Christmas Break: Day 1

As work was coming to an end yesterday, I heard a faint Hallelujah chorus playing.  The volume grew louder when Peter picked me up and we were driving away from work, knowing I wouldn't have to return for 9 glorious days.

Ok, the Hallelujah chorus wasn't really playing, but geez-oh-man was I glad to be starting Christmas break!  With year-end approaching and my ever increasing to-do list, it was getting mighty hectic in the office.  Not to mention the lack of focus and sugar overdose from all of the Christmas goodies pouring in daily from various clients.

Peter had a consulting job to do after work so he wasn't quite on break just yet.  I went with him and dropped him off at his clients to do work for a few hours and went shopping at nearby stores until he was done.  

Today we both woke up to the realizations that 1: it's Saturday and 2: it's our Christmas break!  Granted, it's not like when we were in school and we had a few weeks off, but we've tried to at least be able to take the week of Christmas off each year.  The first year we were married it didn't work out so well because we used all of our time off at work for our honeymoon so last year was the first time we did it.  And it was fun.  Hectic, crazy, tiring, and at time frustrating, but fun.  We've made some modifications to this year's break and are anticipating it to be much better than last year.  Practice makes perfect...or something like that.

Peter just went to Shadyside to sell our old iSight camera since both of our laptops have built-in cameras.  He scored $100 for it from a fellow Craigslister.  Our plans for today include going to Burlington to get the security tag removed from boots I bought last night.  (They missed taking the tag off-good thing we have a Burlington in Monroeville!), returning pants to the Gap Outlet, and the biggest thing on our list: spending time with the Schindels!

Ahh, Christmas break.  :)

Holiday Tour

I uploaded these pictures the weekend we got our tree, but forgot about them and never revisited the draft to make it a post.  So here goes...

In the past year, we've added a few more Christmas decorations to our collection thanks to 90% off prices in January :)

I changed out the roses from this bucket at the bottom of the steps to this sparkly holly pieces.  29 cents each means I filled it for about 90 cents haha.

We don't have an advent wreath, nor do I have a place to really put it, so I made something like comparable to one.  For roughly $20 bucks I purchased the candle holder, candles, and pieces of greens and pine cones.  With a little creativity, this was the finished product.  I love it!  Purple symbolizing repentance, fasting, and the royalty of Christ the King.  Pink symbolizing joy and the rejoicing of the coming King.  And white for the purity and holiness of Christ.  

This is our new tree topper.  It matches our rust and gold ornaments nicely and sparkles form all of the glitter and beads on it.  

In case you missed my older post with our tree, here it is again.  Just lovely :)

Apparently Cadi loves the tree this year too! And she considers herself the best gift :P

Here she is again scoping out a good spot to nap.

One more picture of Cadi.  Doesn't she have a nice profile?  Haha, goofy cat.

Paula gave us this ornament which I think is really cute and rustic looking.

We also inherited Paula's old curio since no one bought it from her on Craigslist.  We love how it looks in the living room and with the light on, it's so cozy.  I've put a couple of our willow tree figures in it as well as some Christmas things for now like the Tiny Tim and Scrooge figures my great aunt Pat made from clay.

Here's a mix of old and new.  The top shelf with the angels and tree are from my mom.  The second shelf has a new bell on it that I picked up for $3 and a bowl to the matching cream and sugar set on the third shelf.  Also on the second shelf is an old wind up musical that was passed from my NeeNee (mom's mom) to my mom and now to me.  The third shelf also has a little snowman couple I purchased for $2.50 when our Boscov's was closing in October.  On the bottom shelf is a tea light holder I got for less than $2, an old bell that belonged to my NeeNee, and a small wreath.

I got a new tablecloth for our table for free which I like a lot because it matches the red and greens I have up this year.  I also got this new cookie jar from JCP this year which I think is adorable.

Last year I had snowman dishes up that my aunt and uncle gave us, but this year I went with the Christmas dishes I purchased on Craigslist back in like March I think.  They are the same set my NeeNee and mom had.  My mom still has her set as well as my Neen's.  I got 12 place settings and a serving set for $35-great deal!  On the bottom is where I put my advent "wreath".

We of course put up the Christmas village again and even have two new pieces to the collection.  They are two small houses Pat made from clay that had snow on them so we put them in our village.  They look great.

I got these little snowmen tea lights from Lowe's 2 years ago for $2.  They match my towels and pot holders very nicely.

Peter set up the nativity this year and I think he did a wonderful job.  I always grew up with the three wise men approaching the manger site.  I like how Peter positioned everyone to be huddled around the baby Jesus.  :)

This is another ornament Paula gave us.  It's one of my favorites.  Click on the image to make it larger so that you can read the tag that goes along with it.  I think it's so neat.  She picked it up at the Arts Center.  An awesome ornamental reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.

My favorite new Christmas CD...

Hands down: Casting Crowns: Peace on Earth.

Love the song "While You Were Sleeping"!! Apparently it came out in 2005 with their "Lifesong" CD, but I just heard it this year with their Christmas CD. The lyrics are a bit different on the Christmas CD this year, so I had to type them out myself:

Little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight, tonight

Oh, Bethlehem what you have missed while you were sleeping
God became a man and stepped into your world today
Oh, Bethlehem you would go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping, While you were sleeping

Mary shivers in the cold
Trying to keep the Savior warm
Born among the animals
Wrapped in dirty rags
Because there was no room for Him
In the world he came to save

Oh, Bethlehem what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man and stepped into your world today
Oh, Bethlehem you would go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping, While you were sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
To save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night, in the night

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleepin, Will we be sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night