Look at this little elf...

Look at this face. Take it in. That's my son right there. And look at how patient he is being with his holiday "ruff" on!

My last post was from Halloween. Uh, what? Have I really been that lazy?? (yes, I have.) Anyway, now it's the Christmas season and We've already started the gift giving at my house. On my mom's side of the family, we trade names with each other so that we only have to buy a gift for one person instead of like, fifteen. It's worked out really well, especially for us in the younger generation that can't really unload a bunch of cash. We also have a tradition of "Robber's Christmas" (some people call it "Dirty Santa"). In the end, I walked off with a nice little haul!



From my cousin, I got seasons 2 and 3 of Battlestar Galactica, the Cranium game was from Robber's Christmas, and the dish towel is from my lovely aunt. I guess I'm a nerd, but I had no shame in asking for the BSG DVDs, and of course I ended up with the braniac board game. The gift that had been opened just before had been a bottle of cheap wine with an Elvis label and an accompanying can of spotted dick. Yes, this exists. It's some sort of bread pudding, I think. I'm really just trying to wipe the whole sexual references + family from my memory. When all of the knee-slapping was over, I chose the box with the dancing penguin wrapping, and then was like, "Wait. This could be a trick. They're attempting to lure me in with cute wrapping." Luckily, it was the Cranium game, and I remember saying, "Okay, I'm satisfied with this." Of course, I've never played it before and I need three other people to play it, but at least I didn't end up with the spotted dick or the two-toned bath towel--the white end for your face and the brown end for your butt. Yeah. That happened too.



Back in November, I went to Mistletoe Market at the Jackson Fairgrounds with my aunt (the same one who gave me the tea towel) and my cousin. It's a really big marketplace hosted by the Jackson Junior League and it's always super crowded. I have mixed feelings about Mistletoe, mostly because I think that it is aimed at a demographic that I am not a part of: women in their 30s married to hunting and sports fanatics with toddler children. However, I did find some stuff that I liked. (duh.)

The two posters are from Brittany Fuson Paper, and I am in love with them. All of her stuff is so snazzy looking! I haven't framed them yet because I didn't realize until I got home that they're on 8.5"x11" papers, so I have to trim them down to get them into my 8"x11" frames. The ring is from the Diamondhead Pearl Company, the same place that I got my pink pearl starburst earrings and matching long necklace. I honestly love their stuff! The ring is kind of big, though, so I have to get it sized or something. But it's this beautiful irregular pearl set into the ring, and the way it catches the light is absolutely fantastic. Everyone knows that I have an obsession with rings, but I had been on the lookout for a while for a chunky cocktail ring. The two jars of marinade are from Loredana's. I got a garlicky one that made fantastic garlic bread and a sweet lemony, almondy one that I've used twice on salmon steaks. They're delicious and made of organic and other natural ingredients. Finally, I got a chunk of honeycomb from the Savannah Bee Company. I will admit that I haven't used this as much as I would have liked, just because in order to eat a fancy snack of apples and honey is actually more time consuming than I would like. Still, I would swear under oath that it is some of the best honey that I have ever tasted. It's still sealed in the honeycomb when you get it, and it doesn't get any fresher than that! You can also eat the beeswax without any adverse effects.

Happy Christmas and Hanukkah to everyone! I hope that you find yourselves in a charitable and giving mood over the rest of the season.

Nail polish: "Dear Santa" by OPI