Our Home, Christmas 2011

It has been one heck of a week here. My sweet baby girl has had a tough time. The past 48 hours I have had very little sleep and a broken heart for a sweet little girl named Ally who I cant seem to please.

She was sleeping from nine at night to five in the morning the beginning of the week and the past two nights she has been up every two hours fussing and upset. Things that used to not bother her make her cry now, like brothers voice when she is sleeping. She used to sleep right through it.

It has been raining as well and that has kept us parked at home fighting our battles with sleep, messy toddlers and an army of ants who just wont leave me alone.

But this morning I had had enough. While trying to get Ally happy Weston brought in a dump truck from the garage full of dirt and dumped it in the living room floor. Apparently we dribbled a little orange juice on the counter this morning because fifty some ants found it in TWO SECONDS.

Between the mess, the ants and the crying baby I didnt really know where to go from there. So I loaded them up and set out in dreery old day. We mailed our Christmas cards and were off to find a better ant killer when it started pouring. Absolutely pouring down rain. And Ally was screaming away in the backseat and Weston saying "ommy" (like do you hear her?)

I thought about turning to go home, but I just couldnt do it so I kept driving and I prayed. I prayed so hard Ally would find her peace.

And right there I realized something.

 God cares.

Pat who led our bible study told us that God loves to love on us and loves to share his Grace. And right there in the car I felt it. He cares about a momma who is worn out and worn thin driving in the pouring down rain with a baby crying in the back seat no matter how petty that may seem.

The rain stopped and Ally fell asleep.

When we got home I was thinking a lot about Christmas and my realization in the car.

This week has been hard for me. There is nothing that wears on me more than when my babies are unhappy and I cant seem to fix it.

I had big plans for decorating our home this year, and it was starting to bother me that none of them were done. Projects have been put on the back burner to dance around bouncing an unhappy baby girl. The stockings I was making are still just a heap of scraps. My kitchen is the saddest place in the house right now with the army of ants invading by the minute. But ya know what.

God cares. He cares so much for us that he sent HIS SON for us. To save us. That is what Christmas is.

So, on December 25th 2011 we will celebrate CHRISTmas in our home. With brown paper bags as stockings, fussy babies and an army of ants for dinner. We will celebrate Jesus. His coming and if there is anything I can learn from His Birth story is how humble of a place he was born into. Perfect homes and Christmas' are something we have made up and are something of this world, not of our Lord.

So the decorating stops here as does the striving. Mary didnt have a decorated nursery for Jesus. There wasnt a big fancy dinner and a gift exchange. It was humble, quiet and hearfelt. and that is my prayer for our home this Christmas.

I hope you enjoy the tour this year. It is not perfect; toys are everywhere and if you look closely you can see trails of messes, but this is our home and that is just how it is :)

So, welcome to our home

This is our front porch and the little cedar tree I told you about :)

This is the play room. It never stays clean so I figure I might as well photograph it that way :) The only decoration in here is the snowman, but I wanted to show it to you because we just moved the couch in there!

The next room is the living room...

I mentioned I didnt finish our stockings...BUT every year I like to add a new decoration to our decor and when I saw Maria's miniature grain sack stockings I knew that is what I wanted to add this year! Last year I bought the galvanized pale for our tree and the year before that I bought those two little trees by the fire place.

The stockings are so cute and they came wrapped beautifully:

She included a little grain sack of her organic lavender buds (she sells satchets in her shop too) and the whole packaged smelled amazing!

This year I decided I better put our Nativity up high after gluing it so many times last year :)

(i took this picture from our front porch)

Our tree, which you have seen, is in the sunroom again. And someone has ventured down there and decided it is great place to play trucks :)

In our dining area I started a wall of black and white photos in black and white frames. I want to add more after the holidays, but for now I am happy with the look! The middle is a print from Emily. You can print one for your home by going here

I bought myself some flowers today at the grocery store. My idea for the centerpiece on our table isnt going to happen so I decided a Christmas bouquet would be just fine :)

There arent many decorations in the kitchen with all the ants. I wanted to line up a row of jars and put our baked goods in them, but there is no way until we rid of the ants.

I framed a black and white photo of the train we rode this summer in Colorado. That little brown cup is a candle and Weston's "hottee" that is what he calls coffee. He picked it out at Bass Pro and I am glady burning it for him so he can drink out of it :)

And of course his little truck from this summer, proudly hauling a pinecone.

Next up, is my little craft corner...you have never seen it before ;) Before the holidays I added a few touches of red here and there. If I ever get the table cleaned off I hope to wrap some gifts soon!

That is about it for our tour today :) I want to show you Weston and Ally's rooms, but they are sleeping and I dont want to mess that up :) I will show you sometimes next week though... I want to share Weston's room with you because the beginning of next year we are going to start transforming it into a big boy room :)

So that's our home and even though I didnt get to do some of the things I was hoping I am ok with that.

I am content and happy to be here with my little ones. Hopefully we will make more good memories like last year.

Thanks for stopping by today, and thanks for stopping by everyday (the ones of you that do:) !

Merry Christmas!

 

Linking my heart and home here too! :)

PS: Ally found he peace, she is sleeping wonderful in her bassinet :)