Instead of finishing the unpacking, or cleaning up after my kids pulled out every present they received, I decided to hang out, relax and catch you up on what we did for our decorations. I realize this is late, but I plan to leave our stuff up for one more week since we just got about 6 more cards in the mail that didn't get their proper debut on our wall. And...because I just don't want one more thing to do right now. I love our Christmas decorations and with all the work it took, we will just enjoy them until Andrew has another day off.
The favorites among my decorations were some that we made together at my mom's group playtime. One of the mentors in our group gave us a recipe for some frosting to the graham houses. It was amazing, I've never had much luck with my winter homes staying put, but this stuff was great.
1 pound of Confectioner’s sugar
3 Tablespoons of Meringue Powder
Warm water (about 1/3 cup)
Place dry ingredients in a tall mixing bowl and gradually add water until all dry ingredients are moistened. Frosting should be stiff enough to hold it’s shape. (You should see lines from the beaters paths). Store in an airtight container, with plastic wrap against the frosting, or in a plastic Ziploc bag, with air squeezed out. Dries to a hard, candy texture. Use for constructing houses and attaching decorations.
My own advice, let the frosting harden a bit before adding the candy decorations so the little home doesn't collapse under pressure.
While my family was here back in October, Renee and I sat and sewed buttons and fabric in the shape of trees. This is what I gave my mom for her birthday in December. The instructions had it framed without glass, but I figured if it would fit behind, the fabric would hold better over time encased.
For the first time, we decided to let the kids have trees in their rooms. They were able to decorate them with their own ornaments and keep them on their dressers. It was fun to see them get into it and nice to spread the trees around the house.
John Lewis wasn't so into the decorating, so he has snacks and ran around with work goggles on. So funny.
Each season these little bottles hold something different. I like to look at them while I do dishes and they look fun from outside too.
Ella's completed tree.
While black Friday shopping, I picked up this mug from Starbucks because I can't get over little birds on things, and I'm a sucker for mugs. While in Oregon, Andrew found a little clip on youtube called Portlandia that has a song about how people are putting birds on everything just to sell a product. I admit, it's working for me, but the video is hysterical.
(i think the main reason I love birds is because God tells us that his eye is on the sparrow Luke 12:6 and he keeps even them in His care)
Lastly, Tiny Toby graced our home this year. Elf on the Shelf is a fun game you can play with your kids. You hide him somewhere different each night after he's reported back to Santa about their behavior that day. More than anything, it was fun to see the kids find him all over the place. I had friends who got really creative with this, but there were a few nights where Toby liked his spot too much to move (translation: we forgot to move him).
One of my favorite seasons has come to a close. It was wonderful and I always welcome it's return.
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