Christmas Wrap Up

The Tip Junkie is giving us one last chance to share anything related to Christmas that we haven’t shared yet.

I didn’t get to post pictures of the very little bit of Christmas decorating I did in our guest house.

So I would like to share it now.

I love these stackable Christmas boxes that were my mom’s (given to her by her sister, Nancy). I knew they would look perfect in our guest house.

They tell the Christmas story…

And they looks so cute next to my burlap chair. You can see the post about how I made an old Goodwill chair into a burlap beauty HERE.

I put my Willow Tree Nativity on the buffet table in the guest house.

I bought the frame at Goodwill for $1.50. It was that ugly gold, so I painted it black and sanded it down, and covered the inside with burlap. I did this project earlier this summer, but I thought it would be perfect behind my Nativity.

The star is an ornament I got half off at Kohl’s. I think I paid $2.50 for it. It goes perfectly with this Nativity set.

See the little angel under the tree? My sweet Mother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas. It’s called the Angel of Remembrance, and she gave it to me in honor of my precious Mother who passed away this past September.

I will treasure it forever!

I love that the angel is holding three branches. For me, it symbolizes my Mom watching over her three children, me, Cyndi, and Blake.

*************************************

Another thing I wanted to share about Christmas is my handmade ornaments. I usually make them every year to sell at craft shows, but this year I wasn’t able to.

My mom and her sister, Nancy, are the ones who started making these over 15 years ago. I loved them so much and started making them too.

Here are some examples of ones that I have made over the years.

This is one of my favorites. He’s one of the oldest…he has a chip on his ear and a missing foot, but I still love him! Sort of like the Velveteen Rabbit. I love the little gingerbread man he is holding too.

I made these snowmen on a sleigh before my fourth son was born. I just love these little guys!

And this guy is my all-time favorite, my Woodland Santa. He has a gingerbread tucked in his pocket too.

Well, that’s it. My last little bit of Christmas to share with you. Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful Christmas decorating and traditions with me as well. I look forward to spending another Christmas with you next year!

I am linking this post to Tip Junkie’s Christmas Show & Tell, and Blue Cricket Design’s Show & Tell.

Blessings,

Funny Story

(I had to document this story for my sons to read someday when they are older.)

On the morning of Christmas Eve’s Eve (Wednesday), I decided to take the boys to Wal-Mart to spend some of their Christmas money they had received.

Of course, I had a ton of stuff I needed to get done at home…baking, wrapping, cleaning, etc.  But that’s not very easy to do with four boys running around the house.

So I decided to focus on the boys, let the other stuff go, and enjoy the day with them.

We headed off to Wal-Mart and spent an hour in the toy section trying to get the most bang for their bucks.  I was proud of myself for being so patient with them, and we really did have fun.

When we left Wal-Mart, the boys began to beg me to go get something to eat.  I didn’t have much money, so I said we could go to Wendy’s and eat off the “value” menu.  They agreed and off we went.

We shared some burgers and fries as we sat around a big table and talked excitedly about Christmas and Santa’s approaching visit.

I was filled with joy as I looked around the table at the four precious lives that God has blessed me with. 

My oldest son, Jonathan, said, “We’ve had a good morning Mom, haven’t we?”  Of course I agreed.

He placed his hand on my shoulder and lovingly rubbed my back and said…“You have spent the whole morning doing stuff for us Mom…(then he smiled so sweetly)…let’s do something for you now.”

I looked back at him and smiled, then he said…

“Let’s go to Goodwill!”

I laughed out loud!

Not Macy’s, not the mall, not a great boutique…but Goodwill!

He knows his momma well!  I actually agreed that it was a great idea, and we went there after lunch.

It ended up being a great trip, and I found some real goodies.

I found three DVDs that looked brand new for $2.50 a piece.  I thought they would be great little extra gifts for the boys at Christmas.  (I didn’t let them see me buy them.)

 

Then I found this adorable little Lowe’s apron for $1.00 that looked brand new too.  I got it for my 2 year old for Christmas to go with the tools he was getting from Santa.

He wore it all morning on Christmas day.

Also at the GW,  I found this adorable little white soup tureen for $1.50…Merry Christmas to me!

I had to buy this little Christmas tree for the boys’ room.  It was only $3.00.  I had been promising to get one for their room for a couple of years now, so I thought this would work. 

They loved it!  Next year, we might put white lights on it with some sports ornaments or something.

Lastly, I found this adorable red tin basket with greenery in it for $2.00.  I knew I could use it somewhere. 

I played with it for while, putting different decorations in it…

This is my woodland Santa ornament that I made many years ago.  Hopefully I will be able to make some more of him, and he will be for sale in my Etsy shop next year.

But my new “find” ended up under my kitchen cabinets on a black tray with faux snow…

I love the contrasting colors.

See why I love going to Goodwill?  My boys love it too.  They are probably going to kill me one day when they realize that not everyone thinks it’s cool to shop at Goodwill.

But for now…they think I am the coolest Mom ever, especially when I let them pick out a 50 cent toy at Goodwill! 

Ahhh….good times…good times….

Have a blessed day!

Wednesdays with Wanda

I go to a church that has a wonderful women’s ministry. Every year they have a Christmas fellowship for the women of the church. Last year, Mom went with me and we had a wonderful time together. I was always so proud to introduce Mom to others, and she loved meeting and fellowshipping with other Christian women.

This year they had another Christmas party planned, and I knew I could not go by myself. I knew I would be flooded with memories of my mom and I sitting together in the sanctuary. I almost didn’t go at all.

But my sweet sister said she would go with me, and I am so glad she did. We had a wonderful time together. What would I do without her?

The theme for the night was “The Peace of Christmas”.

We ate all the goodies that each of us brought and then gathered in the sanctuary to focus on the true meaning of Christmas. Our women’s ministry leader, Judy, opened the service with this verse…

“My peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you, let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid.” John 14:27

Of ALL the verses in the bible, I couldn’t believe this was the one I was hearing! That verse had been Mom’s “life verse”, and it was definitely the verse that she clung to during her death. I have never known a peace like I saw in my mom’s life as she faced death. It’s a peace that I long for and pray for each day.

As I heard Judy read that verse, I almost smiled. If was as if I could hear Mom saying, “Traci, are you listening? Don’t be afraid, sweetie, don’t be troubled, God is with you. Trust Him.”

And I felt His peace wash over me as I was reminded that He will take care of me.

Our women’s ministry also creates a Devotional Guide for Women that includes a collection of devotionals to help prepare our hearts for Christmas. It is written by the ladies of our church, and I love reading it each year.

This year, Judy asked me to write one of the devotionals for the book, and I said “yes”.

Of course I wrote it about my mom, and I wanted to share it with you. It was titled…

A Midnight Clear Moment

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them…” Luke 2:8,9

Have you ever thought about what it would have been like to be a shepherd on that clear moonlit night? It was a night like any other night. The shepherds were tending to their sheep as usual.

Then something sudden and unexpected happened. Angels appeared announcing the good news of Christ’s birth. Not only were the shepherd terrified; they probably were confused too. They may have wondered why God chose to reveal his amazing plan to them. Shouldn’t He have chosen a group of people more important and influential? It just didn’t make sense.

But then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.” The shepherds didn’t need to fear this unexpected news, for it would result in great joy for all people. They heard the good news, trusted God, and traveled to Bethlehem to experience something far greater than they could have ever imagined….the birth of Jesus!

Our lives can be a lot like that of the shepherds. We go about our daily routines doing what we always do, when something totally unexpected happens. And a lot of times it just doesn’t make sense. That’s how I felt when I found out my mom had terminal cancer. Just like the shepherds, I was terrified. Have you ever been there?

But during her illness, Mom told me something that I will never forget. She said, “I may not understand God, but I trust Him.” She was not afraid of dying because she knew the “good news of great joy that will be for all people.” She knew that because of Jesus she would have life everlasting, and she was able to experience a “peace that passes all understanding” even in the darkest of nights.

Dear Jesus, when things happen to us that we don’t expect or understand, I pray that you would help us to trust you—knowing that you will bless our lives in ways that we could never have imagined. Thank you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

**************************************

To all of my sweet blogging friends, if something unexpected or difficult has come into your life, I pray that you would know that God loves you, He knows what you are going through, and you can trust Him.

Have a blessed day,

My Little Christmas Tour

I wanted to share with you a few of my Christmas decorations.

I don’t have a ton of decorations, but I have added touches of green and red throughout the house.

Here is a look at my entry way…

My mom helped me put this vinyl saying up the first week of August before our big family reunion at my house. I got it at Hobby Lobby for 50% off. I think it was less than $10.00.

Mom also helped me hang my black shelf there, and she gave me the votive candles to go with it. To make it look Christmas-y, I added some faux greenery and berries.

The candles look so pretty all lit up.

QUICK TIP:

If you want to get old candle wax out of your votives, stick them in the freezer for a while, then use a knife to “pop” out the old wax…

And they come out easy-peasy! (Mom taught me this trick.)

Now, back to my tour…let’s head into our den.

This is where our Christmas tree lives.

I am a “traditional-Christmas-tree-kind-of-girl”. I love a hodge-podge of ornaments, old and new. I have ornaments from my childhood, and ornaments that my children have made, and now I have some of Mom’s ornaments.

I love the way it looks through the mirror above our couch.

This year I got to hang something very special on my tree.

A small strand of beads that hung on my great-grandmother’s tree, my grandmother’s tree, my mother’s tree, and now my tree.

Mom has had it for seven years, since her mother passed away. She kept this small string of beads in a little Christmas tin. Look how cute she is…she wrote this on the back of the tin, and I added to it this year.

Just like Mom, I placed the beads way up high on my tree so “little hands” won’t be able to reach it!

A few other things that I now own that used to be my mom’s are this cute little Mr. and Mrs. Claus set…

…this cute little Christmas boot that Mom always filled with candy canes…

…and Mom and Dad’s nativity set that they bought their very first Christmas together…

Though I love having some of Mom’s Christmas treasures, I would give them up in a heartbeat to have my mom back. Christmas just won’t be the same without her.

But I am trying to make it special for my boys, just as she would want me to.

My sons’ favorite decoration by far is our advent calendar…

Can you believe that my mom got this for me at Goodwill several years ago, and it had all the pieces?!

She picked it up because it reminded her of the one that we had as little kids. Of course, the one that we had as kids is one that Mom handmade for us. It is the most magical Christmas memory I have. She handmade all 24 intricate little toys that we would put up one at a time in Santa’s sleigh. I absolutely loved it!

And the boys love this one!

Now let’s step into my kitchen.

I am enjoying our new kitchen cabinets. If you missed the post about our recent kitchen renovation, click here.

Ya’ll know I LOVE red, and I love the way it shows up in our new cabinets.

Last year after Christmas, I got these red dishes 75% off at Walmart. I think I paid less than $15.00 for 8 place settings!

I thought it would be fun to have Christmas-y plates to use every day!

I also got these Pfaltzgraff glasses at JCPenny’s during the after-Christmas sales. (These are not for my boys to use everyday!) :)

I also have a set of 8 glass Christmas mugs now that used to be Mom’s. I love them so much because they remind me of Mom.

It is extremely difficult to get to get a good picture of my hutch because of the glare from my kitchen windows.

I added a few touches of red to my hutch with some red charges that I got on clearance at Target several years ago.

I love these little topiary trees that I got at Goodwill this past year for $2.50 a piece.

I added a black and white gingham bow to each one, and added them to my hutch…

And lastly, I will share with you our fireplace in our Master bedroom…

I made some silhouette tiles to go above each of my boy’s stockings. You can see the tutorial here.

And my last little decoration…

My “worn out” Christmas duck! One of our neighbors made this for us about 10 years ago, and I always find a special place for it above one of our doorways every year.

I feel a little like this duck right now…

Thanks for joining me on my tour!

I am linking this to

Have a blessed day!