Common to People Caught Up in Revolutions

It seems like I have done nothing but work, sleep, and wrap presents the last few days.  Because I requested days off around Christmas, I was scheduled to work long, long opening shifts this whole week.  It will be worth it after tomorrow though and I am off for FOUR days!!  Today I found someone that wanted hours so I was able to leave a couple hours early, which was nice.  I just got up from my nap and am having a cup of coffee by the window.

After this I have to dye my hair so it'll be nice and vibrant for all the festivities, run an errand or two, pick up something for dinner, straighten up the apartment, and finish wrapping the last few gifts.  To match my tree, I went with a white, blue, and subtle green color scheme for the wrapping paper.  Looks pretty good, don't you think?  Andrew and Juliana get in tomorrow night so today is really my last day to get everything done before Christmas time is really here!  Hope you all are caught up on your to-do list before things get going for you!

(photos by e.hunt)

Festive Festivities

Christmas is officially less than a week away!  I finished up my Christmas shopping today and am in the middle of the wrapping storm.  This is good because today was my last day off before the festivities start on Friday.  Andrew and Juliana will arrive that night and then it's Christmas Christmas Christmas!  I'm thinking about packing a bag and just staying at home for those few days and get the full family experience.

Isn't that a great picture?  Mom posted it on Instagram today.  So festive.  Speaking of festive-ness, I'm starting to think about what to wear to Christmas Eve with the Hunt side of the family and then Christmas dinner at our house.

I could go the super-holiday route and wear some plaid.

Or choose something more sparkly.

I have a few already that would work: a winter white shift dress with a flower print on the bottom, a loose black dress with cool gold detail on the sleeves, and a red velvet skater dress.  I'm thinking the last two would look good with belts, or maybe my flower headband with the red one.  I still have a few days to decide though so we'll see.  It'll be a surprise!

(photos by r.hunt, collected from flickr, bloglovin, lecanardivre.fr, collagevintage, and by e.hunt)

Sapin de Noël

Christmas is now only a week away!  Are you all ready?  I've found gifts for most everyone on my list, now I just have to find time to wrap them.  I did put up my 21st century style Christmas tree in my apartment though.

Look Ma, no tree!  You may remember I did a similar one in Nashville, but I added some blue ornaments to this year's version.  I think it really adds that final holiday touch, don't you?

We trimmed the homestead tree as well.

We kept up the tradition of white lights outside, colored lights inside, and placed all the favorite ornaments in prominent spots.  It's always fun to get out the really old ones, and especially the collection of handmade ones from our elementary school years.

I also started another apartment project that's been on the docket for a while now.  One of my Mom's friends had some extra fabric after a project she was working on and it ended up in my possession.  I thought the cute grey and white arrow design would be perfect as a cover for these two bonus chairs we found at a thrift store.

Since sewing it seemed a little complicated, I decided to pull out the old glue gun.  I think they turned out pretty well, even though cloth-crafting isn't really my thing.  I need to get wrapping presents, the space under my tree looks a little lonely!

(photos by e.hunt)

Hillshade Mapping

To continue in the festive Christmas activities, we got our tree!  I met up with the gang at our local tree lot right before sunset on Tuesday where we wandered the aisles.

We narrowed it down to two.  The one on the left that Dad is holding was in the 6-8 ft section, and Taylor's is an 8-10.  We were pretty set on that left one until we held it up next to the 8-10.  It was really no contest.  Look how much healthier the big one is!

The tree-guy and his pack of middle-school boys trimmed a little off the bottom, helped tie it to the roof of the truck, and we were on our way!  I remember one year when we were little, Dad didn't have the top on the back of the truck so the tree just laid in the bottom.  Andrew and Taylor and I hid down along the sides of it to hold it in place while Dad drove and we were SO excited -- ahhh the little things of childhood.

We got home and sent it through the window right into it's spot and the house immediately smelled like a happy, winter wonderland forest.  I think we'll probably do the lights and ornaments sometime this weekend.  Now, time to think about decorating my apartment!

(photos by e.hunt, and t.hunt)

"Didn't I Ever Tell You About Bumbles?! Bumbles Bounce!"

-The Greatest Prospector in the North, Yukon Cornelius

Last Tuesday I stopped by the house on the way back from class.  Dad and Taylor were outside cutting the grass and getting ready to put the Christmas lights up.  I ran upstairs to find the box of lights and started testing them out to make sure they all worked.

We figured out how many strands would go on each section of bushes and separated everything out.  I was in charge of getting the next strand ready and plugging it in before Dad reached the end.  We ran into a few missing bulbs, causing half the strand to be out, but luckily we had a few of those extra bulbs that come with the lights so problem solved!

We ended up having an extra strand and I thought it would be neat to go along the top of the porch like we used to do.  Mom and Taylor didn't approve though.  I thought it would've been cool, but oh well.

After the front two bushes we were finished!  Next up was dinner, followed by a Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer viewing.  What a Christmasy evening!  Check out the lighting before and after.

(photos by e.hunt, and r.hunt)

As Leaves in the Winds of Autumn, and in Winter as a Star Upon a Hill

We celebrated Taylor's birthday the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  I came over early to help make molasses cookies.  Andrew and Juliana have made them in years past, which is where we got the idea, and we texted them our progress.

We got out all the ingredients and followed the recipe, adding a bit more cinnamon for added deliciousness.  When everything was all mixed together we started pulling out little balls and rolling them in sugar before putting them on the pan.  Then we had to wait 8-10 minutes while the wonderful smell kept increasing while they baked.

Mmmmmmm they turned out great!  After dinner we had a little gift-opening and cookie-eating.  Happy late Birthday, Taylor!!

(photos by e.hunt, and t.hunt)

Going Beyond the Information Given

Happy December, everyone!  It's been a busy last couple weeks.  The Sunday before Thanksgiving we had the Grandma's over for a Thanksgiving warm-up dinner, complete with turkey and pumpkin pie!

And then the real Thanksgiving came.  My favorite, the sweet potatoes, did not disappoint, and there was lots of merry drinking and pie-eating.  It was fun to catch up with the family, all of whom were in town except for Andrew.  Taylor and I unveiled our many memberships (YPEC - Young Picky Eaters Club, YCC - Young Curmudgeon's Club, and the MQAA - Movie Quote Appreciation Association) and the cousins were all fascinated.

After a peaceful, turkey triptophan-induced sleep, I worked a nine-hour shift the following day.  Afterwards, I went to Target to figure out my wifi router issues and was pleasantly surprised.  Because it was the latter half of Black Friday, I expected it to still be extremely crowded but I was determined to figure out my wifi.  They gave me a full refund on the router even though it was opened and used, and I found a (hopefully) good replacement.  I also ended up buying a tv!

I just couldn't resist those Black Friday deals.  The rest of the items in the cart are all the necessary accessories: a Roku streaming stick (for Netflix and other channels), a DVD player, and the new wifi router.  Taylor came over to help me set everything up, and I have to say, it works beautifully.  For the inaugural viewing we chose an old favorite: A Knight's Tale.  And there you have it; another big apartment item knocked off the list!

(photos by e.hunt, and g.hunt)