Month

December 2012

The Fire is So Delightful: Holiday Mantel Decor

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There is no snow here in the midwest yet. In fact, on Monday of this week we had a high of 70. 70 degrees. In December. I have a feeling we are going to pay for this later on this winter.Even though the weather is far from frightful, our mantel is ready for a cozy Christmas fire.

 

I found these Pottery Barn velvet stockings six years ago at an after Christmas sale for $5.00. Brian and I were just married and weren’t sure how big our family would be, and I was afraid of them being discontinued or something, so I bought six of them. Now we all have matching stockings. Also, we have a wonderful friend who has an amazing embroidery machine, and she has stitched all of our names on them for free!

 

The banner I found at Target for $4.00 and the ornaments are extras I had leftover from our family room Christmas tree. The Waterford ceramic presents were a wedding gift from my oldest brother and sister-in-law 6 years ago (they are probably my favorite Christmas decoration).

 

The finishing touch are the mercury glass candle holders which put a sparkly glow over the whole mantel. I found these after Christmas last year at Target on clearance. I think they are meant to be holiday decorations, but I keep them out all year. I love how they have a little bit of sparkle.

 

There you have it. Now, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

 

Linking up today at Ten June for the Christmas Cheer to the Blogosphere Event and The Lettered Cottage for the Holiday Home event! Get your hot cocoa ready for two great link parties. You’ll be at the computer for hours 🙂

Countdown Book Style: Advent Calendar

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Can you name anything better than reading in front of the glow of the Christmas Tree? There are very few things that I enjoy more. There is just something about the light of the tree being the only light in the room. Everything is gorgeous. I don’t even notice the baskets of clothes to be folded or the toys and sippy cups everywhere. It is like a little miracle. Even on our honeymoon which Brian and I took on our Winter Break, we spent a lot of time reading by the plethora of Christmas trees.

Now that we have children, this wonderful thing is even more fun. Kids in footie jammies, the soft glow of the tree, snuggly blankets, hot cocoa, and a wonderful Christmas story cannot be beat.

Over the past month or so, I have collected 25 Children’s Christmas Books. Some were mine from when I was a kid, some were Brian’s, some were gifts, and some I found at book sales and Half Price Books.

Last week, I wrapped each book and put in a bright red bin. Each night, the kids choose a book, we unwrap and read right before bed (and count the remaining books which represents how many days are left til C-Day). This is so much better than any chocolate, paper chain, or ornament Advent calendar. We are making time to enjoy each other and our Christmas tree each night. Isn’t that what this is all about anyway?

Oh yeah, and the footie jammies.

No Two are Alike: Snowflake Garland

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Check out the kids and I’s latest craft.

 

No two of the snowflakes are alike. My kids love anything to do with paint and glitter so this was the perfect craft for them. Plus, I love how simple and rustic it turned out.

The inspiration for this project came from a table runner I found Target on clearance last year. The runner has stitched snowflakes (I will show pictures when I reveal my holiday tablescape). Instead of ornaments, I thought a garland would be more unique and actually more useful as I keep trying to find the perfect decor for our entry way and dining room.

Last week, at Michael’s getting supplies for another project, I grabbed some popsicle sticks for around $3.00 and then I saw a bag of pre-cut snow flakes for around $2.00. The total cost for this project was about $5 and we still have plenty of supplies to string enough snowflake garland around the entire house (which I may do as it kept the kids busy, and turned out so cute).

First, I covered the craft table with some paper and then covered the children with some of Brian’s old shirts. Next, I laid out some paper plates with brushes for each kid to have a work surface. Finally, I gathered some red paint (I kept it to one color to cut down on color mixing), glitter, and glue.

We first made some snowflakes out of popsicle sticks by gluing them into a star pattern.

 

Then the kids started painting.

 

 

Then came their favorite part: GLITTER!

 

After painting and glittering, I let everything dry for about 8 hours. Then, using a small hole punch, I made some holes in the snowflakes, and then carefully strung each of them on some twine I had on hand.

 

The kids are so proud they made the snowflakes themselves, and I am happy to have such a beautiful new decoration hanging in our entryway.

Linking up at Hi Sugarplum for the Christmas Cheer to the Blogosphere. Come check out all the amazing holiday crafts and projects. It seems like a Pinners Paradise!

Also linking up at Centsational Girl for the Holiday Home link event. Another great place for Christmas craft ideas.

November Wrap Up

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Every time I sit down to write a monthly wrap up, I am way more aware of how quickly time passes. November I feel passed much more quickly however. Maybe it was because I was trying to push time forward a teeny bit so we could get the Thanksgiving dinner on!

No major projects took place this month, but I did feel like I accomplished quite a bit with making a few quick updates like the cafe curtains in the kitchen and by frosting the small windows near the front door for some added privacy. We winterized our house a bit and then I took care of some organizing indoors by cleaning the kitchen cabinets and stocking up for holiday cooking and baking. Speaking of the holidays we also managed to get up two Christmas trees this month here and here.

 

Of course November is always a busy month with cooking and baking, and I shared some favorite holiday recipes as well as tried out a few new things. There was a nod to Thanksgiving cranberries with the Cranberry Orange and White Chocolate Blondies I baked up for Smart cookies. I also shared all of my favorite tomato sauces which would be perfect for entertaining or for cooking up after a night of Christmas Shopping. I also shared my new favorite Paula Deen recipe for mini quiches which are perfect for last minute drop ins. My favorites this month was the recipe for cornbread dressing which would be a perfect dish to share at a holiday dinner or my first ever roast turkey for Thanksgiving.

November was also a month of fun! We celebrated my oldest son’s 5th birthday with some bowling and burgers.

However, my favorite day of the month was attending the Young House Love book signing and meeting my two favorite bloggers, John and Sherry Petersik.

FInally, let’s not forget my participation in Positively Present’s 30 Day Grateful Photo Challenge. You can read those posts here, here, here, here, and here.

On to December!