I have seen the Christmas Tradition survey on a couple blogs, but Melissa's blog reminded me to do it while I have a few minutes! So here goes...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Love wrapping paper! Its fun and has a real clean look. I will also admit that I love the smell of scotch tape. It is a smell I associate with Christmas!

2. Real tree or Artificial? artificial. I love the smell of real one but with allergies and the clean up, I'll stick with fake! And pre-lit

3. When do you put up the tree? I'm one who puts it up really early. Judge if you will, but this year it was two weeks before Thanksgiving. I'm glad I did too. We had a wedding the weekend after Thanksgiving in Austin.

4. When do you take the tree down? Usually within the first week of January. Last year I did it new years day since I had off!

5. Do you like eggnog? sick. I don't even like milk!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My barbie house. And come to find out, mom and dad built it them selves. It was HUGE and even though I loved it then, it's more special now knowing they picked out the carpet, wall paper, paint and even the little tiny shingles on top. There had to have been over a thousand.

7. Hardest person to buy for? depends on the year....sometimes dad, sometimes mom, sometimes Rico

8. Easiest person to buy for? again, depends on the year.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? YES!! It was one my mom hand painted. It was always my favorite thing to put up each Christmas. She handed it down to me when we got married. I also have a cloth one made by children in Bulgaria.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Usually mail Christmas cards. We sent them out the first two years we were married but then last year and this Christmas we decided to save a little money. They will be going out next year! I'm still going to try and email one out before Christmas.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I don't know...

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? ooo... Older one would be "Santa Clause: The movie" with Dudley Moore. Newer one would be Elf!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Used to be black Friday, but this year it was about 2 weeks ago. I did start making a few things before Thanksgiving.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? only white elephant Christmas gifts.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Stuffing/dressing, whatever you call it. LOVE!!

16. Lights on the tree? YES! White!

17. Favorite Christmas song? any and every Christmas song. No really, I heart Christmas music!! Love the old classics especially!

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? just a short drive to Dallas and sometimes Mexia on Christmas Eve.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Of course! {insert clearing of throat} Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixon, Commet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve with Dad, Morning with Ricardo's fam and Christmas night with mine...

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Grumpy people. It's Christmas, Smile! The over commercialization. Sometimes I let myself get a little down and stressed about how we will split up time with everyone...I don't like that part.

23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? Old World ornaments that are the old school looking, blown glass. We pick one out every year!

24. Favorite for Christmas Dinner? The usual finds on Christmas day.

25. What do you want to do for Christmas this year? not rush and really enjoy the time we spend with each other and our families.


26. Favorite Christmas tradition growing up? the simplicity of the day...

27. Favorite tradition now? Waking up and spending the morning, just Ricardo and I.

28. Favorite Christmas Memory?Too many to pick just one!

What about YOU?!?!

new do...

Hubs left for Austin this morning and I'm about to head off to work. I did re-dye my hair last night and it is D.A.R.K.! I have never had it this dark in my life. I do like it a lot better than what it has been for the past two weeks, but I'm not sure really how I feel about it. I think I like it, but I'll have to let it grow on me!

Don't mind my sleepy eyes. I just woke up! ha also taken with my phone so colors might not be the best. I will try to get a better picture!

Have a great weekend!

7 randoms...

~ I have never eaten a hot dog. EVER. The thought of them makes me gag! ick I'm not sure that I will ever try one.

~ I love the smell of books. Old or new, something about it gives me warm fuzzies! I'm also one who likes the smell of paper after it comes out of the Xerox machine! Weird, I know.

~ I have always thought it would be fun to own a quaint little coffee shop/cafe. {of course it's because we had the coolest one at Baylor! I heart Common Grounds!!} About 5 years ago I wrote out what I would or would not want in MY coffee house. I had a name and everything. Just don't think it would work out with all the Starbucks around. It came up in my thoughts today when I looked up a coffee shop around us and saw that it had closed. A girl can dream though...

~I think Archaeology is really interesting. If someone asked me to go on a dig, I would go in a heartbeat!

~ I can't stand thick paper-ish napkins. The one's that are almost cloth but still disposable. The one's they have a Cheddar's make my skin jump off my bones. I get gross chills.

~There's a spot on my head where I was attacked by a dog when I was 13. When I'm nervous or really thinking about things I tend to rub/pick at it. Not sure where that habit came from, but it's hard to stop. I go through months where I don't mess with it at all, other times it's daily or multiple times a day. In fact, thinking of some of my randoms made me go to "my spot" thus leading me to putting it as one of my randoms!

~I like eating with the "little" utensils. little spoons and little forks for me!! I also don't like my teeth to touch them.

there are some random facts for ya! yours???

me- 0 wall-1

Last week I was doing a couple of loads of laundry and while carrying towels to our room, I managed to trip over Tiger ( he's pretty hard to miss when he takes up the whole hallway) and tried to catch myself by leaning my arm on the wall. Sadly I bit it. I landed on my left wrist and the wall burned my arm. I laid on the floor for a good couple minutes while Tiger got up and sat down next to me with the look that says "you knew I was here mom."

my war wounds...

Lauren-0 wall-1

what to do?!

I'm off work today and it's the first day off in a while where I don't have a doctor's appointment, specific places to be or even have to go to Dallas for something. What to do with my time?!? I hope it will be a productive day, but I might just have a ME day. I want to go to the library and check out some books (**especially this low oxalate cookbook if I can find it), perhaps go to Target just for fun (haven't been in months!), go to the grocery store, workout, paint a little and maybe even lay out a little (if I'm feeling brave enough to get into my swimsuit in the daylight...eeek)

Oh to have choices today!!!

Happy Wednesday!!

**side note: the low oxalate diet isn't going so well. I have not eaten some foods and lessened my intake of others, but I really need to buy this cookbook specifically for this type of diet, other wise it's not going to happen!




I've had this version of amazing grace by Chris Tomlin in my head:

tags and awards, oh my!

I need to do a little catching up here. I guess I will start with a couple of tags from Elaine.


Nicknames:

LR- college -living with Lauren started the trend of calling each other by initials. thus led to calling all the roommates by our initials
LN- new initials after getting married
Lu- recently aquired from Nat.
Laur
Lerner- jr high i think when around the other Lauren (Lernee)
chula ( by the hub)
ya-ya-(my bro couldnt say my name when he was little so this is what he called me)
I too have gotten butt face from the bro Elaine!

What are your nicknames?!

"A day in the life" pictures:

So my schedule isn't that impressive. I don't do a lot, but here it is anyways:

lately 7:45a- stupid alarm clock. doesn't it know i'm trying to sleep!?

8:00a-shower

8:15a-8:40 coffee time and GMA

8:40- get ready for the day

9:25 leave for work with wonderful smoothie made by the hub!

10-5:30 or 6:30- work

12:20- lunch

home by 6 or 7

6:30 cook dinner

7:00 veg time and catching up on our dvr. we watch way too much tv! Trying to change that!

9:00p workout or shred dvd. this will be changing to around 7:00 am starting this week.

dishes by 10:30p and tidying up the house before bed

11:30p-12:00a reading: Bible and books

12:00am - night night!!

What is your routine: I tag anyone who wants to do this fun little tag! So go, tell us about a day in YOUR life=)

then and now...

Darci at Life @ the White House had a great idea to post " Then and Now " pictures. She has tagged me so here goes...

*Dance class when I was 3*

*Cabo August 2008*

Things that have not changed:

-I still love to dance (just don't take any classes anymore)

-still have my pointy chin that I inherited from my great aunt. Hubs thinks it's hilarious to grab and hold on to.

-I'm still that tall...haha j/k! I am still shorter than a lot of my friends.

- have not lost my baby cheeks. Don't think I ever will.

- I still love to smile!

We want to see these "Then and Now" pics:

Lindsay at "Woods Life"

Lauren at "The Stephens"

Erin at "Blue Eyed Bride"

Lindsey at "Learning to be a Wife"

Elaine at "Foxy Flores Fam"

Meredith at "Bass Family News"

and anyone else that wants to participate!! Let's see them!

minor obsession

I have a minor obsession with weather. Hubs constantly pokes fun at my interest in the day/week forecast. In fact, I think he pretty much gets annoyed with it and doesn't understand why I am so fascinated by it. Growing up we always had the news on and for some reason, I always enjoyed watching the weather! I love that my iPhone allows me to add any cities I want to my weather app. Since it is such a big part of me, I have decided to add a gadget on the side of my blog for weather!

wow, I'm a nerd!!