Desperate for sister’s candy

Loving our new camera

Steve has wanted to get a great camera for quite some time.

Don’t get me wrong, I always would have loved one too … but you know, budgets, money, priorities, bla bla bla.

But then we decided that it’s Christmas and it would be a great gift to ourselves.

And it sure is. I guess he is right about some things.:)

Dreaming of … a new dining table

I may have mentioned I’m dreaming of updating some home furnishings. Especially my dining table with the gunk-filled grooves. I’ve always liked round tables for some reason too, and since there are four of us, why not replace our big rectangular 6-person table?

I love this at Pottery Barn:

although dark wood or black is really my style. And then I found this on overstock.com:

It’s half the price.

I’m thinking these chairs are pretty too:

But still. Saving money. Ugh.

Maybe I just need to get out of my house more so I stop thinking these things!

The thankful tree

Sometimes I find crafts in magazines and blogs and actually do them with Ella. I’m glad she loves to do crafty things, like me.

So, this week we did a “thankful tree.” Basically you put a branch in a pot, fill with whatever material you want to hold the branch, (I think coffee beans would smell good, but we used some landscaping pebbles we had), cut out leaves in which you write one thing you are thankful for on each, hole punch them, hang them on branches and Wha la. The thankful tree.

Ella didn’t know what the word thankful meant when I first told her about the project last week. But as the week went by she would remember the word and use it. On one particular day she said “Mama, I’m thankful you let me have all that candy.” How sweet!

Here are some other things she said she’s thankful for:

• Her grandparents
• Her mommy
• Her sister
• Lots of popsicles
• Her sparkly horse
• Milk

And please don’t remind Steve that he didn’t make the tree. He is her favorite person to sit by at dinner and go to the movies with though, so he’s doing pretty well.

Ella insisted we make 4 Thankful Trees actually. Eva’s is in her room.