Warmest Christmas Wishes

i hope everyone is safe with family and friends tonight. there seems to be a doozy of a winter storm hitting much of the country.

my family was lucky to have my friend, sam, and her 19 month old son, eli, with us for Christmas tonight. we haven't had a kid at Christmas since my sister, bethany, & i were kids. he's such a cute little bundle of energy and know so many words...although the biggest laugh of the night was when he couldn't remember to say "bethany", so he pointed at her and said "bathroom". so cute.

here's a little rendition of the infamous Hallelujah Chorus. it's stinkin' hilarious...don't worry it gets better after the minute or two (believe me, it will be worth the wait). enjoy!

No Peeking...

just a few blogs in, and i'm already breaking promises (ok, ok, you could at least pretend to be really disappointed...even though you could probably care less).

i said i would be posting some great diy gift ideas, but then i started thinking that most of these are gifts for family & friends. i'd hate to spoil the surprise. so instead i'm posting links with multiple ideas listed...i have used a few ideas from each of these:

Not Martha - this girl is amazing. clear defined easy steps. i love how she gets an idea, and then tests and tries to find a way to make it happen:

A Do-It-Yourself Christmas - some wonderful ideas. my frugal mindset loves these.

Living the Swell Life - Jessica is a friend of mine from high school. i've always been {lovingly} envious of her creativity, craftiness, and overall sweet personality. Check out her post from last year for a cute gift for a music lover.

after the jingle bells have rung and the Christmas tree has been rocked, i will let you know which of these i acutally made...complete with photos, things that worked (or didn't work) and much more!

Breathtaking

it's snowing out, and it's utterly beautiful. i'm cuddled up, sipping my hot cocoa, and watching the snow pile up on the sidewalks, the road, and my car. i know i should be asleep (especially since i will need to be up and brushing this snow off my car at 4 am), but i just can't stop watching it. it's so mesmerizing. there is just something so calm and serene about the first big snowfall of the year.

it reminds me of my high school/college days and how much i'm missing my friends this year. if i could, i'd gather all my friends up and we'd take a midnight walk down grover rd {the long driveway leading to Immanuel ~ my high school and college ~ see pics below}. we'd admire the snow-capped trees, talk about trivial things, and then cuddle up in laura's bed watch a Christmas movie, and eat cranberry bliss bars from starbucks.

(photos stolen from: www.ilc.edu/tour.htm, check it out for a better pic)

since this isn't possible this year, i'm just praying for each of you to have a wonderful Christmas and hoping that i see you all soon. miss you.

i'll be posting some great diy gift ideas soon. i'm on a tight budget and have been searching for ideas that are meaningful/useful to the receiver and yet be something that i can make with my limited artistic abilities. anybody have any ideas?