another fill in the blank

{Erin Nicole Photography via weheartit}

1.   I wish   my dad was still here, at least for this holiday season  .

2.  Yesterday I   went to lunch with my sister and my niece for my grandmothers 88th birthday .

3.  Today I will   get my car washed, work til 3pm, go home, cry, decorate the Christmas tree, hopefully watch a Christmas movie with my kids, and wrap gifts .

4.  Tomorrow I will   get up early, wrap gifts, make gloog, babysit my sisters kiddos, get showered and dressed for a holiday (gloog) party   .

5.  Maybe     I can fit in some time to get some craft time in _.

6.  Someday   __I hope to be able to take time out for myself  .

7.  I love  __my family and friends !

Link up at Laurens!

oh Monday (aka the beginning of the first full week in December)

so much to do this week. more christmas shopping (even more christmas wrapping). i'm taking tomorrow off (i'll blog tomorrow, no worries) which means i have lots and lots of work to get done now. so with that... i'll leave you with some really cool vintage christmas advertisements!! loves u!

holiday shopping = supporting family

So... many of you don't know that I have a brother. Two actually. And they aren't my brothers by blood. We grew up across the street from each other. We spent every holiday and vacation together. Our parents are best friends. (And now, both Daddies are 'droppin a fishing line' in heaven waiting for us). 

My older brother, Stephen (Stevie) has recently opened up his very own (brick and morter) jewelry shop. I am so incredibly proud of him! He is one of the few people I know and love actually out there chasing his dream!! 
He is incredibly talented. Please, check out his website.

And if you're in the Inland Empire (IE) or Southern California, you can visit his store in the quaint little Downtown Upland.
F and C Creations
220 North 2nd Avenue
Upland, CA 91786
909-985-0600

Here are some of my favorite pieces:

on the third day of december...

i had every intention of blogging the second day of december. but, i didn't get that far. so sorry. the cliffnotes would be that i was super busy at my second job, while still calling and scheduling for my first job, then off to run all around the west side of phoenix for christmas gifts. yay.

on the third day of december, i am totally swamped with invoicing at my first job, so i'm gonna go with the 'ol fill in the blank friday (which, to be honest, i actually really like to do). play along!

1.   Holiday spirit  _ is best thing ever! I sorta wish it lasted all year long, but totally understand why it cant... I just seriously love it love it love it  !!!

2.  The holidays are incomplete without  __family, baking, and good food .

3.  My favorite things to do around the holidays is  __decorate and shop  .

4.  A holiday tradition my family and I have is   __Santa Claus would always come and visit our party on Christmas Eve and bring toys to the kids. We also have Christmas Brunch instead of the traditional Christmas dinner. This year will probably be different .

5.  Holiday music is     joyful, fun, and uplifting.

6.  This year, I'll be spending the holidays   __with my family. The in-laws are coming and I am so grateful for that. This will be our first Christmas without Daddy, so I am not really sure how it all is gonna go .

7.  Holiday wish list  _ We aren't doing gifts for the adults this year (which is totally fine!!) but if I had a rich uncle (lol) I'd ask him for 1. A Record Player, 2. Fuji Instax Film (100 pack), 3. A Food Processor, 4. A Tripod with a Ballhead for my camera, 5. Nike+ gear (shoes with device, armband, etc.) !

Link Up At Lauren's!!

Happy December!!

(yes... I did say Happy... hehe)
It is December 1st... and yes, I am wearing Christmas jammies to work. Why? Because I can! hehe

Oh... I am in a good mood today. I've been getting lots of sleep (for once) and listening to Christmas music every day makes me happy. I love this time of year. You know, it IS the Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

So many of my bloggy friends make their monthly lists on this first day of the month. I thought I'd make mine and share it. It's really simple.
1. Enjoy every breath of every day.
2. Make Christmas special for the kids. (Daddy would want that).
3. Don't stress.
4. Make sure everyone in my life knows that I love them. (Including God... but I'm pretty sure he already knows that, hehe)

Today I am planning on going home and (finally) putting up my Christmas tree in my bedroom, and maybe crawling into bed and watching a Christmas movie with the kiddos while sipping on some hot cocoa and peppermint tea (thank you Jamie for my new winter addiction. hehe)

© something Big is coming...
Maira Gall