~all things Christmas in January~

Has it really been a month since I 

gave any attention to this blog?

Sorry friends.....

December was filled with friends, social events,

school projects, Christmas projects, brunches and 

NO REST!  

I'm just starting to feel human again.

There were a couple things throughout the month

I wanted to share with you but never got around to.

How does that saying go?

Better late than never......

The first is the way in which I displayed 

the Christmas cards we received.

(which happens to be one of my

favorite parts of the holiday season....

I love getting cards and greetings in the mail)

 In an accidental attempt at covering up some holes

in the tree, I discovered that I loved displaying the

cards on the tree. Everyone who came in the house 

commented on it as well. It was in plain sight for everyone

to see but out of the way and uncluttered.     

 See the hole.....fill the hole.

That simple.

I was also going to share the project I made

for my son's teacher at school.

It's an ornament with a picture of her

and all the kids inside. I fuzzed out the picture

for privacy reasons but you can imagine right?   

My son wrote a sweet little note to her on

the back of the picture that is visible

when you turn the ornament around. 

She loved it and said it is something that will

hang on her tree for many Christmas's to come.

You can find the clear bulbs with removable tops

at Michael's stores. They are very inexpensive and

 super easy to make. Fill them with whatever 

you can fit in the top! 

I make several of these a year.

Like these that I made as place settings

for my annual Christmas brunch with my 

best gal pals:  

 I didn't get a picture of the ornaments before I wrapped them

but I filled them with pics of us, glitter and feathers.

I wrapped them in tissue paper, attached a name tag and

VOILA! Such an easy gift with a touch of personal sentiment.   

         

And just because I share it each year....

I've got to show you how my house ended

up decorated this year for Christmas:

    

           I kept it very simple and light this year.

I didn't put out any decorations that didn't hold

a sentimental place in my heart. 

And finally.......

remember that Christmas favorite things swap I joined?

This was the box of delight that I mailed Julie.....

the lady who was my swapping partner:

 The limit was $20 and I did all this for exactly that!

I packaged it in a Christmas stocking and a little

note and sent it off.  

I'm such an oaf.....I was so excited

to get mine in the mail that I forgot to take

a picture of it.  She made some cute

Christmas napkins for me.....that I used for

another Christmas brunch we hosted,

some goodies to eat and a scented plug in

to make my house smell good :)

I promise I won't be such a stranger.

I have a couple fun things to share with you.

Hope your holiday season was happy

and that your 2013 is FABULOUS!

     

     

     

~veterans day momentos~

Each Veteran's Day I like to recognize the veterans

I personally know. Whether that be by mailing them

a card, calling them or writing something

on my family blog about them and their service. 

My husband's Grandpa proudly served in

the U.S. Navy during WWII. It's been nearly

a year since he died and I wanted to be sure 

to acknowledge his service even though he's not

with us anymore. It disappoints me

that the stores really don't have much to 

offer for those wanting to acknowledge 

the importance of this day. I suppose

Christmas is much more profitable 

for the retailers. Even in the greeting

card section I could only find 4 different cards

for Veteran's Day (I bought 3 of them).

For Grandpa I decided to make a personalized

ornament to hang at his headstone.

 

Remember all those Christmas bulb ornaments I got 

last year? They came in handy again. I'm finding there

is a ton to do with these ornaments. I'm going to stock

up on a bunch of them again this Christmas.

I printed up a picture of him as a young, handsome naval dude

and put it inside the bulb with some

star shaped confetti. I then decorated the bulb

with some Americana stickers and ribbon.

Finally, I attached it to a wooden dowel.

Grandma was happy to go with me and it brought

tears to my eyes to hear her talk to Grandpa

and tell him she was proud of him for 

his service as she placed the flag at the base of

his headstone. Before the tears could

leave the corners of my eyes though she had

me laughing with the next sentence.....

"I hope it's not too hot down there."

Wherever you may be Grandpa....:)

thank you for your service.

Happy Veteran's Day. 

DON'T WAIT FOR VETERAN'S DAY TO THANK

OUR VETERANS.  They are veterans everyday....

not just one day a year.

The sacrifice of a veteran and his/her family is 

so great.  And don't assume the sacrifice

ends when their tour does. Most of the wounds of

war aren't visible, physical wounds. Many veterans are 

"emotionally serving" their whole lives. 

The emotional trauma of war can effect

the quality of life for the veteran

and for the family as well.

If you've ever loved a person who's been

to war you know this firsthand. 

If you don't, consider yourself informed now.

They deserve respect and recognition.....

give it to them.

  HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY.