Thoroughly enjoyed the boys’ winter concert last night… they were all dressed up together on stage, singing their little hearts out, and Emil and Oliver got to bring home the Santa hats they wore during “Here Comes Santa Claus.” Emil decided, obviously, that this hat was going to bed with him.
And are you ready? It’s the last weekend before Christmas! Woo!
Be sure to head over to Hither & Thither today to check out the 5 Things travel guide I did about St. Louis! Such an honor to work with Shoko and Ashley — Thanks ladies!
Mixing up the wardrobe these days to make everything (kind of) work together. As the weather grows cooler, layers are much appreciated. This time it’s a long-sleeved striped tee under a denim shell that I was wearing a lot in the warmer fall months. Breaking all the rules with black and navy. But obviously those rules are meant to be broken — winter white being at the top of my list!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
It’s no secret how much I love eggs. When I was a poor college student, I caught quite a bit of flak from my roommates for my egg consumption. But hey, eggs are cheap, easy, satisfying, and delicious. There are so many ways to prepare them, I’m sure I’ll never get tired of them.
SlowMama just linked to Smitten Kitchen’s shakshuka recipe yesterday, the same day I discovered I had not a lot of time to make a spicy tomato sauce from scratch, but just enough time to dump a small jar of really yummy fresh garlic-roasted tomato sauce into a baking dish along with some marinated feta cheese. I baked it at 350 for 10 minutes, then added two eggs and turned the heat to broil for 3 minutes. Served with some crusty bread, it was the best lunch! Nothing like something warm and savory on a chilly day.
What’s warming your belly these days?
Andrew surprised me with an early Christmas present —a new 35mm lens for our camera. I spent a good deal of time playing around with it, but I’m still experimenting a lot so the pictures may look different because of that! Obviously the resolution is better. Lately we were noticing how blurry the pictures were in some of the most recent posts with the older lens. Turns out I got a lot of use out of it and will still turn to it I’m sure, but for now I’m really enjoying taking photos with the 35mm.
We enjoyed unseasonably warm weather this weekend, but still kept a slow wintery lifestyle. The holidays are hurried and rushed enough as it is without adding to the stress. We had friends over for dinner and ate way too much, let the kids stay up late, slept in a bit later than usual (7:30ish) and as planned, spent a lot of time outside. Emil wore a bat costume for most of the weekend, interspersed with costume-changes into Batman (completely different), the Flash, a chicken, and several different pairs of pajamas paired with cowboy boots, sandals, or snow boots. The boys watched the old version of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. It completely blew Emil’s mind.
Andrew has gotten into the Christmas spirit for sure — the Christmas music situation at our house has already gotten out of hand, if you ask me. On Saturday, Oliver and I walked in the front door greeted by a blaring “Holly Jolly Christmas” only to find the house was actually empty since Andrew had taken Emil and Milo on a long walk to the library. I had an intervention come Sunday to head off the inevitable head explosion I was fearing would happen. We’re cutting down to 23 hours a day, so, there’s progress.
On Sunday the boys played independently all day, from sunrise til sundown. They had a friend over for most of the day and I was so amused listening in on their games and ideas. It all culminated in a group smash-fest on the back deck, during which all four little boys pounded bottle caps until they were flat on top of an old log. I have no idea, but they sure were happy…
Looking forward to getting a few packages out in the mail this week and sending out the rest of our Christmas cards. Oh boy! Have a lovely Monday!