{christmas & the naughty elf}

{santa came!}

Hello! Hello!

Christmas came and went so quickly this year that I think it gave me whiplash! I did enjoy it very much and Santa was wonderful to my hubby and me. We began our celebration with a wonderful tradition that originated in my childhood neighborhood. The families in our cul-de-sac started this tradition about 10 years ago or so and have continued it every year on Christmas Eve-Eve. All the families that live in the area get together for caroling, cookies, and delicious cocoa. When it began there were only a few families in participation, but as the neighborhood grew, so did the attendance. Now many of us are older but there are several new young ones to help carry out the harmonies. It’s a sweet tradition and I love reenacting it every year---especially because I get to see all the kids I’ve babysat through the years (now ages 4 – 17), who are incredibly special to me. I also get to visit with neighbors and friends who have been more like family than anything else. Our voices may not have gotten sweeter, but the cookies definitely have!

On Christmas Eve, we enjoyed a wonderful Caribbean themed dinner with Jesse’s brother Derek, Dad Ellis, and Dad Ellis’ lady friend Sue. The mood was set perfectly with Caribbean Christmas music and Carib Ginger beer (which had a bit of an unusual but yummy taste). For dinner we had some Ackee Fruit & Salted Fish, Barley, & Broccoli; for dessert, Homemade Strawberry Pie & Baklava. Dad Ellis cooked the entire meal himself and did a wonderful job with it! The atmosphere was warm and toasty and full of Christmas cheer. Later after our bellies were filled we opened presents and introduced Dad Ellis & Sue to our new favorite game, Farkle!

Christmas Day we spent with Jesse’s brother Derek, Mom Ellis, and Mom Ellis’ beau, Jim. I couldn’t sleep a wink the whole night and even woke up bright and early at 8 am (which was quite unusual as I went to bed at 2 am); I guess I was super excited about Santa! Jesse did make me go back to bed and I had a harder time getting up later that morning. Derek was up early as well and ran through the upstairs shouting “It’s Christmas Day! Wake-up!” When we all finally rolled out of bed and made it downstairs Mom Ellis let us know that before presents we had to make and eat breakfast. Ahhh!!! We survived though; breakfast was very yummy after all. Like I mentioned before, Santa was good to everyone and I felt very blessed to receive so many wonderful things. Most importantly however, it was so special to be around people that really care about my hubster and me. Although I guess Mom Ellis would love her own son, no matter how much of a hard time he still gives her…hehe. The rest of Christmas day was quite relaxing. We wished my mum & dad a Merry Christmas over the phone (they enjoyed Christmas at Disney this year---I WAS SO JEALOUS!) and spent the rest of the day playing with our new gadgets and gizmos.

The Naughty Elf did strike this year, and Derek and I may or may not have aided him. He may or may not have influenced us with spirits. Have you ever played this? Usually the Naughty Elf brings everyone gag gifts (i.e. stuff lying around the house). It’s funny especially when people are not expecting it.

{gifts from the naughty elf}

Christmas dinner was also incredibly good—-delicious steaks cooked perfectly by Mom Ellis. Last year, Derek & Jesse were in charge of the steaks because Mom Ellis was not feeling too well, and somehow (no one will take responsibility), the hearty hunks of meat were burned perfectly black on the outside with a small bit of bright red & cold center. It was sad, very sad. Not this year though!

What a wonderful end to a crazy and eventful year. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2012!

Love,

The Mrs.

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{christmas fun: a trip to stone mountain christmas}

{postcard material? i think so!}

For awhile Jesse and I had been hearing about this fun Christmas park at Stone Mountain and this Saturday we finally had an opportunity to go! We went with our wonderful neighbors and had so much fun. The whole park was decorated beautifully and covered in lights. They also had s’more stations, hot cocoa everywhere, and a train ride all around the mountain. I imagine the North Pole would be a very similar experience.

{arriving at stone mountain…so excited!}

{jesse trying to figure out where we are or hiding from a picture?}

{i decided to open up my very own restaurant…hehe…so cool!}

{gingerbread stories}

{waiting impatiently in line for the train}

{here comes the train yay!}

{on the train…next time we’ll sit on the left side; that’s where all the action is}

I think the highlight of our visit (other than the train ride) was the 4-D polar express movie! What makes it 4-D you ask? How about falling snow, hot cocoa smells, and splashes of water when the train hits the ice! Soooo much fun!

{like our look? we know we’re cool!}

Bye for now!

{christmas fun: decorating!}

Hello again!

We had such a great weekend here at the Ellis house; full of baking, cooking, decorating, and a fun visit to Stone Mountain Christmas!

The weekend started early as we picked out our Christmas tree on Thursday night and brought it home. We opted for a real tree again this year and hopefully we will keep up the tradition as it makes the house smell wonderful (as long as I keep it watered which is not quite my forte…haha). Growing up my family always had a fake tree and Jesse’s had a real one. While the fake one is more economical, it’s fun to pick out a real one and it doesn’t take much set-up. Plus, if you pick out a good one, it has no gaps and looks nice and full! I made my family buy a real tree one year, but my mom still put up the fake one as well…old habits die hard I guess.

{Jesse testing out the durability of the tree}

{the winner!}

That night we took out all of our décor, put on the She & Him Christmas album and put everything up. It was fun to fill our home with Christmas spirit and get pumped for the rest of the season. Christmas was always a big deal in my house growing up, especially because of my mother. She was raised in the Dominican Republic which is pretty warm all year round, yet even though it was always too hot to make it feel like the Christmas season, she still filled her family home with decorations she made with her siblings. She even wrapped their tree (or “palito”) with cotton to mimic snow. She carried her joy for the season into our family and now I am bringing it to my own.

I still have a couple more décor projects I have to finish (i.e. stockings and a fun banner) which I will hopefully be able to work on this week. Below are some pictures of what we’ve put up. The little wire tree with Christmas balls on it is the first Christmas décor item Jesse and I were given for our home. The first year Jesse and I lived together, I remember complaining to Mom Ellis that I didn’t feel very spirited because we didn’t have any Christmas décor up nor could we afford any as we were watching every dime and cent. That Christmas, one of my gifts was that little tree and it fit just perfectly in our home. It’s funny how things can hold so much meaning. One day I hope to pass it along to one of my kids for their first home.

{♪♫it’s beginning to look a lot like christmas♫♪}

I did complete a fun project the previous Sunday with my neighbor Nicole. I got to make my first real Christmas wreath! Nicole went to the dumpsters by the Christmas tree lots to grab leftover tree shavings and apparently she was not the only one with the same idea. She said it was like “Black Friday” at the tree dumpster with ladies everywhere grabbing as much as they could as quickly as they could. So…if you are thinking about attempting this project, make sure you camp out the night before!

It was a fun project, although it took quite a bit of time to finish. We went to the craft store to buy a frame as well as additional elements to decorate our wreaths. After that, all we needed was some wire/twine (to tie the tree shavings to the frame) and a trusty glue gun!

{the finished product}

{& a close-up of the little kissing birds, some rosettes I made with ribbon, & an “e” for ellis}

I hope all of your homes are filled with just as much joy!

Love,

Mrs. E

{getting into the christmas spirit}

{♪♫deck the halls…♫♪}

Oh helloooo…

After a long, exhaustive day of running around working on my name change (which by the way…I’m almost completely done with!!!), it was nice to settle down at home with my Sugar Cookie Tea, little puppies, and the She & Him Christmas album (the first Christmas album I have ever purchased). I may be a little biased because I love Zooey Deschanel and everything she does (especially the “New Girl”) but this is the loveliest Christmas album I have heard in a long time. I’m not usually a fan of celebrity Christmas covers, but Zooey & Matt’s take on these classics are so sweet; the perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit.

The house is quiet because my hubby is away at drill, although not super lonely as I had a wonderful visit with some special family friends, my “second dad” Alan and “little sister” Kelly. They happened to be in the area for Kelly’s soccer showcase and were very close by to our home. It was just great to share our new home with them and chat for awhile about marriage, relationships, life changes, etc. As I was listening to Kelly reflect on some recent life experiences and worries, I couldn’t help but think of how grown-up she is. It’s weird for me because I’ve known Kelly since she was a bitty, bitty baby; I babysat her and put her down for naps. Now she is a sophomore in high school and her sister, whom I also love dearly and have known since childhood is in her first year of college! It is very cliché but time really is fleeting…I remember wanting to grow-up so badly when I was Kelly’s age and then BAM…here it is. I think if anything, I’ve learned that now I should just sit back, enjoy, and not rush. Things will happen in their due time. It was also very nice to hear some of Alan’s stories from his first year of marriage as I can now relate with some of my own new experiences. That was another a-ha moment as Alan has been a prominent adult figure in my life since before I was even allowed to be interested in boys; now I’m talking to him about life as a married woman!

The perfect start to the weekend!

Love, Love, Love

P.S. It looks like some elves snuck in decorated a little…hehe…