Gift Giving

I'm a procrastinator by far when it comes to my Christmas shopping. Every year I have amazing intentions of starting early, crossing off every name on my list by Thanksgiving, smirking at all the nutty people who are having to shop through the madness of after T-giving sales, and having all my gifts wrapped, tagged, and sitting pretty under the tree before the calendar is flipped to December.

Every year....same thing. DOESN'T HAPPEN!

Thanksgiving roles around and I stare at my list realizing that nothing has been crossed off the list and I have a mondo list of gifts to not only buy, but find....

I ventured out Black Friday and actually shocked myself at my lack of impulse shopping and frustration. I was amazingly at peace about the whole thing and not stressed at all.

I think this complete turn-around in Christmas shopping attitude is coming from my new perspective on things. That stuff doesn't matter.

I would like to say that I have always been a minimalist. That I've always strived for the simple way of living. That stuff has never mattered to me. Sadly, it's just not true.

I can't really pinpoint what it is that has helped me move across the line from "keeping up" to "keeping it simple," but I'm okay with it. I give a lot of credit to our church and my good friends. Appearances, pretense, and impressions have been miraculously replaced with being genuine and authentic. It has been an amazing change for me, and I've noticed my outlook shifting. (Thank you -- you know who you are! You make me smile! *grin*)

All that being said....back to Christmas shopping. I'm really going to try to scale down and give gifts that matter this year. Ones that are handcrafted or ones that are really useful and personal. Well thought out gifts, not just ones found on a sale rack.

But what about my kids? Kirk and I have tried to do the three gift thing (taken from the example of Jesus' gifts from the wisemen) and that works well for us. The kids get 1 large gift and then a couple of other gifts that are a little more useful (like PJs or a family game). Then they receive little gifts in their stockings.

I was just thinking the other day about our system and how it works for us, but that there really isn't any rhyme or reason to how we choose their presents from their lists. It really ends up being about what Kirk and I want them to have (or don't want them to have all over the living room *wink*). Since then, I've been thinking about it more and more. Not that everything has to have a formula, but I really was wanting to nail down some guidelines, just in the interest of sparing ourselves the "it's not fair" and "his is better than mine" rigmarole.

And then I came across a good friend's solution. I LOVE IT SO MUCH! You can read her full post here (and you should!) but the short version is that she and her husband follow this poem.


"Something they want, something they need, something to play with, and something to read."


She mentions that the kids have to think really hard about the things in the "need" and "want" categories. WOW! I was so excited after reading it that I ran in to tell Kirk about it, and he thinks that it's "cool." (That is man-talk for "sounds good to me").

I'm really thinking that we may try it out this year. Thanks, Meredith, for the great idea! Are you tired of my copying you yet?!?!

Now I'm excited to sit the kids down and rehash their Santa lists.....then it is off to shop! I'm beginning to get in the Christmas spirit!!!

The Bryant Family Thanksgiving

I did it!!

Actually WE did it. After the enlistment of my mom and sister, our Thanksgiving dinner turned out pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself.

Just look at this Martha Stewart-ish stuff...

Gotta give props to Mich for the lovely table decor.....

Look!! My dad made placecards!




Isn't our table pretty? And that turkey? SOOOOO GOOD! (Stephanie, tell Eric that I stuffed an orange in it, just like he said!!!)

These are my mama's mashed potatoes that are straight from Heaven. Although this year, my sister and I didn't get into a cat fight over them....wonder what's wrong. Must of been too tired from actually cooking something for once....

We had turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, corn, green beans, stuffing, broccoli, rolls (Sister Shuberts' -- just like you guys said!), pumpkin pie, apple pie, Italian cream cake.......and.......

just because it wouldn't be the Goodrum house without it.....

macaroni and cheese (straight out the box!!).

I ate every last stinkin' bit of this.....so yummy!

I'm all about the food, and as worried as I was about the whole hostess gig, everything went off without a hitch! Michele made it look good, and my mom made it taste good! But, my favorite part of all (even better than the taters) is just being with my family! Check out all the fun we've been having....

My niece, Kayla, chowing on the drumstick.

My mom and dad

Me and Kirk

Tickle Fest....my bro-in-law, Kevin, and Tate

Crazy boys....Sawyer, Keaton, Tate, and my nephew, Jordan

Me and my sister, Michele (a.k.a. Martha)

My lazy, incredibly stuffed dog, Ozzie.....he got all the scraps plus the turkey carcass...I don't think he's moving anytime soon!

So...it's over. After all my weeks of fretting, slaving, scurrying, scrubbing, and planning....it's over. But, it was so fun...and so good!! I can't say that I want to keep having it at my house though. I still like being at my mama's, so I'll be anxious for Thanksgiving to move back to her house next year.

Oh, yah...one last picture to document the Bryant Family Thanksgiving. My sister always takes a picture at every one of our holiday get-togethers, and it is always of the same subject doing the exact same thing in the exact same position.....it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without my dad doing this.......

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Thankful

Here is my "WHAT I'M THANKFUL FOR" list.....

The love of my precious husband.

Happy days filled with laughter and love.

All the minutes that I've been mother (even the ones that included dirty diapers and throw-up).

Neverending support and encouragement from my friends and family.

Kisses from my fellas (love that they love their mama).

Stuff (we have so much of it...we are so blessed).

Good friends (can't imagine life without you).

Inspiration given by my church, friends, and family.

Very amazing parents (my heroes, for sure).

Independence...so blessed to have my freedom.

Never having to doubt God's love for me or my security in Him.

Grace

So blessed. So thankful. So amazed.

Now I Just Have To Put It Away....Might Pose a Small Spacial Problem

I totally need to be cleaning my house right now, but I had to stop and put this on now....I have a feeling that I'm going to be falling in the bed tonight....probably no blogging time.

Look what I just bought......

(and you can't even see .75 of it in my picture!)

Grand total.....$287.73 *choke*cough*sputter*sputter*

This is what comes with having 11 *of my favorite* people nesting in the same house for the good part of a week.

Now....before my dad and sister start panicking and feeling bad about the mondo grocery bill...no problem. I spend a good $200 on my family, when it is just the 5 of us, so to only add $87 for 6 more people...not too shabby!! I actually had expected it to be much higher.

Thanks again for all the comments that you left me here. I took a lot of your suggestions to heart and added them to my menu. Others, I decided that I was way too immature at this whole hospitality thing to even attempt!!! But, I'm still so impressed with all of you!!!

Hope your Thanksgivings are amazing...

The Low-Down

Here's the low-down...

#1 -- PROJECT GIGANTIC JEWELRY FEST

Somehow or another I have managed to turn out about 200 pieces this weekend. WHEW! I have crafted, created, and handiworked myself just about over the edge. Thanks to the new-found entrepreneurial talents of my sister, my inventory was taken down to the zilch category, leaving me with NOTHING for my craft shows that are coming up oh-so-shortly. So, somehow or another I was needing to get on the ball and restock....MISSION COMPLETE. This is what my kitchen table looked like at one point during my spree of pendant mania.....

I did come up with some super-cute new monograms....

And some super-cute picture pendants (could just be the kids....hmmmmmmm....)....

#2 -- PROJECT SLIPCOVER

My kids have totally destroyed my couch. We have this nifty window in our living room wall that peers into the hall, and my couch is centered under the window. All this creates is a fantastic climbing course. Apparently that is the best (and most fun) way to get from the living room to the rest of the house...who knew? Anyway, with all the climbing, they have managed to completely rip apart the top of my couch....grrrrrrrrrrr.

Maybe it was the company coming, but I decided that I was going to sew it up and fix it. HA! What a joke. I just went and bought a slip cover, and I really like it. I'm going to show you a picture, but you are going to have to excuse the wrinkles....haven't dragged out the steamer yet!

#3 -- PROJECT FIND NEW HAIRDRESSER

I have needed a haircut something fierce. I have crazy hair that does a whacky flip thing. That might work out for me, if it wasn't only on one side of my head. I also have a HUGE amount of hair, so it gets insanely heavy and, well, there is just too much to do anything with. So, long story short, it was definitely time to get something done about the moppage. I picked up the phone to call my beautician and then remembered that she had moved. Oh yah! So, thus began the mad search for the new one who will tame the mane. FOUND ONE! She did a really good job, I think. Of course, she just did it today and I haven't tried to fix it myself....that is always the true test. So, ask me again tomorrow!! This is a pretty scary self-photo (notice the bags under my eyes, smudgy mascara, and worn-off makeup....oh well...).

#4 -- PROJECT CLEAN MY HOUSE

The mother ship is landing at my house the day after tomorrow, and I'm trying to get everything all spiffed up (hence the slipcover). So when I haven't been knee deep in neck attire creativity and slip-covering my couch, I've been trying to do the clean-up routine. Happy to say that I'm all done except for one bathroom and some laundry....not too shabby.

#5 -- PROJECT GET REALLY EXCITED THAT GAS IS $1.71 HERE

This one makes me giddy!

#6 -- PROJECT GET REALLY EXCITED THAT MY FRIEND IS HAVING A GIRL!!!

One of my besties, R, has been blessed with huge amounts of testosterone like me. Only she received an extra helping. She has 4 boys and just found out recently that she is pregnant. WHOA NELLY!!! She called today to tell me that it is a little girly!! Oh so excited!! I tend to live vicariously through my friends' hairbows and tea parties......

#7 -- PROJECT WATCHED LOTS OF FRIENDS

I just mentioned that I've been spending a lot of time watching my favorite show....tonight I did it. I finished them off. Season 10 was just placed delicately back in its case to await my next marathon of madness. Did I mention that I love that show? I cried just as hard through this go-round of the finale as I did the first time I saw it.....so good.

#8 -- PROJECT MISS MY FELLAS

I love those guys. :(

#9 -- PROJECT TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHY MY MANTLE FELL OFF THE WALL

Yah...you read right. I walked in the house tonight to find my mantle laying in the floor. It had fallen off of the fireplace. So weird. Kirk had just built me this new one (so beautiful) and hung it up maybe a month ago. Not sure what happened....I'm guessing he didn't hang it up right or something, but I am so not going to blame him. I'm going to blame it on wild chipmunks...that's safer. (Love you, honey!!)

#10 -- PROJECT DEFEND MYSELF AND ALL OTHER "OLD" PEOPLE WHO ARE ON FACEBOOK

I was told today that I'm too old to be on FaceBook. I was informed of this by a teenager who has over 1,000 FB friends, but chooses them by typing in a name that she likes in the search box and then looks through the pictures. If she thinks that they are "cute" or "cool" then she adds them as her friend.... If that is what FaceBook is about, then maybe I am too old. Personally, I think that girl is C-R-A-Z-Y! Us old people got our own thing going on over there...I'll keep our way.

Me and My Friends

Let me introduce you to 6 of my very best Friends.

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There they are: Rachel, Ross, Joey, Chandler, Monica, and Phoebe.

There is not much that makes me laugh like Friends. I started watching it when it first came out way back in the day and watched it religiously (it was tough when Survivor started, though, and I had to choose which channel to watch Thursdays at 7:00....hard decision) right through its 10th season.

I was one of the ones that rooted for Ross and Rachel through the entire show and cried when they had their baby and ended up together (FINALLY!) in the last episode. I know every word of "Smelly Cat" and think the episode with the Holiday Armadillo is simply hysterical! I was giddy when Monica proposed to Chandler and laughed 'till my stomach hurt when Ross had to climb down Joey on the fire escape. I know what it means to "be somebody's lobster" and I started drinking coffee in college because that is what they did. I always thought it would be cool to paint my living room purple (key word "thought") and had my hair cut in "the Rachel" back in 1996.

My sweet darling husband bought all 10 seasons for me on DVD awhile back, and I love to curl up and hang out with my Friends. They just make me so darn happy!! Today I was in Central Perk heaven because I was able to watch 2 full complete seasons with zero interruption.....talk about a great day!

I love my Friends so much......

**Here's a question for you......
Although it bumfuzzles me that not everyone is as head-over-heels in love with Friends as I am, I am curious as to what the rest of you love to watch. Is there a series on TV that is your all-time favorite show? Tell me, tell me....I wanna know!! And if it is Friends....then you will know what I mean when I say, "U-Nagi!"

One of My Favorite Things

No cute story. No funny anecdote. No gripey complaint. Not even a good random here's-what-we're-up-to post. Nothing. Nada. Zip.

I can't think of anything to write about, but it feels so strange for me to not post anything. But, I really think that we are living the most boring lives right now. My post yesterday was about my messy house....if that doesn't spell out BORING, I don't know what would.

Anyway, I was glancing around my living room and one of my most favorite things caught my eye. It is one of those things that I see a bazillion times a day and love it every time I see it, but don't really think about it too hard. When it caught my eye this time, I had a chance to remember why I love it so much.

Isn't it beautiful? I actually received this as a gift one Christmas from a student in a class of mine. His mom is an incredible artist (some of you Arkadelphia folks may recognize HJ's handiwork....she is amazing!) and she blessed me with this one-of-a-kind present.

I love it so much not only because it is of my precious children, but because it was handmade by her. I know that she spent time on it....just for me. There isn't anything more sincere than that kind of gift-giving. Thanks again, H! I love it!

While I'm here on this topic of handmade gift-giving, I've decided to try really hard to make that a priority of my Christmas giving this year. No big shocker, but most (if not all) of the ladies in my life will be receiving a piece of my jewelry, but I've also got a couple of other things up my sleeve made by some of my most crafty friends.

Here's a shout-out to my bestest buddies.....check out Stephanie's stuff here and Lisa's here and here. Aren't they amazing? I think so, too.