Day After Christmas Blues? Nahh....

Hello, friends!  As I have been trying to get my house back together from our beautiful Christmas, I started thinking about how when I was child I would have what I call the day after Christmas blues. You know the feeling, "Oh my goodness, I have to wait 364 days before I get to have Christmas again?" I have noticed that my attitude has changed a bit since my younger days before I knew what it was to actually spend money on all of those wonderful Christmas gifts. I would say my attitude now is, "Oh my goodness!! I get to wait a whole 364 days until I have to do this again!" :D

Now lest you think that I am a Scrooge, I would say I am far from it! I absolutely LOVE Christmas and everything about it. I love celebrating Christ and all of the blessings He has given me.  I am just excited about the fact that we will be getting back to some sort of order soon. I have found in my *older* age that I enjoy routine and predictability, at least, as much as I can control. But I remind myself that it is the unpredictable moments that we seem to find great joy.

Imagine not having those surprise visits from friends or family. Imagine a life without impromptu ice cream runs or pajama days. It is the spur of the moment hugs and kisses that make life so precious! So instead of hurrying the days along before we get back to routine, I am embracing the days of no plans and the opportunity to just BE. I refuse to think about what I want to accomplish in 2013 yet. I will be doing that soon but not yet. I am choosing to spend a few days breathing, lounging, and enjoying the rest of my 2012 days with my family. I will never get 2012 back. 2013 is a-coming and I can't wait to embrace the new challenges and look towards the future. But for now.... sigh... I am just enjoying the rest after the flurry of Christmas. I pray you are all doing the same. :)

Merry Christmas!

Hello, friends!! I am popping in from a Christmas break to wish you all a wonderfully Merry Christmas!
I have been in my van more than in my home for the past two weeks so it has been almost impossible for me to jump on here. This Christmas season has been one of family, traditions, gifts, and treasured memories. I feel incredibly blessed and I am so looking forward to 2013.

Well, I am off to spend the rest of the day with my handsome hubby and children! Have a blessed day everyone!

A Frugal Trick to Hang Stockings!

Hello, friends! It has been a great week for my family and me. We have spent so much time together and after the tragic events of yesterday, I have no regrets! What a reminder that every single day is beyond precious and worthy of treasuring. I did want to share a frugal trick with you today that could be used at home or in the classroom.

First, I wanted to share a little trick that I began using years ago in the classroom. I needed to hang stockings for my kids but I had limited bulletin board space and block walls which makes posting ANYTHING difficult. So, I came up with a cool way to hang all of the stockings from the bottom of my board using one of these:

That's right! A paper clip! Simply open the paper clip to an S to hang your stockings on the bottom tray of your board or across the top groove! The great thing is, I have been able to use this little trick for hanging my stockings at home as well. I have never had a mantle so those really pretty stocking hangings are not an option for me. Besides, they can be a bit expensive when you have to buy as many as I would. So, I decided to use my classroom trick and hang my stockings with paper clips across the top of my window. Of course, I won't put anything in them while they are up there. I will simply take them down to fill them and place them along my couches for the girls to find. :) Here is a picture of my stockings hanging across my window. (I have some garland that I plan on running across the top to dress it up a bit but this gives you an idea.)

Can you guess which stocking is mine? ;)

Also, I have had so much fun reading about everyone's Christmas traditions over at my linky party! If you haven't checked it out or linked up, just click the button below!