Day 9: Something you're reading

I am currently reading a book in the Redwall series called The Rouge Crew. I have always loved Redwall and I'm never going to get too old for it. 

This phrase struck me as I thought about all the work that is done at the end of the semester. By the time finals are done, so are we. Actually, I'm done with it all right about two weeks before finals start. I can't wait to graduate and be done, but I'll enjoy the experience while I'm here. Every time I wish for something to end, I am reminded of the song "You're gonna miss this". Go listen to it if you've never heard it. Even if you have, go listen to it. 

Love Redwall books like crazy!

Day 8: Ornaments

As soon as I read the item to photograph today, I realized I had already taken a lovely picture of an ornament. 

In the attempt to give variety, I pictured my ornaments placed somewhere other than the tree. Here they are! My mamma always had beautiful garland on her staircase during Christmas. It has lights, bows, poinsettias, I think some pine cones, the whole shabam. I've always loved how the glow of the lights on the banisters made the house look so... cozy. They give it a magical glow. That's probably where my love for Christmas lights come from. I want my own home to have that cozy, magic, glow. 

So there is my attempt. I couldn't put lights in the garland because there wasn't an outlet on that wall. Instead, I used some of my leftover ornaments that didn't fit on the tree and hung them here. I like it. 

Merry Christmas! Love the season like crazy!

Day 7: Bright

This is the first little glimpse of my decorations! I'll admit, I'm a total sucker for sparkly things. To make it even more awesome, look how they sparkle with the lights! 

I had a hard time not staring at it for hours on end. 

As you can see from this picture, we also got our tree today (by today, I mean the 7th of December). In true Oregonian spirit, we found a real tree. This was actually my husband's only request for Christmas decorations. It's a little small, but hey, we're just two little people who can't afford a huge tree in a little-bitty house. Funny thing was, there were a lot of pricey trees when we were looking. We found this one and realized we were $1 short on cash to buy it. The guy was nice enough to let us have it anyways, in true Christmas spirit. $1 may not seem like a big deal, but like I've said before, it's the small things people often notice. We'll probably buy from that place next year. Maybe bring an extra dollar. 

I love our tree and our bright lights and sparkly ornaments like crazy.  

And may you days be merry and bright...

Day 6: Shopping

This season has a lot to do with shopping, but for some reason, I never really get the Christmas shopping bug that some people seem to have.

This year though, I was feelin' in the spirit and sprung for some decorations (along with my usual groceries). That's about the only bug I caught though. Since finals have started, I've had a hard time thinking about anything else. 

So there's my shopping list for the day. Nothing special. You'll probably get more pictures of the results of my purchases. 

I really like this notepad by the way. My grandma gave it to me for my birthday and I think it's the cutest paper ever. I use it quite often now. :) Sometimes it's the little things that make our lives better.

Gettin' in the Christmas spirit, one picture at a time... and lovin' it like crazy. 

Day 5: Today's temperature

I could tell that this morning was cold. I didn't realize it was 1 degree cold!! BRRR. At least I got a pretty sunrise through my kitchen window. You don't realize how much you appreciate certain things until you live without it for a while.

The inside temperature was way nicer than the outside temperature.  

I love my warm home and windows like crazy!

Day 4: Joyful

We went to my Aunt's house for her little guy's birthday. We played with balloons, laughed with family, and ate pizza and cake. Life is joyful when celebrating with family. And when blowing out candles. 

Days like this remind me that no matter how bad you may feel, family can always lift your spirits if you let them. No one can love you as much as family loves you. That's a huge part of Christmas for me. Love, which goes in harmony with family.

Love family and birthday parties like crazy!

Day 3: Red

December 3rd was THE FIRST DAY OF SNOW here in Provo. This photo was taken at 8 in the morning. I'm not a huge fan of the snow, but I'm getting used to it. And now it does look like it's the Christmas season, so I can't complain about that. If only it would melt before Valentine's Day...

This was taken at noon. The snowfall got progressively worse throughout the day and we ended up with a foot of snow outside. It was definitely a hot chocolate kind of day!

I don't love the cold, but I sure do love fresh white snow like crazy. The kind that looks like a soft blanket. That fun to look at... from a window, sipping hot chocolate, snuggling in a warm blanket. :)

Day 2: My favorite holiday movie

Today, I got a shot of my favorite movie. This was actually really hard, because I couldn't pick a favorite shot. 

Although there are parts that are rather crude, Christmas Vacation will always be one of my all time favorite Christmas movies. I'm not that into all the cheesy movies, I'd rather be bustin' up laughin'. I'll always think of Aunt Bethany everytime I hear the national anthem and the pledge of allegiance, I'll always remember Russ when I'm untangling the mess of Christmas lights, and I'll always be wary of squirrels in a Christmas tree that is from the outdoors. Most of all, I'll always remember the laughing of my whole family, and having a good time watching a hilarious movie with them. That's how my family bonds.

I love our christmas movie tradition like crazy!

Day 1: My view

After a long day of doing research in a basement, I walked out to view this.

It got me in the Christmas spirit. I don't know what it is about lights, but something about lighting the darkness with color is very appealing to me.

I love christmas lights like crazy! :)

December Photo Challenge!

After a very wonderful thanksgiving with my family, I'm thankful for all of God's blessings in my life. I have a wonderful husband who treats me right. I have a job I actually enjoy. I am getting an education. I have a nice apartment with a kitchen window (this is actually a big deal). I know I am loved, not only by my family, by also loved by my God.

I hope I can keep this attitude throughout the whole year and not lose the spirit in the mad rush of what I call "commercialized christmas". To try to keep the spirit, I'm doing a December photo challenge.

I'm a little behind on posting to my blog, but rest assured, I am taking the pictures! You can follow me on Instagram (@love_like_madi).

I chose this December challenge because I like the idea of capturing December. Hopefully I can also capture the spirit of Christmas too! 

Let the season of Christmas begin!