Cleaining up Christmas

Hi there, Everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!  We were incredibly blessed.  Just having our kids with their big smiles, having family visit, and enjoying time in the snow reminds me how immeasurable these moments are together.  Every Christmas morning, the kids wake us up, the only day of the year that they do by the way, the coffee gets started, the fireplace is on, and my husband reads the account of the first Christmas through the book of Luke.  Come, Let us adore Him indeed.  It's our tradition, and this year was no exception.

Our kids and their cousins listening about the birth of Christ.

I hope you all had a joyful Christmas too.  This year was very low key for us.  We got our Christmas tree late and for some reason I just didn't ever get into the Christmas decorating like I usually do.  I shopped for gifts late which I promised myself I will never do again-ever, and I was wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve.  I didn't make a turkey or ham either.  I really wanted my family's tamales which I miss, but I settled on a pot roast instead.  I know. Weird.  I planned on making a prime rib but got to the store to late to pick one up.  The kids loved their gifts though, and I was so blessed by what my husband got for me.  I'll show you that later.  Now, I'm ready to get everything cleaned up, and I realized we can all use some ideas on organizing and cleaning our Christmas "STUFF".  I usually put everything away on New Years Day.  Do you have a usual day to put it all back?

I managed to set up my nativity and a few Christmas cards!

Here are a few ideas I've implemented here in Lewisville to make my Christmas cleaning up go a little smoother.  Hope you find something you can use!

Changing Store Bought Stuff to Fit Your Style

A few months ago I found the prefect addition to my kids' bathroom.  I really, really wanted to do a Beach themed bathroom for them to enjoy and share, so a California Beach reminder seemed perfect for my two sweet peas and the little dude.  I painted, then found the perfect striped shower curtain, then I found this surf board coat rack at Hobby Lobby one weekend!  It was perfect.  Well, it was almost perfect.  I didn't like the colors at all, and it clashed with the shower curtain I was already settled on keeping.  So what's a girl to do?  This girl decided to start over! And this is the result!  LOVE!

 See how well the blues and greys mix with the creamy white picket fence?  It goes so well with the largest fabric piece (shower curtain) and they play off of one another so well.  Take a look at what the surf board rack used to look like.

3 more days and a table centerpiece to come up with

Hi there, everyone.  It's been almost a week since my last blog post.  This has been an extremely busy season for us here in Lewisville, and it's been quite the sad season as well.  We continue to pray for all the families in Newtown, Connecticut, but this last week two other families we know lost loved ones.  It has shocked us and we are mourning with them.  Our only comfort is that we will see them again in heaven someday.

When so much craziness surrounds me, I like to retreat a bit and reflect on what's happening.  During these times I enjoy my adventures in DIY projects that much more.  This week especially, I've been busy sanding, staining, painting, creating.  I guess you can say it's a bit of therapy for me.  I pray and paint, pray and decorate, pray and build.  I'm just praying all over the place, and that's how it should be.

My simple table centerpiece.

Praying for Sandy Hook

There really are no words- just prayers for the families in Connecticut.  In light of all that's happened, today's post has been cancelled.  Hug your families and love on them even more.

For the sweet little smiles now in the arms of Jesus, where heaven is your playground.

In times like these, I realize how richly blessed I am.

Lisa

Christmas decorating

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...in Lewisville.  The mantel is decorated.  The table centerpiece is up.  Our Nativity scene greets all who enter our home, and the outside looks festive!  Today, I'll just be showing you the mantel.  I loved my Rustic Sophistication Fall Mantel so I decided to keep most of the pieces to make a Rustic Christmas Mantel.  I wasn't being lazy, really.  I just love simple solutions when it comes to decorating.  Small changes mean very little time is spent putting it together and even less money is spent!  Woohoo...because we all want a little extra money during Christmas time, right?
 So here it is!

 I used most of the same pieces from the Fall Rustic mantel which looked like this.

Tips and Tricks- Christmas Crafts

We are so excited to have family here for Christmas!  The house will be hustling and bustling with cousins and all the kids can't wait to get together!  We will have 7 kids here in all, so I was thinking we need to get ourselves organized and get some crafts ready to go.  There will be lots of baking, Christmas music playing, and we're hoping for plenty of snow to make snowmen, maybe a team of snowmen!

Today's tips and tricks will be all about crafts that kids (with some help) can put together.  You can find them all on my Pinterest Christmas board or you can just click on the {source} link below each picture and pin directly to your own board.  As always, I'd love for you to follow through facebook or email updates if you like what you see here.  Have fun crafting with kids!

Surf Board Shelf for the Beach Bathroom

I know it's December.  I know that everyone is talking about getting their Christmas mantels together and their outdoor Christmas wreaths and lights hung. I know it's a big deal to show off your beautifully decorated Christmas trees this time of year.  I know it's Christmas time, and I'm the odd ball talking about my Beach theme bathroom.  I know.  And just to add further doubts about my Christmas sanity, I'm going to let you know how I put that cute surfboard shelf together.  Why not?  I'll share all about my Christmas decorating with you soon, but for now, lets head back to the beach!

I officially revealed the Beach Bathroom last week, but I didn't get to share about one of my favorite parts in decorating the bathroom.  It's this surf board shelf.

How to make an Ornament Wreath

I started working on my Christmas wreath yesterday!  I like making my own wreaths each year, but they're usually fresh so I don't keep them.  This year, I decided to make an ornament wreath with the hope of keeping it for next year. I love these ornament wreaths and they are actually so easy to make.  Are you ready to make your own? 

Tips & Tricks Tuesday- Christmas

Are you all in a mad rush getting your Christmas decorations up?  We pulled out the Christmas boxes last week and they've been sitting in the living room just waiting to be opened and delved into.  Today, I finally got a few things up for the outside, but the mantel is still pretty bare.  I'll get to it. Eventually.  I just need a day to really get in the Christmas Spirit, then I'll go mad and decorate all day.  That's usually how it works for me. 
So, if you're new here, welcome to Lewisville.  On Tuesdays, I like to share a few things that may help make our lives a little easier and more beautiful.  We call it Tips and Tricks Tuesday.

Beach Theme Bathroom Reveal

It's done!  The kid's bathroom that I started decorating several weeks ago is f-i-n-a-l-l-y finished. For those of you who are new here, I've been working on this bathroom for um....well, let's just say it's been too long.  It all started back in June with a free can of paint in the color of my choice.  Then there were a few trips to thrift stores, Michaels, Home Depot, and my garage. Little by little I worked on getting their bathroom all beach like.  So without further ado, here it is!  My first room reveal....drum roll please!

  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the way it turned out!  And what do the judges think of it?  Well, my kids are thrilled with the results as well!