Anticipating and Prioritizing 2013

Greetings, blog friends.

Merry Holidays to you all.

Since I've had the past week off work, I've been off my normal routine. One of the things to slip by the way side was blogging. I needed a bit of a computer break, and while it felt a little strange at first, it was actually kind of nice.

It's typical for me to be lost in thought during this time of year. I've been thinking about the past 12 months, considering the lessons learned, thinking about how those lessons have changed me, and wondering how I can put all that to good use in the upcoming new year.

In the past I would have done a year-end recap on my blog. I'd show you all the stuff I did, things I made, road trips we took. But this year, as I scrolled through the archive posts for 2012 I was overwhelmed at the thought of recapping all of that - mostly because the running theme was my mom's illness and subsequent passing, and also because I just don't have the emotional energy to do it right now. {So, if you want to see what I did this past year, please refer to the archive list on the left sidebar of my blog - and we'll call it good.} ;o)

Carrie and I were talking about an online class she took recently related to goal setting. {She reviewed the class on her blog here.} In our discussion, she mentioned that one of the things that stood out for her was the subject of priorities - think about your priorities, then think about how you actually spend your time...

Leave it to my girl C to be the one who puts things into perspective for me. That was just the conversation I needed in that moment. I had already started a list of things I want to do in 2013: play with clay, crochet an afghan, make a quilt {or two or three...}, spend time art journaling, and the big one: less time on the computer/more time on my yoga mat.

Everyone told us that this first Christmas without my mom would be tough and I have to admit that part of me didn't fully believe that. I hadn't spent Christmas with my mom since I was a little girl, so her absence this year wasn't going to affect me like some people assumed it would. Hm. Wrong.

It wasn't the physical absence of my mother that hung over me during the holiday season; but more the vulnerable feeling of our own mortality that has been hard to shake. Losing someone so dear has changed me. It's changed me in ways that I want to write about, but not blog about. It has changed my priorities in terms of who I spend time with, and how I spend that time. It has made me want to spend my precious time more wisely. And thanks to my conversation with Carrie, it has me thinking about my priorities.

I'm still not sure how this shift in my priorities will change how I blog, but I know it will. I'm excited about the new year and how it will change who I am and how I move through my days and weeks. I trust that it's going to be just perfect, with a whole new set of challenges and lessons to learn.

I'm ready, 2013!

Happy New Year, everyone!

♥

A Little Weekend Recap, and a Big Merry Christmas

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A very happy Christmas Eve, sweet friends!

And here we are, ready or not, at Christmas time. Everyone's saying how quickly it came, and I can't deny that I feel the same way. As "ready" as I was a couple of weeks ago, there has still been plenty to keep me busy, and this past weekend was no exception. Come on in...

Carrie came by yesterday afternoon to sample an eggnog cupcake, and she pleaded to open just one present. We held our ground like super strict parents {ha}. Thing is that we kind of down-sized this year - or rather, just didn't go over-board on present buying - so we wanted to save everything for tonight. {Doug, Carrie, and I will open our gifts tonight when we are home from our Christmas Eve celebration with Doug's our family.}

My mom is in everything I do this year. I know I have a few readers who are experiencing the holidays for the first time without a loved one. It is so very bittersweet, and has the potential to be super, super sad if I let it. I won't let it. But I really do miss my mom.

I made an art canvas for someone special, and put the finishing touches on it yesterday afternoon. I think it's my favorite so far, but Carrie says that I say that every time I make one. I'll show you next week. :o)

Yesterday I was in the kitchen All.Day.Long. I made pumpkin bread, red velvet cupcakes, eggnog cupcakes, chicken soup {for our dinner last night} and I cooked a large pork roast and made it into chili verde to take to our Christmas celebration tonight. This morning I'll be making chocolate pancakes {Carrie will be here for that annual tradition} and I'll frost those cupcakes. Then I will be officially done with preparations and ready to enjoy a glass of wine {or two} with my three awesome SIL's over at Doug's dad's house.

My work office is closed until January 2nd {and even when you love your job it's still awesome to have some time off!} and I will be keeping myself busy with things around here. I want to catch up on my Project Life, and I'm seriously thinking about making a quilt. So much free time ahead of me - so many fun possibilities to fill it with!

And with that, I'm off to enjoy Christmas with people I love.

I have so much to be thankful for, and one of those things is the lovely friendships I've formed through this crazy little thing known as PaperTurtle ~ my blog. I'm wishing everyone who reads this post today the very best Christmas you've ever had. I hope it's filled with love and laughter just like mine will be.

Peace, love, and jingle bells,

♥ ~ Deb

Just a Quote for Friday

"Let there be peace on earth,

and let it begin with me."

~ Jill Jackson Miller

My Christmas Q&A

I saw this idea for a blog post over on my friend Rinda's blog {you can read her post here} and thought it was a fun idea, so I'm linking to her today and sharing my own answers. {Thanks, Rinda!}

Oh, and I'm also throwing in a few photos taken around our house this week.
♥

How will you celebrate the holidays this year? We spend Christmas Eve afternoon with Doug’s family. My three SIL's and I bring stuff for dinner {Mexican food this year} and we all do a gift exchange - we draw names every year. Then Doug, Carrie and I will come back to our house and have our little Christmas time together. We open our gifts on Christmas Eve night because Carrie spends Christmas Day at her dad’s house. It makes me a little sad that she's had to divide her time between parents since she was five, but it’s the way it is so we deal.

What’s the weather currently like where you live?  Finally cool enough to feel like winter {for us}! Our temps have been in the low 60°’s this week {35c-ish}.

Do you decorate your home for the holidays? If so, share a picture please.  I do decorate for the holidays, but it’s a bit different this year. This is our first Christmas without my mom and even though I’m not dwelling on her absence, I must admit to feeling a bit more subdued about Christmas preparations. I’ve done the minimum and that’s ok. Doug put up new lights on the outside of our house, so to the neighborhood I suppose it looks like we’re doing things right.

What’s your favorite Christmas movie? How the Grinch Stole Christmas – both the cartoon and Jim Carey versions. {I recently found out that my friend Stephanie can sing the whole Grinch song. Cool!} Doug’s favorite movie is A Christmas Story and he regularly quotes lines from it.

What is your favorite Christmas song(s)? Hm…there are a few…  Baby It’s Cold Outside, Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You, Winter Wonderland, Sleigh Bells…

Do you have an advent calendar? No, and we never have done an advent calendar. Makes me feel like I failed my girl C in a way by never having one. Hopefully I’ll get to make that up with grandkids one of these days!

Do you prefer color lights or white? Can I say both? I love lights in general! Our tree has multi-colored, and our outdoor lights are all white this year.

What is your favorite food to eat over the holidays? Chocolate. Oh wait, that’s all year long. Hm…yeah…I’ll just say chocolate.

Do you display a live tree, or do you prefer fake trees? We had an artificial tree for a few years but when we moved it was too tall for our current living room. We’ve had a live {dying} tree for the past two years and I love it that way.

What would you need to make your holiday perfect this year? That’s easy, because I already have everything I need for a perfect holiday this year: a loving family, great friends, a warm and comfortable home, two of the best brat cats on the planet, food on my table, and a bunch of love in my heart.

If you made it to the end, thanks for sticking around. ;o)
And if you post a set of these Q&A's let me know ~
I'd love to see how you answer them.
♥

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

~ ♥ ~
I love putting together themed gift baskets for people I love!

This one went to my brother {Tim} and his family ~ filled with supplies for a hot chocolate party. I used the top half of a wine-bottle-gift-box for my base, lined it with a Christmas dish towel, and filled it with homemade hot chocolate mix, a loaf of pumpkin bread, and some other goodies.

I found the recipe for hot chocolate mix here, and it's a pretty good one. The recipe made nine jars of mix, plenty to have for those extra little hostess gifts I'll want to have on hand for the next week or so.

Plus, I have a few more gift baskets to assemble.

The theme this year is hot chocolate!

Yum.

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Around my kitchen

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Messes are being made and cleaned up...

...over and over again.

We're making a list, checking it twice, and counting the days...

I've been making stuff...

...and then cleaning it up.

I love making messes and cleaning them up in this kitchen.

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A Christmas-y Weekend Recap

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Hello, dear friends.

I am grateful for another safe and productive weekend. With the recent tragic event in our nation, my heart was heavy this weekend. I made a concerted effort to keep my focus on Christmas. Here's a little look at what I was up to:

Doug went north with his brothers for the weekend, and I was a busy bee around here. Fancy and Whiskers, on the other hand, pretty much took it easy.

Have I told you lately how much I love Instagram? When I upload a photo I try every filter before choosing the one that suits me. It's awesome that way.

Doug and I came home from our Friday night date to find a little surprise from Carrie. I love when that happens.

I love making gift baskets, and this past weekend I made a few. This one went to my brother, Tim, and his family. ♥

Saturday night Carrie and I went to my niece Savannah's performance in the Nutcracker. This was her 6th {or 7th?} year performing, and she even had a solo this time ~ beautiful! My favorite part of the whole thing was the great big smile she had on her face during the entire performance. This girl has always held a special place in my heart. ♥

Oh, and there's this guy - Savannah's older brother, Ryne. I really ♥ him too. {And I'm going to promote the heck out of his music every chance I get! Favorite song is Baggage.}

After the ballet, Carrie and I decided to take a little detour on the way home and stop at a drive-through Christmas light display. It was pretty, kind of silly, and I loved every bit of it. Carrie and I sang Christmas carols and ate fast food, and now I can say I've been to a drive-through Christmas light display. {Local friends, this is at Thomas and the 202 on the west side of town. Kind of cool, a bit pricey - $20.}

My favorite parts were the places you actually drove through tunnels of lights:

And with that, I'm ready to tackle the week ahead.

I would like to end this weekend recap with a reminder that a whole bunch of random acts of kindness are in order on our planet right now. Let's all do our part to raise the love factor in order to compensate for the evil that crops up from time to time.

In the words of Jason Mraz: "Set your vibration and undulation to the highest it can go..."

♥

Santa Snacks ~ They're not just for little ones!

I actually came across the idea for these little Santa hats while wasting time looking for inspiration on Pinterest one day. {Here's a link to the original source.} It was love at first sight, and I knew I wanted to make these this Christmas!

I am not happy about the quality of some of my photos, or that they show what a mess I made while putting these Santa hats together.

that candy melt stuff + DebTurtle = great big mess!

I searched for little marshmallows for hat toppers, wondering if there was such a thing, and couldn't find them so I used the smallest ones I could find and rolled them in my hands to smoosh them down to a smaller size. During a conversation with my wise SIL a few days later {hi Laurie}, she pulled a container out of her pantry containing tiny marshmallows that go in hot chocolate. Oh sure. Next time...

I'm super excited that my sweet blog friend Robyn was able to make some of these little Santa hats for her son Andrew's gingerbread party today. I can't wait to see her photos and to hear how much the kids loved them.

 

My co-workers liked their treats,

so I know Andrew's friends will love them too.

 

Oh, how I love all things Santa.

♥

Just a Quote for Friday

{an oldie but goody}

 

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?

It came without ribbons. It came without tags.

It came without packages, boxes or bags.

And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.

What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The History of Ornaments

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Christmas is less than two weeks away, friends!

Going to the post office and mailing all my packages

yesterday made me feel like I'm done with the rushing

and ready to coast through to Christmas Day.

Anyway, that's not the point of today's post - I just wanted to make that observation. Truth is, as I type this I'm not sure that my post today really has a point. It's just that the only photos I've taken so far this week are of ornaments on our tree, so we'll just roll with that.

Decorating our tree is such a trip down memory lane! I could tell a tale about every one of our tree ornaments. It amazes me that I can't remember five items at the grocery store without a list, but I can tell you the story behind every ornament on our tree. How does that work?

Like this white plastic bird that I got five years ago from my mother-in-law's collection that looks super cool on our tree, but kind of cheesy in this photo {but I like the bokeh in this photo so it's on the blog}.

A few years ago I decided that I wanted a themed tree and I picked red. It was pretty, but it just wasn't me. I really missed our random mix of memory laden ornaments, and I will never go that route again. The little random pieces of history in each ornament is what makes a plain ol' pine tree our Christmas tree.

Some of these ornaments are older than Carrie. I made the mouse in the matchbox in '83, and the popsicle-stick sled in '82 {so glad I thought to add a date to the back of each one!}. The creepy vintage Santa is from my MIL's collection too.

A friend of ours who lost his wife this past year made the observation on Facebook the other day that the history of their Christmas ornaments is lost now that his wife is gone. It has me thinking of how personal an ornament collection is, and that a little mini-book design documenting some of the really special pieces we have on our tree could be in order this year. Especially since my shopping is done and I have time on my hands...

So what about you?

History in your ornaments?

Or a magazine-worthy pretty tree?

♥

Team Teal Tuesday ~ Get in the Photo!

This is one of the few photos I have of my mom and Carrie at Christmas. Carrie was two at the time, and my mom was spending Christmas with us in Arizona, having recently lost her husband {my step-dad, Frank} to leukemia that September. {Yes, this was three years before Papa Rod became one of us.} I have always loved this photo of Carrie wrapped in her grandmother's arms, their hands are intertwined and sweet smiling faces with love written all over them.

It recently occurred to me that I don't have a photo of my mom and me at Christmas time. Can you believe it? Not one photo. My parents didn't take many pictures while I was growing up, and then I moved from California to Arizona at the age of 19. Thanksgiving was always our traveling holiday - Christmas was a time to stay home and so my mom and I weren't together. But still, it would be nice to have a Christmas photo {or two or ten...} with my mom.

So this Team Teal Tuesday is a chance for me to share this super cute Christmas photo of my mom and my girl C, and to also encourage all you moms to get in the shot when the camera comes out this Christmas. Trust me, years from now your grown-up kids won't care that you weren't wearing make-up or your hair wasn't done!

~click~

♥

10 Photos From Our Weekend ~ on the 10th

Merry Monday, blog friends.

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Oh, what a busy, busy, busy weekend we had around here. And since this Monday falls on the 10th of the month, I'm linking to Shimelle's 10 on the 10th post today. Let's do it...

* * * * * * * * *

We don't go crazy with outdoor lights, but every year our house gets a sweet strand all around the top. This year Doug decided to spruce it up with some icicle lights instead, so he spent a good portion of his weekend untangling, nailing, and figuring out electrical plugs.

I did a major grocery store run on Saturday morning and stocked up on stuff for baking. Phew! That's a lot of sugar goin' down at our house!

Not everyone around here was busy and/or helpful this weekend...

I was up before the sun on Sunday, and I got right into decorating the tree that we had picked up on Saturday.

I made this little pine tree bouquet for Carrie:

And gifted a loaf of pumpkin bread to my SIL:

Got to spend time with this adorable little tyke taking pictures of his first Christmas time.

Let there be lights: {Thanks, Doug! xo}

Man, Christmas is a nostalgic holiday. We have so many ornaments that belonged to Doug's mom, and this year I was touched by how many Christmas items my own mom passed along to me. She made this cute tree skirt for us a few years ago, and I hugged it tight when it came out of the box.

Doug's mom loved bears {like, even more than I love turtles} and we have a few of her bear ornaments on our tree. See what I mean? Nostalgic.

Christmas has officially arrived at our house, and I couldn't be happier. I had a moment of freak-out yesterday morning, feeling so overwhelmed with things-to-do-places-to-go but then I took a deep breath and calmed it down. I still have plenty of time to do the things I want to do before Christmas, so there's no need to panic just yet. Not just yet...

And with that, dear friends, I'm off to enjoy the upcoming week.

Wishing each of you a holly jolly journey to Friday.

♥