We need a little Christmas, Right this very minute...

Christmas is almost here and we're having a blast getting ready for Christmas. It is especially fun to buy myself Christmas presents. This one actually made it under the tree.



Here is our family room all done up. After much debate I finally settled on a fake white tree this year. It makes me happy.


Eva's favorite thing to say right now is, "I scared! Santa!" I think this guy might have something to do with that. (You better not pout, I'm telling you why... so why is Santa pouting? This can't be the first kid to resist sitting on your lap. But the lap thing is kind of creepy if you ask me so I can't blame her.)

I finally wrestled her into a photo with St. Nick.

Sophie was easier considering she was asleep. Santa looks a little freaked out by the whole arrangement. Maybe he's not sure how to fulfill the order for diapers and breast milk- the only items on Sophie's list this year.


Tacky Lights Tour. Richmond is famous for it's Tacky Lights Tour. We've gone out a few evenings now to see some of the houses on the tour. We just have to follow the stream of tour buses and Limos to these amazing houses. You can see a special on TLC this Tuesday (7pm) and Wednesday (2am). It's called "Crazy Christmas Lights" if you want to DVR it.




Enjoying our Hot Chocolate. Apparently we don't own a mug that doesn't bear the mark of a former or current employer. It brings back happy memories. Too bad my blogging days started after XANGO. Those years would have provided endless blog fodder. Maybe I'll start blogging in reverse once my life gets boring.

White Elepant Scraps

Scraps- Thursday night gathering where all the girls get together and scrapbook... except that the scrapbooking stopped about 5 years ago and now everyone just gets together and yaks it up 'till the wee hours of the morning.

It's one of the things I love about living here. There is never a shortage of outlets for my social energy and when Thursday nights roll around, I'm usually ready for some good quality girl time. Every so often Scraps has a theme, a purpose higher than talking each other's ears off. Last week was the annual White Elephant Scraps.

I put a lot of pressure on myself to have a funny White Elephant gift. When I was young, my parents would always throw big New Year's White Elephant parties. They would plan out for the entire year the gifts they would give-always on the look-out for the perfect gift. This party kind of snuck up on me and I wasn't prepared. The only thing I had was a gift so good that I wasn't quite prepared to part with. I'm saving it for the mother of all White Elephant parties, the Palmer Christmas Cousin party that I will someday attend in Calgary, Alberta. So for this one party, with two days to go, I ran over to Goodwill where you can always find something decent.


So here's what we ended up with. A pair of LLBean mom jeans (you have to watch the link to think it's funny) and granny panties (which are always funny in a pinch, especially if they are from a thrift store).


Jenna and Katie. The lucky winners.


This would be me as a mom in the 90's. Being a teenager in the 90's was bad enough.

Jackie and her hommie snowman cookie jar. That joy was soon wiped right off her face when I snatched up the prize and went home with him.
All the girls and our loot. It just isn't the holidays without a good White Elephant party.

Announcing... Sophie Joan