{merry CHRISTmas 2011}

Adoring with you, our humble king- which is Christ the Lord!!

{on the 5th day of CHRISTmas...}

... my book page wreath came to be: 5 bazillion book pages, 4 dollars spent, 3 3rd degree burns {from the glue gun}, 2 hours in prep, & a wreath that makes my heart smile!!!

::the book page wreath tutorial::

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First get yourself an old book, a foam wreath form {$4 @ Michael's with coupon}, & your glue gun!

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Next rip out all of the pages.... don't worry it doesn't her. Although I did feel a tiny smidgen guilty... at first. But- by about page 30 the shame & guilt were gone!

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Begin folding the pages {ripped side out- to make it a little more fancy} in sort of an accordion style like this.

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Over lap and keep going..... until you think you might die of boredom or glue gun burns........ Then fill inside the wreath with shorter pages {I clipped the pages in 1/2}. Until it looks full enough.

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Then set back & marvel at your work. I wasn't sure at first... but I LOVE her now!!!

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And I think she can stay up after the CHRISTmas tree comes down. Which makes me SUPER happy!!!

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p.s. I found some star fish... Do y'all like the tree better before or after???

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And... my little A-man made this little angel for me. Isn't it precious. I asked him "why she looked sad?" He said "he didn't know how to make a smile face, but she was happy on the inside!" {very seriously}. ::update - A-man has now mastered a "smiling face" thanks to his sister!::

Merry CHRISTmas eve Y'all!!!!!!

{brown paper packages tied up with strings..}

Yes! Brown wrap {and white} are 2 of my favorite things. I have always believed that when you give a gift- you are really giving 2- the actual gift & the wrap! Silly? I think not! :: Our favorites this year: A-man's- the one with the lego mini-figure; no surprise! Prissy's- the one with ruffly white bow {a scrap from the elastic from a sheet :) }:: These pretty packages under our CHRISTmas tree are making us more & MORE excited about the big day!

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I think using trader joe's bags as CHRISTmas wrap is pure genius- I can't take the credit- I saw them on urban farmgirl's blog. But we do have some under out tree too!

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Also this is a MUST make after CHRISTmas. I think having a little "home" for my ear buds is gonna make running even more sweeter. And I'm pretty sure a little girl I know will want some to...... {credit from dog under my desk- blog}

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And this little lego creation from my A-man makes me want to cry... This is Prissy {I love the ponytail on the side}, me {and I love my scarf & shades}, Joey {tie & khaki pants}, & him {backpack full of legos!}- ALL headed to Indiana for CHRISTmas!!!!

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::Our family has a few CHRISTmas traditions: #1 we exchange ONLY 3 gifts because we want our children to see us giving 3 like the wise men did for baby Jesus, #2 we always adopt a family in need (usually with children) so that our children can help choose gifts for them, #3 we bake a birthday cake for Jesus on CHRISTmas Eve & eat it for breakfast on CHRISTmas morning, & #4 Joey reads the story of baby Jesus to us during our party- this is my FAVORITE because Josey now chimes in with verses & narrates right along with him! Well.. I gotta get back to work- we have a few more gifts to deliver... "Only 2 more sleeps Momma" has been said around this house more than once this morning.. (that is how she has equated time since she was 2.. I LIKE her....)::

{parties.. parties... parties....}

A-man's party was 1st this year. We did cupcakes & party hats for Jesus' birthday. And a craft of course. We made little edible Christmas trees. {sugar cones, green icing, & enough skittles, gum drops & m&ms to induce a sugar comma :) }. Trust me- they LOVED it!!!!

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Prissy's party came next{I got a little smarter this year}. When I placed the sign-up sheet: I made spaces for sweet, salty, & HEALTHY! The kiddos ate their weight in brownies, cheetos, & carrots! Then we made a craft {you expected that didn't ya?}. I found some design your own travel mugs from the Dollar Tree. We gave them a mug, some fun scrapbook paper, & enough stickers to cover the entire thing if they wanted! Those 3rd graders LOVED every second of it!!! And the A-man did too. He found some Star Wars stickers {not by coincidence} & created a masterpiece of this own! Then we hosted a play-date with one of her dear friends- "the perfect ending to the perfect day" in her words!!!

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This year Joey & I were asked to help out @ our neighborhood's Christmas party. He was asked to share the story of baby Jesus- which he did a phenomenal job! Complete with goodie bags for the Q & A answer portion @ the end {thanks to Prissy & I- who just happened to have whipped them up minutes before we left}! And I helped the kiddos do a Christmas craft- so FUN!!!

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... and now y'all know why I didn't answer my phone on Monday & we stayed in our pj's ALL day long! I LOVE break............ Now if we just had a little snow, all would be right in the world!

{American Girl gifts} & Prissy's program...

Remember these.... little American Girl Doll stockings that I made for Prissy? Well.. yesterday she decided they needed a little something in them!

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First we made something for Lizzie.... a little Julie inspired headband {she's an AGD from the '60s & with that came questions}. What is a flower child? Were they bad? What makes you a hippie? I died laughing @ my little one desperate to understand the PG version of "free spirits" & "give peace a chance"......

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We just cut a piece of lace {about 6 inches} then added it to a piece of elastic to make it fit easily around her head. Next we did a pattern with some beads to give it some color.

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It turned out super sweet- & we did a little home school history lesson to!! Which reminds me- the American Girl Doll book collection is fabulous! If you have little girls you should look into them....

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Next we made a little soft pink tutu for Lucy. It was my favorite of the projects. The perfect little skirt for my grand-daughter-doll! I know she'll love it :) or at least her mother will tell me she does- ha ha!

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This was also the easiest! We just took a piece of scrap trim & secured it together with a few stitches-

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TA DA! The perfect little stocking stuffer AGD style!

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Finally we made this little flower pin for Lanie. Prissy says she "loves blue & flowers" so this seemed like the obvious choice for her. They really are the perfect little accessory- for her hair, her purse, or anything!

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First get some satin scraps & cut them into 2 or 3 sizes then round off the edges.

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Then burn the edges {I did this part} with a candle until they look ruffled.

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Next stack them on top of each other- we decided 2 was enough for this little one.

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Then secure them together with some beads. Add a felt leave or 2 {optional} & pin on the back- PERFECT!!

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Finally we she wrapped them up pretty! I made some little gift bags out of wax paper {inspired by the folks @ Anthro}. Prissy finished them off with American Girl stickers from Michael's. **Michael's has ALL of the American Girl craft stuff 40% off this week**

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Prissy was an angel in the SCCS program this year. She {in my biased opinion} was perfect in every way!!! I had NO words.... just tears & lots of clapping!!!!!!!!!!!

{fudge} & A-man's program...

Well... I think the holiday baking this year is nearing an end! We have baked for parties, school mates, teachers, neighbors, & co-workers. The kiddos have been a HUGE help this year- at least @ taste testing- ha ha! These last 2 weeks I have been missing my Grandma Sissy even more than when I have stains {she was a master stain remover} or when I make vegetable soup {hers remains the family's favorite}, or just when I wear one for her aprons. But... ALWAYS when I make "candy" her word for peanut butter fudge. I use her recipe faithfully {I hold it very dear because it is written in her beautiful writing}. This year I made her version & Paula Dean's- both were a hit, but Grandma Sissy's was the best!

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Paula Dean's Peanut butter Fudge:

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I wrapped mine just like Grandma- she hand wrapped each piece.

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Also- this year I added 1 cup butterscotch bits to my brownies- THANKS Carol! They were a HUGE hit!!!

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My A-man had his pre-school program last week... isn't he handsome!!!

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He & Syd stood next to each other.... of course!

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...and this year- HE SANG! {with all of his heart}!

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.... & I cried {with ALL of mine}!! Then I kissed his little face off & bought him some ice-cream!

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P.S. our Christmas break has officially begun around here..... let the fashion begin! This is Prissy's day #1 Pj/morning ensemble!!!

{keeping up the charade...}

We have been so busy lately that I haven't gotten to hit some of my favorite "junk stores". So.... when I got the chance this weekend to sneak out ALONE- {dare I say it}, I stumbled on some unlikely treasures. Now rule #1 of thrifting is: keep a running list going of things that you need. I call it "my mental needs list" which Joey thinks is a figment of my imagination... and that's partially true. When I come home with something he'll say sorta amazingly "I didn't even know we needed that" after I've driven home the point {the minute that he gets in the door}- that I've been looking for this for weeks...... & it's perfect..... & I saved tons of $...... and well you get the point!

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I really {wink wink} have been looking for one of these old watering cans with a fluted neck. This particular one was just the right size, I LOVE the color, & it was $2.00- SCORE!

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My little guy's arsenal of weapons is growing by the day.... and Christmas isn't even here yet! We formally had a little wire trash can, but it was easily knocked over when company comes & it was NO match for the "big guns"! Solution- this galvanized one that weighs about 10 lbs. It looks sorta retro-cool & is perfect in size. Total cost a splurge @ $8.00

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As I was leaving I noticed this little tree... the owner through it in for free. I attached it to one of the A-man's little vintage trucks. I love the look of it & I saw some of these for $15.00 on Etsy.

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Now as I was leaving again.... the owner {don't know his name, but he knows my little guy cause I dragged him along a few months ago :) } asked "is your little fella still into Star Wars?" "Yes Sir I said." "Does he like Legos?" "They are is love language right now, why do you ask?" I said. "Well I knew I had some Star Wars stuff around here somewhere... you give him this from me & tell him Merry Christmas!" Y'all I was shocked- I knew 2 little boys {Joey included} that were gonna be over the moon when I returned!!!

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Joey {being the novice gypsy- ha ha} looked on eBay to price it. It was an original Star Wars Lego- UNOPENED going for $195.00 on eBay! Needless-to-say we opened it! And it now has a shiny new spot on the "favorite" shelf. I guess I have no other choice but to keep up this whole "junking" charade .... it's a chore but it must be done!!!!!!!!!!!!

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p.s. this little picture says it all. 3 of my most favorite things in the whole wide world. And one of them is clutching a new Lego in this pic.................