Homemade Christmas Gifts!

One thing our family does at get together to cut costs is to do a Homemade Gift Exchange. I love it it is super fun! Here is what I came up with this year!

Cinnamon Applesauce ornaments that the kids made for Grandma Kathy! We found the recipe on this blog

I also made this adorable car caddy that I found on this blog!

Here it is all opened up! And Little David volunteered to give away 6 cars with the gift. 

I made this run around bag! No pattern just traced a bag !

And it is reversible!

A Sword and Shield! Totally from my own pattern! I made the sword with hot glue and old packing foam. The shield of course is stuffed like a pillow.

I can't take credit for these adorable houses. I got the idea on Pinterest  from this  blog but the full tutorial is here .  I did however make the bed and chair all on my own!.
 

and they close up and you can carry them with the pretty ribbon handles.

Beauty in the Midst of Chaos

Our country has had so much horror happen in the last month that it is so hard to remember that there is still beauty here.  I was reminded of some beauty this week and I wanted to share with you. 

 Beauty for me was my kids all dressed up for their Christmas Program at church sitting in front of Grandma Patty's Christmas tree, it was the children at church singing in their program, it was the dad in front of us looking at his son with so much love that you could never capture it in a photo, it was the girl a few rows ahead worshiping through sign language, it was the precious time spent with my husband assembling a Christmas gift, it was the preciousness of my husband rocking the baby to sleep for his afternoon nap, it was the preciousness of my girls cuddled up with Granddad to watch a movie, it was the beauty of the pair of cardinals in our back yard, it was the uncommon visit from my Great Grandpa, and it was the sweet newborn that visited my house this week.

So many times we seem to be blinded by the ugliness and Chaos that we forget to see the beauty.  What Beauty have you seen lately?  Leave me a comment, help someone else see beauty today. 

I captured a few glimpses of how beauty appeared to me. I hope you  enjoy the pictures. 

Getting Ready For Christmas, A Family Tradition

Every year shortly after Thanksgiving we decorate our Christmas tree and we make it a party!! So here are a few of the fun things we did! Finger foods, Air 1 Christmas music and of course Christmas decorations. What do you do special in the Christmas season?