Merry Christmas!

I wasn't planning a blog post today, and that's sort of a problem for me.  See, I haven't planned a blog post in a while, and don't have any plans for posting in the foreseeable future.

This is my first holiday season as "That Mommy," and I wish I could share with you all the fun things going on around here.  We've been baking, and making gingerbread houses, and crafting ornaments, and making gifts.  We've been trying to keep our sanity while stuck inside, getting colds and ear infections, going out in the ice to make it to the preschool Christmas program. We've been singing carols so much that when I say "Jingle" the baby shouts "All The Way!"

I'm just so busy doing that there's no time to document.  So, instead of crying a river about my bad bloggy-self, I'm hereby giving myself a break.  A Christmas Break!  And in the New Year I will be back, hopefully with many an idea for simplifying and organizing around the house.

So, a bit early, I'm wishing you and yours a lovely Christmas.  Can't wait to see you in 2011!

Easy Homemade Christmas Gifts

Still need to whip up something for teachers, or hostesses, or friends?

Biggest Boy and I made Minted Hot Cocoa Mix last week and it was super-easy.  We tripled the recipe to make four 1.5 Cup mason jars.  Covered them with peppermint fabric and pre-made tags and voila!

Yummy Yummerson.

Here's the recipe for ya:

P.S. Lovin' the Linkys at:

Centsational Girl

Tatertots & Jello

Mommy's Christmas Tree

This year, for the first time ever, Mommy got her very own tree.  It may just be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

Sadly, I am not as beautiful in pictures as I am in person.
I am a glorious Fraser Fir.  My needles are as soft as silk!
I promise I am beautiful !

It's just a little thing at five feet tall, but I think it makes a big impression.  I love my white, gold, ivory and silver color scheme.

Love that I got the tree topper on clearance from PB last year.

Love the white lights and the paper lanterns I swiped from my deck umbrella.

Love the few sentimental ornaments mixed in with all those other clearance buys from last January.

But, speaking of sentimental ornaments, I have to admit there was one thing missing as I trimmed this tree yesterday afternoon.  I found myself missing the joy of each ornament having its unique and special meaning.  Yes, my Mommy tree is coordinated and (I think) gorgeous, but it doesn't come close to being as special as our Family Tree...

...with its colorful, mismatched ornaments, collected over the years, many of them hand-made.

Even the ball ornaments on our Family Tree were used as wedding decorations (we got married right before Christmas almost 7 years ago)!

So, I'm super glad I have both trees.  But if I had to pick just one of them, it definitely wouldn't be my gorgeous Mommy Tree.  It'd be the tree with the colored lights, the glitter, and the cross on top.  You know, the one with all the joy.

I Live with a Pack of Wolves

Accordingly, I have said all of these things in the last three days:

"Yucky!  We don't eat trash cans."

"Please stop licking the bench."  This said at the public play area at the mall.  Gross.

"Stop shooting your brother with a grappling hook!"

"Take your face out of the potty!"

"Why are you eating my pillow?"

"It's not nice to hit Mommy in the face with a sword."  "It just isn't, that's why."

"No tackling on hardwood floors."

"No bite!  No BITE!  NO BITE!!!"

Christmas Vignettes

I have such a crush on silver and gold together!

Someday, when I have loads of leisure time, tons of money, and my house is completely organized, I will have carefully selected one theme for my holiday decorating...and my whole house will be drenched with it.  Maybe it will be "Rustic White Christmas," or maybe "Merry Metallic Christmas," or maybe "Silver & Blue Sleighbells," or...well, the possibilities are endless.

My little painted rocking horse with some other cute stuff.

For now my holiday decorating runs the gamut from Swedish candelabras to mod tinsel to traditional greenery, and until I learn how to grow money on a tree that's A-OK with me.  I have found, however, that I cope much better with my rag-tag assortment of decorations by grouping like items into uniform vignettes.  Duh, Michelle.

Black & white with a touch of wine.

I used to feel overwhelmed by the variety of things.  These days I keep that feeling under control by organizing as I unpack the decorations.  I pile items that are alike in color, theme, or "feel" together on the dining room table and then go around making vignettes on every available surface of the house using the staged items.  It's kinda like my form of meditation.

Back to silver and gold.  Pretty sure this one's my favorite.

I have lots of fun doing it this way and it helps me cope with the motley crew occupying my Christmas boxes.

Gold, black and bronze in the upstairs hallway.

Love the shine and glitter in that old metal basket.

So, love what you have and have fun making your decorations play nice together.  Don't worry if your whole house isn't perfectly matched.  And if it is, invite me over!  I want to see it:)

~Michelle~

P.S. Lovin' the Linkys at Southern Hospitality!

Easy Last-Minute Advent Calendar

Yes, it might be the First of December, but it's not too late to create a Countdown to Christmas for your children.  I put mine together in about 20 minutes yesterday afternoon, and it couldn't be easier.  Here's what I came up with:

I used treat bags (and, because I ran out with four left to go, a few zip-locs with their zippers cut off, shhh!) and just taped them shut.  On the front I stuck on my cute embellished numbers.

Admittedly, these did take longer to make, but you wouldn't have to get fancy with this step. Beth Proudfoot made some adorable printable tags which you can find here.  Or print out numbers and let your children color them, that would be fun and cute!

A couple of candies in each bag, a basket embellished with ribbon, and voila!  We're countin' down to Christmas!

Now, I have an admission to make.  I started making these cute little tags for a different project.  Have you seen those muffin-tin Advent Calendars out there in bloggy land?  They are way cute, and here's what mine looked like:

Only problem was, my magnets didn't work.  They would stick, but not enough to hold candy in when I hung the thing up.  After way too much time trying to "make it work," (thanks, Tim Gunn) I realized I could just...let it go.  Do something else.  Lately my mantra for crafting has been: As Easy As Possible.  When something gets kinda hard or feeling forced, I just stop.  And the great thing is that it's still possible to salvage what I've done and come up with something easier, faster, and maybe almost as cute.  I wanted to share my little failed experiment with you so that the next time you hit a roadblock maybe you can remember: As Easy As Possible. And make something else work!