annual playgroup christmas party

December 16, 2013April 6, 20202 Comments

Can it really be only 9 sleeps until Christmas?!

This weekend we went to our annual playgroup Christmas party.

My friend Melissa hosts each year and it is always a fabulous success.

Her home is always beautifully decked for the holidays.

The past few years we have included the daddies which always makes it more fun!

As always, Santa makes a special stop at the party.

This year we took a group photo of Santa with the kids.

There were some tears…

a few escape artists…

but, we got *almost* all of the kids in the photo…without crying.

I think there are SEVEN kids missing from this photo…

and to think we started six years ago with one child each…

and they weren’t even crawling!

This last photo cracks me up beacuse the kids were told to raise their hand if they were good this year…notice the boy in the teal shirt (and his partner in playgroup crime) in the front row?! They are the ONLY kids NOT raising their hands!

She even had an adorable craft for the kids, but they were so busy playing that nobody did it…

Reece, however, knew there was a craft and wouldn’t leave until he had a chance to do it! So, we overstayed our welcome and did the craft. I love that my boy didn’t want to leave the party with out doing the craft!

We each bring something to eat and there is always plenty of food!

I neglected to get a good photo of my fruit plate garnish…a sprig of rosemary from our garden decorated with mini pom-poms and bakers twine! I was pretty happy with my last minute creativity!

I love this celebration every year.

home is…sharing traditions with friends.

{thrifting} curating christmas

November 8, 2013Leave a comment

I know, I know.

Thanksgiving is still 3 weeks away.

We are not forgetting to be thankful around here, I promise.

Here’s the thing.

I generally avoid Goodwill and Value Village (where I do the majority of my thrifting) from the end of August until Halloween.

However, once November 1st hits, the Christmas begins to trickle in. You see, they hold all the Christmas stuff that comes in throughout the year and put it ALL out between Halloween and Christmas.

So, I curate.

I gather to add to my collection from years past.

Here is what I have found in the last week or so…

I collect Santa’s and love these handpainted clay molds from the 1970’s.

Thinking about painting this guy…or maybe glitter!

I passed on one of these last year and wished I hadn’t. So, I bought one from Etsy at the end of summer. My friend, Erin, (@tweetpotatopie) told me where to find a star topper (my other one has a hole in the top) and I purchased some extra bulbs…just in case. Well, I found this beauty for $7! She was missing most of the bulbs, but that was OK because I had an entire bag of extras at home!

I can’t pass up a blow mold.

Or, a good santa mug from Japan.

And, this stitchery…well, it practically jumped in my cart!

This little guy is a bank…so cute!

home is…the most wonderful time of the (thrifting) year.

christmas unwrapped

December 27, 20124 Comments

I haven’t had the words to write lately.

I haven’t even taken as many photos as I would have liked, but I soaked up the holidays.

snow

christmas program

Lorelai didn’t want to stand up on stage and sing with her classmates.

Reece was an “old pro” as a kindergartner. He nailed his lines, kept his costume on, and even sang a little bit!

santa at playgroup

Reece brought a handwritten note…

and necklaces that he made especially for Santa.

Lorelai was brave and sat in his lap and told him she wanted a princess watch and a sleeping bag.

After eating and drinking, we went caroling…a new favorite tradition!

our home

And, just like that, it’s over.

Bittersweet.

Ryan and I decided that we need to have something to do on Christmas Day after the presents are opened.

We’re thinking of heading up to the mountain for some fun in the snow next year!

What do you do on Christmas Day?

home is…Christmas wrapped up.

4 sleeps ’til christmas {december blog giveaway}

December 21, 20117 Comments

If you think that’s exciting, how about a giveaway?!

I meant to get one on here earlier in the month, but got overwhelmed with my own holiday decorating, playing, crafting, and gifting.

So, here we go…

And, as I promised, a happy elf…

To enter, please answer the following question(s) with a comment below:

What is a favorite Christmas/holiday tradition that you grew up with?

And, if you have kids, how are you sharing that tradition with them?

For (4) additional entries you can:

like home is what you make it on facebook
like colton+cadence on facebook
tweet about the giveaway with my link
subscribe to my blog via e-mail (up at the top left of this page)

{to be official, please mention each additional entry in a separate comment to count}

Deadline is Friday, December 23rd at 9pm Pacific.

Winner will be announced on Saturday, December 24th!

And, while the winner will not receive the package until after Christmas, there are goodies you can use year round, and others you can look forward to using next year!

{there may even be a couple of extra goodies in the package}

home is…giving joy to others.