she believed she could....: Christmas decorations

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Christmas decorations

we got the house all decorated for christmas on november 27th. the girls got to have, in their room, our small pink tree from last year. i took photos off all my ornaments this year as i put them up because i never want to forget who gave them to me.

river made the owl at preschool.

i painted this a couple of years ago with kristen.

the girls hung these stockings and wish hanger in their room. they belonged to kg and me for our christmases before flower joined the family. then we had to get a new hanger and new stockings!

i love my silver bells. i got them when we first got married.

we used our brand new stockings this year that i purchased from molly to help pay for their next china adoption. the material is chinese silks from xi'an, where flower was born.

my first nativity.

before the girls joined our family, kg and i gave each an ornament every year. it usually coincided with a movie that came out that year or a tv show or just something we loved. when the girls came we started doing a family ornament each year.
kg gave me this bus in 2006

sandee gave us joy in 2007

i gave this to kg in 2006. it perfect. we are a great pair and we love to play card games!

jensen's 2008

jensen's 2010

jensen's 2009

jensen's 2007

Valerie Klein gave us this awesome ornament when we went to disneyland with her and the kids in 2011

Valerie Klein gave us this pretty ornament also when we went to disneyland with her and the kids in 2011

this a a very special ornament to me, given to us by Tamara Mullin Thornton in 2011. a year i really needed it.

we got this one on our trip to Tennessee in may of 2012. it will forever remind us of our beloved Amanda Memory Page. i think it's very appropriate that we picked a heart.

I gave this one to flower in 2011 when Kristen Petersen Blackburn and i took her to her first play, sleeping beauty.

this one is from the space needle in seattle on our family vacation in march of 2012

jensen's 2012

i gave this to kg in 2007

kg gave me this beautiful glass tree in 2007

kg gave me grinch in 2000

i gave spiderman to kg in 2002

kg gave me Hermione in 2001

kg gave me a set of these beautiful ornaments in 2007 because flower had joined our family and it was an asian set.

i got this ornament from my first ornament exchange at Natalie Wright Malm's in 2010

i gave this powerpuff girl, buttercup, to kg in 2001

Sara Cousineau gave this to our family in 2010

i got this one at my 2nd time at Natalie Wright Malm's ornament exchange in 2011 and it was made by the famous Sara Cousineau

kg and i got this on our first and only cruise in 2005 instead of separate ornaments.

i gave this lord of the rings one to kg in 2003

i gave this star wars one to kg in 2000

i got this from my sweet friend Robin Hausheer-Rummler

kg gave me this horton hears a who set in 2002

kg's grandma jensen gave us this our first year of marriage. i cherish it!

flower made this in preschool when she was 4 with miss april in 2009

i gave this from hellboy to kg in 2004

my mom gave us this ornament for our first christmas together. i also believe it's an avon ornament. my mom used to sell it and avon will forever remind me of her.

flower made this ornament in preschool when she was 3 with teacher diane in 2008.

this is a set i bought from my lovely cousin Lisa Davenport. she made them!

this m&m guy is from our family vacation to las vegas in 2010.

KG gave me this aladdin one in 2004.

kg gave me this dr. seuss set in 2003.

i love my bouncy santa and two candy cane trees i got while shopping with Kristen Petersen Blackburn in 2011

this is my "lift my spirits" jar filled with lovely things said about me by my girls thanks to Kristen Petersen Blackburn! i cherish this!

these are my favorite vintage christmas books from when i was a kid.

i love these two new christmas books. they are fun.

the girls have loved this one to pieces, literally.

i love these stockings! they were our first stockings as a family when flower joined the family and then i added river's when she came along. they are in order from left; kg, me, flower, river.
The two outside santa's are from my holiday wedding shower.
the picture is from my mom and is the definition of the symbols of christmas.
the star-the shining hope of mankind. red-the color of christmas symbolizing the saviors sacrifice.
gift bow-tied as we should be.
evergreen-second color of christmas, everlasting life.
the bell-rings to guide lost sheep.
candy cane-the shepherd's crook used to bring lambs back into the fold.
the wreath-a symbol of never ending love. the candle-reflects our thanks for the Star of Bethlehem. and santa whispered 'teach the children the true meaning of christmas'.
and i painted the other santa with Kristen Petersen Blackburn

my subway art

a cute snowman from my holiday wedding shower

three trees from my holiday wedding shower

home and garden party snowmen

jensen's 2011

i love my vintage candy cane sign

this is the beloved nativity set that we got in parts through the 12 days of Christmas in 2011 thanks to Tamara Mullin Thornton's family. This totally made my Christmas and was just what I needed at that time. It was also the only time we've had 12 days of Christmas done for us since KG and I got married so we will never forget it! We were completely spoiled!

This is our service advent calendar. So far this year we have given someone money at the grocery store that the girls chose. We have paid for someone's groceries behind us that was random. We have left $1 bills in baggies around the dollar store. we are going to make blankets and hand them out to homeless people. take books to a shelter. pay for a veteran's meal at a restaurant. tape quarters to gumball machines. and the list goes on. this is one of my favorite things we do all year. we started it last year and it really puts us in the right mood and spirit of christmas. it's so much fun!

this is the girls nativity set.

this is our chocolate filled advent calendar.

this is my beloved advent calendar from my childhood that my mom made. this started my obsession for advent calendars. i adore everything about it! peppermint candy canes always go in this one, just like when i was a kid!