12.22.2011

Elrod's 1st Christmas

Joshua and I played Christmas by ourselves a little early. We wanted to have our own 1st Christmas alone before we went home.

Isabella (Izzy) the record player!

We got so many lovely gifts and such for our wedding that we decided not to buy each other much- just stuff to fit in a stocking and then we got each other :) a record player. We both love coming home and putting on music and it is really nice to just play a whole album. We've been finding new bands we like and don't have any of their music and records come with the mp3 download too! So it was perfect and we decided everytime one of us does something wrong we'll buy them a record- then thinking about this decided it promotes bad behavior a little bit :) and now we will buy them for something good- like at work or 6-versary!
We only have 2 so far- Architecture in Helsinki and Decemberists but we're excited to watch it grow.
 It's fun to have something that is just ours to build and listen to together PLUS how much fun is it to thumb through records at a record store- SUPER FUN!




insert "oooooohh"





cutest gift ever!










our new stockings!



We went to Pioneer Square that night and there were over 20 trees with knitted sweaters!!!! AHHH LOVE


Hubs went a little off the rules but he claims it would probably fit partially in the stocking- he got me a new tripod. He was tired of me tipping mine over and holding the stripped out screws in place to take photos! Plus he found me a clicker thing that lets me take photos while being 3 or so feet away from my computer = not blurry photos from my very unsteady hands & adjusting things and then taking photos!
But the best gift was the necklace he made me!!!He locked himself in our bedroom for a few hours and brought his drill and sauter gun! All week he'd been getting envelopes mailed to him and he kept getting excited, he said he was making me something (what a bookmark- what fits in envelopes!)
It is a necklace that has old subway/bus tokens from the 3 places I interned while we were dating- he'd always visit me and we'd run around on adventures all weekend, We still always talk about them. Plus he knows I like antiquey things! So he assembled, drilled, twisted it together for me and it is so AWESOME!!!



cookie snack on the tray Mallorie got us for Christmas!


I got him book darts- they keep a line in your books marked without falling out or being bulky, plus they are cute and nerdy! I got a vintage brown and sharpe caliper for him which is a company that is out of business but he loves their stuff and old tools. They sell for $100's on the internet but I found someone on etsy who didn't know what they had and scored it for him! Plus I found someone else selling an old brown and sharpe dovetailed wood box to put it in. He promptly placed it on the bookcase in it's spot. Lastly I got him a stainless steel flask to put on our whiskey tray. He loves metal things and I keep putting pretty glass things on the tray so I got him something manly to add. I got it engraved to say "even after the star's burn out" which he said to me once and I've always remembered it (I'll love you even after the star's burn out) It made sense at the time and in the location, OK it's cheesy but I don't care!

So the Elrod's 1st Christmas is over but we can't wait to get home!
I actually cried, CRIED on the bus on the way home last week because I miss my family so much. Joshua is doing his best but he can't shop with me the way my sister's do, or make cookies the way my mom does and this time of year it is really hard to be away, I've never been away this time of year before. So I feel really blessed that I still get to go be with them on Christmas!
But thanks to all the Seattle people who are surrounding us and making it awesome while we're here!



Elrod's first Christmas Decorations:  We have more than a tree which is big for us!!!

Anthony showing off

 
Christmas cards from lots of amazing people & families

Christmas kiss chocolates!

yeah that's right- $1 store! I even got it to bud!

12.20.2011

Christmas COOKIES!!!

Agatha helping in the holiday spirit



the odd colored one is the cookie cutter my mom sent with me :)


my new trick






our decked out cookies!!

hubs married cookie


hubs argyle and mustache/pants angel
This year we wanted to give cookies to our neighbors and bring some into work so we had a lot to make!
We ended up with thin mints, gingerbread, buckeyes, kiss cookies, white powder balls, and sugar cookies

My madre always makes tons of cookies and the kids usually help. But making all the dough and icing myself this year I have to tip my hat off to her. It is a lot of work! And a whole lot more cleaning! Plus she always had dinner done- I told hubs to eat cheese and crackers :)

But we finally finished them all on Sunday. I took some to work on Monday for a white elephant gift exchange and then we'll go home and pass them around to the neighbors. I feel like meeting people in an apartment building can be really hard, but truly a blessing if you manage to do it. Who doesn't love neighbor friends! So Christmas cookies seem like the perfect way to help us in this endeavor!

The sugar cookies are the same ones my mom makes every year. We have tons of shapes and colors, I made my own cookie cutters, since they are all hers. But it was fun to see what my shapes looked like once they baked.

We had a blast decorating them, except hubs kept breaking off snowman's heads! But like my dad says- then you get to eat it! We made mustaches, hubs made tuxedo's and plaid on angels (I don't get it either but he kept giggling while doing it)
Plus my madre always made stocking shaped cookies with our names written on them in icing. So we both demanded we have a name cookie so we wrote on the ornaments- hubs was adorable and made a married cookie :) We even made some with our work names/logos on them to bring in.

Now hopefully we can get them all out to people before Joshua eats the rest of the thin mint ones!
Plus now we have breakfast all week - sugar cookies, hehe, my mom always said it was okay so I'm going with it!


cookie trays all ready to be delivered!

6-versary! 6-versary! 6-versary!



We made it to 1/2 a year being married! We have been talking about it since 5-versary. Some people laughed when I told them what we were doing/celebrating this weekend, and no 6 months isn't that long but it is something to celebrate! We're really proud of ourselves and how we're figuring things out- even silly things like a laundry schedule and how much hubs hates crumbs (He hates them a lot!)
Being happily married is always something to celebrate, no matter how short or long it has been.
When we were eating dinner Joshua said he is really happy with his life right now and that he loves knowing I'm there. I'll celebrate that anytime...










We slept in late on Sunday
& celebrated with brunch at a place I had brought him before when he visited me in Seattle-
they have amazing food and real cream for your coffee.
Plus they have a dessert tray- which we totally gave into.

Then we decorated our sugar Christmas cookies! I was so excited that Joshua got into it. He likes doing it and he knows I miss home and that making these cookies meant a lot to me.
(I'll show photos in another post - they are adorable!!!!!)

Then we made dinner- red mashed potatoes and homeade meatballs in a mushroom gravy yummmmm
Potatoes were a little soupy but who cares it's 6-versary!

Finally we ended the night biking to the movies, getting popcorn and seeing Sherlock Holmes II! We stayed out until 1am on a work night- oh yeah!

hehe
A day to ourselves, not feeling bad about ignoring the rest of the world, was perfect before the crazy weekend ahead of going home to Cincinnati and trying to fit everything in!

12.19.2011

Gingerbread Houses.2

Every year we make one- this is #3
Our small group got together to put the gingerbread together- we made a giant mess, had a few cave in roofs, ate too many of the ingredients, and laughed A LOT

Can't beat it! Love community!!!

All the merry gingerbread house makers!


so much sugar!


The awesome woman that let us get sugar all over her house


Cassidy is the Quality control on this team

Add caption



I'm pretty sure this is when she accidentally called him a nickname that we all then used all night

we decided we'd actually like to live in Carrie's

This sweet unassuming house became a prison... boys


Super cute duo



a house that actually had some order


gorgeous photo of Carrie

I think Josh was teasing his prison



happy house

this house had icicles, hot tub & an igloo!

Yes the green licorice is barbed wire

I accidentally dumped sugar all over the top- we turned it into snow



Hobbit door

prison with a basketball court




the prison had a tree warden even!
Hope everyone has had fun doing Christmasy things and hanging out with people you love!

How to make the pieces in Gingerbread Houses.1