So here it is just days before Christmas and we don’t have a tree. We never really decided not to get one, but we just haven’t had a good weekend day off together to go. So we decided last night that since we’re spending Christmas at my parents’ house that we’ll just skip the tree this year and save a little extra cash and time.
Ever since there’s been a lot of noise coming from the garage – the ornaments were rebelling. They claimed they only get so many Christmases to come out of their boxes and didn’t want to miss this one just because we didn’t have our act together. So I let them loose and they magically found their way to the fireplace cover, which as it turns out, makes a great mock Christmas tree!
I always have fun seeing my favorite ornaments that have followed me through 26 years of life –
My glass stork, which survived the famous Christmas Tree Collapse of the late 1990s –
Mrs. Tiggy Winkle, who has lost and found her pinhead eyeballs many times of the year. I think once her whole face fell out as well.
Me around age 2 or 3! A homemade ornament that once hung on the church family tree –
And my favorite ornament of all times, Birthday Girl.
FOOOOOOD!
I made my way to the gym around 10:30, hoping to attend a group exercise class for fun. The only class offered at 10:45 was Zumba and there were only 6 people in the room as I discreetly walked by, so I passed. I did the usual: 37 minutes on the Stepmill (odd number so I could finish Better Homes & Gardens) plus 10 minutes cool-down on the Squirrelliptical. I did run around the indoor track for about 7 minutes while waiting to see if Zumba would fill up. Next time I just have to get my butt there an hour earlier because there was a packed kickboxing class that I missed!
Once home I had an email from the husband saying he’d be home around 1:30 for lunch. I was getting pretty hungry so I had the other half of my mini Cinnamon Bun LaraBar to tide me. This guy sure was small, but it worked like a charm.
Meanwhile, I prepped ingredients for a homemade pizza!
This was made from a 7 oz ball of leftover bakery dough, plus a tomato paste base, chopped green + red peppers, fresh frozen basil + oregano and about a cup of cheese.
I wolfed down my half!
On the side I made a salad (you’re seeing a lot of these mixed greens because I got a HUGE container from Costco and need to use ’em up!) topped with some hummus Karen brought over, some more chopped peppers, walnuts and a drizzle of balsamic.
And tea!
And the husband still hasn’t made it home yet!! He’s been working extra hours at the bakery due to Christmas orders.
I missed my lunchtime yogurt, but I’m planning to have that as a snack in a little bit.
But only if I don’t eat cookie dough instead – I might bake some cookies for a holiday party we’re attending tomorrow night!
We have the most blah weather out there. At least it kind of feels like Christmas. I want to put Christmas lights on the bushes outside but it’s too wet and gross to go out there.
See y’all for dinner!
That’s funny – I do the same thing with classes at the gym. Our aerobics floor is in the middle of the track, so I run around while waiting to see whether the class will be full (don’t like going when it’s just me and 3 others) or if it’s even something I want to do! š
Cute ornaments!
Adorable ornaments!
Kath,
What do you think of the squirrel elliptical? I know the calorie counts on machines are not accurate but it tells me that I burn many more calories that on the normal elliptical. Does your HRM show the same thing? Just curious!
love the ornaments! so cute.
and lunch looks delicious. poor husband working so late!!!!!
christmas eve is a week away! eek!
Just a suggestion in case the blog redesign is still up for debate, but if there is any way to avoid the “more”, please do.
Keep up the great eats. I got my husband hooked on your kale chips – a Christmas miracle.
Oh my gosh! Stork and Mrs. Tiggy Winkle and Birthday Girl are famous now!
Im jealous of your weather it is 80 in SE Georgia. UGG!
Cute idea with your fireplace screen! Your pizza looks delish!
Yummy pizza!
Oh and you are about 18 months in the carousel horse picture.
So adorable!!
MINI LARABAR!! š
Girl, eat the cookie dough instead! Tis’ the season and you work out like a fiend enough to enjoy it!!
i love ornaments!! they are such great keepsakes!! your lunch looks so good!!
love the ornaments!!! and please don’t forget to photograph your cookies.
also, i second the suggestion to eliminate the “more” link. i love to scroll through and see everything all at once.
awwwww….I love sentimental ornaments! We aren’t getting a tree this year, for the same reason, going to my parents in Reno. Maybe I’ll get out some ornaments anyway!
Birthday Girl is adorable!
I love what you did with the ornaments! It looks so festive! I might just have to put my ornaments up somewhere different like that!
Kath your baby picture is SOOO cute!! AWWW!!
And I LOVE the homemade pizza!
Have a great day!
I love homemade pizza! I have perfected my pizza dough making skills! A pizza stone has been one of my best (small scale) investments!
I must try that flavor of Larabar!
The BF didn’t put up his fake tree this year because we waited too long as well. Oh well, it can still be a Merry Christmas with your ornaments up!
I don’t have a tree either….it really is a lot of work for a small family and/or for times when you won’t even be around on Christmas!
We got our tree the day after Thanksgiving, but we’re going to have to take it down on the 22nd because we’ll be out of state for Christmas for 10 days. A little weird, but ya gotta have a tree! Or some assemblance of one, like yours. š
Mmmmm…pizza looks great!
I also would like to input on the (more..), It causes more clicking and loading.
Your pizza looked tasty. Love the decorated fireplace š
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Cute idea with the ornaments. I kind of agree with those advocating the elimination of the “more” link.
I love your ornament idea! My boyfriend and I are in the same position this year…spending the holiday with my parents and don’t really want to spend money on a tree (we don’t really have room for one, either…). But the apartment is definitely lacking some Christmas cheer, so I’ll try this idea!
yummy pizza! Love all the ornaments so addorbale!
Such a cute idea with the ornaments!
I also have to say I’m not loving the “more” link either, it’s just one more page that has to load, and I’m really impatient!
http://www.modbehav.com
Kath – the ornaments look great – Nice looking pizza as well! I love pizza
zesty
That is one pretty pizza!
Cute ornaments too š
Cute ornament sans tree decorations š I can’t have a tree this year due to space issues. I think I’ve been going Christmas-baking crazy to make up for the lack of decoration. Love the sentimental ornaments, those are always the best. My fave ornament is a plastic gingerbread man with my teeth marks in it. In my defense I was only 2 and he looked pretty tasty š
That pizza looks so decadent and delicious!!!
And I love the cinnamon roll larabar!
The ornament idea was genius!
Cute decorating idea! I 4th or 5th the removal of the “more” link (if at all possible)
I love how the ornaments look! We aren’t getting a tree either so I may decorate our fireplace screen too!!! yay for Christmas! :>
Very cute way to display your ornaments! We don’t have a tree, either. Mostly due to lack of a good spot for one. We also inherited some of my grand and great-grandmother’s ornaments, so we wired them to a fake wreath last year. It was so easy to just pull the whole thing out and hang it back up again!
Erin ,
My HR on the SE is the same or maybe even lower than the real elliptical. Not sure why! Maybe the machine is newer so the calorie count is more liberal or something? But I don’t think it’s any easier or harder than the more upright ET with moving arms.
Sorry if I missed another question – I accidentally unchecked my “answer this comment” stars!
Kath