There were lots and lots of Christmas-related events this month, of course. We began with our now-annual trip to the local John Deere store to visit Santa and take a sleigh ride. The girls were still a little apprehensive this year, but ended up having a precious little visit with Santa.
Other holiday outings included the Christmas parade, the MDO Christmas program, the church Christmas program (both of which the girls participated in), Jeremy's work dinner (complete with Santa, again), a shopping and family evening out at Bridge Street, and various family gatherings.
Aside from all those things, Jeremy and I: had our annual shopping date, attended my work Christmas party, attended a surprise birthday dinner for a friend (Happy 30th, Mandy!), hosted a Progressive dinner for the youth from church, saw a movie on Christmas night, and made all manner of small shopping trips throughout the month.
It was quite the whirlwind month, but somehow, I felt much less pressure this year. I don't feel like we overdid it leading up to Christmas, and there weren't too many obligations keeping us busy. I officially declare December a success!
Books read: 3
The List--Siobhan Vivian is one of the hot YA authors right now, at least from my observances. This was my first book of hers, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I am reminded for the ten millionth time how thankful I am that I will never have to go to high school again (and how I dread those years for my children...even if they are good years, they are just SO dramatic.)
Alabama Moon--I saw this book in a local bookstore while we were in Mobile in October. I didn't have any money with me at the time, so I waited and found it at the college library. Written by an Alabama native, it's the story of a boy raised in the woods, completely removed from civilization (think Doomsday Preppers to the extreme)...which is all fine and good until his father dies, leaving him all alone. Alabama Moon is a unique adventure story that is great for just about anyone (young teenagers and up).
Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover--Technically, I've been reading on this one awhile and I expect to return to it many times in the future. Nearly everyone has heard of Dave Ramsey, and with good reason. I am looking forward to getting started with some of these principles in the new year!
Movies watched: 3
Pitch Perfect--(This is available on DVD now, but it's still relatively new, so I'm including it on my list.) My sister and I watched this on Christmas Eve, while I buzzed around preparing gifts for the next morning. It is such a fun movie! If you like music, Glee, or anything along those lines, definitely see this one.
This is 40--Jeremy, Laura, and I saw this in the theater on Christmas night. It's a Judd Apatow movie, so true to his style, there is quite a bit of language. We laughed a lot though. I enjoy Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd in pretty much anything.
Parental Guidance--Jeremy and I saw this on Saturday night when we got the chance to go on an all-too-rare date. We both liked this movie very much, and Bette Midler was fantastic. It's a great movie to watch with family.
Crafts/Projects
I think part of the reason I didn't feel so overwhelmed with Christmas this year is that I laid off a lot of the craft projects I usually spend so much time on. There were several things I meant to do--tote bags, bookmarks, photo books--but it just didn't happen, and it was totally fine. I got Christmas cards sent, so I call it a win.
Also, Mama got a new camera for Christmas (well, technically, I got it the day after Christmas), so look out for the onslaught of pictures to come! I am totally using full AUTO right now, and I haven't even had a chance to play around in the outside light, but I already love it.
Here are a couple of pictures from Jeremy's grandparents this weekend:
Books read: 3
The List--Siobhan Vivian is one of the hot YA authors right now, at least from my observances. This was my first book of hers, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I am reminded for the ten millionth time how thankful I am that I will never have to go to high school again (and how I dread those years for my children...even if they are good years, they are just SO dramatic.)
Alabama Moon--I saw this book in a local bookstore while we were in Mobile in October. I didn't have any money with me at the time, so I waited and found it at the college library. Written by an Alabama native, it's the story of a boy raised in the woods, completely removed from civilization (think Doomsday Preppers to the extreme)...which is all fine and good until his father dies, leaving him all alone. Alabama Moon is a unique adventure story that is great for just about anyone (young teenagers and up).
Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover--Technically, I've been reading on this one awhile and I expect to return to it many times in the future. Nearly everyone has heard of Dave Ramsey, and with good reason. I am looking forward to getting started with some of these principles in the new year!
Movies watched: 3
Pitch Perfect--(This is available on DVD now, but it's still relatively new, so I'm including it on my list.) My sister and I watched this on Christmas Eve, while I buzzed around preparing gifts for the next morning. It is such a fun movie! If you like music, Glee, or anything along those lines, definitely see this one.
This is 40--Jeremy, Laura, and I saw this in the theater on Christmas night. It's a Judd Apatow movie, so true to his style, there is quite a bit of language. We laughed a lot though. I enjoy Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd in pretty much anything.
Parental Guidance--Jeremy and I saw this on Saturday night when we got the chance to go on an all-too-rare date. We both liked this movie very much, and Bette Midler was fantastic. It's a great movie to watch with family.
Crafts/Projects
I think part of the reason I didn't feel so overwhelmed with Christmas this year is that I laid off a lot of the craft projects I usually spend so much time on. There were several things I meant to do--tote bags, bookmarks, photo books--but it just didn't happen, and it was totally fine. I got Christmas cards sent, so I call it a win.
Also, Mama got a new camera for Christmas (well, technically, I got it the day after Christmas), so look out for the onslaught of pictures to come! I am totally using full AUTO right now, and I haven't even had a chance to play around in the outside light, but I already love it.
Here are a couple of pictures from Jeremy's grandparents this weekend:
And with that, I complete the entire year of these state of affairs posts. Can you believe it? I don't know for sure that I will continue to do it next year, but I think I might. I like having the chance to look back on the month, to find a few things to remember.
2012 was good to us; I look forward to seeing what 2013 holds. Happy New Year!
i love the state of the month posts! :)
ReplyDelete...wait...you see movies AND read books? i haven't seen a movie in ages. maybe i should get on that! :)
happy new year!