Livin' in a White Christmas

I hope Christmas was Merry for everyone. For us, it was wonderful and white! Snow-filled to be exact. Lots and lots of it! The snow began falling on Christmas Eve and didn't stop until late Christmas. I woke up around 2:30 am on Christmas morning, and Santa had left us a minivan in our driveway! But he forgot to leave us the keys. Oh well, I can dream, right?!
We got a call on Christmas morning from our neighbor. He couldn't get up the hill around midnight on Christmas Eve. Luckily, their friend was following them in a 4-wheel drive "just in case" they got stuck. From the photo, the snowfall doesn't seem that deep, but trust me, there was plenty of snow.

The photo on the right is looking out in our back yard. The lounge chair is almost completely covered with snow. There is so much snow, I'm not sure you can see the snow reaches the bottom of the swings. Our neighbors were supposed to drive to Minnesota on Christmas morning. The weather forced them to wait until Saturday morning to leave. They left, but returned a couple hours later. It was too dangerous to drive. They got to celebrate Christmas with family members last night. Their family drove to Omaha from Minnesota- and counted 97 cars in the ditch on the way- and they live south of the Twin Cities! So if you or anyone you know was travelling- I hope they had safe travels!

We have basically been experiencing cabin fever, so the kids, my mom and I did what seemed logical yesterday- we went to the Gardens. Lauritzen Gardens to be exact. There obviously wasn't much we could see outside, so we enjoyed the warm visitors center with its gorgeous poinsettia show. It was beautiful! They have an amazing train display with tracks that weave around the flowers. The koi fish are always a big hit as well. For me, I think the most fun was watching the birds and squirrels eat from the numerous garlands strung with treats just for them.




Driving home from our adventure, we read a sign on a fast food restaurant that said:

"80 degrees year-round is boring."

Now there is something to ponder...

Something else I need to ponder- how to edit my photo layout! Any suggestions on tutorials??

I am making some fun Valentine's Day crafts- posting soon!

Things to share

We're busy getting ready to share some Christmas joy! These are some ornaments that I whipped together to add to gifts for friends and teachers. The image of the sweet bird on a branch is courtesy of The Graphics Fairy.





I'm not sure if you can tell or not, but there is an ornament hanger in the Santa ornament. I was too excited to get these photographed, so I took the pictures without the hangers on three of them. If you want to know how to make these simple ornaments- send me an email and I'll share with you.





Enjoy! It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Out there

This is my first blog post. It feels strange to be "out there" writing something and not knowing if anyone will ever read it. So here goes...It has been quite cold here in Omaha. So cold, that the birds and the squirrels have been in hiding. Since there has been a lack of color- other than white- I had to share some photos of warmer days. The flowers remind me of what is growing under the ground, even though it is covered by a snowy winter blanket.

A little bit about me...I am a mom to 2 amazing kids. I know most parents say their kids are amazing, but ours truly are amazing. We have truly been blessed. I am John's wife- can he be added as a kid as well?! Our family is not complete without mentioning our dogs- our crazy, fun-loving dogs.


I love to make things, paint things, sew things, read things (preferably magazines or anything that Beth Moore writes about), and photograph things. I hope you'll join me as I share those "things."

Like most others in the world, we are busily preparing for Christmas. What a joyous day to celebrate. Relish in the sights and sounds of the season, and especially for the true meaning of Christmas- the birth of Christ.