Christmas 2010 Texas Edition

Welcome to our home!A’s mom got me these trees last year and I intended to put them on the front porch but A put them in our foyer and we really liked them.  I AM going to do a post of our house soon!  All the straw pieces on the table are from Africa.  I love them all and they remind me every day of the precious people of Namibia.  This picture does not do our tree justice!  Elleigh really wanted a live tree this year.  Because of our cathedral ceilings we were able to get a tall one and it was perfect!  We loved our tree!  It is hard to find a tall slender live tree but that is what I really wanted and we found it.  I loved just sitting and looking at it at night.  I LOVE ornaments.  Our big tree is full of all different ornaments.  Some I have had since childhood, some I have gotten along the way, many are handmade by the girls.  One of my favorite parts of Christmas is unpacking each ornament and remembering where or how it came from and the memories.  I just love them!  I think I shared these last year when the girls and I made them but I made these TX ornaments last yr with Lizzie and Millie and it was so much fun despite the mass chaos!  We made these at a Fort Worth friend’s home who has had a really tough year and they reminded me of her and of us making them.When Lizzie was at the Children’s Center at the Seminary one of her teachers made this ornament for us for Christmas with her picture and it is a favorite!  Sweet Sallie’s 1st Christmas Ornament!  WOW, what a year!  The first Christmas ornament A and I bought for our 1st tree!Elleigh’s 1st Christmas ornament!  Our lives were changed forever!  Now that little baby is quickly becoming a woman!The other picture ornament of Lizzie from the Children’s Center.  I found myself just staring at this pic this year.  Look at those chubby arms!!!  Oh how I miss that stage…

I really want to make stockings for all of us.  Maybe this year if I start early enough.  I think I say that every year!  Anyway, stocking are expensive and I do not want to spend much on ones I really do not want.  So, I found these this yr at Target for $2 each!  I was so excited.  They are still not what I want but I thought they were cute for now for that price.  Got to do something different for Lizzie and Millie’s stocking holders too or start over.  I love my other 4 that I got at Kirklands Sallie’s 1st Christmas.  I just picked the little girls up at Dollar Tree.  They are already torn up…

Christmas Eve we made cookies for Santa.  I found a great cut out sugar cookie recipe and they were really good.  I made buttercream icing but I was not really prepared with lots of colors to do icing and décor so we just used what we had.  We had fun!

The girls listening to A read the Christmas Story before bed on Christmas Eve!  My favorite part of the day!Ready for bed

Putting out cookies and milk for Santa

Christmas morning.  Think Sallie liked her DSI!?

Little girls playing with their Leapsters

After presents A made us Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate!  Starbucks “aint” got nothin’ on him!!!  SO GOOD!

I would love to say that the rest of our day was relaxing but well it wasn’t!  With it being on Saturday we were preparing for church on Sunday in combination with leaving after church for AL so it was quite hectic but we were excited to see our family!

Stay tuned for our AL Christmas!