Author: Big Mama

We had ourselves a nice little Christmas over here and I decided I better write about it before it’s 2016 and all a distant memory. And considering that most days where I put my car keys five minutes earlier counts as a distant memory, I’m sure I’ve already forgotten a few things.

The weekend before Christmas we went to Bryan to visit Honey and Big and go to an Aggie basketball game. We had a great time and got home early Monday afternoon and I immediately made a big grocery store list since we were out of all of our normal stuff along with needing things required for Christmas such as massive amounts of butter and sugar. In fact, by the time I was almost finished at HEB, my cart was so full that it qualified as a menace to fellow shoppers. I could barely navigate it and had various things falling out at every turn.

On Monday evening, Mimi and Bops took Caroline and my niece, Sarah, to the Riverwalk to eat dinner and look at the lights. I would have gone with them but I’d already made an appointment to get my hair colored so I opted for a Christmas with no gray hair over looking at the lights.

The next few days were a haze of baking, cooking, wrapping presents and staying up way too late watching movies. Caroline and I spent almost all day Wednesday making our traditional cinnamon rolls and that’s when it dawned on me that Christmas with a big kid is sorely underrated. There are no tantrums or crashes from sugar highs or red and green sprinkles all over the kitchen floor and instead it’s like you have your very own Keebler elf who knows how to roll out cinnamon roll dough and cover it with butter and sugar and cut it carefully to place in pans.

It’s like a Christmas miracle.

On Christmas Eve we had our very first Community Worship Christmas Eve service and I have to say that it was so great even though I failed to take even one single picture to commemorate the occasion. Afterwards, we went to Mimi and Bops’s house to open presents with my sister and her family and eat tamales.

Another overlooked feature of Christmas with a big kid is that some of them sleep late on Christmas morning as opposed to flying out of their room at 4:30 a.m. and trying to convince you that counts as morning. Caroline slept in until almost 10:00 a.m. and then we drank coffee and ate breakfast as we looked at what Santa had delivered the night before.

Please note that table-top soccer foosball table. That was a last minute addition to Santa’s bag of toys and I hear that it took him over an hour and a half to put together and caused his back to get so stiff that he could hardly stand upright to walk to bed later that night. Bad call, Santa.

Of course he also brought a selfie stick and a bag of photo booth props that we all enjoyed.

Then we opened the rest of our presents.

This was the year we turned the corner from toys to clothes and electronics.

We spent the rest of the day enjoying our time together. Caroline gave me a full makeover that included an unfortunate experiment with liquid eyeliner and sparkly blue eyeshadow. All photographic evidence of this has been destroyed. And, finally, later that evening I decided to at least be productive enough to sweep up all the red glitter that seemed to be multiplying all over our living room floor. We ate gumbo even though it was 75 degrees outside and then watched It’s A Wonderful Life.

I can’t even remember what happened on Saturday because I think I blacked out due to all the sugar and butter and spiced pecans and homemade Chex Mix. True story, I ate enough Chex Mix that it made the inside of my mouth hurt. That’s either a high or a low point.

On Sunday the weather finally cooled off and Caroline was thrilled to get to wear the new fleece her Gigi bought her for Christmas.

Of course I was so saddened about the terrible weather later that night and the horrible devastation in Dallas. Sending so many thoughts and prayers to folks there as they begin to put the pieces back together.

I hope you all had a nice Christmas and are ready for 2016. I’m not even sure yet how 2015 managed to go by so fast, but here we are about to turn the page on a new year. Or swipe to 2016 on the calendar on our phones. Either way, I hope you have a happy one.

**Edited to add that Caroline’s boots are the Sam Edelman Penny boots. You can find them here at Nordstrom.

I can’t say for sure that I won’t post anything over the next week or so, but I do know that I want to enjoy this Christmas holiday to the absolute fullest. Carpe Diem and all that jazz. But before I go, I just wanted to share two things.

First, if you happen to find yourself in San Antonio or somewhere nearby on Christmas Eve, we are having our very first Christmas Eve service at Community Worship. It will be fun, laid-back and casual if you’re looking for something along those lines. We meet at Turner Production Studios at 8126 Broadway and the service will be from 5-6 with the option of coming at 4:30 for Christmas cookies, coffee and hot chocolate. We will all pretend that it’s not 82 degrees outside.

Secondly, there’s this.

I need you to please note how happy Mabel was to wear those antlers. It just goes to show that beneath her poet’s soul lies the heart of a gal who enjoys some wacky antics. Meanwhile, Piper seems to be thinking there aren’t enough pieces of cheese in the world to endure being dressed as a reindeer.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope it’s filled with so much love and light.

“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6

Sophie and I finally found time to record a new podcast on Friday morning. We’ve both been so busy with all manner of things that it’s been hard to align our schedules. In fact, she emailed me this week and said she felt terrible that she didn’t know I had a “stank smell” in my house until she read it on the blog. But that’s just December, you know?

Anyway, we talk about Christmas, how to cook a steak in a cast iron skillet, what we’re cooking for Christmas, Aggie football, Star Wars and other assorted things. Rumor has it that Travis recorded some Christmas songs for us at the end. That alone will make this one worth a listen.

You can click here to listen. Or here. You can even listen right here on the blog.

Or, as always, you can subscribe on iTunes.

I’m not sure where the month of December has gone but it has raced by. And I can’t believe we’re just a week away from Christmas. But I’m excited that Caroline is officially out for Christmas break and looking forward to days of pjs and baking cinnamon rolls and just spending time together with no schedule.

Here are some cute things I found this week:

1. cowled cableneck pullover

Anthropologie is offering 40% off all sweaters with the code GETCOZY and free ship with $100 purchase until Saturday and this sweater has been at the top of my list. It comes in several different colors and its super soft and long enough to wear with leggings.

2. winnie slipper boots

How cute are these? I wear my Uggs around the house, but I would totally switch to these if given the chance.

3. jo malone wood sage and sea salt cologne

I realize this isn’t really a fashion item, but I am in love with this right now and felt the need to share. All of the scents are incredible but this one is my favorite.

4. quilted flippy dress

I saw three different people wearing this dress in the last week and loved it every time. So I finally asked someone where they got it and they told me Loft. Best of all, it’s $34.88 plus another 40% off with no code needed at checkout. (However, it is final sale so keep that in mind.)

5. curved cables poncho

This is another cute Anthropologie sweater which means it’s 40% off right now. It also comes in several colors.

6. fringed sunrise poncho

And this also falls in the sweater category at Anthropologie. I am so drawn to this bright mustard color right now and think this would look so great with jeans and boots.

7. hue faux leather leggings

I can’t see leather pants without thinking about Ross Gellar. Maybe we would all be better off sticking to faux leather leggings. These are on sale for $38.86 and would be perfect if you have plans for New Year’s Eve that don’t include being in your pajamas by 9 p.m.

8. I glam hardly believe it blazer

Free People always has jackets that look like this but for twice the price. And I love how they put them with skirts or jeans or even with a great dress. This is really versatile and comes in a couple of different color options.

9. countryside capers top

This would be great with leggings and paired with a scarf. And it would also transition well to white jeans and sandals for spring.

10. down the boulevard pendant necklace

I love necklaces like this and this one is a great price and would be so versatile.

That’s it for today.

Have a great Friday.

This almost didn’t happen this year. Between traveling and life and bad smells under my house, I just didn’t know when we’d find the time. And, granted, we are pushing it because you may have to order some of this with expedited shipping to get it in time for Christmas. Or you may have to venture out to your local outdoors store to see if you can buy it in person.

Just remember that most outdoor stores sell kettle corn and homemade lemonade outside. So when life hands you lemons, buy some lemonade.

You will notice some of these are the same as last year’s suggestions which just means they are perennial favorites. If I knew how to do any kind of fancy graphic I would stamp them with P’s seal of approval.

1. under armour flats guide II fishing shirt

This is P’s favorite fishing shirt, hands down. And he’s tried them all. There is also a short-sleeve version if you think that might be better.

2. L.A. police gear operator L2 lumens flashlight

While he still loves the Surefire flashlights, he discovered this more affordable flashlight option this year. He says he can’t totally vouch for its long-term durability and “wouldn’t take it into a war”, but it works really well outside of war zone situations apparently.

3. surefire titan led keychain flashlight

This is one of his favorites because it’s just a good, small flashlight that you can carry around for everyday use. Maybe I should get one to help me find my car keys that always find their way to the bottom of my purse.

4. mad bomber rabbit fur hat

Back off, ladies. He’s mine.

But you can buy your significant other this hat. RV and cigar not included.

4. outdoor edge swing blade outdoor edge knife

I bet P owns 456 knives, many of which he’s had since childhood. He likes this knife but mentioned a couple of others depending on your price range and cutlery needs.

He also likes this knivesofAlaska trekker whitetail/GH combo that he received as a gift a few years ago. He said it will flat cut some stuff up.

And also recommends this columbia river knife and tool m16 which is what he carries everyday. Because, you know, everyone needs an everyday knife to go with their everyday flashlight.

4. leupold vx-3 scope boone & crockett

A good scope is pricey and so this falls on the high-end of the spectrum. I would never even attempt to buy P a scope for an occasion unless he wrote all the specifics down for me. But maybe you’re braver than me. Or maybe you could start a subtle conversation with, “So if you were going to buy yourself a scope…?”

He says any of the Leupold VX series are good scopes.

5. camelbak hydration backpack

This would be a great gift for any sportsman in your life. They come in various sizes and styles depending on your hydration needs.

6. princeton tec fuel headlamp

You don’t even want to know how many headlamps we have at our house. I will tell you it’s more than the number of heads who live here.

7. warthog knife sharpener

Okay, I have to say this is the best knife sharpener ever. We’ve had ours for years and we use it to sharpen all our knives.

8. smartwool socks

We love our Smartwool socks around here. They aren’t cheap but they keep your feet warm and dry. Perfect for everyday use or hiking or hunting or shopping.

9. north face quarter zip fleece

This is a great gift because it’s super soft, totally comfortable and not bulky. It’s perfect to wear indoors and out.

10. GoPro camera

P doesn’t have one of these. And I don’t know if he wants one. But Gulley’s husband has one and uses it all the time to record hunting trips, sporting events, fishing trips, etc. I always think it’s really cool.

11. UV Buff

Every now and then I’ll post a pic of P from a fishing trip and someone will invariably ask if he’s wearing a scarf. The answer to that question is always no.

This is what he wears. He wears them hunting, fishing, and pretty much any time he is outdoors because he has a lot of sun damage on his neck and this protects it. They also make them in merino wool for cold weather.

12. klean kanteen insulated beverage bottle

I nearly called this a water bottle, but P corrected me and it’s a BEVERAGE bottle. And I have to say that it is the best beverage bottle ever. It truly keeps hot things hot and cold things cold for a long time. I used to send Caroline to school with one last year and by the end of the day it still had ice cubes that hadn’t melted.

Although my yeti rambler tumbler gives it a run for it’s money. I love my yeti and it keeps my coffee so hot that I have to take the lid off for it to cool down before I can drink it. It’s my best friend at early morning soccer games.

13. digiscoping adaptor with monocular for smart phone

One of my friends sent this gift idea to me because she saw that her husband had ordered it for himself and thought it might be a good gift idea for P. And it totally would be if he didn’t still have a flip phone.

I hate to end on thirteen because that’s so random, but it’s late and I can’t think of anything else. Hopefully there is something here that will help you with your Christmas shopping. And, remember, there’s always a pair of pajama pants and a gift card to Academy or Cabela’s. Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures.

In case you’re wondering if we are full up on Christmas merriment around here, then let me tell you about how we’ve spent the last week and half trying to figure out if something had died in our walls. And by something, let’s just say I was telling myself it was a squirrel because the alternative, frankly, wasn’t a train of thought I wanted to pursue.

It actually all started about two weeks ago when I detected a faint smell of unpleasantness in the laundry room. I mentioned it to P and he determined that it was Caroline’s soccer cleats. This will make total and complete sense to you if you’ve ever had a child who plays sports. Our days of “sugar and spice and everything nice” have been replaced by “hot garbage smell isn’t so swell”.

So we bleached her cleats and placed them in the hot sunshine to air out, yet the smell in our laundry room continued to get worse. In fact, it made it’s way to Caroline’s closet which is in the same proximity of the house as our laundry room. Our house is pier and beam foundation and it’s not unheard of for various rodents to meet their maker from time to time under our home. These are always squirrels. ALWAYS. Do not tell me differently or I will have to put my fingers in my ears while singing “LA, LA, LA, LA” until you quit talking. And so P crawled under our house in search of the smell but didn’t find anything which is when we reached the tragic conclusion that something had chosen to die in our walls and we’d just have to let nature take its decompository (this is not a word, but I’m going with it) course while keeping plenty of candles lit and the air vents constantly blowing in our house.

And really nothing says it’s Christmas time like the smell of a fresh, pine Christmas tree combined with the rotting stench of a dead squirrel.

The problem was the smell seemed to be getting increasingly worse and was spreading throughout our house. P crawled back under the house on Sunday afternoon to have another look around and that’s when he discovered that the pipe connecting to our kitchen sink had come loose. For those of you not doing the math in your head, that means that every thing we were washing down our kitchen sink was ending up under our house and then staying wet. This is what some people may refer to as a yuck cocktail.

Since our plumber couldn’t come out until Monday morning, we opted to spend the next eighteen hours not using our kitchen sink lest we make the problem worse. You know what’s super convenient? Not being able to use your kitchen sink. We actually resorted to washing some silverware in Caroline’s bathroom sink like savages. And it did dawn on me that maybe feeling like you must have distinctly separate sinks full of fresh, running water to serve different purposes might fall solely into the first world problem category.

Anyway, the plumber fixed the pipes and dumped a box full of kitty litter under our house to dry the whole thing out and absorb the smell and it’s already significantly better than it was eight hours ago. You can actually walk into our laundry room without wishing you didn’t have a nose.

In other news, I did have a really fun weekend in spite of the house issue. It was the annual Christmas shopping weekend for Gulley and me and I knew it was going to be fun when I pulled up to her house to pick her up on Friday afternoon and she was sitting out by the curb with her suitcase and wearing these glasses.

We’d just flown home from Dallas that morning after a quick visit to see Jen and managed to get a second wind and spend most of the day shopping in spite of the fact that Lincoln woke us up in the time honored manner of four-year-olds everywhere by walking into our bedroom at 6:45 a.m. and flipping on the overhead light while yelling, “GET UP, AUNT MARSHMALLOWS!” (That’s what he’s taken to calling us. We are both Aunt Marshmallow.) And he comes by his soft and subtle wakeup technique honestly because I’m pretty sure that’s exactly how his mother used to wake us up when we were roommates in college.

Gulley and I started at Nordstrom, worked our way through La Cantera, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Academy and Target before finally calling it a day and rewarding ourselves with pizza and wine at one of our favorite spots. And then we were up and at it again Saturday morning after making a comprehensive list of everything we still needed to do. Normally we spend the whole weekend at my house, but P and Caroline came home on Saturday and so we opted for a hotel on Saturday night which was kind of a fun change but meant that we weren’t able to get our presents wrapped. So we are scheduling the wrapping portion of our tradition for another day sometime between now and Christmas Eve.

On Sunday morning I met P at church which was when he told me about the declining smell quality of our house and then spent the afternoon catching up with my people and cleaning out the laundry room since we’d torn it all apart anyway looking for a possible smell source.

Speaking of smells, the oranges on our orange tree are ripe so Caroline picked some after school on Monday. She was peeling one to eat and I told her to save the peel so I could put it in the disposal. She asked why and I said, “Because orange peels have a lot of natural oils and it’ll make the house smell good.” To which she replied, “Looks like somebody is embracing their inner hippie.”

Which totally explains why age twelve might be my new favorite.

One last thing since I talked about visiting Jen. She was a guest this week on the God Centered Mom podcast and did such a great job of telling her story. So many of you have been so faithful to pray for her and I thought you might enjoy listening to it all in her words. You can find it here.