Getting in the spirit...

Warning:  As I re-read this, it sounds kind of whiny.  Sorry!  It wasn't intended that way. 

I LOVE the holidays. 

I am normally one to get in the holiday spirit, and quick.  But I have fluctuated a bit this year for various reasons.  First of all, the weather here has been back and forth from the 80's down to the 50's off and on for a few weeks now, and it's really starting to make me angry.  We live in Texas. It is hot here.  Practically ALL year.  Can we not just get a nice brisk coolness in November, and cold in December-February, please??  That's all.  I don't even require snow, just some justification for actually owning sweaters and jackets.   It is really hard to get excited about putting up Christmas decorations when it's 78 dgrees outside.  Also, work has been incredibly busy lately.  I was preparing for a trial (should have been at docket call this morning, actually) and Friday afternoon around 4, got notice from the court that we were cancelled and the judge is ruling on the filings.  Hey, my entire month of December just became less hectic!!  Whoo hoo!  But, I feel like I've been working like a crazy woman until now.  Oh, and forget the fact that we are physically moving our offices across town this week and next!  No big deal, really.

We aren't putting up a Christmas tree this year.  With a shaky toddler, we are worried about an accident or ten, so we decided to forego the big one in the living room.  Despite not enjoying the hassle of crawling up in the attic to get the tree and decorations down, I do really enjoy putting up our tree because most of the ornaments are ones we've collected over the years and are even our childhood ornaments.  So, I'm a little sad about that. 

Justus does get a tree in his room though, which he was pretty excited about. 

We did get the stockings hung....

...and although he's a few days late, guess who finally appeared this morning??

Eezer, the Elf! 

We are so happy to see him.  Maybe Mommy and Daddy even more than Justus (clearly, Delaney has no interest).  We are hoping his presence helps keep a certain young 4 year old in line for the next few weeks because he is having a hard time on his own.

I've decided the other thing that is making it difficult to get in the Christmas spirit this year is that I am busy preparing for a certain little princess' birthday!  Now, celebrating a birthday for Delaney is super important and I don't want to suggest that it takes away from the holidays, but having to split my energy of focus and planning during this already very busy time is proving to be a challenge.  I may have to find a way to just do a Happy Birthday theme that we can leave up all of December and January to celebrate Delaney, Jesus, and Justus!  Hmmm....off to Pinterest I go to scope for ideas.

On a side note, and also in the spirit of the holidays--this is a great recipe that I tried out yesterday.  We are having chili tonight (to celebrate the cold weather), so I did a Crock Pot Sunday yesterday and made this.  It's very easy and very good.  The Bonus:  My house smelled pretty good amazing for quite awhile!

Pumpkin Crumb Cake (from crockingirls.com):

1 box Krusteaz Cinnamon Crumb Cake mix (will include cake mix and cinnamon topping)
1 cup water
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup white chocolate chips
½ cup chopped pecans
Mix all ingredients except chopped pecans and cinnamon topping.
In a separate bowl mix cinnamon topping with ½ cup chopped pecans.
Spray crock with cooking spray.
Pour in ½ of cake mix and top with cinnamon topping/ pecan mix, then repeat once more.
Cover and cook on high for about 2 hours then remove lid and turn the slow cooker off.
Let the cake set up for about 15 minutes, then serve!
This would be great as a dessert with vanilla ice-cream or even with your coffee in the morning!