There's a change in the air

Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one that hates taking down Christmas decorations.... it's really not the act of taking them down and packaging them up for another year that I dispise, it's the come down off such a warm and cozy season down to an other wise bleak and dreary month of January. Everyone else seems to be happy to have the holidays over with, to get it out of site and move on and here I am on the 14th of January, just now taking my holiday decor down! lol We took our tree down last weekend but I have been dragging my feet on the rest of it...

I just woke up this morning, after a long emotional week (the funeral was yesterday) and decided that today was the day... there was a change in the air... I could feel it... So I dug out the storage boxes and packed away our treasured decorations. All the special little things that just seem to "make" the season... they are all packed away with care

It was almost exciting to get out something "new". I always enjoy setting up the buffet with pictures and the mantel with photos and trinkets we've collected too. I store my mantel decor in the drawers of my buffet so there are always little things that get lost in there, tucked into table runners and table cloths...so my display from year to year is always kinda of the same but with a different flare. :)  I was digging out some frames that I knew were in there and would go with my Valentine's theme, when I reached between two layers of a table cloth and found this... I knew just what it was as my fingers touched it and I had a big lump in my throat before my eyes even saw it...

This was the first wedding present we received before our wedding...I remember getting it and being so moved that it was so early and had been specially made just for us...This picture doesn't do it justice but it is simply beautiful... and was the first time I'd seen our names together and with the date like this... It also meant so much that it was from Aunt Joy.....

So once again, I had a good cry...

And just in case there is any question... I am not trying to wish this time away and rush the holiday of Valentine's day either... I want to enjoy every minute of every day with my husband and two girls.... I just love the favorite pictures and the essence of LOVE in the decor....I will take all these bleak January days... with high hopes of snow and warm days knitting by the fire place. We drink more tea and read more books and try to savor the stillness of the season.... I think these quiet reflective days make the spring and summer that much sweeter! :)

A creative success!

 

Here's a peak of my table at the craft show last weekend! It was cold and blustery outside but that didn't seem to slow the shoppers down!  It was warm and cozy inside and definately full of Christmas cheer! I kept pretty busy throughout the two days, so much so that I forgot to take more pictures!! The lodge we were set up in was just beautiful!! I so wish I would have captured it! I guess I'll just have to do it again next year! :)

By the end of the two days, my stock was pretty well picked over but I was excited at how my toys were received!  I came home with a lot less toys than I went with and a few orders for more that I need to make before Christmas! :) 

I sold a bunch of my peg dolls too!! I only came home with a hand full of them but am happy to take orders for more! :) I've actually been working on orders today! :)

The highlight of my day was when one of the other vendor's little boys  came over to show me his sketch pad!! He had been drawing my monster puppets!!!

The Slow Fade

I can't believe it's over... the nice holiday cheer... the shopping for that perfect gift... the talk about Christ and the manger....in the blink of an eye it's over and everyone but me seems to be anxious to get back to the same old grind. I just don't get it! The build up of the holidays seems to lead up to a cliff that everyone seems so anxious to jump off! lol Why would you want to just pack it all away the day after... why not saver it for a few days at least.... take some time to wind down and enjoy a few days of quiet enjoyment before jumping back into the day-to-day bustle of normal everyday activities?  It just makes me so sad to hear people saying that it's so great to have it all over with... on the day of Christmas... or that they can't wait to "reclaim" their houses the very next day! Am I the only one that wants to at least wait till the new year to enjoy the holiday season? 

In a world where you can buy Christmas decorations in June and they have Valentine's goodies out the week before Christmas... don't you just want to go against the flow and enjoy the holiday for what it is before moving on to the next one? As for me.... I will fight to keep this warm and cozy feeling in our house for as long as I can... I love the added light that the decorations bring to the house and I want my girls to learn to savor this time not cast it aside as some silly ritual that we do simply to be going thru the motions...Just because Christmas is passed doesn't mean that winter is over and it doesn't mean that we are ready to get back into the more fast paced days of spring and summer that will surely be here before we know it! I just want to take the time to breath.... to enjoy watching the girls play with their new treasured toys... to take joy in the quiet of a cold morning and a good cup of coffee sipped by the light of the Christmas tree... I am not in a hurry to banish this season of comfort and joy...I want to soak it in and keep it with me throughout the year... not rush off to yet another over commercialized holiday that seems to be losing it's meaning a little more each year...I want to take it slow and enjoy what is left of this year because as time tends to go... the new year will be here before we know it and with it it will bring a whole year full of holidays and other events to fill our days.

I guess what I'm really saying is, I wish this holiday could BE more... MEAN more and be ENJOYED more by people... if it really is the important holiday that it is... why would anyone want it to be over? Isn't it just making it about the presents if the Christmas season is over the moment they are open? Hmm... just a thought... maybe it's me that is holding on to it for too long but for some reason this whole topic makes me think of the Casting Crowns song "Slow Fade". Now, I know that song isn't about Christmas... but if you listen to the words it could be... if you give yourself away... not holding true to the meaning of the season then it's just a slow fade of falling into the general public's view of it...



It's a slow fade when you give yourself away


It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray

Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid

When you give yourself away

People never crumble in a day

It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade





... I just want to be sure we are celebrating for the right reasons... and don't want to fall into that grey.... ya know? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this...am I off my rocker?

Bring on the light!

Happy Solstice!

... I know... a day late... but since when can I get anything posted on time these days!?

This was taken during the eclipse... right before the clouds took over!

And this is one of the lanterns we made for our lantern walk on Solstice. We've never really "celebrated" the winter solstice before, I always read these amazing blogs about how others do it and I just always tend to run out of time for any preparations and end up just not doing anything because it won't be perfect.... So this year, I said to heck with it! We are going to do a lantern walk and if it's a flop we'll make it better next year!

We made these pretty little lanterns by covering a balloon with tissue paper and then popping the balloons. The four of us got bundled up and headed out for a walk in the woods... only having to light the candles half a dozen times or so before we made it to the woods! The wind was not cooperating! lol As we got closer to the woods, we saw a little light down by our little duck pond/large puddle.... We called out thinking someone was camping in our yard but no one answered.... and as we got closer we found it was a gnome couple fishing by candle light!!!

The girls were just giddy and even DH admitted later that it was SUCH a cool experience...

So... into the woods caroling we went!



This is the first Solstice that I was eager to welcome... bring on the light!!

5 Question Friday

Can you believe it's already December 3rd? Where o where did the last year go?! I must have blinked because I think I missed November entirely! lol I can't believe how fast time is flying and how lax I have been on this blog lately.... it's not as if I don't think of all of you and want to write, it's just that my days have been so full since we got home from our trip that I hardly have time to eat lunch! lol It's been a flurry of decorating and crafting and trying to get presents finished up (ok lets be honest... started... lol). I'm sure it's the same for all of you too right? Well, I will try to do better, really I will. I have missed writing and will try to do it more often as I know I really do need a break from sewing and such. I am beginning to think my hands are going to permanently stay in place for holding my knitting needles! lolThe typing will be good for them! :)

So, in an effort to stay currant with you all, I am going to take part in the Five Question Friday from over at My Little Life... won't you play along too!?

1. What's on the top of your holiday wish list and why?!
2. What is your favorite Christmas gift from the past?

3. If you had life to do over, what would you be when you grow up?

4. When do you put up your tree?

5. What is your favorite Holiday?


Here's my answers to them...

1. What's on the top of your holiday wish list and why?!

  Hmm... this is a tough one. I don't really have anything that I "need" and I just got my new sewing machine/serger so I don't really feel like it's fair for me to want anything either... but in the spirit of the question and with the idea that anything is possible... as in if Santa brought magical gifts for adults too...I would say a big hat box with holes...and a fuzzy little dog inside... I know, so lame but it's really the only thing that I can think of that would be just for me and totally frivolous (I know it wouldn't really be just for me, as I would have to share with little ones but still)....that would make a magical morning for me. Oh to have wishes like that!

2. What is your favorite Christmas gift from the past?

A few years ago, my husband's grandma and aunt each got me part of a set of Christmas villages from the movie "It's a Wonderful Life"... I was so excited and so surprised! I so enjoy unpacking it every year and remember getting it with such great memories!



3. If you had life to do over, what would you be when you grow up?
 
I am one of the lucky ones, I am doing exactly what I always wanted to when I was growing up...I can't imagine anything better!: )



4. When do you put up your tree?

We actually put it up on Thanksgiving. While the turkey is cooking, the Macy's parade is playing and we are snacking on chex mix, we all set up the tree and attempt to get it lit...then we decorate it with ornaments the next weekend after we've gotten the rest of the house decorated during the week! I so love this time of year!


5. What is your favorite Holiday?

Growing up it was always the 4th of July but as an adult I would have to say Christmas and New Years....we got married on New Year's eve so this time of year is always special to us!

A party to remember

This 4th of July was a bit different than most...there were no BBQs in our backyard, decorations to get out or friends coming over to set off fireworks...so instead of focusing on what we don't have for the time being, (and because we had a long weekend,) we got to head north a few hours and spend the time with some of DH's family.....it was a weekend to remember...and one of the most memorable 4th of July celebrations I have ever experienced...

This table always seems to have room for everyone, and is always surrounded with love and good times with family...

This was one of THE most amazing meals! Totally a good ol' fashioned American meal! So perfect for the weekend of family and friends...

We got to head out to "the farm" for a BBQ and fireworks with extended family (that never feels like extended family but rather just family).... I never thought it was possible to marry into a family and instantly think of it as your own. I listen to other people talk about having to go visit family like it's such a chore and I just sit quietly, and think how thankful I am to have married into a family that welcomed me so easily into their clan. As much as we have hated being here in TX, I wouldn't trade it for anything because it has given us the chance to be close enough for a number of holidays like this one....with a melting pot feel of families gathering for the very basic of celebrations....with a number of generations all pulling together to celebrate such things as Independence and thankful hearts...

I just loved being surrounded by nature and a down home feel that has been lost in so many ways...

...on that day, I seemed to see things more deeply and detailed...

...and the camera was there to capture it all!

I don't know the story behind this car, of where it came from even whose it was but I found myself intrigued by it and couldn't help but take numerous pictures of it throughout the day...it seemed to be a gathering point for people too so it just seemed natural for me to gravitate to it...

I think I have taken a picture like this every 4th of July since J was born and it just keeps getting cuter and cuter each year!


The kids got to feed the cows! What a highlight!

I just loved the feel of being on a farm and wish the day hadn't gone by so fast!

As the daylight started to dwindle, the lightening bugs began to show in the trees...I know this picture didn't capture the bugs but you can imagine them there...I thought this shot looked like you could go exploring and find the secret garden hiding amongst those trees....

There was no big fireworks display, like you would see in a big city, but I really don't think anyone noticed....the kids were happy with the fireworks the big "kids" brought to play with and the older folks of the group were happily mingling and eating cobbler and homemade ice cream...it was something to experience....and not a day I will soon forget....sometimes the best things are simple and the most remembered are with family close by...

Patriotic shirts

Every year, I try to find us some cute shirts to wear on the fourth of July. It makes for good family pictures and I love the tradition that we started from our first 4th of July as a family. If they weren't packed, I'd love to share pics of the first shirt DH created with a white t-shirt and spray paint! It actually turned out better than I expected and has last for many years now!

When I first saw this blog, I just knew I had to try it...I couldn't get to the store fast enough to get the shirts and paints! lol I was able to find cheap shirts for DH and myself at Walmart and then found the cutest little white dresses for the girls (complete with a white tutu!) and before I knew it, the girls and I were out in the grass getting creative with our shirts!

The night before, the girls and I talked about what we wanted our shirts to look like and I set to drawing on the stars and stripes with the Elmer's washable Gel glue.(I put the shirts on those cardboard cutouts with wax paper under the top layer of the shirt)....finding a place in the trailer for them to dry without the cats laying on them wa the trickiest part! lol

Once the shirts were dry, we took the shirts outside in the grass to paint with the watered down acrylic paints (I put the water in the cups and just a little bit of paint mixed in went a long way!)

The girls had a blast painting and I think they turned out cute!

Here they are all washed (I soaked them in wamr water to get the glue to soften so I could scrape it off with my nail) and ready to wear! I can't wait to take family pictures this year! And now my mind keeps thinking of all the other things I could make with this painting effect! The possibilities are endless!!! So go get crafty, there's still lots of time to make some patriotic shirts of your own!! Wear the stars and stripes with pride!

The Song remembers When-This Land is Your Land

As we all think about our plans for the upcoming 4th of July holiday weekend, it's hard not to think about the amazing patriotic songs we have in our history too...My girls have been learning this song and it brings such a smile to my face when I hear their little voices singing it. I don't know if its possible for them to fully understand how lucky we are to live in the country we do but I hope that this song stirs up the same kind of pride in our country and our military that it always has for me....Growing up, I didn't take part in a lot of patriotic songs, due to religious beliefs at the time, and I can remember asking if this song was ok to sing because we sang it in music class and I always loved it. I remember being asked why I would want to sing it and I just remember thinking that it made me proud to be an American and that the song just made me feel good. I know that pride isn't always a good thing, but I think the word pride can sometimes be interchangeable with the word "thankful"...and I am so thankful to have seen the diamond desserts and the wheat fields waving...and that my children can someday see the beauty of the redwoods and all the other amazing things this land has to offer... This land was made for you and me...

I have be so lucky to have seen Arlo (Woody Guthrie's son) a number of times and could listen to him sing forever...folk music speaks to the soul like non other!

Aloha Friday

Aloha!

Isn't Friday a great day for making new friends? Head on over to Aloha Friday and join in on the fun!

The question for today was what do you have planned for the 4th of July? We are actually going to get to spend ours with family this year! What a treat! Fourth of July has always been a big deal in our house, big bbqs, fun desserts, outside games, friends and matching patriotic shirts! From the time DH and I first were married, we have always had some sort of matching shirts, either store bought or handmade. the first year we were married, we were almst late to the BBQ at my parent's housebecause DH was finishing up his spray painted flag shirt! At the time I thought he was crazy but it turned out to be one of my favorite shirts! lol This year the girls and I are trying something new...tutorial and pictures to follow!

My question for you....what is your family tradition for the 4th of July holiday?

One last hunt

The day started off with a feeling of blah...I wasn't as ready for Easter as I had hoped to be and didn't even have the eggs stuffed yet! I just knew our last Easter in our house was going to be a bust but I was too tired to do anything about it!

We spent the morning loading up another trailer of our household goods to our storage unit before getting to the festivities of the day but once we go in the groove of it, the day actually turned out quite lovely (but still so tiring! lol)

I had joined a swap for Easter goodies thru Bitsofgoodness and I had been stashing a few little goodies from the share table at school to hide about the house with clues in the eggs. The girls could hardly wait to find out what was in their eggs so Daddy took them out back and hide them as if egg hiding was a sport! lol A few were even hidden too good and had to be scouted for by Mom and Dad!

I am really trying to take everything in during this busy time, and to slow down in the moments when I can...I love the quiet memories we make when the rest of our lives seem to be going by so fast...next big events are the birthdays...where does the time go?