Buying our Christmas Tree

Last year, we started a new family tradition of getting a real Christmas tree!  My husband and kids really wanted to so that’s what we did and I love it too.

Because it was soooo cold when we went,  we just purchased a precut tree instead of heading out in the woods to find the perfect tree.  We were all okay with that since we couldn’t wait to get inside to drink the hot apple cider.

My husband picked out his favorite tree!

And we raced to inside!

They have the cutest shop ever!

We had fun looking around and trying all the samples. 

The kids loved the sleigh.

And the tractor!

We also did some shopping.

Then we enjoyed some delicious hot cocoa and cider along with fresh, homemade doughnuts.

Then we raced outside again.

Of course, the kids found more toys! lol.

I love this pic!  I am using it for my Christmas card!

Then we brought our tree home!

I looked smaller outside, hehe!

We will have to cut some down.

Then, we made popcorn that we bought there and enjoyed the day!

Do you get a real tree?

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

Have a great day!

Gratitude Journal

Hey everyone!!

 

I am so happy to have Andrea as a guest poster here at House of Grace because she is a great mom, wife, blogger and friend!

 

She has an amazing post to share with you today, so here ya go.

 

Hi I'm Andrea from Maia the Bee!  I'm a Kindergarten teacher-turned stay at home mom.  My husband is in the US Army and we live in Germany.  Our little Maia Bee was born here and just turned a year old!  It's hard to believe how fast the first year flew by.  It wasn't all fun and cuddles (Maia had severe acid reflux as an infant and even had tests done at Children's Hospital Boston and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center) but she's doing great and we are so grateful for the little girl who has changed our lives.

 

We'd love for you to stop by and visit us at Maia the Bee!  We're always up to something over here in Europe and I love to share our adventures with our readers! 

 

We speak a lot of what we are grateful for during the holiday season.  It's a wonderful gesture and a time of year that reminds us to cherish the 'little things' in life. 

 

But what about the rest of the year?  Do we take time each day to give thanks for the 'little things' we have?  I certainly don't.  And it's a shame.

So starting on January 1, I'll be keeping a Gratitude Journal.  I want to make a conscious effort each day to reflect and give thanks for the 'little things' that make me smile.

 

 

I bought this journal from Monika of iloveitall on Etsy.  It it a mixed media journal with 53 pages - enough for a page a week.  Each journal is made to order by Monika, so it takes a couple weeks to make and ship to you.  Mine arrived really fast.

 

 

Look how cute the pages are!

 

 

I love it!  It will look adorable on my desk or nightstand so I can leave it out to jot down my gratitude each day. 

 

 

The book is spiral bound and comes with additional embellishments.

 

 

It will be nice to spend a moment reflecting each day.  Too often we go through our busy days without taking the time to think about our blessings.  The holiday season shouldn't be the only time of the year that we show our gratitude.  It will only take a moment to write down what I am thankful for each day and by the end of the year, I'll have an entire book of wonderful thoughts.

Do you keep a Gratitude Journal? 

Thanks Andrea!!  I absolutely LOVE this idea and you have inspired me to start one too!  I think this is great for the mind and soul!!

Have a great day!

The Start of our New Basement

I am so excited about this post!!

We are finishing our basement!!!

We moved into our house over 4 years ago and our basement was a toy room/workout room/office/dumping ground.

It was always a mess because I never cared about it! 

Well, we cleaned the whole thing!!!  That alone is a dream come true for me because at times, it was un-walkable!!  (I know that is not a word, lol!)

I didn’t take pictures because it was really embarrassing! Trust me, it was un-motivating and ugly!

I gave a ton of it away, took some things to a re-sale, (I will show pictures later about that) threw out a lot of garage and old, broken items and the rest is in my garage, living room and dining room.

This was A LOT of work!!

Here are some pictures of it now…ah…some much better!

The workers started today and I will keep you updated weekly on the progress because I am soooo excited about it!  And then, I will have more space to organize and decorate!!

To see picture of what are basement looked like before, go here.

What does your basement look like?

Is it finished?

Do you use it a lot?

Have a great day!