Monday, December 26, 2011

memories of christmas past and present


what you can't see in this picture very well is the two carrots in the grass and the bag of magic reindeer food in brady's hands.  the anticipation and constant reminders for the last week about making sure to feed the reindeer have been rather cute.  so as soon as we arrived home tonight daddy trampled the snow and the boys headed out to the front lawn to make sure the reindeer knew just where to land and had plenty of food to keep them occupied while santa delivered the presents.
for brian and i every christmas is a new experience as we map our way through traditions old and what to continue on with as well as what to create new for our family.
as a child i have many fond memories of christmas eve and christmas morning.  there was something about walking into my grandma betty's house on christmas morning.  she would be sitting in her chair sipping her tea.  a christmas record would be playing out in the family room and the crackle and glow from the fire and christmas tree would add to the ambiance of the morning.  i still remember the smell of her house around every holiday, one of comfort, warmth and homemade rolls.
the year i started to not believe in mr. c, he landed on the roof of our home, sleigh bells came from right outside my window.  i even heard a "ho, ho, ho, merry christmas."  a sign for me it was definitely time to get to bed so mr c. could come to do his job.  the next morning their were reindeer hoof prints in my front yard along with a bag of half eaten hay.  i am pretty sure that renewed my belief for another couple of years, maybe even a lifetime.
the point is,  the magic of the season doesn't have to be complicated or over thought.  sometimes you can even follow the lead of your children.  as this year comes to an end i sit here feeling completely blessed by all that i have.  i look forward to the new year and all that it holds for myself and my growing family.  it's a great life.
merry christmas to all and to all a good night.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

diy wrapping paper wreath

my front room was looking a little bare. i decided it needed a little something since we would be eating christmas day dinner in there. i read about this diy paper wreath here what a great idea! it took me sometime to find some paper i liked. i ended up using what you see below. i chose it because it looked christmas enough but also looked like something i could leave up for a while after the holidays. after going to all the work this late i didn't want to take it down right away.


i originally wanted to wreath to be twice this size, however after cutting out several leaf shapes i decided i didn't have it in me to double the size and after doing this if i don't cut out another leaf shape for a while i will be happy. the wreath is made completely out of paper. the wreath itself is simply poster board cut into a wreath shape. you then cut out the leaves and start arranging a stapling them on. i made mine a little fuller than the one on the red thread blog. i also would suggest using a higher quality wrapping paper. i paid $5 for my roll as opposed to a $1 or $2.50. the higher quality paper is much easier to work with. overall the entire wreath cost me $5.69 and i still have wrapping paper left over to wrap gifts with.


the chalkboard looked a little bare after hanging my wreath so i decided to add a little something below and overall i am happy with my simple christmas flare in the front room. it is a whole lot better than what was there before which was nothing!



merry christmas!

Saturday, December 3, 2011

THANKFUL


I have been meaning to get this post out since Thanksgiving.  I have been a little tired and a little overwhelmed with all my nesting duties lately.  However, I am so thankful to be pregnant and welcoming a new life into this great big world.  I am thankful for these two adorable boys pictured above and all the joy, frustration, laughter and tears they bring to my life.  I am thankful for my husband who is also my best friend.  I am thankful to have such a loving and supporting family who will drop anything to come help me in a moment of need no matter how last minute the notice.  I am thankful for all my sweet, sweet friends.
It is so easy to forget all that we have to be thankful for in life.  We get caught up in all the craziness that surrounds us daily.  But here in this peaceful moment on my couch at 4 am (thank you sweet baby for making it less than comfortable to get some z's.)  I have a moment to reflect on all my blessings.  A moment to be thankful for God and all that he has provided me in my life.

Tanks to my sweet friend Meghan for taking some beautiful photos of my family.  One of those is the one pictured above. It is undoubtedly one of my favorites on the disc. xoxo