On the fourth day of Christmas...

mon vrai aime me l'a donné:

foam reindeer handbands

Still singing? Good. I hope you sang the French as well. We are now starting the week before Christmas. Please excuse me while I go jump up and down and do cartwheels... 

Ok, you caught me, I can't really do cartwheels (Ann can, she is too cool), but I can get SUPER excited about Christmas. And what better to get in the Christmas spirit than looking like a reindeer? 

 

Dasher and Dancer

This craft was super hard.

Haha, not. The kit came with all the parts. All we had to do was stick them on the headband wherever our little hearts desired.

 

My little heart desired to center the antlers.

 

Ann's little heart couldn't make up its mind.

After four minutes of hard labor, we were done! We were so excited we decided to take a picture just like the little boy and girl on the front of the kit.

Yes, I do realize Ann and I could be models. We are working on it. Look for our shining faces on some 2011 Christmas craft items.

There you have it. Another fun and exciting (and slightly cheesy and awful) Christmas craft completed. The kit came with enough supplies to make 12 headbands, so the first ten calling birds (or, in non-Christmas language, the first ten callers) get a reindeer headband made just for them. My phone will be buzzing away. I better get prepared. Look! It's my blog's first giveaway. 10 reindeer headbands---get them while they're hot ;)

On the third day of Christmas...

my true lurves gave to meeeeee:

Christmas funfetti brownies

Excuse me, Holiday Funfetti brownies.

Now, I probably should not have started our 12 days with that fab garland. Whatever we make now just looks easy and effortless. Well, brownies from mix can be hard some times, okay? Like when you misread the instructions and put too much oil (sooo never happened to me, of course), or misread the instructions and put way too much water (once again, Emily never has done), or...you get the idea. So, yes, we made brownies from mix. And they were fun(fetti). And rather tasty. And Ann was back! 

 

Aw, Ann is such a good little stirrer.

 

Wow, look at those pouring skills.

 

Ann kind of decided the left side wanted all of the candy sprinkles. Don't know what she had against the right side...

They were done just in time for the church Christmas party at our house tonight. Nothing like lots of yummy food and fun times with fun people! Really though, nothing like brownies from mix made lovingly just for YOU by Emily and Ann, your true loves. 

 

They are ready to be eaten. Come and get 'em!

P.S.- Don't worry, we are so skipping out on the calling birds tomorrow. Nobody needs those. Now, if they were texting birds that would be a different story...

On the second day of Christmas...

Emily and Ann gave to me:

wooden ornaments they colored on their own.

I hope you were singing as you read that. That is one of the rules of reading my blog for the next 11 days. You must sing our version of the 12 days.

Ann was a busy bee today. I don't know why she would plan anything on one of the days of our 12 days of Christmas but whatevs. I'm not the boss of her. I'm just kidding about both with those statements, of course. We all know I am so the boss of Ann ;) Anyways, since Ann is absent most of the day, I had to call in a substitute for her. Enter Mary Caroline. Oh hellooooo.

You know how I said that yesterday's craft was easy? If yesterday's craft was easy, then today's craft is the tiny, wonderful, precious, newborn baby of easy. Here is what you do:
1) Go to craft store
2) Buy a kit with a wooden ornament and markers
3) Go home and color it

DONE!

 

I think we'll be adding glitter to these in the near future. You can't ever have enough glitter. Santa would agree. 

Oops, I forgot to mention one important part.

3.5) Get your collection of colored Sharpies because the colored markers provided are seriously lacking creativity...

These come is handy, um, pretty much for everything. Especially for those fun facts Mom colors and hides in certain people's lunches...

So, there you go. I'm no expert or anything, but I would definitely be more excited if my true love brought home these vs. two turtle doves.

12 days of Christmas: Emily and Ann edition

Ann and I LOVE Christmas. Actually, let me rephrase that... I have always completely and obsessively LOVED Christmas, and recently Ann decided (as in this year) that she was going to LOVE it as well. Why do we love Christmas so much? Because what is not to love about Christmas cookies, movies, pictures, trees, decorations, music, nutcrackers, Santa, family, warmth, hot chocolate, space heaters, lights, and... well, you get the idea. Christmas is great and I'm sure we're all in agreement that it is the most wonderful time of the year.



I was trying to think of something fun to do around Christmastime. I guess I should say something ELSE fun to do since everything is fun around Christmas. While I think writing a lot of posts about how much I adore this time of year is fun, I am sure some people might disagree. So, since Ann now LOVES Christmas, we decided to do a 12 days of Christmas: Emily and Ann style. This means for 12 days, we are going to make a super fun and cheesy Christmas craft (or recipe), and write all about our fun times here. (someone might read this blog and give us our own tv show, just sayin') Get excited. Yes, we did pick 12 random days, but this is in Emily and Ann style so really we can pick whatever days we want. All you have to do is check the blog daily (hourly, minutely, whatever you prefer...) to read what Emily and Ann will do next... So, without further ado..

(Everyone sings...) On the first day of Christmas my true loves (Emily and Ann) gave to me...

a homemade Merry Christmas garland (that they saw in Southern Living the Idea Home)

FYI/BTW, you can definitely fit all of those lyrics in if you just sing them super quickly.  We went to the Southern Living Idea House in Senoia on Sunday. They had made a Happy Holidays garland out of scrapbook paper. Since Ann and I are good citizens, we did not steal the garland, but we did decide to make our own. It is very easy and, not to brag or anything, but looks super cute when done.

 

Tracing circles for the background

Cutting out letters and circles (snaps for MC for cutting since some people are scissor impaired...)

Ann gluing the letters on the circles. She spent the next hour freaking out and picking off the glue left on her fingers.

Stringing on to make a garland

Finished product!

The Southern Living House will be calling us pretty soon trying to use this garland in a home... I just know it. The picture isn't too wonderful. Maybe my little photographer sister will take a better picture once it is hung.

Coming up tomorrow: What do your true loves (Emily and Ann, duh) give you on the second day of Christmas?

I Need a Little Christmas Now

Christmas Countdown

Cannot. Wait.