Day 1800 | 1800!

Nothing like taking a break from the busiest time of the year to contemplate the things that bring joy to our family. I hope this holiday edition of our team update brings a smile to your face.

Sara

FAVORITES: The home renovation process...it's just fascinating, the sound of snow crunching under my feet, a warm house (is it always this cold in December?), my new boots, cheesy Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music, baking Christmas cookies, receiving holiday cards, basically anything Christmas-related
BIGGEST HURDLE TO OVERCOME: Keeping up with the never-ending layer of dust that appears on every surface of the house these days.
DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: Having my home all to myself (and not several of my favorite contractor friends surrounding me at all times)

Chris

FAVORITES: Reading with the boys, staying up to date on the boys' interests (Minecraft, Pokemon, Harry Potter, etc.), our Christmas decorations (he's partial to the lights on the tree and the giant wreath above our mantle), anything with the almond-extract flavor, chex mix ('tis the season for this delicious treat)
BIGGEST HURDLE TO OVERCOME: Figuring out exactly what festive holiday cocktail his lovely wife would enjoy most at any given time.
DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: Stepping onto his newly-finished heated floor at 6am for the first time.

Chase

Age: 7.5
FAVORITES: Minecraft (playing it, talking about it, reading about it), movies (he's not picky), spending time with his friends, school, reading (and reading and reading), playing board games (Life and Monopoly Junior are current favorites)
BIGGEST HURDLE TO OVERCOME: Managing the inevitable let down of the Christmas season coming to an end. He's a sensitive soul and it seems to hit him hard every year.
DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: Planning his video game playdate that I promised him when the weather turned cold

Robbe

AGE: 5.5
FAVORITES: Being outside (sledding, specifically), playing with Chase (anything really), board games, Minecraft, playing Legos, any type of Christmas-y special treat, anything Christmas-y at all, actually, hot chocolate
BIGGEST HURDLE TO OVERCOME: Not always knowing what's coming next. This kid always wants to be one-step ahead: What's for breakfast? What are we doing after school? When do we get to play Minecraft again? You get the idea. Preparation is this guy's middle name.
DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: Receiving all the presents. Robbe is EXCITED about the "getting" side of Christmas this year. Perhaps the "giving" side will rank a bit higher on his list next year. A mom can hope.

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Looking back at 1800 posts:

• Day 1700

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• Day 1000

• Day 900

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• Day 700

• Day 600

• Day 500

• Day 400

• Day 300

• Day 200

• Day 100

• Original posts: Chase, Robbe, Chris & Me

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Day 1799 | Holiday Crafting

There’s been a decent bit of crafting going on around here but it’s hard to share anything when the crafts are ending up as gifts, you know?

I think we’re safe with this photo, though. Can you guess what I’m making? There are two of them—one for each of my favorite little guys. I’ll post a photo of the big reveal when they’re all done.

Day 1798 | Krumkake

Another year, another batch of Krumkake. The boys were extra excited about participating in this tradition this year. I think they remembered how delicious they are. It was a fun, family-affair. I love the holidays.

Day 1797 | Construction Tip #1

We’re about six weeks into our bathroom renovation project. It’s going well. Kind of slow progress at the moment, but we’re supposed to get the tile work and flooring started next week. Fingers crossed!

Since we’ve had a lull in action this week, I decided it was time to clean up a bit of the construction zone. Hence the “construction tip #1”. I’m not positive there will be a #2 or #3 but I’ve got high hopes.

So what’s the tip? Clear everything out of the space that you possibly can. Don’t leave anything in closets (stuffed animals, for example) or tucked away in hidden spots. Take off window treatments. We were under the impression, because the bulk of the work was being done in another space, that our guest room wouldn’t be quite as effected as it was. Looking back…duh. Of course we should have moved everything out. What were past Sara and Chris thinking?!?

I’m happy to report that after an entire day of cleaning with my mom (thanks again, mom) and about six loads of laundry (including all the stuffed animals pictured above), the space is livable again. Not quite perfect, but definitely livable.

We’ll remember this lesson for the next big reno project we take on.

Day 1796 | Living His Best Life

This guy loves the snow. It’s a new fascination this year and I’m a big fan. There’s a decent enough “hill” in our front yard to keep him entertained and he’s always finding new and exciting opportunities with his sled.

I asked him if he’d take a photo with me when we were heading inside and his response was, “if my sled can be in it.” As you can see, I complied.

Day 1795 | 4-H Swag

This sweatshirt has been in the works for a long time and it’s finally a reality. I’m pumped about how the design turned out and I love this style of sweatshirt. There are also t-shirts…but those are buried all winter so I decided a sweatshirt option was more than necessary. I hope the rest of our 4-H group loves how they turned out just as much!

Day 1794 | Holiday PJs

Nothing better than new holiday jammies, you know? Thanks, Grandma Bibi for making sure they each have a pair that fits. I heart Christmastime.

Day 1793 | Best Day Ever

Robbe declared today his “best day ever”. That’s a pretty big deal.

Here’s why it ranked so high up there:

• Playtime with friends from out of town

• Pancake breakfast where we got to chat with Santa

• Learning a new board game—Catan Junior is super fun

• Sledding time with dad and big brother

• Christmas movie night with hot cocoa and popcorn

A pretty great day, right? Now you know what really brings our little guy joy.

Day 1792 | Winter Fireworks

Best firework viewing locale. We walked one minute over to our neighbor’s house and had the perfect spot overlooking the river.

Day 1791 | If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

If you start with a leak…you end up renovating one bathroom, adding a second bathroom, and painting a ceiling, I guess. It’s going to be amazing when it’s all done. That’s for sure.

Day 1790 | Morning View in December

This is the view out our front door right now. In early December. That’s a good bit of snow—even for Wisconsin. But it sure is pretty.

Day 1789 | Advent Workshop

Well, we made it home. It took us an extra hour of driving, but we made it just in time for the boys to attend a birthday party (a huge relief) and we even managed to squeeze in a stop at the Advent Workshop—one of my favorite holiday traditions. We didn’t leave with the usual haul of crafts, but Chris joined in on the fun this year so that more than made up for it!

Day 1787 | Family Time Con’t

Wisconsin weather decided that we weren’t quite done with family time for the weekend so we’re spending another night with Chris’s family. None of us were too upset about the change of plans—we’re just hoping for a safe and easy trip back tomorrow, now. Think happy thoughts for us!

Day 1786 | Family Time

I love these people. Like, really love them. It’s been an amazing week filled with lots of laughter and family time and I couldn’t be happier.

Day 1785 | Naturally Sweetened Cranberry Sauce

It seems like I’m one of the few people at my Thanksgivings that actually likes cranberry sauce. It’s me, Chase, and Robbe and maybe one or two more folks that add it to their plate. I love it, though. I think it’s the perfect compliment to turkey and I will happily make a batch for just myself, if need be.

I’m really excited about the recipe I found this year. As you might remember, I make it a goal of mine to remove refined sugar from my baking and cooking whenever possible. Typical cranberry sauce recipes have a cup (ONE WHOLE CUP) of sugar. I think that’s just crazy. I’ve tried sweetening my cranberry sauce with pineapple juice in the past but this one with maple syrup is even better!

I’m going to put the recipe right here so I have it saved for next year (in case you’re curious, I added the orange zest but not the juice or cinnamon):

Click here For the recipe

Why yes, the cranberry sauce pictured above is in one of the pottery dishes I made. Thanks for noticing! ;)

Day 1784 | 4-H Card Making

Have I told you how much I like 4-H? Today we spent part of the afternoon at an assisted living facility making holiday cards with the residents. I’ll hope for a bit more interaction between my boys and these residents in a future visit (they we’re pretty much head-down focusing on card-making during this trip), but I just love the inter-generational socializing. It brings so much joy to everyone involved.

Day 1783 | Christmas Tree Hunt

I know it’s early. But Thanksgiving is so late this year. We figured if we waited until next weekend (our usual tradition), we’d only have a few weeks of enjoying the tree. So, here we are with a Christmas tree up, lit, and decorated before Thanksgiving. I never thought this would happen to me. I am pretty excited about having it done, though. I can’t wait to come home from our holiday travels next week and just enjoy the festive decor.

Day 1782 | The Christmas Stroll

This is one of my favorite new holiday traditions. For the third year in a row, the boys and I (along with my mom and Ms. Barb) toured several houses around Eau Claire fully decked out for Christmas as a fundraiser for the community symphony. Such a fun fundraiser, right? It’s always the weekend before Thanksgiving and I love that it feels like the official kick-off to the holiday season for me. Even though it’s not exactly a kids event, the boys love it, too. And that makes me so very happy.

Day 1781 | Family Board Games

We continue to love board games around here. We’re borrowing Monopoly Junior from a friend right now and it’s a quick favorite. Guess what? We even made it through the whole game without any tears (usually it’s Chris—I’m sure that was your guess). For the record, I’ve yet to win but I’m sure my time in the sun will come. I’ll keep you posted.

Day 1780 | Sports Fan

The boys have been really into football this season. It’s sweet to see them watching the games and learning the rules. I remember being in that exact situation with my parents.

Robbe is not only a fan of football but most other sports as well. He’s also particularly interested in teams that aren’t from Wisconsin—a phase I remember tormenting my parents with as well. So when a friend of mine dropped off a hand-me-down Pirates jersey, this guy couldn’t have been happier. Thanks for making dreams come true, Amelia!