Friday Favorites

Good morning!

It is officially less than one week until Christmas. Holy cow! How did this month slip by so quickly? It's definitely been a whirlwind of activity in our house.

Here are some of my favorites for this festive Friday:

1. Snow! I know this sounds so contradictory to what I would normally be saying, but I'm happy that we've gotten some snow over the past few days. When it was warmer last week, all our snow melted and the whole town was a brown, muddy mess. Now we have pretty, white snow just before Christmas. Really, it wouldn't feel like Christmas in Minnesota without some snow on the ground.

2. Vendors at work! I have to laugh at myself about this, but at this time of year a lot of our vendors bring in goodies for our office. We've had treats such as popcorn, meat & cheese platters, cookie trays, smoked salmon pate (that you can order here. It is so good!) and gourmet coffee. I certainly don't want to pig out on all of this stuff, but it's fun and makes it feel more festive. Plus, I don't have to bring as many snacks from home which saves me some money. :o)

3. Family! Maybe this one should be first, but I'm saving the best for last. Earlier this week, I had a wicked case of homesickness. Mix that in with a lot of stress at work, and some really cruddy weather and I was just down in the dumps. A good chat with my mom, followed by boxes from my parents filled with presents helped to lift my spirits. The best part? The boxes smelled like their house! It was really great to get a little whiff of "home".

I'm also really thankful for Trav's family. We're getting together with his extended family on Saturday for Christmas before everyone goes their separate ways. Then on Christmas Eve we will spend the evening at my in-law's house after church, and everyone will come to our house for dinner on Christmas day. All of the family parties really help to infuse a ton of holiday spirit into this time of year, and make me miss home a little less.

Are you ready for the holidays?