Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles.

Author Unknown

I am participating in the 2008 Christmas Tour of Homes. I'm sure in comparison with the many grand and lovely Christmas decorations but I love the season so I had to decorate even though we just moved into the house. No decor in the den you say? Oh, that's because it's full of movning crates and Bella's litter box.

So let's focus on the semi-completed areas of the house that actually have some Christmas decor!

Welcome... it snowed last night just for the tour!

Even little icicles on the mailbox (courtesy of nature, not Randall)

Just inside the front door... the sign says, "Dear Santa, I can explain." That's for Bella, of course

Our nativity, my favorite new decoration that was bought as a wedding shower gift for me. Bella likes to push the poor lamb off of the table daily.

Garland on the mantle in the living room. No stockings this year, I should have ordered the cute personalized ones before our November wedding. Because after, it was too late! Next year, next year.

I love Christmas cards so I keep them from year to year - it's fun to reread the old ones (and it also looks like we received this many this year!). The photo is an old when of me and my father putting the angel on the tree.

Into the dining room, those bells are a favorite of Bella-the-bell-stealer

Bookcase with our tree. Yup, the tree. We're simplifying our life and trying not to bring another ounce of anything into a house packed to the gills. Next year there will be a life size tree (bought on sale in January, thank you very much)!

And that darling Christmas plate will soon be holding the best cookies, classic chocolate chip. As my mom always says, you bake a plate of fancy Christmas cookies and people really just eat the chocolate chip!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) chocolate chips

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.

Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

Basket 'o holy

Good for smooching my new hubby (and an awkward moment for the furniture delivery men)

On the kitchen window ledge - I love smelling peppermint when doing the dishes!

Oh yes he does, and I'm glad you stopped by too!

Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone.
G.B. Stern

Sunday gratitude:

• Reading PostSecret on Sunday mornings
• The way our new coffee maker beeps when the pot is ready
• Forecasts for snow tomorrow morning!
• "Moving Up" marathons on TLC
• Christmas stamps on red envelopes
  

Cats can work out mathematically the exact place

to sit that will cause most inconvenience.

Pam Brown

Nick and I have been playing the "how cold can we stand it" game in the house and have actually been able to keep the general temperature pretty low (and saving money!). It really isn't bad when you're cozy next to the fire in PJs, socks, sweaters and slippers.

Bella, on the other hand, is less than thrilled about the coolness of the house. She can be often found buried underneath the comforter in our bedroom which is strange for a cat who would never, ever burrow in like that. It is always easy to find her because she is the lump in the middle of a made bed.



She also loves to sit this.close to the register in the living room. Nick always laughs when he walks by but I know that she is a smarty kitty - she figured out where the heat is coming from!

Let's go to the movies
Let's go see the stars
Annie

So we had a little movie fun the other day with quotes from my all time favorites. You all guessed most of them but here are the rest of the answers:

1. "Whenever we needed money, we'd rob the airport. To us, it was better than Citibank." Correct Answer: GoodFellas

2. "Well, if you must know, it was because he was very jealous, and I had these days of the week underpants. " Correct Answer: When Harry Met Sally (by A Texas Gal)

3. "Lose it? I didn't lose it. It's not like, "Whoops! Where'd my job go?" I QUIT. Someone pass me the asparagus." Correct Answer: American Beauty (by Lucy)

4. "Did you know that there are four hundred and fifty-two official government cheeses in this country? Don't you think that's incredible? To come up with four hundred and fifty-two ways of classifying what is basically a bacterial process?" Correct Answer: French Kiss (by Sheryl)

5. "Then, you stop worrying about her meeting the wrong guy, and you worry about her meeting the right guy." Correct Answer: Father of the Bride (by Alexis)

6. "You could always tell what kind of a person a man thinks you are by the earrings he gives you. I must say, the mind reels." Correct Answer: Breakfast at Tiffany's (by Alexis)

7. "Note the unusual inversed vaulted ceilings. This is yet another example of the late neoclassic Baroque period. And, as I always say, "if it's not Baroque, don't fix it!" Correct Answer: Beauty and the Beast (from Area)

8. "Come on now! This is America. Time is money. " Correct Answer: Crash

9. "You make $100 an hour and you have a safety pin holding your boot up?" Correct Answer: Pretty Woman (from Kari)

10. "Say, Lou, didya hear the one about the guy who couldn't afford personalized plates, so he went and changed his name to J3L2404?" Correct Answer: Fargo

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold,

everything is softer and more beautiful.

Norman Vincent Peale

With the Christmas season in full swing, I thught it was appropriate to share one of my favorite Christmas stories again this year. My mom always read it to me so I always enjoy it each time I hear it.

In my mind, it perfectly captures why I love Christmas so much!

Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.

Dear Editor:

I am 8 years old. "Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, 'If you see it in The Sun it's so."

Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?"

Virginia O'Hanlon
115 West Ninety-Fifth Street

Virginia:

Your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds.

All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.

Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus.

The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond.

Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Let's go to the movies

Let's go see the stars

Annie

With the cold weather outside, Nick and I have been watching a lot of movies - both new and old favorites. Borrowing from The Pink Shoe Diaries, let's play a movie game!

1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. NO GOOGLING or other search functions

It was fun to read through her quotes so I thought I'd share mine too... can you guess where they are from?

Edit at 4:42 p.m.: You all are good! I've posted the right answer if it's been guessed!

1. "Whenever we needed money, we'd rob the airport. To us, it was better than Citibank."

2. "Well, if you must know, it was because he was very jealous, and I had these days of the week underpants. " Correct Answer: When Harry Met Sally (by A Texas Gal)

3. "Lose it? I didn't lose it. It's not like, "Whoops! Where'd my job go?" I QUIT. Someone pass me the asparagus." Correct Answer: American Beauty (by Lucy)

4. "Did you know that there are four hundred and fifty-two official government cheeses in this country? Don't you think that's incredible? To come up with four hundred and fifty-two ways of classifying what is basically a bacterial process?" Correct Answer: French Kiss (by Sheryl)

5. "Then, you stop worrying about her meeting the wrong guy, and you worry about her meeting the right guy." Correct Answer: Father of the Bride (by Alexis)

6. "You could always tell what kind of a person a man thinks you are by the earrings he gives you. I must say, the mind reels." Correct Answer: Breakfast at Tiffany's (by Alexis)

7. "Note the unusual inversed vaulted ceilings. This is yet another example of the late neoclassic Baroque period. And, as I always say, "if it's not Baroque, don't fix it!" Correct Answer: Beauty and the Beast (from Area)

8. "Come on now! This is America. Time is money. "

9. "You make $100 an hour and you have a safety pin holding your boot up?" Correct Answer: Pretty Woman (from Kari)

10. "Say, Lou, didya hear the one about the guy who couldn't afford personalized plates, so he went and changed his name to J3L2404?"

There is no such cozy combination as man and wife.

Menander

Happy one month anniversary to us!

Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone.
G.B. Stern

Sunday gratitude:

• Sleeping in with Nick on Sunday, his day off for the week
• Meeting new Tri Deltas here in St. Louis
• Flannel sheets
• Snow flakes of my car windshield
• Baskets of poinsettias on the mantel

The only time to eat diet food is while you are

waiting for the steak to cook.

Julia Child

One of the things I missed most about Nick while we were apart these last seven months was his wonderful grilling. Oh sure, I missed him. But I also really missed his steaks, marinated chicken and foil wrapped corn on the cob.

So it was a treat when we picked up some steaks the other night. Of course it is too cold to grill on our back porch so he gave the garage a try! It was snowing a bit and we had to work around a pile of moving boxes but the steaks still turned out delicious!

A wonderful dinner with my hubby and great to have his grilling talents back!

To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there.

Barbara Bush

We had a lovely weekend with Nick's parents! We headed up on Saturday and enjoyed dinner with Nick's parents, brother and his wife. Then on Sunday, Nick's parents hosted a reception for us with all of their in town friends.

Lots of introductions and warm wishes - everyone was so wonderful! It was so gracious of them to host the reception and a great chance to have one last wedding celebration.

Nick's hometown - pop. 2,000

Nick and his brother Matt

After dinner it began to snow - my first real snow fall ever!

Snowball fight (started by my mother!)

Hanging out with the coolest barn cat, Norbert

Sunday morning view from the window - SNOW!

So pretty

Beautiful snow before our reception