Christmas Crafts

I have started my Christmas crafting this year already... with some help from Pinterest. 

Check out the pictures... the boys made snow flakes that are super cute! 

This is a wooden letter that I put paper on and an eye hook and then some string and hung it on the tree... easy and fun. 

Here is the pre-painted snowflake. 

Getting ready to paint. 

Grant was super excited. 

This was great for kids because you paint the entire canvas with different shades of blue. 

When the paint dries you pull the tape off and ta da a snow flake. 

Pawpaw sent us some Santa hats that the kids love to play with. 

MJ 's before... 

and after. 

I think they are saying SNOWFLAKES but I am not sure... 

O Christmas Tree

When we returned from Nevada we went out looking for a Christmas tree. 

This is the first year we haven't gone to a tree farm or had an artificial tree so I was trying to be optimistic that we would find a beautiful tree. 

We walked around the old lake and spotted what we thought would be the perfect tree. 

We went to get a hand saw and found what looked to be an even better tree... Micah cut it down and put it on top of the car and we drove the 2 minute drive home. Upon arriving home we started to pull out our decorations and and we couldn't find our tree stand so we had to make do with a 5 gallon bucket and some water until some friends of ours brought us one back from town. Well our very nice friends brought us a tree stand and we began to decorate. Our, what I thought to be a beautiful tree, started to look pretty sad... the trunk isn't even big enough for the stand and we had to use shims to hold it in place. We put colored lights on our tree because that is what MJ wanted and I guess we will have to compromise and have white lights one year and colored light the next. 

Well after the awful description you can see for your self our sad Charlie Brown Tree. 

Here Comes Santa Claus

Over the Thanksgiving holiday we went to Fernley, Nevada to be with my parents.

We spent Thursday cooking and watching football (the American way to spend Thanksgiving) and then on Friday we went to a craft show where the boys got to see Santa. Usually we wait until December to see the jolly old soul but when you live an hour from town you got to take your opportunities when you get them. 

Here are a few pictures: 

The boys were so cute holding hands walking up to see Santa

MJ knew just what to do... 

Santa told MJ to behave and make sure to clean up his toys and room. 

Grant didn't have much to say but he didn't cry... so that is a plus. 

Log Splitting

I know that this is a funny title but I just had to write about this latest adventure. 

We live in the mountains of northern California where propane can be pretty expensive so our house has a wood burning stove... which means we burn wood for a lot of our heat. 

When we moved here last February we were welcomed with a woodshed full of wood but this year we had to stock pile wood. So Micah and some guys from work went out and scouted some trees and got out their manly chain saws and cut them into logs that would fit in most wood stoves. 

Now all we have to do is use the wood splitter and split the wood. One Sunday afternoon our family (all 4 of us) and our neighbor went down to the wood pile and split a truck full of wood. 

I was amazed at how easy and actually fun splitting wood was. 

So the week before Thanksgiving Karen, Tiffany and I went and split another truck load of wood by choice. I know that the men around here would do it for us but it is kind of nice to know that those things aren't as hard as I think they would be... and it is good exercise... and fun. 

So that is my post... sorry I wrote about splitting wood but that is my life right now. 

Grant is Two

On Saturday November 3rd we celebrated Grant's 2nd birthday! We had a great time and are so thankful for all of the people who came to celebrate with us. We also really missed those of you who couldn't be here with us. Here are a few of the pictures from his big day.

These took way to long to make but the smile on Grant's face was worth it. 

Elmo says Happy Birthday. 

Grant outside playing with his friends. 

Grant didn't like all of the attention when we sang... he almost cried. 

Yum Cake !

He had tons of fun with his Elmo balloon. 

Happy Fall!

So after our trip home to Georgia I was inspired by all of the beautiful fall colors and wanted to decorate our house for fall. Micah found the hollowed out logs when he was cutting fire wood one day. The big pumpkin came from our trip to the pumpkin farm and the small pumpkins came out of the garden we inherited. The pinecones are from the huge pine trees where we live.  I have been inspired by a technique for painting signs and so I painted the sign to add a bit of southern charm. 

Hope you have a blessed fall! 

One great thing about where we live is that my parents live a couple of hours away so we see them pretty often. 

MJ wanted to have some pictures taken by himself... he is such a ham. 

This is my attempt at recreating a picture every year of MJ hugging a pumpkin.
It started when he was itty bitty at Burt's Pumpkin Farm in GA. 

Trampoline

MJ and Grant got an early Christmas/Birthday gift this year!

We have been wanting to get them a trampoline but with the weather where we live it didn't make since to buy it for a November birthday or a January birthday or for Christmas so we got our trampoline back in September. We have loved it and have played on it most days! Here are a few pictures of the boys and their grandparents having fun on the trampoline. 

Bishops Pumpkin Farm

Well I know I am way late in posting this but I am trying to get caught up before Thanksgiving!

After our trip to Georgia we went to Bishops Pumpkin Farm! It was more like an amusement park with a train, corn maze, sunflower maze, huge playground, petting zoo and a hay ride to pick out your pumpkin. I am sure there is more but that is all we were able to get to.

We went on a Saturday morning and it looked like we were in the scene from the movie Field of Dreams... If you build it they will come... (if you haven't seen this movie it is really good especially if you like baseball). There were cars as far as you could see pulling into this field and parking to go to the pumpkin farm.


Here are some pictures from our day: