Making a list, checking it off!!

I'll admit it- I was feeling a little down about the holidays.  A little overwhelmed, a LOT tired. Unmotivated.  And stressed.  Very stressed.  There is just so much to do and so little time.  So many expectations (mostly that I set for myself).  But this weekend I tackled some of the things on my holiday to-do list and am feeling so much better!

1.  I finished my Christmas cards!!  This is always such a daunting task!  This year I had Andrea from Slightly Askew Designs design our card and let me tell you, I LOVE IT!!  She did such an awesome job.  I am already excited for her to design our cards for next year!!  I'm giving you a sneak peek...if you're on my Christmas card list, skip over this section!  Excuse the darkness of the photos...I was too lazy to get up and prepare proper lighting for photo taking!

2.  I ALMOST finished my Christmas shopping.  And more importantly, I finished the stocking stuffers!  On one hand, I love finding special little gifts for the boys.  On the other hand, it is such a pain in the you-know-what.  I was seriously dreading it this year.  But hooray hooray hooray it is done!!  All I have left to do is a couple Lego sets for Nick.  Ahhhh (my sigh of relief).

3.  I have my Christmas menu well under way.  Thank you Pinterest for all your great ideas and
recipes!!  Usually our Christmas dinner is something with an Italian flare...lasagna, stuffed shells, etc.  But this year, I am trying to prepare something a little more heart healthy.  I don't want to do turkey since we just had that at Thanksgiving, and I don't like ham.  So my plan is to do a roasted chicken.  I found what looks to be a delicious and easy Ina Garten recipe.  What does your family have for Christmas dinner?  Do you have the same thing every year or do you mix it up?

4.  I ordered the kids' Christmas photos!  I don't know why this took so long to do, but I was having the hardest time deciding which ones I wanted and what sizes.  But now it's done and the photos are on their way!   I also found this amazing site- www.photobarn.com where I ordered some awesome photo boards!  What are photo boards you ask (I didn't know either)?  Well, as they say on their site, "print your photos directly onto wooden boards...the natural tones and grain of the wood combine with your image to create a truly unique work of art."  I am SO EXCITED to receive these!! I'll be sure to post pics when I get them!

5.  Christmas shirts!  Christmas day is very laid back in our family.  But I did want the kids to be wearing something other than pajamas when their grandparents come to dinner.  Enter Honey Pie Accessories!  See her blog HERE.  She made these adorable shirts for my boys!  Check her out- she has tons of adorable creations!

I still have many things to do of course.  At the top of that list is wrapping which I am definitely NOT looking forward to!  It's going to be a lot of gift bags this year!!  Also...

1.  Figure out what to have for Christmas morning breakfast.  Cinnamon rolls?  Waffles?  What do you do?   Growing up, we would have a big breakfast- eggs, toast, bacon, etc.  But since we're having a big lunch/dinner, I want to keep it on the lighter side.  AND, I would like to choose something that will become a family tradition!  See... so much pressure!  LOL

2.  Christmas Eve dinner.  It will probably just be the 4 of us Christmas eve.  We've done all sorts of things for Christmas eve, depending on the year and what our plans have been.  We've had big dinners, we've had Chinese take out, we've done a big array of appetizers.  I'm thinking I may go the appetizer route again this year, but I'm not sure.  One thing I know for sure is before bed, we will be reading Twas The Night Before Christmas!  We started this tradition last year and I hope it lasts for many years to come!  The edition we have is similar to this one:

3.  Christmas cookies.  Honestly, I don't think it's in the cards this year.  But you never know.

So there you have it.  Bring on Christmas!  I am ready for you (almost)!!  How are you all making out?  Are you almost ready?  Not ready at all?