christmas came.

Merry belated Christmas everyone!

I've been plagued with a really nasty sinus infection since last Tuesday. When I haven't been laying in bed, I've been lounging around on the couch under blankets. This has caused me to watch way too many episodes of Boy Meets World on youtube, and taken me back to my ten or eleven year old self. Well, it is winter vacation after all, right?

Christmas came and went somewhere within the last week, and it was an enjoyable time. Even through the three and a half boxes of tissues and two toilet paper rolls I went through by blowing my nose. I managed to get into a walk-in clinic on Monday and got a good dose of antibiotics. A shot, a steroid to make sure the shot does its job, an antibiotic AND cough medicine. So naturally, I am on the mend.

We still managed to have fun and put our new Christmas games to good use. Can anyone say Intense Jenga? We can!
And! We got this fun game called Headbanz...anyone heard of it? We can tell you all about it. It brought us much side splitting laughter. Whether you're actually playing it, or just watching from the side lines, you can't help but let out a hearty laugh.

My most favorite Christmas gift looks a little something like this...

I'm already addicted. I've barely been able to put the little device down. I've seriously got it really bad. I believe in Apple. Thanks Steve Jobs!

And now you'll all get to see what I've snapped in Instagram so far. Love that little app.

How did you spend your Christmas?

yay, december!

Hello everyone!
I'm back from one of the craziest semesters of my college career, and I'm so grateful to be done with it. The last final was on Thursday, but I still have moments when I start worrying about the homework that I need to be doing, or that math class that I have to get to. Thankfully, I am homework and classroom free for nearly a month. That makes me so happy I could nearly cry.

 Anyway, let's move onto the real reason why I'm here.
It's December!
One of my favorite months!
13 days until Christmas!
Yay!

 Since I have so much free time currently, I want to fill my time with things that are productive, and do things that I don't normally have time to do while I'm so busy with classes. I made a list like this last year, and it really helped me to stick to the things that I wanted to accomplish. You know, just because it was out there.

 1. Decorate for Christmas.

2. Put a little dent in my reading list.
3. Clean my room really super well.
4. Bake.
5. Spend quality time with my family.
6. Play some board games!

7. Declutter. 

8. Spend time with friends.
9. Blog more.
10. Remember why we celebrate.

Merry Christmas!
What makes this time of year so wonderful for you?

the past couple of weeks in picture.

I've been snapped a few photos over the past couple of weeks that sort of explains what has been going on in my life lately. I figured it would be kind of fun to share them with you guys, so here you go!

Cold weather. Christmas baking. Christmas wrapping. Christmas music. Christmas decorations. I'm definitely in the Christmas spirit these days. It seems as if I've happily turned into a Christmas elf.

What have you been doing for the days leading up to Christmas?

Happy winter vacation!

Since my first semester of college has come to a close, I really don't know what to do with myself. I have many different things that I want to do, but in order for me to do them I need to make a list. So, what better way then to post it for all of my blog readers to see so I can be kept accountable? Here we go...

1. Give my room a good, deep cleaning before Christmas, and keep it that way.
2. Clean out my closet.
3. Sell last semesters books, and order my new ones well before spring semester starts.
4. Spend some good time with my family.
5. Read a couple of books.
6. Import all of my CD's onto my new computer that I bought back in September.
7. Hang out with my friends, and create fantastic memories.
8. One on one time with my step-sister.
9. Read my bible every day. Although I am pretty good about this, I know myself, and I tend to think I can do it all on my own when I 'think' I'm not doing anything.
10. Get rested up. I've been going and going since May. This is the longest amount of time in months that I haven't had something specific to do. May as well take advantage of it!
11. Help my mom bake (I've already started).
12. Maybe see a movie in the theater.
13. Catch a Christmas flick on TV with my family.
14. Apply for a job.
15. Blog more.
16. Mostly, I just want to enjoy this time with my family and friends. It is, after all, the most wonderful time of the year!

A Belated Merry Christmas to all you! Hope you had a good one! I've had my step-siblings around at my house since Friday night, and they were taken back home last night. Now I can actually sit down and write a blog.

The Christmas List:
1. Ate way too much good food and gained two pounds in Christmas cookies.
2. Spent hours and hours playing various board games with my family.
3. The new Clue is the bomb.
4. Got to drive on my own in my new car...what!?!?
5. Spent quality time with each of my siblings.
6. Got to enjoy cool weather on Christmas night (this never happens in FL).
7. Had our day-after-Christmas Cracker Barrel tradition with everyone!
8. Went to see a movie at the theater.
9. Downloaded and enjoyed great music.
10. Didn't win one single game that was played all weekend long!

Remember how I was telling you guys about my childhood experiences with my Grandma's Christmas village here? Well, let me just tell you, my step-brother Matthew totally got down on his hands and knees, stuck his head down to village level and it was the neatest thing to take in the wonder and awe in his face. I think my Grandma passed on the gift on village creating to me. Many people say I am my mother's daughter, but I think I am more my grandmother's grand-daughter. Last week, my mom was digging elbow deep through our hope chest, and came across an old photo of my grandma. I look just like her. It brought tears to my eyes. We shared the love of turkey wings on Thanksgiving together, wanting to bring our family together and see all of our loved ones happy and healthy, and so many more things that I can't even begin to list. My Grandma was the greatest. I can't really be sad about the fact that she's gone. Even though I really do miss her, I can only be happy. She's spending this Christmas with the One we celebrate Christmas for. The One who came into this world, laying in a manger, who later died for our sins. I can't think of a greater way to spend Christmas. Really, my Grandma's got it made!

As promised, I am delivering photos of the beautiful wreathes my mom made. The top one is my favorite. It's hanging on our red front door. The other one...we're still not sure where we will put that one, but it will find a home on a nail soon enough. We can't let that beautiful baby go to waste!

Have I mentioned that while everyone is getting snow dumped, we've got some sort of disgusting humidity hanging over our heads? It's the worst. Hopefully this means we're going to have a wonderfully chilly Christmas. That was be beautiful. Normally it is disgustingly hot and humid on Christmas. Not exactly Christmasy in my opinion. Here's hoping!

More Christmas festivities will be on the way in the very near future, i'm sure. Look for it!

christmas time.

We have officially decked the halls in the Luce/Bookout home. The Christmas tree is up by the window, the stockings are hung by the hope chest with care (we don't have a fire place), the Christmas village is up and running. Let me tell you, it looks fabulous. My mom even made brownies on Monday night when we were all decorating. It felt like I was a kid again. Getting into the Christmas spirit, waiting for those delicious treats my mom was making in the kitchen. My mom has also become super artsy fartsy. She's made wreathes to hang on your doors and walls. let me tell you, they look wonderful. Pictures coming soon...

This year, it feels as if we are trying to make ourselves get into the Christmas spirit even more than usual. Trying to keep our minds off of the fact that it's our first Christmas without my Grandma. It was difficult yesterday, rifling through the village set-up and going through all the things my Grandma had last wrapped with care. She always did such a lovely job putting together her Christmas village every year, and it was always so much fun to look down into it, and see the little wintry world she created. This year I tried to do our village justice for her. I feel as if I accomplished that, because i'm left sitting in front of the wintry world I created, and it feels as if my Grandma was right by my side the whole time. I can hear her voice saying "Good job" right now.