Just Call Me Buddy

I don't usually look forward to Christmas. I like it ok, but it's a lots of work! The decorating, the gift buying, food, house cleaning for guests-it wears me out. Last year we took a break from the whole thing and went on vacation for Christmas. Santa filled the kids stockings in our hotel room, but we didn't put up a tree or many decorations at all. It was nice, but I guess I got my second wind because this year I feel like Will Ferrell in Elf. It's not even December yet and our house is lit up inside and out. There are gifts stashed, lists made, hot glue blisters and glitter stuck in my hair.
This is the current state of my living room (as I sit here typing). You may not be able to see the layer of glitter covering the floor, but I assure you it's there!

I wanted to have a spectacular mantle this year. I painted and glittered 4 wine bottles (FYI I didn't drink them, although my finished wreath may convince you otherwise). They were so fun and sparkly, that I guess I didn't want the project to end. And that's about where I lost my mind. Actually, according to our good friend and nanny, I lost it yesterday when I let my children put a lost dog in the car. What's another craft project littering up the house when there's a strange dog shedding in the back seat. (By the way, if I weren't already a person of faith, I would have become one real quick as I realized I had no idea whether or not the animal I was toting would get car sick! Prayer was my only lifeline) Anyway, I made these lovelies and decided the wreath above the mantle would not work at all with the wine bottles.  The old silver wreath was far too small for the space, and it lacked the pizzazz of the red bottles. So I reconfigured it into a bright, fun monstrosity. I used mesh ribbon, picks, wire ribbon, glass ornaments, and about 9,000 sticks of hot glue. I even hand painted scroll on the ornaments because I have a sickness. It's called Obsessive Compulsive Crafting Disorder (OCCD) My husband had no words for it-the wreath, not my sickness. He has plenty of words for that. He just said "ok, Honey." I tried to tell him how much a wreath like this would cost if I ordered it ready made off the internet. He wasn't impressed. He replied, "there are a lot of things on the internet I wouldn't pay money for!" Even though I agree that it looks a bit like Christmas threw up on our wall, it coordinates well with the rest of the mantle, and it's very mod! If you don't believe me, just check Pinterest.

before

the entire Christmas section of Hobby Lobby on one wall!

Now I'm going to clean up my mess and move on to setting up the snow village! By December 25 I will be burned out again. In fact, this may become the house that is Santa-ready year round! Not because I love it so much but because the thought of taking everything down is starting to give me a stomach ache. In case you are thinking of decorating your own wine bottles, check with me for empties first because the more I sit here and think about what I've gotten myself into, the more likely I am to have plenty to spare. 

Our Thankfulness Tree

This morning I was perusing Pinterest to find some Thanksgiving crafts to do with my kids. I saw a tree made of twigs and paper punches that I really liked, but the link to it was blocked. No matter. Monday Mom on caffeine can't be deterred by a photo without instructions!
Kid #3 and I found an old florist vase and filled it with broken sticks from our yard. Next we used a circle punch and random scrapbook paper to cut a ton of circles for writing things we are thankful for. If you don't already own scrapbook paper or a punch, any paper would work just as well cut into circles or leaves. Real leaves would work great as well. I used a small hole punch to put a hole in each circle to hang it on our twigs. Each circle has one name or item on it, and there are plenty of unused ones that we can add throughout the month. My son thinks it looks beautiful (or rather "boo-ful") as it is. We put it in a central location so it won't go unnoticed, and I wrote I Thessalonians 5:18 on a note card to adorn the vase. It was simple, free, and fun to do, but the message of giving God thanks for all the good gifts He gives us each day is relevant year round and not just in November.