Thoughtful Gifts, Thoughtful Christmas...

..and none of it came from the mall!

Here it is, the day after Christmas...

are we still merry & bright?

I wouldn't say we're merry & bright...

more like lazy and stuffed!

But merry all the same:)

Since I was so out of touch this Holiday season,

I thought I would share a few of my favorites...

from decorations to treats...

and a few THOUGHTFUL gifts.

Ready?

let's go...

First of all, my white tree simply glows in the house.

SO BEAUTIFUL!

 I encourage anyone thinking of a change to go for it.

I can't imagine ever getting tired of this beauty:)

P.S...I took a photo with the lights off and one with them on.  

For some reason, the lights make it look pink in photos.

Another favorite is my jeweled crown tree topper. ..now a family treasure!

Christmas packages have been delivered to the neighbors...

filled with these yummy treats...

 ...chocolate covered oreos with sprinkles!

The CHEAPEST and possibly the CUTEST decoration at our house might be these 4 CUTE GUYS...

  Now for the special gifts and special moments...

Hugs...

Smiles...

Sitting around the table reminiscing...

 

 Spending time with grandparents...

  sisters Christmas sleepover...

 tuckered puppies...

Special gifts...

The Shabby Chicks blog made into a book for my Mom...

Gifts from my husband and girls...

 From Taylor...

a red double decker bus ornament from London, and a beautiful heart bracelet

that reads "Think of me when you wear this".  

I will!

From Jordie, a custom made necklace she had made from a seller on etsy (cool, huh?) that reads "I love you to the moon & back" and a custom made iphone case with photos from Europe.

Both girls spoiled me with other goodies too...generous girls AND thoughtful!

From Phil...

he took all of my video cassettes from when my girls were little,

that I never had transferred to a video...

and had them put on Dvd's.

You can't read the label but this disc has clips from:

Taylor's ballet recital, Taylor swimming, Hula Party, At the beach, July 4th bike parade, Jordan's first day of Kindergarten, Christmas, dancing poolside and a new white puppy.

I'll be like Chevy Chase in Christmas vacation, watching, smiling and sobbing:)

 From me to Phil...

photo books from our European adventure...

 a special family time that we will never forget.

As my mom said, we "wouldn't sell them for a million bucks"!:)

I am so proud of my girls.

They are so thoughtful and creative with their gift giving.

They embraced the best of the Holidays all while keeping the true reason in their hearts.

My husband, who will never be accused of being a Christmas Elf,

warmed up and actually spread a bit of Christmas joy...thank you!

It was such a blessing to spend the Holidays with my parents.

Having lived so far away from all family for their whole lives, 

these are truly "special times" for my girls, spent with Grandma and Grandpa!

Hope your Christmas time was warm and wonderful,

full of love, laughter and special memories!

While my tree and Nutcracker buddies will hang around awhile, 

after this post I am starting to think about the New Year.

One thing I am thinking about is my blog...

what it should be, what I want out of it, how to be a better blog friend.

Thank you to all of the wonderful people who spent any time whatsoever at my place!

I hope you enjoy the rest of 2010 and are looking forward to 2011!