Merriment Chain~ Day4~ Santa's Reindeer

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Shhh......don't tell, but I have secretly been watching Santa's reindeer since October.  Before I go to bed I like to check on them sometimes.  

I haven't shown my girls them yet this year, but tonight's the night I think.  

Last year the kids would watch them in the evenings and get really excited if one was running or starting to fly (just jumping around).  Santa will come and feed them himself live for everyone to watch 3x a day.

 Here are some still shots I found of them on the Internet. So, don't delay. Go watch them live by clicking...... 

Take me to Santa's Reindeer  

Wouldn't this be so fun to show all the special children in your lives?  It just makes the magic even more........real.  Just what the 9 year old in my house needs.

Have so much fun.

Merriment Chain~ Day3~ Bottle Brush Tree Bowl Fillers

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Good Morning Friends.  I have enjoyed everyone's visits so much over the last couple of days.  Thank you for the sweet comments too.  I love blogging because of the wonderful friendships that can be born through it.

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Today I thought I would show you a simple display of a few bottle brush trees.  I tried to put several in the bowl, then rearranging them in various ways.  I ended up with just the three.  All in a row.  So simple, yet somehow pretty.  

I wanted to grunge them, but certain little hands love to play with them.  If you can think of a way to grunge them up without having them become toxic or messy, I would love to know how.

Here is the full display. For some reason.  This speaks to me.  I just love it.  

Have a wonderful day.  Hope to see you all again tomorrow.  Take care friends.

Merriment Chain~ Day 2~ Tea Bag Ornies

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~Tea Bag Tree Ornies~

 Steep 4 bags in 1 cup of  boiling water for 3 or 4 minutes.  The herbal teas don't quite produce the color normal tea does. So I prefer using that.  I was using peppermint here because it sounded good this morning.

Let your tea bags air dry.  If you don't have the patience, you can pop them in the oven at 200 degrees for a little bit.  You just have to check them very frequently so they don't burn.

Find the graphics you want to use and re size them to 2x2.

I personally love The Graphics Fairy . I just opened them in Microsoft Word and did it that way.  Print them out on the glossy side of some freezer paper which has been cut to the dimensions of a regular piece of printer paper.  If they come out smudged, just wipe them off with a wet paper towel and try again.

Being careful not to touch the graphics, cut them to a size that you would be able to set on your tea bag.

 Now, take a wet towel and dampen the tea bag.  Don't saturate it as it will make the ink run.  Just wet enough to transfer the ink.

Lay it on the wet tea bag and with one hand hold it in place, and with the other rub a finger firmly over the entire paper. Carefully peel it off starting with a bottom corner.

Because your tea bags are dark and wet, the ink will not show up right away.  You will be able to see it more clearly as it dries. 

Now, embellish with rusty bells and pins.  I used burlap twine for my hooks. 

See, aren't they so pretty?  And someone laughed at me when I told them over the phone what I was making:)

Merriment Chain~ Day1~ Our Tree

Misi from Gable House Musings and Robyn from Primlish have teamed up to give us the Merriment chain.  It's a chain in which we celebrate each day by making a post of our Christmas happenings and goods.  If you want to join in the fun

Click Here

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Every year since we have been married, with the exception of maybe 1, we have made a trip to the forest and cut down the best tree DH could find the day after Thanksgiving.  This year he was on call and we had to make other plans.  We found a very cute tree farm in the next town over just 45 minutes away.  Now, I am all for the forest and hiking in the cold snow while towing three crying girls.  I love spending the day wondering if hubby is going to get us lost or stuck. (Sensing sarcasm here?)  It's a tradition.  However, the tree farm was lovely.  We drove right up to the edge of the field, put on our hats, and piled out of the truck.  We got to walk on the level groomed dirt and check each angle of the tree.  The girls got to run around unattended.  The sun was warm and lovely.  It only took a half an hour of inspecting perfectly groomed beautiful trees to find what we were looking for.  And, after all, DH still got to roll around in the dirt and saw something down.  It was the best excursion yet.  And next year, we will be doing it again:)  No more forest expeditions (unless it's in the summer and we are hiking).

This little tree was wanted for the kitty.

Oldest is taller than this one.

Now for the fun part.

Innocent bystanders.

All loaded up.

Ready to decorate.

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See the tail "Middle" is sporting?  She wore it all day long.  Ha ha, so cute.

The girls decorated it all by themselves.  We did have to help with the high places and move a few things around, but other than that, they did a good job.  All the ornaments are thiers or are special from one place or another.  I call it my "junk" tree, but really, it's just a "family" tree.  One day, when the kids move on, it will be a glorious fancy one like you see in the magazines:) 

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Well, nothing prim about this post......just a day in the life of our family.  Were just doing what thousands of others are.......thanks for stopping by.

Ornie Swap and Random Goodness

Last year I vowed I wouldn't miss the Ornie Swap that Amy held this year.  I am so glad I got in on it.  What wonderful things will be on my prim tree this year.

Snowman~Cyn@cynzplace.blogspot.com
Ho ho ho~Tammy@threesmallfry.blogspot.com

Angel~Becky@gingercremehollow.blogspot.com

Star~Marsh@tatterdchick.net

Thank you to all the wonderful and talented ladies who participated. 

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I think "Baby Frog" may be ready for Christmas.  I found her laying on the floor like this the other day. Really, I didn't put that hat there:) 

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This is what happens when you have two girls in the same size clothing.  Can anyone say LAUNDRY?

I had just finished washing and putting it away last night and couldn't believe how much I had to do.  It took me all day.  

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Over the last three days I have been through six cake mixes and pounds of powdered sugar.

"Oldest" had a birthday.  I made cupcakes for her class and individual cakes for her party and a purse cake for her family party.

 Then, two weeks ago "Baby" had a birthday and wanted a Special Agent Oso cake.

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Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving Day.

Pilgrim Motivation and Poacher

Sometimes it just takes the right thing to get me motivated and with DH out of town (I stay up until all hours of the night when he's gone), these two pilgrims were going to get made.  They have been on my list since last Thanksgiving.  I love, love, loved them the first time I saw them on Earlene's blog.  I knew they wouldn't be hard to make.  Of course, I had to figure my own pattern, but that wasn't too bad.  *Their skin isn't so pale as it shows in the picture.*

Their mouths, I have been told by select family members, say they remind them of "Frankenstein" or "Edward Scissor Hands" (a movie in which the main character's mouth was stapled closed).

Maybe it's just the primitive in me, but I love the mouths, so they will stay that way:)

Now for names..........

  

Here is the picture of Earlene's.  She told me she bought them at a little shop nearby her home and even offered to pick up a pair and mail them to me after I enquired as to where she got them.  What a sweet, sweet lady.  I  like the darker skin, but I didn't have any Walnut Stain.  So mine are just very fair:)  Go check her blog out www.primitivepassion.blogspot.com.  She has some really beautiful and inspiring things to share. Also, if anyone knows who makes the pattern, I would love to be able to give them credit.

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Here is the next project I really want to get done before December.  I love advent calenders of any kind and I thought this one would be extra fun to make for the girls.  Each day has a Christmas activity you can do together. 

Here are the Instructions if you are interested.  It would be a fun thing to have in your house for the Grand kids too (if they live nearby).

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This past week has been a hard one for my parents and for my children.  They lost their dog Poacher.  He has been in the family since before my children were born and was the only dog they have ever loved.  He was the best family member you could ask for.  He loved the children dearly and would sleep with them every night they visited.  He was a hunter and a chaser and a fetcher.  We shed many tears last Friday and cried ourselves to sleep.  There was a ceremony and prayer and he is buried close by the home.  

This is a picture of  "Middle" as a baby by Poacher.  She would poke his eyes and pull his ears and he wouldn't move a muscle.

Now she is grown up and Poacher so old.  

We will miss you "Old Boy"

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We haven't had any Fall snow yet.  We are anxiously awaiting though.  I can't wait to get through this next week to officially begin the Christmas celebrations.  I have been enjoying all the Christmas things on your blogs' here and there.  Just a few more days:)

Have a great one and thanks for visiting me today.

Where's the flame

Please excuse my absence: my mojo is lost, writers block, hand cramps, ceative burnout.  Whatever you want to call it.  It's a little disturbing.  To wake up and have no desire to be creative.  It's a little sad.  To be so busy that you don't have time to visit blog friends.  It's a little depressing.  To realize you don't have much to share anyway.

www.flickr.com/photos/purecaffeine/455160673/

For now I have found a great article on how to survive creative burnout.  Don't worry:)  I know all the signs of depression.  This isn't it.  Life just gets in the way sometimes.

I miss you all and wish you the best in your decorating and creating, your days and nights, your family and friends.