Christmas Time is Here!

My living room looks like Christmas threw up!  I am only 2 boxes short of having it all wrapped up though.

I love that I was able to get some great ornaments for my unique family members.  Ever been to the Holly Leaf in Old Colorado City?  It is where I found all my Christmas ornaments this year.

Today I got my report cards & all my gift shopping done.  My favorite purchases are what I got for my Mom & Addi - they're gonna love 'em!!  I also love that I stuck to my budget & everyone pretty much got the same amount spent on them this year.

I made some cute parent volunteer gifts - snowmen candy bars with fuzzy sock hats {click this link & see a sample}.  It isn't my idea & I use BOTH socks, so the recipient gets something warm & tasty!!  I added a cute little tag, saying: "Thanks SNOW much for volunteering!"  It wasn't oober expensive, because the socks are sold in 2 packs & you can get a 6 pack of candy bars.  Plus, I only needed 5 - so I  added 1 to Clare's gift, it was perfect.

I got some pretty nice gifts from my Kinders - my fav...personalized stationary!!

And, thanks to my thoughtful pal, Clare, I am now the proud owner of an infinity scarf.

Merry Christmas,

Kristan

"and, Another one for me!"

My mom and I went on an ornament hunt today! Don't you hate when you go shopping for a specific thing & it eludes you? I can't stand it!

However, I do love when you get the best gift ever & it happens unexpectedly - so I guess it can't go both ways {although, it SHOULD!, LOL}. Well that is what happened to Mom and I today. We went to 3 Ross stores in search of Steinbach ornaments, that mom found all through my childhood in Germany for $3-$8. They are all our favorite ornaments {mom, Shawn, & me}.

Well Shawn found them by chance in 2 different Ross stores in AZ - mom and I thought we'd give it a try, no such luck!

If you know me, you should know that cute ornaments are a family trait - it's in our DNA! My mom's tree is super cute with these Steinbachs - and I am OOBER jealous that my sister's tree will now have 8 of these cuties. Mine will have 1, my sister's ornament gift to me this year {bummer for me that I don't have 8, I must have gotten genes from the shallow end of the pool!}

If I wanted, I could purchase them from the Steinbach store in Germany for $25 a piece! What?!?!? I'm sorry but part of the fun of having an ornament giving tradition is that they're not super expensive, I don't own an ornament that is more than say $10 (and that's a stretch)!!

Mom and I stopped at the Southgate Ross in a final attempt, no luck (it was our 3rd store). I did find some super cute ornaments for mom & dad at Gordmans though. Check 'em out...

And now the post title...my mom was deciding upon her final purchases..."Let's see," she states. "I have 1 for me. OH, and another one for me. And...another one for ME!" Yes, she was so funny talking to herself, so proud of all 3 of her ornament finds - FOR HERSELF! She ended up buying me a "Frosty Latte" snowman in a coffee cup & I bought these two pictured above. She still ended up with 3, all for herself! She's so funny.

~Something(s) Lovely...Beneath the Tree~

So my first gift was to myself, a Black Friday present {applause} a CRICUT!! I have been wanting one for F.O.R.E.V.E.R. & yes, it is all mine. So excited to get cutting...I think my first cuts will be for my classroom kiddos snow globes.

Thanks to my parents, gift #2 came last week - my living room ceiling fan. Dad & I were at Lowe's looking for something {heaven knows what, the man could sleep on a cot there and still find something to purchase DAILY} but we couldn't find it at Home Depot so we went looking elsewhere. We were perusing the aisles & I casually said, "That fan looks nice." My Dad said, "Well, we'll get it for Christmas. We'll come back with your Mom and pick one out that you like." I thought, "Cool!"

S0 now I just need to update some lighting fixtures, add my curtains, & hang 2 fans upstairs in the rooms. Well, let's not discuss flooring just yet! :0) {A house is a work-in-progress, as I'm realizing.}

P.S. This post is for Nicole - who shopped with us {Mom, Shawn, & I} on Black Friday. Shawn asked me, "Are you going to wrap your Cricut & cartridges, and put them under your tree?" That was not my plan, but before I could reply as such, Nicole says "No, that's dumb - she should go home & use them!" Ha HA! {Nicole bought a Keurig, I asked her about wrapping it up & placing it under the tree as a joke - she rolled her eyes & was like, "H#*@ NO, I'm making my coffee with it tomorrow!"} Gotta love us single gals, asking for practical gifts or just buying them for ourselves!!

P.S.S. Now I'm seriously considering a Keurig for myself - Black Friday 2012?!?!

A Button?!

Well, actually a few buttons, some pipe cleaners, & felt. These little guys took about 1 hr. and I made 10! That is an easy project! It is a tradition for my Mom, Shawn, and I to get "The King" family members ornaments every year. It makes unwrapping them super fun from year to year & recalling memories of painting them or opening them.

Found this particular craft on Martha Stewart's website, under Kid Crafts. My siblings all seemed to love them, my dad & Juan especially loved the reindeer (I added a small red nose to Santa & the reindeer too).

~ Merry Christmas ~

Counting the Days 'til Christmas

Ooooo...another blog about...CRAFTS!

This one is so fun & easy. All the supplies can be found at Hobby Lobby, Michael's, JoAnn's, & Wally-World!

The plates are only sold at Michael's (as far as I know). I buy the set for $17 & the plates are sold as pairs. All the ribbon & decorations vary. I have made red ones with trees, presents, and trains.

I also have made blue themed ones as pictured below:

My teammate was my Secret Santa last year--Pam loved her plate so much that it inspired me to make them for my teammates this year. Well, everyone but Motts--what do you get for a male teacher/co-worker??? (A plate counting the days 'til Christmas isn't probably going to be a BIG hit for him!)

Cinnamon! Cinnamon! Don't Forget the Cinnamon!

So...my wonderful, crafty friend Clare gave the website listed below for Cinnamon Ornaments. I was feeling adventurous (and CHEAP). So, I made 30 of them--22 was what I was aiming for (1 for each of the 21 kiddos in my class & 1 for my Secret Santa).

Mom and I stayed up 'til 12:00 baking them--they did turn out nicely! I hope my kids don't break them before they make it home. It cost me a total of $5 for the supplies & the house smells wonderful. Check out the recipe: http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Other/Cinnamon-Ornaments.aspx

Here are the results:

"It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas"

Updated pics of my Christmas-time house! So excited to get more and more treasures as the years go by. I just love how my Mom's house looks at Christmas! My GOAL: Do it BETTER!! (Just kidding Vern, sort of!)

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I truly believe that. I set up Christmas at the King house today. A little bit of help from Grandma & Dad, but I did most of the unpacking.

It looks good. I'm officially domesticated, first a pie! Now I'm packing & decorating like a home-owner. Too bad it's not my home.

Enjoy every minute of it...I am!!