A Clean House

I just wanted to take a second and brag a little about the awesomeness of this guy...

These are the facts:

I had Wednesday off but Jacob was going to work.

The house was kind of a cluttered mess from a week of Christmas fun.

I really struggle with a dirty house. I am compelled to clean. I'm good with a slightly messy bedroom but the more "high traffic" areas need to be in order. I often spend some of my "free time" cleaning.

I needed some relaxation.

The story goes like this:

Jacob and I woke up early to say goodbye to his parents Wednesday morning and then went back to sleep. He rolled out of bed at about 8:30 or 9 to head to work. I was content to stay in bed. Before Jacob left he told me he would be back around 11:30 or 12 to have lunch and clean the house. He made me promise not to do any cleaning until he could come back to help out. I told him I wasn't sure if I could do it but I would try and contain my cleaning to our bedroom and would try and enjoy a leisurely morning of blogging and such instead.

And that is what happened. I refrained from entering the kitchen or living room area because I knew I'd have to start tidying up. But, true to his word Jacob came home for lunch and stayed until the house was in order. It was wonderful.

And that is why I love my husband. At least that's what reminded me of why I love him yesterday.

Married Christmas!

I had my first Christmas married to Jacob and away from my family. And it was a pretty good one! I had my moments of homesickness and sadness but mostly it was really fun.

Jacob's parents came to see our house and spend Christmas with us. We had a good time showing them the new home and introducing them to Colorado winters.

We spent Christmas Eve at Jacob's uncle's house, Uncle Gordon. Gordon is Jacob's dad's twin brother. I'm pretty sure they had a good time getting together. It also felt like home to me because we played chimes and acted out the Nativity story from the Bible, though it was acted out with characters on blocks instead of people dressed up. But it was really nice.

The next day was very relaxed with no little kids to wake us up early. Jacob and I got out of bed at about 8:00 and fixed up some breakfast; french toast casserole and fresh squeezed orange juice and grapefruit juice. I also set out all the Christmas goodies I had made and purchased. It was quite the spread. Jacob's parents came upstairs and we went through our stockings while the breakfast cooked but not before a family prayer. We ate breakfast and then enjoyed opening a few more gifts before getting a call from Rachel, Jacob's sister on a mission in Florida. It was really enjoyable hearing all she is learning and doing on her mission. We were also able to get Jacob's other sister, Sarah, in Utah connected to the call through Skype. It worked out pretty well. The rest of the day was spent eating junk, playing games, and enjoying each others company. I was able to talk with most of my family and that was also nice.

Looking out our front window on Christmas morning

fresh squeezed orange juice

The treat spread...mmmmm...

The fun begins...

Santa brought us root beer

Dad and Mom Brunson with their matching IPod touches

I did end up cooking my first Turkey for Christmas Dinner. I had offered to feed the Missionaries for our ward, so Jacob and I thought we ought to do a pretty decent Christmas dinner. We had turkey, potatoes, gravy, veggie tray, rolls, and cauliflower made with cheese. It was pretty delicious and turned out pretty well.

Jacob carving his first turkey...I'm so proud!

I took the rest of the week off to spend with Jacob and his parents. We had some fun shopping for furniture, doing some small repairs around the home, going out to eat, touring the Denver Mint, attending a session at the Denver Temple and playing loads of games, of course. I discovered I like Scrabble. We also played quite a bit of Mexican Train. Lots of fun.

Old Town at night in the snow. The lights in the back aren't perfectly clear but trust me, it is lovely down there.

Mexican Train

Overall, it was a good Christmas and it was fun trying to figure out traditions for our new family.

Now we just have to decide how to spend New Years Eve...

Twas the Sunday Before Christmas

After complaining Friday afternoon about all I had to accomplish, especially with the ward activity, I must admit I had a relatively good weekend.

Don't get me wrong, Friday and Saturday were busy, but not nearly as hectic as I thought they would be. The party was a success. We had a huge turn out. We planned the amount of food pretty well perfectly. No one was hungry but there weren't massive amounts of food left over either.

In between getting ready for the party I also managed to attempt some Toffee (it was much less a success than the Christmas party, but I'll try again later this week) and finish painting a the downstairs bedroom.

And Sunday was one of the best I've had in a while. I typically love the Sunday before Christmas but I remember how much more I love it in a family ward. All the kids are dressed in their new Christmas outfits and such. We had an excellent Sacrament presentation. We have a "family choir" in our ward. It's complete with primary children and up. I especially loved the songs where the kids sang alone, no adults. I was a little teary-eyed on more than one occasion yesterday.

Jacob and I also attended the Stake Christmas Fireside last night. It was also really well done and really great because they kept it to an hour in length.

But the highlight of the day may have been throwing on Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and the Grinch and making spritz cookies with Jacob. They aren't my favorite treat but they sure are a classic.

And now as I am thinking of what is remaining on my "to do" list, it's not inducing a panic attack. Just slight anxiety. A much more manageable level. I just need to clean house (which won't take long, it's not THAT dirty) and do some grocery shopping.

And if I get around to it, attempt that stinking toffee again. :)

I threw this last picture in for those of you asking for a photo of the new hair. It's the best you are going to get for now...and I know it's not that good. But trust me...it's a good cut.

A Quick Update About Very Little

I realize I haven't posted in a while.

That's probably because I don't have anything super post-worthy to share. At least not yet.

I don't know about you, but I feel like I need one more week before Christmas. I still have baking to do, a room to finish painting and putting back together, grocery shopping and a house to clean. At least the gift shopping is done. I do need to wrap a few items though.

And speaking of finishing the basement bedroom...I hope to be able to post some before and after pictures very shortly. But I don't know how pleased I am with the "after" yet. I think I have really good visions of what things should look like in my head but then when it comes to executing those things they rarely turn out as spectacularly as I had seen them in my minds eye. But I guess it's like Jacob said, the room looks way better than it did before. I just need to finish painting the border and doors. Then it's the finishing touches like getting some curtains up, hanging some pictures and such. After all that I'll post a picture of the amazingness it will be.

I've been trying to get some of my Christmas baking done in the midst of all of the painting. So far I have only made some delicious Bavarian Mints, peppermint bark and some mediocre peanut brittle. I'm most unhappy about the peanut brittle. Apparently I was too impatient. It's not quite perfect, and I'm a perfectionist. It could have cooked a little longer. It's not chewy by any means but it's not as brittle-y as it should be either. I always get a little antsy after adding the peanuts and this year was no exception. So it's a little lighter in color than I would prefer too. Oh well. It's not bad enough to start over with a new batch so it will have to do. I still have a list of things to make: spritz cookies, toffee, and hello dollies to be exact. And I need to buy some cashews and pistachios.

I love how I use the word "need" there. Come on, none of it is really a "need." More a want.

I want all my favorites from home because, as pathetic as it may be at age 30, this is my first Christmas away from my family. I imagine there will be a few tears at some point but so far I have been managing pretty well.

Probably because I've been so busy.

And this whole activities committee/ward Christmas party is really adding to my stress. I have to spend all night tonight and all day tomorrow in preparations and then the party is Saturday evening. Probably not good timing. I think it's too close to Christmas to be doing a party. It's the last weekend to get everything else done. Oh well...I'll do what I have to do. That's how I roll.

Throw in feeling a little less energetic due to a cold and it's pretty easy to see why I'm so exhausted all the time.

But, I am pleased to be sporting a new hair cut. It's been a while since I had a really good cut, and this one is. I love it. And it's pretty easy to do. The stylist did a great job of working around my crazy cowlicks and my hair is laying exactly as it should. Plus, this salon does a head massage and paraffin wax dip for you hands prior to the cut. Brilliant.

Deck the Halls

It has been fun this past week decorating our home for Christmas. It's a different experience when the home is truly your own and it's also been exciting getting ready for our first "married Christmas."

I don't have a lot to say about it but I've been taking some pictures of the decorating process and some of my favorite things...so here ya go!

This is the nativity my mom made me one year for Christmas. It is just like the one we used to have when I was a kid. It's awesome!

Last year Jacob and I made Christmas ornaments. They are hanging on our tree this year. We made cinnamon ones (they still smell good) and the metal stars. I think we need more of the metal stars and if I get ambitious enough I'll do a few more this year. We want to make it a tradition to make a new ornament each year.

We also want to make it a tradition to buy a new ornament that represents something significant from the year or has some special meaning for us. This is the ornament for this year. We bought it in Canada on our honeymoon.

Our house smells really good from the basket of cinnamon pine cones and I love poinsettias...and that is that.

Happy Birthday

I had a really good birthday this year thanks to my husband.

I woke up to a new alarm clock (mine was really bad at keeping time), my husband making breakfast (breakfast cake and freshly squeezed orange juice), flowers, and several gifts. Jacob had bought me gifts that he kept putting in different places throughout the day. I continued to find wrapped gifts in places where they would normally be located. For example; the new alarm clock was all wrapped up but plugged in and on my bookshelf near my bed, candles were wrapped on the table, and my new rudolph dvd was downstairs amongst the other dvds. It was a really fun way to get gifts all day long.

Here's the deal with the olives and mushrooms. Jacob hates 'em and I love 'em. So he bought me a can of each for my birthday. It was pretty funny.

I was also able to leave work early due to a canceled appointment. I spent my afternoon working on the bedroom in the basement. I had finished removing the wall paper and applying mud earlier that week and spent the afternoon priming the room in preparation for texturizing.

When Jacob got home from work we went out to dinner. A few friends came over for games and cake that evening. All in all it was a really good day! I'm just sad I didn't take more pictures of it all.

Thanks to everyone who called, sent emails, and spent some time with me on my birthday! And especially thanks to Jacob for planning it all and being the thoughtful husband he is!

I'm thinking 30 is going to be a good year.

A Little Late

I know this is late in coming but I still want to write about my Thanksgiving.

Jacob and I went to visit my family for Thanksgiving this year. It was a quick trip but a good time just the same. We flew out Wednesday and arrived at may parent's house at about 9 pm. Our trip was filled with the usual Carter activities; eating, game playing, and hanging with the kiddos. We had a big crowd for Thanksgiving dinner (I guess it's always a big crowd at the Carter's) and barely had room in my parent's house. I'm pretty sure my mom is ready to move our dinner to a Church building the next time we are all in town. I guess I don't blame her. It's a pretty tight fit.

I also participated in one of Jacob's traditions. He is a Black Friday shopper. I have been before but it's not really my thing so much as I'll go along with people. I do find it all a little fascinating. It's such a strange thing. But, I enjoy watching the madness of it all. Josh and Matt also joined us this year and that made it a little more fun for me. Jacob brought his walkie-talkie's so we could all keep track of each other. We woke up at 4 and were out the door at about 4:20. Our first stop was Wal Mart. Josh was wanting a football. We were looking for the $2 DVD's, Rubbermaid containers, and that's about it. We mostly got what we were looking for, excluding any good DVD's. Those were pretty well cleaned out by the time we arrived. Up next was Best Buy for a set of cordless phones. Matt was wanting some cheap Wii games. We all came away with what we were looking for there. We then made our way to Old Navy for some cheap jeans (both Jacob and Josh wanted a pair or two). I started to lose my patience a little at this point. Old Navy's lines were crazy long and pretty inefficient. But, we did score some cheap jeans so I guess I can't complain too loudly. While I was waiting in line and Old Navy, Jacob and Matt headed over to Target to check it out. They didn't last long there. Apparently it was a madhouse. Our last stop was Staples. It was a quick one and I didn't even get out of the car.

I learned something about husband from this Black Friday experience. Jacob is usually not much of a fan of waking up. But you should have seen him when the alarm went off at 4. He shot out of bed like I have never seen before. It's good to know he has this capability.

A little later that morning MaryAnn decided she wanted to go to Wal Mart to see if she could still find the few things that were on her list. Jacob and I decided to join her just to compare what Wal Mart was like a few hours after the door busting. Turns out, it was a much more pleasant experience. MaryAnn got all but one thing on her list, we checked out quickly, and had no problem parking. And it was at a much more reasonable hour.

That afternoon we continued our shopping adventures to get a gift for my Mom's birthday. All the women in the house went to Bed Bath and Beyond while the men folk went to Lowe's. And then the women went to Diana's fabric store and the men went to Best Buy (some for the 3rd time that day). I bought some fabric to make some window treatments and MaryAnn found fabric to re-do the cloth on her infant car seat. Good times were had by all. Jacob, Sam, Diana and I then made our way to Board Game Revolution where I think Jacob discovered his back-up plan for life. If this whole engineering thing doesn't work out I think he could easily work for them.

That concluded our shopping adventures for the day after Thanksgiving. We spent the rest of the day hangin' out, watching movies, playing games, and of course, eating.

With the exception of Jacob and I not feeling 100% healthy, our trip was pretty excellent. I was surprised at how smoothly our traveling went. Planes were on time, shuttle buses were prompt, and traffic was good. We were lucky...

And now I will not write a list of all the things I am thankful for but know they are many. And top on the list is my wonderful husband and family. Here are the pictures to show how wonderful. Well, maybe the pictures can't show how wonderful they are but they can show how cute. Enjoy!