loafs of love...

This Christmas season I wanted to gift a little something that was thoughtful but  wouldn't break the bank.  I usually bake sweets more than anything, but sometimes a simple homemade bread is a nice change from the puppy chow and sugar cookies.  I was gifted a sourdough bread starter and made a few loaves.  David and I decided it would be a nice gift to handful of teachers, neighbors, family, and friends.  It takes about three days to make the bread and it is quite the process...but what is they say..."the good things take time."

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one week out...

To say my boys are train obsessed is an understatement.  Another train was just delievered by the UPS man and we are on our way to the Adventure Science Museum for Ethan's second train exhibit this week!  Apparently, we just had to have the Polar Express Train since that is Ethan's favorite movie.  

I am spending this last week before Christmas prepping for Christmas Week.  We tend to celebrate for a week...a few days at home in Nashville and then a few days in Atlanta.  This year it is my goal to have my Christmas Eve/Day groceries ordered online early so I can literally drive by to pick them up.  So in the next few days I am making my ingredients list and placing an order online to be picked up on Christmas Eve.  This is the first year we will be home just us on Christmas Eve...I am hoping for a nice night by the fire with some red wine with my love.  That is why Santa has been working on wrapping early (does Santa wrap for you?).  Big debate every year at our house!

This past Saturday we hosted my extended familys Christmas.  It was my first year to host and it went really well.  My mom is one of eight children so you can imagine how many uncles, aunts, and cousins we have to celebrate with!  I kept my Grandmother in mind and served her favorite red wine (the only alcohol she drank once a year) and my mom's traditonal foods.  A favorite cousin flew in from Texas with her three kids and we all managed a group photo!  It was a holly jolly good time.  

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the sweetest gifts...

I wanted to share a few gifts the boys received for Christmas that were my 

absolute favorite...

Ethan was gifted a Kiwi Crate subscription.  I am self-confessed "non-crafty mom" and was thrilled to hear a perfect little box would appear on my doorstep monthly filled with adorable crafts and all the goodies to make them.  How perfect is this for these long winter days?  Thank you Aunt Jessica and Uncle Stephen!

Bennett was gifted a face and name book by Pinhole Press from his Aunt Whitney.  This was the most thoughtful, sweet gift.  It is a book with a name and a face of his loved ones.  It has all of Bennett's grandparents, brother, cousins, aunts, and uncles.  Precious.  

holiday recap...

With the holiday bussle I was a little too busy to find time to blog.  We kicked off the holidays withThanksgiving in Chattanooga.  The photo above was takenon Thanksgiving Day.  Christmas came quickly and it was a magical one.  Ethan and Bennett lit up with the spirit of Christmas.  A baby's first Christmas is always special for a momma.  

Charlie our elf was up to his old tricks

i loved having 4 stockings hung on our mantel this year:)

Baby's First Christmas

Santa loves Bruder Trucks:)

 who knew getting a trash truck would be so grand?

 Ethan helping me make Maw-Maw's

homemade biscuits Christmas morning

David love for trains became a slight obession.  We searched high and low

for Grandpa's 1951 train until he turned Grandma's house inside out

fuzzy kisses from Grandpa

Charlie even came to Atlanta to Grandma & Grandpa's house.

He loved Grandma's  famous Frosty Friends bathroom display

Bennett had the best time with my cousin Shannon

The boys Christmas morning!

a merry little christmas...

Tonight I've tucked my two little boys in bed wearing 

Rudolph pajamas, left cookies and milk for Santa, 

and stuffed our stockings.  

I'm feeling nothing short of blessed and merry 

as we celebrate Christmas surrounded by those we love.

Have your self a Merry Little Christmas!

Sincerely,

Scarlett

Santa...

You would never know judging by the photo...

1 blow out diaper

 +

 a quick, emergent run to Janie and Jack 

+

waiting in line for 15 minutes

+

 oh, Santa needs  lunch break for over an hour

 +

 a 45 minute wait in line

 + 

it is now nap time

 =

 smiling boys with Santa

christmas card...

if we had ordered our Christmas Cards one day later this 

would have been it...

I typically spend hours picking the right card and just the right photo

this year I spent a total of 5 minutes.

I guess being a mother of two has made me work on my 

decisiveness a bit!

december 1st...

looks like it's that time of the year...

this year I'm listening to this

and secretly wishing a golden retriever puppy with 

big red bow pops out of a box this year.  

one last Christmas post...

yes, I know the season has come and gone.  However, do you ever feel like you blog random things and not what is actually happening in your world?  I just wanted to share a few favorite moments from our Christmas this year...

watching Ethan fall in love the book and movie The Polar Express

baking treats with Ethan

watching Ethan's joy when David put our train around the tree

again, watching Ethan watch the train go round and round

only my husband would use a chalk gun to build our gingerbread house!

making homemade gingerbread cookies for Santa...

having a Christmas Eve Tradition that has gone on for years and years...

making our own traditions

Christmas morning cuddles

having Maw-Maw's chocolate syrup over biscuits on Christmas morning...

singing for dinner in Atlanta...can you guess what we sang?

these elf house shoes...and the joy of playing with your cousins:)

Digger!

watching Ethan with his grandparents...yep only Grandma is allowed to fetch his milk!

this moment of Ethan taking our picture with our Nikon as we opened gifts!

"monster daddy monster"...my sweet husband letting 3 kids ride his back at once

Ethan meeting an airplane pilot for the first time...AKA Uncle Ronnie

and for me the anticipation of having two sweet little boys next Christmas!