Making My Plan.. One Leg At A Time.

Every year after Christmas the wheels in my head start turning. I invision next year's Christmas and what I can do for it to top this past years Christmas. Yes, I plan my Christmases a year in advance.

One item that I do not have but have been eyeing for years is the.....  drum roll please..... The Leg Lamp.  That's right, the Christmas Story Leg Lamp.

We were driving around this year looking at homes with Christmas lights and I saw a home with one in the window. It seriously put an instant smile on my face. The grinch kinda smile, ya know, the ear to ear smile.

Now I have found the 20 incher and the 26 incher on amazon. I will probably pull the trigger on the 20 incher. The 26 incher is nice, just probably too much leg for me.

If your looking to incorporate a Leg Lamp into your Christmas  but an actual lamp  just isn't your style... take a look at all the items at this website....  Christmas Story Gift Shop

Is there anything that you are eyeing for next Christmas? Something you just have to add to your decor??

25 Childrens Books of Christmas

A fun tradition for families to start, is to read a different christmas book each night during the 25 days of Christmas. I get that Christmas just ended... however books aren't too pricey but if your buying 25 books they can really add up. What I would suggest is to start picking up a couple of books each month and when December hits, you will have your own personal library. You may even find Christmas books a little cheaper now in the off months :)

Another fun twist you could do is wrapping the books and letting the  kiddos unwrap 1 a night randomly.  Too fun!

Here is a list I compiled of my families 25 favorite Christmas Books:

1. Elf on the Shelf : We recommend reading this one on Dec 1st so the children know what the elf is all about. Such a cute tradition. They actually have girl elves and clothes too.

2. Frosty the Snowman : Classic... need I say more? Great book to save for a snowy night or a day that the family went out and built a snowman. If you live in a state that doesn't get snow, you could do a snowman art project that day.

3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas : This book is just too darn cute. I think everyone's hearts grow 3 sizes right after they read it.

4. The Polar Express : Another Classic. I just love the artwork.

5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer : Its just not Christmas without the red-nosed reindeer.

6. The Spirit of Christmas : This one is my tear jerked... hold your babies close when you read them this one.

7. Peanuts: A Charlie Brown Christmas : Charlie Brown and the tiny, sad Christmas tree... who could resist???

8. The Little Christmas Elf : I love elves so needless to say we have quit a few books about elves... this is one of my favorites.

9. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Christmas : Miss Carsyn's Favorite. She loves all things Mickey Mouse. I have to say that I like it too. It's a cute short story.

10. Olive, the Other Reindeer : This story is so funny. All ages will surely enjoy.

11. A Jolly Christmas Postman : This book actually has envelopes inside that you get to open. Super cute & fun.

12. Clifford's First Christmas : Oh how I love this adorable red dog.

13. The Christmas Story : Read to your children the story of Jesus' birth.

14. The Pajama Elves : Start another family tradition. Super cute.

15. Legend of the Candy Cane : Christian symbolism of the Candy Cane.

16. Happy Birthday, Jesus : A book that recognizes the birthday aspect of Christmas.

17. The Sweet Smell of Christmas : A scratch & sniff Christmas book. How cool is this???

18. God Gave Us Christmas : A story about the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

19. Jolly Old Santa Claus : LOVE the artwork.

20. Peekaboo Christmas : For the wee little ones in the family.

21. I Spy Christmas : I know, it's technically not a story book but what a fun "game" for you and the kids.

22. Christmas in the Manger : A little board book for the wee little hands.

23. The Night Before the Night Before Christmas : Happy Dec 23rd

24. The Night Before Christmas : Could any Christmas be complete without reading this on Christmas Eve?

25. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever : A very good book.

Please let me know if you recommend any others that I left out. :)

Hope everyone has a great Rudolph Day!

A TREE FIT FOR A PRINCESS

Christmas 2013 was our Baby's First Christmas! Carsyn is our first child and like all first born children, she is spoiled loved. Throw in her mother's obsession love for Christmas and you got yourself a Baby's First Christmas Tree.

I knew that I wanted to do a Christmas Tree for our little angel the second I found out I was pregnant. I didn't plan on diving to far into buying a ton of Christmas ornaments so I planned of using a deco mesh as a garland on Carsyn's Christmas Tree. Deco mesh garland is so nice because it takes up a ton of room on a Christmas Tree and it looks great. With the lights on the tree, the mesh actually GLOWS. (Can't say enough good things about Deco Mesh so I will put an end to it right now)  I used 10" baby pink deco mesh from Michaels Craft Shop, Ribbon from Michaels Craft Shop, Orchid Flex Tubing from TrendyTree.com and a small white fur boa to cover the work ties on the white pencil work garland.

For her ornaments... I would have to say that a majority came from Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland (My FAVORITE Store) and Hobby Lobby. Of course a few other ornaments are thrown in there from various stores.  I Love Glass ornaments the best... which will probably bite me in the ass next Christmas when Carsyn is walking. But I will battle that bridge on Nov. 1st.... not now.

A few of my Favorites off of her tree :)

Ballerina Alligator | Pumpkin Carriage | Bronner's Classic | Snowman | Snowman Bulb | Tree Topper | Rocking Horse

We also found a few rolls of pink and purple wrapping paper. So Carsyn did some shopping for Mommy & Daddy and placed her gifts under her very own Christmas Tree for us.

If you are thinking of doing a tree similar to this one for December 2014, then you could probably find a lot of pastel items in the Easter areas at many stores.

Should it Stay... or Should it Go???

My Love obsession for Christmas has gotten the best of me again this year. It is now about a whole month after Christmas and every ounce of my Christmas decorations are still up. From night lights and snowglobes to trees and stockings. I cannot seem to muster up the balls to take it down. Is it the back of my mind telling me to put it off because it knows it will take me weeks to get everything packed up. I decorated with 4 trees this year and am planning to add 2 more next year... bringing the grand total to 6 trees. Am I crazy!?! Please do not answer that. 

Am I just afraid of facing the depressed state I will be in when it's all gone and in the deep dark corners of the storage room in my basement? It is pretty sad to think that that gorgeous tree with its beautiful glass ornaments and twinkling lights will soon be shoved and folded into a cardboard box! Oh how inhumane.

I am however, itching to fill all my new Christmas totes this year. Is it bad that we had to buy 8 more totes? Again, don't answer. 

Reality is January is coming to a close and whether I like it or not... the decorations need to go. And as I bundle each item with tissue paper & bubble wrap, I envision next year's Christmas and how I only have 337 days to prepare.