up on my soap box...

so i kinda want to brag for a minute.

this year, i was SO on top of things. i made my neighbor Christmas presents in AUGUST!!! so today, all i had to do was tie on a bow, and make a little note. YAY for me!

i guess you can use the idea next summer.....but for this year, your a little late for jam makin'!! haha! and in case you think i'm being mean, don't worry. i have been there. EVERY year, the week before Christmas i am raking my brain for a neighbor gift. this year, i just feel so glad that i'm DONE!!

p.s. notice the mint milanos. yep, can't craft with out em'!

gift ideas...

so him decided very last minute that we were going to the family party one day early! now, i believe ANY woman would be a little overwhelmed. i quickly made about 5 new lists, (packing list, gift list, food list, etc.) and they moved to the top of shopping list, cleaning list, mailing Christmas cards list, and party list. so i had about one hour to make a salad (but i still needed the ingredients), pick up the cards at the photo store (cause i wanted to see how they turned out), and pack (something i can't have him do, or else i have no idea where things are and it only causes frustration.) so i left a new list for him of what to do while i ran to the store: #1 keep the house clean! (nobody likes to come home to a mess, so whenever we're going far away this is VERY important!) and off to the store i went. i had yet to find something to give the siblings as a small reminder we love em' all! i found these cute jars when i snuck into hobby lobby (only for a minute!!) and then while at the grocery store picked up some nuts, and look how cute they turned out!

the initial plan was to find cute jars and fill them with home made carmel popcorn....but i think this turned out just GREAT!

there's nothing deceptive 'bout my domesticness today!

ok, except for maybe the fact that only ONE batch was truly 'home made!'

i made a BUNCH of cookies today! for some reason, i feel like it's just not Christmas unless theres LOTS of baking going on! and since the last three days have been strictly shopping days, i designated today as the baking day!

you're hungry now, aren't ya!

here's an idea...

the last couple of years i have really wanted to do the twleve days of Christmas for someone. sadly, i've never completed this goal. i've had a hard time deciding a lot of the details. how to do it cheap? who to do it to? how to not make it cheesy? i felt like even if i only spent a couple dollars a day, by the time all was said and done i would still have to fork out at least $50.00! and who has that laying around this time of year? so this year, since my desire to do it is even stronger, i came up with a great idea for me.. and all you who find it hard to get the extra cash needed for the extra service projects.

no more partridges or pear trees. no more trying to think of something cleaver when it comed to 'five golden rings'. i have the answer....

tWElVE dAYS Of COOkiES!

here's how it works. everyday for the twelve days before Christmas make a batch of cookies to take to a different neighbor each night. this can be something you and your family decide to do secretly, or something you use to visit and get to know your neighbors better. they wont know that you are on a 'twelve days of service' mission. but what they will know is that you care about them and want to wish them a Merry Christmas. and better yet, your family can get excited about serving others this holiday season.

i have gathered twleve cookie recipes that are EASY! some i have tried, and others...i'm excited to try for the first time. but before you resort to these. make sure you make your best family recipe! our favorite family recipe comes in a tube and requires cutting, baking, cooling, and eating!

DeC. 13th: chocolate chip cookies

deC. 14th: ginger cookie

dEc. 15th: english toffee

DEc. 16th: Angelettis cookies (you may want to cut this recipe in half..or use it twice)

deC. 17th: white chip chocolate cookies

DeC. 18th: cookie dough truffles (you don't need a double-boiler. you can fondue the chocolate, or heat a metel bowl over a boiling pot of water.)

DEc. 19th: peanut blossom cookies

dEc. 20th: chewy molasses-spice cookies

Dec. 21st: green and red cookies

dEC. 22nd: snickerdoodles

deC. 23rd: gingerbread cookies

DEc. 24th: chocolate chunk cookies

now, get bakin'! (remember you can easily freeze cookies so you can be ahead of yourself!)

Holiday {Dress} Up!

something about this time of year, and all the parties makes me want cute, festive dresses. so if you too are looking to wear a fun holiday dress to your annual family Christmas party and still have money for their gifts, check out these fun finds.

i found all of these dresses at dillards for 59.00 and UNDER!!! (sorry there was one 59.00 that i just had to put on here, the rest are in the 30's!!)

i think my fav is the grey "v" neck. (and it's probably the least festive...wierd!) what are your favorites??

Happy Holiday {Dress} Shopping!!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh....

i {LOVE} helping others decorate for Christmas! this tree was especially fun! i'm usually not a big fan of ribbon on the tree...it can sometimes look so sloppy, but i had some good wire ribbon and decided this skiny tree could use some.

and i LOVE this gold netting! it catches the light so good and fills in all the holes were other sticks and cords were visible.

don't you love the red and gold together? so festive!!

are you hosting a holiday party this year? need some added help making your home look 'just right'? check out this AWESOME website. they specialize in home staging and have a WONDERFUL online staging program, so it doesn't matter where you live. and their prices are incredibly REASONABLE!

The TREE!

so this year we (me) made a 'family' Christmas tree. it all started when i didn't want to pay $8.00 for the star tree topper. i was scrounging (yep. it's a word, in my vocabulary) around the house searching for something that could be considered a "tree topper". last year we just went without, which is fine with me. but him insisted that a Christmas tree is not a Christmas tree without a topper. and since i make it an effort to make everyone around me pleased (insert smile!), i had to find something! so deep in the decorating box i found the letter "P"! i had one of those ah-ha moments and decided with a few family pictures and the letter "P" we could chalk this one up as the first "family" Chirstmas tree! him thinks this is a tradition we should stick to. and each year when we (me) decorate the tree we can remenicse over the year-old pictures still left in the frames! sounds fun huh! i think we just might have our first home made family tradition in the making!!! Yay for traditions!!

i {heart} bulbs

i love BIG ornaments. love them. so when i found these at the DI for only 50 cents each i couldn't resist. and although, they look pretty sad, their potential was GREAT!

so i spray painted them silver and hung them to dry. (as you can see i ACCIDENTLY got some spray paint on the camers lens....oh him is going to kill me! shhhhh)

and lastly, shoved them in the tree.

I {HEART} BULBS!

good ol' Pottery Barn

ok. so i guess there is something you should now about me. i LOVE pottery barn. LOVE it. i am certain the my celestial life will be in a pottery barn! i dream about it, i browse it, i shop their bargains, and i KNOW that someday, somehow....my home will be surrounded with Pottery Barn decor and furniture. until then, i copy them the best i can on my $0.00 budget! check out some of my most favorite copying skills.....

this wreath. so cute. love the simplicity and it just happens to be the colors of my christmas decor (maybe because i copyed that too!)

and here is my version....

i realize PB did better. BUT! in my defense mine was $99.00 + shipping and handling cheaper!!

pretty good, eh? i added this ribbon i had laying around. but i think i like it! what do you think?

now, this next one i planned on doing exactly like this. real cranberries (if you want to decorate with real cranberries, go ahead. they last for about 30 days and smell yummy!), square vases...the whole nine yard.

but then i saw this....

and i liked the triffle bowl idea.

but then i saw this.....

and i liked the ornament idea.

so i came up with this........

what do ya think?

keep it up Oprah!

Oprah is giving away a great holiday CD. she has compiled eight of her favorite christmas songs from eight of her favorite singers. you can download it for FREE. that's right FREE!! and then you can burn as many as you want. check out her website, http://www.oprah.com/ and click on her 'thriftiest christmas ever' tab! enjoy!!

it's official!

Thanksgiving is over, and you can now officially decorate for Chirstmas!!

here's some inspiration....