Saw It Pinned It Did It {Holiday Cheer}

I'm linking up with Katie for her {Saw It Pinned It Did It} linkup.

Because we are in such a small apartment (but not for long!!), I try not put up a lot of large Christmas decorations. I mean, we only have a counter-top sized Christmas tree up this year! So, in attempt to add some holiday cheer without causing more chaos in our small space, I decided to create a fun jar of cheer! I found these two items on Pinterest and used them as my inspiration...

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When I started this project I decided that it would be done for as little $$ as possible. A.k.a. FREE! I pulled a vase out of storage, grabbed my trusty twine, and collected a few beauties from outside {we live in an area that has beautiful trees, bushes, etc. so I had plenty to pick from}. Ryan brought mistletoe home a few days before so I used some of the extra green leaves from it in the mix too!
It took a few tries, but I finally got the pine cones, berries, and mistletoe greenery arranged how I liked it. Once I was finished I added twine to the vase and put it on our entryway bookshelf. I think it's a great little addition with the wreath and holiday candle. 

Excuse the mess :)

Our favorite Christmas time candle this year.

------- What are little things that you add to your home for the holiday? Check out the rest of the Saw It Pinned It Did It {here}!

Favorite Things...

I thought I would take a second to share a little Christmas goodness with you all by talking about my favorite things of Christmas. I got the inspiration from Dayna [her version] and she got HER inspiration from Katelyn [here]. Go check out their posts and share your own!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?

Egg not please. I could have hot chocolate anytime, but egg nog around the holidays is the best! 

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2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

 I have never, ever heard of Santa not wrapping presents! Please don't tell me that families do that...it takes the fun out of opening the gifts! 

3. Colored lights on the tree/house or white?

It varies. Sometimes our family is in the mood for colored and sometimes they like white better. I love the large bulb lights, so I'll probably have those on the outside of my house someday. As for the tree, I think I like white unless I need color to go with the theme : )

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4. Do you hang mistletoe?

Only if it's hanging over this guy...or my Ryan. Whichever ; ) But really, I would hang it if I found it myself....it's usually pretty overpriced so I don't buy it. 

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5. When do you put your decorations up?

When I was living at home, we always put them up right after thanksgiving. Ryan's family does that too and we'll probably do the same thing next year when we get to decorate.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?

Nothing really jumps out at me here...mostly because I like it all. Turkey is delish and I basically live on baked good during November and December.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?

Probably the Christmas celebrations at my grandmother's house when I was a kid. Before all of my Dad's brothers and sisters grew apart (and when all of us grandkids were still pretty little), we would all cram into her house and eat and just pile on top of one another just to enjoy the holiday together. Plus, she had the most massive tree ever! I loved that thing and the smell of that cheap, messy tinsel she covered it with : )

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?

I think I was about 6. I didn't tell anyone at the time, but I realized that "Santa" had the same handwriting as my Mom.Call me Sherlock!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

Growing up and up until I left for college, yes. Now, when I celebrate with Ryan, no. We save it all for Christmas morning now. It's SO hard that way!

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

I've only ever decorated with a variety of ornaments from over the years. Childhood and collectible ornaments are what I'm accustomed to.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it?

If I don't have to drive in it, I love it! If I have to get out and slide around, I hate it.

12. Can you ice skate?

Yup. [But I never said I was good!]

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
My favorite gift is definitely the diamond necklace Ryan gave me last year.
It meant a lot to me and always will. I was SUPER surprised and I know how much it meant to him to give it to me.

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14. What is the most important thing about the holidays for you?

The most important things to me are family and giving. I love being around family and making new memories with my favorite people. I also love giving to people who are the closest to me and that need it.

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15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?

As I said, I basically live on baked goods...there are few sweet things I can turn down this time of year!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

 My favorite holiday tradition used to be opening a gift on Christmas eve and getting new PJs. Hopefully over the course of the Christmas and next Christmas I can start a few new traditions : )

17. What tops your tree?

Growing up it was always a star or an angel. I imagine when I start decorating a tree it will be something neutral.

18. Which do you prefer--giving or receiving?

 Giving, of course! There's just something about picking the perfect present for someone, or getting someone something that they've had their heart set on.

19. Candy Canes: yuck or yum?

 Yuck. I can handle one or two a year and that's about it.

20. Favorite Christmas show?

 How about favorite movie(s)? Home Alone 1 & 2. I en bought them on DVD. Yup, I said it. I LOVE them!

21. Saddest Christmas song?

 I don't know. I don't like listening to sad Christmas songs. Sort of defeats the purpose, no?

22. What is your favorite Christmas song?

Feliz Navidad! There's a very upbeat part of the song that Ryan's brother and I joke about so I always laugh and enjoy that song the most of all!

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Mine was pretty great : ) Lots of relaxing and snuggling with the boy between Friday and Saturday. I couldn't get enough of being wrapped up with a blanket on the couch with Ryan. It was so cold....I hate going out because I have to put what seems like 20 layers on just to stay warm! On Sunday the weather got a little nicer and the temp was up around 50 so we ventured out to run some errands and such. Although I did get dressed up for a date on Saturday night (which was amazing-sushi!), the rest of the weekend my outfits didn't get past this point....

Weekend by thesweetashleylife (<~~~Click to view items)

I had to have my scarf, boots, and wool socks. Yes, I even asked if I looked like a teeny bopper, with my boots and skinnies.....Ryan assured me that I could 'pull it off'. Haha I'm not sure if I'm happy with that or sad! Either way, I stayed warm!

Even though we spent a lot of time at home, we still had some fun! We drank this season's first batch of eggnog (someone might have spiked it...), ate pizza, watched movies (Perfect Host, which was pretty good) and laughed at some SNL goodness. I even made two more wreaths yesterday to ship out. So, add productive to the list!

This morning I've been trying to figure out my holiday schedule. Between figuring out time off from work, figuring out a moving schedule, figuring out the time we'll be spending with family (here and in KY), plus all of the normal stuff--I can't keep track of it all! We'll start moving late next week so I have a ton to do between now and then BUT I'm super excited about seeing everyone between now and the end of the year!

Oh yea, have any of you seen these funny pics of Christopher Walken? I find them randomly and I always crack up! I can't be the only one....right?!

A friend sent this one...

What did you do this past weekend? Are you getting excited about the holidays?

Holiday [Family] Time

Okay, let's get serious for a minute. I know I can't be the only one who feels like they stress about holidays more than they enjoy them. Right?? As you probably know, I live in TN and recently moved from KY. Most of my family is spread out in KY. This proves to be a bit of a complication each year around this time. Who do I see this year? Where do I go this year? Who did I recently see? Should I see these people because of this or because of that? Should I skip these people because they came to see me recently? I’m a girl, so these thoughts go on and on and on and….you get the point. I spend more time worrying about the impending plans then I actually spend enjoying the time I DO get with each family member.

Don’t get me wrong…all of the thoughts I have come strictly from my own overworking mind.

I don’t get pressure from anyone, but I know in my heart everyone wants to see me. I think back to the days where every single person in my Dad’s family would squeeze into my grandma’s house and we’d all have Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner and then nap around the house, watch football, or open presents. I remember that I would get beyond excited right before the holidays. Even at a young age I would look forward to seeing my aunts, my uncles, and my grandparents. There was something comforting about being together with everyone all at once. Security.

As the years have progressed, my family has grown apart and each person has developed their own branch of the family. Aunts and uncles have their own children…parents add new babies to the family and stay at their own home to celebrate with them. People move away and get older. While some families can keep it going for years and years, some families lose interest. Some people just get tired.

I don’t ever want to be too TIRED to celebrate having my family around. Last year when I was at my wits end about where to go for the holidays and trying to figure out how to be in 5 different places, Ryan reminded me that I should be thankful that I have that many people that want to share their special moments holidays with me. I try really hard to keep that in the front of my mind, but here I am again this year worrying and TIRING myself out.

I know that I shouldn’t worry so much because family….well, family should be there no matter what. However, over the years I’ve learned that it’s not that simple. When family members are spread out there’s a lot more that goes into keeping a family together. Sure it’s easy to say hi or swing by when someone lives right down the street, but what about the ones that are 50, 100, 200 miles away? Those are the ones that need more work. That’s where the holidays come into play. I feel like the quality of time spent together during the holidays should be better and should fill some of the gaps. I think that’s where my stress comes into play and is the reason I care so much.

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Holidays used to mean the world to me and I don’t want to lose that feeling! I spend time with Ryan and that makes me beyond happy! I love sharing moments with him, making memories with him and building our own holiday traditions : ) It looks like we’ll be moving into our new place around the holidays this year so I shouldn’t be worrying so much about where I’ll travel to. I won’t have to think of as many reasons for being in one place instead of another. I won’t have to disappoint anyone by telling them I can't be there because I’m spending the holiday with another equally deserving family member. I will be moving and I will be doing something that is necessary. As un-heartfelt as that is, I feel like I was blessed to have a reason to travel less this year. Blessed to just enjoy the littel things....enjoy being with Ryan (and the dog!) and to enjoy the home that we have together.

That’s what the holidays are really for, right? Enjoying whoever is special to you and counting your blessings and eating delicious food!

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Do you travel for the holidays? Do you worry about pleasing everyone?

Okay, so maybe I am the only one ; )