Oh Christmas Tree

On a blustery day, after the day after Thanksgiving, my children were driving me crazy with Christmas tree talk. 

For days they have been asking to put the Christmas tree up.  Well...really... it started last summer when they were complaining about how they missed snow!  But I forced them to focus on Thanksgiving before we busted out the tree.

And then they whined and cried after the brief snowfall that graced our home last week melted.  But I assured them, as surely as death and taxes, the snow would return.  And it did.  With avenging winds and sub freezing temps. 

I wanted to try something different this year, a real Christmas tree.  I had hopes of us all bundling up and going to our local Christmas tree farm.... picking out the most perfectly shaped tree, cutting it down, snapping some memorable photos, and hauling it into our dining room.  But I was painfully shot down by Aaron who brought me back to planet earth. 

The reality is that our cozy home contains too many boys, too many dogs, and a crazy cat.  We have a hard enough time keeping our artificial tree intact.  Maybe someday we will have a real tree.

So, we dragged our boxed up tree out of storage and then it started. 

To be truthful, we actually have three trees.  Two little ones- one for each of the boys- and then a big one.  All of which are prelit.  None of which the lights worked. 

Aaron spent hours cutting off the strands of lights (that were zip tied onto every branch of every tree.)  And then begged me, "Please, please, please do not buy any more prelit trees."  I can't argue with that. 

After what was suppose to be a 'quick Christmas decorating morning' (turned to Christmas decorating several days) the trees are up and decorated.  And the boys are ecstatic, which is really all that matters.  They each decorated their own trees, the way they wanted them decorating- it's so hard to give up control!

Even the crazy cat did her part.

We have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season.  Too much to count. 

So, thank you to everyone who has helped us out in the past year.  We appreciate every one's kindness!

Our Art Gallery

{Thank you K.L. for getting after me to publish a blog... I need to come here more often.}

I have an artist on my hands.  He may just be the next Picasso.  And big brother has helped him gradually turn our home into an art gallery.

Abram begged our friend, Kelly, to make him out of paper--- a "Paper Abram."  And she dutifully did just that. 

Our "Paper Abram" started off going everywhere with us.  He needed his own seat in the car (although he was too fragile to buckle up.)  He ate a few meal with us... at the table.  We even had to give him a paper cut hair cut.  Until, with much convincing, Paper Abram retired to being taped to our pantry door.

Prior to little brother coaxing Kelly to "make him out of paper" big brother made the decision that the cat needed her own space.

So, a cardboard house was constructed... deconstructed... reformed... reformed again... and then parked in the dining room.  Just for the cat.  It was masterly placed under little brother's apple tree.

Yep, we have an apple tree in our dining room.  A very specific design that little brother dreamed up--- literally.  He and I spent an entire day constructing a paper apple tree.  Not just any apple tree, but one with an owl peeking out and paper apples that can be taken off of the tree and hauled in a truck.  This was all very necessary.  And it was serious business--- or so said Abram.

Lately, we have more artwork on our walls than wall space.  And our main floor has transformed into a kid working area.  There are always scraps of paper floating around... scissors and colored pencil shavings the cat chases through the house...

Noah and Abram amaze me.  The way their minds work.  The way they can form such creative things out of paper and tape.  How they can be so specific with the littlest detail.
 

And a little artsy project that I did...

A few people asked me to blog about this project.  It was very easy to do.  My mom and I scoured a few "vintage shops" in our area for some unique frames.  These frames were very reasonably priced for solid wood frames!  I printed the small photos out at home (the large one I printed out at our local drug store--- talk about small town--- but they were so caring with that photo.  I was very impressed.)  I bought the mats, which were on sale, at a craft store and taped the photos onto the mats.  It was easy to do and will be easy to change out the photos with the seasons!