Christmas at Home

This year we'll be staying put for the holidays, and I'm so glad! There has been no rush to get decorations up, though everything is pretty much in place now. It's always fun seeing our years-old decorations in a new and different house. I try to add some handmade things to the mix each year, depending on what Stampin' Up! is offering in the holiday mini-catalogs. But mostly I try to enjoy moments with my ever-changing kids. I love the traditions we've begun and new ones we pick up along the way. Here's a smattering of snapshots from our house as we entered the season of celebrating Jesus' birth.

November 30: This night we simply dragged out the Christmas boxes in preparation for decorating. Arden got silly with the stockings. :-)


December 1: Hot cocoa and Christmas cookies! (OK, these were frozen blobs that I bought from a kid doing a band fundraiser...I just baked 'em, but they were yummy!)


December 7: First snow we've seen accumulate here in Ohio since we moved here. The boys thought it would be great fun to slip and slide on the trampoline--great fun, that is, until cold feet drove them inside! Silly boys!


Kenna braved the cold for a few minutes, but we spent longer bundling her up than she actually spent outside!


This group of decorations is by our front door. Debi made the beautiful picture at the top. I got it last year during our ladies handmade gift exchange/holiday tea, which was lots of fun!


Christmas countdown, one of my projects this year. Charis put the ribbon on all the numbers. :-)


The mantle in the formal dining room...you can see the Christmas countdown along with some of my Decor Elements blocks. The numbers for the countdown are in the small snowman box on the left.


Our beautiful Christmas tree, delivered to our front porch December 7!


Cheap-o red ornament from Walmart made prettier with the Flurry Decor Elements. :-)


Ornament made with 3 scallop circle punches and elements from the Pretties Kit.