I warned you ...

Pictures, Pictures and more Pictures!

Lets start with the before and after pictures of the living room as we got down the Christmas decorations on Friday morning:

Before~
After~
I am so loving the Christmas decorations up before December ... giving me more than a month to enjoy them. My "collection" of stuff is pretty well dedicated to just the living room area with a "little bit of Christmas" in the dining room, kitchen and bathroom. I want to be that person that has so much stuff it can spill all over the whole house, but I suppose that happens with time and money ;). For now, my method is to get one or two new things a year ... so I'm slowly growing my supply, but doing it like that makes each item more meaningful to me.

Now look closely at those pictures ... did you spot it? The new mantle? I smile each time I walk past it. It looks like it's always been there, doesn't it? Great job sweets! I haven't really had time to figure out how I want to decorate it, so for now it's just showing off itself ... oh and my button tree from last years Christmas crafting.


And now for the crafty pictures ...

First, since I'm officially TWO cards behind, here are the last two challenge cards for "52 Card Scrap-Up".

Week 4 Challenge - Lyrics
So many choices here ... I love music and I love how music can move your soul, so choosing one was hard. I decided on "Holy is the Lord" by Chris Tomlin. It's a song that has spoke to my soul a lot this past year and focuses on "joy in the Lord" which is something I've really been challenged to live with every day.


Week 5 Challenge - Thanksgiving
Again, so many directions I could go with this one, but I first thought of what I'm thankful for is my two boys.


And while we're on scrappy pictures, I just got an e-mail that Scrapbook Trends, Weddings 2008, publication is out and about ... so, I should be getting my copy soon along with my goodies as "payment" for my bridal shower invitation and wedding invitation they selected ... so fun!!

And lastly, the sweater update. Well, I'm totally excited about the progress I've made in two little weeks. I'd say I'm 70% done with the sweater. I have about 5 more inches to finish off the "body" of the sweater and then I just need to the sleeves and waa-laaa, a new sweater. It's been a welcome "rest" to sit and knit each evening while Matt and I watch TV.


Phew, that was a lot of pictures ... hope you liked them! Happy Monday!!