The weekend after Thanksgiving, we dove right into the Christmas spirit. Koa joined us the day after Christmas last year and, while I don't recall him getting into anything, I decided that instead of a fresh tree we should play it safe and use the artificial tree instead. I have seen these videos, and I didn't want to live it:
Koa was overly interested in the tree at first, but I chewed him out about it one night and he's stayed away since then. Well, pretty much. There was this little indiscretion:
Merry Christmas to you too, Koa... I've done my best to plan and do fun things with Michaela throughout the month. We've been to Disneyland, our church's Christmas program, and a local walk-thru nativity program put on by several churches in the neighborhood. We watched White Christmas.
I hadn't seen that one in a looong time. I tried to get Michaela to watch some of the vintage Christmas animated movies, but she's not interested yet. We've been making some gifts and baking since school got out. Angela shared her family recipes for sugar cookies and frosting, and we had some sticky, messy fun making those yesterday and today.
No, we're not having a heatwave. It's actually been cool here. But I made her take off her pullover before we started frosting, and I pulled her hair back. You have no idea how messy this child can be... In the midst of all the busyness, I have tried to enjoy the season. Truth is, it's not always as enjoyable as the photos look. It's rushed. There's a lot of pressure. I'm sure that's not how it's supposed to be, but that's how I feel a lot of the time. And with my birthday three days before Christmas, I am usually in a funk thinking Is that it? Another year, and that's it? The only years I didn't feel that way were the ones I was married, and probably Michaela's first (and maybe second) Christmas. Something's almost always missing, and it's not going to be under the Christmas tree. KWIM? I obviously need an attitude adjustment (on an annual basis). It's not about me. It's about her.
And it's about Him.
May we all experience the JOY of the Lord this Christmas no matter what is or isn't under the Christmas tree.
Just a quick rundown on our Thanksgiving Break. We spent the first four days up in the local mountains at Big Bear with my parents, and my sister and brother-in-law. About a week before our trip, a storm blew through and dropped a few inches of snow. Surprisingly, it was still on the ground on the shady side of the valley by the time we got there, and that was just delightful for Michaela. Unfortunately, the neighborhood we stayed in was on the sunny side, and so there was no snow around us. However we did have a nice view of the ski resort areas:
The most snow Michaela saw was at the Big Bear Zoo. She was far more interested in the snow than the animals!
That's a really nice little zoo. We visited last year, too. This year, maybe because it was so cold, the animals were very active. We took a few rides down the Alpine Slide, wandered around The Village, played lots of Crazy 8s with Michaela, and enjoyed the cool temperatures. Fall comes late to this part of the country, and I can't tell you how good it felt to have to wear a jacket. In addition to the Thanksgiving gathering at my sister's, we spent this weekend decking the halls. Now I feel like I need a vacation from my vacation!
Well, this has been a long time coming. I think I received this Fix the first week of October, took pictures and planned my post, and then the days just went by. As so often they do... This was a very good Fix, but I only kept two items. I was being practical and frugal. I will say that I was somewhat disappointed that the kinds of things I'd requested were not available. I am still on the hunt for colored denim, but I'm giving up on the cargo-style vest or jacket I'd hoped for as fall is going to give way to winter soon enough. Maybe next year. So here's what I received:
That is the Corinna Striped Dolman Top by Market & Spruce. I really liked this piece, but decided I didn't like it as much as I like a couple other items. So I returned it.
This was a keeper. It's the Alver Tie Neck Blouse by Collective Concepts. I wore it the very next day with the black Liverpool jeggings (I can't believe I own a pair of jeggings...) I had received in one of my pre-cruise Fixes, and a pair of wedge booties. After school, I had a meeting with the superintendent of my school district, and she really liked my blouse. So I told her about Stitch Fix. Wouldn't it be funny if we both wore the same blouse one day? ;)
I ended up keeping this one, too. It's the Colibri Soid Tab Sleeve Blouse by 41Hawthorn. I think the color is very flattering on me, and it just happens to be my new school's color. We often wear green on Fridays, and I was happy to add another option to my wardrobe for that purpose.
I do wish I'd kept this piece! It's the Martina Slub Knit Open Cardigan by Pixley. I thought it was a very versatile piece, and I liked the way it looked on me. Oh, well... This last piece was a stinker in my opinion:
It's the Alcott Jacket by Skies are Blue. Just not my thing - I didn't even take any photos of me trying it on. Returned! So there it is. If you'd like to know more about Stitch Fix, or would like to schedule your first Fix, you can use this link to access their website. If you do schedule a fix, I will receive a referral credit - and you will receive a box of goodies based on your style and preferences.
