Dear blogging friends~

Please keep our family in your prayers as we struggle through this Christmas season.  Yesterday my husband's dear brother was killed in a work accident.  Our hearts are broken and we miss him dearly.

Thank you~

Oh Christmas Tree~Oh Christmas Tree~

I  have to say I love our tree.  We have always had artificial trees because hubby prefers them and we wouldn't know where to begin with a real tree.  A few years back we had a somewhat small, disproportionate Christmas tree that I really did not like.  It was fairly new but when we purchased it it looked better in the store.  

We walked into Walmart one day and I saw a tree that made my heart leap.  I fell in love with it at once and just knew I wanted one like it.  I asked hubby if we could buy that tree.  His response, "Why?  Our tree is perfectly fine." 

How could I make him understand that our tree was a sad tree and this one was a happy tree.  I told him I loved that tree.  His response, "Good, remember that when we buy our next one."  but I wanted it now.  I loved it.  It was so full and looked like a real tree.  Ours screamed fake.  (Now mind you I am always so frugal so I wasn't at all surprised when he wasn't giving in.  He wasn't being heartless, he knew our goal was to pay down debt because I would be quitting my job to homeschool.)

For some reason I couldn't get that tree out of my mind.  While we were shopping I posed another question.  The tree's original price was a little over $100 and I asked him if I could buy it on clearance after Christmas.  He says, "For how much?"

Me~"$50"

Him~"No"

Me~"Ok, $20"

Him~"Sure, if you find that tree on clearance for $20 you can have it."

I tried to put it out of my mind but it was hard.  The day after Christmas I walked into Walmart and it was marked 50% off.  It was too soon.  About two weeks after Christmas we went again and I thought they would be all out by then.  I was a little sad because I really wanted it but I had been so busy with work I didn't have a chance to get there sooner.  We walked into the garden/seasonal section and the first thing we saw was our tree with a big yellow clearance sign marked $20.  My heart jumped.  He really couldn't believe it.  That tree came home with us that day.

Here it is.  It looks a bit bigger in our small room but I do love it.  Hubby likes to say I didn't buy a tree I bought the forest.  I think he over exaggerates. LOL~The angel also came home with us that day.  It was on clearance for about $2.  I love her, too.

And when you can't have a real tree you can always burn this in the room and it smells just like a real tree.

And the winner is....

Last night I wrote out all the names of the wonderful bloggers who entered my ornament giveaway.  All the names went into a hat-not just any hat but a Santa hat.  

My little elf assistant (dear son) came to help.  Isn't he cute!!

Of course, we homeschool and by night time the couch, along with the rest of this room, is in a shambles.  Excuse the mess and look at those cute dimples.  He dares not peek as he pulls out a name.

And the winner is...

Alessandra from Just Be Happy!!!

Congratulations Alessandra!!!!  Thank you all for visiting and entering the giveaway.  I wish all of you could have won.  I am so bad at this because then I want to send some to everyone who entered. LOL~ It's been fun "meeting" new people and visiting your blogs. 

Christmas Tour of My Home

Welcome to our home!!

~Ornament wreath~

The Nester is hosting the Christmas Tour of Homes 2009.  The link list is almost endless there and I may need to sit here until Christmas to visit all the sites but I thought it would be fun to join in.

 The angel that sits on top our tree

Our tree

Joy blocks just completed yesterday

Our Creche and other Christmas things

Snowman building fun

The church I love from Jamie at Forest Frolic

Merry Christmas

Snowglobes

Our son's Nutcracker collection~they are not my favorites but he loves them and has been collecting them for quite a few years.  He will have quite a collection for his home someday.

More...

My favorite of all his nutcrackers

My favorite bell

Fireplace with sentry nutcracker guards

My mini tree with vintage ornaments

A Little Sale

Five pack Snowflake Ornaments

~round ornaments~

$24 plus $7 s/h

Four Pack Snowflake Ornaments

~teardrop shape~

$24 plus $7 s/h

Please request the color ribbon you would like and the 5 pack of round ornaments or the 4 pack of teardrop ornaments.  Also would you prefer the ornaments tied with ribbon bows at the top or the ribbon confetti ties (pictured in the teardrop sample).

'Tis the Season Giveaway

I love to spend time creating.  Crochet is one of my favorite things.  There are so many possibilities when you pick up that thread and hook.  

I wanted to share with you some of the fun things I have been creating and host a giveaway for all the wonderfully creative and fun ladies in blog land.  Your blogs inspire me daily.  I can get lost perusing the pages of all the wonderful blogs.    

The ornaments below are made by little ole me.  Each ornament is filled with faux snow and a mini-snowflake ornament that I hand crocheted.  

I would like to give away this set of five ornaments.

To enter just leave me a comment below for one entry.  For a second chance to win blog about this on your blog.  Send your friends over.  The more the merrier.

This is a close-up of one of the ornaments in the giveaway set. 

This is another set I made.  I love the ribbon confetti on top and the gorgeous shape. (Don't know why blog insists on flipping my pictures.)

It looks so beautiful on the tree.  

These ornaments are also available for purchase.  The round ornaments come in a set of five.  The cost is $24 plus $7 s&h.  If you are interested you can email me through my profile.  You can specify if you would like bows on your ornaments or the ribbon confetti ties.  You can also choose what color ribbons you would like added to the ornaments.  I can have them completed and shipped in 3 days.  

The giveaway will end on Wednesday, December 16.  I will choose a winner and have them in the mail by Friday the 18th so you can receive them in time to enjoy them for Christmas.

Don't forget to pass the word along!!

~Thanks~

Great Finds

Sunday we visited a small town nearby.  It is filled with antique shops, country stores and our favorite: Brown & Hopkins Country Store.  It has been in business for over 200 years and you can still buy penny candy.  It is a filled to the rafters with so many great things.  Once the kids had their bags loaded with penny candy we headed to do some shopping about town.  It is the quintessential town with a fabulous Main Street that seems like it's been fixed in a bygone time.

I found these cute little ornaments in my favorite colors.

I also picked up these little caroling books.

I saw these ornaments in many of the antique stores but my treasure is far better.  I found them at a thrift store and the price was right.  They were only $1.99 and the antique stores had them in the same boxes for $10-$20.

I have been working on the centerpiece for our table.  This is what I tried first but really didn't like how it came out or how it seemed to clashed in the room.  I quickly took it apart and started to think.

I decided to use the berry garland I had left over from my swags with some greenery.  This is the final product.  I like it much better and it seems to blend with the room.

This weekend I am hoping we can visit a Winter Wonderland they are hosting at a local park.  It is supposed to rain/snow mix so I don't know if we'll make it but I am hoping.  It looks and sounds spectacular.

Enjoy your weekend!!

Out With the Old~In With the New

My Christmas swags were made a few years  back and were starting to show their age.  They weren't the style that I enjoyed any longer.  At that time I had filled them with floral picks and a gold edged ribbon.  I like them then but have outgrown them.  I went shopping to find new swags for the archways in our living and dining room.  The ones that I loved were completely out of my price range.  So I came home empty handed and thinking about what I should do.  I decided to redo them.  I set to work on dismantling the swags.

Here is the before (please disregard the very ugly basement floor).  

Before close up.

I got together some things I would need.  These wire cutters come in very handy.

I used this ribbon that I purchased last year after Christmas on clearance.

These little beads were being thrown out by someone I know and I rescued them.

This berry garland also saved from being thrown out.

I purchased this beaded garland at Michaels.  It was on clearance. 

I laid everything out on my kitchen floor and set to work on the swags.  I laid the beaded garland over the greenery.  Wrapped the ribbon around and under.  I filled in some spots with the beads and berry garland and here is the completed garlands.

This is the living room garland.  Click on the picture for a better look.

This is the dining room garland.  (Disregard ugly kitchen wallpaper and tile-the kitchen needs a makeover)

I am thrilled with my new garlands.  They look much better than the pictures I have taken.  This is my favorite Christmas redo.