This past week I haven’t posted a whole lot because I was sick. I am still coughing and sniffling, but a whole lot better. I think the husband and I have gone through two boxes of tissues in about three days. My nose is so red I could pass as Rudolph. Not a good look I swear. I guess it is that time of year where everyone has a cold.

I have said before that there are some exciting things coming to RCGG for 2013. I am working on lining up some guest bloggers. I am wanting to host a guest once a month so that you can see some of the other great bloggers out there. I’m also going to do a craft a month series where I will show an idea that I want to do, the tutorial, and the finished product. This will be in three or four different posts depending on how long it takes to make.

I am also wanting to maybe do a giveaway. I haven’t quite figured out what to give away or how to do it, but I still want to do one. I think it will be fun.  If you have done a giveaway and have any suggestions or ideas that could help please let me know. It will be greatly appreciated.

I am thinking of trying to do the Project 52 challenge. It is kind of like the 365 photo challenge, but only a weekly photo is taken instead of every day. This might be a lot easier since I really didn’t keep up at the 365 photo challenge when I tried it before.

There are still a few things I have to get worked out for the blog in 2013, but I am looking forward to a great new year of RCGG fun and I hope you are too.

Merry Christmas!

I am sitting here watching Beauty and the Beast on Disney channel and I needed to do a blog post. I had really no clue what to blog about today so I searched for a Christmas survey and found this one from My Yogurt Addiction

1. Favorite Christmas Album/CD/Song? 
My favorite Christmas song is Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland. I also love White Christmas by Bing Crosby.
 
2. Run on Christmas morning or take the day off? 
Take the day off to celebrate with family

 3.What do you usually eat on Christmas morning? 
Sausage balls and hot chocolate.

4. Favorite holiday or Christmas tradition? 
I have always loved opening stockings on Christmas morning. When I was little and up until I moved to Georgia stockings were the first thing that was opened on Christmas morning. My husband’s family never really did stockings so last year we started the tradition for us. 
 
5. Real tree, fake tree or no tree? 
I love the smell of a real tree. I was so upset when my parents decided to get a fake tree. It just wasn’t Christmas to me. We have a real tree now.
 

6. Christmas pajamas… yay or nay?
Christmas pajamas were never a thing in my house. 
 
8. Food that you always have during the holiday season? Favorite Christmas food/treat? 
Ham, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes. Nothing usually too unique. I love getting a box of cookies every year from my grandma. If I wanted cookies when I was growing up I had to go make them with her and the first Christmas after I moved my husband brought a box home from the post office with cookies in it. I was so excited. I love getting that box every year now.
 
9. Open presents all at once or take turns? 
My parents would wait to open their presents until I had all mine opened just so they didn’t miss anything. Now it is a free for all and I kind of would like to see what other people get instead of just what I get.
 
10. Favorite Christmas(ish) movie? 
Too many to name. I will try though. 
Rudolph
Twas the Night Before Christmas
The Year Without a Santa Claus
White Christmas 
Christmas Vacation
The Christmas Story

I hope you have a great holiday season and take time to celebrate the birth of Christ! 

5QF is a little late today.  Before I post my answers to the questions I just want to say that I am deeply saddened by the events that went on in CT today. Innocent children lost their lives just by going to school. It is heart breaking. Please keep these families in your prayers.




1. If you bake during the holidays, what is your favorite thing to make?
I love baking any time of year. My favorite thing to make during the holidays though are peanut butter blossoms. You know the peanut butter cookie with a hershey kiss pressed into the center. I am making them from scratch this year for the first time. 

2. Present giving: Gift bag vs wrapped box?
I love hearing the wrapping paper being torn open on Christmas morning. 
3. What do you keep your thermostat on during the winter/summer in your house?
usually 75
4. When thinking of your “Christmas to-do list” what percentage “done” are you?
89% Just have to wrap and send out of town gifts.
5. Do you do the “Elf on a Shelf”? If so, is your Elf naughty and what shenanigans has he gotten into?
We don’t have kids to do Elf on the Shelf. I am not sure if we are going to do it when we do because that little thing is creepy looking. 

Hello!
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Ours was very simple. Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes (that I made using Pioneer Woman’s cookbook. They were awesome BTW!!) cranberry sauce, stuffing. You know the usual Thanksgiving food. We went shopping after dinner, but ended up coming home since people were being rude and pushing to no end. We did our Black Friday shopping online instead.

Are you done shopping yet? We are almost done and we really just started last night. There are only a few people we still have to get gifts for. I think this is the first time we have ever been this close to being done before December even starts.

We have to get our Christmas cards printed so that I can start addressing envelopes and get them sent out. If you remember I won free photo cards from The Polka Dot Posie and I worked with Jen on the design and they turned out so cute. I can’t wait to see what our friends and family think of them.  I will show you a picture of them after Christmas. I don’t want to spoil the surprise.

I need to get a cork board to put on our wall so that we can hang our cards this year. We usually put them on our closet door, but we put an over the door rack on our door to hang things on.

I can’t wait to decorate this year. I always look forward to decorating for Christmas. My favorite thing to put out every year is a nativity.

 I would leave them out all year if my husband would let me. I bought one for this year on Etsy and it is absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait to get it and show it to you.  I am actually starting a tradition on getting a new nativity every year. Obviously, I started it this year. Haha!  We are also putting my husband’s leg lamp in the window this year. My parents got him one for Christmas a few years ago. He loves the movie The Christmas Story. He always says he is going to watch it all 24 hours when it comes on Christmas Eve/Day.

Anyways, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. The holiday season has started. In case you forget why we celebrate this season look at the picture above. That should remind you.

If you need anything clothes or unique this season for gifts check out my husband’s business. Google Nathan’s Clearance Outlet. He has CLOTHES (mens, womens,and children and babies) SHOES, BOOKS, COLLECTIBLES, AND MUCH MUCH MORE.

God has plans for us. Even if we don’t like the plans He makes for us we should follow them so that we don’t end up like Jonah. God told him to go somewhere and Jonah didn’t do it. He ended up in the belly of a large fish.

My church youth leader from high school is leaving for Africa in a few days. Her family will soon be living in  Liberia, Africa. Please keep her and her family in your prayers as they embark on this mission trip and bless the lives of the many children at the school they will be working at.