today i love:

my sister lauri. if someone ever was given the gift of encouragement, it was her. she got all of it. no one else got any. not even a little. that's how much she's got.

the snow! especially because i don't have to be out dragging my kids about in it. but i can look out my windows and see it. and be inside...warm. well, warm-ish. this house is 150 years old...and you sure can tell in the winter.

eggnog. what's better than eggnog?! seriously. try thinking of one thing. good luck...

being mostly done with my christmas shopping. i'm on the verge of sweet relief.

my husband for making all of my christmas shopping possible. because i swear, i can't take elias and piper to the mall by myself. it's harrowing. have i already mentioned this? well, it's true. shopping with them may very well be the most dreadful thing i can think of. i'd rather poke my eyeballs out with a branch of my christmas tree. don't judge me. i'm sure people in my position do it all the time. they're either just crazy lunatics or they don't have a son like mine. who is also a crazy lunatic. and oh so very sweet. killer combo.

home alone. my holiday favorite. what's not to love? i even like when he gets lost in new york the next year. it's all good to me.

dean martin. another favorite. he could sing me the ABC's and it'd be phenom.

that i slept through the night last night. this is not to be taken lightly, people. and certainly not taken for granted, those of you who have not spawned your own kind yet.

surprises. i LOVE surprises. LOVE LOVE. and i never have any idea what my handsome husband is getting me for christmas. SO good!

family. i love my little strattioni's. and the crazy bartlett's i come from. i really feel so blessed that at the holidays, i don't dread family things. we even get to see dave's fam this season, which will be really nice. and with all this immediate family...we're talkin like 30 people, here-- no one hates anyone or fights with anyone or dreads seeing anyone. i hope many of you here experience the same thing. i'm not sure most people do. but i sure am grateful for it!

quiet. whether it's in a shower for 10 minutes or at this desk for 10 minutes, i sure do enjoy me some quiet. and i quite miss it when it goes away...

that God loves us despite ourselves. despite our bad attitudes, our impatience, our unfair judgements, our inability and lacking, and the fact that we constantly choose things over him all the time. he still loves us. and he doesn't love us less, like he should. his love is unconditional in a way we literally can't comprehend. i think that's why i love him so much. he's so complex! so hard to understand sometimes. and yet he meets us right where we're at. crazy.

what do you all love today? c'mon, there's always something to love...