It's beginning to look a lot like....

Christmas!  

The month is flying by!  I cannot even believe Christmas Eve is just days away now!  I am feeling a little off this year...I am just now mailing out stuff to my family in NY (Christmas gifts AFTER Christmas are always fun, right?), the kids and I just shopped for Bill yesterday, and I STILL have wrapping to finish up!      

We have had a busy & full month so far!  I love all the fun activities December brings!  Check out all the crazy, fun we have been having!

 We scored a NEW tree this year!  Look how fabulously full it is!  Short story--I REALLY wanted a new tree and we talk about it every year but the always decide that we will wait.  But my mom got this tree from her neighbors--for FREE--and she put it up in her house but felt like it was too big--so we traded!  suh-weet!  I LOVE it!

 If you know my husband-once the holidays roll around he has this little affair with christmas cookies, egg nog, hot cocoa, christmas movies...pretty much anything festive!  So I had to bake a batch of cookies just for tree trimming!

 We spent the evening with the grandma's and trimmed our tree...

 I love the looks of all the fancy, themed trees but I wouldn't trade my hallmark filled branches with anything else!  My mom told me, "your tree should tell a story" and mine does just that!  Nestled in the brances is everything from snoopy to minnie mouse, first year married to baby's first christmas.  Our tree definately tells a story!  I love that we get to talk about each ornament that gets hung on the tree.  I even have an angel my grandma used to make--this is her first year not here--and I will cherish it forever.

I added a few final touches (and maybe rearranged a few tripled stacked ornaments) and called it a night!  I love our story filled tree!

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 Yes, our days are full of Christmas movies, and lots of snuggling!

 Lots of cookie baking...

 and yes more snuggling!

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I think our favorite day was the SnOw DaY!

 We seriously were outside playing for hours--well Gabe and I were--Lily would come & go--she's a TRUE Texan and isn't all that crazy for the snow!

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 I created Lily a bow board for her room!  The little bow holder we had just wasn't working anymore!

 I added loops for her headbands too!  I love it!

 The kids got trees for there rooms.  Gabe got a new one & Lily got Gabe's old one.  ;-)

 We have done a little decorating everywhere!

 Bill & the kids making cookies!

 ....mmmm....

 My pinterest craft I whipped up--the frame above and the upcycled t-shirt pom pom!  So fun!

 I made these lovely blocks for one of my customers!  She e-mailed me an idea and this is what I put together for her!  I think they came out GREAT and might just be something NEW Papercutz will offer in 2012!

We have had play dates with friends...

  and baked goodies for the nursing home's bake sale...

 We went and visited the patients and Lily got hooked up with one of them....a recliner, cartoons and her blankie...can it get much better??

 We decorated my mom's hall for Christmas...with paper banners....

 and tissue paper pom poms.

 One of the funniest, sweetest residents!  She always comes down & does crafts with me!

 Lily just had to get her picture taken on the butterfly, hehe!

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We had friends over for dinner one night & we made gingerbread houses!

So far we have had a fabulous month!  Hopefully I will get Gabe's picture loaded from his little concert!