Last Days of December

We've enjoyed these last days of December, of 2011, sticking close to home for a quiet weekend just the 4 of us.  It's been really nice. 2011 was good to us.  So good.  My favorite things about this year are Josh's new job by FAR, Noah's kindergarten experience, and Anna blossoming into an altogether delightful little thing at 3 years old.  Other highlights from this year include our first beach trip, first full year on FB, being in more touch with Tania, and being on steering team for MOPS.

Anyway, here are some fun shots from this past weekend and our final 2011 moments...

Noah's $20 spending spree with some Christmas money from Tania - who, btw, we've been in touch with several times this past month via phone, mail, and text.  Kinda neat! 

Anna's first ballet shoes - she starts next week.

The kiddos being adorable and cooperating with each other to figure out Anna's new Leapster. Thank you, GTP.

Noah erasing a LOT of pencil marks I found on the wall.  :(

We went hiking at Bledsoe Creek State Park and it was a nice subdued outing on a warm, breezy morning.  Anna brought her camera and here's some of what she captured. :)

Then on New Year's Eve we gathered with several other couples to ring in 2012 ... well, ring it in 4 hours early, but who's counting? ;}

Happy New Year, all!

Taa Daa: Menu Planner

This year was a big success in the grocery section of our budget for several reasons.  1.  Couponing.  2.  Stockpiling.  3.  Menu Planning.  

I had the best little menu planner/grocery list pad all year.  But this week, I used up the last page. {sniff}  I was secretly hoping my mom would get it again for me for Christmas this year, but that was not to be.  So I had to get resourceful.  Our menu planning must continue!!  Here's what I came up with.  On the left is this year's menu planner (sans grocery list side) and on the right is 2012's new dry-erase menu planner.

It was originally a picture frame we made at MOPS last year that I intended to use for bible verses in Anna's room instead.   But I never got around to putting it up, and, let's be honest, the girl can't read yet, so she won't mind if I borrow it for awhile in order to feed her face.  (yeah right - like she eats?) {sigh}

Anyway, long live menu planning!  Bring on 2012!

Christmastime Memories 2011

• Checking out Opryland Hotel's holiday decor at Thanksgiving with the Brown clan
• Anna's 911/ER episode at midnight to ring in December
• Getting the house decorated so late in the month
• Anna, at 3, coming alive to the season and all its details
• Anna's first little singing performance with MDO - she only stared and messed around
• The kids really getting excited and participatory with our Jesse Tree
• Catching our first 2 winter mice in the air vent again ... Chewie tipped us off
• 3 Dirty Santa Exchanges in one weekend
• Josh and kids did Chad's Winter Wonderland, Train Show, and Gallatin Parade
• Christmas for me/Josh:  New tires and new insulation under the house.  Ho, ho, ho!
• Making many muffins and cookies with Anna
• Skipped Lionel trains and gingerbread house, but doing Jellystone Park's light show
• Watched Polar Express - 9 times total ... with one more viewing planned this week
• Noah gets The Nutcracker stuck in his head after watching it in Music
• So we purchased several different versions of the Nutcracker ... only kept 1 of them
• Anna asked Santa for a princess keyboard and make-up
• Noah asked Santa for Ninjago characters and a Mater
• Hearing from Tania several times
• Noah's Polar Express Day at school
• Taking the kids to their first hockey game
• Knitting and crafting for gifts:  blanket, necklace, 2 chargers, 3 scarves, keychain
• Josh only had 3 days off for Christmas instead of the 2 wks we're used to
• Finally getting wreaths up on all the windows with but 5 days to spare - so pretty!
• Getting almost ALL the kids' gifts from GTP instead of shopping retail
• Seeing Jack again (8 mos. old) and that contagious, happy smile of his
• Noah getting Christmas mail/spending money from Tania
• Noah's favorite gift this year:  Imaginext castle that Santa surprised him with
• Anna's favorite gift this year:  "Aww of dem" she says with long sober eyes
• This year's Christmas card ...

Little of This, Little of That

We had a merry little Christmas.

Then we did a little family visiting.

We got a little silly.

This little fella, my nephew - Jack, was the star of the holiday.  Never was there a more captivating little (and by little, I mean, huge) smile!

We did a little gaming. Then we did a little more.

And we had a little jam session once we got back home from AL.  Anna was a little homesick.  I think I've raised a little homebody.

Looking forward to chillin' out for the rest of the week and ringing in a happy little new year. 

"Christmas Eve"nts

Ways we spent Christmas Eve...

Enjoying our new puppet theater,

monopolizing Daddy's attention at every turn,

making biscuits for our delicious Christmas Eve feast,

getting out our Polar Express train set at last,

spreading reindeer food around the yard and street,

roasting marshmallows in our new fire pit,

finished up our Jesse Tree,

opening one present early ... puppets!,

and hurrying off to bath and bed so visions of sugar plums can dance in our heads.

We'll open Santa's surprises bright and early tomorrow morning

and then hit the road right away to visit with family in Huntsville for a few days.  Can't wait! 

Merry Christmas, all!

A GTP Christmas

The kids are washed and in bed and asleep (I hope) and we just got done stuffing stockings and situating Santa's surprises in their respective big red sacks with fuzzy white trim.  But, it appears I overshot a bit with the Christmas shopping this year.  There were a couple things we decided tonight at the last minute to not give the kids after all and to just hold for birthday presents later; and somehow both all those things were items for Noah.  I seem to have bought so much more for him along the way. I hope Anna doesn't mind that he technically has several more gifts than she does.  How did that happen?  In my defense, the biggest gift is actually hers ... a drum set.

Anyway, the items we had to re-hide for another gift giving occasion were a video game and .... an AIR HOCKEY TABLE.  Seriously?! How does one go about acquiring a not-quite full-sized air hockey table that one does not need in the end?!

One answer, I tell you.  One.  GTP on FB.

Oh, Girlfriend's Trading Post.  Bless you.  I bought not one gift at retail prices in stores this year.  Got stuck in not one shopping mob scene.  Got it ALL secondhand (or at consignment), in like new condition, at DEEPLY discounted prices.  So discounted, in fact, that I somehow unknowing fully funded Noah's birthday presents four entire months in advance - which are, like I said above, now an air hockey table, marble maze set, and video game.

Love my GTP.  I totally do!  But tonight, I'm pretty sure GTP stands for Got Too many Presents.  Ha!

Christmases Past

One of my first projects for 2012 is to get all my pics from our marriage BEFORE kids scanned so I have digital copies of them at last.  If our computer pics were to tell the story, you'd think Josh and I had no life at all before children!  Anyway, just for fun .... Brown Family Christmas pics from years past.

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Christmas Music :)

I am a big Christmas music listener every Christmas season.  I have purchased many new songs this year as I always do and have many I would recommend if you asked, but this one is my favorite find so far this holiday season.

♥ You're Here by Francesca Battistelli ♥



Hold on now, I gotta take a deep breath
I don’t know what to say when I look in your eyes
You made the world before I was born
But here I am holding You in my arms tonight

Noel, Noel, Jesus our Emmanuel
You’re here, I’m holding You so near
I’m staring into the face of my Savior, King and Creator
You could’ve left us on our own
But You’re here

I don’t know how long I’m gonna have You for
But I’ll be watching when You change the world
I look at Your hands, they’re still so small
Someday You’re gonna stretch them out and save us all

Noel, Noel, God with us, Emmanuel
You’re here, I’m holding You so near
I’m staring into the face of my Savior, King and Creator
You could’ve left us on our own
But You’re here, You’re here

Someday I’m gonna look back on this
The night that God became a baby boy
Someday You’re gonna go home again,
But You leave your spirit and flood the world with joy

You’ll be here, I’m holding You so near
I’m staring into the face of my Savior, King and Creator
You could’ve left me on my own,
but You’re here, You’re here

Hallelujah, You’re here
Hallelujah, You’re here

Stiff Competition

It's a widely known fact that Noah is all about the Legos.  This is his latest creation from over the weekend.  It comes complete with a movable drawbridge, flags, and soldiers galore.

But Anna is emerging as quite the little Lego wielder herself.  Truth be told, she attends to her creations for longers stints of time than Noah does.  This is her most impressive creation to date ... with a couple assists from Daddy.

Yes, it's been a productive weekend around our house.  I even finished another project of my own, another scarf for another niece.

Anna's Christmas Performance

Anna was in her first ever "performance" today at her Parent's Day Out program.  Josh left work to come see her shine.  The room was packed with eager families and cameras poised to shoot.  I chuckled to myself because I knew good and well that all we were gonna get out of our girl was some blank staring.

But whoa!  Look out, people.  She threw in a little sitting...

and some sweet skin.

And, like any smitten mom and dad, we beamed with pride at our little love bug.  And she beamed right back - sort of.

Blogging the Books in 2011

This year, I read 35 books....still re-reading that 35th one, to be exact.  What follows are Kimmie's 2011 highlights in the Lit. Dept.

Favorite book:  Demon by Tosca Lee

Honorable Mentions for Favorite: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Lady of  the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

Most read authors: Suzanne Collins - 3 books, Tosca Lee - 2 books, Chris Fabry - 2 books, Dr. Dobson - 2 books, Carolyn Mahaney - 2 books, Ginger Plowman (2 books, 1 was read 4x)

Fastest reads: Food Rules by Michael Pollen, Don't Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman, Shopping for Time by Carolyn Mahaney

Most shared books:  Don't Make Me Count to Three, Creative Correction, Shopping for Time

Slowest Reads:  The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown, Praying the Names of God by Ann Spangler

Most change-effecting read:  Heaven is a Place on Earth by Micheal E. Wittmer

Rereads this year: Don't Make Me Count to Three, Creative Correction by Lisa Whelchel,  Praying the Names of God, Bringing Up Boys by Dr. Dobson

Will read again:  Don't Make Me Count to Three, Creative Correction, Demon

Real page-turners:  Demon, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, The Hunger Games trilogy, Havah by Tosca Lee, Surrender the Heart by MaryLu Tyndall, The Lady of the Rivers, Ketchup is a Vegetable by Robin O'Bryant

Book I finally abandoned altogether:  Freedom: A Novel by Jonathan Franzen, Decision Points by George W. Bush (sorry, George. I was bored to tears.)  - Interesting Note - these were both e-books, which might be part of the problem.

Books in the queue for 2011:  Demon (reread), The Veritas Conflict, The Lemon Tree, Heaven is for Real, Forbidden, Ziporrah: Wife of Moses, Eye of the Needle, A Bride in the Bargain, Family Walk, Almost Heaven, Stitch 'n Bitch, The Lacuna, Healing the New Childhood Epidemics:  Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies.

Mail Lady

Anna is really into the mail lately. Namely, "writing" notes to different people. She's been busy writing to several friends, to Daddy, to Noah, to Santa, and yesterday, to Jesus. She is very passionate about it - she is totally engaged while she does her work, she is totally sincere as she dictates what I should write, she totally babysits her finished product until we get it in the mail or deliver it locally, and she totally signs her own name all by herself.  She was also totally furious with me for not letting her use a real stamp for Jesus' letter.

When she got home from school yesterday she burst into tears when she couldn't find her precious letter to Jesus. I saved the day, of course, and now it sits nestled under the tree for safekeeping.

Taa Daa: Holiday Chargers

I made a couple presents today while they kids were gone, so I could concentrate on not being intimidated by my Silhouette machine. :)

One of these is headed for Noah's teacher and the other is headed for our next-door neighbors. :)

Santa Visit 2011

We got the kids dressed and ready to go see Santa last night finally.  I thought I might try to snap a few pics in front of our tree before we left.  Hmmmm...

Then we were off to The Streets of Indian Lake to get a decent pic made for the night...

I snapped away for the rest of their chat with the big guy. 

Anna made a surprise for Santa and was careful to package it in an envelope before we left the house.

He enjoyed his gift of "I've been Krogering" stickers affixed to a page for him especially. :)

 Noah told Santa he'd like some Ninjago characters.  Anna said she'd like a princess keyboard.  When Santa said, "And what else would you like?" they both just stared blankly.  They hadn't planned to ask for anything else.  I love that they don't think that way.  One is plenty! (though Noah did put his mind to work and scrambled to name something else that he wouldn't mind - a Mater.  Lucky for us, that is something I happened to purchase along the way already. :)