Valentines 2015

The day before Valentines we made our decorations. Last year we hung paper hearts on the wall, this year I have other things hanging in that spot, but Drew still wanted to cut out paper hearts and decorate with them. So I thought about hanging them from the ceiling... then thought what about a heart mobile or chandelier... which led to the idea of using embroidery hoops, ribbons and paper hearts, which led to this adorableness :) A very in-expensive project (embroidery hoops are a dollar something each) and it can be customized for anything... you could make a mobile for a nursery, other holidays, change the colors or shapes you hang from it and it can be used as a cute addition to just about any party. We just hung it from the ceiling using scotch tape because it's so light weight. The boys had so much fun helping to make this too :) 

 We had a tea party lunch this year. I love the idea of a high-tea, and my three tiered stand was perfect for the occasion :)

One story about our day... Drew remembered that in years passed I have gotten them all heart balloons. About two weeks ago he started talking about heart balloons every day. And when he gets excited about something he starts drawing it and cutting it out and carrying the drawings around with him everywhere. Thousands of little heart balloons have been drawn with great care, cut out just so, taped back together if he accidentally snipped into it while cutting, sat on his bed side table at night so they could be near him while he was sleeping, carried in his backpack to school, taken to his grandparents to show them... he made one for everyone in the family and wrote their names on the back, he cut out big ones and small ones and some with short strings and some with long strings... the heart balloons were driving me mad, because they were all over the floor, the counters, the buffet, the table... but it was adorable so I tried not to get annoyed. ;) Then finally, Valentines was here, I made a special trip to the store to get our lunch supplies and pick up three balloons for my boys. When we had been at the store the previous week Drew saw that there was one heart balloon that was bigger than all the rest and said that was the one he wanted. I told him I was probably going to get him a normal sized balloon, but then when I went to get them I decided to surprise him with the biggest one. He was ecstatic. He ran all around the house with it, and pointed out all the sharp corners to Isaiah and advised him to be careful lest his balloon touch a sharp corner and be popped... Then while Drew was upstairs playing with his balloon, and I was in the kitchen making our lunch, all of the sudden there was a loud POP. And then there was Drew, walking slowly down the stairs, his lip quivering, his balloon dragging on the ground, and then came the torrent of tears as he begged me to go back to the store to get him another one and I told him I couldn't do that. Isaiah made me so proud, because as soon as it happened he told Drew that he could have his balloon. And then Drew made me so proud too, because I took him to his room, held him, and gently explained to him that he could let the popped balloon ruin his day or he could think of all the other good things that were happening and that he could be thankful for and he could make the choice to be happy anyway. And although it took every ounce of his will-power, he stopped crying and he made the choice to be happy anyway. We got out tape and we taped his giant balloon to the wall (it looked much less sad that way than when it was lying on the floor in a shiny popped pile). And so that is the story of the giant heart decoration you see hanging on the wall behind them. 

Our menu: 

fruit cup (watermelon, strawberries, raspberries and red grapes)

Sweet bologna & cheese rolls

Pretzels with strawberry cream cheese

chips

Hot tea

It was ADORABLE watching my boys drink hot tea for the first time. I got out my china tea cups, taught them how to let the tea bag steep, we used tiny cream pitchers and sugar bowls, they stirred so carefully and they sipped so cutely. The elephant cream pitcher was Drew's favorite and the photo below is my favorite. 

Jaden didn't get his own china tea cup this time, but he happily stuffed his face with fruit and pretzels and cream cheese and generally just made a pink and red mess. :) 

Everybody Sipping :) 

I love my boys so much, so thankful that even though I don't have girls we can still have a tea party :) I hope they are romantic men to their wives some day and know how to always make her feel special and celebrate love. :) 

The moose head was their valentines gift from us, Drew has been asking for a moose head to hang on the wall for awhile and was thrilled with that surprise. :) 

That night we had a candle light dinner of roast chicken with carrots//potatoes//onions and green beans and apple sauce. We used heart plates which were super special to the boys and easier clean up for me. Win-win. The pretty roses on the table were delivered in the afternoon from my dad :) 

I love celebrating love. After all that celebrating as a family Shaun and I put the boys to bed early and had our own Valentines celebration. It was such a beautiful Saturday together, making life at home special and memorable. 

xoxo

Christmas House 2014

This year things stayed pretty simple here for Christmas. Simple but cozy, with natural greens, furs, and metallics mixed in. I used lots of boxwood decorations in for my sister's bridal shower, and I just re-used them as Christmas decor then too. I don't have photos of the outside this year, but if you were coming to our front door you'd see gold ornaments hanging in our red berry tree, garland and lights on the lamp post, a white light reindeer on the lawn (he is drew's favorite) more garland and lights on the porch railing, and more gold ornaments in a cluster hanging from a shepherd's hook. From outside you come into the living room. And that's where I'll start. :)

You can read the story of the "all is calm" sign here. 

The living room mantle. I like to keep it simple and symmetrical these days. I had this old, collapsible ruler I found in Shaun's great-aunt's garage when we were cleaning it out a few years ago. I was showing Drew how it worked just before Thanksgiving when I realized I could shape it into the star of David. Thus this Christmas decoration came to be. :) A few pillar candles and a tin pail of boxwood on either side. 

My mom gave me this adorable little jar with the vintage car and Christmas tree on top from my favorite shop- Fresh Vintage by Amy. It's on the mantle now too since I took those previous pictures. 

On top of our tv cabinet is our nativity. This is the first year I've had a barn for it. This one was made by my Poppop, and is so special to me. Besides the lights in the nativity there are white lights hanging inside the window as well and the living room is so cozy at night :) 

This leather recliner was given to us by our neighbors the week of Thanksgiving... they were getting a new recliner and asked if we wanted this one. So blessed. 

Cable knit pillow covers... I have an old sweater I am going to make into another pillowcase. I had intentions of doing so before Christmas, but it might just have to wait until after. 

More fur. And nuts. I'm looking for a cool old silver nutcracker. Those things take time :) 

Mr. Bearskin rug. He never looks smooth on the floor like this for long... He was one of the boys Christmas gifts from my parents last year and he is often draped over top of one of the boys when they pretend that they are a bear... :) 

My favorite cute little pointsettia pillow from my sister-in-law in our little kid chair :) 

Moving down the hallway... I couldn't find my wire card holder that I usually hang for the holidays, so I just started using some black and white polka dot tape to hang them around this baby boxwood wreath on our basement door. I love it :) 

This is our first year having mistletoe hanging in the hall! Drew often stands under it and looks up and says "mommy! look where I'm standing!" And waits for me to come kiss him :) :) 

And into the kitchen/dining room. Table top. Those little tea lights are now in tiny mercury glass cups from pottery barn but I didn't take an updated phot. :) 

The buffet is my favorite, but it's hard to get a good photo of it because it's in a tight space. These really don't do it justice. But there is a boxwood garland wrapped in white lights, tiny tree hung with bronze mercury glass ornaments, my vintage silver tea service that my dad got me from a flea market when I was in middle school (I couldn't find it though until this year on thanksgiving night I found it in a box in their basement! I was so excited!) tin reindeer ornament, our Christmas card, mirror I made from an old window frame, target wreath, woodwick candle... 

And just added into the decor since my sister's wedding are all these beautiful white flowers!! hydrangeas, roses, peonies... so gorgeous. 

Now, if you turn and go back through the basement door that's hung with all the Christmas cards and down into our family room you'll find the heart of Christmas... Our stockings and Christmas tree. 

I love our tree so much. It is not a themed tree. It is not done in all white lights (as is my preference). It is not even a real tree (also my preference). But it is hung with memories, ornaments from my Mommom and Poppop's first Christmas in the 50's. decorated by all of us, and it is so beautiful to me! I love it more than ever this year.

I let each boy choose an ornament each year, or I pick one for them that represents something that happened that year. This year Isaiah picked rudolph. 

Jaden got a baseball, because "ball-ball" is one of his first and most used words. (Now to keep him from grabbing the ball-ball off the tree and throwing it...) 

And Drew got a backpack because he started pre-school this year. 

There are a few more decorations in Drew and Saiah's room... their charlie brown tree, the snow globes we made last year, a tiny nativity, and a bucket of throw-able "snow balls"... but I didn't take photos of those this year. I loved last years decorations, the homemade wreath I hung from the ceiling and all the fresh greenery I added everywhere, but this year between work and my sister's wedding I didn't quite have the time for those extra things. The house feels cozy and Christmas-y just the same though, and I feel at rest and content. :) 

This year, especially the fall, has been crazy in a good way. And even though the busy-ness doesn't subside in the up-coming days, I'm looking forward to quieting my heart. I love to think of the moon shining down on a darkened stable, middle of the night, a birth story maybe similar to many of our own, Mary bringing a crying baby boy into the world, holding him to her chest in wonder... what does it feel like to hold the infant Son of God? I get chills down my arms just thinking of it. I want to hang on to those tingling feelings of amazement as I celebrate my Savior, making himself vulnerable, making himself human, coming to us as one of us in order to know us and relate to us and form an even closer and stronger relationship. Ultimately coming to lay His life down for us. I wonder if Mary knew just what would happen to her tiny baby one day. I wonder if she cried for the future she knew would come to Him. I will never stop loving Him. Thank you Jesus for what you did. 

(Just in case you want to see two years ago's Christmas house, here's the link to that too.)