I've missed you!! {and a questionare}

Hi.  It's been awhile.  Have you missed me?  Well I have missed you.  My google reader has something like 950 unread posts :(  You guys have been busy!  I wish I could say that I am 100% better but instead I will say that things are headed in the right direction and every day is a new day.  Some days are harder to get through then others but I am hanging in.  And thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your love, support, prayers, emails, and sweet comments.  I'm so thankful for all of you.




So I am still on the fence about getting back into the blogging thing on a regular basis.  With Christmas and Natalie's birthday happening this month, blogging just seems like too much pressure at the moment.  But like I said I miss you guys so I thought I would pop in and say hi and share a fun questionare I saw on my good friend Cassie's blog.  


Here you go...


1. egg nog or hot chocolate?  I actually like both.  Just depends on my mood.

2. does santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wrapped!  He even has his own special wrapping paper :)



3. colored lights on tree/house or white? I like white lights on the tree and big old fashioned lights on the house!


4. do you hang mistletoe? not every year but I have in the past.

5. when do you put your decorations up? I don't have a specific day but I try to put them up by the first week of December.  


6. what is your favorite holiday dish? That is a hard one...I love the goodies like peppermint bark, fudge, gingerbread cookies...

7. favorite holiday memory as a child? I have so many! I remember the year I got my first bike, a huffy with a white plastic basket and banana seat!  

8. when and how did you learn the truth about santa? I'm sorry, what was the question?


9. do you open a gift on christmas eve? Yep...and traditionally it is usually new PJs!

10. how do you decorate your christmas tree? Lots of sparkle!  Olive green, cranberry and gold ornaments, lots of vintage style ornaments, white lights, and candy canes!

11. snow! love it or dread it? LOVE it as long as I don't have anywhere to go.


12. can you ice skate?I've only tried once when I went on a trip to York, England when I was ten and the ice was a little melted so I wouldn't really call it ice skating.  I would love to take the girls when they are older.


13. do you remember your favorite gift? that's a tough one, but I always looked forward to the stockings, Santa always did an awesome job!

14. what's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Remembering the true meaning of the season and trying to take time to enjoy the moments with my girls.  

15. what is your favorite holiday dessert? all of the above :)
.
16. what is your favorite holiday tradition? decorating a gingerbread house and driving around looking at Christmas lights.


17. what tops your tree? A gold star

18. which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving!!  Nothing is better then finding the perfect gift and seeing the recipients reaction.  Christmas with kids is the best!  I love watching their reactions on Christmas morning.

19. candy canes: yuck or yum? Yum!

20. favorite christmas show? It's a Wonderful Life and Elf :)


21. saddest christmas song? Can't think of one, do they even exist?


22. what is your favorite christmas song? Wow so many....I love Little Drummer Boy, We three Kings, Jingle bell rock, anything sung by Johnny Mathis :)

Your turn!  Just copy and paste and fill in your answers!

Haul Out the Holly-DIY Styrofoam Christmas Lights

Hi guys!  I am excited to be apart of Haul Out the Holly for the second year!

Last year I shared my version of Elf on the Shelfand this year I am sharing how to make these jumbo Christmas lights...

Now I know some of you have already seen these and I am sorry for that but I am still dealing with some stuff right now and Gwen has been gracious to let me off the hook so to speak.  :)  And I kinda think they rock so I like showing them off :)

Ready to make some of your own?
Here we go...

• hot glue gun and extra sticks if you plan to make multiple bulbs
• sequin trim in assorted colors
• metallic cord*
• 1.5 inch styrofoam balls
• approx. 2 inch styrofoam eggs, package says they are 1-13/16' by 2-7/16"
• scissors

*After buying a spool of cording for $1.99 and it only being enough for about 3 lights I did some research and found out that for the same price I could get 27 yards if I bought metallic cording for plastic canvas.  So bypass the ribbon department and head over to the plastic canvas section.  Not only is there gold and silver but tons of other great colors too.

Step 1:
Take the styrofoam ball and flattened one side and then the other, leaving you with something that resembles a tire shape. (Or a mini donut, if you're hungry ;))

Step 2:
Take your tire shaped styrofoam and roll it back and forth on a hard surface while pressing down at the same time until it resembles a marshmallow. (still hungry)

Step 3.
Then on one end of the marshmallow press in and around making that end concave.  Doing this will help  it sit flush on top of the egg.

Step 4:
Now it's time to get your glue guns out.  If you have a dual temp glue gun opt for the low temp setting because the high setting tends to melt the styrofoam.  Now put a generous amount of glue on the concave part of your marshmallow and place it on the center of the wide end of your egg.

Step 5:
Next is the hard part....picking the color sequins you want.  :)  I bought my sequins at hobby lobby and also from this shop on Etsy.

Once you have picked the color you want start with a line of glue where your egg and marshmallow meet and start wrapping the sequins around, glueing and wrapping little by little until you get all the way to the tip.  Cut off the excess.  Make sure you overlap your sequins as you go around so that none of the styrofoam shows through.

Now for the top.  I chose to do mine in silver but gold would be very pretty too.  And if you don't like metallics you could always use hemp twine or jute.

Step 6:
Poke a hole in the center of the top of your marshmallow.  I use the tip of my glue gun.

Step 7: 

Make a loop at the end of your cord and push it into the hole you just made.  I use the tip of my glue gun to do this too.  And as I am pushing it in I squeeze out a little glue too.

Step 8:
Start glueing and wrapping the cord around and then down.

Continue until you cover all of the marshmallow.

And ta-da!!  You're finished!  Now go make lots and put them in a vase....

or string them on some of your leftover cording and hang them up....

or go all Flava Flave and make them into a necklace...

haha!  okay maybe not the last one but if it's your thing I'm totally cool with that :)

Thanks so much for stopping by and thanks Gwen for hosting such a fun party!  Make sure you check out all the other bloggers and their festive tutorials!

A Crafty Creative Christmas

Hi Guys!  I am happy to report that I am feeling a bit better.  I'm not quite ready to get back into blogging regularly but normal things like taking a shower or doing the dishes doesn't seem as overwhelming as they did a couple of weeks ago.  I have been running and/or walking everyday, eating better, and trying to get a good nights sleep.

Other then checking in I am also here to let you know I am over at Me Making Do today sharing another styrofoam creation of mine as a part of A Crafty Creative Christmas.

If you thought the acorns were awesome, just wait until you see what I came up with for Christmas!  I am not one to toot my own horn but these are pretty fabulous if I do say so myself :)

So click HERE to check them out and learn how to make your own! 

Oh and I am also giving 3 of them away over there as well!!  Click HERE to enter.

Guest Post: Just Lu-Becoming the Housewife MacGyver

Hi.  Like I said in my last post I am not actively blogging except for a couple of guest posts I already had lined up.  So I wanted to just pop in and let you know I am over at Just Lu as part of her Housewife MacGyver series sharing my struggle with depression.  Fitting I know. lol.

And I just wanted to say thanks so much for all of the love and support you guys have given me.  It truly warms my heart.  When I am feeling low I go back and re read your comments and it helps me.  I'm just taking one day at a time.

Need a break...

Hi there.  I have decided to take a break from blogging for a little bit.  I already have some guest posts lined up so I will be back for those but other then that I'm not sure when I will be back.  My depression has been hard lately and I just need to make my health a priority.  I feel bad that I haven't posted much or visited my blogging friends but it's just too overwhelming right now.  I figured if I took a break I could let myself off the hook for a bit and focus on getting better.  You guys are awesome and I'm not sure I will be able to stay away long but right now I feel that this is what I need.  We'll talk soon.

Bats be gone!

I don't know about you but I was ready for Halloween to be over this year.  I had two reasons.  One, I was ready for the candy overload...

And two, the candy I was so ready to take down the decorations!  I can only take any decorations for so long before they start to drive me crazy and I just want simplicity.

ahhhhhhhhh  much better!

The ball jar that once held candy corn now holds acorns that the girls and I collect every time we go on walks.

Even though I was happy to have Halloween behind us I know two girls who wish it would have never ended.

Pinkalicious

Rapunzel (and Pascal :))

A belated thank you and a blanket

A while ago I mentioned that I had won some giveaways and one hadn't arrived yet so I promised to show you when it did.  Well I finally took pictures and can now say a proper thank you to Amy from Ameroonie Designs for my awesome bat pillow!!

and all these other goodies!!

The cute spider didn't come with a deformed leg...unfortunately a certain 2 year old grabbed on and pulled :(  Poor spidey.

So thanks again Amy!!  I love everything you sent, and so do the kiddos!

In other news...

I've been doing some crocheting here and there.

I'm making a granny stripe blanket for the living room using "I love this cotton!" yarn from Hobby Lobby.  It is super soft and should be nice and warm.

My pattern is dk aqua, yellow, white, light aqua.  And  at each end will be a stripe of orangish red.

I have about 4 times as much of this to do still.  It's gonna be big!  I better hurry up and finish because it is cold outside and tomorrow we are supposed to get some snow!?!  What the what??

How's your weather?

I am, I said

To no one there
And no one heard at all
Not even the chair.

Too early for Neil Diamond?  Just couldn't write about a chair with out singing that song.  Such a weird song.  Anyhoo...on to my chair, chairs actually.  Remember the desk I bought for the hubby?  Well having something to sit at while working on said desk is optimal ;) and I wanted something rustic since the desk was very modern.   So when I saw these chairs on Cassie's website, I knew they would be perfect.

Primitive & Proper

I decided that I would take them both and use one for my desk as I was feeling like my current chair wasn't the look I was going for anymore.

Here's the one I chose for my desk...

Isn't she pretty??

 Even better with this cutie sitting on her...

 And here's the other chair in it's new spot...

Ugh the cords!!  They are the bain of my exisitance!!!  Why can't electronics be pretty?
Still have to do something with that drawer...I have an idea but not sure how it will turn out so I'll share only if it does :)

As for the chair I replaced on my desk?  I may paint it and donate it as part of the habitat heroes link party.  Wanna know more about this super cool party? Click here.