12.26.2012

The day after.....

I'm sitting here relaxing today after all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season.   The run up to the season goes so fast.  Did I do enough?  Did I honor Jesus enough?   Did I show my family how much they mean to me?   I hope so.    Just a few pictures to mark the year.


                                                               Christmas Morning 2012




stockings


usually I make a big breakfast but this year it was simple because everyone
was headed to other respective families for large dinners

 so it was cinnamon rolls, bacon, juice and egg nog
easy...  :-)


Auntie and Dylan


stockings are the best


favorite gifts = happy boy


gifts from best friends


silly pictures


Ryan and his girl friend, Amber


they were over pictures but I made them pose "one more time"
(opps, should of thought to close the bathroom door)


getting ready for round two when my Illinois grands come down this weekend


I hope you all were blessed as much as I was this Christmas.



12.23.2012

Christmas Happenings.....


I had big plans for many different posts this month

crafts, parties, new ways to decorate my house with all the blog/pinterest inspiration

then Friday the 14th happened

I just couldn't bring myself to posts about such things

sad beyond words.......

I've decided to do  the "26 acts of kindness" that I've seen going around the internet to honor 
innocent lives lost that day

I first read about it from Mel @ Larson's Lingo

love her blog

I'll be doing 27 (to include  the shooter's mom)

I don't know her story or the logic behind her deciding to bond with her son over guns
 but I do believe that she must of loved him and just
was not able to handle the obvious evilness of his mental illness 

I want to do something to help and the only thing  I can think to do
is to put kindness out in our world to try to counteract the evil


*******************


today is Christmas Eve Eve

presents wrapped, baking done and movies watched

I wanted to document briefly the month in pictures


I only did one tree this year and decided to go with the traditional color
tree that had all the kids ornaments from when they were young
it just wouldn't be Christmas without it




we display our cards two ways
picture cards on magnetic chalk boards
traditional cards hanging on fishing line above the entry way to the dining room,
living room and family room
these pictures were taken the beginning of December
many cards later we were out of room
looking for something different  next year....



did you see all the cute hot chocolate stations around the blog world
what a great idea
my inspiration came from one of my favorites
Paige from Simple Thoughts
AWESOME



love the c'est noel banner

can I just say I wish she could come and decorate my house and plan all my parties
I just might be willing to move to make that happen
:-)


cute pillow from ikea


felt ornaments inspired by pinterest

what did we ever do before pinterest


love the pillow case from Dear Lillie
I need to get an actual pillow insert 
it's just filled with stuffing and it doesn't do it justice at all
it is so beautiful and is my favorite purchase this Christmas season

definitely check her site out
she's also on the Christmas house tour
One of my favorites


I saw this printed out on a blog and I've tried (and failed)  to find the link

:-(



got my Christmas dishes out on Thanksgiving evening and we've used them
every day 
makes me very happy


even though I always used traditional Christmas colors in my decorations
I find my tastes changing and I'm being drawn towards
silver, white and aqua 
loving the mercury glass and brush trees

another inspiration by paige



really am in love with my dough bowl that Mike got me for our anniversary
glass ornament and snow




my parents got us this beautiful lighted church that I've put in the corner of my kitchen
it's so pretty at night

Thanks Mom and Dad, we love it


our gingerbread house



                     

                           *****************************************************

                                                                          Crafts 


Mike and I did nutcrackers for grands and niece and nephew in "their signature colors"


little "holy family"


dish towels


I did several other's but either didn't get a picture or they are Christmas
presents that aren't opened yet.


*************************************

New Tree

we were hosting the family party this year and a few days before the party
we noticed our tree started turning brown
not slowly either

very rapidly


we always get our tree at Lowes and we've never had a problem
I was beginning to worry because we needed to have this tree up
for at least two more weeks
then......
the day before the party we woke up and tons (and I mean TONS)
of needles were all over the floor

Mike went up to Lowes and took one of the branches and to
our great surprise, they refunded our money and told him
to go pick any tree he wanted for FREE

Thank you Lowes

well that's all you had to tell him
he picked the biggest, freshest tree they had

our ceiling is 10 foot and he had to cut at least 3 feet off just to get it in our house

so the day before the party I'm un-decorating and redecorating 
a very large tree



*****************************

Family Party

It was our year to host the Christmas party for my extended family
I didn't get alot of pictures because, 
well I was playing hostess 
but we did have a lot of laughs and fun memories












I can't believe I didn't get a picture of my babies Carrie and Dylan

Several of us weren't able to make it because of work, school or
being out of town

We missed you:  Kelly, Matt, Makenzie, Brody, Ryan, Amber, Austin,
Daniel, Dustin and Brittany

I love spending time with my family

sharing memories and laughs

the best present you can ever ask for at Christmas


*********************************


Please remember to keep the families in New Town  in your prayers

I can't imagine how they must be feeling and even though there are

not words to comfort, I know they will feel the love in our prayers






             








12.16.2012

Happy Birthday Melissa

                                                                 Happy Birthday Melissa


with Christmas around the corner and several family Christmas parties
in the week to come, we decided to celebrate with a small brunch

(having a birthday so close to Christmas has a way of making this happen)



and given the early time of day I choose a light dessert 
in place of a birthday cake

cake balls and peppermint ice-cream


since she was a Christmas time baby, we've always had peppermint
ice-cream at her birthday parties


Happy Birthday to the child that made me a mother.

 you are a beautiful, smart, humorous and generous young women
you are a wonderful mother, daughter, sister and wife

you have a specialness about you that everyone has noticed
since you were born

You are a go getter in most things and even through life's trials,
you ALWAYS land on your feet

I love you