2010 Favorites

favorite landscape

favorite thing to cook: anything by the Pioneer Woman
bbq jalapeño poppers are at the top of the list

one of our best decisions: joining journey church

favorite outdoor activity: biking old railroad beds

favorite inexpensive date and new activity: board games

favorite place to retreat: "the creek"
Craig's Creek in Craig County Virginia

favorite thing to celebrate in 2010: the weddings of our family and friends
best wishes to: Daniel and Andrea, Will and Sara, Anna and Chad, Joanie and Brad, Whitney and Andrew, Adam and Erin, Ryan and Katie

Number 7

The last wedding of 2010 was a very special one, because Mr. Price's brother was the groom! Ryan and Katie were married on December 27th. It was unusually cold in south Georgia, and it even snowed a few hours before the rehearsal dinner. But that didn't dampen the festivities.

All the wedding events were full of personal details. We ate ribs at the rehearsal dinner to honor Ryan's no-carb, mostly meat diet. His groom's cake was even made to resemble a T-bone steak. In Katie's family its a tradition to make cinnamon ornaments during Christmas, so she kindly made them for her wedding favors.

Here are just a few pics I was able to snap during the day.

Scenes from the Weekend: Christmas Edition

Number 6

We attended our sixth wedding of the year just a few weekends ago. Mr. Price's long time friend Adam, tied the knot with Erin on 12-11-10. He and Mr. Price were college roommates and spent one of their summers at the Waffle House every.single.night. We often meet up with Adam and Erin at the Waffle House when visiting Georgia to continue the tradition.

Erin did an excellent job creating a surprise groom's cake for Adam. She designed the cake to be an exact replica of Adam's Jeep Wrangler. I'm talking exact. Right down to the license plate and GSU Eagles sticker. Enjoy a few of the pictures I was able to snap during the evening.

Ice Ice Baby

We received about 2 inches of snow last week, during the second snowfall of the season. It's been so cold outside that even a week later, most of the snow is still on the ground. And some of it has turned to ice! We've had to use extra precaution when leaving our parking lot. I actually heard someone's car tires spinning this morning. I assume the snow that tries to melt during the day just freezes during the below freezing temps at night. Here are a few pictures of our apartment complex plus a few shots out in the country.

Nativity Scene

Over the past few years, our nativity scene has become quite special to me. It's different from most nativity sets I've seen. Artist Sue Burkhart Chisholm creates each piece from earthenware clay. After each piece is formed, she then uses objects such as the end of a cinnamon stick, a piece of her granddad's old barn door, or a 1947 Jeep tire to make impressions and create texture. Even Chisholm's own fingerprints can be seen on the pieces.

Each Christmas we are gifted an additional piece of the nativity scene. We started with the Holy Family, Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus. Last year we received a shepherd with a sheep and a lamb, and this year it was the manger with a copper star, a donkey, and a camel. The manger really helps to bring everything together.

There's not much unused space in our apartment so this year the nativity scene has been placed on our kitchen table.

How about you? Do you have a favorite or special nativity scene? I would like to collect a few different nativity sets so please show me yours!

Chisholm creates her art in Canton, Georgia, but her work can be found in art galleries across the U.S. I first spotted mine at the Zimmerman Gallery in Augusta, Georgia. View Chisholm's website to learn more.

Giving Gifts

I love giving gifts. I often feel that buying one gift for a person is never enough. I'm always tempted to buy everything that reminds me of that person. And yet I'm often reminded that material things are never enough. This year's got-to-have gift will just be replaced with next years'. Material gifts don't usually create memories or lasting impressions. Hey, maybe that's why I don't have an answer to the question "What is the best Christmas present you ever received?"

I'm posting this video that I first spotted on the Frugal Girl in hopes that it will inspires us to create new gift-giving traditions.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Our 2010 Christmas Tree
plus a few of our favorite ornaments