Oh SNAP!

I guess I was a very good girl this year, because Santa brought me the BEST-GIFT-EVAR! I've been asking Santa for a digital SLR for a few years. They are pretty pricey so I have never expected one, but there apparently were some great sales. We also have a very important subject to document, so that may have had something to do with it as well. I almost peed my pants when I opened the box. I received a Nikon D3000. YIPEEE! As if that wasn't cool enough, I also received an Eye-Fi SD Card. If you haven't heard of these, then you need to Google it and LEARN! This thing is AWESOME! I put it in the camera and it sends my pictures directly to my computer and to Flickr (using our wi-fi). I don't have to pull out the card and pop it in a card reader or plug my camera into the computer anymore. I just click and ZOOOOOOOOOOOM...it goes right where it needs to be. AH-MAY-ZING! The pictures I've taken are incredibly better than the pictures taken with my point-and-shoot. Following Shock tradition, I have named my new piece of expensive equipment. Her name is Nikky and she is gorgeous. So my next sewing project will be a camera strap cover. I just need to decide on a fabric. I'll post pictures of it WITH MY NEW CAMERA! Woot! What an exciting Christmas :)

Toucha-Toucha-Touch me

OMG, OMG, Oh-em-gee! I really think there is a Santa Claus :) Guess what I got in the mail yesterday... I WON AN IPOD TOUCH!!!The wonderful ladies at You've Got Supper were giving away an Ipod Touch to a member who referred at least three other people to the site. It was a shot in the dark, but I sent some special lady friends the link. Apparently they decided to join, because I received an email last week telling me I had won. I was in shock. I wasn't even sure anyone was interested, much less willing to sign up. Then again, this site is amazing. I am the most indecisive chef EVER. This website gives you a weekly menu AND the shopping list! It doesn't get any easier than that. I was up past midnight playing with it, so excuse me while I go take a nap with my new toy.

First Snow of the Season

Last Friday all my Texas friends were bragging on Facebook about getting snow. OK, so maybe they weren't bragging, but it sure felt like it since we still hadn't had any snow up here yet. (For the record, it NEVER snowed in Texas while I was there) The first snow is the only exciting snow of the season. It was pure joy when I first moved here, to have snow EVERY winter. Unfortunately the novelty wore off when I realized I had to drive in it. So the first snow is exciting, until you get in the car and have to drive on the slick roads with all the crazies. At least now as a stay-at-home-mom, I don't have to drive to and from work (which was 40 miles round trip). There's nothing worse than waking up to a winter wonderland and realizing that you can't enjoy it. After feeling heartbroken on Friday night, Old Man Winter surprised me Saturday morning. When I drove to swim practice, it was raining...but when I got out, it was SNOWING! It started at 8:30 in the morning and didn't stop until much later that night. It was GLORIOUS! We had a birthday party to attend at the clubhouse, which is a short walk. So I brought the camera to take a picture of Fletch in his first snow: This is also Solace's favorite time of year. Here he is peeking under the railing on our porch, staring longingly at the snow: And if you want to know what it looks like from the other side: If you're sitting at the stop light in front of our building, you can actually see his nose poking out. Most of the snow has melted already, but I think we may be getting some this weekend. I have the fireplace and my hot chocolate ready!

My Favorite Time of Year

Ask my old co-workers and they'll tell you that I'm one of those "Christmas season begins the day after Thanksgiving" people. I think I drove poor Jeffrey mad with my Christmas music so early in the season. I CAN'T HELP IT! I LOVE CHRISTMAS! It is the time of year that makes me all giddy and cheerful. It's the time of year that even rude/mean/stupid/angry people won't bring me down. My decorations go up the day after Thanksgiving. I need the hubby's help to get down the boxes and he knows that if he delays I'll be hounding him with dirty looks and toe tapping until he gets them down. This year I didn't have to pester him, because I think he's excited about Christmas this time around. I'm pretty sure Fletch has something to do with that. Having a new baby makes Christmas even better than it already is. We get to re-live all of our childhood memories while watching Fletch experience his. The Christmas tree sparkles even brighter this year and the colorful decorations are so fun to admire. I used to balk at the idea of standing in line to take my kid to see Santa, but what was I doing this afternoon? You got it...standing in line to see Santa (albeit a very very short line). I actually got choked up when Santa came walking back to his chair shouting "Ho Ho Ho." All of the little kids got excited and squealed in delight and I almost let out a little tear. If I almost busted up over Santa, Lord help me when I hear the choir in church singing Silent Night or Hark the Herald Angel Sing.I remember that magic and I can't wait until Fletch can feel it too. I want to honor family traditions and create some new ones of our own. I want our kids to grow up understanding the true meaning of the season as well. My heart is filled with joy and thanks for everything I have been blessed with this year. This is the time of year for celebrating and we have so much to celebrate. I hope I can make Fletch's Christmas as wonderful as my parents and family made mine growing up. I wish our entire family could be together this Christmas, but I know we will be together in spirit, especially those that are no longer with us. I hope everyone has a very joyful holiday season. If you need any Christmas cheer, I'll be happy to share! How can I not be joyful when I have a kid this cute:P.S. Dominic the Donkey is quite possibly the weirdest Christmas song EVER.

Home Made Gifts

Atom had asked me one day to find a sock monkey for Fletch. We saw some online and thought about getting him one for Christmas. A few days later I was cleaning out some plastic bins to put outgrown baby clothes into and came across a pair of Rockford Red Heel socks that I had been given years ago. These are the socks originally used for sock monkeys. I figured I would just make one instead of paying $25 online. I found a simple pattern online and whipped a sock monkey together in a few hours. I had no idea how simple it is and every sock monkey is unique. Hopefully Fletch will make friends with Bobo the Sock Monkey.

I had also purchased a remnant of fleece that was black and had red scull and cross-bones on it. I used this to make Fletch a taggie blanket. This is just a blanket with ribbon loops sewn into it. Babies like to explore with their fingers so a taggie blanket is great for that. The fleece is soft and the ribbons are satin, so he will have different textures to explore. With the material that was left, I sewed a small pillow. I would like to make his room rock-n-roll themed when he gets older, so this will fit the decor nicely.

Now Fletch will have some hand made gifts to go along with all of the other cool gifts made in China. Here is a picture of the fruits of my labor:

I <3 Personalized Things

I have always loved seeing my name on personalized items. I always felt special to have pencils or pens with my name on them. Luckily, I have a very popular name so my mother never had a hard time finding my name on the racks of personalized items. I didn't think about this when naming my son. Although Fletcher is an awesome name, I have come to find that I will never be able to find his name in most stores. BUT...I just found this amazing website through Today's Give Away. The website is FreckleBox. They have some super cute designs and now I just have to decide what I want to get Fletch first. I really want to get him a growth chart so I can start documenting his height, but there are so many cute things to choose from!