Mini-Getaway Gift.

Instead of exchanging Christmas gifts with one another this year, the hubs and I opted to splurge on a night away sans kiddos at Alderbrook Resort & Spa.  We made our reservation for the day after Christmas... which turned out to be a perfect spot to relax after hosting Christmas Day at our home.  I'm thinking this could be a really great repeat gift next year.

Here's hoping you had a wonderful Christmas holiday with your loved ones, full of laughter and cheer!

{DIY Christmas Decor} Tree Branch + Ornaments

While I usually do a pretty good job of decking our home for Christmas, I always seem to struggle in the kitchen.  So, with a few left over shatterproof ornaments and a tree branch found in our backyard, I found a way to bring a little holiday cheer to this room.

---> To recreate this look, you will need the following: tree branch the length of your choosing, jute/hemp rope, two thumbtacks, and a few ornaments.  Simply cut the jute/hemp rope, wrap it a few times around your branch and secure to the ceiling with a thumb tack at both ends.  Hang your ornaments as you like along the branch.  

Pretty easy - I think this project took less than 5 minutes to create.  And the best part?  It was free.  Everything I used I already had around my home.  However, if you needed to buy a few pieces to complete the look, it shouldn't cost very much.  Enjoy!    

Elf on the Shelf Failure.

Yeah, you read that right.  I'm marking our adventures with Mr. Jingle Bells as such.  You see, with the holiday season this year came a visit from our good friend, Mr. Jingle Bells.  We adopted our Elf on the Shelf last year as a fun tradition to look forward to every Christmas. Thanks to Pinterest, I have been looking forward to our visit.  Since this is our second year with Mr. Jingle Bells, I opted to keep it easy and do a few creative searches on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the month of December before Christmas.  The rest of the week would be just a simple "Where is Mr. Jingle Bells Today" search.  

For the creative days, I made sure to find ones that my four year old would enjoy. I pinned many pins and organized my thoughts... but never did I think I would have the reactions Kingston has given me with each and every creative day.  

Let me break them down for you: 

• Day 1: Mr. Jingle Bells is here, bringing donuts to celebrate.  Kingston smiled.  And kind of just stared at him next to our Santa figurine.  He then clarified that Santa brought cookies, the elf brought donuts. 
• Day 6: Mr. Jingle Bells goes potty before Kingston.  Sure to get laughs, I thought.  Then I hear from the hubs that Kingston explained to him exactly how it went down.  How momma swirled the green coloring in the toilet and how he could find it in the pantry to show daddy, if he really wanted to know how it was done.  Keep in mind, I set our elf up well after Kingston has fallen asleep and without saying one word while doing it.  Yikes.
• Day 7: Mr. Jingle Bells is held hostage by Kingston's super heroes.  What a flop.  Upon seeing this, Kingston tells the hubs that his action figures don't move.  Ouch.
• Day 8: Mr. Jingle Bells goes fishing... for crackers, as Kingston tells me.  Hmmm.
• Day 13: Mr. Jingle Bells makes a snowflake on our dining room table.  Or a spiderweb, Kingston says, somewhat unimpressed.  Come on! 
• Day 14: Mr. Jingle Bells plays Skylanders (not pictured).  Skylanders are pretty much Kingston's most favorite thing in the world right now.  After the reactions I was getting, I thought for sure he would like this one... but he didn't even react.  In fact, I don't think he noticed Mr. Jingle Bells was "playing Skylanders" until I pointed it out... after Kingston had yanked the control from underneath him and started playing himself.  Eh.
• Day 15: Mr. Jingle Bells wishes Kingston a "Merry Christmas" with a balloon on our holiday card display (not pictured).  Okay, Kingston was sort of excited about this one.  At least about the balloon.  

This coming Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be my last creative attempt to impress Kingston with Mr. Jingle Bells.  We'll see how it goes.  Do you do Elf on the Shelf?  How is it working for you - and is your preschooler also a semi non-believer?

Maybe it will go a little better next year.  Or maybe I'll just wait to work my magic on Cole... one of my boys is sure to think Mr. Jingle Bells is pretty magical, right? 

Christmas Tree Stand Re-Do

Tree skirts have never really worked in my favor.  I have never found one I am very fond of and if I wash them or accidentally spill water on them when watering our real Christmas tree, they just don't seem to ever be the same again.  

So this year I opted to find a galvanized bucket to hold our tree stand instead of opting for our usual tree skirt.  Gotta say, I'm pretty impressed.  I love the look in our home and it has been so much easier to deal with this year.  

-----> Want to steal the look?  Head to your local home improvement store and pick yourself up a bucket (be sure to measure your Christmas tree stand before you purchase).  You'll be glad you did.   

Hey Santa

We made our annual visit to Santa at Alderbrook the first full weekend in December this year.  The resort always decorates so beautifully and the boys get some nice quality time with Santa in a more relaxed environment (this is not an ad for the resort, by the way).  

We got there a little early, so Kingston decided to send his letter to Santa's workshop before he sat down with the man.  He made sure to write his list (Skylander Swap Force) as well as brother's (a big fluffy stuffed animal dog).  He may have even mentioned he and his brother have been really good boys this year. 

Then, it was time to see good ole Saint Nick.  Unfortunately, Cole was not a fan.  Many tears were shed at the sight of Santa... which made Kingston reluctant to sit on Santa's lap.  However, Kingston did agree to sit in the sleigh while Santa stood next to him and have a heart-to-heart convo about his wish list, the holiday season, and his good boy behavior.  Cole, on the other hand, chose to enjoy the view at the resort with Santa... from afar.  

The hubs and I weren't really sure what to get each other this year for Christmas, so we decided to pick a night in December near Christmas to stay at the resort sans kiddos.  Pretty pumped.

Oh, and this visit with Santa?  One of three this year... all fun and all definitely necessary.  But, I'm thinking we're good for the holiday season now.    

52 Days/11 Days.

Blog friends, I am sorry.  I am not quite sure where these past 52 days have gone since I last blogged... and did I really miss the whole month of November?!  Yikes. 

But... it is nearly Christmas (11 days!) and we're ready.  I'm pretty sure of it, anyway.  We are hosting my side of the family at our home this year on Christmas day, so we have been pretty busy.  I plan on sharing some holiday/festive decor, DIY projects, our semi-finished kitchen cabinets (yes! but let's call it Stage #2 of an at least 3 stage project), "Elf on the Shelf" failures, and all sorts of holiday goodness in the next days before Christmas.  

And I'm thinking I'll also share a few posts I should have already published in blog-land back in October/November on Thursdays until I am up-to-date... consider them "Throwback Thursday" posts.  

Oh, and I'll probably throw in a few updates on the boys... can you believe Cole is nearly 18 months?! Blows my mind each and every day.  I took the above picture when we went hunting for our Christmas tree back on November 24th.  Such a big boy these days. 

Anyway, if you are still following my blog, thank you.  I look forward to seeing you around this site a little more often and hope to not be such a stranger around these parts anymore.  

Spaceman

Santa hooked a brother up this year!  While Kingston's main Santa gift was the beloved knights he had been dreaming about since he saw them displayed in a local toy shop last summer ("momma, can we go look at knights?!" - a quote we heard over and over again from August until Christmas), this boy also hit the jackpot with his stocking goodies... particularly the picture projector flashlight in the photos above.

Flashlight? YES.
Projector of about five different space-related images?  EVEN BETTER.

Our boy is really into rocket ships and the moon, so I'm glad Santa did his homework and picked up this little number from Land of Nod.  Go Santa.

Keeping Christmas.

I was a little faster than usual at taking down our Christmas decorations in December.  Usually, I like to enjoy them until the new year... but this year, I opted to take them down two days after Christmas was officially over.  That is, all but my Christmas card display and a strand of pine cone ornaments.   

I feel like they should probably come down, but just can't bring myself to do it yet.  I still enjoy looking at each card we received this year and I feel the pine cones could be neutral enough to be considered a "winter" decoration...?

What are your thoughts?  How long is too long to keep up these two reminders of the Christmas holiday?

Easy Rider

Kingston got a big wheels for Christmas.  He was super excited to ride it... even though it is a little big for him.  So, the hubs fixed him up right with an outdoor cushion.  And when I saw him riding down the street like this, I just had to take a picture.  

Love this boy of mine. 

Snow for the Holidays.

When we got about 4 inches of snow mid-December, I couldn't help but wish for a white Christmas.  In Western Washington, however, this hardly ever happens.

But this year I got my wish... on Christmas Day and New Years Eve.  Hooray!

This snowman turned into one pretty great baseball-player snowman.  Too bad this momma didn't get a picture of him before he melted (mom fail).   

Did you get any snow during the holidays?