Christmas times a coming...

I can't believe that Christmas is only 2 days away!

It is bitter sweet for me because Christmas is my absolute favorite Holiday ever, but just a few days after the company I work for will be closing down their location here and I will be out of a job...

We have had fair warning that this was happening, but it seriously came so quickly it is unreal!  I am really looking forward to some time off to spend with my kids and doing some major catch up around our house, but at the same time it is so weird to go into the unknown.

I have the longest list of projects that I want to complete though, so I am super excited to share those with you next month!

Until then I will be enjoying my time with my family, eating way too much and watching Christmas Vacation and Elf over and over...

I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday doing what ever it is that you will be doing this Holiday. 

My thoughts and prayers are with those who cannot be with their families due to the military or other situations that prevent it.  I am so grateful for the sacrifices that so many make so that we may be free.

My hope for everyone is that we try to remember what this season is really about and don't get too caught up in the chaos of the Holiday. 

Merry Christmas to you all!

Christmas Favorites

Since Christmas is less than a week away I thought I would share my final Pinterest favorites of the season!

Drum roll please...........

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I am just drooling over everything in this bedroom!  I just want to crawl up in that bed with a cup of coffee and a good book!  I don't even have our bedroom decorated :-(

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I adore these little Elves!  Aren't they just the cutest things ever?!

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I love the simplicity and rustic nature of this birch wreath.  It is by far my favorite of the season!  Every detail is perfect to me, right down to the burlap ribbon.

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Last, but not least, this advent calender is perfection!!  You know how much I love me some branches ;-)

This has been such a fun Christmas season for me now that I am aware of the blog world...I can't believe what I have been missing.

If you want to check out some of my other favorite Christmas inspirations, or any other inspirations for that matter, follow me on Pinterest.

Christmas Tree Debut

I am finally done with our Christmas decorating and ready to show you our tree :-) 

We always go with a live tree...this year we got an 8' Noble and it is decorated with mostly western decor that we received during our first couple years of marriage when my husband was bull riding and I was barrel racing...we haven't changed it much over the years, just added a few ornaments here and there.  I thought about changing it up this year, but after looking through all the ornaments, I just couldn't bring myself to change it quite yet.

and of course we need have a couple light bulbs mixed in since we own an electrical contracting business :-)

I'll be linking up here...

Simple Christmas Decor

I have to admit that while admiring all the gorgeous pictures from all the talented bloggers out there, I start to feel the desire to go to Pier One and shop my heart out on all new Christmas decor! 

I have decided to resist the urge and focus on what I do have, and like I do every year, add in a couple extra finds to take care of that little shopping itch. 

This year I am taking the less is more approach to my Christmas decor.

I am finding beauty in the simple things...candles, Christmas lights, cranberries, and making use of some of my household favorites...

My mason jar candles are one of my favorite things that I have added to my decor this year, and they are so easy and inexpensive!

I love the feel that these lighted branches give our home...

 Of course some of my old favorites, the Nutcracker and Snowman are out...

I have added these pine tree and cranberry mason jar candles throughout our home too, to add a little Christmas spirit to places that might otherwise be missed, like our bathroom window.

 Now on to the outside...we have kept it pretty simple here as well.

At first I was really struggling with what to put on my beloved ladder, but I have since decided that I am really enjoying it with just my lights and a couple random ornaments.  It is a nice clean feel from the busy Autumn decor this ladder boasted.

I am trying really hard to get over the fact that the little outside planters are empty because I haven't had the time to get to the fabulous projects I had in mind for them and that my mantle and tree can't even be shown off yet!  I feel like Christmas is going to be here tomorrow and I still won't be done. 

There's always next year, right?! And we won't even talk about how behind I am on my Christmas shopping or that I keep forgetting to put our elf in a new hiding spot everyday!  I am running out of excuses of why he is still in the same spot in the mornings!!! 

I will also be linking up to these fabulous parties...

http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/ ; http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/ http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/ ; http://goodbyecityhellosuburbs.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.lilluna.com/ ; http://polkadotsonparade.blogspot.com/ ; http://sewmuchado.blogspot.com/ ; http://733blog.blogspot.com/ ; http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/; http://www.somewhatsimple.com/ ; http://thriftydecorating-nikkiw.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.houseofhepworths.com/ ; http://rhinestonebeagle.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.brandyscrafts.blogspot.com/ ; http://alliemakes.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.thrifty101.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com/
; http://whipperberry.com/ ; http://www.missmustardseed.com/ ; http://www.mysimplehomelife.com/ ; http://www.atthepicketfence.com/ ; http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/ ; http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/ ; http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/; http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/ ; http://niftythriftythings.blogspot.com/ ; http://morrowsunshine.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.bystephanielynn.com/ ; http://www.iheartnaptime.net/ ; http://www.flamingotoes.com/ ; ttp://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/; http://sweetpeasandbb.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.laughloveandcraft.com/ ; http://www.thestuffofsuccess.com/ ; http://www.remodelaholic.com/ ; http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/; http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/ ; http://linesacrossmyface.blogspot.com; http://vanessascraftynest.blogspot.com ; http://kissedbyafrog.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.happyhourprojects.com/ ; http://www.homemakerinheels.com/ ; http://rocaandcompany.blogspot.com/; http://littlebighouseontheprairie1.blogspot.com/; http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/; http://theartsygirlconnection.blogspot.com; http://todayscreativeblog.net/;http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/; http://www.thegunnysack.com; http://caribbeanmissionarywife.blogspot.com; http://athomewithk.blogspot.com/; http://www.itsoverflowing.com/2011/12/christmas-blog-link-party-christmas.html; http://www.thenester.com/2011/12/2011-christmas-tour-of-homes-2.html; http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com; http://space46.blogspot.com; http://www.itsoverflowing.com/

Candy Topiaries

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!  The sun is shining and everyone is good and healthy at our house, which means it is a weekend of cleaning, tree decorating, catching up on projects and finishing our outside lights!
I thought I would share with you today a very simple Pinterest inspired topiary that I just completed.

I started out with 2 clay pots (that only cost me 0.25 cents!) and spray painted them gold and a top coat of glitter. 

Then I cut a Styrofoam ball in half and hot glued it inside my pots.

Next I took my spray painted sticks and hot glued them inside the Styrofoam.  I put my other Styrofoam balls on top of the sticks to make sure they were centered.   I then covered them in colored duck tape (this is definitely a must do or you will have white spaces showing in between your candies.

I used Snow Drops that I got on clearance at Craft Warehouse to go inside my pots...

Now came the super tedious fun part!  Simply hot glue the thousands of candies...

Yes, I see the one escapee at the bottom ;-) 

I followed up the finished look with a coat of Polyurethane spray to keep the candies from melting and getting all sticky.

Here are my disclaimers if you choose to do this project yourself...

The large one is super top heavy because the genius making it didn't realize how heavy a million candies are for one piece of Styrofoam!  If I were to do it again I would advise a shorter or wider stick and something heavier in the pot to keep it down. 

Also if you are a perfectionist this may not be the project for you.  The little mints don't like to line up perfectly the whole way around.  I don't mind it at all, since I usually prefer things with a little bit of flaws ;-) but it may make some of you OCD gals crazy! 

Last bit of advice...make sure you buy way more candies than you think you will need.  I way underestimated the amount of mints I would need to make these.  I originally purchased 3 bags of red and green mix and I only had enough red to finish half of the little one.  I ended up going to the store 3 times for mints! 

I will also fully admit that I have one more topiary sitting in my garage waiting for mints, but I have no motivation to do it right now because it took me so long to glue the little suckers on ;-) 

Most of you probably have a lot more patience, skill and common sense than I do and would most likely breeze through this project though...

I will also be linking up to these fabulous parties...
http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/ ; http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/ ; http://goodbyecityhellosuburbs.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.lilluna.com/ ; http://polkadotsonparade.blogspot.com/ ; http://sewmuchado.blogspot.com/ ; http://733blog.blogspot.com/ ; http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.somewhatsimple.com/ ; http://thriftydecorating-nikkiw.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.houseofhepworths.com/ ; http://rhinestonebeagle.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.brandyscrafts.blogspot.com/ ; http://alliemakes.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.thrifty101.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com/ ; http://whipperberry.com/ ; http://www.missmustardseed.com/ ; http://www.mysimplehomelife.com/ ; http://www.atthepicketfence.com/ ; http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/ ; http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/ ; http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/; http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/ ; http://niftythriftythings.blogspot.com/ ; http://morrowsunshine.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.bystephanielynn.com/ ; http://www.iheartnaptime.net/ ; http://www.flamingotoes.com/ ; http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/
; http://sweetpeasandbb.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.laughloveandcraft.com/ ; http://www.thestuffofsuccess.com/ ; http://www.remodelaholic.com/ ; http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/; http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/ ; http://linesacrossmyface.blogspot.com; http://vanessascraftynest.blogspot.com ; http://kissedbyafrog.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.happyhourprojects.com/ ; http://www.homemakerinheels.com/ ; http://rocaandcompany.blogspot.com/; http://littlebighouseontheprairie1.blogspot.com/; http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/; http://theartsygirlconnection.blogspot.com; http://todayscreativeblog.net/;http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/; http://www.thegunnysack.com; http://caribbeanmissionarywife.blogspot.com; http://athomewithk.blogspot.com/; http://www.itsoverflowing.com/2011/12/christmas-blog-link-party-christmas.html; http://jane-adventuresindinner.blogspot.com/

Candles, Candles, Candles!

I have a real thing about candles.  I love them!  As you can see from some of my other projects.  I had this wonderful box sitting empty on our dresser in the living room.

I originally planted a great little herb garden in it and unfortunately with my super green thumb all my herbs withered away and I was only left with some dirt :-(

I am sure most of you have seen these and similar mason jars with Epsom salt and candles around pinterest and blogs.  I thought they would be perfect for my little box this Christmas season. 

I also made a couple others just because they are so simple and cheap!

P.S.  When using candles in your decor please light them!  There is nothing sadder to me (well maybe I'm exaggerating a little) than seeing perfectly good candles sitting on a table that have never been used.  To me the more a candle has been used, the more character it has...


I will also be linking up to these fabulous parties...



http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/ ; http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/ ; http://goodbyecityhellosuburbs.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.lilluna.com/ ; http://polkadotsonparade.blogspot.com/ ; http://sewmuchado.blogspot.com/ ; http://733blog.blogspot.com/ ; http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.somewhatsimple.com/ ; http://thriftydecorating-nikkiw.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.houseofhepworths.com/ ; http://rhinestonebeagle.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.brandyscrafts.blogspot.com/ ; http://alliemakes.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.thrifty101.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com/ ; http://whipperberry.com/ ; http://www.missmustardseed.com/ ; http://www.mysimplehomelife.com/ ; http://www.atthepicketfence.com/ ; http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/ ; http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/ ; http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/; http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/ ; http://niftythriftythings.blogspot.com/ ; http://morrowsunshine.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.bystephanielynn.com/ ; http://www.iheartnaptime.net/ ; http://www.flamingotoes.com/ ; http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/
 ; http://sweetpeasandbb.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.laughloveandcraft.com/ ; http://www.thestuffofsuccess.com/ ; http://www.remodelaholic.com/ ; http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/; http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/ ; http://linesacrossmyface.blogspot.com; http://vanessascraftynest.blogspot.com ; http://kissedbyafrog.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.happyhourprojects.com/ ; http://www.homemakerinheels.com/ ; http://rocaandcompany.blogspot.com/; http://littlebighouseontheprairie1.blogspot.com/; http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/; http://theartsygirlconnection.blogspot.com; http://todayscreativeblog.net/;http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/; http://www.thegunnysack.com; http://athomewithk.blogspot.com/

Themed or Haphazard Christmas Decorating

First of all, hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!  I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while (yet once again) because I was a little under the weather...

My Thanksgiving went a little something like this...Perfect time with the in-laws, wonderful food, laughs and rest...Oregon Ducks Football game...running back down from the top of the stands (after I just walked up) knowing that yes - I definitely had the stomach flu...walking out of the stadium the wrong way with 2 year old daughter in tow...walking...walking...walking....she is now sleeping...my arms are burning in pain....walking...walking...45 minutes, an hour, who knows how long after, I made it to the correct entrance...rest...rest...rest...walk back to the RV to find more sick family members...sleep all the way home on the 2 1/2 hour drive...Sunday woke up and got to DECORATING!!!

All in all, I can't complain!  I had a great time and my decorating is almost complete, which brings me to today's post...

Are you a themed decorator or a Haphazard decorator like I am? 

I have to admit while roaming blogland and Pinterest I start to feel the green eyed monster taking hold...



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 But I realized while pulling out all my Christmas decor that my house would probably never look like any of the above because that would mean that I would have to put away so many of my favorite items and personal gifts.  Over the years I have collected random Christmas decor that I absolutely love and although my style has changed over the years, I can't seem to part with any of it.  My house is an eclectic display of Holiday decor and I like it that way.  I imagine some day this may change, but for now I will rejoice in the Christmas season with my mishmashed decor :-))

The best part about Christmas decorating is that no house looks the same.  It is so wonderful to walk into friends and families homes and look at all the lovely and unique Christmas inspirations. 

I will share pictures soon, once the gray, rainy clouds go away so I can get a decent picture - wait I live in Oregon!  I might have to share pictures next summer ha ha!

How about you?  Are you a themed decorator or Haphazard decorator?

The Heart of Christmas

I can't believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving!  I hope you all have a great time and eat way too much!

With the Holidays around the corner I have really been pondering something...

In our house we always give gifts to celebrate the gift we have been given in Christ Jesus, but with your kids it is hard to draw the line between gift giving and spoiling.

With our oldest turning 4 this past summer there seems to be one change that has taken place and it is not a good one!  She is like the typical American child who feels that she deserves to get everything she wants when she wants it.  Obviously this is completely normal behavior, but as a mom it is my job to raise her in a way so that she grows up to be a generous, loving and appreciative girl. 




Charlee - Christmas 2009

  With the Holidays approaching my husband and I have really been trying to think of ways that we can go out of our way to help others in need and show our children what Christmas is truly about. 

Here are some wonderful Christmas ideas that I wanted to share with all of you.

Hallelujah Toffee - This is seriously the best Toffee I have ever tasted, and I am not only saying that because my cousin and my sweet Aunt make it ;-)

The amazing part is this year they are donating 100% - YES YOU HEARD ME CORRECTLY {100%} of their proceeds to One Life Africa! 

This is a fabulous way to enjoy or give the gift of toffee, while knowing that ALL your proceeds go to help these children in need.

Operation Christmas Child - This is a ministry run through Samaritan's Purse that is so simple in nature, yet has a big impact on a child's life.  It is a simple shoe box filled with anything from hygiene items and school supplies to toys.  Many of these children have never received a Christmas present, let alone a new toothbrush or pencil.  The most important part of this gift is that it allows the love of Christ to spread to all different nations.




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  There are drop off locations in many different states and you can even build a box online.  The thing that is so wonderful about this ministry is that you can really involve your children by allowing them to help you pick out items and pack the box.

Restore Innocence - You may have read my earlier post about my hutch makeover in which all proceeds will be going to Restore Innocence...they are a fabulous non profit that one of my childhood friends founded to help victims of sex trafficking.  Not only could you choose to support the ministry financially, but they have some adorable products for sale...

I own the bag and the hat and I LOVE them!  They are so cute in person.  The ring is brand new and I must have it ;-)  I can splurge on myself give someone a beautiful gift and know that I am helping a great cause.

I would love to hear any ideas that you all have to spread the love on Christmas :-))

Pinterest Christmas Style

I am so excited for Thanksgiving next week!  We get to spend the long weekend with the in-laws hanging out with no responsibilities...and of course we are throwing a little tailgating in the mix :-) 

However, the thing I am most excited about is going to pick out our Christmas tree!  I can't wait! I am so thrilled for Christmas and can't wait to get back and start my decorating!

To put me in the mood even more I have started my Pinterest search for great Christmas inspiration.  Here are a few of my favorites...

I adore this Charlie Brown Christmas tree...

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So cute for an advent calendar...



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 Everything about this is just beautiful, especially love the branches around the table...


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And just because this is the cutest thing I have ever seen...



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 To see more of my Holiday favorites and any of my other pins follow me here.