Our Family Tree

Be still my heart!

I have been looking for over a year for an artful way to display our family tree.

I was just about to make one myself, but then I came across this one here.

I contemplated being a massive copy-cat and making my own version, but this was definitely one time that I wanted the ORIGINAL.

It arrived just minutes ago and I am crying joyful tears.

It is so well done, attached to high quality textured matt board.

 I love how Shawn and I's initials are 'carved' into the trunk,

with the first and middle initials of each of our sweet babes below.

 

So now it sits leaned against the wall...
cause we still don't have our art shelves up in the family room.
Now I have added incentive to poke, prod, nag, gently nudge my sweet hubby to get the shelves done!

Welcome

You've made it to the end, congratulations... snicker!

Thank you for your patience while I have documented our 2009 Christmas goodies.

I love to include these in my annual blog book, fun to look back on the way my decor evolves.

Last year we started a new tradition of getting a live tree for the entry.

Frasier Firs are my fave, love everything about them!

My sisters, sils, and I decorated a tree for our Stake Christmas Festival this year, we were asked to do a 'nature theme'.

I had already decided to do this entry tree nature inspired, so now that the festival is over, I have regained those items and this tree is finally done.

 My tree stand is a BEAST, so I came up with this idea... I put the stand and all into this huge bucket.

I love the fact that the tree is lifted higher off the ground, and easier to refill stand with water too!

 

A few of my new favorite ornaments.

 Savannah has several nests that she has found around our property, I just had to include them.

She contemplated making me sign a waiver to use them, but she decided to bite her lip and trust me, thata girl!

 

 

I love poinsettas, they are so Dramatic!

This bright green could not make me happier, truly!

And these fellas have resided on my front porch every Christmas since I made them several years ago.

dOne, DonE, doNe... whew!

Christmas Decor Tour Continues

A little back info...

There were 2 things I knew the moment I saw our houseplan, 12 years ago:

1.  The formal dining room on the plan, would actually be a TV room, cause we aren't the formal dining room type of family, &

2.  The study, aka classroom, would be the room we would gather in on Christmas Eve to read from the Bible and make s'mores in the real fireplace, then gather again on Christmas Morning next to the fire to open presents.

YEP, I visualized this room all those years ago... where the tree would go, etc!

And so here we are, 2 years after the build out... and the classroom is no longer the junk room.

It actually has office furniture and chairs, I will give the tour of the new decor after the first of next year when all the little touches are complete.

For now, here are photos (many photos, please forgive) of my dreams come true!

Year round, the mantle will have a 'time' theme.  I love clocks and hourglasses, etc, so this clock face is a permanent feature but I think it looks great with the Holiday pieces too.

I just can't contain my giggles over our new 'stockings'.

This is actually the second attempt at this cuteness.

The first buckets I used burlap, love burlap, but it taunts me... I find it so hard to craft with, instead I just wrapped a bundle of it around the base of the tree as my tree skirt.

So this second attempt I used linen (massive addiction of mine) and I painted the names on the linen using my favorite font.

Ahhhhh, that was the look I wanted!!

I found the perfect PRELIT skinny tree for this corner.

I did not have a 'jiblet' tree last year.

I missed our Jiblet tree, you know... the tree that is dripping with every ornament you have ever owned as a family.  The macaroni reindeer, the handprint snowmen, the beaded candycanes.

I will never, ever, ever, shun the jiblet tree again.

PS - I must add that I placed our garland (my favorite made by my mom) and the star on top...

then turned the tree over to the kids and they placed every last ornament.

I wept, they did it beautifully, truly... I have not moved a thing!!

I must document our newest addition of ornaments this year,

a cow, sheep, and pigs.

Funny thing is , we don't own a cow, sheep, or pig... but I could not find a horse, donkey, chicken or goat at the 50% off ornament sale at Hobby Lobby.

Farm Animals nonetheless, snort!

And last but not least,

my favorite view...

our Jiblet tree lit up at night.

Bear with me, only one last post upcoming on the Christmas Decor Tour...

the front porch and the entry.

I {heart} silhouettes

I knew I wanted to include a silhouette in my Christmas Decor this year.

And here he is!!

I wrapped a canvas with green linen and then painted this fella... off to bed so the 3 Wise Men can arrive.

Had to have these skis... a wink to my Utah boy.

 

I still, several years later, love my 'berqerk' tree.  This year the only adornments are German Stars.

 I hope to one year have bagillions of these stars to cover a huge tree.  They are made of quilling paper and spin and twirl with the slightest breeze, gorgeous.  It takes me forever to make just one, I'm no star making wiz, for sure!

 

I'm thrilled with my candlesticks.

I got each one at different times, for cheap CHEAP!  Some are metal, some wood, all originally different colors and metallics.

No problem though...

I just spray painted them all a deep dark brown and they are amazing.

I spent a total of $23 for all of these candlsticks!

 

My family room is ready for merry making.

I have the twig wreaths on all my windows in this room and the kitchen.

Coming up next,

photos of the classroom, it is no longer the official... 'junk room', it actually functions now, whoohoo!

Beautiful in White

The truth has been written

Ty wrote this little note for Shawn.... it made me cry.

Times like these I wish my camera could take clearer close up shots, but I wanted to document this beautiful truth... realized, then written, by our precious 7 year old son.

I too agree,

Dad + Mom =  Happy!

Feelings of Gratitude

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Our sil, Alisha, was delirious gracious enough to ,once again, invite 40+ friends and family over for great food, socializing, kids running amuck, football watching, and the ever present food comas.  We love it!

Ty made this Turkey in art class.  He was to make it out of found objects.  The noodle eyes crack me up.

I have found myself having incredible crushes on my hubby lately :).  Just adore my guy!  I wanted to take a moment and list some of the things I am thankful for about him... this is by no means an exhaustive list, but what has been on my mind most recently...

Thankful Shawn is:

- a neat freak,
- addicted to checking phone messages, because I never check them,
- loves dentistry and is such a great dr.
- never grouchy unless he is hungry or tired,
- a lover of little children, comes in handy with so many nieces and nephews,
- so protective of me, but I wish he would let me have my own chainsaw,
- a fun dad,
- easily readable... laughs out loud, shows emotion when touched by the Spirit, etc,
- the kids homeschool math teacher, wink,
- an outdoorsman,
- extremely outgoing,
- a geek and jock all rolled in one,
- so handsome, love his freckles, love that he can look neat even when covered in head to toe mud,
- incapable of laziness,
- crazy about his little girl and thinks it is cool that she is a tomboy,
- in awe of Christian's creativity and the many ways our oldest son is the polar opposite of him,
- able to see himself in Ty

AND the #1 thing I am most thankful for about Shawn is that he knows my faults better than anyone else and chooses to love me anyway!!!