Christmas With The Campbells 2012

I just HAD to sneak in this post (a Christmas recap) before New Year’s day rolled around.  And by the way…happy new year everyone!

Colby and I don’t live close to any of our family.  Our nearest family members are three hours away (my family) and his family is a solid seven hour drive (to central Vermont).  So each year we rotate our holiday travels.  And most often, we spend Thanksgiving with his family in Vermont and Christmas with my family in “The County” (Aroostook County…Maine’s largest and Northern most county).  And we spend it at the Bohovich family compound.

My parents, with my contractor brother’s help, built that house themselves.  You can see where I get my DIY genes from.  My other jeans come from American Eagle.  Hmmm…that sounded funnier in my head.  But anyway…my family likes to go a little Christmas crazy and this year was no exception.

There were so many great presents under that tree in my parents’ sun room…that they build and finished themselves.  Maybe someday I should do a post about their pad!  We’ll share our favorite gifts in a moment…but first…check out our GINORMOUS Christmas stockings.

My mom knitted all those.  I get my craftiness from my mom.  In the last couple of years she’s knitted seven stockings…if you’re counting that’s one for my Mom, Dad, brother Anthony, myself, Colby, the family dog Bailey and even one for Goose.

Lucky dog.  And it was filled with all of his favorite things…bones, cookies, and squeaky toys.  Although he promptly removed all three squeakers from all three of his squeaky toys within the first five minutes of “opening” his presents.  But Goose’s favorite part of Christmas ins’t the bones or toys…it’s playing in the snow on the 30 plus acres that make up the Bohovich Family Compound.

We let him run free up there so it’s a real treat for him.  Goose’s favorite activity is chasing away all the Chickadees that my Dad feeds.  Goose even chased off the poor one-legged pigeon, who struggles eating seeds in the wind and has famously made an appearance in my Dad’s Christmas letter (I get my wit and charm from my Dad).

As for the goods this Christmas, here are a few of my favorite gifts.

1. Good Bones Great Pieces by Suzanne & Lauren McGrath from my Grandma & Aunt Pat
2. Happy Chic Color by Jonathan Adler from my Grandma & Aunt Pat
3. Design Sponge at Home by Grace Bonney from my Grandma & Aunt Pat
4. The Things That Matter by Nate Berkus from Colby
5. Skil pink drill from my parents
6. Sticky Buddy from Colby

Can you tell I asked for design books for Christmas?  I may have pointed to the Nate Berkus book at Target and said to Colby “this would make an AMAZING Christmas present…hint hint”….several times…and texted it to him while he was Christmas shopping.  But the Sticky Buddy was all his idea.  It’s actually kind of an inside joke for us.  We’ve always joked about Sticky-Buddy-ing our dog (he sheds like you wouldn’t believe).  Goose doesn’t let me brush him…but he does let me Sticky-Buddy him…and IT WORKS!  Haha!  And I ADORE that pink drill…my parents 100% understand my love for both DIY and pink tools (they got me a pink tool bag and tools last year)!

And now for Colby’s booty (this is where I wanted to insert a pic of Colby’s rear end but sadly couldn’t find one…so just picture it…and in Carharts since that’s when it’s at its cutest).

1. It’s A Wonderful Life DVD from my Grandma and Aunt Pat
2. Skil router table from my parents
3. Leather mittens from my brother Anthony
4. Muse CD from me
5. Milwaukee jobsite radio from me
6. Lowe’s gift card (one from my Aunt Pat and one from Anthony)

I know…I know…in the world of digital music I got Colby a CD.  But we are both still loyal CD buyers so back off!  Haha!  I think it’s adorable that one of Colby’s favorite movies is It’s A Wonderful Life.  I’ve still yet to see it…maybe tonight should be movie night.  Oh…and since Colby has received that router table (he got a router last year for Christmas) and jobsite radio for his shop, I haven’t seen him.  He disappears into his mancave/shop and emerges hours later in a sawdust stupor.  He’s been working on a few projects for the house so stay tuned for details.

It was a great Christmas celebration up in the county filled with too much food, too many good times, and tons of family time.  But now we’re back home and settling back in.  I’ve been settling into all those design books.  I can’t put them down.

Of the four I received for Christmas, I’ve already read three cover to cover and am about a quarter of the way into the Design Sponge book.  I can’t get enough! I think the Nate Berkus The Things That Matter book is my favorite read so far.  It’s all about the homes of his friends, family and clients and how they decorate their homes with meaningful objects.  I love that.

With the additional Christmas gifts, my design book collection has more than doubled!  They make great additions to the Ikea Beloved Homes, Domino, and Young House Love books already in my collection.

Pssst…But enough about us, how was your Christmas celebration?  Any favorite gifts or reads you just can’t put down?  Anyone else have stockings for their dog?  Was the dog’s stocking more filled up than any other member’s of the family?  Goose’s and Bailey’s stockings were the most fill in our house.  It’s a dog’s life!