Texas December

ITS DECEMBER!!! I cannot believe Christmas is literally around the corner.  Especially since this past weekend we got to experience 80 degree weather. It was really entertaining to go to Michaels and Garden Ridge and see people buying everything to make their homes wintery while wearing flip flops and shorts. 

 I have only bought ONE Christmas gift. I am at a loss for everything else but have come to the conclusion that I may just make all my gifts.  I feel like it means more and is cherished unlike a store bought item. I dunno, maybe its just me? I made my cousin in california an ornament out of her wedding bouquet that I caught in October All you need is dried flowers and a clear ornament and VOILA! INSTANT AWESOME GIFT TO KEEP A MEMORY FOREVER!

Before Thanksgiving my mom and I went to Hobby Lobby and I purchased some paper mache brown ornaments. I have been in love with these since I worked at the GLBT resource center and we bought oodles of them to decorate for our Spirit Tree.  EVERY YEAR since then Hobby Lobby runs out. Probably because they start setting up their Christmas Section in July.  I grabbed up four of them and they are REALLY inexpensive.  I think they were half off(like everything in HL) and they were only a buck or so each. I used some scrapbook paper, modge podge and printed pictures from my printer from home.  I like the antique feel it shows in the pictures.   It got tough only getting to choose four but I wanted to get pictures that meant something to Holland and I. I put a picture recently taken at the lake house, from our trip to Canada, leisure diving this summer and a mountain Holland and I hiked in Colorado. I want to keep this tradition going every year!

 I wrote something on each ornament so that way when I get old I can hopefully still read my handwriting and say "oh yea, Holland. Remember this when we were young and could climb a mountain? and "Oh remember that time we went to Canada, eh?

I have been seeing all these pinterest crafts you can do with kids.  Yes I have 20  kindergarten students but I would much rather test these things out on my dogs first because they cannot complain and I can hold 'em down and force them to do what I want ;). They cooperated greatly and kept thinking I was feeding them somthing!

 To make the salt dough, I used 4 cups of flour and a cup of salt and poured water little by little until it was mixed enough. Probably used about a cup and a quarter of water total. Once dough is mixed you can roll out and cut out or shape circles and put print in. I used a straw to make the hole for the string to hang on the tree.  I baked at 300 for about an hour.  Really based on thickness, just bake it until it is firm.  SO EXCITED to hang these babies on my tree!

ITS SO PURDY!

 Now I know all you crazy people up north get snow and its all magical but I bet I can make you jealous with what Holland and I had this past weekend. We kinda had snow.... it came from our tree.... well the tree that is kinda funky looking now.

Our tree in front of the house we have been renting for over a year has been slowly going downhill. Part of it fell last year into our neighbors driveway and he was trapped in his house for a day.  Ever since then I have been talking with the landlord to chop down the other loose limbs!  He came on Saturday with a chain saw and two helpers and now I can sleep through a storm without fear of a tree coming through the house and landing on my furry children(YAY!!!). However, there was a HUGE mess and tons of wood chips all over the roof and yard so Holland and I synergized together to get the job down faster. Holland got on the roof and made some snow for ten minutes and we had our own Texas Winter Wonderland.

Our house looks kinda small with Holland standing on top of it!

Look at that! Makes you want to make a wood chip angel doesn't it?!

Two hours later and our house looks fantastic! Looking forward to the next few weeks at school and crafts with the kiddos.  I am excited to see and ski on REAL snow in just three more weeks!