Brain Declutter: Holiday Style

*The ultimate compliment was given to me today at Walmart of all places!  I was printing some pictures of our "photo shoot" pictures of Jake and was asked by an employee if I had taken the pictures myself.  (You know how you have to push the button saying you aren't printing copyrighted prints?)  She didn't seem to believe me but let me pay for them anyway.She flipped through them and eyed me suspiciously.  Then she did something that made me realize I may not want to let it go to my head because she may not be the brightest.  What made me think this is when she looked on the back of them, as if she expected to see a photographer copyright and eyed me one more time.  I wasn't lying of course, but even if I was how did she expect to see the copyright on the ones that I had printed?....

*We still don't have the decorations on the tree!  It is up, lights are shining brightly...and that is it.  We are doing it tomorrow I swear.  In the mean time we put these up:

(Jake decided if he could have been there at Christ's birth he would have wanted to be a sheep.  The words around it are the things he thought he would feel if he were there...Note to self: we are going to have to add curios to our vocab list...He wrote: carieas...?  Spelling is not his strongest subject-he talks after Aaron in that regard.)

We started the Christ Centered Christmas book tonight and talked about Mary.  (It goes through all the people in the Nativity and gives you scriptures that go a long with them and ideas on how to learn about and appreciate their part on that special day.)  The book suggested making heart shaped cookies or cut out paper hearts to go along with talking about the things Mary pondered in heart (Luke 2:19).  It also suggested discussing who you would have wanted to be if you were there that day.  We combined them and cut out the hearts and wrote who we would have wanted to be, why, and then we wrote down some words that we thought we would have felt in our heart if we were that person.  Then we talked about preparing our hearts for Christmas instead of just preparing the gifts and decorations.  It was a good discussion and we finally have Mary in the manger.  And yes the Nativity is in the fire place.  There was literally no other place to put it...This is my mom's Nativity.  We have the Willow Tree (I LOVE IT) and it stays out all year long in the living room (that's how much I LOVE IT).

*So we won't forget what the house looked like the day we got out all of my mom's Christmas decorations here it is:

 I know you are thinking what is the big deal...Take a look at this:

And that isn't even all of it.  It was in the sun room and kitchen too....My mom is serious about her   decorations.
(The putting away shouldn't be so bad because we got it all out so Mom could decide what she really wants to keep...Hopefully there won't be as much for them to get out next year!!)

*Do you ever wish your hand writing looked different?  I wish mine did because I am getting ready to write on frame mating for a Christmas gift and I am scared I am going to totally screw it up....Writing it in your handwriting makes it more personal right?

*Nee is home and here is the proof:

*The picture below is of Mom's new Kitchen Aid-an early birthday gift from my sis and her family.  Yes I am jealous because it matches my stuff. :)  It also gives further proof that she is home.

*Aaron is down to 2 more exams and he will officially be a Math Major Geek Graduate!  Expect several (hundred) pictures of the graduation and after party!

*I know a lot of people that are pregnant right now.  Four at Church (that I know of) and my sister-in-law.  Do you ever have that happen when it seems like all the sudden everyone is pregnant?  It is kind of funny how that works.

*I love Mod Podge.  Serious crafters probably laughed at me when I put "modge podge" in my last post.  It won't happen again I assure you.  I kind of think it is magic how stuff that looks like elmers glue can make anything look so shiny and pretty...I like the luster not the matte myself...That is why it is shiny.  Here is a picture of a fun gift I am making for Jake for Christmas:

(Okay so it is partially for me because I want to hang up pictures of his cute mug all over the house and adding a little Star Wars is one way to insure that it will go up. :)  The pic was taken in the drying phase.  The things you see in the left of the picture may or may not be other gifts for people I know...Sorry none of them have Yoda on them so don't get your hopes up.)

*Science is fun!  Papa and Jake made a catapult last week.  I took the pictures:

*Do you have a favorite wrapping paper that you like so much you don't want to use it?  I do. I got it at Target last year and it black with snowflakes all over it.  I love it because you can put any color bow with it and because I love black and white.  I don't want to use it but I will because it really does look great under the tree.  Speaking of the tree: first time ever in Jake's decade on earth that we are having colored lights on the tree.  We are using my parents tree because ours is looking pretty Charlie Brownish.  It is (was maybe...) pre-lit except the middle section wouldn't light up any more so we just said it was striped and called it good....

*A massive photo drop of 2011 stuff I have posted yet will happen before the end of the year.  I may even have to break it into parts...Yep it is going to be that bad.  Just warning you.

*I just looked at the clock and it is 10:12.  I promised myself I was going to bed a reasonable hour tonight and I still have to pick up my crafting mess and I still have to read some of Jane Austin's Persuasion that I have been reading for about 2 weeks now (it is not taking me so long because it isn't good-it is because I have been making gifts almost every night)!  I guess the writing on the frame mate will have to wait.  Maybe my handwriting will be fancier tomorrow any way. :) 

*Happy holidaying to you !  I didn't even give myself enough time to check all my favorite blogs!!!  There is always tomorrow I guess.  Don't blog to much people because I already have a ton to catch up on!!!