Christmas Q&A

Is anybody surprised I'm doing a Christmas survey? Or that I stole it from Natasha? And that Emily did it too? I didn't think so!

1. Candy canes. Yes or no?

Nope. I'm not much of a peppermint fan. I do like the soft peppermints and a tiny little smidge of peppermint flavor is okay, but I want nothing to do with an actual candy cane.

2. Christmas morning early riser or sleep in?

The only years I slept in on Christmas were the pre-children years, but even then we slept at my parents' house - which was so silly since back then we literally lived 3 miles away - and my parents would make us get up, ha. 

3. Do you shop on Black Friday? Yes or no?

I have never gone Black Friday shopping in an actual store - the thought actually scares me a little - I think I've seen too many videos of riots in Wal-Mart ha. But I will happily shop the crap out of some online sales!

4. Christmas tree up in November? Yes or no?

For sure! I don't have a definitely timeline - sometimes it's the weekend before Thanksgiving or sometimes after, but it's always up pre-December 1.

We are a fake tree family {because Brent is allergic to nature} which is super convenient HOWEVER we had a bunch of lights out when I plugged in the tree on Saturday, so I was SUPER annoyed and had to go buy some strands of lights Monday, so our tree didn't get finished until Monday night. 

SIGH.

I also bought a fake tree for the playroom this year {on major sale at Target!} and it's so cute!

We do also a small LIVE tree in our front yard. A local boy scout troop sells trees as a fundraiser and a bunch of houses in our neighborhood put them in the front yard and decorate them. It's a lot of fun, but so funny - Brent was working to get the tree straight and literally was breaking out in hives from touching the tree!

Not done decorating it yet but I love this tradition.

5. Do you get holiday ideas from Pinterest? Yes or no?

I think I mainly use Pinterest for party ideas or recipes. I've never looked at Pinterest for holiday ideas ever. I do love a good blog suggestion though - I've stolen plenty of those over the years!

6. Christmas glam or ugly sweater?

Both, depending on the occasion! We did an Ugly Sweater party back in 2007 and think there's a time and place for tacky, but I sure do love dressing up too for holiday parties. Most of our family things are jeans and a nice top though.

Me and Kristen pre-children - don't we look so well-rested?

All dolled-up at Brent's company party last year

Pardon the fact that I look like I have a lazy eye

7. Stocking stuffers: wrapped or unwrapped?

I have NEVER heard of wrapping the stuff that goes IN the stockings, that is just madness!

8. Traditional or modern Christmas songs?

I like a healthy mix of both! I shuffle on Pandora between traditional and modern Christmas carols, so it's really fun to go from Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra to Pentatonix and Michael Buble.

I have done a post for the past 5 years of new songs {a lot of them weren't new, but new to me}!

9. Fruitcake? Yes or no?

I've never eaten fruitcake in my life, but it seems like the majority of the world hates it, so I'm going to guess I wouldn't like it?

10. Is your Christmas shopping finished? Yes or no?

I would say I'm at least 75% of the way done. I start in October buying a few things here and there which helps spread out the expense and the cost. It's only early December, and I'm stressed about what I haven't finished yet, which is ridiculous! Also I haven't wrapped anything ugh.

11. Is there snow in December where you live?

I've never in my life had a White Christmas and have seen snow happen in December once and it was just tiny flurries. I would say every 3-5 years we get some snow that sticks - like maybe an inch - in January.

Big snow in 2007!

12. Classic show: A Charlie Brown Christmas or Rudolph?

They both hold some strong nostalgia in my heart, but if I have to pick, I'd say Charlie Brown - I love that old sad sack.

November 2019 Book Review

I didn't have my busiest month of reading, but I think I've got a few good ones in here!

Other People's Houses by Abbi Waxman - I saw a recommendation on IG for another book by Abbi Waxman - which wasn't available - so I checked out this one. It follows several families who live on the same street and what happens when one mom catches another in an affair. It was just okay. I think my issue was I never got invested in any one character because it kept changing POVs between too many neighbors. I'm hoping the other one is better, ha.

American Royals by Katharine McGee - What would America be like if George Washington had become King of America? This story follows the American royal family in present-day Washington DC from the POV of the Princess who will be the first Queen, her younger Princess sister, the sister's best friend, and the Prince brother's ex-girlfriend. I really liked this book and it was super interesting thinking about America as a Monarchy - although I wish they would have explained how the line of succession happened since GW never had kids! It ended on a major cliffhanger, and I can't wait for the next book - which isn't coming out until next fall, ugh!

The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray - A co-worker recommended this book to me, and it was very different for me. It followed 3 sisters - one who is in prison and the 2 sisters dealing with the fallout. It was very raw and real and, at times, hard to read. I was worried there wasn't going to be any resolution and I was not happy since there was a LOT of turmoil but I was happy with the way the book wrapped up!

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore - This was a fun read! I follow the Book of the Month feed on IG since my neighbor lets me borrow her BOTM selections, and this was a selection from earlier in the year that Karin didn't pick. The main character is a suffragist in the 19th century who needs to get a Duke on her side to further the movement for women's rights. OF COURSE they fall in love, ha. It wasn't super cheesy, and I liked reading/thinking about what it would be like as a women 150 years ago with no rights. Slightly R-rated.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston - I think I've found another theme after last month and this - what happens when the son of the President of the US and an English prince fall in love? I would say I mostly really liked this - sometimes Alex {the First son} was a bit annoying and there was a lot about an upcoming election that I didn't think we needed. Very R-rated.

Under Currents by Nora Roberts - Ugh, I didn't like this. It was a bit too standard Nora. I don't even want to describe it, and I was really excited for this one. So sad.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert - SO CUTE! Chloe has a near-death experience and decides to make some big life changes. In the process, she meets Red and they are instantly attracted to each other...but also don't like each other. They both have some baggage which makes it a little more than standard chick-lit, and I will say it took me a couple of chapters to get into it, but I thoroughly enjoyed! Also very R-rated.

I'm still slowly making my way through Jim Crow - it's so interesting but so detailed that I can't read very much at a time, ha.