Christmas in Europe

EEEKKK!!!! I'm so excited for this upcoming trip in the middle of December….we are going to be spending 10 days in Europe for Christmas.  I've always wanted to see the Christmas markets in Germany so we will be flying into Germany on the 17th and making our way by train to Holland by Christmas Day to spend it with our family there.  We fly home around the 27th!

O' Christmas Tree

O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree

How loyal are your leaves/needles!

You're green not only

in the summertime,

No, also in winter when it snows.

O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree

How loyal are your leaves/needles!

Growing up we always had a real tree.  We would go usually around my birthday, the 16th, and hunt down the "perfect" tree or so I thought until a few weeks ago. LOL Once we found it my Dad would cut it and we'd haul it back home, stick it in a 5 gallon bucket with rocks and get to decorating.  We've had trees with ants, trees fallen over when we wake up, and debris everywhere but all those things never stuck with me.  All I remember is it being so fun going out as a family finding that "perfect" tree and just loving the holidays that much more.  Now 15+ years later after saying it for a good 5 years..."THIS YEAR WE ARE GETTING A REAL TREE".  We finally got a real tree!  

None of the junk from Lowe's or Home Depot...a REAL tree from the wild! The weekend after Thanksgiving we scouted around for trees on our land but they were all really mangy.  Holes in the branches, full sides missing and entire sections too, too tall, or too little.  I told Hendrik we always had "PERFECT" trees growing up. LOL I don't know what the problem is??? He said to ask my Mom how "perfect" they really were, maybe my childhood memories were betraying me LOL.  Yeah, well my Mom confirmed his thinking...they weren't perfect LOL.

On the way to Mt. Pleasant I saw the perfect tree on a tree line of some property that I just happened to know the owner.  I called them up and told them the whole story of me finding the perfect tree and if I could cut it down.  They told me to go for it!  That next Sunday Hendrik and I grabbed Case for the adventure since my brother and Lara were working.  

After we cut it and loaded it up I had Case take our picture and he did so good for a 3 year old but hey it is 2018. Then he had to have his picture and we were off towards the house. 

Once home we trimmed it up and got it in the stand then in the house.  Hendrik helped me string up my vintage bubble lights I purchased for my "perfect" real tree then he took Case back to my Moms for a nap.  I was left to decorate it and once I had drug out all the Christmas decor I was feeling pretty defeated.  The tree just wasn't what I had in my head.  It struck me as ugly especially after looking so perfect in the field.  I put a few decorations on it but I wanted a special look and most of my decorations didn't fit my plan so I made do and cleaned everything up feeling let down. 

Here is the finished product of the "perfect" tree.  

It took a few days for all of it's perfect imperfections to grow on me and I did feel really down and defeated.  Which now looking back is insane I mean it is a tree but I just had such a grand picture and memories in my head and I wanted my tree now to be all that I remembered PLUS more!!!

Now that I can reflect and fully appreciate this beauty I can see that like this tree life isn't perfect and with my Type A personality maybe I need to learn to love all of the imperfect things in life a bit more.  Maybe I should laugh at those things and wave them off a bit more.  Lesson learned tree, lesson learned.

Not all things in life are perfect and they certainly aren't all that my mind conjures up just like my PERFECT tree!  Merry Christmas

Christmas Fun with Case

Christmas through a child's eyes is wonderful and anything we do with Case is always more fun than doing it as just adults because everything to him is a learning experience.  Christmastime is no different.  

This year Case really understands more and more and one thing he loves, like most boys, are trucks, tractors, and all construction equipment.  When I saw this rechargeable kid size bulldozer I couldn't get checked out at Amazon fast enough.  Once it arrived and I put it together I also couldn't wait to give it to him.

He's not too sure on operating it yet because it is pretty powerful for a toy and has several levers that have to be pushed together to get it to go but he loves dumping and raising the blade.  He will get tons of use out of this for the next couple years...unless he wears his tracks out!

Hendrik's Dad has been wanting to take Case to The North Pole of Texas since the beginning of the month and it just so worked out the Thursday before Christmas I had him and we loaded up and went.  Hendrik, Henk, me, and Case stood in line for around 45 minutes and sipped hot chocolate as we made our way to the front for our train ride around the grounds. 

He never got impatient with the wait because there was so many people and so much to look at.  This place is so neat and if you're in the area during Christmas time should really swing by.  It's ran by donation only and just such a neat place for family time. The weather also worked in our favor, it was chilly but not cold so perfect to be outside.  

He LOVED the train ride and I loved watching him just soak it all in.  He's still not friendly with Santa or Mrs. Clause but was happy to take their candy. 

I'm thankful for family that I can make these special memories with and for my brother and Lara for allowing us to spoil Case and do with him as we please.  He has a GREAT life!!!!  Merry Christmas!

From My Home to Yours

Sweet Simple Treats

I don’t know if it’s everyone but I, for one, am the definition of broke

 when it comes to the holidays or really just ANY DAY! 

I still want to give a little gift and to me that easiest, cheapest, and most fun thing I can think of is making some little treats and packaging them for my family. 

After scouring the web here’s some that I’ve come up with!

  

 

Buckeys / hot chocolate in a jar/ sugar cookies/ kiss cookies

 

Do you do homemade gifts and treats?

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

I was dead set on getting a real tree to put up at Hendrik’s house this year.  I had this grand plan of us going to the tree farm (where I haven’t been in probably 20 years) and picking out the perfect tree, cutting it by hand, and even making a cute little ornament out of the stump. 

Well folks…as we know grand plans are made to be shattered and that’s pretty much what Hendrik did to my real tree dreams. LOL 

THIS YEAR ONLY! 

Right from the beginning he was not happy about getting a real tree mainly because of the hassle of doing it all and also he didn’t really want a tree at all but that’s for sure not going to happen.  After 3 days of us going back and forth and me being able to tell that he really was serious I gave in and just snagged a hand-me-down FREE tree from his mom. 

She doesn’t put up a big tree anymore and still had it on hand so she dug it out for me and I went to town decorating. 

I got all the stuff out of the boxes only to find that the bottom of the stand, which was plastic, was broken.  I had to wait a full day to put the tree because Hendrik had to make a stand. (a discarded disc blade and a piece of pipe)  After a late night stand building and a run to Wal-Mart for décor the next night I finally got the tree decorated. 

I’m pleased with it because I just love putting up trees and Hendrik is pleased because he’s SUPER proud of his stand and didn’t have to go to a tree farm.

 

burlap sack as tree skirt

on dining table

on coffee table

 

 

I wanted to go to Target and Hobby Lobby and get ornaments that were plaid and I was going to do a rustic, homey, yet classy tree in gold, green, and red.  It was late by the time we got around to going to eat so Target was out of the question and Wal-Mart didn’t have anything plaid but I was able to work with what they had. 

 

 

I love the way it turned out!  2014…TREE FARM HERE WE COME!

Wish Lists

I have been seeing tons of things that I wish my pocket book would allow me to buy mainly just frivolous things that I don't really need but are wants for my birthday (December), Christmas, or just because you love me! :)

~Realistic Wish List~



Tupperware you can never have enough

cardigans

Lowes gift card



tow package for my Jeep

 



work clothes from a revamped JCP

 



Erin Condren planner for 2014





 

New Fossil purse

 

Then there's things I'm just lusting after….

 

Things for Hendrik's house like....

 

 

~this rug from Garnet Hill for the living room~

 

 

 ~these Hillsdale Furniture barstools for the kitchen~

 

~This website shadesoflight.com ~

 

~and a whole new wardrobe from Target for me.  I love Target for all things but their new arrivals are killing me...and I'm not even a clothes shopper!!!~

 

Unrealistic Wish List

 

Travel to: 

• New Zealand
• Europe
• Back to the Middle East
• Outdoors trips to Big Bend, The Grand Canyon, N & S Carolina, DC, Tennessee, Canada
• EVERYWHERE

you know what they say...."you can wish in one hand and __________ in another"

 

Happy Hump Day

 

 

Christmas Crafts

I made my Christmas gifts again this year and although they weren't much I loved them and I think all the family and friends I gave them to did too! 

The first set of gifts were coffee mugs to all the coffee drinkers.  This was also the cheapest gift.  I bought white mugs from Wal-Mart for about $1 a piece and then two big packages of Sharpies in all colors.  I drew and colored in a mustache on each cup and on the opposite side I drew or wrote something unique to just that person. 

After my expert drawing LOL I baked the mugs at 350 for 30 minutes to seal the marker in.

Drop in a brown paper lunch sack and decorate with name tag and ribbon.  You now have a gift for under $5.

Some how I deleted or misplaced some of my pictures so this is the mustache side of one mug.

After I finished those little babies the rest of my Christmas presents consisted of glass and etching cream.

I don't have a picture of the ice blocks that I bought at Hobby Lobby, etched a design on the front, and filled with twinkle lights but they turned out really cute and everyone loved them.

For Caleb I etched a long mirror for him to hang over his bed in his bedroom.

I wasn't very good at taking pictures of my projects this year but they were really inexpensive, great gifts for anyone. 

Christmas Around the House

I have the house decorated for Christmas or as decorated as I get. 

This past weekend I also wrapped a few of my hand crafted gifts.  I'm about half done.  Instead of spending on wrapping paper I decided to go all out thrifty this year with brown paper sacks, handmade tags with leftover ribbon from other projects. 

I like them although Lincoln is still  a bit unsure. 

As I tell the rest of my family....

they need to quite doubting me...I have a vision and although they don't get it when I speak when I do it it all comes to life and they love it. 

LOL That sounded poetic.