The merriest of Christmases!

Our wish to you, dear friends!  That your hearts would be glad and your spirits joyful as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!

“Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And bring your hearts before Him
His mercy to embrace
For He has shown His love to us
The miracle of grace
O tidings of comfort and joy”

The post on the ‘post’

My birthday was semi-trash-reduction focused this year.  Please, let me explain.  I have been talking about composting for quite some time.  And this year both my parents and my “in-loves” came through and helped turned my mumblings into action!

So, I finally have had my fine little compost up and running for about 2 months now, really am using less garbage bags per month, and am ready to NOT have to buy compost for my garden/flower beds come spring.

Here it is!

Where it all begins – in the kitchen, this little beauty stores the veggie/fruit/tea bag/etc. matter so I don’t have to run outside ten times a day!

The bottom of the compost – chicken wire – much needed so rodents don’t dig under, but worms can still get through!

Mmmmmm…smores

Nothin’ really has the same equivalent in my mind as smores.  They’re just good.  Cherished memories just seem to flock to smores making.  Am I right??

Donald received a fire bowl for his birthday, so we just had to put it to good use once it got cold here in dallas.

The making for a yummy time:

Ohhhh, backyard fire:

Poor baby, she was not liking the fire AT ALL. 

It’s safer inside

So, take that cold weather!  The wallace family and their smore-loving bellies are ready for ya!

Little Pieces of me

Drove to uptown this AM to meet dear Hood for coffee – yum.  As I was driving, I had one of those moments where time seems to slow down.  Waaaaaaay down.  I was listening to waterdeep – maybe that aided my thoughts?  Probably.

I’m driving down McKinney Ave., a drive I used to make daily when we were still living in the apartment.  And I just got all nostalgic.  And felt really small.  Watching people walk the routes I used to walk, visiting places I used to visit, seeing people have carefree Saturdays (I used to have those too!) – now they’re not so carefree, but still joyFULL!  Believe it or not, life continues on as normal.  I know, thankfully and gracefully, that my life is significant; but on some matters – it seems so insignificant.  Humbling.  I’m one more person on this earth.  I better live well.  I felt like I was getting little glimpses of a former angela.  And then I had such a peace, knowing that I truly feel like “me” right where I am.  This life.  December 2009.  I’m so thankful for that.

Hood & abi a few weeks ago at lunch!

My bullet list tribute to Central Market

I love this store.  As Abi and I were shopping tonight, I was making a bullet list in my head for the multiple reasons why I simply adore Central Market.

1. It is owned and operated by the great HEB.  Any good aggie knows this is reason enough to flock.
2. They give balloons to the itty-bitties as they enter the store.  Abi is always ready and waiting.  Tonight she chose purple (her choice is between green and purple).
3. It just smells good.  In the parking lot.  In the store.  Everywhere.
4. Free samples.  Learned this as a child going to Randall’s to get a free cookie – any grocery store worthy of my family’s business should have free samples.  Target/Walmart and the like – take this as my suggestion to you.  Abi and I both enjoyed limeade, thai shrimp with green curry (we chose not to eat the shrimp), cherry chocolate bread, watermelon, and tortilla chips this evening.
5. I love that buying central market’s organic milk is cheaper than buying the same amount at walmart or target.  (I therefore look like the queen of milk as I always leave with multiple gallons).
6. Their people are friendly AND knowledgeable.  Please don’t underestimate this combination.  They rarely coexist.
7. Lots of different kinds of people.  The one downfall of CM is their prices.  They are pricey.  This is why my visits have had to cut down to every other week once hubby started grad school.  BUT, you still see such a variety of people there.  I love that.  People who just love food.  And some silly snobby people sometimes too.  And homeless folks.  That’s pretty cool.  But, hey – we’re all people who like the taste, smells, and sights of food. 
8. Every time I checkout there is someway to help those who don’t have easy access to food.  I think if I was to own a grocery store, I’d hope to be aware of that too.  That in a place of bounty – there is a reminder of those who have less.

So, HEB – you’re great.  You get the Wallace thumbs-up.

Grace

Have loved this today…

From David Crowder’s new CD, “If His grace is an ocean, then we’re all sinking…oh, how He loves us”

We are waiting…

I love Christmas.  I think there is something that is so universally understood of a feeling deep inside of you that just leaves you anxious and joyful.  It is, for me, because we are waiting.  There is such anticipation in this season.  Anticipation for the actual day of Christmas, yes – but we are waiting for something infinitely  more grand than a day.  So, as we are now in the magical season of advent – I join all of you, dear friends, in waiting.  Waiting as the earth waits to receive her king once again.

This year’s video from Advent Conspiracy:

We’ve enjoyed coming alongside friends and family to encourage each other to hold to ideas presented through Advent Conspiracy the past couple of Christmases.  What a blessing!  As said in the video – we have enjoyed worshipping Christ more fully in this season.  This season has become more wonderful.

Getting casa de Wallace ready for the season!

 

The Thanksgiving Post

“The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.”

-Washington, DC, October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln

Our weekend in pictures, we are so thank-FULL!!!

 

 

*My dear momma & poppa & bestest grandma EVER – we missed you!  Austin Z’s – we look forward to when we can all be together again!

**How did I not get any pictures of the food??!!  It was delicious.  Yum.

Celebrating one of my biggest sources of thankfulness!

Woosh – that title is a mouthful!

This Thanksgiving was a special one.  It was hubby’s birthday!  Naturally, my reason for thankfulness was overflowing on this day.

I love him.  So much.  Thankful for his life and how it has been used on this earth.  He brings others joy.  He leads our family well and demonstrates selflessness daily.

I am so thankful on this Thanksgiving.

Digging through old archives of this most wonderful man

The one with the Palm Civet & Jack Hannah

*Elaine, I’m single-stealing your clever title for this one post!*

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity with some other co-workers to go to the Hilton Anatole to meet Jack Hannah (our new deputy director of Education was mentored by Jack back in the day…that’s our in).  AMAZING.  Got to touch a cheetah, a clouded leopard (only 3 months old!), a snow leopard, an Anatolian shepherd, and this little lady here – a palm civet!  (Can you tell I’m excited?)

My co-workers, plus Jack:

For all of you iphone-ers: soon, there will be a Dallas Zoo app!  Get ready!

Showering Caedmon

Two thoughts I had as I was sitting down to write this post:

1) How in the WORLD has it already been two weeks since this wonderful afternoon?  and

2) I kind of laughed as I am writing about something that at least two other delightful women have already blogged about.  But, that made me smile.  There is something very “community and sisterly-esque” about being excited about the same things.  Happy to share in each other’s joys. 

On November 1st, myself and “The Laurens” (a term of extreme endearment!) hosted a shower for the beautiful Katy Rose.  It was such a joy of an afternoon!  Lots of friends from her past and present, family, and two very excited grandma-to-be’s!  And of course the momma-in-waiting.  She had the pregnant glow.  Loved it.  I got to feel Caedmon kick – YAY! 

Some memories captured:

Hard at work!

 

The amazing cake that Lauren’s momma made (the carriage matched the design of our invitations – so clever)!

For K&K – a book of encouragement and love!

 

In the middle of the night – changing diapers – a reason to smile and laugh!

Oh, Caedmon – you are loved!

Sweet Caedmon – as the days  tick away until this world greets you – you are a loved little man.  It was a joy to see so many women excited for your life.

The Poppers have arrived at the Arboretum!

* This post is dedicated to Megan & Lauren Neiheisel and my own momma – and any other co-lovers of popping impatients.

I recognize that this post may require some explanation.  OK, everyone knows impatient flowers, right?  Shade-loving (until crazy scientist created a sun-tolerant variety) , colorful plants.  Really durable, really pretty = really popular.  Well, I love them.  But not only for their beauty, but for their entertainment value.  They have a seed pod that will pop when ready and disperse their seeds (nature is very clever).  Or, you can pop them!   It really is fun.

Well, I check every impatient that I see, and they are finally ready at the arboretum!  I was downright giddy to share this tradition with abi.  She loved it too!  No surprise here though – it’s in her genes.

Share in our goofiness.

(This is the seed pod I’m talking about)

 

After the pop!  It’s SO fun!! 

Because who doesn’t love some arboretum time?

She sat here for about a minute (that is a long time in 16 month land!) and just investigated the pumpkin’s stem.  I love the budding scientist in her!!

The arboretum has had recreations of houses from storybooks for quite some time now– and we’ve somehow missed this one!  It’s a Russian folktale, ‘Teremok’ – basically a lot of animals cram into a little wooden house.  Creative and clever – we like it.