Family Tradition; The Christmas Tree

Hi there! I'm so glad you stopped by.

A few years ago we started a Family Tradition. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we go to the Pinestead Tree Farm in Isanti, Minnesota, to cut down our Christmas tree.

There is something special about going out in to the field, picking out "our" tree and cutting it down. You know what makes it extra special? Doing it with our family! 

It means so much to us that our 5 children and their families take the time out of their busy lives, to make memories with their parents and grandma.

My husband and I are the only ones that get a tree on our outing, but all of our children, their spouses/significant others, our grandchildren and my mom come along.  4 Generations!

It is truly my favorite activity of the year. 

Pinestead is such a charming place. They have hay rides, animals, a gift shop, a snack bar, bon fires for roasting hot dogs, hot apple cider and Santa.

Here is their gift shop.

Here are the llamas.

I think they are just the goofiest looking animal. And, they spit!  Seriously, spitting animals?  Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor.

And, a rooster. 

I'm not sure if there were any chickens.  This grandmas was far too busy trying to get pictures of these Kodak moments to find chickens.

This is our granddaughter, Presley.  Maybe she was looking for the chickens.....

We found our perfect tree!

My husband and our oldest grandson, Logan, he's 4, cutting down our tree. 

Logan started supervising his grandpa last year and takes his role as the oldest grandson, pretty seriously.

My tree cutting team!

Here is Logan taking the tree back to the shop. Is this child amazingly strong or am I prejudice?  Okay, so the tree was on a sled, that's just details.

Here we have Santa. Not looking all too happy, I might add. 

Have you ever tried to put 5 children, 4 years old and younger, on Santa's lap for a picture. Let's just say, some were not very thrilled about this Santa idea. Perhaps that would explain the look on Santa's face?

Even Gracie, the granddog, got to come along.   Other than running through the field at the speed of light, I do believe this was her favorite part, the hay ride.

Presley (2), Gabriel (1), Logan (4), Micah (1) and Elle (4).

These little punkins are what make my heart smile!

Do you have a Christmastime tradition? Want to start one?  The Pinestead Tree Farm would be a great place to start.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  It means the world to me.

Kelly

Thanksgiving Wine Tags

Hi there!  I'm so glad you stopped by.

I want to share a last minute idea I have with you. Wine glass tags.

I don't know about your Thanksgiving guests, but mine like wine!  So, I figured I would whip up some tags for everyone.

These are so easy to make. It took me less than an hour, including gathering the supplies.

All you need is:

Burlap ribbon

Twine

Key tags

Black marker

Number stencil

All I did was take the wire ring out of the key tag, place my stencil on the key tag, outline the number and fill it in. 

I used the Martha Stewart stencil because they have a stickiness to the back, which keeps them in place while you outline the number.

I laid the key tag on the burlap, cut out a circle a little wider than the tag and outlined the circle where the twine would go through, with the marker.  Then, I used a hole punch to make the hole for the twine.  String the twine through the hole, wrap it around the glass, tie a bow and Waa Laa!  Wine tag!

I hope you enjoyed this super easy, last minute idea!

Thank you so much for stopping by.  It means the world to me.

Kelly

Thanksgiving Table

Hi there!  I am so glad you stopped by.

Thanksgiving is Thursday!  Boy, did that sneak up on me.  

I love the holidays and look forward to all the friend and family get togethers. 

I especially enjoy decorating and making our home warm and cozy, for our guests. 

I want to show you some of the ideas I came up with for decorating my table. One is a little rustic, the other a little more "fancy".

Hopefully, this will give you a little inspiration and show you how easy it is to take what you have around your house, to make an inviting table.

For this one, I used chargers I got at Walmart last year, on clearance, after the holidays. Don't have chargers, use napkins, wrapping paper or strips of burlap.  Use your imagination and use what you have around your house.

Simply add candles, some greens and pine cones.

I bought the green leaf cut outs at Hallmark, half off. Score!  I slipped them in between the 2 plates just to give it a little dimension.

I also got the little acorn cut outs that say "I am thankful for".  I am going to have all our guests write what they are thankful for this year, put them in a basket and take them out one by one.  We will read them and try to figure out who wrote them.

For the other style I used gold chargers that I got as a gift from my girlfriends. 

Don't you just love the candle with it's own mind, leaning to the side? 

For this look I added color with some fall leaves and berries. 

The flower in the middle of the plate, as well as the berries, I bought as a bunch.  I popped the flowers off the stems and laid them on the plate.  For the berries, I just cut the bunch apart and added them for color.

So, which one do you like? More elegant or casual?

Thanks so much for stopping by.  It means the world to me!

Happy Thanksgiving!