Just a Little More Christmas...

I have to tell you that I'm having a bit of a hard time letting this whole Christmas thing go. My head is telling me "Maegan, that's it. Time to start thinking New Year's and winter and Valentine's Day...let's go." But my heart still wants to sing Christmas carols and share books and hot cocoa in front of the Christmas tree. So, I'm kind of still in denial and I think I'll stay there for just another day or two, if you don't mind. I just wanted to share these last few pictures of our holiday with you and then tomorrow {or perhaps the next day} I promise to move on to all things ~winter~ and ~2010~!

You know, the very next day after Christmas, I had all sorts of gumption towards cleaning out and moving forward. Because I am, you know, very excited about the freshness of the new year and I'm making some plans and forming intentions for my year. But, I don't know, Christmas just felt so rushed through, especially there at the end. So, okay, I'm off to celebrate for just another day or two and then I'll let it go! Promise!

My Favorite Gifts...

Our Christmases just keep getting more full and more magical every year. And although Santa no longer leaves me gifts under the tree, I got everything I could ever have wished for this Christmas.

Moments to glimpse what a beautiful little girl my Rayne is becoming. With her great big open heart and her quick and witty mind, she is by far one of my most favorite people in the world.

Getting to do some big kid things with Layla that she was too little for last Christmas. It's amazing to know how much she has grown and matured over this past year. She has given up her role as the baby in the house so gracefully and {although it's not always easy} she's really getting to be a big girl in her thoughts, words, & deeds.

Watching baby Maya experience the magic of Christmas for the very first time was so much fun. Every light, every ornament, every dancing reindeer brought her endless joy. I love when they're babies and it's all so pure and amazing...a girl can start believing again herself!




The satisfaction of really feeling like Santa did a great job this year and seeing that my girls also value quality over quantity.

Quiet pockets of time in our days off together to enjoy conversation and snuggles with my husband.

And, of course, the heartwarming feeling that comes with knowing that no new fancy toy holds a candle to a little cuddle with her mama!

How did I get so lucky and so blessed?

Well, I suppose it's time to accept that Christmas is over {as well as my self-imposed post-Christmas incubation/hibernation period...seriously friends, I would stayed holed-up in my little house with my little family forever...I'm a total hermit}. Anyway, Brent is back to work today and real life is calling to me in the way of cranky tired children, full baskets of laundry {both clean and dirty}, and a little split lip/bloody mess accident this morning. I think in lieu of all this it's okay {totally necessary} to start the process of acceptance that the holiday is over and it's time to move on.

I really hope that you all had a great Christmas and that you're slowly but surely getting back on your feet. btw...I just read this great post on "coming off Christmas" which kind-of helped a bit this morning! Enjoy your day!

TIme To Let Go...

There was so much else I wanted to say before Christmas, before now, before this Christmas Eve eve. Last minute gifts, crafts, thoughts on what was to become of me after all the shiny & brights were back in their boxes. But here we are. And it's Christmas Eve eve. And I'm like a little kid who's not yet ready to leave the party even though I'm exhausted and it's very much time. But, but...I still want to wrap this, bake that, write about this, photograph that...And what about my December scrapbook...it's barely just begun. Do you think I need one more gift for this person? We didn't even bake gingerbread men or or or...

But you know what? It's time to let go. To let this be it. To be okay with what has been done. To let go of what has not. It's time. Because there will always be things not done. But these next two days, well, they will be priceless and perfect; not for the bounty of activity and excess that they will bring, but for the simple moments and meaning that they contain. This is it. Stop. Breathe. Remember the reason for it all and how simple and humble of a birthday it was for Someone so amazingly big. There were no gingerbread cookies or sparkly bows or marshmallows for the cocoa. It was simple, and pure, and so very special.

And that, right there, is what I want in my home and in my family. Not the crazy, excessive, stressful, maddening, ludicrousness. It's hard to remember that, though. When everyone else {it seems} is doing the crazy dance, it's hard not to feel like you need to join in. But I'm choosing differently.

So I'm stopping. Right. Now. What's done is done. And I'm going to try {really hard} to be okay with that.

I hope that you ALL have a lovely holiday with your families. I hope that your moments are brimming with meaning and magic and that the best gifts you receive are not wrapped!

xo

Have you seen this???

Really great, right?

A Job for the Elves...

This time of year, I love it when my kids can do something fun that also takes something off my to-do list. After we painted the clothespins for our finger knitted holiday card garland, the girls still wanted to paint with "mommy's paints." So I broke out some plain manila hanging tags, some wrapping ribbon, and the glue sticks.

The girls painted the tags and added glitter while they were still wet.

Once dry, they cut pieces of ribbon and glued them to the tags.

Rayne even added a festive drawing or two to some of hers.

The girls really enjoyed this project and the tags are certainly something will be able to use in our wrapping.

And, as always, this type of project always jumpstarts their creativity and they found new ways to use the materials we had out, making all sorts of lovely things. This project gets a A+ in my book!

Recipe for the Perfect Holiday Evening...

*Four travel mugs of hot cocoa cooled to the perfect sipping temperature

*One or more cameras carried by one or more snap happy family members

*One snugly friend with which to sing Christmas songs

*Lots of pretty Christmas lights and decorations to ooh and aah over

I had really been feeling like this great season was passing me by. And I felt like I was too busy being stressed about little things to enjoy the big things. So this weekend has been all about taking it easy and enjoying the season. We've been hanging out at home, watching holiday movies, doing some crafting, a little bit of wrapping, reading, etc. We have all needed this down time together so very much. Granted, I will be a little extra busy this coming week. But when the well needs filled, you might as well fill it to the top!

Check out these pictures from after our night of lights!

I hope that you are all having a great and restorative weekend! xo

Holiday Card Garland...

I recently came across this tutorial on finger knitting. Being a total yarn junkie, I began right away! After a few misguided attempts, I got the hang of it. I adore the way it quiets my mind, busies my fingers and gives me something to do while following the baby around so she doesn't injure herself {she is ALL OVER the place these days, folks!}.

So I had to start thinking about what I was going to do with all my knitted garland. I thought this pretty red one would make a perfect place to display our holiday cards. I had the girls help me paint some wooden clothespins. We used metallic red acrylic paint and sprinkled some Martha Stewart glitter on while the paint was still wet.

Then we hung the garland with some finishing nails and voila! Easy peasy!

Staying Focused...

I don't speak much about God or religion in this space. I respect the beliefs of others and typically don't discuss my personal beliefs on the topic of religion {I'm not sure if I even know the particulars of my beliefs most days anyway}. However, I feel that if I'm going to discuss Christmas here {which I fully intend to do} then I must discuss Christ. So, if you are not a Christian, feel free to skip this post and come back tomorrow. This season brings so much in the way of distractions. There are bells and songs and flashy lights, lists and parties, not to mention the shopping, wrapping, and baking. Really, it's so easy to "busy" ourselves into holiday oblivion only to wake up feeling somewhat empty on December 26th...as if we didn't get what we would have liked for Christmas. This year, I'm wishing, hoping, and praying that my family and I get just what we're longing for the most: a deeper awareness of God's presence in our hearts. Isn't that what it's all about? Isn't that the only gift that will continue to deliver happiness and joy long after the tree and sparkles are gone? Isn't that the reason for the season?

Don't get me wrong. I am a huge fan of the sparkling, glittering, jingling of Christmas. And I think it's a wonderful way to draw attention and anticipation towards a wonderful religious event...as long as we're staying focused on the meaning an true essence of the holiday.

This year, in an attempt to stay focused myself and in an attempt to direct the focus of my children, we {as a family} are practising a daily Advent devotional. Honestly, I think most of the words are way over the kid's heads. And most nights, Layla totally walks away and looses interest. But that's okay. Because the important part is that we are talking about God. Daily. And we're talking about His coming and preparing our hearts. So maybe they don't get it this year. But they will. And at a minimum, I feel like I'm placing emphasis on what really matters. And they {our children} learn from watching us. So if I can show my kids that I find the essential part of this crazy, wild, and beautiful season to be the humble birth of our Savior, hopefully they will also.

I did some research when looking for a daily Advent devotional online. I found one that is simple, sweet, and perfect for us. It's lovely, thoughtful, organized, and free of religious propaganda {which I am not in favor of!}. I've included a link on the left of this page. You can even sign up to receive a daily reminder via email {very helpful in lieu of the busyness}.

How do you stay focused on the true meaning of Christmas?

Weekend Crafting...

Yarn Ball & Ornament Wreath

Christmas is by far my most creative time. It's usually the only time of year that I really get into crafts. This year I found a tutorial for these yarn ball wreaths that I had seen at Starbucks last year during the holidays. My personal affections for yarn balls and ornaments had me swooning and the project looked to be at or around my skill level {which is pretty basic} so off to Michael's I went. So, if you are the crafty type and would like one of these pretty little numbers for your very own, here is a little step-by-step for you...

Materials Needed:

Yarn {you may use one color or 14, whatever your personal preference}

Foam Balls in two different sizes {In my wreath, I used 14 big balls and 11 small...you could use less or more depending on your wreath size and/or preference}

Wreath Form {I used a 18in. wire form, you could use smaller if you'd like}

Ornaments {I used a stash of vintage ornaments that were a variety of sizes. You could certainly use just one size or just one color or a variety of each...whatever suits your fancy. My wreath took 14 big-ish and 14 small-ish ornaments.}

Glue Gun with plenty of glue sticks

Step 1:

Make your yarn balls by wrapping yarn around the foam ball, varying your angles and directions, until all the white is covered. You can either just tuck the tail in at the end or put a little dab of craft glue to secure it. I just tucked and they stayed just fine. Now, just to warn you...you might find these yarn balls to be the most beautiful things you've ever seen. Go ahead and take a few days to admire them, photograph them, let the baby play with them...whatever you'd like.

Step 2:

Cover your work area with freezer paper or wrapping paper...something that the hot glue won't stick to.

Step 3:

Lay out your large yarn balls, evenly spaced onto your wreath form. Using your hot glue gun, glue the balls to the form one by one.

Step 4:

Gather your smaller yarn balls and your ornaments and start hot gluing them in and around your large yarn balls. {I must tell you that this step intimidated me greatly...especially since I was using my very loved vintage ornaments. But I took a deep breath and just let loose. It was very therapeutic.} Vary your patterns and colors all around while building your wreath up and out {and in}. I found it helpful to glue the pieces to the big yarn balls first and then to the other smaller pieces that it was touching as a way to anchor it all together. I always held thing in places for about ten seconds for the glue to set a bit before moving on. Stick some here and there. You can always lift the wreath up to see where you might need some additional pieces. I used some large ornaments and {I think} a large yarn ball as add on pieces and I think they added some nice texture and dimension to the wreath. But work to your pleasing.

Step 5:

Put on a cute scarf & sweater and have someone take your picture holding your wreath. Then{here is the very important part} upload your picture to Flickr or your blog and send me the link!!!! I would love to see your creations!

Happy Crafting!!!