My Christmas Tree

After hauling our tree home on Sunday and my hubby finally putting it in the stand, we realized that the tree was a little too tall to fit our star. He wanted to shorten in on the top, but I just couldn't get myself to  do it. I think the shape is perfect the way it is. Lilly is so proud of picking the tree all by herself this year too and I didn't want to mutilate it.

I love it just the way it is. Oh wait there is one more problem...the hubby and I got into an argument over it being straight or not. And it is totally leaning towards one side, at least I think so. I hope it won't fall. Is it visible in the photos?
Can actually believe that I had to run to the store 3 times to get new lights because they failed once I had them up on the tree? What is it with me and Christmas lights?

I love my little Christmas fur ball under the tree. Every year he loves it under there. It makes me so sad because I think that this might be my little loves last Christmas. His kidneys aren't doing too good. He isn't suffering yet but at 16 years old there is just not much to expect anymore. He's had such bad health :( the little fella and now this. Breaks my heart!

Every year I move the desk next to the sofa instead of my white side table. The side table has a new home for December in our bedroom.

I wish I could take better pictures in the evening. I love the glow of all the lights. It just looks so much better than during the day.

I added a small christmas tree to the corner of the dining room, which you can see on the first picture of this post. And I added the silver Christmas balls to the window that you can see below. I forgot to take more photos.

I wish you all a beautiful first advent this weekend. Growing up it was always a big deal for me in Germany. Doesn't seem to be in the U.S. but my parents always had a wreath with 4 candles on the coffee table. The first Sunday of December we'd light the first candle, the second Sunday the next, the third the next and the fourth was lit on Christmas. Which for me has always been the 24th not the 25th. In Europe it's always been about celebrating baby Jesus' birthday not about Santa Claus, but that is changing now too. I try to combine the two for our children, but I'll tell you about it next time.

I just might get an advent wreath for our table.
Talk to you on Monday und guten Tag.

see more of my Christmas decorations here, here and here

Linking to The Nesting Place's 2012 Christmas Home Tour

Too much going on!

There is always so much that needs to get done before Christmas and I haven't really gotten around to getting bigger projects done.

One thing that I can cross off my list is Santa pictures. It cracks me up seeing my 10 year old "believer" on Santa's lap:

Our tree is finally up and decorated and I will share pictures with you on Friday.

I'm currently working on my Shutterfly calendars that I give to our family members every year. It is actually a lot of work. And then I always also make a huge photo book on Shutterfly for every year which is even more work.

My mojo has left me a little when it comes to projects. I didn't want to share this at first but am going to now anyway. My husband is thinking about taking a different job with his company. This would mean that we'd have to move to Lancaster PA. I have mixed feelings about this. Of course I want him to work on his career and move on. This is part of the reason why I'm a stay-at-home mom, so we are more flexible and don't have to depend on two jobs. But I wanted to move to a place where I can see us growing old. I always pictured Europe and if that didn't happen (which it isn't) maybe something like South Carolina, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona... But more of Pennsylvania was not on that list.

I don't want to leave my cat enclosure for somebody else :( I put so much work into this project.

So for now, I don't see a reason to knock down my kitchen wall, paint rooms or redo floors... Because I don't know what is going to happen.

On the other hand if we do move I will have so many projects to share with you because I don't see us being able to afford that picture perfect home.

Do any of you live in the Lancaster area? If so, how is it?

Talk to you on Friday und guten Tag!

More Snowflakes

How was your Thanksgiving? I still feel full, haha. Sweatpants galore!

But I did get some things accomplished like you saw in my last post when I showed off our Shutterfly Christmas cards. I also did some Amazon Christmas shopping all from the comfort of our couch.

Another small project that I did were the decorations on our front porch. It was fast and easy.
All I used was two of those large white craft store (foam) snowflakes, command strips and some old ornaments.

I tied the ornaments to the snowflake and stuck them to the flower pot with the command strips. Easy peasy! I likey likey!

And mini-me and I were able to go on a Christmas tree hunt, cut it down and drag it back all by ourselves while the dudes (aka hubby and Noa) were at wrestling.

We were so looking forward to decorating the tree but guess what? Can you guess right?

Yup, the lights failed me once again. One thing I can rely on every year.
So I have to go back to Target today to get more of my favorite pearl Christmas lights. Unfortunately it was too late last night to get them.

What were you guys up to this past Thanksgiving weekend? Did you eat yourself into a coma? Did you decorate or shop? Or all of the mentioned?

I'm off to Ikea now, so talk to you on Wednesday fellow webbers und guten Tag.

Ordered Our Christmas Cards

Classic Snowflake Christmas

Add one photo or multiple to your Christmas cards this season.

View the entire collection of cards.

I have never done this before with Shutterfly, but at checkout it automatically posted this to my blog. Kind of strange! I wish I could have changed the post a little before it posted.

But here it is and I like it!

Animal Illustrations

How was your Thanksgiving?
I'm still full from yesterday and I really have to exercise today! I have been procrastinating and the P90X videos are collecting dust. This happens every winter!

I wanted to share an Etsy store with you today that I ordered presents from last Christmas season. You all know how I love silly things around the house and that I have a huge crush on animal heads and busts (non taxidermy). Well, I'm  an animal lover in general.

Berkley Illustration sells different sized illustrations of animal busts in human clothing. They have so many different animals and I think they are just so cute.

Last year I ordered the squirrel, hedgehog, lady rabbit, skunk and gorilla for my sister-in-law as a present. She is a vegan, animal rights activist and loves these illustrations. They make a great present for an animal lover with a quirky side.

Here are some of my favorites: 

And remember, please pin from the original Berkley Illustration's Etsy website!

Some of you might think that they are just strange and I agree, they are but I love them. So cute and silly! I can imagine them in a child's bedroom or nursery, can't you?

I wish you all a great Black Friday and weekend.

Talk to you on Monday.

Christmas Coffee Table Decor

I don't know how many posts I have started like this but here it goes again. I went to Target the other day...yup I did again! I should get paid by now for mentioning Target so many times but I don't.
Well and I couldn't resist to get a bunch of things.

I bought the Nate Berkus gold hammered bowl (you've seen my Nate Berkus gold sea urchin from last time already), a gold glass tea light holder and a silver tray.
I also found a fabulous tall fake milk glass vase at the thrift store.

Thanks to hurricane Sandy (I have to find something positive about it, right?) our family members have a huge amount of pine trees lying around who's branches I can use for decorations.

Here is what I came up with

I used some of my old disco ball Christmas ornaments and some plain silver Christmas balls.

I bought the small silver tea light glasses at Target last year.

I also hung some more Christmas balls into the window of our dining room.

Today I'll be getting ready to have some friends over in the evening. The best thing about Thanksgiving was and is always the night before. When we were younger and without kids we used to go out and see all the friends that we hadn't seen in a while because everybody was home. We'd be so hungover in the morning that the huge amounts of food were very welcome. Times have changed and we are no longer staying up late or drinking too much. The hubby has to work every Thanksgiving, it's a bummer but good money. One thing hasn't changed though, we still get to see old friends who come home to see their parents for Thanksgiving and they stop by our house the night before.

Do any of you actually head out on Black Friday? I don't! Never have and I think never will!

I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving und guten Tag.

Christmas Misfits & Mishaps

So I was picturing sharing these beautiful Christmas photos and projects with you today but it all turned out different, like the title explains. Sigh!

It was a busy weekend again. Saturday we had soccer and afterwards I went to another auction. I'm embarrassed to even share what I wanted to buy but please believe me, I had a vision. That vision was destroyed by somebody outbidding me once again. I never ever thought that anybody even wanted these ugly things. Boy was I wrong! I guess that's what happens when you are venturing into Redneck territory.

But here are the two ugly creatures, haha:

You are cringing right now, aren't you? Ugly huh? Well wild boars are so old-redneck German. So guess how much each went for? No really, guess!

You got your number in your head????

Well......drum roll please...$190! For realz! Can you believe it? Carved wood and the size of my 6 year old's head. $190 for one???? Why?
I just wanted to paint them white and hang them with my white animal collection. Guess not! But I waisted 2.5 hours with 2 extremely bored children on this.

So, then I came home to continue with my Christmas decorations. Every year we cut out white paper snowflakes. The kids do theirs for their windows and I cut mine. It's a fun project.

The right ones are just cut with a craft punch.

I wanted to hang them in my entertainment center window and on the walls. I have used ironing starch before to hang fabric. That's a whole funny story in itself what I used the starched fabric for. My friends know...haha.
I read online that you can use the starch to hang paper on walls as well. So I cut away, made some really nice snowflakes...starched them...stuck them to the walls and moved on to decorating our small living room tree and our fire place mantel.

 
I went to bed content with my decorating achievements and this is what I woke to. Really!
I was so angry. The snowflakes were wrinkled and falling off the walls and the light strand on the fireplace was half lit. It's probably punishment for my early Christmas decorations this year ;)

It looks pretty though minus the light.

Don't those light strands get to you every year? They get on my nerves. I can count on them not working and failing. It was a complete new functioning light, out of a new box. Now I have to take it all down and get a new light and redo the mantel.

I didn't have time on Sunday because wrestling season started. It is all consuming, I mean all day long. And this will go on until March. Kind of drives me nuts but the hubby is obsessed. It is his thing and he cares a great deal about it. It is a really big sport in the area we live in. When we started dating (I newly arrived from Germany) he thought that he'd take me to my first wrestling match and I'd think it's so studly....Well? NOOO! I was completely taken by surprise with their outfits and headgear. Oh, really! It is awkward! I have gotten used to it by now but my family in Germany keeps reminding me here and there that it's not an aesthetically pleasing sport. It is so hard for me to see my little boy out there fighting for himself and I get so anxious and sick! He ended up with a swollen and bruised shoulder and lots of tears. Not at all fun for a mother!

At least my small tree turned out beautiful!

Anyways, this is the story of my weekend. It will be a very busy week. Lets hope I can fix my mishaps and share a finished beautiful project at some point. I have to admit, I'm not to enthusiastic about it.

Well I wish you all a great Thanksgiving week.
Talk to you soon.