In His Grip

New Christmas Traditions

We have started a new Christmas tradition this year.  We did a balloon launch in memory of my Dad on Christmas morning.  My sister, Lori, and her family were in the state of Washington so we got on thephone with them and they launched their balloons on the side of interstate 5 as they were traveling to the Christmas day destination.  We have decided that we will conintue this tradition in memory of those in our family that go to heaven before us and that way we are able to include them in our Christmas celebration.

 
We each wrote a message on our balloons.

 
 
We all went out into the backyard and released our balloons cheering and saying merry Christmas, as Lori and her family did same along interstate 5. 

 
We stood and watched as the balloons rose higher and higher into the sky until eventually they were no longer visable. 

 
Our Christmas memory of 2010 was made richer by adding this new tradtion.  Although we miss my Dad, we know that his first Christmas in heaven was more that we could ever imagine.

Three Word Thrusday

Secret of Christmas

 

This is a performance of me in the 2nd grade, recorded in 1970, by my Grandpa Bergfalk.  My first solo ever at Willard Elementary School, Pasadena, California.  I remember wearing a navy blue velvet dress with "diamond" buttons and feeling so grownup.  I couldn't believe it when I found this in my Grandfather's things.

Annual Christmas Light Tour

Every year our family goes on a Christmas light tour here in Kansas City.  This tradition used to be part of Jeff's birthday celebration but when the kids started college this little outing has moved to later in the month.  Anna  is our guide as she is the one that does all the research and maps out our route for the evening.  She has even been known to preview her selections before presenting them to the family.  Always our first stop and one that we have been visiting for 25 years, is Mike Badick's, Falmouth display.  This is your epitome of cheesy 1950's christmas display.

 
You can't imagine Lindsey and Anna's surprise and excitement when an elf came out of the house and was willing to get his picture taken with them.  These 20 somethings are easily  thrilled when it comes to Christmas.  As we drove away,  Anna said that she feels like she has to defend this display every year as we all laugh and shake our heads.  What are people thinking?

 

Our next stop was the Dorr Family at 7909 Fontana Street in Prairie village.  Their display is put to music when you tune your radio into the right station.  The little children light up and introduce each music selection.  They accept donations with 100% of the proceeds going to the Children's Miracle Network.

 

If there is only one display you can make it to the Vince & Associates building at 103rd and Metcalf is one you do not want to miss.  This picture is from 2008 and the display is much bigger this year.  They too have you tune into a radio station and have a great playlist that makes the lights dance.

 

For a high tech Christmas display, you might want to make your way over to the Callegari place in the 6600 block of west 131st Street in Leawood.  They have a tree that is covered with LED lights and shows pictures of the songs that you hear as you tune in with your radio.   

 
One of our last stops last night was 8500 W. 129th Terrace in Overland Park.  There is a whole list of Christmas light displays on line,  the best list according to Anna can be found here.  Have a great time looking at the lights and just a suggestion, Laura Little's Candies has made our tour several years as a place to stop and get some great homemade chocolates to sweeten the tour.

Felted Flower Pins

I am a handmade gift kind of gal.  I love receiving something made just for me and I love to make something special for people I care about.  This year I have made a lot of the gifts that we are giving.  These felted flower pins are so much fun and I have made around 18 of them to give to those special gals in my life.  Actually, the hardest part of the whole process is finding good colors of 100% wool felt or felting the wool yourself.  Luckily, I was able to find some great wool felt on line at Papertrey Ink and at my favorite craft store Urban Arts & Crafts. 

 
First I collected all of my supplies, felted beads, felt squares, needle & thread, and scissors.

 
I cut five 1 1/2 inch circles for each flower and two leaf shapes as well as chose a bead for the center of each flower.

 
Using a needle and thread I ran a couple of stitches along one end of a circle and gathered it together, then continued to add petals gather them as I went.

 
I then joined the last petal to the first petal creating a ring and finished off.  Next you do the same kind of gathering stitch to the petals and attached them to the flower.  You can either sew your wool bead or hot glue it and then glue or sew a pin backing. 

 
Each flower ends up looking just a little bit different then any other and the make a nice addition to a coat, hat or sweater.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Its So Very Cheri, The DIY Show Off, Skip to My Lou, Wildflowers and Whimsy, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Dittle Dattle, Making the World Cuter, Mad Skills Monday, Coastal Charm, Todays Creative Blog, Ladybug Blessings, Giggles, Glitz & Glam, Blue Cricket Design, All Things Heart & Home, Nikkis Nifty Knacks, The Thrifty Home

 

My First Christmas In Heaven

 

My First Christmas in Heaven

 

I see the countless Christmas trees around the world below

With tiny lights, like Heaven's stars reflecting on the snow.

The sight is so spectacular, please wipe away the tear

For I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

 

I hear the many Christmas songs that people hold so dear

But the sounds of music can't compare with the Christmas choir up here.

I have no words to tell you, the joy their voices bring,

For it is beyond description, to hear the angels sing.

 

I know how much you miss me, I see the pain inside your heart,

But I am not so far away, We really aren't apart.

So be happy for me dear ones, You know I hold you dear.

And be glad I'm spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

 

I sent you each a special gift, from my heavenly home above.

I sent you each a memory of my undying love.

After all, love is a gift more precious than pure gold.

It was always most important in the stories Jesus told.

 

Please love and keep each other, as my Father said to do,

For I can't count the blessing or love He has for each of you.

So have a Merry Christmas and wipe away that tear,

Remember, I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year!

 

This poem was sent to me from my friend, Donna.  Our family talks about what holidays must be like in heaven for Dad.  Seriously, Christmas with Jesus, angles, and streets of gold, how can our mere attempt at holiday decorations compare?

Three Word Thursday

Memories of Christmas

 

Why I Celebrate Christmas

I believe that in the business of the Christmas season I often forget what my celebration is really all about.  Even as a follower of Christ, I am  sucked into all of the activities of our Christmas holiday that our culture suggests.  Everywhere I look there is a reason to buy gifts, decorate my home, and go to parties.  As my blog and home are here to tell, I love the Christmas season with all of its glitter, sparkle and surprises.  But I have been reflecting today why it is I do all of these things and why the excitement builds as the month of December progresses.  For me, it starts with family and the memories that are involved with the celebration of Christmas.  There is not a Christmas for me that did not include the telling of the first Christmas in Bethlehem.  I began thinking today that even if you do not believe that Jesus is the son of God, you celebrate his birth everyday of the year.  Our calendar is based on the birth of Christ and there is no getting away from that.  Today my heart is happy that Jesus was born and brought with him the gift of grace and forgiveness. That is why I celebrate Christmas!!!!

Peace Ornament

As we decorated Lindsey's house for Christmas, we had a lot of extra Christmas balls left over from making her peace wreath, so  we wanted to use them in some kind of creative way and came up with these peace ornaments.  We literally just hot glued the balls together in the shape of a peace sign.

  
I started with the center part of the peace sign and then began hot gluing the balls of the circle until they joined together.  I used a low temp hot glue because the balls were the non shatter type and it would not burn my fingers.  Easy peasy.

I am participating in the following link ups: Between Naps On the Porch, Dittle Dattle, Its So Very Cheri, Keeping It Simple, The DIY Showoff, The Girl Creative, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Today's Creative Blog, All Things Heart and Home, Fine Craft Guild, Life as Lori, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Tales from Bloggeritaville. Truly Lovely, Finding Fabulous, Its a Hodgepodge Life, Its Fun to Craft, The Shabby Nest

Chrsirtmas Breakfast with My Tribe

There is a group of women who are more than just friends, we actually do life together.  We started this years ago by meeting every Saturday morning at our local Panera for coffee.  We don't meet at just anytime, we meet at 6:30 am.  We chose this time because for the most part it does not interfere with our family schedules or any other weekend activities.  There are very few Saturdays that we miss and we have come to be known as the Panera tribe.  We often see the same people every Saturday and there are two little girls that come with their Dad and they call us the bakery ladies.  We have watched this family start out with with just Dad and the oldest girl, at that time about 4ish, and then baby sister started coming too.  Now we look forward to see if the new little brother will make his way into the Saturday morning outing with Dad to the bakery.  This Saturday I invited my tribe to my home for a Christmas breakfast.

I think we have started a new Christmas tradition to sleep in one Saturday each year and come on over to my house for a little Christmas fun. These gals can be counted on for anything.  We have walked with each other through the birth of children, the difficulties of raising strong willed kiddos, teen years, and the passing of loved ones.  I know that at any time day or night I could call on these gal and they will cover me and my family in prayer and love.  There is nothing better than to know that there is a group of gals that will have your back no matter what, but will also give you a boost when you find yourself stuck in the muck of life. 

 
Life cannot be done alone and these gals are the ones that have helped me so far and I will count on them into the future.  Two of our member were missed on Saturday but we will catch up with them next Saturday at our regular table in the corner, where our friendship has grown for years. I  love each and every one of one. Thank you for being in my life.

Three Word Thursday

Christmas cookie baking :o)

 

 
 

Its a "Deer" Christmas Tour

Helping our daughter, Lindsey, decorate for Christmas for the first time in her own home was such a hoot.  Lindsey has always been that daughter who has made fun of all the Christmas decorations that I have.  Well, after our afternoon of decorating her home for the first time, she has no room to talk.  Seriously, what gal starts off with her first Christmas on her own, not only with a coordinated Christmas, but so much to decorate with? Boy, was she happy with all of the leftovers from my house that I have been saving for just such a time that she would need them in her own home.  Of course, she had to start with her "deer" friend and get her spruced up for the season. 

 
This is the Christmas tree that has been in Lindsey's room since she was a girl.  It has been in the window of her room at home, as well as adorned her dorm rooms at college as well.

 
Lindsey has been accumulating pink Christmas things since I brought the pink tree home to her years ago.

 
Nothing better than the glow of pink lights.

 
Her hearth looks so cozy. We painted the garland silver along with my painted Christmas trees. I love the way it turned out.  It looks so vintage.

 
Digging through my linens, Lindsey found a bunch of these quilt squares that I had picked up at an auction a long time ago.  She sewed the corners together and made a garland and added it to the painted garland.

 
Her vintage and pink deer collection sure came in handy to add to all of the Christmas things going on the mantel.

 

Again, digging through my old Christmas things, Lindsey found these very old Christmas light bulbs that were given to me by my Mom and they were given to her by her Dad.  My Grandpa had them hanging on their mobile home when I was a kid, so that dates them back to at least the 70's.  Now I am not sure why I still have them, as I am sure they no longer meet the safety standards of today, but don't they look great just sitting in this bowl.  Grandpa Nelson would be proud.

 
Now we get to the tree.  This was a tree I purchased about 20 years ago at Wal-Mart for $19.99.  It was the first "second" tree I ever had.  Not being satisfied with the green color, Lindsey took my lead and painted it a very nice ballet pink.  Didn't it turn out fabulous?

 
To wrap up our "deer" Christmas home tour is her peace wreath that she made out of Target dollar spot balls. Wow, what a great Christmas home for a young gal.

Linking up to the following Christmas Home Tour link ups:  Between Naps on the Porch, Centsational Girl, Home for the Holidays, Its Fun to Craft

Painted Christmas Trees

Last year was the first year that I had acquired enough pink Christmas things to make part of our home pink for Christmas, click here and here to see what I did last year.  It has been mostly contained to the dinning room, but with the front door once again a great shade of pink, the porch has become a very fun pink winter wonderland.  I wanted to change up the look and really wanted some sliver trees but could not justify buying anymore trees, let alone explaining that one to Jeff. 

 
So I figured, I have some silver spray paint in my studio, why not try a little on the small trees on the front porch.  I tested it first on a small piece of greenery to make sure the spray paint did not melt the plastic or do anything crazy.  And it worked, so I went to town with the painting.

 
Once I saw the transformation, I absolutely love it and knew that it would be the perfect change to the front porch and make those pink accents pop.

 
The end result truly looked like the vintage tinsel trees from back in the day.  I not only paint my two trees but a wreath as well.

 
Who knew that spray paint could change a Christmas tree?  Again, Jeff doubted the outcome of my shenanigans with spray paint, and once again he is shocked that it really did work.

 
Next year I just might be brave enough to tackle the giant wreath above the door.

I am linking to the following link up parties: Its So Very Cheri, The DIY Showoff, The Girl Creative, Cross My Hooks, Between Naps On the Porch, Keeping It Simple, Dittle Dattle, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Today's Creative Blog, Centsational Girl, Somewhat Simple, Blue Cricket Designs, All Things Heart & Home, Nikkis Nifty Knacks, Trendy Treeehouse, Sew Woodsy, Fine Craft Guild, Creations By Kara, The Thrifty Home, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Life as Lori, Tales from Bloggeritavile, Wildflowers and Whimsy, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Paisley Passions, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely

Easy Peasy Christmas Treats

A couple of weeks ago I found this great recipe to make these fun, Christmasy treats.  I made a batch at Thanksgiving and have made a 2nd batch and sent to Anna and all her K-State Pi Phi sisters.  I found the how-to's over at My Computer is My Canvas .  I had never seen the peppermint kisses before, but found them at Target and have since seen them at Price Chopper as well.  Actually, the hardest part of the entire process is taking the candy kisses out of their little foil wraps. 

 

Colette at My Computer is My Canvas not only gives you a how-to but a free download of a great Christmas poem using the "M" on the M&M's.  She is a great graphic artist and has some wonderful Christmas downloads for sale at her etsy shop.  You really need to try these, the little salty with the little pepperminty sweet is like Christmas in your mouth.

Three Word Thursday

Christmas is coming!