We wish you a scary Christmas...

Pray. It's all I'm asking of my blog readers, if you can pray, do it. It's been a rough week in casa de la Supahmama.

Last week marked three years since my Mammaw passed.
Christmas Eve went without a problem.
Christmas Day went without a problem.
The day after Christmas my Father had a heart attack on what he thought was going to be a short day trip across state lines.
I still haven't been to see him.

It's not because I don't want to go be with him, but because of other unfortunate circumstances which make me feel selfish and of course sends me into a panicked state. I am one giant twitchy eyelid away from a stroke. So pray.

Please.

And so we don't leave this post as the most depressing post ever, there's always this:

 Christmas Eve. Also proof I'm not a liar when I say that Lo is a.) an animal whisperer and b.) has the greatest sweetest little man face on the planet.

Christmas Day. Also? He is going to be the biggest nerd/fanboy in High School. At least he's ridiculously good looking. That ought to make up for his extensive knowledge of all things Lego/Star Wars/Indiana Jones/Marvel/Pirate's of the Caribbean. God bless his poor little doomed heart. And yes, there is a very real possibility that I failed as a Mother this week and these might possibly be the only two pictures of Christmas 2011. Go me.

Three Years.

I held onto her. I held on so tight. I wedged my arms up under hers and whispered to her, "It will be ok, you need to go now. You need to go the hospital, please let them take you. We will watch over him, it will all be ok." She couldn't control anything anymore. She submitted to my Stepfather, letting him carry her like a baby out the door, through the hall, to his truck. She let go, holding on enough to make it through one more night. She was so scared, so confused. So fragile. "We will watch over him, it will all be ok." It was all I could do to convince myself that it would be.

Her heart was literally ripping apart.

Our hearts were breaking alongside hers.

I needed her to hold on just one more month.

She passed away barely one month before Lillie's birth.

The grief still takes my breath away and shakes me.

 I think it hurts more sometimes knowing what Lillie doesn't have versus what she could have had.

I try not to think about Lo playing peek a boo with her, tickling her toes when he unearthed them from her blankets.

I try not to think about how when I was overwhelmed with Lo's colic, how angry I would get when she could soothe him and make the screaming stop whereas I couldn't.

I try not to think about the fact that three years ago today, she was conscious enough to recognize me and Lo and reached out to rub his sweet baby feet, mere inches from the Great Granddaughter she would never know.

I do try to think about how hard she fought to stay long enough to see all of her children one last time, even if she wasn't physically awake.

I do try to think about how she pulled one on my Grandfather by enjoying every last second of her life flight to Atlanta. She had always wanted to fly in a helicopter.

I do try to think about how she would talk to me for what seemed like hours before I would fly overseas.

I do try and remember her face and everything she said to me.

"Jesus loved the little children, all the little children of the world... Bless your heart... He doesn't give you more than you can handle, so pray."

And so I do. I do pray. I pray every spare second. I pray when I'm scared. I pray when I'm overjoyed, frustrated, lost. I pray that there really is a heaven and that she's in it, waiting for me, for all of us, because I can't bear the thought of never having another hug.

Christmas was her very favorite Holiday.

Unplugged.

It's been a fairly odd week for me. I had two interviews, one of which never ended up happening and the kids and I have been hammering out cookies, cocoas and handmade gifts this week. Needless to say, we're all floating on a sugar high and glitter simply plumes up around us with each step we take across the living room. I'll be posting regularly again by Monday. Until then... you've been instagrammed!

 5 batches of Cocoa. Classic, Mocha and Peppermint. Oh... and then there's Mama's little crack baby.

 We had to open up a SECOND bag. Your explanation is the chocolate all over her mouth.

 We also opened Grammie and Papa's gifts this week. It's the only way I can keep my Husband from opening all the gifts under the tree. He's worse than the children. His excuse this year was that his Brother had already told him what he had got... meaning his Brother is just as bad as him. Lo believes that this shirt turns him into Marvel's Wolverine... I don't have the heart to tell him otherwise. And yes, that IS a naked Brenda from the original "90210" barbie on our coffee table. And yes, she used to be mine. One day we're gonna get her some clothes, but until then she's just the hussy Barbie of the group.

 Lillie LOVED her sweater from Grammie. Before she even got it out of the box she squealed because it was the same as the blankie Grammie made her before she was born... So basically now she can get away with having her "blankie" with her always. Or at least until she grows out of it.

 Ok, so looking past the horrific toenails. Multiply that number by 2. My scale is ridiculous. That number is fabulous. I'm ok with that number. I haven't SEEN that number since I got married. And then I finished putting my makeup on and interviewed for a job where they sell over 1,000 cupcakes a day. I may or may not be a little masochistic.

 Cupcakes be damned, I bought a pair of jeans immediately after in a size I haven't worn since before my son was born... 4 1/2 years ago. That is an amazing feeling, LET ME TELL YOU.

The day of the second interview? I get halfway there and they call me to tell me the position had been filled for an entire week. I got up before 6 for this interview. At least the Husband appreciated all the effort it took for me to look presentable.

Also... there's this:

Couldn't find an official video, so here you go with the Karaoke version! I think this might be my new favorite Christmas song. I may not be super religious, but maybe as a Mother this song touches me in ways I can't even explain. Seriously people, I can't sing along without leaking from my eyeballs. Enjoy. :)

Mama's Top 5

 Ewan McGregor

 Gavin Rossdale

 Gwen Stefani

 Jack Johnson

Jason Statham

Who are these beautiful people? Why, they're my "Should something ever happen to my Husband (cough cough) and I just so happen to be propositioned by any one of these celebrities... let's just say I wouldn't turn them down," list.

Thanks Mama Kat for making me feel naughty before my interview.

 

It's oh so quiet... SHHH... SHHH...

I'm fighting a migraine. Lookit the pretty pictures! ((Also, note that Lillie is the subject of many pictures... I so do not favor her... it's just... have you ever TRIED to catch a 4 year old boy to get him in a picture? NOT. EASY.))

 "Dat no-man, he is dead. Me ate his body." The downside of having a little girl who idolizes her big "brudder" is that she's totally into offing some bad guys... even if they're marshmallow snowmen. I added the red Skittles around his head for emphasis of the snow-massacre.

 Say, "CAVITIES!!!"

 Several bags of candy later... THIS one might need an intervention.

 Oh... you has GOTS to be kidding me!!! It's one thing to market Christmas days before Thanksgiving... but Easter before Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day AND St. Patrick's Day? That's just 100% ridiculous.

 Even though she's wearing a big girl face these days (and showing signs of a big girl body SAD FACE SAD FACE SAD FACE SOB) she still opens and shuts her mouth with the open and shut of her scissors. "I helpin' you, Mama! We need coffee an' eggs an Danonino!"

 They were EXCEPTIONALLY naughty that day. Exceptionally being the understatement of the year.

 Thank God for free Library programs. Our schedule is full of the library's "Sing and Play" days and Michael's "Make and Take" events.

My lady love "M" from "The M Half" thinks I'm a winner. We'll get more to this award tomorrow, ok?

I have an interview in the morning. You guys ready for this? This is God testing me. I lose 25 pounds and the first interview I have scheduled is with the East Coast equivalent of "Sprinkles."  Please oh PLEASE let's all hope that they don't give their employees a free daily cupcake or else I am really going to be having a conversation with Him. The best part is I didn't realize I had a migraine brewing until it hit me full on in the middle of Bath and Body Works tonight. Talk about irony. BRIGHT SHINY LIGHTS! OVER POWERING SCENTS! BRING IT ON! And then I walked through Kroger begging myself not to dry heave in the middle of the dairy aisle. If you've never had a migraine, just imagine the worse hangover ever. That comes the day AFTER the worst headache over. I'm trying hard to convince myself that maybe this isn't a migraine, but just the worst headache in the history of man and I won't have a migraine hangover oh, you know, AT MY FIRST INTERVIEW. HAHAHAHAHAHA AWESOME. So wish me luck and all that jazz, because I'd love to no longer worry about having no income whatsoever. Ok?

Also, we're still wishing for a hero. If you can't help, please spread the word. We're two weeks out from Christmas and I'd like to be able to slip a little envelope in his stocking telling him we can finally start the process towards recovery. We are only $50 away from the orthopedist's deposit requirement, the rest covers payments to get us to tax time. Thank God for payment plans.

Creating Christmas Blog Hop and Linky Party!!!

As we wrap up Creating Christmas week I hope that you have all been inspired to stop pinning and start creating! I’m excited to see what everyone has been working on. This Christmas Linky Party is no ordinary party. This is a blog hop. And what that means is that there are 18 FABULOUS bloggers that are hosting this party at their very own blog. Whether you add your project link here or at any of the other 17 co-hosts blogs, it will show up on one huge party list! Awesome!
If you haven’t already, please take the time out to visit the other co-hosts and go through their Creating Christmas posts. There is some really neat projects!
The Girl Creative, Que Linda Crafts, The Cottage Market, Love Lindsey, Domestic Mischief, Chicken Scratch, Love Sweet Love, Randee’s Organized Chaos, Musings of a Glamour Puss, Anastacia Knits, Southern Scraps, Modern Yet Old Fashioned, Broken Treasures, Alyssabeth’s, Domestic Deadline, Life on Walnut Street, 52 Mantels,
The Glamorous Life

The Rules are SiMpLe:

• Add a link to a project that YOU have created!
• Visit the 2 links ahead of you and check out what they’ve got going on. Leave some comment love. Tis the season for giving after all. {wink wink}
• HAVE FUN AND BE INSPIRED!!

An open ended craft...

Because my Husband thinks I am a slacker and that my "cake stand project" is not a craft at all... what would YOU do with this vintage gem?

Obviously, I cut some fancy polka dot paper into a great big circle with the help of a dinner plate... but... it's lacking something. I thought the vintageyness would pull it through to absolute fabulousness, but according to my Husband. That was a big fat no. Then again, who am I to ask my Husband for craft suggestions. That's where YOU come in. Just what DOES need to be done to this fabulous cake stand in order to make it?

I am sharing my holiday home decor and cleaning tips for the chance to win prizes from The SITS Girls and Great Cleaners.

Oh. MY. GAWD.

She was so cute at 9(ish) months I can barely stand it. I promise there will be more (wordy) gems from my past blog... but this? "Hiiiiiiiiiiiii."

 

I need, like, 25 babies RIGHT NOW. GET IN MAH BELLY!

Don't tell me you've never wanted to startle your own child... specifically after a night of extreme sleep deprivation. In my defense, she had just nodded off. Seriously though... babies are so awesome.

Ye Olde Job Hunt

For the past month I have been actively looking for a stable source of income that doesn't involve dancing on tables (seeing as I have no rhythm I wouldn't be a good candidate anyways) or joining the circus (I could run my OWN circus, thank you very much.) I've been scouring Craigslist and Indeed on a nightly basis, putting in applications and submitting resumes on average of 25-50 a week. This past week, for the FIRST time in the entire month I've been searching, I received not one but TWO phone interviews. I'm not complaining. I'M NOT complaining. Don't look at me like that.

The reason I'm not complaining is that it took a month to finally get the interest of actual career type jobs. I have two children, I want a future for them that involves more than minimum wage. I don't want them to worry or look back at how hard I had to struggle for us to get from point A to point B. I know that my chances of getting into another career outside of flying is going to be difficult. I knew that going into my hunt. The ONLY thing outside of parenting that I've excelled at in the past 10 years IS being a Flight Attendant. Maybe one day I'll go back to that, but more than likely not. I don't want to be across the country or the world and get a phone call that Lo or Lillie is sick. It would literally shatter my Mommy heart. Without formal training for anything outside of flying, it's been fun (in a not so fun way) to come up with new and creative ways of saying,

"Yes, I have training with children aged 3-6!" (Um... my own children, play groups, assisting with field trips, little family members.)
"Yes, I know languages outside of my own!" (I studied 4 years of Spanish and 2 years of German in High School, both I used frequently when flying... ask me to write an essay in either language and I would fail MISERABLY.)
"Yes, I have knowledge of office programs and clerical work!" (I blog! I drunk file right before tax time -- filing that includes massive amounts of margaritas premixed in a jug. I am OCD about my coupons!)
"Yes, I am GREAT with people and have excellent phone skills!" (Once a month I called past customers for Pure Romance and Scentsy... before that I handled calls and customer transactions at the retail positions I held.)

I mean... seriously. I can't change my past or my formal educations (or lack thereof in my case.) Luckily for me, the two Employment opportunities I have sound fantastic. One works with recycling automotive parts (I'm down with being Green) and the other is working as a Teacher's Assistant. The latter would be the BEST opportunity for everyone in our family. The school itself is a Montessori school that works with children from 3 years old through High School. With Lo starting Elementary school next year, Lillie will have to change schools anyway. There's no way I'm driving 3 miles in one direction first thing in the morning and then turning around to drive 15 miles in the other. Gas doesn't just sneak over and fill up my car each night either. It would also give me time with my kids (it's part time, I'd be workin' with the youngest groups) and allows me to Homeschool should we ever decide to take that route. Yeah, I went there without elaborating AGAIN.

On a slightly different note, I have a wish for Christmas. Just one. I want a working shoulder for my Husband. I don't want him to be in pain anymore, and I want for him to be able to have his strength both for himself and for us as a family. Attempting to get any kind of help through government programs has been a nightmare, but while we're waiting on the planets to align and for paperwork to be filed properly (as it's never filed properly the first time, right??!? Unless I'm doing it myself obviously), he's still in pain. He still goes to bed each night sick at his stomach from either the pain or what the pain killers do to his system. So that's what I want for Christmas this year. Health and peace of mind.

I guess what I'm asking for, oh great Blog'O'Sphere, is prayers and good thoughts sent my way. That if THIS is the path we're meant to be taking, that it all works in the end without too much frustration and heartache.

Two tubes of super glue later...

Let's make a Tea Wreath! What's that, you ask? Why it's a cutesy little wreath with tea! LOTS OF TEA! I saw this idea on, you're never gonna guess... PINTEREST!!! Kojo Designs has a pretty sweet little website, and I hope I do her wreath justice. Mine's a little more plain than hers (see yesterday's post about my MIA glue gun.) A certain family member of mine was asking me about tea and how she'd never really experienced different kind of teas outside of regular old southern style sweet tea. I decided to remedy this. If she's reading this, I sure hope she can act surprised on Christmas Day!

To make a Tea Wreath, you'll need:

-two pieces of 12x12ish cardboard (I used some board I had saved from some linens purchased earlier this year)
-patterned paper that compliments your kitchen decor (Used some fancy cat paper I was smitten with from Michael's it was the last piece I could find)
-clothes pins (I used 16)
-hot glue (or in my case, super glue)
-ribbon for hanging

 So frickin' cute!!!

 Step 1: Trace two circles onto your board, I used a pasta pot lid and a c.d. (what's a c.d. again???) Trace the circles onto your fancy paper and snip slits to wrap around the board for a more seamless appearance.

Step 2: Mod Podge the slips down and let dry. 

 Step 3: Glue clothespins evenly spaced across the front of the wreath and the ribbon on the back. Once they're dry/hardened, add your tea to the pins. Overlap all fancy like. Your recipient will love it. I also slipped little creamers and (light bulb) fancy flavored Splenda packets. 

Chai, Black Tea, Jasmine Green, Vanilla Tea, Chamomile, the works, y'all! See you all again tomorrow!

And then my glue gun went AWOL and I might have had a stroke.

I wasn't even planning on making this a craft for this week, JUSTSOYOUKNOW. But here it is in all it's glory, it's "Hot Cocoa in a Mason Jar." Found while spending hours on Pinterest (what, you were surprised I didn't say DAYS!? And the recipe is easy peasy.

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar $
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup powdered milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt $
• 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips $
• 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows $

Preparation

1. Layer sugar, cocoa powder, powdered milk, salt, chocolate chips, and marshmallows.

I used some snowman shaped french vanilla Marshmallows for flare. Seeing as I had an entirely different project going all day until my glue gun decided to disappear, this is as pretty as she's getting. Lillie and I made this one particularly for her Preschool Teacher and it's got a cute little note to go with it.

The hunt for the missing gun continues... y'all keep your fingers crossed! Maybe it'll show up before I completely lose it tomorrow (either that, or let's hope good ol' Elmers Glue can keep this craft from LITERALLY falling apart!)

I am sharing my holiday home decor and cleaning tips for the chance to win prizes from The SITS Girls and Great Cleaners.

Oh Christmas Tree, OH CHRISTMAS TREE!

I love Christmas. LOVE is an understatement really. I start counting down the months the day after, and then sometime close to the beginning of the school year I begin counting the weeks... after Halloween means marking down the days. I live for December. I had initially planned on putting the Christmas trees up the day after Thanksgiving. That didn't exactly happen. I did manage to get it up early last week however. We have FOUR trees, not counting the 5th one I gave away to my Dad because OMG5TREESTODECORATE. The largest one has all of our full sized ornaments and all of my Grandparents ornaments as well. Some have survived the 50 plus years, some sadly have not. The medium sized one has all of my Mammaw's little ornaments on it. My Mom bought it for her the year (year before?) she died as she couldn't handle waiting for my Grandfather to drag the large tree out of storage less than a week before Christmas. The smaller tree was the initial tree my mom had bought her, but has all of my first ornaments from when I first moved out of the house. All wee little ornaments in purples, greens and blue. I also have about 5,000 feet of tinsel shoved into all three trees. The 4th tree downstairs in our little "basement apartment" has all the little handmade ornaments the kids have made at school. Luckily, this year I had a little help. We may not be all hip with the REAL "elf on the shelf" but, the kids totally bought that my yard gnome ornament was one of Santa's little helpers. He strung the wood bead garland. I told him we wouldn't have enough, but does he EVER listen?

 

Apparently not.

 

This is my favorite ornament. It's not even mine. This was my Grandparent's first ornament as a married couple. The gold flaking has faded over time, and the snowmen on the opposite side look like zombie snowmen, but it still holds dear to my heart. I would repaint it, but that would mean painting over the inscription on the bottom that reads "First Ornament 1953" in my Grandmother's handwriting. She passed away 3 years ago they day before Christmas Eve. I was 8 months pregnant and couldn't bring myself to go be with her as she went. I know that she knew I couldn't physically and mentally handle her leaving us. It was too much for my hormones to handle, and I was here with my babies (one inside of me, one out) celebrating Christmas with my In-laws. I don't think they'll ever know how much it meant to me for us to all be there celebrating Christmas, her favorite holiday. 

This weeks prompt: Have you decorated your Christmas tree? Share a favorite Christmas ornament.

I am sharing my holiday home decor and cleaning tips for the chance to win prizes from The SITS Girls and Great Cleaners.

Snow Dough!

HEY HEY HEY!!! It's Day 3 of "Creating Christmas" with The Girl Creative! Are you on the edges of your seats for the MOST glitter filled project of the week? ARE YOU!?!?? I dare any of my fellow co-hosts to come up with a more glitter filled project. This dare? IT IS ON. So come on ladies, bring your glitter to the table and let's make some Snow Dough already!

I got the idea for Snow Dough from Tradewind Tiaras. She made Glitter Playdough for a Star Wars themed party and somehow ended up getting pinned on Pinterest. My family's undying love for Star Wars, Glitter and Playdough made this FATE. Chances are you have all the ingredients already (well, maybe not the nearly 30 year old baby food jars, but it's ok if you don't have them because I ended up not using mine in the end... more on THAT later.)

What you'll need:

1. 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2. 1 Cup Salt
3. 2 Cups Water
4. 1 TBSP Oil
5. 1 TSP Cream of Tartar
6. Food Coloring (optional)
7. Glitter (VIALS AND VIALS AND TUBES AND BAGGIES OF GLITTER!)

Ok, so you can use as much glitter as you feel necessary. I grabbed every container of silver and teal glitter I had in my insane glitter stash. And yes. I have a whole Rubbermaid container FULL of the stuff. If you are using the "Devils Paint" (aka food coloring) add to water for even distribution... or maybe you WANT it to look tie-dyed. Totally up to you. Place flour, salt, colored water, oil, and cream of tartar in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it turns into dough. If you smell "biscuits" cookin' take that pan off the heat and stir till the consistency is even. Use your best judgment as to whether or not to return to heat after your "biscuit" incident. Trust me on this one. Turn the dough out onto a parchment/foil lined cookie sheet to let sit until it's cool enough to knead.  Create a "crater" and fill with glitter.  Continue to knead the dough.  If you want more sparkle, repeat this step. A lot.

 

"Sooooo... hi! I'm a pretty creepy blob of glitter dough! How YOU doin'?"

 

I doubled this recipe for my own project because I was unsure if I'd have enough for 25 goody bags worth to send to the kids' preschool Holiday Party on Thursday. It definitely made enough for 25 full sized (stage 2/3) baby food jars. HOWEVER, I will not be sending them in baby food jars because I had second thoughts on how logical it would be to send all that glass to a classroom full of 2-4 year olds. Something just went off in my head that it probably wasn't the brightest idea I'd had all my life week. So, to make sure all my jar washing wasn't in vain, at least you get to see the "final product" all gussied up.

 There are days where I really... REALLY... hate that the only "dishwasher" I have is ME.

 Awwwwwww, lookit how pretty she is!

So, do you have an insane glitter project you'd like to share with the class? Have you already blogged about it? Would you LIKE to blog about it!?!?? I am open to guest posts for Friday if anyone has a "Holiday" themed craft they'd like to share. Glitter is not optional. Leave a link to the post or how I can contact you in the comments section and we will chit-chat tomorrow or Thursday! Can't wait to talk to you and hear your ideas!!!

I am sharing my holiday home decor and cleaning tips for the chance to win prizes from The SITS Girls and Great Cleaners.

Have yourselves a Merry Dickens Christmas...

This past weekend the kids and I ran off with my Dad and his friend for what will hopefully be a new Christmas tradition. There's a Church on the way to the kids' school that offers a "Dickens Christmas Village" free to the public two weekends each December. I recall passing it last year and being sad when I realized that we'd missed it. There was NO way the kids and I were missing out on it again this year. It did not disappoint.

 

Crappy picture, but it was so breathtaking.

There were plenty of activities for the kids and plenty of entertainment for the adults, I could have spent DAYS there. You walk into Mr. Scrooge upon entering the "village," but you don't notice him because you are too busy gawking at how insane the set up is. It's your typical town square with a Big Ben replica, sounds of trains and horses clopping, Tiny Tim hobbling around on his wooden crutch, carolers, towns people... just... AMAZING. We circled the square once, but there was a lot of backtracking since the kids were floored by the villagers offering hot cocoa, old timey candy, fresh cookies, hot cider, apples from the "market," spinning tops for the kids at the "toy shoppe..." There was so much to see and do. SO much. I'm super surprised we were in and out of there in less than an hour and a half.

 

Lo got to sit on a horse named Hercules... the other horse was named Pudding.

 

 

Lillie was awestruck by the Carolers. She stopped and watched them for a good 5 minutes. Which is a long time when you're (not quite) 3 years old.

  

Arts and Crafts! The kids got to "make" candles in the Candle Shoppe.

We only got a bad attitude once when they started getting cold and a certain little girl didn't WANT to wait on her Hot Cocoa to cool. Plus, they put a marshmallow in it and she wasn't having that AT ALL.

 

My (naughty) little elves.

Lillie and I had to take a potty break before we reached the end, and they even extended their village "indoors" with a huge train set inside. I don't think either kid had seen anything like it before. Lillie was especially astounded by the little people playing in the "snow" in the little towns spread across the train table. When we were in the bathroom, I could hear a little boy talking about Logan and introducing him to all the "Mommys" in the bathroom. The same little boy would point and introduce Logan to whoever was nearby every time we passed him in the village. My kid? Is Mr. Popular no matter where he goes. I hope he stays that way, or at least is always a quick friend to all who cross paths with him.

Needless to say, once we were back home (not quite an hour past their bedtimes), Lillie was so beat that she started getting fussy with me after I finally managed to wrestle some pajamas onto her. I picked her up and she immediately asked if she could pull the string on her ceiling fan to turn off her light. "What? No book! No song?" She shook her head and said "Goodnight, Mommy!" We will definitely be going back next weekend... maybe all three nights. Plus, Lillie needs another excuse to make sure that the "Widdle Baby Jesus is a REAL baby, NOT a doll." Two words, Living Nativity.

Let's not talk about glitter, mkay?

I'm having one of THOSE days today where there's just way too much to do and in the back of my mind I can hear myself saying that somethings just have to be pushed to Tomorrow's "to do" list. Kind of like, well, what was SUPPOSED to be today's project. Instead I spent the day cleaning my Mother's house, "handling" the Bank issues (DUNH DUNH DUNNNNNNNNH), grocery shopping and catching the tail end of my Sister In-law's "Select Chorus" Christmas Concert. I? Am not in a crafty mood today. Also... I may be anti-glitter today as well. JUST SAYIN.' So here are some nuggets of joy from LAST Christmas and I hope you enjoy the (almost embarrassingly) easy tutorials.

 Santa's Cookie Tray and that other Tray.

What you'll need:

1. Unfinished trays from your local craft store. You can typically find them in the wood working section for cheap cheap CHEAP. I believe this was a 2 piece set for less than $5.
2. Decorative papers/stickers/general scrapbooking embellishments.
3. Paint!
4. MOD PODGE!

Take your tray and sand off any splinters or rough edges, dust off and follow up with paint color of your choice. Something I've learned since last year (which I will be attempting and following up with tomorrow -- keep yo' eyes peeled!), is to wet your paper before Mod Podging it to your surface. Apparently it keeps the paper pliant enough to keep those stubborn bubbles/ripples from forming. WHO KNEW!?!?? Not the "me" from a year ago! Now that your paper is down, put ANOTHER coat of Mod Podge on top to really seal it in. Go ahead and "seal" the rest of the tray while you're at it. The word we're looking for is "finished" and/or "uniform." Now decorate to your little glitter lovin' hearts content! Make sure to seal it with ANOTHER coat of the good ol' Podge! Let dry and dump you some cookies on your tray and call it a day. Aren't we glad Mod Podge is non-toxic? Just don't go putting it in the dishwasher, mkay?

Even though paper itself is a pretty cheap embellishment, I've found that if you check any craft store's clearance section right before any holiday you can almost always find last year's "style" marked down. You're welcome.

"Speaking of Cheap" Door Hanging

You guys... see this sign? I bought the base for $.88. I bought $8.80 worth to be honest. After Easter LAST YEAR, our local Kroger had these plain (i.e. UGLY) "Welcome Easter" signs STACKED in the Manager's Special section. It's probably one of my best finds ever. For this one, I sanded and primed the edges ONLY of the sign, slapped some fancy paper on the front that already had this awesome Santa snow scene and hot glued some felt glitter snowflakes on it. I finished it off by sticking push pins BACK through the original holes for the original (i.e. UGLY) wire hanger and slipped a simple ribbon in there. TADA! Isn't it beeeeautiful? It's my very favorite Christmas decoration.

Coming tomorrow? Snow Dough. Hopefully... wink wink.

I am sharing my holiday home decor and cleaning tips for the chance to win prizes from The SITS Girls and Great Cleaners.