Merry Cookie Baking!

"Wow!" you proclaim, "What a beautiful and wonderfully varied assortment of Christmas cookies!"

You might wonder how we got to this point...and I will show you. Please enter my kitchen for the culinary adventure of our 3rd Annual Chaotic Christmas Cookie Whirlwind Day (minus CT plus LH :).

Ahem...without further ado...

Chocolately batter was whipped and swirled

Dough was rolled flat, preserves were spooned

Sprinkles were scattered

Peppermints were crushed

Melted chocolate was carefully painted

All of course with the beautiful backdrop of Christmas decorations and yet another merry fire crackling in the hearth

Alas! Can't you see how much fun was had by all? Wish you had been there CT! (but of course so happy to have had you L :)

And the finished products, with which we are all obviously quite pleased :)

Festive gathering

This week has been a whirlwind of merry activity. We had our family and friends over for our traditional Christmas brunch, complete with little babies/toddlers chasing cats around the house and tripping over thresholds, a cheesy white elephant gift exchange, and a time of unity while making beautiful noise with our pipe chimes. Definitely a wonderful morning, here are a few photographic memories to immortalize the festive occasion...

Don't know why...

I don't know if it's because it's Christmastime and there's something so cute about a baby in a santa hat, or because Christmas evokes strong feelings of family togetherness and family memories...

I don't know if it's because my six pregnant coworkers are all getting close to delivering and conversations of baby gifts, baby excitement and baby plans are thicker than static in this winter air...

I don't know if it's because I just had a birthday, another year older, and life is not going the way I planned...

I don't know if it's because this week's Christmas gathering highlighted the fact that we were the only young couple present that did not have a child or expect one very soon...

I don't know if it's because it was this time last year that we started trying, and I naively thought for sure we'd have a baby by next Christmas, and wouldn't it be so cute in its "Baby's First Christmas" onesie, and wouldn't it be so fun to bring it to both grandparents house to get doted on and loved...or perhaps we'd at least be pregnant, and be able to send a Christmas card with us, the beaming, expectant couple framed by Christmas lights and holiday cheer...

I don't know if it's because now that the Clomid is out of my system, I'm back once more to a messed up body that can't do anything right, and we truly have no hopes of getting pregnant on our own...

I'm not sure what it is, but this week has been a rough one, and I find myself spending more time than usual reading blogs of others struggling with the same things, or more frequently averting my gaze from a pregnant woman mindlessly rubbing her belly, or more often begging God to help me be content with what I have. I don't usually like to focus on the hurt, the disappointment and the frustration, but this morning, it has spilled over.

Thank you for letting me vent.

The evolution of an evergreen

Finally getting this post up, even though we've had our tree three weeks now...
Anyways, it starts with a trip to the far and distant forest...or this year, to the local nursery

I thought it was quite interesting, but somehow seemed barbaric, that all of the trees were hanging, yes hanging as in rope and noose, from the ceiling...

Made for easy visualization, though, as you tried to picture how it would appear in your living room. We searched high and low for quite a while through tons of trees, and I took time to enjoy the beautiful, festive decorations and flowers inside

While my husband waited, bored and freezing...and oh, yes, so happy to be there picking out a fresh tree. Can't you tell?

Anyways, we finally found "the one" - that perfect one on which beams of sunlight shine down from heaven with heavenly voices saying, "Ahhhh" and you just know that this is THE tree for you, the one that was chosen before time to belong in your living room.
Actually, this year it didn't go quite like that, we basically settled for a much cheaper, smaller tree and convinced ourselves that it was 'fine'. At any rate, it was the chosen tree for us, and we were just happy to get it home and out of the cold.

The merry, helpful nursery staff loaded it for us

And it waited in our car in breathless (literally) anticipation to discover its new home

And once it got to its new home...

It was dressed in hot light bulbs, weighed down with ornaments, choked in tinsel and beads, and bullied by kitty cats. Oh, and did I say majorly dehydrated because its owners forget to water it?

Well, sorry, O Christmas Tree, but thank you for making the sacrifice to look beautiful in our house this year and warm and comfort us with your merry lights.

Wintery birthday

Well, even though I complain about having my birthday so close to Christmas, I guess it's made a little bit better by the beauty and the holiday cheer.
I awoke this morning to find the sun streaming in the window, gorgeously detailing the evidence on the windows that Jack Frost had been around...

And outside (I just woke up, but of course had to slip out into the freezing cold in my slippers and robe to get some quick shots before the sun moved and the amazing glimmer on the snow dimmed) a beautiful blanket of fresh, fluffy, shimmery snow.

These pictures don't do justice to just how magical it was this morning. Have you ever tried to capture the sparkle of snow in morning sun? Well I did, and I failed...if any photographers out there have any tips for me, please share!
Here's my sad attempts...

Well, at any rate, I tried. Thank you Lord for giving me this beautiful scene to wake up to on my Christmas birthday, and thanks for a warm, cozy home from which to enjoy the view.

Cozy wrapping

This weekend, we spent a lovely winter afternoon wrapping all of our gifts (and there are many, since five in our family have birthdays by Christmas). Of course, those darn cats had to be a part of all the activity. They were both quite fascinated with the bows, ribbons, tags and paper bits, and especially with one particular crumpled paper mass.

As we wrapped, we were dowsed in the wonderful melodies of Christmas tunes, and of course the festive glow of our Christmas tree.

And outside in front, as the sun began to sink back to its other home, it made for some gorgeous rays bouncing through the trees and off the still-pristine recent snow.
Even though I despise winter, afternoons like this make it more bearable.

So thankful

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with great food and rousing conversations shared with loved ones. We headed out to WI to visit my dad's side of the family for the afternoon. We don't see them very often, so it was great catching up with everyone.

Of course K had to start off the day with the love of his life, Mountain Dew. And then we were off.

My cousin and aunt prepared a gorgeous turkey, as usual.

Which my dad proceeded to skillfully carve for us. (Must be all those years of skillful woodworking)

My mom and cousin happily mashed those taters

And another cousin graciously sampled the appetizers for us

As usual, it was a veritable feast, complete with the obligatory marshmallow sweet potates and good ole' green bean casserole.

Had some fun playing games and spending quality time with the family

All in all, it was a lovely Thanksgiving. So good to have a day set aside to stop and think about how blessed we are. Even though facing difficulty in starting a family of our own, we are well aware that we have so very much to be thankful for - wonderful, supportive immediate and extended families on both sides; a cute, cozy home; fuzzy, naughty, endearing kitties; our health; new jobs for both of us!; our health and ability to dance, run and play; and most of all, a God who insanely loves us and deeply desires our love in return.

And who blesses us with seemingly insignificant, yet beautiful things in life that make up a part of being human:

I'm thankful for this awesome sunset we witnessed on our drive back to the city.

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving everyone!