Post Christmas Cleaning

I absolutely adore Christmas decor! It's so fun decorating the house up with greenery; Santa pictures from years past looking forward to the years to come; ornaments made with such care by my two crazy boys; it leaves the house feeling pleasantly full. I always get a bit of a let down once all the fullness is put away ready for next year. The house feels so blah. To fight off the blah I've taken to some post Christmas cleaning this year. Basically anything that isn't bolted down is cleaned and has the potential to be either tossed or donated. So far I've got quite a pile for both and it feels fantastic! I think I've shocked the Mr. since he's usually the tosser and I tend to be the saver worried that I'll need or want whatever item is in question. I like to keep him guessing! Good luck with all of your post-Christmas projects even if it's just to relax! I can't wait to finish this project so I can move on to some fun things like sprucing up our regular decor!

Merry Christmas!

Hope you are all enjoying time with your loved ones during the season that we celebrate our Savior's birth!

Lots of Love,

Shelly

Oh Christmas Tree!

For the past 3 years or so we've done the Griswold Family Christmas thing and made the trek up to the mountains with friends to get our Christmas tree. Some years are better than others as far as trees go, but it's always a great time! This year the tree was by far the worst we've ever had. Ash was SO done with the experience by the time we made it up to the top (should have gone after nap time) and so we just kind of grabbed a tree that we figured would work. Did I mention that I everything was covered with a really icy snow that wouldn't shake off so we couldn't really see what our tree looked like!?! But.... the bottom looked really nice. After Thanksgiving we had our tree stand all ready in the corner of our living room expecting a nice pretty tree, that wasn't what we got....



I was feeling a bit sassy and asked if we needed a tree stand or a vase. Micah swore that he had a plan and so the tree makeover began.

Micah brought in the drill and started drilling holes to transplant the pretty branches that were from the bottom of the tree that we lost when we cut this guy down to size.

So she's not the prettiest but that's quite a makeover! Move over Martha...we even craft our Christmas trees!

Paper Garland

Martha has this paper garland that the kiddos can make. I think this would be really fun on a kiddie tree or even just to decorate a play or bedroom. If I were doing this with a little lady I of course would add a touch of glitter here and there (I may even do it with my boys because who doesn't love a little glamour!?!). Super fun and easy!

Mud Room

My next house is going to have a mud room. Right now our "mud room" is by our front door and I'm constantly tripping over things as I try to walk in or out. Oh well....something to dream about. Since I'm dreaming I'd like to dream about a mud room as pretty as this one featured at Room Remix. Now that would be something to walk in to!

Pottery Barn Inspired Votive Holder

I think this Pottery Barn inspired votive holder from Shanty 2 Chic is super cute! You should make one this weekend! Or maybe two and gift me one! Can't blame a girl for trying!!

*Here is the original from PB. 

Christmas Memory Game

For any of you who are snowed in (or rained in depending on where you live) a nice quiet game of memory may be just the thing you want to get your little ones into. Moo Moos & Tutus has a free printable game just for you! Hope you all are staying warm and dry!

Noel Sign

Oh my goodness I was gone for so long! I have been fighting off some nasty little thing lately (and with my super kindergarten immunities you know it has to be nasty to drag me down!) and it had completely wiped me of all energy. I got a lot of you don't look good. Or the one that made me really laugh was, you're so quiet you must not feel good. Can you tell I am a chatter!?! The best was that I had lost my sparkle...how perfect with my love of glitter!  Finally, it turned into a silly cold and I'm happy as a clam to be on the mend! So....hope you all have been busy with your advent countdowns. I was really sneaky last week and traded in some holiday movie and game nights instead of the more high energy plans I had. So that means we're doing Santa prints, reindeer prints, making cookies, decorating graham cracker houses etc. all next week. Good thing it's break and I'll be able to sneak in a few naps!
Anyways...back to being crafty!

There is lots of love going around blogland for this really cool Noel sign and I totally see why! I love it! I really want to make one of my own. I am putting it on my project list for winter break. I just hope mine can come out as good as hers! The Stories of A 2 Z (one of my long time blog loves) has a full tutorial on how to make this Pottery Barn inspired sign.

Photo, Memo, or Recipe Display

I was scanning U Create this morning while munching on the toast my oldest sweetly made me and I saw this project. My first thoughts were cute and this looks like Shanty 2 Chic I wonder who made it. I guess my lurking days are showing because Whitney from Shanty 2 Chic did a guest post for Kari at U Create! I gave myself a pat on the back for knowing their style so well then moved on to how easy this gift would be to make. So go check out how to make this photo/memo/recipe display!

Counting the Days till Christmas Activities...

The holiday season is so full of magic and I enjoy adding as much extra excitement to the season for my boys as I can. I wanted to have something special for the boys to look forward to each day so I created this counting the days till Christmas.
The bags were beyond simple to do. Just plain white bags with red numbers stamped on them.
Once I had the bags I looked at our calendar and typed up things we were planning on doing to put in the proper date bag. For example we're making wreaths with some friends on the 8th so that card was put in the #8 bag. After I had everything that was on the calendar in a bag I filled in the rest with fun holiday things like decorating gingerbread houses, having hot cocoa with marshmallows, watching a holiday video, making cookies, painting an ornament, going sledding, etc. I only have bags 1-10 on the mantel right now. I like mine to be spread apart so I didn't put all of them out at once. It just looked too cluttered to me.
We did our first bag this evening which had a strip of paper that said hot cocoa with marshmallows. The boys were so excited to enjoy their hot cocoa after dinner and are already pumped about what the bag will say tomorrow. We're visiting Santa right after school so we'll let them check it in the morning. It's as fun as I had hoped it would be!

Here's what we have coming up if you need ideas for this week:
1: hot cocoa with marshmallows
2: Santa visit
3: Dinner & a Movie Outreach *our church is having a community outreach evening where we're serving soup, having a movie, and making crafts with the kids.
4: Decorating our Christmas tree (I can't believe it's not up yet!!! Poor thing has been sitting on our back porch for over a week!)
5: Advent Wreath Family Reflection #2

Homemade Advent Wreaths

Our church does the coolest thing....after the service on the first Advent Sunday they have supplies for all families to make their own Advent wreaths. We love this activity and look forward to celebrating Advent with as a family every year.

These wreaths are super easy to make all you need is:

some floral foam, a tin pie pan (any pan or dish would do), evergreen boughs, 4 candles (traditionally there are 3 purple candles and one pink but our church used white because you can get them super cheap at IKEA), and some pretty ribbon for a bow.

First, you put the foam in the tin and pour plenty of water on the foam to keep the greens fresh.

Second, you push the candles into the foam.

Then, you start putting the greens into the foam. I like to start at the bottom and go all around then build up another row, go around & around until it's all full and pretty.

There will be a few holes on the top so we cheat and just lay them across.

After all the holes are filled in, we find the perfect place for the bow.

Don't worry if you missed this last Sunday, just do it this week and then get on track this Sunday.
Week 1:
Light one candle. This candle represents Christ as the light of the world.

Scripture Readings:
John 1:1-5
Luke 1:26-38

Family Reflections:

• Did you know that the "word" is a special name for Jesus? It means that Jesus tells us what God is like.
• Mary must have been afraid and confused at first but she trusted God. Sometimes we're afraid  to do what we know God wants because people might laugh at us or be mad at us. Has there been a time where you trusted God and did the right thing even though you were confused or afraid?

Prayer:
Thank God for coming as one of us, offering us forgiveness for sin and an opportunity to spend eternity in God's loving presence.

Activity:
Take time this week to be Christ's light to others. Bring food to a food bank, bring a neighbor a treat, let your brother or sister have the first turn, help your parents by doing an extra chore.

Here were some of our friends' finished wreaths...

Monster Box

We're having a little taste of winter this week and are enjoying about 10 inches of perfect powdery snow. My kiddos can only stay out in the cold for so long before we must retreat into the warmth of the house. I don't want my little monsters sitting in front of the TV all day so we had to come up with some new things to do. Gray quickly retreats to his own space creating all kinds of things with his Legos. Ash is a little tougher to entertain. He's completely obsessed with monsters right now so I thought I would make him a monster box.
To make your own you will need:

• empty box (mine is a garbage bag box that came with a big opening for the perfect monster mouth)
• wrapping paper
• buttons
• cotton circles cut into triangle teeth (the kind you use to remove eye make-up or nail polish)
• household supplies: tape, scissors, and glue

First ,I wrapped the box just the way I would a present.

Second, I poked a hole where the opening in the box underneath the wrapping paper was.

Next, I cut the paper away from the opening and that was the monster mouth.

While I worked on the mouth Asher picked out the colors of buttons he wanted.

Then Asher helped me glue the buttons on for eyes. His little hands were better at squeezing the glue than I had expected. Oops!

I glued on the teeth because I wasn't sure how that would turn out. Thankfully, it turned out just fine because Ash was really excited about the teeth.

The hardest part was waiting for it to dry. So far Ash's monster really loves to eat cars.

*Your monster could love to eat items to go with your letter of the week, the season, certain numbers or colors of things. This monster could eat lots of educational things. Let me know what you come up with!

Latest blog love....oh happy day

I found a new blog this afternoon during nap time. I love the style oh happy day. This picture made me want to wander through this home...stopping to enjoy the pictures on the walls, and checking out all of those books! (This is Kate Spade's house.) I can't wait to see what will be posted next!

Polka-Dot Travel Mug

These were designed for me! I l-o-v-e, love them! These polka-dot travel mugs would definitely make my morning! Ohh....what a perfect teacher gift....$5.00 Starbucks gift card, and maybe a little baggie of their favorite treat inside the mug. Super great and easy!!!

Rosette Christmas Tree

Shanty 2 Chic is one of my blog loves and here is their latest and greatest...the Rosette Christmas Tree! With all the snow outside this color scheme seems perfect! Did I mention that it's a snow day tomorrow!?! Sorry, the first snow day always makes me a little giddy!!!

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub

This is one of my favs. to lurke..... Under The Table and Dreaming shared this super easy and nice hostess gift tutorial, pumpkin spice sugar scrub. How thoughtful to bring something to pamper your favorite hostesses or maybe even yourself. This would make a nice little gift for neighbors, too. Oh and I almost forgot to mention...see the label? Stephanie hooks you with with those, too. Now how nice is that!?!

Pottery Barn Advent Calendar

I love this advent calendar from Pottery Barn but it's a bit more than I'm willing to spend. So this year I'm going to make one of my own. Homemade by Jill has some ornament templates for the project. I just need to get my MIL to make this our next sewing class. My MIL is giving me sewing lessons...bless her heart. I am a bit of a slow learner with sewing, but she's so sweet always telling me I'm doing a good job even when I am pulling out all my stitches.

How my obession with blogs started...

I get asked a lot about my blog list (you know the ones that I  am a lurker of regularly which I apologize to everyone for not being an official follower...note to self must become follower of all the blogs I enjoy!) It all started with Natalie's Sentiments which lead to Say Yes to Hoboken which lead to Freshly Picked

(this is the sweater that is still on my to do list. I l-o-v-e, love it!I have it saved and look at if often.) which lead to Ruffles and Stuff, which lead to Ucreate, which lead to many more....which I will share later. I will try to post all of my blog loves and become an official follower of all of them by the New Year. That way all that are wondering what I look at will finally be in the know. If you have good ones...please share. There is nothing like the thrill of a new great blog!

November Sensory Tub

I saw this features on Ucreate w/ Kids and I loved it! What a great idea...a themed sensory tub! Thanks to  Counting Coconuts. This is the perfect thing to keep little ones busy during those bluckie (that's blah and yuckie) afternoons. I will be creating one of these to keep Ash out of trouble while I work on my report cards this weekend.

Faux Snowballs

I am SO making Susie's faux snowballs to go on my mantel in my glass cloches! How fabulous is it that they can go in Dec. 1st and stay through winter!?! I l-o-v-e, love it when I can use crafty little touches for more than just one month.

Subway Art Inspired Christmas Pillow

I just love everything Jen at Tatertots & Jello does! She's so crafty!!! Here is her fabulous subway art inspired Christmas pillow that was featured on I ♥ nap time. I really do need a Silhouette...hint....hint! (I keep dropping little hints like these...hoping my husband will pick them up!)

Glitter Trees

It's no secret that I L-O-V-E love glitter! eighteen25 came up with these uber fabulous glitter trees! I love these trees and can't wait to make my own!! Thanks I ♥ nap time for these super fun trees!

Popcorn Turkey

I just love the way blogs work....I am a lurker of The Crafters File Box...she did a feature of this popcorn turkey from One Charming Party which was featured on Entertain Exchange. Such a small world!
How cute would this be for a pre-Thanksgiving play date!?! My boys are HUGE popcorn eaters so I see a popcorn turkey in our near future.

Thanksgiving Ideas and lots of them!

Room Remix is one of my favorite decorating blogs. PK makes sure her blog is full of fabulous inspiration. Check out her gazillion Thanksgiving ideas. I am SO making this Give Thanks banner with my boys! Maybe we'll make it a craft play date...crafty mamas are you in!?!

She's a Lady Cardigan Refashion

I'm in love with this cardigan! It is SO up my alley! I love the big bow! Disney at Ruffles And Stuff breaks in all down her in "She's a Lady" cardigan refashion tutorial. Can't wait to make one for myself!!!

Thanksgiving Keep Calm and Carry On

I just love these...and look now a Thanksgiving one! Jessica at Craftily Ever After has set this up as a *FREE* printable. How sweet is she!?!

Thankful Garland

Oh my goodness! I fell in love with this thankful garland that Jen made over at Tatertots & Jello. I've gathered most of my supplies and I'm so excited to make this! I can't wait to have one on my mantel! Thanks Jen for the fabulous craft!
*I'll post mine once it's done!

Five Little Ghosts

I am a big fan of all the 5 Little ________ finger plays and poems that are out there. I always do the 5 Little Pumpkins for Halloween. The kids can do the motions with the story and it's so cute! But something new came into my world today....Ash brought the 5 Little Ghosts home today and I loved how his preschool teacher did it so every kiddo had an actual ghost. (Although they just have one so that doesn't really work for 5 hmmmm.....maybe I'll work on this idea more for next year....but it's cute for this year and he's happy. See what happens when you are a crazy person and get wrapped up with these things!?!)

Here's the poem:

Five little ghosts flying through the door,

One flew away and then there were four.

Four little ghosts spooky as can be,
One flew away and then there were three.

Three little ghosts drinking Halloween brew,
One flew away and then there were two.

Two little ghosts having lots of fun,
One went home and then there was one.

One little ghost is a real superhero,
Went to help a friend and then there was zero!

The ghosts were made with 2 paper towels. One is balled up and the other is wrapped around it and tied with a piece of yarn that is taped the the poem. The faces were drawn with sharpies.

*I forced my poor husband to hold the ghost. Ash is already in bed and I couldn't really justify getting him up just because the pictures I took of him earlier this evening didn't turn out. These pictures aren't really great either, but I won't press my luck any further.

Halloween Pencil Toppers

We were feeling crafty after making our pom-poms spiders so Gray and I decided to make some Halloween pencil toppers.

We had some left over foam Halloween shaped bead thingies from a Halloween garland kit that the boys did; some orange pipe cleaners, and again my fav. a hot glue gun.

First we wrapped the pipe cleaner around the pencil.

Then we put a dab of hot glue on the back of the foam shape and pressed the pipe cleaner into the glue.

Then Gray thought they needed a little pirate. So we glued some pirate jewels on each topper.

The really cool thing was how both boys played with them for the longest time! They were like little pencil puppets. Who would have thought something so simple would be so fun!?!