declutter {four}

another magazine

a water bottle left at our house

several staples that held up Christmas ornaments that were dangling from the ceiling

and a pair of kitchen shears that we never use

la pinata

One of my very favorite things we did this Christmas was a pinata.  

My new sis-in-law is from Mexico so we wanted to incorporate some fun traditions to make her feel at home.  

It was a blast.

We had a song to sing and everything.  

Turns out the place where we bought the pinata online (a company based in San Antonio - I love going back to my Texas roots) had great looking pinatas but I guess they were just for decoration as there wasn't a hole for filling and it had sturdy wooden supports inside.  That's okay, though, we weren't going to let that stop us and figured between all of us we could bust it!  

And we did!  Candy for all and this little guy's first time to ever have gum.  :)  

Have you ever done a pinata at Christmas?  

Kelly

declutter {three}

magazines and a book

including more than one Victoria magazine from back in 1994

I have tried to get rid of these more than once and I just can't seem to do it but I did cull out a few. 

Did you ever read this magazine?

Kelly

our tree is still up

So I can still post about getting it and putting it up, right?  

Is your tree still up?

I usually like to take ours down on the 26th but since we only got it on the 23rd and since David really likes it and since it is smelling sooo heavenly and I'd rather take down other Christmas decor and declutter/clean/organize (or in the case of today, have a case of "sitting at the computer" then the tree shall stay for a bit.

Anyway, remember the first post about going to get our tree this year?

The look on his face still makes me laugh.

At first he was much more interested in stomping in the ice in the parking lot than anything to do with the tree.

Once the tree was on top of the car, he still wasn't too sure about the whole thing.  I think it was actually less about the tree in any way and more about being a little off kilter and grumpy in general to be honest.

BUT . . . once he was back in his seat and he could see the tree on top of the car through the moon roof, he thought it was *pretty* cool!  

He'll still talk about it at different times when we're in the car.

"Remember the tree on top of our car, Mama?"

On the way home he kept saying things like "hang on tree!"  "good job tree!"  It was adorable.

Then when we got home, his contribution to helping with the lights was to put the box on top of our robot vacuum.  We all cracked up when we saw that.  Having a two year old around is a lot of fun!

Adrian actually did all the lights for me which I really appreciated!    When he was done with the regular lights I decided it might be fun to try these big globe lights on part of it too but in the end we decided against it.  Made for a fun belly pic opportunity though since I am taking much fewer of those on purpose with this pregnancy than I did with my first.

I will say that there were certainly those in the room that did not approve of the pregnant woman being on top of a step stool for decorating the tree but what are you going to do?  I was careful.

the pink sheet was just to catch any falling sap so it didn't get on the carpet and was later covered with a fun vintage poinsettia tablecloth from my mother-in-law

Never have so many ornaments been put on AND taken off the tree but that's okay.  

Kelly

declutter {two}

an errant sock from the stocking garland and a bowlful of candy leftover from our pinata taken to share with family at a New Year's Day board game party.  Unfortunately due to pumpkin pie, yummy pb brownies and my great-grandmother's sugar cookie recipe made by my mom, most of it came back home with us 

declutter {one}

In an attempt to keep my decluttering this month fun and interesting (to me) & mostly motivating, I may post some of the items here.   

First up, fortune cookie from Pei Wei take out ordered on New Year's Eve, eaten after putting a small boy to bed (who doesn't know the difference between 2012 and 2013 anyway) and while finally succumbing to the craze and watching the first two episodes of season one of Downton Abbey.

Because we don't need any more sugar than is currently in this house anyway and fortune cookies are sort of at the bottom of the chain for me.

What did you do on New Year's Eve?

Do you watch Downton Abbey?  

Are you doing any new year's cleaning out/organizing?

Kelly

*this idea of photographing and posting is loosely influenced by 

A Collection a Day.  I inter-library loaned the book recently and enjoyed the concept.  

Christmas morning bicycle

vintage wrapping paper

This paper came straight from Mexico with my relatives who live there and I don't know that it is vintage but I LOVE it's vintage look.

I also love that my family dug into my stash of vintage wrapping paper found at a garage sale a couple summers ago.  (Have I mentioned that Colorado Springs has amazing garage/estate sales for vintage stuff?) 

Fun scenes from under the tree for this vintage loving girl.  

Where do you like to buy wrapping paper?

unwrapping

front end loaders can carry scraps of vintage wrapping as well as dirt

Last year I got clearance wrapping paper at Target but was very disappointed in how thin it was and how easily it tore as I tried to wrap.  I was considering going to Hobby Lobby's after Christmas sales and when I was in Pittsburgh at a Marshall's I saw some really cute kraft paper with white polka dots which could be used for Christmas as well as other things.  I may have to stop by both as well as any suggestions you guys might have.

Kelly

look what Baby Girl got today

Thank you, Grandma, Uncle Edmund and Aunt Cecy and Aunt Gail!!

so fun!

Kelly

Merry Christmas!

I hope you are all having a happy, healthy day!

Thank you for stopping by here and sharing in our lives!

Merry Christmas!

Kelly

the Christmas tree

So we got our tree today.  

Yeah, on the 23rd. 

That's just the kind of Christmas it is this year at our house.

We couldn't very well get it before we left town for 10 days and let it become a fire hazard and then the flu, pink eye, sinus infections, etc. hit our house and so here we are.

I LOVE David's expression in this photo and I'm not really sure why he was looking at the tree like that but it is so funny to me that I just keep laughing.

That could also mean it is late and I NEED to go to bed too. 

Hope your day has gone well!  

Kelly

love this quote

So we've been in Pittsburgh visiting family and then they came back with us for Christmas! So fun!

One of the things that we got to do while we were in Pittsburgh is that Grandma, David and I went to the Children's Museum.

Pittsburgh happens to be where Mr. Fred Rogers is from so there were a lot of things in the museum dedicated to him.  

 I like this quote that was on one of the walls.

I struggle sometimes in playing *with* David but I dearly love watching him play and seeing/overhearing what he comes up with.

I am trying to learn the balance between letting him do his own thing and being right there with him.

Do you have any thoughts about play?  

Kelly

Union Station

On our way to and from Pittsburgh last week we got to spend a little time in Chicago.

Boy do I love that city.  

It was my first time to be there in the Christmas season.  Lots of beautiful lights and lots of holiday decorations that reminded me of things we'd seen in Montreal.  

I will admit that by our fourth night sleeping on the train out of nine, with half of us running fever, the romantic notions of train travel conjured up by this photo were a bit lacking for us in reality.  

Ah the adventures!  Wouldn't really live without them but I am so glad to be home!

I woke up at five this morning and while trying to fall back to sleep "There's no place like home for the holidays" kept singing itself in my head.  

Are you spending your Christmas holidays at home or traveling?  Boat, train, car or plane?

Blessings on you wherever you go!

Kelly