Simmons Stories: Christmas is in the air...

This week we had two playdates with some of my friends. We headed out to Doodles for You and made Christmas presents and a few personal keepsakes - Atticus' hands and feet won't be this little forever so I thought this was a great way to capture them. Once the pieces are fired and out of the kiln I'll post those so you can see the finished product - they're gonna look great! It's a work in progress...so don't judge too quickly!

The first day we met Jessica and her son John Hall (6 months) and Tonya and her two kidos Bella (4 years) and Cade (9 months) - and I can't forget to mention Tebow, the puppy, he came too! After painting we headed to Holly's Country Cooking for a not-so-healthy lunch...but the fried okra was soooo good!

The next day Atticus and I met Laura and Grace (5 weeks) at the studio to work on a few other projects...we had a fantastic time catching up on what life is like with a one month old :)

Making Christmas presents this week has gotten me in the Christmas mood...I've busted out the Christmas CD's (to Aaron's dismay) and I've started moving furniture around in the living room to make space for our tree. Christmas is going to be extra special this year since our own little gift will be celebrating with us - I know he'll only be three months old, but I want it to be a Christmas to remember for all of us! One of the gifts we bought for Atticus is so that we can start a new tradition in our family from his very first Christmas - it's the boxed set of "Elf on a Shelf" - I love it and look forward to making the tradition our own! In case you're not familiar with it, here's a snipit from the author of how the tradition got started and how it works...

Like most children through the ages, my children wanted to know how Santa really knew who was naughty or who was nice. The first time the elf arrived at our home, my children officially adopted him by giving him a name. Each year he would arrive around the holidays, usually at Thanksgiving. His sole responsibility was to watch the children's behavior and report it to Santa each night. The next morning after the children awoke, they discovered the elf had returned from the North Pole and was now resting in a new and different place. My children would race each other out of bed to try and be the first to spy him in his new position. Over the years the tradition was perfected and rules were introduced. For example, to better preserve his mystique the children were not allowed to touch him but talking to him was a different matter all together. My children shared many secrets with the elf, and while he was under strict orders not to talk to them, the elf was under no such orders where grown-ups were concerned. Unwittingly, the tradition provided an added benefit: it helped the children to better control themselves. All it took was a gentle reminder that the "elf is watching," for errant behavior to be modified.

D-A-Z-Z-L-E D-A-Z-E

One of the community events that kicks of the holiday season in Conway is Dazzle Daze - it's a one stop shopping experience that will definitely put you in the Christmas spirit! Junior Auxiliary had a booth where we sold our cookbooks and Christmas wreaths and decorations. It's alot of fun! I worked the booth one night and then went back with Laura and Lauren the next day to shop...