Christmas Q & A

I found this on Preppy Little Dress, a great blog I stumbled upon today. If you like it then copy and paste and put it in your blog! Or, just leave a comment with an answer to one of these questions ....

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both – But I prefer paper if I have time! And real ribbon, preferably grosgrain!

2. Real tree or Artificial? REAL!!!

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually at least a week into December.

4. When do you take the tree down? After the Twelve Days of Christmas, of course. So January 6ish …

5. Do you like eggnog? Uh, I’d rather have champagne please! Or spiked cider … yummmmm.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? My American Girl Doll, Samantha! Or the Easy Bake Oven ... how to choose!?

7. Hardest person to buy for? Everyone else, though it is helpful when my Mom or sister make a list!

8. Easiest person to buy for? Myself …

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes! That reminds me, I should get that while I am home since I now have my own house to decorate.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail – except this year, our wedding pictures didn’t get to us in time for a Christmas card so we are going with a New Years Card!!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
The one I didn't receive ... I always wanted one of those little electric cars - like a Barbie Jeep or something and my mother, ever so careful that I don't crack my skull open, never obliged ... every time I see one I still get jealous. Sad.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I know it is not a “classic” but I adore Love Actually. The Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas are always on my play list.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I collect things as I find them – a trick I learned from my darling mother.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I am going to this year … but shhh, I can’t say what it was so I don’t get caught!!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Christmas Cookies! I love my mom’s Raisen Drops. Maybe I’ll post the recipie if you’re lucky!!

16. Lights on the tree? I used to be the white light police in my family. However, now I appreciate the fact that all holiday décor was most likely put up with a heart full of joy so I will admire any light, gaudy or stylish … but for the Southern Grace household, there will only be white lights …

17. Favorite Christmas song? Santa Baby … but as far as hymns go, I love Once in Royal David’s City and O Holy Night.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Home is where the family is … but from now on, that involves traveling …

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, Donder and Blitzen … but do you recall, the most famous reindeer of all?? (That would be Rudolph …)

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Growing up, an angel … when I decorated the tree for my roommate and I in college I had this beautiful pearl and crystal topper that looked like an old broach … it is beautiful. But I am toying of starting my own tradition which is that the broach topper stays on until Christmas and then on Christmas Eve, we change it to an angel … kind of the way you wait until Christmas Eve/Day to add Jesus to the manger … But, we would need to have our own tree in our own house to begin said tradition.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Naturally, we open our matching/coordinating pajamas on Christmas Eve so that we can wear them and look cute on Christmas morning. Then everything else waits to the “big day’.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? When people lose the meaning and bad attitudes ensue …

23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? My favorite theme is natural greenery. Anywhere you can have live holly, live paper whites, live amaryllis, live poinsettia, live garland, live wreaths, live trees … I like it alive!!!

Me and my dear friend, MEH, in front of my little tree when ACR and I lived together during college. You can almost see the pretty pearl and crystal broach topper!!

Whirlwind Week

So it has obviously been a while since I have put the ol' fingers to keyboard and the simple excuse is because I have been busy beyond belief. Since we last chatted, the Mr. and I took a weekend trip to his beloved Pittsburgh to attend the Pitt V. Cincinnati game. This was actually my wedding gift to him and oh how I would have loved it if the Panthers could have pulled one out for us but they lost, tragically, by one point in a game that can only be described as dishearteningly epic. By the way, it was freezing (as in hovering around the 20's and SNOWING for the entire game) As you can see by this picture below, tailgating at Pitt games actually involves ... a car ... unlike my four years tailgating on the Boulevard at SMU.

While tailgating last Saturday, I had this odd inclination to check my email. I had been subbing for the past two days for the teacher who was preparing to go on maternity leave and though she was two weeks away from her due date, I just had this feeling that her bundle of joy would be arriving early. Lo and behold, I checked my email only to discover that she had gone in to labor early that Saturday morning. My time had come! So enter in the second reason I have been missing in action ... this week has been CRAZY adjusting to my new schedule.

I don't think my husband truly grasped how hard teaching would be. And in this situation I have an unbelievable team to work with and for the most part, the lessons are totally planned out - I just have to make sure there are enough copies for my new crop of 140 students and that their assignments are graded. But never-the-less, the earliest I have made it home this past week was 6:15 PM ... and I get to school at 7:30 AM. Considering I have five, 50 minutes periods where I do nothing but stand and talk, this teaching gig is unbelievably exhausting!! But I will tell you my little secret ... at the end of the day, I walk to my car with my legs aching and feet throbbing with the voice of a man and I have never felt so fulfilled in my life. Granted I have only been teaching for 7 actual school days but I could have easily had the opposite experience where I end my day going "Get me out of here!!" So I take this as a good sign ...

Anyways - I will try my best to update this little blog better throughout this week. SO many exciting things to chat about how will I choose! My sweet sister, AEW has been accepted to The Florida State University (FSU) so woo hoo for her!! She also has her debutante ball coming up in just 6 days!! For this, Mr. SG and I will be journeying home to Florida and then will stay the week and spend it celebrating with family and loved ones.

Have a fabulous Monday everyone!!

The Front Door Mat

Here is my front door mat - not blatantly Christmas but I really like the design. I could also use it for Valentines Day! Mr. SG was not this mat's biggest fan at first. We found it at Nordstrom Rack (the Nordstrom outlet) in their home section back in November. I think it was between $12 -$15 dollars and is the TAG brand. Anyways, he doesn't understand my need for holiday appropriate front door mats (getting the Halloween mat was quite the discussion but ultimately I won when I found one on sale). So we fought about this silly little mat while in Nordstrom - it ended when I said, "Fine ... whatever you think."

We continued on shopping in the area and as we passed the store again, I said "That really was a nice mat ... Are we really not going to have a Christmas mat?" The next week while I was at home tying up last minute wedding details, Mr. SG snuck back to Nordstrom and bought the mat in secret. It was waiting for me at home when we got back from the airport. What a nice surprise ... then I felt like a brat. But I was happy to get my festive foot wiper after all.

Thanks for the mat dear ... doesn't it look good after all??