Winter Still Lingers...

WAIT! Don't leave - it's not an old Christmas post - it's a new post, I promise. I don't still have Christmas decorations that I want to share with you - I have WINTER decorations. Maybe I made that theme up but I've done this for a few years now. Leaving up a few winter decorations to linger throughout a bit of January is my way of dealing with the January Blahs and a way to bring a little winter and "snowy" appearance to our house since winters in California are a bit different than the 26 winters I spent in Illinois. My guidelines of what's allowed --

 1.Snowflakes

2. Blue, White and Silver

3. Angels and Snowmen

4. White Lights

...and whatever else I may have forgotten to stash away with the Christmas decorations.

To participate in Frugalicious Friday, I'll focus on my thrifty finds for my winter mantle - nothing crafty created on my part, just some thrifty spending involved!

TARGET finds - the blue and greenish-blue tinsel trees - originally 7.99 for the big one, 4.99 for the small one -- both 50% off;  the owls - 9.99 for 6 - 50% off -- and I now see that I chose to photograph the one-eyed owl - maybe i should have asked for 60% off? But we'll just assume he has a special quality, like Rudolph did. How cute are these owls?

birdhouse - garage sale find, $.25, silver church - I caved and bought three of these when they were only 30% off because I was afraid they'd be all gone by the time they were marked down anymore -so the larger and medium sized ones are being used as nighlights in the twins' room - very shabby chic looking I must say.

BEST FIND  - 50% off 7.99 Yankee candle at TJMaxx --Yankees seem to usually be at least 15.99 even in discount stores so I was surprised to see the 7.99, let alone the half off of that. The bundled up snow angels and sledding girl were gifts from my mom one Christmas. .

MOST CREATIVE that I thought of while in the store aisle, and I am not saying it looks perfect but I got the look I was looking for...there is a picture of my husband and I that was taken in Lincoln Park in downtown Chicago when we were first dating- imagine this same snow covered sidewalk with the back view of two people all bundled up, hand in hand walking, taken in black and white film. (never mind that it was most definitley 5 degrees out at the time - we were newly in love! Who thinks of weather and frostbite during that stage of a relationship?) It was a picture that Jason asked a stranger to take for us and it has always been one of my favorites (a favorite yes, but before the digital craze and after taking an  hour break from this post to search for it in my 30+ photo albums, I can't find the darn picture!) When I saw this gift bag, I was reminded of this picture. I bought the bag, half off of course, brought it home, cut it in two, and taped it on to the framed picture that is above the mantle.

and here is my overall Snowy Winter in our house. Makes me feel like bundling up and getting cozy on the couch so the purpose has been met!

and while I have your minds focusing on frugalness...

 here are some nifty thrifty finds that made my week a happy one...

Canvas People is offering a free 8x10 canvas -- well, not TOTALLY free - there is a 14.99 S&H charge BUT even with that, this beats Costco's price of $30 for an 8x10 canvas. So it's a great deal - I know I have many of my photographer friends as readers on here so I'd grab this deal before it expires, and when that is, I don't know. AND the canvas is gallery wrapped which means the picture is streched neatly over the wooden canvas frame, for a neater look - often times, companies charge an extra fee for that feature - not canvas people! Here is the 8x10 I am anxiously awaiting in the mail...my little izbiz!

Any brueggers bagels fans like me?

click on the link in my post and if you sign up for their email list, you'll get an email for a printable coupon for a free bagel and cream cheese -- good deal for a free breakfast! and no strings attached to this one - i can promise because I've already received my email and there is no purchase necessary.

Balboa Island ...

Want to take a tour of one of the best light displays around?

WELCOME to BALBOA ISLAND,

California. 

Clark Griswold would be in heaven in this neighborhood! It's a popular attraction in this area and definitely a must-see!

• 
  
  this house has a carousel of the reindeers on it's roof -it's of course all lit and rotates - complete with Rudolph and his red nose leading the pack!
  
  
  

and directly across from their house is their equally festive boat dock!

...and as you are walking, your "everyday" Christmas boat just passes by...

love the penguins at this house and snow mounds

this is the entrance to someone's house - this is a REAL tree that has had the back cut off of it and is then hanging above their front door -- gorgeous or what???

and isn't every boat house turned into a Gingerbread House for Christmas? the girls wanted to enter it, but there is a sign that says "elves only."  We took that as do not enter.

surfer style house!

A rotating tree and a snow machine made this house attract a crowd in front

and our happy little troop enjoyed their evening!

i think i'll add a few strands of lights to my "after Christmas sale" shopping, especially

since Maddie informed me that our "gold lights are boring"

I have a long way to go to matching up to these neighbors but it's great motivation!

TWO MORE DAYS

our greatest garland yet...

linking in today with We ARE That Family to share my easy resourceful Christmas decoration idea using your childrens' artwork....visit the blog for gazillion tips and ideas shared by many bloggers...

i may need to rent a storage unit soon for all of the artwork and preschool projects that i have saved from my preschoolers -- with twins, i get twice the load and therefore, twice the amount to store. having been a former teacher, or maybe it's just being a mom in general, i  just find "cuteness" in everything they create -- whether it's how they wrote their letters, their names, the little stick figure people they create, - all of it, it just grabs me.
so this year, i decided to LET GO of controlling the Christmas decor and went with whatever my little preschoolers had in mind -- the girls were in charge and because of our little addition this year, who is now 9 months and is into everything (let me repeat - everything!), there are only  plastic or paper ornaments on the tree this year. as our garland for the tree, i grabbed an idea that i had previously created with some paper that they had painted last year - a garland of circles that i had made from their artwork and have displayed in front of my craft cabinet in the garage - i add on to it periodically. so staring at yet another pile of colored papers, artwork and numerous pages of the abc's practice, a lightbulb went off -- and thanks to a little inspiration from the Sis Bloom blog, we went to work...

and this....

became this...

now i realize my tree isn't going to win any decorating awards this year, but honestly,

 i think it's my favorite tree yet! Christmas is all about our girls now that they are in our lives so knowing they decorated the Christmas tree with such care and excitement, i couldn't imagine choosing any other tree!

happy decorating to you and yours!

the countdown begins

yes, i'd love to have a little more martha in me and be able to say my baby sock advent calendar turned out

 just    like     this.

(martha's version to the left)

but i can't say that. 

BUT  i can say that i do like ours! 

 the little socks that mia and maddie wore, and now izzy too, will be little reminders each Chistmas of their little selves way back when.

here is our advent sock calendar  - the eventful countdown begins today!

oh how i love traditions!

my vintage santa collection...

i am quite fond of anything vintage , but the vintage santa item has caught my eye for a few years now...

i am sharing a bit of my collection with joan and her blog "anything goes here" to celebrate in her vintage christmas monday!

it all started with this guy - the "mean santa" as my girls like to call him. actually, anyone who has seen him has questioned me as to why in the world i bought him. i saw him at an antique store back in 2004 and i just had to have him. i didn't collect vintage santas at the time but after paying $20 for him, my collection began! i loved that he was a full size doll, really something that i had never seen before.

and the collection has grown...

i found this little treasure in my grandma's basement after she passed away - i wish i would have seen these on her trees in the years before but they were packed so deeply in her basement, i am not sure she even knew where they were - there is a set of 4 of them, and i'd love to know the story behind them.

...and i wish i could say that the little cutie in the picture below is me, but i suffer from the 2nd child syndrome and have about 10 pictures of my childhood (hi mom, you know i am right!) so that is my sister who will be 40 in the upcoming year. i love this picture and can only imagine what her little mind was wondering at that moment --

and one of my tiniest yet most treasured santas...

remember this  little santa pin? one of my favorite little keepsakes from my childhood - - it used to have a white string that would make his legs kick out when it was pulled - i loved this pin and kept it safe in my jewelry box year round until i was able to wear it again the following year.

happy monday all!

happy thanksgiving ...

Happy Thanksgiving!

the girls enjoyed helping me make this banner using fabric scraps and felt -

i used fabric scraps that were from dresses i had made for them as well as fabric from the curtains

in their nursery that their Godmother made 5 years ago -- all which adds to the sentimental feeling of thanksgiving.

i'm confused...

i'm confused.

i always have had a problem of "letting go" of things.

but this is not right.

 i just can't decide.

if you were standing in my family room right this very minute,

in one quick turn of your head,

you can see this...

the girls' halloween candy which remains - it should just be tossed into the garbage like most good parents have probably already done, but candy does wonders for bribery -- and i remember my love for candy as a kid so is a piece or two a day really that bad???

and you will see this...

the twins have made improvements in their understanding of thanksgiving this year and gratitude and what they are thankful for...imagine my face last year when i read the poster at preschool that said

"what are blessings?"

mia's answer: "when you need a tissue"

maddie's answer: "when you sneeze"

fortunately izzy has been a great example this year in my attempts to explain "blessings"

and you will see this...

understand my confusion now?

and i've blamed my husband for being the indecisive

 one all these years.

we are having company on saturday and i am really going to confuse the heck out of their little kids.

so really, i need to make a decision here.

is it halloween, thanksgiving or christmas in here?

thanksgiving has arrived in our home...

i often wonder if clutter could be my middle name. i'd be more honored with eclectic, but i think i just have to admit - i am a clutter queen. i don't want to be and i try not to be - but i just love stuff. i love stuff. that's it. maybe it's the girl in me, or the former teacher in me. or the packrat in me - or the fear that once i buy something, i MUST hang on to it because maybe there will be a time when i can't afford festive decorations or um, needless decorations. but there is a lot of clutter in here. i'd like to think, and 90% of the time i think i am right, that it's displayed tastefully and in an organized manner, but i just don't know what to do with just a FEW things. i have to have A LOT of things. if you don't like stuff, your eyes will hurt in my house. you might need to stay for a week to take in all that there is to see.

but that's HOME to me.

i like stuff and i like it that way.

all of these little pieces have a story to me...

the ship that sat on the coffee table in my first house as a toddler...

the leaves garland that my mom's friend bought for me as a thank you gift when she and 2 other of my mom's friends came up for a girls' weekend when i lived in downtown chicago in my early twenties...

the turkey made out of a soup can and feathers which are tracings of the twins hands

when they were just 2 years old...

the boyd's bear pilgrim that my mom gave to me when i was a boyd's bear collector...

the framed sunflower picture from one of my very best college friends, kimmy.

the wedding picture that my best friend, kate,  took of us  (i didn't mean to hide myself)...

the framed "i do" from a napkin of a wedding we attended this summer that i specifically wanted to frame and bring home to put next to our picture - as a little daily reminder.

 

so yes,  it's a bit clutter-ish,

but it's HOME,

and it is what makes it

our home.