Don't Blink!

Today is a good day.  Do you ever have that feeling that things are just going right, and that your kids are in a good place?  Today is that day for me.  It makes me very happy, mixed with a touch of sadness.  My son is 21, almost 22, and he is becoming a fine young man.  He has grown a lot this year, and learned some valuable lessons.  It's a good thing!  If he had gone through what he went through this year without learning the lessons, that would not be good :)   I am reminded today of all of his funny little things he said as he was growing up.  He's always been such a clown.  A little stubborn and moody, but his attitude always came around to where he needed to be, and the sweet little boy I raised comes back to me!

My daughter is a senior in high school, and deep into the throws of planning her college life and beyond.  She's making lists of everything she wants in her dorm.  Today she texted me a picture of the silverware she wants.  I'm beginning to think that she thinks she's getting 'new' everything.  Wrong :)  I'll cross that bridge later :)

I saw this post on Pinterest, and I immediately fell in love with it.  I'm going to run over to the store later today and get these mini frames, and make this.  I want to capture the photos of the kids throughout the years, and hang as a reminder of the fun that we've had, and the great kids we have raised.  I know the future chapters in my life will be just as good as the past ones, but my mamma nostalgia is kicking in and I want to hold on to what I have now.  It seems like time is accelerating, and I don't want to miss one minute!  Don't blink :)

http://www.thistlewoodfarms.com/one-of-the-best-chapters

And so it begins!

Decking the halls is well under way!  I decided to start getting the house ready for Christmas early this year, so that I wouldn't be rushed, but be able to take my time and really get it the way I wanted it.  I like to work on a project, step back and evaluate, then possibly change it ~ live with it a while before I give it my full blessing.

Last year, a few friends and I went to a Christmas Design workshop. The floral designer gave us some tips, tricks and secrets.  The secret to a mantle decoration was fabulous.  A piece of wood....  Cut a piece of wood 2 inches longer than your mantle, and the same depth.  Use floral foam, hot glue, and cheap garland to build your base, then add greenery pics, floral pics, ribbon and what ever else you want to add.  Be sure to save room on the wood for  your decorative objects for the top of your mantle.  My friends and I got together to make our mantle decorations, and this is my result...

And because I made this on a block of wood last year, it was so simple to install this year.  It took all of 5 minutes to bring it up from the basement, and plop it onto the mantle.

I was able to quickly move to the tree.  The tips and tricks I learned last year about decorating a tree were simple.  I didn't use the tips last year, but I plan to this year.  First, divide your tree into 3 sections.  You want to divide your ornaments into the 3 sections.  If, for instance, you have 9 large ornaments, you will want to place 1 - 2 at the top, 3 in the middle, then the rest on the bottom third.  Follow this same method for all of your ornaments.  Once Christmas is over, box your ornaments in thirds.  One box for the top, another for the middle, etc.   Now if you're like me, you may want to change it up every year.  I like to design differently from year to year, depending on the feel I am going for.  I think it could still work for me though, since I mostly use the same ornaments every year, just adding extras based on my decorating theme.  I may try it this year.  This year, my friends and I went to the advanced workshop.  I'll post about that later :)

The tree is finished, and very different than previous years.  I added red, and am really loving it. I didn't have any red last year in my decorations, and I missed it dearly!  It is my favorite color, after all!

I will post more pictures after I finish the house.  It's a work-in-progress!  Take care!