Very Vintage Valentine Swap

I joined Heidi's Very Vintage Valentine Swap. She is still taking names. Go here to sign up! http://foxglovesfabricandfolly.blogspot.com/2008/12/its-timea-very-vintage-valentine.html

It looks like lots of fun!

Have you seen these?

These are cards from a website called flattenme.com. You send your child's photo and you can have a personalized book or invitations created. These are soooo cute! You can also create thank you notes. I may have to re-budget the birthday gift budget to create a book. Too bad there isn't a train book!

Christmas Photos

These are Aaron's photos for Christmas. Calotype does a great job! We love their photos. I think he is the cutest boy ever but I am a little biased. The top photo is Aaron with the train I received for Christmas when I was two. We won't go into how long ago that was :)

Check out their work http://calotype-photography.blogspot.com/ If you live any where close to Anderson, MO you need to visit them. If you do visit them, tell them I sent you!

Cutting the Christmas Tree

I thought I'd share a Christmas memory this morning.

Each winter, when my brothers' and I were kids, we traveled to my great-grandparent's farm in a small community about an hour away from home. I always hated the trip there because I am not a good traveler.

My great- grandpa would load us up in his pick-up and take us to a neighboring relatives property to find a tree. My brothers brought their wooden guns to shoot any bears they might encounter and they always discussed the ghosts that more than likely lived in the dilapidated building on the property.

We walked forever until we found the perfect trees to cut, load up and bring home.

Christmas was always a magical time. On Christmas day, my great-grandparents would come to us to have dinner and tell us stories. My Papo always told the story of the Christmas tree catching fire in the school house when he was a child and my Mamo would recite stories from a book. One year my parents made a tape recording of the stories. I was 11 when my Mamo died and 15 when my Papo died but I will always remember going to pick out the tree.

Now we have artificial trees mainly because of allergies.

What memories do you have of childhood Christmases?

Garland Party

The Nester http://nestingplacenc.blogspot.com/2008/12/your-garland-is-showing.html gave a tutorial a few weeks ago on how to create a fab garland. I was inspired to update the living room look.

I used a semi cheap pre-lit garland (half off at Lowe's and super skinny!!), another cheap garland from my collection and a really great garland on a twig base that I have used for fall decorating in the past.

I added star light covers that I found in the ornament box and 1/2 price berry twigs from Lowe's and some sparkly pieces.

I put my Longaberger Holiday baskets on the mantel with a collection of deer I have had since I was little and a collection of santas that we started when we first married.

I also added an old window. I think it may need a wreath or a swag on it. What do you think?

Can't stop Laughing

Christmas Photo

I took A. for his Christmas photo today at our favorite place Calotype Photography in Anderson http://calotype-photography.blogspot.com/ If you live within driving distance, you seriously need to check them out! We won a family session there last fall and we loved them.

A. work up at 5 this morning and was in quite the mood when we went for photos at 10:30. Julie, the photographer, commented that "he is very kinnestic." He was in rare form. They will probably charge double the next time I book a session. He is active on a good day but today he was super hyped up and he only had milk and cereal for breakfast......no sugar in the cereal.
He is FINALLY asleep!!! Now maybe I can finish my monthly paperwork and get it sent to the office and then I am truly going to work on a garland for the fireplace. I was inspired by the nester .http://nestingplacenc.blogspot.com/2008/12/garland-show-and-tell.html.....heaven knows I have enough of that stuff in the basement!