|
|
|
|
|
|
Christmas in the Foyer
The temperatures are dropping.
The rain is falling.
There is talk of freezing rain being on its way.
Nothing would make my heart happier than to have school canceled for tomorrow. 
We could sit by the fire and drink hot coco and watch Elf (our favorite Christmas movie)
Christmas Dining Room
Our elf, Jovie is back.
She came back the day after Thanksgiving.
She has been a busy little bee…
…building forts out of pillows on the couch…writing “Good Morning” with the mini marshmallows…moving our reindeer off of the porch and riding it in the foyer…making candy cane reindeer.
Our youngest wakes up every morning with wide-eyed expectancy; the first words out of her mouth the same each morning, “Mom, I wonder what Jovie did last night? How does she think all of this stuff up? She is such a fun elf!”
It seems that “elf” talk is big at the 3rd grade lunch table. These kiddos are sharing what their elves are up to daily. Seems that some children have boring elves.
Luckily, our Jovie is full of mischief…
…but she might be running out of ideas!
Glittered Paper Mache Deer
Are you seeing deer being used in decorating all over the place?
Are you feeling left out…
…because you’re pulling all of your Christmas boxes out of the attic…
…and your boxes don’t have any deer in them?
I was.
I like to think that I keep up with decorating trends.
I have sleds…and vintage Santas…and bright red lanterns…
…but, my lack of deer was showing that I was falling behind.
Until now.
Christmas Front Porch
December is REALLY here.
I’m not sure how it happened?!
My girls started counting down the days to THE BIG DAY this morning.
They needed no reminding…I walked up the stairs…and there was the first ornament hanging on day 1.
24 days to go.
24 days to finish my Christmas shopping…to have hot chocolate parties…to host Christmas parties…to go caroling…to make special gifts for grandparents.
24 days to create memories and traditions that my children will treasure…and one day pass on to their children.
But, for now…welcome to my front porch.
DIY Countdown to Christmas
I’m sure that you’ve finished your shopping…
…your house is decorated…
…all of you’re lights are twinklin’…
…and, you’re sitting around drinking hot chocolate…
…trying to figuring out a cute way to count down the days until Christmas.
Well, you’ve come to the right place.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I am waking up this morning overwhelmed with blessing.
My children sleep warm and well in their beds.
My husband will be up shortly, ready to help me in any way that he can.
My house is about to be full of family and friends that we have chosen to be a part of our family.
But, I just couldn’t let the day go by without telling you how thankful I am for YOU!
So thankful that you read {or at least look at the pictures }
So thankful for every comment that you leave.
So thankful for the encouragement that you are.
And, when I talk about how I would love for you to be able to really come to my house for a visit.
I really mean it!
I wish I could meet everyone of you and hear all about your lives and families.
And, my prayer for you this morning is that each one of you has a day full of blessing!
A day that is totally…
…Life to the full!
Melissa
Jingle Bell Gift Tags
I’m a sucker for a clearance aisle.
And, when I find something marked way down…I usually buy in volume.
So, I’m guessing that’s what happened with the white gift bags that I found in the back of my closet.
I must have gotten them for a song…which is code for, “I don’t really know how much I paid for them… but they must have been cheap…because I bought 25.”
But, to make a plain white gift bag worthy of a Christmas gift, they’re going to need a little something “special.”
So, here are 3 attempts at making the white gift bags look special.
How to Make a Bow for a Tree Topper
I might have mentioned this before…
…I have 3 girls.
They no longer wear hair bows the way they did when I dressed them.
They had the ”bumblebee bows” to match the bumblebee dresses… and the “curly party bows” to match the bears carrying pinwheels dresses…you get the idea! What sweet memories.
It was only natural for my friend, Sara, to text me this week to find out if I had anything on the blog about making a bow to go on the top of her tree. She witnessed years of my girls and their hair bows!
I don’t have my tree up yet, but I did make this arrangement this weekend for my front porch and I tied a GIANT bow for the top.
So, Sara this is for you!
What To Do With My Front Porch for Christmas!
I love to think about Christmas decorations.
It makes me so happy.
My Pinterest board is full of so many amazing ideas for my front porch.
My mind is spinning with possibilities.
Love this one from Midwest Living.
That grapevine ball in the urn is perfect!
Snow Covered Pinecones
Remember I told you the other day that I had this great idea for a wreath…
…it involved pinecones…and little red ornaments…and fake snow…and it was going to be so elegant.
Timeless, really.
And, then after an hour I ended up with a giant mess of pinecones and wire…and my dog kept walking by the disaster and sniffing at it as to show her disapproval of the whole thing.
But, the one thing that wasn’t a total disaster about the whole project…
…one thing that I actually LOVED about the project…
…were those snowy pinecones.
So, the wreath disaster has now turned into a beautiful centerpiece!
