12.24.2012

Nuttin' For Christmas

Merry Christmas, Internet.


See you in a few days.

12.21.2012

Star Light, Star Bright

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Our Christmas tree isn't "ours" any more. The Christmas trees my husband and I used to have we very simple, elegant, Martha-Stewart-approved affairs, with all white lights and gold and silver ornaments and only things found in nature: pine cones, acorns, snowflakes, apples. Those trees were beautiful, worthy of being feature in a decorating magazine.

Now our tree features a purple hippopotamus and a Perry the Platypus ornament. Our kid is responsible for that. I'll be honest, but don't tell anybody -- we like her tree better.

photo.JPGWe're still creating our family decorating traditions, and we're adding new stuff to our tree every year. When I was a kid, our family tree reflected all the stuff that was important to us: Phillies ornaments, Star Trek ships, handmade craft projects, hand-me-downs. We're trying to incorporate that into our tree as well.

Our daughter is kind of the star of our lives, and so there are a lot of stars on our tree. Shae loves them, and so do we. One of her favorites is one that was made especially for this year's Heart of Haiti campaign. I love that she loves it because it basically features all the things I love in an ornament that will featured on our tree for many years: it's artisan-crafted, it's made of recycled and sustainable materials, and it's going to directly help someone provide a better life for their family.

Mostly I love this ornament, though, because it represents everything that we wanted our tree to say this year: "HOPE." And I hope that she will always love this ornament as much as we do.

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own. #CleverHaiti

12.16.2012

Frosty the Snowman

I can't speak for anyone else, but my week has been absolute BUTT, except for my niece's impromptu birthday bash at Chuck E. Cheese's yesterday -- I KNOW -- so I am sharing this with the world because it gives me so much joy.



I hope it does the same for you.