Winter Vacation

Don't let the title of this post fool you into thinking that I am off to a place where it's a winter wonderland.  I am actually referring to School - Winter Vacation.  I am ready to have all the little people back in school, as I am absolutely sure they are as well.  Late nights with friends make it hard for a productive next day, but I love them.  We veg in our living room or kitchen and either play cards, boardgames or just do artsy fartsy stuff.

Santa left this in one of the stockings and today we put it to good use.  I was so afraid that it would get all over my floors or rugs but I was happy how there wasn't clay all over my coffee table.  

I must say that it was a pretty good idea to wait and use it for a 'rainy day'.  We love the craft store in my house. Crayola makes some pretty cool kits that are very much liked at our place.

We had a relaxing day indoors without rushing to get anywhere.  I loved not having to step out of my house today.  

Tomorrow will be a lot more interesting than today was, I'm sure - New Year's Eve!!!

-Hizles

Star Wars Christmas {Simple Things}

Pheeewww! After three nights of partying and running on 3-4 hours of sleep I am certainly glad things are starting to get back to normal.  One more holiday and we are done!

Christmas gifts in this house for the little people consist of LEGOS, lots of LEGOS.  It's just wonderful to walk into a room in the middle of the night and a piece (or pieces) of Legos dig on to your bare heels ...  If you didn't catch that last comment, it is was pure sarcasm.  

So this is one of the kits that has been put together so far.  As much as I complain about the hundreds of little pieces I seem to find in odd places in my home, I do think they encourage kids to use their imagination and find them to be a great educational toy.  Of course this one here was done using their guide but I have seen so many other works of art done with remains of these kits. 

For theatrical purposes I thought I would add a bit of editing to this one ....

(side view)

I hope your holiday weekend was just as joyful as ours.

-Hizles

Neighborhood Christmas Lights

So I finally got a chance to take a look at the neighborhood lights.  This is my favorite.

-Hizles

i-heart-faces | Kid's Tree

As promised here is another holiday photo of my kid's tree.  

Is it just in my home where kids want their own tree?  

-Hizles

i heart faces | Photo Challenge | Holiday Bokeh

I will be posting as many photos as I can shoot involving holiday lights bokeh this week.  As you already know, I love Christmas, the reasons we celebrate it and the time I get to spend with my family.  

Along with my tree I have set up my nativity set next to my tree.  I wish it was bigger but with little ones running around it's pretty risky business.  

I hope tomorrow we get to go out and drive around the neighborhood to see all the beautiful light decorations people have put out.  So excited!

Nite nite!

-Hizles

6 Days 'til Christmas

I cannot believe we are less than a week away until Christmas.  There is so much I still need to do.  For one, I haven't wrapped any gifts.  Now that the munchkins are out of school the only time I will be able to wrap will be once everyone is asleep.  I'm not excited about the gifts or the whole commercialization of Christmas, I'm actually looking forward to Christmas Eve mass.  I love seeing the kids perform the nativity scene and later having Christmas Eve dinner with my family.  

At least I got my tree up.  Thank goodness for pre-lit trees.    

-Hizles

Christmas Break ... so far

... and this is what it might look like for the next couple of weeks.

Santa Came Early

Santa came early this year!  And ain't he adorable?  

I missed this past weeks submission for I Heart Faces Pet Photo and although I couldn't share with them this photo of my dog I felt he needed to be seen.  

-Hizles

Christmas Ornaments and Trees and Elves

This year we decided to go for an artificial tree rather than purchasing a real tree.  You see, every year we have bought a fresh tree to fill our home with that holiday tree scent.  The problem with a real tree is that begins to leave a mess a week later.  In Florida you're probably better off buying a Christmas tree a week before so that it will stay nice and green without all the prickles on your floors, even worst, your rugs.  Ah! That and the fact that you never know if some critter is lurking in that tree. I've heard horror stories of how these trees can carry ticks and lay eggs in your home.  Yuk! Can you imagine?  The fact that critters could be in the tree alone is enough to make me go for a fake one.  Besides, I purchase those holiday candles and I can get the scent without the pine needles all over my house.

So the real reason I decided to write this post....  Well, this ornament ... what can I say ... I volunteer at a school and had one of the kids ask if I had an elf that visited my home while I was asleep and play with my things.  I know it's been a while since I was a kid but who thinks of these things?  Really?  I'm no Scrooge but don't we have enough with leaving a carrot for the reindeer on Christmas Eve?  Okay, okay, maybe I wasn't in the holiday spirit when she asked.  The word spread like fire and next thing you know I'm faking a visit from the elf so that my little people think they too have an elf.  Ay ay ay.  

Anyway ... I had to share that.  

The elf that one of the little people tried catching the other night was finally caught and now lives on our holiday tree.  Since they apparently freeze when you see them (or catch them in our case), we all get to see him hang on the tree.  

What was hard was finding an elf anything.  Fortunately, I was able to find this ornament at Target but the more I look at it the more I think it's an gnome.  Whatcha think? According to the youngest 'little person' elves have pointy ears and curly shoes and clearly this fella has neither.  Oh well, it's as close as an elf as it gets.

Well, off to bed I go.  I just had to get that out there.

-Hizles

Simple Things Sunday - Baking FAIL

Take a peak at my kitchen this evening ....

These cheetos (fingers) aren't mine

I was feeling inspired and decided to bake some sugar cookies.  Keep in mind that the only cookies I have ever made have been chocolate chip cookies and while dropping is easy I thought I'd try cookies cutters.  Hmmm .... what do you think?  

What a sad looking batch :-(

Perhaps I'm just not a sugar cookie kind of gal and decorating, probably not either.  

Sugar cookies always remind me of Christmas so it made sense for me to make these.  I'll give it another try as Christmas gets closer just to get in the festive mood.

Hope your baking is a lot better than this!

;-)

Hizles

  

For the love of JUICING

We have been going through fruits and vegetables in my house like it’s nobodies business! 

About two month ago I decided to start blending all those green vegetables that are so hard to eat all on their own.  I didn’t want to slather them when fatty dressings or cook them.  The only other option for me was to blend them and take it like a big girl.  Yup.  A smoothie made out of kale, celery, cucumbers, cilantro, lemon, apple, pear, and pretty much anything green.  I picked up the idea from Kimberly Snyder.  Haven’t heard of her?  Google it.  After reading (part of) her book I thought I would try and make the change to slowly cut meat out of my diet.  I can’t tell you I have been successful, since I gave it up a couple of weeks after … what can I say, I love meat.  Other circumstances lead me to fall off the wagon too.

I realized that while she was right on many points, I just wasn’t ready to make such a drastic change.  So instead I have my veggies in a cup.  Two weeks ago, while sick as a dog, I thought I’d try again but instead of blending I am juicing.  Oh yeah! JUICING BABY!  While juicing doesn’t make me visit the ladies room as often as the blending did I do feel great.  My refrigerator has never been so jam packed with fruits and vegetables as it has been lately. 

This is just a sneak peak at what my kitchen looks like most mornings and evenings. 

Other members in my home prefer more of a fruit juice than a green veggie juice.  

Here's to good health!

-Hizles