Best of Life's offerings

 We spent Thanksgiving with my husband's family in sunny Southern Utah. It was 40 plus degrees warmer than where we live and we LOVED it. And the family time was wonderful. And the food was delish.

 We held our 5th annual Bonus Gobble at our home with dear friends. Turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, pie and awesome company. You can't beat it!

 Mack lost another tooth! I will miss those cute tiny teeth!

 I attended my first treat swap. If there is one thing we all need more of in December, it's treats. So I brought 2 dozen of these...

 And came home with a smorgasbord of delectable delights.. (but actually I think mine were the best treats of the bunch. I'm kind of a treat snob; I make awesome cookies.)

 Preslie planned and hosted her own birthday party! HOLY COW. I have a kid about to turn TWELVE.

 I woke up this morning to this out my window! Everything is covered in crystal frost. It is gorgeous!

Other happenings this month:
sneaky 12 days of Christmas drop-offs
Temple date/Christmas shopping with Dax
Mack's kindergarten program
Mack's class party
teaching piano
Preslie's Nutcracker dance recital
Putting up our tree!

 Putting it up and decorating it was actually not that fun. We were all too grouchy. After hours of getting all the lights to work, finding extension cords, climbing up and down the ladder ('cause the tree is 11 feet tall), too much fighting while decorating and finally finishing and getting the kids into bed, I was ready to buy a fake tree. But I really don't want a fake one. I like how the real ones look: REAL. There is a giant tree in my house that used to be in the mountains. I like that it isn't perfectly shaped and it's not full everwhere and there are little pinecones at the ends of the branches. It beautiful to me. So, I won't buy a fake one, yet.

We are so excited for Christmas! I am ready! What a beautiful time of year in so many ways. I can hardly sing a Chrismas carol without tearing up. Especially the Christmas hymns. Christ's birth means more to me every year. I am so grateful for all the gifts I have! Merry Christmas to all!

a project a day

Yay! It's Christmastime. I just realized that I've made something every day so far this month. 5 projects in 5 days. Am I crazy? Yes. Did I love it? Yes. And in true Tristacular form, I spent zero dollars on any of them. I love the internet! Most of my projects were inspired by something I saw online.

1. Advent calandar from marthastewart.com. There is an activity written down in each envelope. December has so much going on that I use things like "Ward Christmas party" or "Mack's program" in the appropriate day. Tonight we watched Elf. You could also do a scripture in each one.

 

 2. Christmas tree stand. I got this tiny pink tree from a garage sale for 25 cents but the stand was missing.

 I whipped up this one from scrap trim found in my basement and 3 screws. Then I sprayed it pink.

 3. Magnet Board. This is a project my friend Jaclyn is making for her daughter Kinzie for Christmas. She saw this project on the blog House of Smiths. It turned out awesome. The radiator cover over the metal magnet board made it looks so modern and fun. I supplied a huge ugly frame from under my stairs. I painted the frame and the metal behind the radiator cover and helped Jaclyn put it all together. Jaclyn originally wanted to hang this over Kinzie's bed but the frame is so big that we decided to put it on the wall adjacent to the bed. Now she was back to needing something to hang over the bed. which brings me to project 4...

 4. Painted monogram. I said to my friend, "What about a big K over Kinzie's bed?" I grabbed a scrap of mdf from my garage, drew a K on it, and cut it out with my jigsaw. Then I painted it to go with Kinzie's bedspread.

 Would a 6-year-old girl love this? I hope so!

 

 5. Himmeli Ornaments. Saw these on the blog Vintage Revivals. I used regular straws instead of cocktail straws and sprayed mine gold. Can't wait to get a tree!

 

Whew! So much fun. And more fun with my family. Mack got to sing with his class at the city tree lighting ceremony. Santa came and Dax snapped this pic...

Best Santa pic to date. Usually the child is scared to death..and she was..until Santa handed her a Dora coloring book. Then she loved him.

Santa chuckled "Ho ho" when Mack told him he wanted some gumballs for his gumball machine.

 We got dumped on and the kids took a snow day from school and we went sledding. Winter is here. Highs are in the single digits.

 I think I'll stay inside and do more projects! Happy December!