House of Christmas Cards

December 9, 2009

One of my favorite Christmas traditions USED to be sending Christmas cards. USED to be... Not this year.
Nope.
A couple years ago, I got all tech-y and made my address list on a label template.  Labels were supposed to make my Christmas card list easy to access, print, and, in general, save me time.  Well, we just keep adding to the list, making a few name changes, etc.  So it is nowhere close to alphabetical order anymore. This drives me crazy because I am very orderly and all (missed my calling to be a librarian).
I printed the labels.  Nice and easy.
About half of them did not line up with the stickers.  Grrr.
So, I adjusted the font sizes, spacing, etc. 
Most of them, except for one column were perfectly aligned.  I opted to handwrite those 10.  Ten names, no biggie (If you recently got a card with a handwritten address, you were mis-aligned). 

About 80/100ths of the way through my card assembly line, I noticed that I am about 20 cards short.  So I dash off an email to my etsy card creator (because my Christmas cards are adorably-hand made by bellablu designs) for another 30 just to be safe.  That means another order to Costco.com for more photos.  And more stamps.

Oh, I forgot to mention the photos. . .  I had to trim each one(hundred) because my adorable cards are not a standard 4x6 size (my custom cards are starting to lose their cute factor).  More grrr-ing. 

Then I am email chatting with my friend, Melissa C., when I realize that I didn't see her name in my card assembly line.  I scroll through my mental rolodex and realize that I missed most of the friends whose last names begin with A-C.  What happened to my fancy- schmancy address list??? A-C people disappeared!  Double grrr with some *!**!! thrown in. 
Thankfully, I had ordered those extra cards and photos.
So if your last name begins with A-C or you are related to me, your card is coming - eventually (for my relatives, I bumped you to the bottom of the list so I could get out the cards to people who don't see my kids everyday. . . . sorry).  And it will have a handwritten address. 

This is my second Christmas card fiasco.  Last time was when I sent out the photo cards pre-printed.   Hmmm.  The pre-printed Christmas cards and I DO NOT work well together.  Next year I will go back to ordering the cards from the Phoenix Children's Hopsital Cancer Center and handwriting all those greetings and addresses.  I should probably get started now.  

Karen

Christmas Decor Update & Gingerbread Houses

December 6, 2009


So you all have been just dying to know what "something" I found for that vintage-tin shelf Cathy gave me for my birthday, haven't you??
I went to a craft fair Friday night looking for just that special "something."

I got this star. . .
from Tricia, the talented lady who helped me make the Haunted House of Wax in October.

Alas, when I got home it was too tall for the shelf.

 But it looks good on a wall by itself.

I foun this fun garland at Frances. . .

This "vintage" art is just PERFECT for the shelf!

How happy does this smiling girlie make you?

And the glitter letters make me MERRY just looking a them.

GINGERBREAD HOUSES

OK. . . I was going to save this event for a blog post of its very own,

but, I'm usually too pooped on Mondays to do much when I get home, so I am sharing it now while there are no kids or husband at home (ahhhh. . . the quiet).

Grace, Emmie, Kathy, and I made gingerbread houses today at ACC.

All the fun, none of the clean up!

Actually, Grace and Emmie made them.

 Kathy and I watched and took pictures.

Here they are intently decorating . . .

Emmie apparently inherited her Mother's affinity for well-matched accessories

and craftiness

Here's Grace's . . . more (non-Christmas) colors, but just as pretty

The other side is a tad more traditional . . .

The "back door" and window (I thought it was an animal)

Ta Da!

Karen

Good News for Teddy

December 6, 2009

Here is what Kristin (my sister-in-law, Tom's middle sister) sent us this morning. . . yea!!

Infusion complete. Fever coming down. Hopefully will stay that way. Cardiologist said echo and EKG look good. Hopefully we'll be released tomorrow at noon.
 
The diagnosis was "incomplete Kawasaki disease."  You can go here for an official description, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/kawasaki-disease/DS00576
But the very simplified meaning (at least as I understand it) is primarily an inflamation of blood vessels.  It can cause high fever and lots of other scary symptoms and if not caught quickly, which Teddy's was, heart damage. 
 
Looking good, Teddy!
Thanks for your prayers.
Thank you, God, for listening. 
 
Karen

Teddy

Click here to view these pictures larger

Our thoughts are prayers are with my nephew, Teddy.  He's the newest Halter cousin and he lives in Ohio with Kristin, Matt, Max & Abbie.  He's been sick and recently hospitalized.  He's now being treated and we pray a quick and full recovery.   We hope you will say a prayer for him too.
Isn't he cute as a bug?

Karen
P.S. Sorry about the shutterfly link...I can't figure out how to get a shutterfly photo to download to my computer without having to link through the shutterfly account.  Frustrating!!!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas . . . at the Halterhome

December 1, 2009

The First day of December....the Christmas countdown begins.

Here are my Christmas decorations...

The HUGE tree

and with the lights on. . . so much prettier

The kitchen . . .

The living room . . .

My cute Woof 'n poof snowpeeps . . .

New iron snowman this year from Diane . . .

Back to the kitchen (I can't figure out how to move pictures around on this thing)

OK, I know. . . this needs some more SOMETHING!

 But it has to be non-breakable because this shelf is on the wall by the back door which often gets SLAMMED and whatever is on it topples off. 

(Notice my favorite Obama pin is still up despite its non-Christmas colors)

Maybe I'll find something this Friday at the Frances Crafeteria for this shelf (also new thanks to Cathy)!

I LOVE this garland on my chandelier. . .

I have always tied bows on it, but this is much prettier, don't ya think?

The family room . . .

The bookcase. . .

Doesn't look as pretty as I'd like. Needs more TLC

The Red Bathroom

Another new effort that I am pleased with . . .

Back to the living room . . .

And outside. . .

A

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Decorating "Complete"

November 30, 2009

Sooo, I've decorated my blog for the holidays.

I've decorated the tree, the living room, the kitchen, the red bathroom, the bookcase, the family room, and yes, even the dog. 

Tom hung lights outside (not my domain). 

I've turned Grace into a Christmas nut like her mom.  She has a 2-foot purple tree in her room.  It is decorated within an inch of it's plastic purple life.  She asked me for my leftover decorations so she could transform her room into a Christmas party like the rest of the house. That's my girl!

Aren't you just dying to see my Christmas decor???

Here's the before:

Those are my 15, count them 15 bins and boxes of "Christmas Crap" as Tom likes to call it.  Actually, there are only 14 in this photo because the 9 foot tree weighed a TON and had to wait till Tom got home so he could help me haul it out of the shed and put it up.

I spent ALL DAY Friday (thank you Kathy for entertaining Grace) packing up the ordinary stuff and unpacking and placing Christmas decor around the house.  I have an artificial tree, so it had to be fluffed just-so.  It is a toss up as to the worst decorating job: stringing lights on a real tree or fluffing the fake one.  Either job scratches one's arms to ribbons. 

I spent MOST of Saturday finishing the tree and replacing the boxes and bins in the shed.  I think I am going to add a dolly to my Christmas list (along with that label maker). 

I also had to make a run to Target for Super Glue to repair two broken legs, I mean ornaments.  Seriously, we dropped two ornaments this year...one a tumbling Grace figure and one golfing Tommy figure, and wouldn't ya know it, they both ended up with broken "legs!"  What are the odds?? (sorry mom, but you can't even tell)

Sunday . . . finishing touches, one more "clean up," and photo shoot. 

Now you have to check back in tomorrow to see the photos.  Really, I haven't downloaded them yet.  Didn't you just read how busy I've been??  Hello??

Karen

Here's What I'm Thankful For . . .

Thanksgiving Day at the Halterhome . . .

Allie, Grace, Emmie

The "grown up" table

Kathy's lovely bird . . . move over Martha

Kathy & Emmie

Kathy's 4?th Birthday Cake

Dig in!

The Kid table

Coopie

The grown ups

The kids (and moms)

The Birthday girl

Stay tuned for the Christmas reveal . . .

Karen