The NON List

From the time I can remember, every Christmas season was accompanied by a list (or seventeen.)  Things to make, things to see, food to serve, etc.  You know the drill.  Well, the past 2 Christmases were just about surviving.  The only list I had was to just make sure presents got under the tree on Christmas morning.  I promised myself that this Christmas, if we made it, was going to be different.  I'm happy to admit that so far it has been.

Now, don't get me wrong, we have lost of places to be and tons of things that have to be done but the lists are much, much shorter.  This Christmas season is all about enjoying the moments we have been given.  And this weekend was full of moments!

Beware...photo overload.  I apologize in advance to those who follow my on IG.

This weekend it was forecasted that our part of the country was going to be hit horribly by the ice storm of 2013.  The kids didn't have school Friday so we spent the day playing inside and braving the weather for a few minutes at a time.  Thankfully the weathermen majorly missed this one and we survived the icy rain unscathed.   We even roasted marshmallows in our fireplace!

I spent a lot of time in the kitchen--which was a perfect day for me.  No lists, just making whatever I could with the ingredients I had in the pantry.  I had been wanting to make these butter mints for a very long time.  They are really too sweet for me, but they will make nice little gifts for Christmas.

Saturday night we celebrated one of our best friend's 40th birthdays with a surprise party at the world famous Gus's Fried Chicken. In 2001, GQ Magazine cited Gus's as one of the top 5 restaurants in the country worth hopping on a plane for a meal.  Us locals take it for granted I guess; this fried chicken dive in the middle of one of the country's smallest towns!

 
Today after church the kids and I spent more time in the kitchen.  I had so many things that needed to be done around the house, but salt dough seemed to be calling my name.  I kneaded and rolled until my hands cramped today.  3 batches of dough later we have enough ornaments for each of the girls' classes and all 6, yes 6, Christmas trees in my house.

My favorite thing we did was this new project I found on (where else?) Pinterest.  I want to do another batch and make them all Christmas colors.  I think they would look wonderful strung across my kitchen window.  Helpful hint: make sure that you cover the tray with aluminum foil from the beginning.  Mine got a little brown.  I'll have to paint the edges of these but they will still look adorable on my tree.

The most magical part of this day was the delivery of our very own Magic Light Wand by our elf, Harley.  Jack was by far the most excited, but only because he thought it was a sword.  The girls loved it and Lucy pretended to be a magical fairy.  The light comes with a receiver that you attach to your Christmas tree and when you push the "on" button, your Christmas tree magically comes on.  It even plays this charming little "magical" tune while the lights come on the tree.  It is a local company but they are making a national name for themselves.  They also donate $1.00 for every wand sold to Make a Wish, an organization near and dear to our hearts.  

Let me know if you buy one!  I'd love to hear what you think about it.

(I receive no commission from the sale of this item.  I'm just sharing a product that I think you will like.)