Snow Day

I get as excited now about snow days as I when I was a kid.  (And thanks to my mom, I even have the appropriate attire for them, as seen above.)  Nearly everything in the city was shut down today, (including canceling final exams at UW!), and the news showed the roads as virtually empty, yet treacherous.  

I took advantage of the day to start work on some wedding centerpieces for Tyson's cousin, whose wedding takes place a week from Saturday.  Most of the work will need to be done the day before, but I was able to create some cute heart tags.  I also had time to clean out the refrigerator, start packing for going home on Saturday, and catch up on some Top Chef.

I tried to take some pictures through our window, but it was hard with all of the glaring whiteness.  It was a little easier as it got darker.  The Christmas lights on our deck look pretty, buried under all of the snow.

It was kind of nice to have an extra day to hunker down, especially since I was able to get a few things done before leaving Saturday for our Christmas travels.  And to sleep in a bit and relax.  And to be able to make a chocolate mug cake for hubby and I to share.  Unfortunately, having this extra day is going to make it even more difficult to venture out into this winter-y wonderland tomorrow...

A (Couple) of my Favorite Things

I took a couple of evenings this week to do some of my favorite Christmas activities-sending out Christmas cards and wrapping presents.  This year I used a Living Social deal for my Christmas cards.  They came shipped so cute in an adorable little box, and a note saying that they enclosed two extra cards and envelopes, in case I was still adding to my Christmas card list, which I thought was a nice touch.  I also like that you can personalize the back of the card, as well as the front, and manipulate the colors, font, and text.  The address stickers I love, which were leftover from last year, and I used them to seal the back of the envelope.

Christmas presents consist of kraft paper tied with different types of red and green ribbon.  The kraft paper gives everything a uniform look, and the ribbon makes it festive.  I also bought gold washi tape, which glams it up a bit. It doesn't stick as nice to the kraft paper as I'd like (I actually had to secure the folds with clear gift-wrapping tape first), but I still enjoy the overall effect.  Most wrapping paper, especially at Christmas time, is too garish and busy for my taste, and I'm happy with the simplicity of this year's gifts.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

Since yesterday was December 1st, that meant I could officially break out Christmas decorations and music.  It also meant that hubby thought it would be a GREAT idea to wake me up yesterday morning by blaring Christmas music in my ear.  This did not start my day off in a jolly way.  However, by evening, I was so freaking festive it was ridiculous.

Mugs filled with hot drinks are essential for setting the appropriate Christmas decorating mood (hot chocolate + marshmallows for Tyson, coffee with real cream for me).

Tyson doesn't look like he's having that much fun but I think he secretly is.  How could you not be with that glowing ball of light behind you?  He's my designated Open-and/or-Unwrap-All-the-Ornaments-and-Put-a-Hook-on-Them-and-Then-Put-Everything-Back-in-the-Container-Just-Like-You-Found-It Boy.  Everyone needs one of those at Christmas decorating time.

You can't tell from the picture, but I am wearing a top absolutely blinged out in sequins.  Clearly festive.

I come down hard on the side of fake in the real vs. fake Christmas tree debate.  I know that people who prefer real trees go crazy on the experience of going to pick one out and they smell so good and yadda, yadda, yadda, but I just don't think you can beat a fake tree.  One that looks like it has just a dusting of sparkling snow on it.  And that has lights already on it, saving you at least an hour of tinkering-with-the-lights time.  And it doesn't need it's water levels maintained since there isn't any.  Honestly, there's enough to think about at this time of year instead of worrying about watering a tree indoors.  How silly.  I love our tree.

I also loved our Thanksgiving sign so much that I couldn't resist making another one today.  The shelf looked so lonely without one, but now it is festive and happy again.  Merry, even.