This is WHERE WE LIVE.

"You should practice your driving over the Christmas holidays - when no one else is on the road." 

BAHA.  There's so much I could elaborate on but I will stop with a mere giggle. 

YA WE DID!

In terms of Christmas Day celebrations, what's more unusual than an unsuccessful whale-watching excursion in Sri Lanka or building a bamboo house with machetes in Nepal?  Well, this year we ate Christmas brunch at a furniture store in Kuwait....(are you laughing?)...

After filling my family in on our plan, I believe they felt this celebratory option was a WEE BIT SKETCHY.  And it sure does SOUND that way.  But allow me to show you some pictures to clarify any "why on Earth's?!!!"......

Here it is - the furniture store (hey - if IKEA can have a restaurant, so can this place)!  Furniture shopping burns a lot of calories, you know.  It's the non-stop getting up and sitting down on couches, beds, dining room chairs, etc. that does the trick.  What better way to replenish all those calories than with a mid-shopping meal?!!!  I think it's BRILLIANT!

Of course, even the dining room sets in the restaurant are for sale.  This price tag accompanied our Christmas-Day-dining chairs.  Just multiply that number by about 3.5 and you can get a feel for how comfortable they were!!!  Talk about heaven in a cushion.

Oh - and we can't forget about the artificial tree that added some privacy to our dining experience.  The roots must be gold-plated.  Then again, I suppose the price isn't too lofty for something that "lives" FOREVER!!!!!

Here we are - the Christmas Day Trio!  And perhaps the only people brave enough to make Christmas brunch reservations at this wonderful establishment?!  Haha - we had the place to ourselves!!!!!!  This equates to EXTRA-SPECIAL treatment from the servers :)

As for the food itself, there was a great selection of holiday starters, mains, and desserts.  Steve went with the holiday lamb, but Phil and I (being the plain jane's that we are) opted for........the traditional, everyday breakfast!!!! Haha.  Yes, we DID go to this place for their affordable Christmas dining options.  And YES, we DID NOT choose to embrace the options available upon arrival at the restaurant.  But we are happy to report that our meal was DELICIOUS just the same!!!!

So there you go - not so sketchy, was it?!  Haha.  If you come to visit us in Kuwait (HINT, HINT!) we will take you there for the best meal of your life!

After brunch, we headed to the mall to pick out our Santa gifts.  Where else can you pick out your VERY OWN gift, AT THE MALL, on Christmas Day?!!!  It didn't take us too long to do this either.  We both had something in mind and it happened to be an identical something - a BASSINET for Baby P!!!!  Lucky for us, a Christmas miracle led to a same-day delivery and we are now getting used to that extra little bed in our room at home. 

Later in the day, we watched a movie and relaxed.  Appetizers were put in the oven around 7ish and Steve came over to enjoy them with us while we watched Home Alone. 

It may not have been the most traditional Christmas Day, but we worked it out with NO TEARS (woot, woot!)!  We hope you had a similarly enjoyable day with the people you love :)

Hmmm.....I wonder how many more days Phil will allow me to keep the Christmas tree up for.  Every day I dread the words, "Linds....I think it's time to put it all away until next year!"  Ahhhhh - I will have to distract him with other areas of the house......

XOXO

CHRISTMAS EVE!

Finally!  Phil just finished painting for the day and everything is set up for a wonderful and RELAXING Christmas Eve together.  The "fresh balsam" candle is lit, the Christmas tree lights are on, a yummy assortment of appetizers is cooking in the oven, an apple crisp with vanilla ice cream is prepared for dessert, and our "sleepover" in the living room is set up!  We're both sporting some red and green (check out my adorable TREE hairband!) and the NORAD tracker is right beside us so we can keep track of Santa's incredible journey.  Two Christmas movies are ready to go - The Holiday and The Family Stone - and.......wait for it......Phil just listened to "The Polar Express" for the first time ever!!!  We had to alter the Hoit tradition just a WEE BIT and move the reading to dinner time rather than bedtime..............you never know when this pregnant lady will fall asleep!  Alas, the book was enjoyed by the both of us and I know it's a tradition that will continue when Baby P is here :)

Oh how I love Christmas.  The house is cozy and I have my best friend here with me.  We are so lucky.

Wherever you are, we hope you're keeping safe and happy with friends and family!

Lots of Love,
The Parkinson's
XOXO

Practice Makes PERFECT!

It's Christmas Eve morning.  I'm practicing the art of "swaddling" with my sparkly snow leopard, Zoe.  Both of us dressed up for the occasion.  Me - in my fancy reindeer antlers that jingle.  And her - in her flashy red Santa suit.

I wonder what Phil will say when he wakes up...........

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE, EVERYONE!!!!
XOXO

What Does Your "RELAXING" Look Like?

This is ours. 

HA!

You see, neither of us are very good at sitting still and being lazy.  We like to think we are because the thought of it always sounds so nice.  I mean, doesn't "getting coffee, strolling through the mall, and watching movies" sound good to you?  It does to us!  But then we get to Starbucks, leave before our beverages are cool enough to sip, proceed to enter stores on a mission to "check things off the list", and get home to continue purging, organizing or decorating.  I will admit we TRIED to watch a movie............but it took us THREE NIGHTS to do so, since I could only watch it in 25 minute intervals before passing out from exhaustion.  (Side note:  "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" is a real GOODIE!). 

I suppose reading all of these pregnancy books - and what must be done before Baby P arrives - is driving me a little crazy/irrational.  I'm overwhelmed and eager to get everything done (whatever "everything" means).  Then I get things done, go back to reading my book, and find out that everything I accomplished is not done the right way at all!  According to the authors, that is.......yeesh!  Do I toss these "resources" away and wing it?  Or do I try to prepare us for the baby's arrival and tough out the stress and INSANITY that comes along with it?  I don't know what the right answer is.  But I do know that I'm leaning towards the former option of throwing in the towel and relying on common sense.  

In other news, I drove today.  FOR THE FIRST TIME IN KUWAIT!  And - for the FIRST TIME with Phil in the car!!!!  Eminem's "Lose Yourself" was playing in my mind as I wheeled around the mean streets of Hawally....."palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy....."  HAHA!

Well - I must get back to assisting my wonderful hubby.  We are working on rearranging the storage room to make more space for baby stuff (car seat, stroller, etc).  I just finished cutting the tags off all of the baby clothes that have been given to us, which I read must be washed with a non-irritating, chemical-free detergent prior to use.

Let the "relaxing" continue.  Steve's on his way over for "make your own pizza night".  Perhaps we should have opted for the "someone else makes you pizza night".  Oh well.

C'est la vie!!!
XOXO

Here's PROOF!!!

As per our holiday plans (mall, Starbucks, repeat), we returned to the mall earlier today. Check out this room in PB Teen! I may be a Parkinson by marriage, but my former initials are claiming this space as MINE!!!!!!!

If I got trapped inside a mall.........

....everything would be A-OKAY so long as I could live inside the Pottery Barn Teen store!!!  (Well....there would also have to be a "peanut butter & tea" delivery person.  Which I'm sure they have.  Because PB Teen has EVERYTHING). 

Phil and I visited the store for the first time yesterday.  It JUST OPENED and I felt FULL OF HAPPINESS (think:  butterflies, rainbows and unicorns) the minute we walked through the ballooned-and-carpeted entrance.  It was like we had just won free admission to one of the best theme parks ever.......and I'm not ASHAMED to admit it!  In fact, this 27 year old (YEP, I AM ONE OF THOSE NOW!) believes that Pottery Barn Teen is far superior to Pottery Barn...ugh....Adult??

No purchases were made during our visit, but when you LIVE AT A PLACE - you have it all!  Here's to hoping that I get trapped inside the mall one day.......and am asked to live inside the Pottery Barn Teen Store.....where there is a peanut butter and tea delivery person.

HAPPY SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!! 

DECORATING: Frustrating AND Fun!

At our former school in Egypt, there was a charity art event held annually called "Art for Action".  Students in kindergarten through grade 8 would create pieces of artwork for the event that would be auctioned off to benefit local charities.  During our second year at the school, I happened upon the quilt below:

The quilt spoke to me INSTANTLY and I told Phil we HAD TO HAVE IT.  I'm not really sure what came over me, but I remember feeling particularly attached to it.  Phil could see how badly I wanted it and waited around the auction table all afternoon to make sure we had the highest bid.  When he told me it was ours, a light went off in my head and I knew the theme of our future nursery had been decided - "AROUND THE WORLD"!!!   

I think the quilt tugged extra hard on my heartstrings for a few reasons:

1)  It's one GIANT arts & crafts project.  AWESOME!
2)  Our darling Emily is the WONDERFUL person who started "Art for Action".   
3)  The quilt was a collaborative effort made by a junior kindergarten class.  I feel it represents teamwork, creativity, a love for learning, and childhood innocence - all in ONE!  
4)  There are faces of children from many different parts of the globe.  We have always said that we want our baby to be a "global citizen" :)

Two years later, finally being pregnant and under pressure to decorate a nursery, this quilt is posing two challenges:

1)  People do NOT believe in brightly coloured baby rooms (the quilt's border is bright red!).  In fact, many people gawk at the thought of anything other than pale shades of pink, blue, yellow, or beige!
2)  Finding bedding for the crib that is one solid colour - free from designs - is incredibly difficult.   We just got home from a day long search!!!  The options we saw today will not match the quilt that I love so much.  Babies R Us, Mothercare, Mama's and Papa's, and Baroque really wanted us to go for a traditional baby theme with traditional baby colours...... 

Alas, after re-examining the quilt when we got home, I think that Pottery Barn Kids might have a suitable option for the bedding.  Tomorrow we will return to the mall with the hopes of securing something that matches!

In other news, we picked up Shannon's vehicle last night and today we were cruising around for the first time with Phil in the driver's seat!  Having a car sure does make getting errands done easier.  We even explored some new stores that helped us to pick a colour scheme for the guest bedroom.  The sales we found were TOP NOTCH, too!  I have taken some "before" pictures and I can't wait to show you the "after" ones.  At least one of the two "to do" rooms is moving along :)

Okee dokee.  Yoga begins in 30 minutes.  I better fuel up!!!!
 

IF YOU WERE HERE FOR (DECAF) TEA.

*  How do you like the new look?!  It's clean and fresh with more space to upload large photos and a personalized signature to boot!  This is all thanks to a wonderful young mind that I happened upon a few weeks ago.  She redesigned my blog without charge!  What a gem :)  Thank you Francesca! 

*  If tomorrow really is the end of the world, we have a whole lotta Christmas treats to eat tonight.....

*  My birthday was WONDERFUL.  I felt so spoiled by all of you.  Gifts, messages, phone calls, and cards.  It was non-stop LOVE and I thank you for making me feel so darn SPECIAL! xo

*  I can't believe that Gossip Girl was LONELY BOY all along!!!  Who knew?!  Last night we watched the series finale and I'm missing B & Co. already. 

*  This morning we woke up to a serious thunderstorm - loud BOOMS, big flashes, and pouring rain!!!  It was such a wonderful wake-up call at 5 a.m. this morning.  And I'm not being sarcastic.  When you're in the desert, rain is always welcome and enjoyable :)  

*  Exams are MARKED.  Report cards are FINISHED.  Week one in January is PLANNED to a "T".  Hip, hip!

*  Today after school I went to get a mani/pedi with Heather and Emily.  We decided to orchestrate a "Sisterhood of the Traveling Nails".....with all of us sporting a cranberry colour for Christmas!  Emily is headed to Kenya/Ethiopia with Shannon and Heather is off to Scotland with her fiance.  I believe the "substance" of this make-believe tale will have to come from those two ladies.  I'm not sure what material I can generate during a Kuwait stay-cation......

Speaking of which....we are officially on a two-week holiday from school!!!!  And although we will be staying right here (and my heart hurts from missing a much-needed "Christmas Back Home"), I am thrilled to have so much quality time with the best husband ever.  I know that our lives will become much busier in the months to come and I can't wait to soak up our final weeks of "just us two" before our little lady joins us.  We have plans to decorate the nursery and guest room, practice driving (in fear), prepare the hospital bag, go car shopping, and RELAX. 

Right now Phil is painting the guest room and openly thankful that we don't have to hop on a plane this evening.  I am also in bliss on the sofa - happy to be resting my achy-as-ever legs.  Tonight we look forward to the final week of The X Factor!!!!

Safe travels to those of you traveling over the holiday!