(the $90 rainbow gumball garland for $6)

Now if I could just prop my laptop up in my chalkboard fireplace, I would be good to go! Seriously, this is great ambiance, and after the initial ad, it runs commercial free with beautiful piano music for an hour. The kids love it.



For advent today we made a tree for the birds:

It looks pretty forlorn but it was definitely fun to do and we put it outside on the birdfeeder.

 The kids and I decorated the tree today while Eli was napping.

The tree will provide some unique training opportunities for him.

He drools profusely while he stands and looks at it. 

You almost feel bad for saying "no, Eli, no, just look, don't touch."

Cambria did a "show" for us tonight with her nativity story felts.

 Eli got to "drive" while Daniel was picking up pizza. Ear to ear grin.

I choose a different decor/color theme each year for the Christmas season.  This year my inspirating was this page out of the Land of Nod catalog:

These gumball garlands are a bit out of my price range though:  I checked tonight and they are actually on sale for $25/11 feet.

We bought 2 $3 packages of pompoms at Walmart and strung them on thread today.

I am beyond thrilled with how it turned out.  Super super easy and exactly like the Land of Nod garland.  I estimate that we made $90 worth of garland for $6.  I'm happy with that.  {So is Daniel.}

(24 days before christmas)

The other night I waited for Daniel to get home and escaped to Wal-Mart at 10:00pm to buy little odds and ends like toilet paper and conditioner and trash bags.

It was November 29. 

I thought I'd go browse in the Christmas card aisle to see if there were any I liked.

Umm. . . Hayley-come-lately. 

They were so picked over that I instantly knelt to the floor and started setting out every single 'inspirational' and black&whitish looking box I could find.  Obviously November 29th is way too late to buy cards. 

I quickly gave up on finding enough boxes to match and instead chose a theme.  (Besides, the Smith's don't know which card we sent the Jones family.)

On my way out of the Christmas emporium I checked for white lights. 

There were three boxes left.  I threw all of them in my cart and once again puzzled over why. . . why. . . why we have to rush things.

On my way out I noticed two forlorn wreaths dangling on the outdoor displays;  it seemed sad to me to see Christmas well on it's way to being sold out before I even had the kids' advent calendar up. 

And speaking of advent calendars. . .

I highly recommend them.

So fun.

In the tradition of Madeleine L'Engle's The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas, we do one Christmas activity each day leading up to Christmas.  The advent calender we do includes little slips of paper with the activities written on them. I use little paper favor bags found in the wedding section of the Dollar Tree and paper clip them to a wide ribbon that I have glued to our chalkboard wall.  So far Eli hasn't noticed the bags.  We'll see how it works this year.


Here's some of our favorites:

ceremonially unpack all of the christmas bins from the attic

check out raid christmas books at library

drive around looking at christmas lights while drinking hot cocoa

gingerbread houses

gingerbread house for birds

make gumdrop wreath

christmas caroling

sugar cookies

decorate-your-own-room with a string of lights

christmas puzzle night

get tree with Daddy + enchiladas

live nativity

christmas party with little friends (come dressed as someone from the Christmas story)

read Luke 2

help with mailing Christmas cards

wrapping party

decorate tree

buy christmas candy (this is a special trip)

hang stockings

set up small nativity scene -recycling my many willow trees :)

birthday cakes for Jesus

listen to the Messiah

and speaking of listening to the Messiah, last night we did and it was so great.  I love love love when a small town pulls together so much talent and shares with the community.  It was so beautiful to sit and listen and just let the words wash over. . .

Every valley shall be exalted

His yoke is easy, His burden is light

The government shall be upon His shoulders

And He shall reign for ever and ever.

The kids loved it;  I'd informed Jacob earlier in the week about the tradition that King George started when he first attended Handel's Messiah, so when everyone stood for the Hallelujah Chorus he was tickled to death and history came alive. 

This is after we got home-- we totally got the giggles trying to take our self portrait commemorating our evening.  (Self portraits just aren't my strong point.)

Anyway, while I'm just a little proud of myself for getting my advent calendar up on December 1 (that is a first, folks) I don't have my activity slips all included so I'm off to do my mommy duty. 

What are your favorite Christmas traditions?? 

February Thoughts

 So I made a coffee filter wreath.  It was really easy; basically just poking coffee filters into a foam wreath with the end of a small paint brush.  I used a whole package of 4 cup size filters (accidentally bought by me. . . . who in the world would bother making only 4 cups of coffee?).

 It's cute if I have the front door open. . .

but since we can see through our glass door I should have put more filters on the back so that you don't see the green foam.  I should do that soon.  Someday.  Before I take the wreath down.  Time, time, where art thou? 

Looking at the above pictures make me want to change the paint color in our living room.  I've been toying with the grey idea.  And the next minute I feel exhausted by the idea of painting and decide that tan is fine.  Sometimes I wonder where the girl who loved to flip houses went.  (Maybe she is turning thirty?!) 

You can also see that window on the wall; it's from my mom and dad's farmhouse.  I'm in the middle of wiping off the Christmas song my mom wrote on it, mulling over what I should write on next.  Thinking about this quote:

I will confess

I do not see Who I believe

but I have a choice to make

and I choose to believe

until someday I shall see

(taken from Little Mama's blog)

And then, of course, my Eli. . . oh such joy he is. So many rolls!  Squishing him is. . . like dessert.

 "Hi, Mamma. . . I do believe I've outgrown these 0-3 month onesies."

(could he be any more bald?)

 Game invented by JD & Cambria:  Eli - Eli - O (to the tune of Old MacDonald)

 Oh the endless entertainment of having a sister who does your own personal puppet shows.



"Oh, no.  Seems like I got too many friends!"  (that caption courtesy of JD)

 This little hat (I bought it from this Etsy shop for $12) just never gets old.  I think it's the cutest baby thing I've ever bought.

 I'm in the middle of this book right now. . . so thankful that God gives me grace; how often I fall short in giving grace to my children.  This has been a refreshing read for me.  Many parenting books leave me overwhelmed with "things to do" and "ground I've lost."  Dr. Kimmel's approach is hopeful and uplifting.  I love how he applies this passage on grace to parenting.  I've never read Titus 2:11-14 through "mommy lenses" but I'm glad I have now!

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and teaches

us to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God

and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from

all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are His very own,

eager to do what is good.

Underneath the busy and the crazy, I struggle to find the balance between life and actually living,

between being married and having a marriage,

between housekeeping and making a home,

the balance between caring for my children and loving my man.

(If I ever find the secret, I'll be sure to pass it on.)



white light love x 2

I bought these white lights on white string to copy an Ikea white light wire wreath, which I planned to hang on our pseudo-headboard.  But I haven't gotten that far, and I actually like it the way it is. 

I could keep up these white light posts for a verrrrry long time! 

white light love

It's a cold snowy day and I am finally taking down our Christmas tree.

I so miss the glow of the white lights in the living room, though, and Gabe's big tissue flowers. . .  so in they went to the top of the laundry cupboards.

Looking at this photo, I am shocked at the drabness of our bathroom wall color.  Huh.  That may change soon.

Few things make me happier than white lights!

shelf makeover

I found this shelf. . .

somewhere. . .

on some street.

{. . .being thrown away. . .}

I painted it and put it on top of an antiqued dresser rescued from Daniel's grandpa.

{It was in his garage. . . being thrown away. . .}

{Thrown away + rescued by me = free home decor.  Love it!}

It needed something on the back, so I cut out fabric that I liked {at that time} and

glued the pieces to the back of the shelf.

It was okay.

Kind of vanilla.

My attention span with my house really lasts about three months per project, so I'm surprised

that the vanilla roses have been here for two years.

Goodbye vanilla roses!!!

Loving my $2.99 wrapping paper {Hallmark} makeover!

24 Days before Christmas

. . . well, actually, its more like 13 or 14 days before Christmas. . .

I put up our advent calendar last night . . . er, this morning, at 2 am. . .

This is my very cheap spin on the advent calendar on Infarrantly Creative.  I went to Dollar Tree to buy the cute little buckets and realized I was going to spend about $10, which I don't mind, but these little white bags in packs of 12/$1 caught my eye.

Then, since I don't own one of those cool cricut machines, I sent a humble request to my friend Pam for numbers 1-24 in green and orange.  She was kind and made them for me. (Thanks, Pam! )

I (shhhhh) hot glued the green ribbon to my chalkboard wall.  I think when I take it down, there will be some sadness, i.e. chipped paint, but no worries, I have tons of chalkboard paint.  I pinned the bags up with green paper clips.

They are filled with little tags that say things like:

Make Peppermint Bark


Read Luke 1


Sing Away in the Manger


Play "hide the Christmas candy kiss"


Put a string of white lights up somewhere


Read a Christmas story


Put together Christmas puzzles


Look at Christmas lights with hot cocoa in Daddy's truck

Go to Fareway and pick out Brach's candy mix

and so on . . .and on. . . 

I'll be honest, I don't have them all filled.  I can think of what to put in there as we go along.  It's the right of the mommy in her mommy kingdom.

And I've always wanted to try this idea. . .

. . .sorting clothing into outfits for each day of the week.  I don't know if it will work, but at least it looks really cute!

I am such a conundrum of beautiful design and absolute chaos. 

Really?  Advent Calendar on the 11th of December at 2 am?

Please, tell me I'm not alone.