friends. let's take a moment to give a proverbial hug to those people in our youth who flawlessly executed delicious holiday dinners year after year after year. because...it's no joke.

basically on christmas morning we all woke up ridiculously early...because the girls were up so early. opened presents, managed to shove some berries in my face for breakfast, and then i was in the kitchen preparing food (delicious delicious food!) until 2pm.

but seriously - everything turned out and i was just so pleasantly surprised. granted...i had my sister pretending to let me run the show, but i think in reality she probably did most of the work. or at least saved my ham glaze from caramelizing / turning into a rock. let it be noted...do not forget you have the ham glaze simmering on the stove.


so again - high fives to all who pull of holiday dinners. that's hard work.

allow me to rewind briefly...

our holiday season started with us finally finding a contractor who would take on our projects. they are yet to be completed, but we're off to a super solid start and we officially have a working bathroom downstairs...that still needs painted, mirrors hung, and shower door installed. and let's be real...we'll have al those goodies done...in five more years. yay.

that same day my sister and her family drove in from california and the girls couldn't have been more excited to have all the hustle and bustle. the girls ran around their cousin like wild animals and crashed hard that night.


the next day was christmas eve and it snowed and snowed and snowed...just like last year. which was super frustrating because i had invited people to our home for our second annual christmas eve party.




our little christmas eve party is super obnoxious. i prepare heavy appetizers and drink and then demand everyone dress up, including children. my farmer tried to pull it all off in a flannel and some jeans and i made him change three times. he was less than thrilled. but a few cocktails made it all okay.


that night we set out cookies, milk, carrots, and wrote a note to santa. speaking of note to santa...i made this cute printable to write our note on. if you want to save it for next year...pin it to your christmas board!
a few friends and family made it over, and surprisingly, a good majority of the food was eaten.

christmas day started early early. i forgot to get the necessary supplies at the store for monkey bread...so there goes that tradition. kaye snagged herself a razor scooter and is an absolute natural.

sawyer got a push bug bike thing and has yet to sit on it. there's $30 down the drain.

both girls received a magnetic ice cream set where you scoop the ice cream and put it on a faux cone or in a dish and it's a huge hit. if you have young kids - add it as a gift idea. it's super cute.






i managed to snag myself car mats. yes...car mats. and, drumroll, a vacuum. in my farmer's defense...i actually really love getting cleaning tools as gifts. plus...the vacuum is a neato...and vacuums our carpets and hardwood all on it's own. i mean...yesterday i was able to work on edits for a client and when i was done our entire great room / kitchen was vacuumed.



after a wonderful christmas day and way way too much food, the next day we went bowling, ate more, and drank more. my niece got stuck in the bowling ball guide and russell played dad of the year. my mom ended up bowling the highest game and was quite pleased with herself. i say it's because she was the only one not drinking...well...her and the kids.



ps. it's super hard to smile with a frozen face.

we also managed a trip to mccall for skiing two days at two resorts and both days were so beautiful. we even managed to get in the trees and find some powder...which is the glory of idaho snow. you can always find spots that haven't been tracked up.


we stayed at shore lodge which is always so so beautiful. unfortunately, there were so many people coming back from the ski hill that when i tried to take a shower it was a lukewarm dribble. yeah...not great. i spoke with the front desk and they made it right by providing us in-room dining the next morning! and our view. our view was ridiculous of the lake and mountains. so gorgeous. we did breakfast up right with coffee, champagne, and so so much food. i only took a little advantage of their generosity. but you know what...i would have really loved a hot shower after a day of skiing.


oh! and i tried to play fashion blogger after my cold shower. this, friends, i'll never be. the mirror selfie? putting together an outfit that looks effortless that you actually had to think about? it's just so not my thing.


on new years eve we said our goodbyes to kelli, rob, and reese and then partied it up!

no...no we didn't. sadly...i was in bed by 9...but i did manage to take some action shots of my gal on her scooter, so there's that.

in summation...i think i'm still tired. i think i gained five pounds. i think i'm happy the holidays are over...but oddly i can't wait for next year already.