Christmas in the Kids Rooms

I've seen some people go as far as the bathroom and maybe kitchens for Christmas decor. Not, me. If you haven't noticed, I love Christmas so it goes in EVERY room in the house. That's probably why it takes me several days of several hours to finish decorating for this holiday.

For E.'s room, I changed out the roman shades from khaki to red. It adds a little Christmas spirit to the walls and he absolutely loves the color change.

Next, we need Christmas sheets, right? After all, you have to be getting some Christmas cheer while you sleep too. I asked E. which Christmas sheets he liked and instead of examining the different patterns. He took it one step further, by rubbing the sheets to his cheek. After deciding which sheets were the softest to his skin, he chose this set.

I also change out the comforter to match. I decided upon this red velor quilted one.

R. gets to decide upon his sheets as well. Despite the fact that he has his own room, he enjoys sleeping in E.'s room. He decides upon little penguins. So cute!

Of course, a room in my house would not be complete without a Christmas tree.

Am I crazy? The kids absolutely love having their own tree in their room. Price tag for this 6 footer was $1.99 at Target's 90% off sale a few years back.

Since the tree is in E.'s room, it must of course follow his Super Mario theme, right? I found these ornaments on ebay direct from China for only $10. There are so many ornaments on their tree, I had to tell them to stop. I must say, it makes me giggle every time I see it though because it reminds me of how excited they are to decorate their tree exactly how they want.

Time for Christmas Decor

My all time favorite holiday would be Christmas. I love the smells of Cinnamon around the house. I love driving home and seeing my house lit up with Christmas lights. I love sitting on the sofa with a hot drink just staring at the lit Christmas tree and remembering great memories.

Every year, I am "the" decorator of Christmas. If my husband had anything to say, he would be happy with a simple tree. Of course, that isn't me. So each year, I climb our attic and haul down our decor. Here is just a fraction of what I have accumulated in the last two decades.

We have a tree downstairs for looks and the kids have a tree upstairs in their playroom which belongs to them. Each year, they choose the ornaments that go on it and they do a pretty good job. Of course, there are heavy spots near the bottom (whatever they can reach), but I love this imperfect tree. It is always colorful, always fun, and definitely all about them.

The kids tree has 365 unique cut out snowflakes. Years ago, I bought a desk calendar that was about paper cutting. At the end of the year, I had a box full of these snowflakes which I thought would be perfect for the kids tree.

Imperfectly unique and I love it. Do you do anything traditional with the kids?

Wedding Bouquets - Making them yourself

Back in highschool, I used to watch Martha Stewart's show religiously. I remember recording the wedding episodes on my VCR so that I wouldn't miss anything. Yes, it was back in the day where TIVOs and DVRs didn't exist. She taught me that making wedding bouquets were a piece of cake and since then, I have been making them for every wedding I have been a part of.

Half a dozen weddings later, it was my turn to use my skills for my sister's wedding. We went to a local warehouse to pick up some fresh flowers. We talked to the "flower lady" and got the freshest ones (they were secretly stored in a nearby freezer, not on the floor).

Once I got home, I placed all the flowers into a bucket of water just to see what all was there. I then stripped the leaves and cleaned the stems of the flowers I wanted in the bouquet.

I arranged them and cut off the end so that all the stems would be the same length. I then wrapped the stems with a ribbon.

I like leaving the end of the bouquet unwrapped so that I can leave it in water all evening and during the day when the bouquet isn't used, lengthening the life of the bouquet.

At the end of the ribbon, fold the ribbon under and pin with a pearl needle for a clean look.

A simple, yet elegant bouquet in a matter of minutes at a fraction of the cost.

I don't think that I could ever buy a bouquet ever again. We made a lot of flower arrangements with the left over flowers.

For the bridal bouquet, she chose a combination of Hydrangeas and Eucalyptus. I loved how it turned out.

Not a bad bouquet for under $15? Nearly a week later, the bouquets are still blooming.

Bridal Portraits

My sister finally tied the knot this past weekend. Before doing so, she asked me to take her bridal portraits and I was happy to oblige. Here is my beautiful sister striking a pose. We drove down to a nearby park and snapped away.

I simply love how they turned out.

Thankful Teacher Cookies

Last year, I read this cookie idea from Laurel on Ducks in a Row and it was such a big hit, I decided to do it again this year.

E. had Pioneer day, so dressed as an Indian, he handed out these grateful cookies to all of his teachers.

Here he is in his Indian costume I made.

Last year, we cut out each turkey feather out of construction paper. It was a taping nightmare so this year, I decided to go ahead and draw a template on the computer to print out.

I baked my favorite cookie recipe, White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies.

After I cut out my turkeys I wrote, "I'm grateful you're my teacher!" on the turkey feathers.

I wrapped the cookies individually and taped it onto the turkey.

I added the turkey head and voila, a cookie turkey for the teacher!

After I made my template, E. was ready to make his very own for each and every teacher he knew.

Here are his cookies.

Thanks teachers for all that you do!

Now, aren't they simply adorable?