entertain us all on his fiddle. Awesome man, awesome memories. This year my son started playing the fiddle! Hoping to continue the legacy!

Lynda@Me and My Pink Mixer - I love decorating the tree and looking at each ornament & remembering who gave it to us or where it came from. My daughter looks forward to opening her Christmas Eve Pj’s every year. I am so glad I started this tradition when she was small, she is 17 and still looks forward to it 🙂

holly - sausage balls and cream cheese braids for breakfast on christmas morning. Yummm.

Anne - I’m excited to put up our Christmas tree and decorate the house!

Christy - my favorite xmas tradition is crankin up the kenny & dolly parton christmas album and decorating!

Jill R. - I love drinking lots of hot chocolate! And decorating the house for Christmas.

Sami - My favorite tradition is our annual Christmas Crafts day with my college BFF’s. It started our freshman year and we have done it every year since! We actually did it this past weekend. So the start of my holiday season is always in the beginning of November!

Gina - Hmmm, it’s hard to narrow it down to one. I’ll go with a new one. Last year my husband and I went away for a weekend a couple of weeks before Christmas. We’re planning to do it again this year so I’ll call it a tradition. 😉

Jessica - My favorite tradition is decorating the christmas tree, there are so many memories in each and every ornament. It just makes me happy decorating it! 🙂

Lindsey - I’m looking forward to the adventure of getting a Christmas tree and making Christmas cookies!

Erin Johnson - My favorite Christmas tradition is thatat the beginning of December all the girls in my family get together and stay a night in a hotel. We stay up for hours giggling and eating, then we get up and go shopping the next day. What a great way to start off the holiday season.

Laura - Christmas can be such a painful time of year. I’m trying to create my own traditions that differ from what my parents did. I like opening one present on Christmas Eve, which is new pajamas for everyone! So far that seems to be working pretty well. I also love listening to my Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney Christmas CDs. That gets me in the holiday mood anytime.

Lisa - Our family always watches It’s A Wonderful Life together and we make our favorite sugar cookie recipe and decorate them. It’s an evening we all look forward to each year. 🙂

Kara Tait - A tradition my husband and I started the year we got married, “paint you own pottery” we make ornaments every year for the Christmas tree. Now that we have kids they are making then too.

Jodi - My favorite Christmas tradition started about 4 years ago when we moved into our own house. Me, my husband and daughter have my Mom, Nanny, Aunt, Uncle and my brother over for Christmas breakfast on Christmas morning. My daughter gets to show off her presents from Santa and we all get to chill, relax, enjoy a hearty breakfast and each others company. I love being able to provide a warm, nice place for others. We’ve created a lot of great memories and I look forward to it every year.

meredith - i love to spend thanksgiving weekend with the family – black friday shopping with my sister and then decorating the house after napping while watching christmas movies! it’s the most wonderful time of the year 🙂

Linda B - Singing Christmas carols.

Jen - My annual trip home to visit with family. I live over a thousand miles away, so Christmas is the one and only time of the year I see them.

Meg - We just moved to a new house, so I am scoping it out for places to hang all our favorite “every year” decorations: the Advent calendar, the snowman, the Santa holding a baby; the nativity set. Plus, I have to shop for and order the matching family Christmas pj’s, which are always waiting for us on the fireplace hearth when we return from Christmas Eve services.

Kathi - Our favorite tradition is cutting our own tree. I have 3 boys they are now 22, 20, and 15, and we still love going together to get the tree. They always give me a hard time because I want to find the “perfect” tree.

Nancy from the Chicago 'burbs - I am ready to start decorating today! I love everything about Christmas, I can’t pick just one thing.

Faith - I LOVE the tradition my husband and I have of going to get our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. And I LOVE decorating it while watching Emmett Otter’s Jugband Christmas….every year.
What a wonderful magazine!

Emily - Our extended family has a centerpiece competition each year. So each of the elders (my dad, my aunts, and uncles) families gets together to make the best centerpiece they can. One year it was a gingerbread competition, the next year it was a xmas tree decoration and this year it is who can make the overall best centerpiece. It’s always fun because it involves, the young and the old and brings all of our families together.

whitneybens@yahoo.com - Getting the kids new christmas pj’s and bringing out the “Elf on the Shelf”!

Michelle - I love having quiet evenings with the tree lit, a fire in the fire place, and my kiddos and hubby and I hanging out–reading books, playing games, or listening to an audio book. But just being together with candles, tree lights, and a fire.

brianna - On Christmas Eve, we get together as a family (here in Texas) and call my grandmother in Kansas and sing Silent Night to her on speaker phone, she really adores that more than any kind of gift… I’m looking forward to that, and maybe Christmas morning where both of my toddlers can open their own gifts and get excited… it should be an AWESOME day!

jess - love when the kids get their “Christmas books” every night…the elves hide the books in the house every night in December…the last one being “The Night Before Christmas”

Shar - I love everything about this time of year! The decorating, cookie baking, gingerbread house day. I guess if I had to choose, it would be putting up the tree & the outside lights the day after Thanksgiving. Whoever is staying at our house for Thanksgiving is enlisted to help. We put on Xmas carols & get to work. Afterwards, we light a fire in the fireplace & admire our handywork (while eating Thanksgiving leftovers).
Shar

pam - You find so many fun things. Our daughters LOVE their stockings…sometimes they’re more excited to get into them than open all their other packages. They’re in their early twenties and it’s still a HUGE love of theirs.

Stephanie - My favorite Christmas tradition is baking cookies with my kids.

abby - I love prett much everything… decorating, music, lights, church services, shopping…can’t wait!

Anne-Marie - My favorite Christmas tradition is watching my husband read “The Night Before Christmas” to our two girls. We’ve done this every year since they were born and now they are 16 and 14. They continue to snuggle close to him and giggle when he adds his own little twist to the story. It’s absolutely priceless to me! Have a blessed Christmas Meg!

melanie - We have a leg lamp… you know the one. We proudly display it on a mantel in front of a big picture window! When we turn it on, we always run outside and see how it glows. I can’t wait!
(pieces from my different nativity scenes always seem to make it to that same mantel and it always looks kinda funny!)

deb meyers - love decorating the tree and hearing my children exclaim and reminisce as they unpack old and familiar ornaments!
don’t be jealous, but I drive past MMs driveway when I visit my best friend : )
deb meyers

Sarah - I love decorating the tree with the children – thats when christmas really starts for me

Rachael B - My favorite holiday tradition is making Rocky Road with my mom for hours in the kitchen and then giving trays of goodies out to our good friends.

Lorri - My husband and I get more excited for the holidays than our kids (21 and 25 still at home). We start to decorate on Dec 1. Up go the lights and our Rudolph my husband made for us 19 years ago out of wood. He went the extra and put a cord through it and it has a lite up red nose. We have an artificial tree because I have way too many hallmark ornaments for it. I have been collecting since 1975. I have an assortment of tall wooden nut crackers that come out and grace our home. Then there is the Poinsettia china we use for our tea at night and I also have a dinner set of christmas dishes I break out each December. My kids don’t go out looking at lights anymore but my husband and I do and we usually bring a CD of carols to sing too, I think it is the singing my kids objected to over the years, lol. We always travel to my In-Laws home (hour car trip and another 1 1/2 ferry ride and have done it for 28 years. This year will be no exception. I have never cooked a christmas turkey myself. We spend each night watching one of our collection of christmas movies and reminisce about christmas past.

Angela - We have a ton of traditions but the one that I enjoy the most is every year I order at least a dozen Christmas movies from Gremlins to Christmas in Connecticut and we all pile up and watch them, eat homemade goodies and make memories. My kids are spaced apart from 19 to 8 so I love spending time with them during the holidays.
I LOVE your photos and blog posts from your families holidays!!

Kendra - Hosting our own little Advent services with a few family/friends.

Lisa - I’m totally ready in every way! I think I’m most excited for Christmas morning…we found a used playhouse that I’m overhauling to give my girls for Christmas!

rachel beverlin - I would love that!! How fun! I love making Christmas goodies with my mom and sister every year.
We always got to open one present on Christmas Eve…it was always pj’s!
I can’t wait to start that tradition with my own family now!

Heidi Hentze - I put out a bowl for each person at our Christmas day breakfast. In it put lottery tickets, and some scrapbooking treats that I have made plus something fun, like a wind up toy even for the adults. It’s another small part of a fun filled day.

Jenn A. - My favorite Christmas tradition is when we come back home after the midnight, candlelight service at church and eat a bunch of the cookies and fudge we have baked from scratch. YUM!

Jacqui - letting the kids unwrap a present on christmas eve and its matching pj’s!!

Gina - Oh I love everything about Christmas but I really enjoy doing the advent calendar and Jesse tree with our family.

candace - everyone gets to choose a favorite finger food for Christmas Eve when we open presents from each other. i was lucky to marry into a family that held the same tradition.

Shawna - We usually have a family celebration on Christmas Eve by going to our church service and having soups and breads to eat for dinner. Then on Christmas day we get the stockings, gifts and have a bigger meal. This year will hope to celebrate by spending less and worshipping more fully.

adrienne - one tradition I am going to miss this year since moving to pennsylvania from kansas is going to the isle of lights in winfield. anyone living near there should try very, very hard to go!

Amy R. - I think my favorite Christmas tradition is putting up the tree. We bake something yummy, play Christmas music, and put the ornaments on the tree. It is always neat to see the new ornaments from the year before that we forgot about and other ornaments bring back fond memories from past Christmases. I was ready to put the tree up this weekend, but hubby was not. 🙁
I can’t wait to see that new magazine!
Amy

Stephanie Carroll - I’m excited to go see A Christmas Carol.

Lacy Brauner - ooh there are soo many to choose
I hace created a few of my own with my own family. I bake constatnly and bring my nieghbors cookies, so a few years back I started a tradition with my mom,step mom,best freinds( i dont have sisters)and a few other girls and we do a cookie exchange! This soo helps me because I can just bake one or two kinds where as before I cooked many, many kinds! And I am still able to plate up goodies for my friendly,fun,happy neighbors:]

Stephanie C. - I have a huge family and everyone gets together on Christmas ever where Santa, Mrs Claus, and his elves show up to give the kids gifts. Always so fun!

Lillian - I can’t wait to really spend time reading and enjoying The Christmas Story with my little ones. They’re 3 and 1 and my 3 year old will finally “get” it more this year and she’s already so excited:)

Jenny Wenzel - My favorite Christmas tradition is letting my 7 year old twins set up our manger set…they love it and then get to play with it all Christmas!

lexie - Comming home after Midnight Mass, I snuggle up in my favorite chair with only the lights from the tree, with hot coffee in hand I listen to Christmas music and reflect on those wonderful past holidays at Grandma’s. Then stay up until 3am to finish that dredded wrapping! This year it’s gift bags!
thank you for the opportunity to win this great Christmas Zine!

Ashley - Christmas music!!! For sure!

Julie Briggs - Christmas Eve is my favorite…my family has a party with friends and then we all attend midnight service at church. I love it.

Melissa - My favorite tradition with my family is that every Christmas Eve we have a “Snack Supper” We pile together all of the Christmas cookies, dips, cheeseballs, fruitcakes, etc. that we have in our houses and chow down. It’s a fun way to clean out the fridge, so to speak. 🙂

Janelle - One of my best friends has a voice like an angel & has written beautiful praise music. Every year on Christmas Eve at Midnight Services she sings with the choir in an old church w a loft. The first time the choir sang I thought they had many members… turns out there are only 8 people… my first experience with holy song… now I love to watch as others encounter it for the first time!

Jenna - I love it all, but nothing beats going home for Christmas … coming around the corner and seeing the Christmas lights means the people I love are inside just waiting for us.

whitney - I love the Christmas movies and the whole feeling! It has become our tradition to get the tree the day after Thanksgiving and to watch those movies along with it…

Quinn - Hmmm, I guess my favourite tradition is kind of ruined this year. We always go to my aunts for christmas eve, but her house was flooded and needed new floors put in, they have yet to start and we are worried they wont get put in until after the holidays. Maybe our tradition will be saved… or a new one created?

adrienne - i love the hustle and bustle but spending christmas eve at mom’s house with my family is the best!

The Fairy's Apprentice - I like the singers coming to our door and singing Christmas Carols in front of our house. Is just beautiful!

Trish - I can’t wait for our annual family hay ride! We ride through town on a hay wagon pulled by a tractor and sing Christmas Carols!

valerie - Gosh I have so many…I love love love Christmas♥
My father in law has real sleigh bells…every year about 10 pm he comes up to our house and runs around outside ringing these beautiful bells….The delight on our babies faces is priceless, even the 15 and 17 yr old love it. We have 4 children that live 2 houses up….they live with their grandparents, we secret Santa the family every year, the littlest asked me last year if I heard Santa sleigh and bells go over? Boy Cayden I did. He then proceeded to tell me about all of the stuff Santa had left on the porch for them….he explained why Santa left it there…”we don’t have a chimney” he said!!
I would love a copy of Matthew’s new mag….looks great♥
Thanks Meg!!
Valerie

jodi @ back40life - We read the Christmas story together as a family the night before Christmas…our little boy is old enough to really enjoy it this year, so I’m really looking forward to that, but also the entire holiday in general…he’s 4 now, and it’s so enjoyable to see Christmas through his eyes!

CAROL B - We go home for the holidays and stay at a cozy cabin in the woods…and we usally make homemade donuts!! They are the Best donuts you’ve ever eaten!! This really puts me in the christmas mood!!

Liz @ Perfect Chaos - The truth is I love EVERYTHING about Christmas ~ the music, the lights, the decorations, the trees, the food, the gatherings, the cards, the presents, the energy, and of course celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Maria - Eating. (just being honest! lol.)
Ok, I also love watching old Christmasoviea while wrapping gifts.

kristine - my favorite tradition is celebrating our swedish heritage with st. lucia and a smorgasbord on christmas eve!

Tammy - I love painting our front window together as a family. We scour coloring books to find just the right scene. My husband I outline it afte the kids go to bed and it’s just quiet time with the two of us. The next day, all the kids join in to help fill in the design with color. It’s a great family event.

Tammy Sabourin - Mom’s raisin spice cake with lots of gooey icing. Yums!

jenn g - reading “the night before Christmas”, the night before Christmas :o)

Gayle - We do the Advent Tree each night with our kids. They love to put the tiny ornaments on our special Advent Tree while Daddy reads how each ornaments represents a sign of the promise of Christ.

Sandra K - It’s a new tradition for us – going to a real Christmas tree farm and cutting down our own tree. It’s one of two trees in our house so we look for a smaller, “Charlie Brown” type tree and I LOVE this family outing.

Meredith - My cousin and I have baked our Christmas cookies together on “Cookie Day Weekend” the weekend after Thanksgiving every year for the last 15 years. We have so much fun and get so much done. When we started, she had a 1 year old baby. Over the last 15 years, we have added 3 children and have moved collectively 4 times. We bake all day Saturday, eat Chinese food for dinner then watch a Christmas movie in the evening. We have a big family breakfast then part to get more Christmas chores finished. It’s such a delightful weekend.

Valerie Page - My daughters and I make sugar cookies EVERY year and decorate them. They never seem to mind that I ALWAYS overcook them. They just love that we do it together and that it’s so much fun.:)

susie - I would love to win a copy of Matthew Mead’s Holiday magazine. My favorite tradition is listening to Christmas music while we all decorate the Christmas tree together.

Jessica H. - Whoops…disregard my last comment. Favorite Christmas tradition: decorating the tree while listening to Christmas music.

Jessica H. - Ooh…I’ve never heard of this before but I’d definitely love a copy. Cute stuff!

Kim walker - Our fun family tradition is the book elf on the shelf. My two boys love it!

KellyB - My favorite holiday tradition is taking a new photo of our family in front of the tree to add to our album. It was the first gift my hubby gave me when we were dating, at Cmas time, and we add one photo each year. This will be the 7th picture, and I love seeing how our family grows and evolves each year. I think it will be so special in 50 years to look at!

Kelly Webb - I love making sour cream cut out cookies with homemade frosting while Christmas music plays in the background, and Candlelight service on Christmas Eve and singing Silent Night as we exit the church. These are a few of my favorite things 🙂

Jessica - I’m ready! I have one gift left to buy & a few to make & then I’m done with gifts! It’s hard to narrow down my favorite Christmas tradition to just one. I suppose it would have to be either steak & mushroom gravy & homemade bread for breakfast on Christmas morning or watching the kids look for the pickle on the tree. Of course celebrating Christ’s birth is really the best tradition!

Heather R. - Right after Thanksgiving dinner…heading to a German Christmas Market was the BEST!
Growing up our cardboard fireplace in Florida with it’s little light bulb fire used to crack me up! 😉

donna - hi meg. i want to win!! my favorite xmas tradition is shopping!! oh yes, i love the chaos of it all! i love to hit the stores at 3 am the day after thanksgiving. i do my shopping with my girl friends, go have a nice breakfast and go home and go back to sleep!!!

Lin - Making my daughter hot chocolate with whipped cream, and then putting out the cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve. We also put out food for his reindeer which she helps me make (dry oatmeal and glitter).

Michele with 1 L - Christmas music!!!! We have a local radio station that starts playing it the day after Thanksgiving. O Holy Night is my favorite carol, and I think I have every version of it ever on iTunes. My husband is looking forward to recording some traditional and original songs on Garage Band this year, and we’re hoping our 6 yr old daughter will sing along!

Angie - Over the years I have collected Children’s books about Christmas…all kinds of books. I wrap 25 of them and each night my kids get to pick one and we open it and read it together. Each year I add new ones and leave out ones that were not our favorites, but it is a fun tradition that allows them to open a gift every night of December until Christmas!

Juli - My favorite thing about the holidays is that my hubby saves up most of his vacation time and takes several weeks off around Christmas. We have him all to ourselves! I know my odds are low of winning this so I bought my copy (thank you for posting the info b/c otherwise I’d never know about it!) However, if I do win, I have a friend who I’d love to give this to!

Beth - Loading up the kids in their pajamas, drnking hot chocolate, eating Xmas cookies, listening to our favorite Bing Crosby Xmas cd, while driving around town looking at the lights together. We look forward to it every year! 🙂

Shannon - Favourite tradition would have to be going to my parents place and having dinner with everyone. Since we were hit with a major flu bug last Christmas Eve we are extra excited to be able to chill with everyone this year! 🙂
Thanks for the chance to win!!

Sherbez - Each year my kids get to choose a new ornament for the tree. They will get to take them with them when they leave home!

amac - My husband and I have lived overseas for over 5 years. Our colleagues here are our family away from our family. So, we started a tradition of them all coming over and spending the night at our house on Christmas Eve, even though they only live down the street. It makes it feel like we have relatives from out of town visiting and it’s so much fun to wake up to a houseful of people we love on Christmas morning. So fun! Can’t wait!!!

María Belén Juliá - hey meg i am your argentinian fan!!!! i see your blog every day i am from argentina (south america)my name is maría belén and i LOVE waffle here in argentina we talk spanish so waffle in spanish is GALLETA. and abaut christmas in spanish is NAVIDAD!!!

Nicole M - my favorite christmas tradition is buying the christmas tree and setting it up while decorating the rest of the house. I LOVE Christmas time so much.

Lisa - Singing Christmas carols around the fire each evening in our living room. Also can’t wait to watch Christmas Vacation!

Carrie - Oooooooh!!! I would love to have a copy of the magazine!! I need a little help getting in the Christmas spirit!

Shannon - We have grown up unwrapping gift’s with my mom’s side of the family at 6 pm on Christmas Eve. Not a minute earlier and if you’re not there on time your gifts disappear till Christmas morning. My Pawpaw was also as excited as all of us kids and we still sit around and talk about our memories of him as we wait for 6 o’clock.

Karie - We are just starting to establish some traditions with our 3 year old and 10 month old. Growing up, my mom gave us a Christmas ornament each year. When I got married, she gave them all to me as a wedding present. We’ve started that tradition with our kids.

Mindy Wise - My whole family (my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) wear pajamas and have a gingerbread house making contest. We then vote for the winner Survivor style. We video tape each person casting their vote and then watch it to reveal the winner. Totally cheesy, but very funny!

Katie - On Christmas Eve we all go to my parents and celebrate. My favorite thing is when we sing along with the Evie song “Come on, Ring those bells” all the kids get a bell to ring during the chorus of the song. We used to go to my grandmothers every Christmas Eve before she passed away and we did this every year. It reminds my sisters and I of when we were young and I remember how exciting it was when it was time to ring your bell!! Who am I kidding it’s still exciting!!

Jen - I would love to win as I have not yet ordered my copy… My favorite Christmas tradition is… Every year we buy each child their own ornament we date and put their name on the back and they hang it on the tree… My oldest now has 17 ornaments… One day when he leaves home he will get to have his ornaments and have a pretty good start on his tree… It is so cute to see how the childrens “likes” and “stages” have been through the years…

Ange - Meg I love your blog! My favorite tradition is going up to the mountains, picking out a tree, tying
It to the top of the car, setting it up and decorating!

Kristi - pajamas on Christmas eve is my favorite tradition!

Katie4Life - This year I am excited to bake a birthday cake for Jesus. We have never done that as I always think we have too much junk food around to add a cake too, but really you need a cake on a birthday, right?!! This is another way for my young children to keep Christ in Christmas!

Lori Danelle - Peppernuts. I really can’t wait to make peppernuts. I love having the freezer full of snakes waiting to be cut. I love sharing them with my girls and people (everyone around me) who has/had not heard of them before I brought them in. It was such a huge (and inconspicuous) part of my holidays growing up.
Sometimes you don’t recognize the traditions that are unique or special to you until you get away from your family.
For me, that’s peppernuts.

Emilee Prenevost - Growing up my favorite tradition was my dad’s famous Christmas morning breakfast 🙂 He made eggnog with orange juice mixed in, and homemade cinnamon rolls! It was amazing! Then we read the Christmas story 🙂 Then we opened stockings, then presents 🙂 My husband’s parents always gave each child a new ornament every year 🙂 and they would hide their stockings and the kids would have to find them 🙂 (with clues mom and dad left) oh and after all the presents were opened and they thought everything was over, their parents would say “Oh! we almost forgot! we have one more present for all of you!” 🙂 it was my husband’s favorite 🙂 and his mom had one of those calenders that countdown till Christmas….he loved that 🙂

Kasey - I am ready too! My favorite Christmas tradition is getting up on Christmas morning and listening to my husband read about Jesus’ birth before we exchange gifts.

Jennie - My favorite tradition is opening (and now letting my kids open) one gift on Christmas Eve. Growing up, I had a great aunt who would send a box each year that had dozens of little gifts wrapped inside – dolls, Happy Meal toys, balls, etc. I always picked that gift to open on Christmas eve because it was really like opening a dozen gifts!

Wendy - All the baking!

Karen - Every Christmas Eve my husband and I go drive around and look at Christmas lights and then come home and exchange our gifts to each other. It’s our way of stealing a little time to ourselves before the next day erupts with seven kinds of crazy chaos from all the kids, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents running around!

jennibell - The kids (4) each draw a name out of a hat. Then, instead of Santa filling their stockings, we give each kid $20 to fill the person’s stocking whose name they drew. They LOVE this. And know each other so well. And I’m not stuck buying “junk” — they are!!! Anyway, it’s one I love and look forward to.

Stacy - I have a Rudolph party for my mother, sisters, niece, nephew and son! I get my tree up the Friday after Thanksgiving and that night they all come over to bake cookies (Pilsbury) and drink hot chocolate while watching Rudolph! We all wear pj’s too. It is a great way to start our Christmas holidays!

Crystal - The last few years my girls and I have made a birthday cake for Jesus. They get to do all the decorating and then we sing happy birthday to Him. It always touches me and makes everything so real.

Megan - cutting down our Christmas tree… as a family. It’s the best!

Emily - Elf on the Shelf is my favorite new Christmas tradition! My kids love when he comes to visit.

Suzy Adams - Hi Meg! I love your blog! My favorite holiday tradition is going to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago on Christmas Eve, during the day – it’s free! Then, we head to my parents house for Christmas Eve dinner with my huge family. Once we get home, late late late, I bake a batch of warm Toll House Cookies with my son (for Santa). We put our holiday jammies on and go to sleep… under the tree. It’s magical…and we have been doing it since Jack was two. He is 8 now. Happy Holidays and thanks for the fun opportunity!
Suzy Adams

Carolyn - One of my favorite Christmas traditions of recent years is that we have started letting our two oldest (who will be 4 and 6 at Christmas this year) go downstairs by themselves when they wake up. They can open their stockings and we set up a Blues Clues-esque treasure hunt for them which ends up in them finding gift-wrapped boxes of cereal (the good sugary kinds that we never let them have!). They are allowed to play with their stocking toys and eat the cereal (right out of the box!) until we get up. The best thing about this plan is that it buys me and my hubby some extra sleeping time. 🙂

Stephanie - I’m feeling the same as you, ready to get started!
This year is the first year I am staying with my family (home!) for Christmas since we got married over 5 years ago. I’m excited to introduce my hubby to my family’s traditions!

Kerri - I love pulling out the decorations we brought home from various places we traveled to, and telling our kids stories about our trips. 🙂

Kirsten J - One of my favorite traditions is taking my daughter and a friend to get something at Starbucks, and then driving and driving and driving, looking at the Christmas lights.

Daniela - i just love to watch astrid lindgren’s “emil” x-mas story – without him, it wouldn’t feel like christmas.
loved it as a child and love to share it now with my kids!!

barb - My favorite tradition is the orange rolls my husband makes every year on Christmas morning. My kids are grown and out of the house,and still expect those rolls every year! Just thinking of it gives me goosebumps. My kids would be all sticky and happy and the house smelled so yummy. Pure joy, these memories and this tradition!

angie - Going to see the Nutcracker ballet and Christmas Eve candlelight service. Would love to start a Jesse tree. Love your blog!!!!

Kelly - Every year my sister and I get together for out annual Bake-a-Thon. It starts early in the morning and goes to late at night. Our men take the kids and know to stay far far away. We have a couple of recipes that are must-do’s every year and then we audition a couple. We always seem to have at least one that flops, so it’s always comforting once that one is out of the way. This year my mom is joining us. It will be our 9th annual and I can’t wait.

Amanda - My favorite Christmas tradition is baking cookies with my mom. I sure miss those days!

*LuLu* - i like going and seeing relatives and i like all the snow

Kit - Megan,
I love celebrating Advent and I love celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas that START on Christmas and end on Epiphany Jan 6! I love the sense of anticipation and waiting…Is that weird?

Juliann - HI Megan – my favorite Christmas tradition is baking my mom’s famous pistachio nut coffee cakes – yummmmmy!
I hope you and your family are well; I love ‘keeping up’ with you through your blog, and seeing some familiar faces too 😉

Tanya - My favorite part is the tree, going to get it, the smell of it and decorating it, love it all!

Sara M. - I love to bake all the yummy treats!

Jenn N - I would love the Matthew Mead magazine, so one of my favourite traditions is decorating the tree and getting out all the holiday decorations. We do it as a family and everyone is right in to it. Usually on a Sunday afternoon and it takes us right through until after dinner. So much fun!

Wendy - Every year on Dec 6th, St. Nick leaves a holiday ornament for each of our kids. The ornament represents something that they participated in or achieved during that year. These are the ornaments that they will be able to take with them when they are ready to start their own holiday traditions.

Rachel - My favourite Christmas tradition is making my daughter a new tree ornament each year. She’s 18 now and, I suppose, one day soon she will move out. At least she’ll be able to decorate her first tree!

BeckyB - Mine is sitting in the living room at night with only the tree lights on, Christmas music playing, candles, with the ones I love. God has blessed us so much!
I want my new favorite tradition to be giving/serving more to those who don’t have all I do.
Thank you!

Shanda Campana - I’m thrilled to watch Rudolph and Charlie Brown Christmas with my 6 year old- commercials too! This will be our 2nd year carrying on this tradition. It is a tradition I’ve looked forward to for many years as I loved these shows when I was a child.

Courtney McIlwain - I love baking. I do it every year for my husband’s employees. Its so much fun!!!

Kelly - By far, my favorite Christmas tradition is Ding Dong Ditch. It originated when we dropped off plates of homemade cookies and candies to the less fortunate, rang the doorbell and ran to the car where the rest of the family was waiting. There have been snowy Christmases, wet Christmases and even a warm Christmas where we set aside some time for our tradition. Now we do it with nieces and nephews!

Margo - I am excited about spending time with family. Any my 5 year old niece always comes to spend a night at my house so that we can sleep by the fire with the Christmas tree lights blinking.

myrnie - Christmas caroling!

Heidi - My favorite is Christmas Eve with friends and family.

Kristin S - I can’t remember the last Christmas I spent with family so I am crazy thankful for dear friends who are more like family to me than most blood.
Now I can’t imagine Christmas without that family!

Jenn - I have always loved getting the Christmas tree together. We used to drive into the mountains to get one when we were little. Then we moved to the mountains and started x-country skiing to get them, or snowshoeing. Now we just walk up into the trees in the back acreage with our little ones and cut one down together. Along with a thermos of cocoa! (sometimes mixed with peppermint schnapps for the ‘adults’…)

Sharla - My 6 year old just told me today that he can’t wait for Christmas Eve because he loves watching the Polar Express in the dark with the Christmas lights. I agree – I love that movie and we’ve started keeping it JUST for Christmas Eve.

Becki Griffin - My boys who are 10, still enjoy making ornaments for our tree.
I love that.

tobi d - THe tradition i am most excited about is taking the kids to see santa and then on for a pancake breakfast!

Elizabeth - Our most treasured Christmas tradition is taking out our collection of mangers……especially now that my mother has passed away and I have inherited hers…..

Lorilee Peterson - I don’t think I can pick just one. But there is something magical about that first night watching the lights on the tree after it has been put up. I can’t wait!

Sherry - I’d have to say baking goodies for my family and friends. It’s such fun and so filled with love. For me there is nothing better than giving a wonderful homemade gift.

Lane - This would totally inspire me! I’m always looking for fun new things to try!! My son is 2 so we are just now starting the whole magic of Christmas with him! This magazine looks perfect!

Kat - Not sure if this is open to international readers but I will comment anyway. My favourite tradition is when we put up the tree. It is always done by me and my sister (who sadly is in the uk this Christmas) and we always play elvis christmas carols and eat candy canes while we decorate. We all have our own personal decorations that our aunty made when we were little so we all get to pick a spot for those ourself. It’s always fun just to hang out me and my sister.

Lindsay - Flying to St. Louis to be with my family again. I only get there 1-2 times per year and I wouldn’t miss it! I get my house ready here (Seattle), but it’s not “Christmas” until I get to my mom’s house, see her tree, and start to settle in for the week. Then, it’s off to many friend’s houses, attending many church services, etc., but stepping into my mom’s house is the start of the season for me.

Debbie - We really have a lot of Christmas traditions. It’s my favorite holiday. I love watching my favorite holiday movies, decorating, and baking.

Janelle - Sitting on the stairs in order of age before we go down to check and see if Santa came. There are now over 40 family members to line up on our stairs!

Lynette - Christmas morning complete with new christmas pjs, cozy baby girls and baked french toast.

Jamie - I love preparing the advent calendar I made for my children. It becomes a daily reminder of what we are so thankful for plus a little Christmas treat. 🙂

jenny - I love the evenings where we have a cozy fire, slippers, homemade cocoa and watch Christmas classics all snuggled up with the Christmas tree lights on.

Sara W - Our biggest tradition is traveling to see family every year. It is fun to load up and road trip. My biggest fear is that I’ll forget the presents but for 13 years I’ve made it.

stephanie a. - nativity advent calendar and elf on the shelf 🙂

Christie - My favorite tradition involves decorating. I have been the lucky recipient of my great grandmother’s ornaments from the 30’s and my grandmother’s ornaments from the 50’s. I love the bright colors. My two daughters, ages 12 and 9, also take part in the decorating. We also add to the collections each time we hit a thrift store.

courtney - new christmas eve pjs was my favorite tradition as a kid growing up…now we do it with our children. another favorite tradition is reading the night before christmas as a family. love. love. love. i can’t waitttt!!

Shawnie - I started Advent boxes about 5 years ago with my two boys. A box is opened everyday with a little ‘something’ fun in it. A little toy, candy or money. Each box also has Bible scripture to read. Most concern the coming of the Messiah. A meaningful and fun tradition. Now I also make boxes for my nieces and nephews.

Kimberly P - It’s my first Christmas as a wife, so I have not idea what traditions we are going to begin, but I am so excited to start celebrating every Christmas with my husband and our families:)

Brooke - I’m just excited to spend good time with my family. Time with my hubby who is often deployed…but home this year (yay!!) and our families. I am so excited for the holidays!!

Heather - I’m loving reading all of these posts! It’s totally getting me in the mood for Christmas! There just isn’t enough time for all the activities I want to do and the traditions we want to maintain! I also am totally loving all the people that give PJs to their kiddos on Christmas Eve, as we do the same. Adoring the idea of *tricking* my girls this year! I’m sure they would react much the same! LOL
It’s so hard to choose a fave tradition. I really enjoy sitting with the girls by their “Jesus” tree every evening as we place the proper Adorenament on the tree and discuss the names of Jesus. I really loved that my little one could finally read them aloud. There is nothing better than listening to the Word of God coming out of your children’s mouths!
My most sentimental tradition would be baking Christmas candies with my girls. As a child, I distinctly remember doing this with my mom, sister and sometimes our aunt. The whole house would smell of pumpkin and chocolate and we’d listen to Christmas music and talk and laugh and sip on hot cocoa and there was nothing better in the whole world than “working” in a warm house surrounded by love and anticipating the parties and the celebrations to come! I’d love nothing more than to get all of the special women in my life back together for a day to bake Christmas candy! But, for now, I’m loving passing that tradition on to my girls.

Allison A. - My husband and I lead the childrens choir at our church (1st-3rd graders). Their Christmas program is my favortie hoilday tradition! December 19th this year. Can’t wait!!

Cindy Singer - I love turning on the christmas music and decorating the tree with the kids!

Erin D - We play Christmas Bingo and my mom has a box of garage sale and Dollar Store goodies that we can pick when we win.

Leah - I am so excited to watch my favorite Christmas movies with my kids!

dixie - my favorite Christmas tradition is bringing all of my photo holiday cards to my Mother in Laws on Christmas eve. My sister in law does the same & we look @ each other’s. Laughing at some of course but enjoying all of our friends kids the most!! We love doing this!! Xoxo

Kirsten - I love the entire season! But I’m probably most excited for Christmas Eve. Board games, hot chocolate, new pajamas, playing Santa, and reading the Christmas Story. I love it all!

amy - Since moving to Cali – we don’t have any family here and nobody comes to see us during the Christmas Holiday – so 3 years ago we started the tradition of going to DisneyLand and have breakfast with Mickey on Xmas Eve Morning. The kids love it! There is something that makes your heart happy looking into their eyes all lit up!

Nicole - My absolute favorite part of Christmas is Christmas eve, when my entire gets together at my grandma’s and we give out gag gifts. It is always so much fun!

Anne - I love piling into our car with my hubby and kids- everyone with hot chocolate to drink. We listen to Christmas music and drive around town looking at Christmas lights. So simple and so much fun!

Janelle - My favorite tradition is one that my husband and I started before we were even married – we always have tacos on Christmas Eve and mimosas on Christmas morning! My favorite tradition for the children? Christmas jammies! We let them open one gift on Christmas Eve – cute jammies they can wear while opening their presents the next morning.

erica - we always do a nice dinner on Christmas eve… candle light, apple cider in the nice wine glasses, etc. i remember as a kid thinking it was SO special to have candles lit at dinner & drink out of the breakable cups 😉 it’s a tradition my husband and i hope to keep with our family now!

Melissa Dubbs - Putting up the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving night.

Lana - Every year, my mother hides a tiny pickle ornament in the tree and us “big kids”, aka old, get to search for it. The person that finds it wins a cash prize!! The money is nice, but its kinda cool to have a excuse to elbow, push and wrestle your siblings that I love! I don’t care if we are grown, I’m still a kid at heart 🙂

Jen - Ohhhh-I would LOVE to win this. My favorite tradition is our family time decorating the tree. We watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “The Christmas Story”, eat special treats, and have a great time together!

Keri - I am excited to this year start the tradition of giving our kiddo (&future kiddo) new Christmas PJ’s on Christmas Eve!

Arrica Martin - aahhh! I so want to win.
i have seen clips here and there on blogs. Need some inspiration.
Thanks for the chance…

sarajane - I love having hot chocolate almost every night with my kids using the santa mugs that I grew up using.

Leah - We watch Smokey Mountain Christmas every Christmas Eve…I love it!

Lindsey@ Piecefully Home - I’m excited to make a gingerbread house with my kids! I used to do it every year with my mom and now I do it each year with my own kids. It just dawned on me though that I should invite my mom to participate with us this year!

ellen patton - I don’t buy Christmas gifts. I make treats or sew things for my family.

Anna Marie - My favorite tradition is our big get together at Grandma’s house every year. Good food, family, fun, etc.

Beth K. - My husband and I try to combine many traditions that we grew up with and do them with our children – making Christmas sugar cookies, the special baking, decorating, etc. but we started our new tradition a few years ago. After coming home from Christmas Eve service we pop popcorn, get drinks, dress the kids in their pjs (except for the oldest one now)and we go drive around the area looking at Christmas lights and displays at other houses. It is usually a calm, quiet time – which by Christmas Eve I need – and the kids just love it. We plan to continue it for a very long time – then hopefully some day they will do it with their kids.

mandy friend - I just look forward to it ALL!! Being with family, reading Christmas stories, celebrating Jesus, baking. Getting excited!!!

Shawna - My favorite Christmas tradition is celebrating my oldest son’s birthday. He was born on Christmas Eve and was absolutely the best Christmas gift ever! We try to make his party special without any holiday ties. He is a VERY lucky boy in the gift department because everyone remembers his birthday.

sue pigott - my favourite christmas tradition was while i was a teenager, my mom, dad and brother would drive 2 hours north of our town to my mom and dad’s hometown. that was where all my cousins and aunt and uncles are. we would go to my uncles for an open house and all the kids would go off skiing Boxing Day through to New Years Day, every day! iT was filled with family visits, great food and stories of our grandparents and great grandparents. We stayed in a hotel or at cousins’ houses. it was great! My husband used to ski at the same place at the same time, but we never crossed paths throughout those years…or maybe we did and dont know! lol.Our children now get to do similar ski holidays with their cousins. we love it!

kristen - I love hanging the stockings my mother made for me and my family. They were made with such love, it reminds me of what Christmas is all about = Jesus!

Suzanne - I love Christmas! Mean People seem to get Nice this time of Year! My favorite thing to do is load the kids and hubby in the car with hot coffee/chocolate and drive around town and see all the houses lit up in all the pretty displays…and of course Christmas music playing in the background. Can’t wait!

A Horn - Every year growing up my grandma, mom and I would take two days to make about 20 dozen different kinds of tamales a couple weeks before Christmas (We ONLY make tamales for Christmas). Now that my grandma has passed it is just my mom and I. It is such a special tradition that has spanned many generations and I hope to have my own daughters so that I might continue the tradition with them and their grandma.

Kate - I’m excited about helping my sister put up her christmas tree (she’s allergic to green dye) and having family dinners while listening to christmas music.

Gina - Yes-we are getting excited too…I’m restraining myself (at the request of my hubby) from pulling out all the decorations! Our favorite tradition has got to be our annual trek into the woods to find that perfect, if not elusive, Christmas tree.

jennifer - We each get to open one present on Christmas Eve and it’s always a new pair of jammies, washed and ready to put on. The kids of course know this is coming and they’re always excited to snuggle in to bed in their new cozy jams, waiting excitedly for the next morning.

aimee - I am such a sap when it comes to Christmas! This morning, I pushed my three-year-old twins down both Christmas Tree aisles in Target while we sang “O Christmas Tree” softly to ourselves. I LOVE this time of year!
One of my favorite traditions (of many) is our big family Chinese food celebration on Christmas Eve. It started as a tribute to my dad after he passed away (Chinese was his favorite), and continues as an easy and casual way for us to see each other and catch up. 🙂

LittleApartment - I love to make holiday fruitcake with my mom. She’s been making it every year as long as I can remember!

Ashley B. - I love all the baking I get to do! I don’t have kids, so I end up eating a lot of it myself (and giving away as much as I can), but I still have a blast! 🙂

michele fry - So many to pick from but one we started last year that I am excited to do again this year is the advent candles and the tradition that comes with that. One night week we did a special meal that went along with the theme of the candle, like eating dinner by candlelight, my daughters loved it and it gave Christmas even more meaning for us as a family.

Denise - Decorating the tree with my husband and kids. My husband and son set it up and put the lights on, then we girls decorate it. We shut off all the lights in the house and have a big unveiling of the lit tree with it’s simple but treasured ornaments.

Sugar Mama - Every year me and the kids bake goodies, wrap them up in cute packaging, and deliver to friends & neighbors. Our list has grown every year! Coming up with the list of sweets is one of our favorite parts. Some sweets return each year, while others “retire” and replaced with something new.
All of our family lives out of state, so doing this with my family helps us get into the “love” of Christmas.

Heather K - FAMILY, Family!! I love that every year ALL of my family gathers together, no matter what!

Kara - Ooooo that magazine looks pretty!
My favorite tradition… Christmas dinner with my family. It isn’t fancy or stylish, but it’s the best part. 🙂

Maureen S - When I was younger my mom used to make crownroll (now known as monkey bread). We also went as a family to visit and sing carols to older relatives in nursing homes. Candle light service at church on Christmas Eve was so special. I now have two boys of my own, and would like to pass on these traditions to them.

Jamie - My favorite tradition is our Jesus stocking. Whenever we do something nice for someone else, we write it down on a slip of paper (without putting our name on it) & put it in Jesus’ stocking. Then we take them out & read them on Christmas morning. That is our gift to our Savior. Such a little thing in comparison to His great sacrifice for us, but it helps us to remember what Christmas is all about.

Jennifer - One of my favorite traditions is that my two daughters always get new matching pj’s to wear on Christmas morning! They are now 23 and 21 and still look forward to opening their new pj’s on Christmas Eve.

Amy - Favorite Holiday Tradition: Sitting by the fireplace at my parent’s restored 1718 colonial home eating our traditional Christmas Eve feast!!

carols - Favorite Christmas tradition…hmmm…a special family gathering at my husband’s aunt’s house. Everyone gets dolled up and we have a beautiful sit down dinner two weeks before Christmas where just about everyone can make it. It kicks off the heart of the season!

kat - My favorite Christmas tradition is holiday baking. Now that my girls are getting older, 4 and 5, they can join in the tradition with me!

Laura - I’m excited about having a baby! (And yes, this is kind of a tradition since it is the third baby I’ve had around Christmastime.)

Jennifer - Decorating the christmas tree, and also going to see the dancing lights display down by our lake park. Hubby and I go to starbucks for some hot coffees and get the kiddos hot chocolates, then we drive to the park and huddle together in the car to watch the dancing lights 🙂

Anna - I love Christmas!
In our family we always have broiled grapefruit halves w/ brown sugar and a cherry on Christmas morning. Delicious!

Sarah K - Cutting down our Christmas tree is always a favorite outing around our house. Now that we have kids, it’s even more special.

Ali Richardson - My very favorite Christmas tradition is when my husband hides baby Jesus from the nativity set on Dec first when we decorate for Christmas. He hides him somewhere and then magically he reappears in the manger at midnight on Christmas eve. I have yet to find him on my own (& yes, I look all over the place). My Nana used to do this for me when I was little. I used to always try to stay up until midnight so I could watch her do it, but I never could make it that long. I’m happy we have continued on this fun tradition for our kids 🙂

Jessie - Tough one… every year I make my kids a photo book from walmart. They love seeing all their pictures in a ‘real’ book.
OR
Every year my siblings, my husband and I exchange a gift, but the gift has to be second hand and it is capped usually at $5 of $10. The hunt it the best part!

Bec - We have several traditions that I love.
1. Hide the pickle – my mom has a pickle ornament that she hides and whoever finds it gets an extra gift.
2. Every year we get a new ornament from my mom and she always manages to pick out the perfect ornament for everybody.
3. We watch Christmas Vacation EVERY year and every time our entire family is in tears from laughing so hard.
It is good times at the Holmes household when Christmas rolls around 🙂

Lexie - I love all of the Christmas parties! As well as Christmas day traditions of opening gifts and watching others open the gifts I picked out.

Lee Ann - I love putting the tree up with the family on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, making tons of cookies with my girls, and flying to my parents’ ON Christmas day! Makes for a fabulous Christmas!

the whyte house - i’ve always loved wrapping gifts at the table, by treelight and listening to ‘the nutcracker suite’.
we’ve started a new tradtion that i’m really excited about.
my sister moved back to wichita 2 yrs ago, so she and i started making pioneer woman cinnamon rolls to share with our in-laws and neighbors. we do them 2 days before christmas…it’s so fun to do that with her. her 7 yr old daughter helped last year, and i can’t wait for my 4 yr old daughter to join in, too.

Heidi - We started waiting until the last minute to get a tree (as in a day or two before) and making sure it’s a Charlie Brown kind of tree. It’s in memory of our first Christmas: we were armed with $3, completely poor, but the guy pointed me to the dumpster where they put all the tiny trees (under 2feet) about to be tossed. It was beautiful! We were thrilled and in love with the whole season. Humble beginnings just like Jesus.

Deanna - just driving around looking at Christmas lights is pretty fantastic!

katherine - I love everything traditional about Christmas, so it is hard to pick but I would say it would be our family get together on Christmas Eve with the kids and grandkids! We are loving having grandbabies to spoil now…brings back wonderful memories of childhood innocence again 🙂
p.s. I am hoping this giveaway is open to Canadian residents…I guess I should have asked first!
Blessings, kathy

Rachel - I’m excited to watch Elf and Christmas Vacation with my husband and to make sugar cookies. Yay for Christmas!

Kate B. - I think I might be most excited about a new tradition – reading the Matthew Meade Holiday magazine in the bathtub by myself! 🙂

Dana D@BoysMyJoys - I can’t wait to put up the family Christmas tree!
That’s my favorite tradition of all!
🙂

Maureen - rum balls!!! 🙂

Jennifer O'Steen - I am just excited about Christmas shopping! I love finding (or making) the perfect presents for my friends and family!

Roberta - I LOVE Christmas and have many traditions that we do throughout the season. I look forward to the night we decorate gingerbread houses especially. One that may not thrill the kids as much as me is giving them Christmas jammies that they open and wear on Christmas Eve. Santa also hides the pickle ornament and puts candy canes on the tree when he comes.

Deb A. - I love Christmas, getting together with family and friends, and the food. Most importantly, I enjoy reflecting on the true “reason for the season!”

Ann R. - Yes, somewhere in blogland I saw Matthew Mead website – it looks totally up my alley. One of the traditions we do is oplatki, it is a polish tradition – each family member gets a wafer (similar to a commumion wafer) and you go to EACH family member present them to tear of a piece of wafer and make a wish or a blessing for that person for the new year and the family member says the same to you. Love it – would not be Christmas without it! Happy Birthday to Annie – they grow up too fast – my baby is eight! Thanks for the op to win his magazine!

Erin McCall - Decorating the house for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving has been a tradition we’ve done since I was a little girl!! Tree and all!

Amanda - On Christmas Eve, we make cookies in the shape of our initials and decorate a gingerbread house!

Lollipoplin - we like to read the christmas story a little bit a time starting december 1st we then eat christmas cookies and sing a carol my kids look forward to december and so do i

Dana@Bungalow'56 - We just started a new Christmas tradition last year. My daughters and make huge batches of biscotti to give to all of our family, and along with that we give a compilation CD of our favourite Christmas music. Everyone was so appreciative. They are already asking about this year.
Dana

Shelly Reil - Since we moved back to my home town, my boys and I always attend the Christmas Parade of Lights. Mind you it is a very small town, so its a small parade, freezing cold at night, yet so magical!! This year is even more special because my oldest son will be marching in the middle school band. We already bought the red LED lights to deck out his drum sticks (:

Jennifer - From the first night our tree is up, we eat dinner on the coffee table, in front of the Christmas tree – and we do it every night in December. By Christmas tree light ONLY. And we LOVE it! And we pick one night and drive all over the city with hot chocolate in hand to check out the Christmas lights! I LOVE December!

Esther - What a wonderful magazine….and I want one bad 🙂 One of our favorite Christmas traditions is to sleep Christmas Eve under the Christmas tree, and we read Christmas stories and sing songs. We have many others but I think this is our real favorite. Thanks for sharing Meg !!!

erin - our favorite christmas tradition is eating chinese food (growing up) or sushi (now) on christmas eve! no one ever feels like cooking, we rarely have all of the presents wrapped, and nothing else is open! it’s PERFECT.

Marisol Avila - Baking cookies with my kids on Christmas Eve. Reading the Christmas story before bed and leaving our letter to Santa under the tree.

Kate @ Songs Kate Sang - Oh, I love Matthew Mead! Favorite tradition… Making cookies with Aunt Margaret. The last three years, the kids have joined in the fun and it gets better and better each time. It reminds me of when I was little. She has the sugar cookies already made and we decorate and ice to our hearts desire!

Stefanie - Decorating the tree while watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and drinking spiked egg nog…does it get any better than that??? 🙂

Kristy Mendler - One of my favorite traditions….picking out and decorating the tree!! That’s when the season starts for us!

Adrienne S - Cookies..cookies and more cookies! That is my favorite tradition. The baking and eating.

Annette - Christmas is a great time to catch up wit friends and family, our most loved tradition is the Christmas tree, i have ornaments that have been in the family for years and i love taking them all out and the memories and people that are connected to them!

april - I am excited to see my kids run down the stairs so excited…I could live in that moment…they have the most joyous look on their faces!!! Is it just a total coincidence that I am going to do Christmas shopping today?? I hope I win…

Leah - Favorite tradition is baking holiday cookies and candy for work friends and neighbors. It always brings a smile to people’s faces. Love it!

Vickie - i know I am so ready for the holidays. I am ready for the smells, the tastes, and the colors! My favorite family tradition is putting out the Christmas lights.We do it in phases.It takes us 3 weekends to put it all out. Together we plan it out.The kids get to choose where things should go.We do this with hot chocolate and cookies on the porch.Can’t wait!!!

Heidi Jo the Artist - Every year except last year (due to piles of endless snow) I have celebrated Christmas with my parents and siblings. Especially looking forward to such a simple pleasure this year. 🙂

Rebecca L - This is my husband and my first Christmas together as a married couple. I am really excited about statring holiday traditions for our little family. My favorite tradition from my family is making cookies and other goodies with my grandma and my mom (and one year with my grandpa–he was pretty good at decorating snow men! ha!)

Linette - My favorite Christmas tradition is listening to the Chipmunks Christmas record (on vinyl until two years ago). It just doesn’t seem like Christmas without it! I also started a new tradition last year: I bought three ornaments the open up, and me, my husband and my daughter all write something nice about each other and put the notes inside the ornaments. It is nice to get a sweet note from everyone that you can keep all year 🙂
PS LOVE this blog! It is the only one I read daily 🙂

jody - Me with hubby & kids spending a night sleeping under the Christmas tree in our sleeping bags & Bailey’s & cocoa for Mom & Dad! – too fun!!!

Stacia - I’m looking forward to ALL of our Christmas traditions this year. We have a four year old, a two year old, and six month old. I just love that it’s going to be completely different than any other year:)

Nichole - This might sound silly, but this year I’m creating my own traditions. It’s my first Christmas on my own – it’s time to create some new (and better) memories!

Kristin - wow… Most excited for? All of the photo Christmas cards and how all my family and friends families change and grow from year to year.

Sarah - I’m excited to watch A Christmas Story and It’s a Wonderful Life. I’m super excited to start some Christmas traditions next year with my soon-to-be husband during our first Christmas!!!

Debbie Smallie - My favorite tradition is picking out the perfect real Christmas tree. Of course, we always end up “Clark Griswold style”….having to use a zillion bungy cords to keep it on the top of our car for the ride home..it’s always too big and we have to chop half off…we often have to tie it the wall so it’ll stand. But, it’s always perfect and I love the fresh pine scent!

Maria - having the whole family home…having the house filled with laughter…baking everyone’s favorite cookies…the CHRISTMAS TREE all decorated and the yummy smell…

Kelli Ross - Baking (with my girls) while listening to Christmas music…..

Nichole R - I love cranking up the Christmas music & getting out the Christmas ornaments & having all 6 of us decorate our tree together! The kids love placing the ornaments on the tree & picking out their special favorites & their handmade ones!!!
Bring on the holidays!!!

Paula - The Christmas tradition my husband and I started is an “Ugly Christmas Sweater” party. All the men waited until the last minute and they couldn’t find any to buy.. so we made them (they bought sweaters, then we cut out felt and sewed the decorations on the sweaters.) Last year I made one for my step-son so he wouldn’t feel left out at the party. This will be our 3rd annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party and I think this year I will abandon my store-bought sweater and make one for myself.

Andrea - I’m excited to kick off the holiday season with Black Friday shopping with my Mom and sister!
We love hitting all the sales. We also lovemaking the kids to Breakfast with Santa each year!

BriBedell - I am excited for Biscuits & Gravy Christmas morning 🙂

Becky @ Farmgirl Paints - I need something to get me excited…not there yet.
My favorite tradition is going to the Christmas Eve service and then coming home just the four of us and lighting candles and having our special dinner. We make all of our yummy favorites…even punch and then just eat until we’re stuffed. Before the girls go to bed they get to open one gift of jammies…so they are all cute for Christmas pics the next morning:)
Awww that did it you got me all excited now!

Beth Ann - We have recently started new traditions with my little family of 4. One of my favorite is getting the kids matching Christmas pj’s from us, mom & dad, and giving them to them Christmas Eve to wear to bed. I snap a picture with them wearing them in front of the tree. So far I have been really good about printing the pictures out and putting them in an album for each of them, along with the picture holiday card we send out. My thought is that when the children get older (late 20’s/30’s) I’ll give the album to them for Christmas gift one year.

Erica Ernstrom - there are so many traditions i’m excited about but this year i’m really excited to decorate and use my advent calendar with my kids. i love how excited they are to countdown to christmas!

Jessica Manier - My, now 5 year old, daughter and I make homemade ornaments for our tree in the kitchen. The tree has a cooking/baking theme every year. This year we are making dried orange slice ornaments, dried applesauce and cinnamon cut-out ornaments (these smell great!)popcorn garland and cranberry ornaments. I love spending the time with her, passing down the tradition and the yummy hot chocolate we share! Added bonus: The gifts under this tree go to Toys for Tots to show our support to the Marine Corp ( my brother is a Marine) and the children in need.

Amber Ferrier - Both my parents always hated Christmas:-( So they wouldnt buy a tree until they went on sale like 2 days before Christmas. My dad would put it up but I always had to decorate it (and the rest of the house) by myself. When I had children I vowed to make a huge deal about decorating (cuz I Love this time of year) So I cant wait to decorate with my 5 year old little guy!

Amy Coose - My favorite holiday tradition would definitely be putting up our Christmas tree. I just love how homey it makes our house look, and the memories from all of the decorations. Thanks for the chance to win!

Jen K. - I love baking lots of Christmas treats and boxing them up for friends and family. I’m always a little wiped out by the time I finish the last cookie, but the end result is yummy!

Tonya - My favorite tradition is letting the kids open one gift on Christmas Eve! They always get a new pair of pj’s and my son is still so excited and surprised by the pjs…oh how I love his innocence!

kristin - I LOVE going to mass on Christmas Eve. Everyone is so happy at that service, filled with joy and for the little ones, anticipation. The music is glorious, and everyone wears their best clothes. It is a wonderful celebration.

Alyssa - Putting up the tree. This year it’ll be in our first place, which makes it even more exciting!

Marisa - Looks like a good one! Count me in.
I love the baking and wrapping. I do both with Christmas music blaring, and hopefully a peppermint mocha nearby.

Kim - We “elf on the shelf” it for the kids. They LOVE it and it’s all I can do to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to bring old “Rosie” out. I started buying decorations and crafting supplies. I saw an amazing holiday wreath made out of vintage ornaments online. I’m going to attempt making one that fits our house! Too. much. fun.

Jaimie - I’m most excited to cook Thanksgiving turkey. And to have Chinese takeout on Christmas day. And to pick out the tree. And decorate it. Oh my, I can’t pick just one.

Mama Sue - Our daughter is 10 and since she was one, her Granny (my mother in law) comes and spends the night with us on Christmas Eve. It’s nice because someone is home while we go to my dad’s house to celebrate with him. I know it’s making special memories for my daughter…

nancy - Of course, we try to keep the real meaning in Christmas, but this is what we love too…
After the children have opened their presents, we do the, “Oh, what’s that I see behind the door?” Or, “How did we miss this present that was under the couch?” It’s the saving the big one for last. It works every time to add so much drama and excitement to the morning. Plus, the happy little faces of anticipation, joy and surprise make it a classic!

Miss - The tradition I’ve always loved most is going to my grandma’s on Christmas eve! No matter where the year takes any of us, the whole family is there, happy to see each other and it’s nothing but love! Love it!

Diane - I will be starting a new tradition this year. My daughter lives in California, I am going out there to spend a weekend with her. Decorate her tree, and go shopping for christmas.

Kari - I can’t wait to watch The Christmas Story over and over and over again on TBS 🙂

shannon - Oh how I LOVE christmas! I started talking about it on November 1st…which is driving my husband absolutely nuts! Haha! I’m also almost done with my shopping! YAY! Anyway-my FAVORITE tradition is on Christmas eve, after dinner, we get new pjs, homemade hot chocolate (that’s my job), each open one present and watch christmas movies til the kiddos fall asleep! 😀 Makes my heart happy just thinking about it!

Alison - One of my favorite tradtions that I started with my son 10 years ago was to put our jammies on, make homemade hot chocolate and drive around looking at lights. We live in a small town so there was no fear of getting caught in our jammies. Every year since he was 2 he has asked me to do this. He will be 12 soon and something tells me he will want to keep the tradition going. I hope so.

Allison S. - Putting up the tree, holiday movies, hot cocoa, twinkle lights, the big beautiful drive-through light display at Tanglewood park…*sigh* it’s all so wonderful!

Julie - Wow! An opportunity to win this magazine!!!!!!!! I just discovered it earlier this month and love all the previews. My favorite Christmas tradition is going to church on Christmas Eve and then coming home and having fondue… cheese, broth (for the meat), and chocolate.

Lorie - Thanksgiving weekend my kids and I put up the tree. THEY CANNOT WAIT, and I have to be honest, I CAN’T EITHER! They are finally old enough to put up the tree themselves. Last year we watched the Nancy Drew movie while we did it. It was a blast.

holly - I was just about to order one after waffling about it for a long time. My favorite tradition is reading The Night Before Christmas every Chrismas Eve. We have my grandparents vintage copy and it has such lovely vintage illustrations.

carolyn - new pj’s on christmas eve. then everyone looks cute in the christmas morning pictures.

Alysa - I love playing Kenny Rogers Christmas music and Amy Grant’s Christmas album (from long ago) while putting up the Christmas tree and decorations. We did this when I was growing up and have continued that tradition in our home with our kids.

kim - I’ve never even heard of that magazine, but it looks fantastic! My favorite tradition is blasting Christmas music, and decorating the tree. I’m really looking forward to starting Elf on the Shelf as a new family tradition. My daughter is 2, and I think she will really enjoy it.

Christian@Modobject at Home - Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the warmth of family and food gathering with grateful hearts. At Christmas I love baking homemade kolaches (I have a strong Czech heritage) for us to eat on Christmas day.

Meredithingle - Every year my family gets together on Christmas Eve to bake gingerbread boys and girls. Then, we each draw a name of another family member and decorate a cookie to to look like that person. When we’re finished, it’s time for the big reveal and we all try to guess who the cookies are supposed to be!

stephanie - My favorite holiday tradition that we started only last year was taking our girls to see the Nutcracker at a local ballet school production – just right for little girls. This year the program isn’t happening so we are going to a local church that does a big Christmas musical that some friends are performing in!

Stephanie - We are doing a homemade Christmas this year. I am excited to see what my boys have crafted and to see how they react to what their dad and I have made. Really, I’m just looking forward to a personal and low-key holiday.

MGF - Mimosa’s on Christmas morning

Jen N. - I love our tradition of always putting the tree up on the day after Thanksgiving…no matter how tired we may be from early morning Black Friday shopping. It gets the season started right!

Routhie - My mother made stockings for my brothers and I, but did not fill them every year. Even when she did, it was usually with fruit, much to my brothers chagrin. Ever since I was 4, I have kept the same pecan in my stocking just so I could pull it out and say I got something. It drove my brothers crazy. To this day, I love getting my stocking out and making sure the pecan is still there.

tiffboren70@gmail.com - I would love to win one!!! One of my favorite traditions is that we all go to church as a family and when we get home we make a fire and all the kids get new pajamas!! When they were smaller they would get a pillowcase that their Grandma would make and their pajamas would be inside. They have since grown out of the pillowcase idea but I look forward to doing it again with my grandbabies one day!! Love your blog and read every post!! Blessings!!

shelly - We love taking our special needs son (he has cerebral palsy ) to the tree farm …wheeling his chair thru all the trees until he finds the perfect one for our house…he gets so excited…therefore, this mama gets so excited 🙂 !

brooke - Favorite tradition(s)! Buying a new ornament every year for my boys, watching Elf, cinnamon rolls Christmas morning, the house aglow with just the lights from the tree…
Nov. 11 is our 15th wedding anniversary, so I really should win!! 😉

Russanna - My favorite tradition is putting out my nutcrackers. Right before my husband and I got married, we celebrated my birthday. Since we were poor trying to pay for a wedding, he bought me a little nutcracker which was all he could afford, telling me he wanted that to start my collection. Each year, he surprised me with a new nutcracker. I look forward to receiving it all year!

alamama - We live where we can cut our own tree. So looking and looking, finding the perfect tree is always my favorite! Thanks for the chance!

Jane - wow I have so many christmas traditions that I love. the last few years I have loved being home alone wrapping presents after dinner on christmas eve (usually dinner with family) before heading out to our 11pm service at church. I love having some quiet time before the chaos of the next day to think about the special people whom I am wrapping gifts for, I love taking my time to ensure they look special and I love that service. last year we did the whole service by candlelight – it was such a beautiful way to begin the christmas celebration, can’t wait for this year.

Jamie - Love getting and decorating the tree and watching White Christmas while decorating!

Meredith - We go to a candlelight Lovefeast service on Christmas Eve in historic Old Salem. No matter what is happening each year or who is in town visiting, you can guarantee we’ll keep this tradition. The music gets you in the holiday mood, the service preps your heart, and the freshly made buns and coffee are scrumptious.

Ingrid Blanchette - have lots of swedish christmas traditions that i incorporate in to our american life here…my husband loves it. we’ll have the big straw goat under the tree – paper star lights in windows – advent candles – gingerbread and saffron rolls are special treats for st.lucia day! this is a special day in sweden….darkest night of the year and lucia walks through the town with a crown of lights to ‘light up the sky’. i did this as a child in sweden to all our neighbors. now i wake up early and bring my husband coffee and treats while singing the lucia song. no crown of candles in my hair though :)! love that magazine – follow his blog and was just going to order but i’ll wait to see if i win!

mary elizabeth - One of my Mom’s bets friends has always sent us a gingerbread house every year since Maddie was about 2! She just asked me this mornig when it was coming – she was g=ready to put it together.
We also have a count down in our front hall with little socks filled with goodies – a mint, coin, eraser. It helps me stay on track how many days we have left and helps Maddie keep from making me crazy – “HOW MUCH LONGER MOMMY?”
We also added “Elf on A Shelf” last year and we are waiting patiently for Thanksgiving to arrive so Lilly can come back with us. That has been one of the best things.That was more fun than I ever could have imagined and would make an amazing gift for someone!! 🙂

christy - Cutting down our tree is my fav. tradition!! It makes it just that more special!

Tracie - We love celebrating with our Advent calendar, lighting the candles, reading scripture about Jesus’ coming and birth, seeing the Christmas lights go up, spending lots of time together crafting and baking. I am excited too, but I have to do Thanksgiving first, then I’ll be ready!

tasha roe - Our favorite tradition is the Christmas Parade. We live in a little town and the parade route is 2 blocks from our house. We get all bundled up and walk down for the parade and then come back to the house for hot chocolate and cookies. It is so much fun!! the adults love it just as much as the kids.

Andrea - My favorite tradition is listening to my husband read Christmas stories to my children before bed on Christmas Eve. My husband is in the Army and I am so thankful that he will be home celebrating another Christmas with us this year 🙂

Melanie - My favorite tradition is our dinner. Even though I have to do all the work, my hubby looks forward to that meal all year long. He works really hard and I enjoy doing that for him.

Stefanie Shultz - Favorite tradition? Christmas Eve with a my large extended family, it’s always pure craziness, but I love it!

Kim K. - One of our favorite traditions is to begin Christmas morning with my famous “Christmas Morning Almond Pound Cake”. It is one of those grab and go coffee cakes that you can enjoy while opening gifts.

Sheila - Trudging through the cut-your-own tree farm on Sunday after church, arguing about which is the best one, who got to pick last year, is it too tall, too short, too fat, too skinny; and finally finding “The One” we all agree on and decorating it that afternoon with Christmas Vacation playing on the DVD and hot chocolate to go all around!

MommaH - My mom ALWAYS made good old German type (anise) peppernuts. The house doesn’t smell Christmas-y til it eminates the anise smell. When the kids were home I had to make up to 3 batches each Christmas because they would fill up their pockets before school everyday!

rosemarie - my favorite tradition is the whole family is together christmas eve and we stay up very late.

Kirsten P - I’ve made Monkey Bread every Christmas morning for years. My newest favorite tradition is unpacking and setting up my Willow Tree Nativity set.

Jess Mead - We plan on starting a new holiday tradition this year. A “REAL” Christmas tree. We are going to take the kids to the Christmas tree farm and let them pick their own tree out. I can’t wait!

Leanne Sweet - My daughter goes to year round school so the month of December is especially great because she is tracked out(on vacation)for the entire month. Our schedules are really busy around here but when December hits, we finally get to slow down and take the break we so desperately need. We usually take a nice family getaway and enjoy the time together.

linda - Getting my two children matching soft brand new holiday pjs to wear Christmas Eve and then Christmas Day…love how sweet they look. Also the family time bonding while decorating the whole house (two trees) for Christmas. Can’t wait!! Fall colors and Christmas are my favorite times of the year!

jill - My husband and I come from two divorced/remarried families, so we don’t have a lot of holiday traditions. We are just starting to make our own with our children. I LOVE it. I love putting up the tree with them, singing carols with them, and seeing everything through the wonderful eyes of my children.

Shann - We moved to Michigan last year at Christmas time. We put our fake tree up because we were in the midst of unpacking 123,458,458 boxes. 🙂 We are surrounded by Christmas tree farms up here. So this year, we are going out to find the perfect real tree and bring her home. I am anxious to have that smell again in my home and to make that memory with my family.

lorelei - There is nothing like a good iced Christmas cookie!

Megan Jernovics - Our Christmas tradition is to let the girls open a gift from us on Chistmas Eve. It has always been new pajamas. Last year we played a trick on them and wrapped new underwear and socks. It was funny to watch their faces. They tried to be gracious. We turned right around and gave them their jammies. For the last few years my father has sneaked outside and shook sleigh bells while we were reading “Twas The Night Before Christmas”. Talk about excitement! The girls have never noticed that Grandpa wasn’t around. 🙂

tracy - My favourite Christmas tradition is opening PJs on Christmas Eve and having a picture of the children in their PJs in front of the lit tree. I love looking back on those photos each Christmas and seeing how the children have grown.

lovethosecupcakes - Although, of course, I love the run up to Christmas and the big day itself, I relish the day after all of that activity (Boxing day as it’s called here in the UK) when I stay in my pj’s all day, stuff myself silly (starting with the traditional chocolate Toblerone for breakfast!), have a proper look at my presents and watch TV from my very comfortable spot on the sofa. Perfect.

Brigid - Many traditions but absolutely love pulling out the Christmas ornaments with the kids-its like a scrapbook on a tree-many fond memories of the stories behind each!

Meg B. - I love the warm kitchen with steam rolling out of the hot water bath canner. I spend hours turning a frezzer full of sweet summer fruit into sweet spreads and syrups to go with homemade bread and pancake mixes for holiday gifts.

Patty - I think one of my favorite Christmas traditions is on the day we put up the tree, I make a simple dinner – usually pizza – and we eat “under” the tree with only the Christmas lights glowing in the house. I love sitting on the sofa during the whole season just looking at the tree all lit up and thinking, remembering.

Libby - We let our boys open one present on Christmas eve, but we make them find it. I print clues in rhyme on little pieces of paper…each clue leads to another piece of paper, until finally they find the one that leads to their hidden present. They have so much fun doing it, they want me to add more and more clues to make the search last longer!

Kelly - I love Christmas, the family and friends getting together, the food and the fun. But most importantly, the time to reflect on the real “reason for the season!”

Donna - I’m looking forward to starting a new Christmas tradition this year – a Jesse Tree. I’m hoping to one with my Sunday school class as well.

Jenn - I’m so excited this year especially for my kids to experience the advent calendar I used when I was a kid. Every year my bro’s and I would work it out so we all got to pit up our favourite decorations and we took turns putting up the star. Last year I asked my Mom if I could have it for my kids so that they could enjoy it as well! Can’t wait!!

Kathy C. - I am looking forward to baking and decorating white velvet cutout cookies with my son this year and listening to Christmas music.

Elizabeth Gleason - I’ve seen this on a couple of blogs and now I have to know what’s in it! I am so ready to turn my Ipod on to all my Christmas music. We had our first snow in Western New York yesterday Yeah!

Carrie - I’m from Australia so Christmas is sitting outside in the warm weather, watching the kids in the pool and playing backyard cricket. If the kids are happy then that’s a perfect Christmas.

Jessica - Coming from Germany, my favorite tradition is putting up the tree on Christmas Eve morning (we do it THAT! late), listening to the music played on the radio or TV and having a good time with my parents. This year I am doubtful about making it home for Christmas, which is a real shame!

Dawn - Pretty much everything about Christmas is my favorite. But my all-time favorite would have to be putting up the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving morning and watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

CB - Baking cookies with my grandmommy. She passed last Christmas Eve so we’ll be doing it in her honor this year.

Gemma - Hi Meg!
My favourite Xmas tradition is getting new pj’s & socks. It makes me feel so cosy & snuggly during the festive season!!
Gemma x

Jennifer - Homemade gift exchange we do on Christmas Eve with my in-laws. All of us adults exchange names earlier in the year and then have to make a homemade gift for that person. It is always one of my favorite gifts each year, and the ONE gift everyone remembers from year to year.

Amber - So many good things, but what I love most is finding creative ways to give to others in need.

se7en - I have to say my favorite thing about Christmas is well preparing for Christmas… I love plotting and planning surprises!!! Love it!!!

Katy Stone - family, family, family! we have a big christmas day brunch w/ my hubs fam every year. he comes from a big family, so its a sweet time to get everyone in the same house at the same time!

Julie - We have so many traditions ~ perhaps my favorite is Jesse Tree Advent where we read a devotional and each of the children take turns hanging a little handmade ornament that was designed to coincide with that devotional (a little globe, a little coat of many colors, ten commandments ~ you get the idea). We often sing a hymn after the reading and ornament. I think after the kids are grown, I will look back on this as one of the more precious holiday “event” for our family. 🙂

Erica - I am ready!!! Yeah! =D I cannot wait to curl up with cocoa or cider and watch my love Bing Crosby in White Christmas. =) My favorite tradition is: We have a little wooden tree that my mom made and 25 little pillow ornaments that she cross-stitched. They are advent pillows and everyday we still read a little story about what is on that pillow ornament for that day. =) I just love it! Even though I am 20 and my sister is 24, we still insist on doing it because it is such a big Christmas tradition in our house!!

Beth Curtis - My family always makes green snowman pancakes the Saturday before Christmas. I am flying to Portland early just to have them the way my dad makes them.

Becky - I am sooooooo ready for Christmas to start – I love it, it’s my favourite time of the year – unfortunately where we live is hot, so it’ doesn’t feel really Christmassy – you have to make a big effort to make it feel festive. I love the look of that magazine, unfortunately my location prevents me from entering your draw but I hope whoever wins it really enjoys it. I love your blog by the way – such fab colours all the time – the best x

Gina - When I lived at home we never had a real tree (at least, not since I can remember). I’ve only had my own place for a few years now, but I am making it a tradition to get a live tree. Any not just any tree. I need to find just the right one that calls to me…and then it gets a name. I think Edgar (2009 Christmas Tree) was the best one so far.

Danielle Farley - Something that I love each year is letting the kids open a gift on Christmas Eve, which always turns out to be Christmas p.j.s!:) It still surprises them every year lol. I just love cuddling with my kiddos in soft comfy pajamas.

shiela - being with families & friends-that’s what it’s all about, very meaningful.

janene - I love going to the Live Nativity Scene at a local church. It has 8 scenes, and is so interactive and just wonderful!! We always enjoy donuts and hot chocolate at the end–I CAN NOT WAIT for this!!

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six is too big.

November 5, 2010 Filed in birthdays

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annie decided that she could turn SIX.
i didn't agree but she did it anyway.
she has been ready since july.

she received money in the mail from great grandma….the best!

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we are starting a new tradition of getting a photo with the birthday child with mom and dad only.
this way when they grow up they will have some pictures without their siblings and with their parents.
this was the best of 20.
oh my.
(my sweater is from the dress barn…..moo….i HATE the name of that store with a passion) 

birthday dinner: spaghetti with garlic bread and fruit salad.
wearing her new clothes she had just opened.
other presents: toy story 3 dvd, toy story barbie, littlest pet shop set, purple boots.
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big enough piece of cake or what?!
i had specific instructions for the cake design.
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she gets nervous when everyone looks at her.
she said "i don't want you to sing happy birthday".
we turned off the lights to blow out her candle and it seemed weird not to sing happy birthday.
so i said "what should we sing then?"
craig started "we wish you a merry christmas…."  and everyone chimed in.
it was very funny.
everyone said "merry christmas annie!"

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and there it is.
SIX.

whether i like it or not.
happy birthday to my sweet baby.    (and a happy new year!)

add a comment

anna cordes - i LOVE this. i also hate the birthday song, so my family sings we wish you a merry christmas as well! which is slightly appropriate, being that i’m a new years eve birthday! such a fun birthday!

deb meyers - Happy Birthday Famous Annie~!
deb meyers

Deb - Love the photo tradition!
My youngest turned 5 last week and she requested spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread, she got Littlest Pet Shops and watched Toy Story 3. What a fun age!

Jen - adorable pictures of your birthday girl! (and glad to know I’m not the only one who hates the name Dress Barn…what were they thinking?!)

aimee - happy birthday to your baby!! what a gorgeous, grown up girl! we have that flower print dress and LOVE it!

Quinn - My gosh… she is so big. I remember reading years ago and her being so tiny.. I love growing up with you guys.
Hope it was a wonderful day 🙂

The Fairy's Apprentice - Happy birthday, Annie! It seems that if was a very nice party! Have a good week ahead!

kristine - she is soo cute! i love her expressions and humor!
i love your chalkboard drawing! and i love your craft thursday sunflowers bordering it! i love her cake drawing. and you did a great job creating it! i also love that you take the birthday kid’s picture with parents only. good call. i’m going to do that!

Lin - Six was hard for me too. It happened so quickly. One minute she was a baby, and the next she’s a big girl of six! I don’t know how it happened so fast.

linda lou - annie i’m singing happy birthday to you !!!! (: and next time call me I Love Chocolate cake (: yummy yummy for your tummy little girl!! love and blessings, amy d’s Mom

Tanya @ Life in 3D - I love the instructional picture submission for the cake order..love it! Great shots 🙂

Juliann - I remember bringing over lasagna after she was born – so little – in your house in Des Plaines – I remember holding her and giving her some of her bottle while you put dinner in the oven…. I also remember her cardiology appts, especially when David (who is now three!!) was born, and he needed to go to….

Ranee Brokaw - So sweet…the cake, the directions for the cake, the chalkboard cake…And the idea about the picture of the birthday kid with mom and dad–love it! I think I’ll steal that one too!

Tracy - Happy Birthday little miss Annie. She gets cuter every day, Meg! I love the idea of just the birthday child and the parents picture alone – it would have been perfect had she been looking at the camera with you and Craig. I laughed out loud about the no happy birthday singing but the wishing you a Merry Christmas singing was too funny! xoxoxo

Beth - Happy Birthday to your sweet girl! They are so disobedient about growing up, aren’t they? 🙂
Can’t get over the colors in your home–love it!!!!

Melanie - Happy birthday Annie! To funny about the cake and the picture! Looks like she had a good day.

Danielle Farley - That is too funny!

Kate @ Songs Kate Sang - Happy Birthday Annie! My goodness. The cake looks just like the instructions! Great job, Meg.
Dress Barn might be my favorite sweater store of all time. I have to wait to go back to Texas ~ haven’t found one out here yet!

Kacey - Happy birthday to Annie! She is the cutest. Love the cake “instructions”!

Nicole Q. - Love the cake directions she gave you!! — I just sent off for my 31 bits party stuff! Can’t wait!

valerie @ chateau a la mode - Oh so cute….to be 6 again and have We Wish you a Merry Chtistmas sung to me at my birthday party. Love the cake by the way,

karen - so cute!!!!!!
Dress Barn???

Miss - This is my favourite blog posting of yours I’ve ever read! Too cute!

candace - love the cake. love the song. love everything!
you guys set a great example of not squashing the individual nature of your children. thanks!

Flower Patch Farmgirl - Oh dear. I saw this title on my sidebar and I knew what it meant and I didn’t want to click over, because if Annie’s six, that means Calvin will be in four more months. Wahhhh!
Calvin always chooses spaghetti, too. Always.
I hope the “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” thing becomes Annie’s tradition. What a story that’ll be one day!

Becky @ Farmgirl Paints - awww happy birthday annie. my baby turned 7 this year. it’s crazy to have them that big already! loved your outfit from the “moo” dress barn…very cute. BUT it’s the cake that got my attention. that looked sooooooo good!

Becky - Adorable. Great idea to take a pic with the birthday girl! Six is a fun age!

sara's art house - Cute, cute- and I love the idea of a pic with mom and dad every year.

Christina - So wonderful! She is darling. I love everything about her day and what you did to make it special! The cake is amazing! 🙂
I think the picture of you guys with her is really cute…she looks like she’s pulling a fast one on you both. She’s turning six, even though you said no way! 🙂

Kat - What a sweet girl!
Looks like a beautiful b’day.
My #2 has just turned 6, #3 has just turned 4 and #4 (my baby) is about to turn 2 on Tues. (*sob*)
How are you coping with your baby growing up Meg?
I am seriously grieving no more babies and wondering if we should stretch ourselves to adding #5 like you guys?
Hm, it is so hard to let go of them being really little huh?
Meg, were you looking teary in the photo with you, Annie and Craig?
Love the photo idea 🙂

Gemma - Happy birthday Annie!!!
Gemma x

Sandy - Happy 6th Birthday, Annie!
The cake looks delish!!

Dana@Strawberrytart! - Ahh that is so sweet! And I competely understand what you mean about Dress Barn.

Kirsten J - Happy Birthday Annie! ( believe me, you wouldn’t want me to sing to you…you’d run and cover your ears, they would hurt so… ) My baby just turned 11 – how fast they do grow! And lol at the “Barn” – what were they thinking????

elisa - Why do they have to grow so fast. Happy birthday Annie! My youngest son lost his tooth the other day and my husband and I both were emotional…we are so sappy.
Have a blessed day.

taralee - meg,
look – there’s a RAINBOW etsy treasury!!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cd25a5364ed8eefa98bdada/rainbow-dreams-and-colorful-wishes?index=0&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Treasury&utm_campaign=Share
wonderful pics, as always. annie’s adorable – please send her a “happy birthday” for me!

cheryl - it’s my baby’s birthday today too! my sweet baby James, youngest of 6, turned 8 today…i cannot believe it has been 8 years. he will always be my baby, as all of mine still are. i still call my 24 year old “baby”. 🙂

Mindy Harris - this made me cry. you still call her your sweet baby.
i think wilder and story will be packing up for college and life will end as i know it and i will cry because they are my babies–4ever my babies.
craig recommending we wish you a merry christmas is a HOOT. you guys are too fun!

shelley - Happy Birthday Annie !! what a sweet tradition. I can see the love in all your photos.

Beth @ Dirty Laundry - My baby just turned 6 too. I keep telling him to stop it! No more growing! None of them are listening to me though.

Tara - Happy Birthday Annie! My oldest turned six this summer. I told her no way was she bigger than five, b/c I only went up to one hand. So, she had to stop growing! She thought I was funny, but really… where do the days go?!!

jodi @ back40life - Happy Birthday to Annie – looks like such a fun time! Love your sweater – HATE the dress barn name…in fact, I can’t even bring myself to go inside due to the name…but that red sweater might change my mind!
enjoy your weekend 🙂

Gekakel - Happy birthday, Annie!

Cari - Awww!! Merry Christmas, Annie! What a sweet memory! And you two look like twins in the mom, dad, and birthday girl picture. All of your babies now have to use two hands (or more) when they show how old they are. That’s sad! 🙁 Have a great weekend! 🙂

Kori - You’re funny. I also HATE the name ‘Dress Barn’. So much so that I usually can’t go inside. Although they do have the random really cute item… And Annie is such a cutie and I would have never guessed she gets nervous with everyone looking at her! My son never liked us to sing to him either and it *does* feel weird not to!
Merry Birthday, Annie!! 😀

Juli - Merry Christmas, Annie!

*LuLu* - Happy Birthday Annie!!!

Laura Phelps - six IS too big
the nerve of her
but not too old for us to show up with a box of American Girl dolls to pay with? right??? we can still do that??
happy Birthday Big little girl Annie

se7en - Oh Annie you didn’t turn six already!!! Happy Happy Birthday… I hope six is a totally awesome year for you, full of fun and lovely surprises!!!

mel - Love the idea of the family picture with just the birthday kid! We will have to start doing that! And, that is HYSTERICAL you guys sang “We wish you a Merry Christmas”. So fun!
Happy Birthday & a very Merry Christmas to Annie!

Staci - Happy Birthday Sweet Annie!!!!!! My Jake will be six in March….so, we have a little more time…but I am NOT ready!!!!!!!!! But are we ever?

vonda - Happy Birthday Annie! She is so cute, and it looks like her birthday was very special-just like her! I am still laughing at the “moo”! We had a dairy farm for 10 years. Thanks for making me laugh and smile this morning again! You are a very wonderful Mom. We love birthdays at our house too!

tara pollard pakosta - she is too cute!
these are the BEST pix ever!
love them all!
reminds me how I used to be when I
was little, wanted NO attention on me
at my birthday, hated IT! used to hide under my bed
when people came LOL!
tara

Lisa - Wow! Are you sure, because it seemed like she just turned 5. They grow so fast.
Happy, I mean Merry Christmas Annie.

Rach - My mom says it only really kicks you in the butt when your baby turns 30. 🙂 I’ll have to take her word for it since mine is only 1 1/2. Happy 6th birthday sweet Annie.

Elise - What a cute girl! I don’t like being sung to on my birthday either. Annie and I can be friends. 😉

Dana@Bungalow'56 - Megan,
What a great idea for the picture. I will be adopting that one, Thank you.
Loved the cake, the blackboard sign, the “you rock” gift bag and your sweater and jewelery. Your home does look like something out of a movie, even though I know it isn’t. At least it would appear a prop stylist resides at your house. Talent… you’ve got that je ne sais quoi!
Dana

Katie Fisher - Hi Megan! I don’t know if you remember me but I used to watch your three youngest my freshman year of college at Bethel. Annie was just a tiny baby then!!! It was wonderful to find your blog and see how the kids have grown and the house has changed! I’m so glad to see you all doing so well!
Katie

april - AWESOME!!! shes a big girl now!!!

barbara - what a sweet post! and an awesome lookin’ cake! happy 6th, annie! 🙂

purejoy - awww. i love how she designed her own cake! love the chalkboard. soooooo cute!! she’s so adorable. i would basically swoon if i got toy story 3 dvd for my birthday!!
merry christmas, annie! you are so loved!

Holly - Merry Christmas Annie.

shea - Love this post. Happy Birthday to Annie and Merry Christmas one and all!

Jennifer - Happy Birthday sweet Annie!

Heather - happy birthday to annie, or maybe i should say feliz navidad annie!!

Trina McNeilly - so sweet….. birthdays seems so sweet at you’re house!

Beth - She is so precious, and what a WONDERFUL birthday she had! You know exactly how to make each child feel special and unique – it shines through their eyes. An amazing gift.

Cutzi - Awww… I love it! Singing We Wish You a Merry Christmas is just something our family would do. Thanks for the giggle.

Heather R. - Happy Merry Birthday Christmas, Annie! I love the idea of a pic with just Mom and Dad. 🙂 And I love the blueprints for the birthday cake. I hope she got spoiled rotten. 🙂

Rebekah - Ginny will be 4 tomorrow, also without my permission. I hate it when she does crazy stuff without like checking with me first. I used to have a baby girl and now I have… I don’t even know what.
Merry Christmas, Annie!

Amy James - Merry Christmas Annie!

Gevay - Happy Birthday Annie!

pam - Great post…I think she made GRAND choices…she knows what she wants…but don’t all of us who are the baby of the family. :o) Merry Christmas Annie!

Kelly - Ah my baby turns three tomorrow & I think that is too big too. He has ordered up a Toy Story 3 party (appropriate don’t you think?) but I’m not sure I’m ready. In fact I have nothing for this party yet. I must be in denial. Just a smidge.
My middle boy is desperately shy and hates when we sing happy birthday to him. He covers his head, poor kid. Maybe we should try We Wish You A Merry Christmas next year. 🙂

linda - happy birthday to your sweet annie. my son is five but will turn six dec 21. i didn’t realize they were so close in age. i will keep that in the back of mind as i read/see things with annie. love to observe other kids the same age as mine. i also have a 4 1/2 year old. so your baby is my oldest…but i am about 5 years older than you (that was a gift for you, lol). i get having a hard time with 6…weren’t they just born?!?! i want time to slow down, maybe even stand still sometimes. especially since i will be the big 4*0 december 29. ugh. i love your sweet family…you are an amazing mom!!!

Sharla - What a sweet birthday. Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas to Annie!

Tara - Really cute.. My 7 year old requested we hum the Star Wars theme music instead of Happy Birthday last summer.. tricky.

Amanda - How cute! And happy GIVING birth day to you. 🙂

Suzanne - Merry Christmas, Annie!
Your adorable!
Suzanne

Anna Marie - Happy birthday to Annie!
You look cute in that red sweater, Meg. I love it!

deborah@applesinwonderland - i love that new tradition. i’m totally stealing that. is it still stealing if i say, *i am stealing that*? my youngest will not allow us to sing to him either. your annie looks so much like my sweet adorable niece–that just makes me smile everytime you post a pic of her:)

Beth - Happy (belated) Birthday sweet Annie! I love being her art teacher! That look in the money picture is priceless! Milestones with your baby seem so much bigger somehow, don’t they?

Jennie - oh my – I just laughed out loud that y’all sang “We Wish you a Merry Christmas.” Can I please come stay at your house a few days? I’m pretty sure I would like it. Happy Birthday to Annie!

Holly - So sweet! Happy birthday Annie!

Art Cant Hurt - such a special event, even though it may feel bittersweet.
all mothers know how you feel and we understand ♥
my youngest turns eight in 41 days.
*gulp*

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waffle is stylin.

November 4, 2010 Filed in awesome bloggers,etsy goodness,WAFFLE the wonder dog

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waffle was looking a bit scruffy.
he got a fresh haircut yesterday finally

(and he has fleas!! yuck. can't anything just be easy?!)

he has two new collars from elisalou and i didn't want to show you until he looked handsome again.
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that's better.
mr. waffle with short hair and a fancy collar.

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i think he wishes he was a model.
he is always posing.

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the black collar is nice but we all know that i am partial to the red and white polka dots.
🙂

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polka dots make dogs happy too!
it's a scientific fact.

elisalou has pages of different styles….these are a few of my favorites.

                                       Modblooms

                                       Hotdot

                                       Outlinestripe

                                       Paintdrop

and my most favorite….
Sweaterdogs
it's the cutest!

go check out elisa's shop.  i love that you get to customize everything.

but SHE HAS ETSY if you don't like to pick every detail.
already done.

she has really cute bags too!  

and she has pouches for phones, cameras, video games, your kindle or your computer!

and gift certificates! 

can you tell i love elisa?  :) 
you will too. 

(ps…did you know waffle has his own blog category? any posts about waffle all in one place?! )

add a comment

A - WHAT BREED IS WAFFLE?!
poodle
labradoodle
or
goldendoodle?
he is so handsome & stylin’

melissa @ the inspired room - Winston just got a bath today because he STUNK. No fleas, thank goodness, just a smelly hound. He is so white and fluffy now, he is happy because we will pet him again.
I sure love Waffle. 🙂

Karen - I love that you said “Can’t anything just be easy?” That is the day I am having this month (hee hee). I just wanted to replace the blinds in my two kids’ rooms. Easy right? Wrong. After now 4 trips to the store, I am unable to get the screws in, have to grind off the edges for one window (31″ too small and fall out–32″ too big! Aargh!), then to top it all off, the drill bit totally just broke off IN then hole!! I said something naughty and gave up. The biggest problem is, it’s probably easier to solve this myself than have to get hubby to help. H-E-L-P! CAN’T ANYTHING JUST BE EASY!?! This is going into its third week now. Your post made me feel I’m not alone. 🙂

j - the polka dot collar is so you….
…thanks for the fun Meg. see ya.

Tracy - Love Waffle’s new haircut and bling bling and the fact that he is stylin! He is adorable and I will go check out the website and etsy shop to make some new collars for our baby too. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

Toni :O) - OMG…that first picture of Waffle….it seriously CRACKED ME UP!!! I love your dog almost as much as mine (just minus the fleas…thank goodness we don’t have that issue, good luck rectifiying it). Love those colors too…may have to get one for my sweet doggie’s first Christmas with us! Happy 6th B-day to your sweet girl too! What a charmer she is!

Sugar Mama - I’ve said this to you before, but if you ever get tired of your dog I will take him for you.

Susan - VERY cute! I am so sorry about the fleas. We are battling a case of them in our house, as well. Just when we thought they were gone, a friend of my daughter’s found one on her leg. Gross! Flea pill, flea bath, flea collar…the little buggers are putting up a fight, I tell you! All I can say is vacuum, vacuum and vacuum. Good luck!

Mindy Harris - i want to bury my face in his fur!! sweetie.

karen - such a heart-breaker that Waffle!

valerie @ chateau a la mode - I’m a dog lover and I love your post about your dog, Waffle. He’s one styling dog!

Suzanne - He looks like quite the gentleman styling his new cut and collar. I can’t get over his smile, how adorable.

Jessie Hurst - My boys are dying for a dog and think yours is so cute. If only a puppy came totally trained:). What kind of dog is waffle, he is so adorable.

april's craft nest - waffle is so cute! i kinda like him all scruffy and fluffy!

tara pollard pakosta - waffle is so cute!
he reminds me of my cockapoo, what kind is he again?!
love those collars!!!
tara

Cassy - I have loved Waffle ever since the first time I saw him on your blog. A year after our previous dog passed, we were ready for a new, four-legged family member. I showed my family (and anyone who would look) your adorable pooch in my campaign for a Goldendoodle. Now we have Mickey! He has his own, unique look and personality, but we’re just crazy about him!

Melanie - I love Elisa too. I have one of her bags and it is really fabulous.

Sissy - Could he be any cuter? OMGOSH I just want to kiss his face. LOL
Sissy

Katie - I have a dog named Waffle too! That’s actually how I found this blog! Aww. 🙂 My Waffle is a black lab mix that I rescued in April. So there’s a black and white Waffle in the world. How nice 🙂

Becky @ Farmgirl Paints - i need to get one for my fergie…maybe for christmas! fleas are the worst…yikes!

Gemma - My animals seem to think they are models too..heeheee!
Gemma x

Susan - Waffle looks wonderful.Living in the desert here we are lucky that fleas can’t suvive.

Lyndsey Bowman - WAFFLE!! That is so cute!!! Those collars are great~ Rock It Waffle!!!!
Lyndsey Bowman

Jen Christians - Poor Waffle… Poor Meg!!!!!!!! I found a flea on my dog once and my husband came home to find every piece of fabric/washable item, in the kitchen awaiting the washer and dryer…. AND an exterminator…Needless to say, the exterminator told my husband that I must be a hypochondriac, and that I “over exaggerated the emergency” OOPS… but yet, GROSS… I guess the only thing worse would be a house full of kids with head lice (luckily we have avoided that so far). We now use comfortis it is a pill and we have never had any problems. Good Luck!

Staci - I am liking the red and white polka dot the best too 😀 That Waffle…I do love him so 🙂 Hey, just a question….do you keep him on Frontline all year long?? We live on 30 acres and I have my little Westie on it all year and don’t have any trouble at all with fleas or ticks. Just a thought 🙂 Good luck! Fleas are NO fun!!!!

elisa - Love you AND Waffle 🙂
May be planning a trip to Dallas next month- I am thinking a layover in Kansas is needed!!

Tracie - We use k9 advantix on our dog and she has never had fleas or ticks. We used to put it on her monthly from April – October, but we just moved and live with a lot of trees in our yard now so we’ll probably do it all year just to protect her. Waffle looks so cute with his collars!

kristin - I have an Elisa bag and now I need a collar for my dog?!?! 🙂
Very cute stuff….

Samantha - Is Waffle a labradoodle?

sarah - In the words of my four-year-old son, Waffle is “cuuuute and fuzzy!”. I want a Waffle! : )

Brooke - Waffle is indeed lookin’ fine!! Good grief we have a weenie dog diva that WILL be wearing that weenie dog collar!! On my way to order it now…..

Holly - Waffle is adorable!!! I’ve been reading your blog for a while – I love it! Your photos are amazing too. 🙂

Holly - Waffle is rockin that new collar! Precious!

Penny - Love Love Love Waffle! He looks nice and neat. He does look like he is posing. Eliza’s stuff is great. We are going to have to take our goldendoodle in for a new do soon, too. She is a shaggy mess. But we still love her. I prefer a shaggy doodle, but the mats are starting, so we have to get her trimmed up. Give Waffle a big hug from the Adams Creek doodle lovers!

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