merry christmas, everyone!! i have finally gotten off my blog-butt & updated from thanksgiving...(with the help of some friendly reminders from a couple of you out there in blog world!! :) this has to be my absolute FAVORITE time of year to bring out all of my christmas treasures. i love to collect them here & there all year long, & then pull them out at christmas & be surprised! here are some pictures of my favorite things to collect for christmas... but most importantly, i wish you all a very blessed christmas full of peace & joy from the real meaning of the season, our precious saviour, Jesus Christ.

my cupboard with my santa mug collection....& my favorite santa below...

this is a little beautiful glittery village given to me by my mother-in-law...i just love it! i want to live there.

nothing like my kids' art displayed at christmas. here below is the pottery nativity that bo made us last year, with mary & joseph, baby jesus, & a black & white sheep. i put them with our other nativity...so sweet! & below that, is a painting bailee did for christmas. i love this stuff!!!

this is my favorite christmas tin...i got it years ago on ebay. i love the color & that it's square. i don't find too many tins that are square--especially christmas ones.

this is my favorite newest addition to my christmas stuff this year: a sign given to me by traci. i just LOVE it!!! it looks so nice with my tin lids hanging on my wall!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i haven't really stumbled upon any vintage-y thanksgiving treasures yet, but as soon as i put away all my halloween stuff, i love to pull out these turkey salt & pepper shakers that my mom gave to me one thanksgiving...they have the pour out holes on their "back-sides"....it's pretty funny. the postcard above & the drawing of a scarecrow by eli down below are a couple of other things i love to put out. just wait until christmas...i've already picked up some santa mugs--another thing i collect--that i've carefully tucked away in my closet to wait to be displayed until the day after thanksgiving along with my other 18 bins of christmas stuff up in our garage that i should start hauling down now. i'm already planning on where our christmas tree will go & if we'll go with white lights or colored. and i have a confession to make: i watched a christmas movie today. & it's only the 7th of november. but back to thanksgiving & fall... okay, i must-must-must post about this adorable little teapot i received one day from a sweet girl who lives all the way back in michigan. this came in a box along with a friendship ball, a silver ball that is passed on from friend to friend along with a special gift. my friend shanda koeman sent this to me, knowing my love affair with anything ORANGE & VINTAGE!!!! imagine my surprise & excitement when i opened it! i absolutely LOVE it, & to put frosting on the cake, i found out later it was once her grandmother's. :) it's a plug-in tea pot, cord & all! i may not use it for it's true intention, but i have it out for display & i love it that way. thank you, my dear shanda for your thoughtfulness & awesome gift...i will treasure it always!!! :)

i just LOVE this picture by eli...it makes me smile.

and of course, who does NOT have this bread plate either displayed or stored somewhere in your cupboards??? i ran across this & had to put it out. we got it as a wedding gift.

our little soccer chick... bailee played on a lynden action soccer team coached by brian poag this fall. she had SOOO much fun & we had so much watching her!!

this was us parents making a "bridge" for our winning team to go under!

bailee & one of her best friends tressa...always giggling!

go bailee go!!

almost made it!!

oh maaannnn!!!!!!!!!!! next time, sweet girl!!

gettin' a hug from another best friend, meredith...it was so cold that day, & bailee was goalie.

our goalie's never saw a whole lot of action, so she couldn't keep as warm as the other girls playing did!

okay, i know it's only september, but for all of those who know me well, know that next to christmas, fall & halloween are my absolute favorite times of year to decorate. i've already put out some fun halloween stuff--also with some new treasures i found at the thrift store...that fun "dessert" plate--LOVE the colors!! & the tiny jar i found & filled with black buttons...

and my fun vintage pumpkin man who has a cord in him & lights up~!! he was only .99!!! he makes me smile. (yes, i'm wearing a tank top & holding a fall object--it's so bloody hot!! in september!!! yucky!!)

then this....this old tin box (remember i'm a sucker for these, right??!) anyways...i was sooo excited when i saw this...i had been standing in line outside the thrift store--it was the 1/2 off everything day, so there were a LOT of people. so, the doors opened, & it was mayhem!! i grabbed my cart & my eyes were frantically looking everywhere, assessing all the goodies that lay before me...when i spied this little beauty on a bottom shelf. i zoomed over to it & grabbed it & threw it in my cart. woohoo!!! i didn't even open it until i got home & was pleasantly surprised to find that it must have been a cash box of some kind--it has fun little compartments, & all that stuff. no money, but it didn't matter--LOVE the color--& the tin, the vintagey-ness of it...it's amazing how old stuff makes me so happy. :) don't ya love my little crow on top?? sooo halloweeny!!!

up at 7. 4 lunches. eat some breakfast-take a shower-brush your teeth-put your shoes on-no, no computer until you're all ready-do you have a sweatshirt?-feed the dog-did you brush your teeth??-have a GREAT day!-love you!!!
first day of school.

ahhh....summer. pools, floaties, beaches, shells, sunscreen, & cute smiles. fun stuff i gotta remember when it's 101 degrees. here's mia catchin' some rays in our backyard pool where i practically lived while it was SOOOO stinkin' hot...!

not sure what's-up with the "peace" fingers, but they are a new bailee "must" in pictures.

yes, bailee has two fingers up--ya gotta look close. phew!!

OCEAN SHORES...this was a trip we took a few weeks ago...it was great...the ocean was just beautiful, the sand was awesome--the kind that gets EVERYWHERE--it was the blowey-super-fine-get-in-cracks&crevices-you-didn't-know-you-had kinda sand. bailee gave it a thumbs-up.

eli LOVED the waves--& it wasn't exactly "hot"--only like mid-sixties--but he could not stay away from the water.

zach made "sand" angels...& yes, as you can see, you could just drive right on the beach & park. very cool!

here are some happy campers! our first camping trip of the summer...up at douglas fir campground. it is BEAUTIFUL up there. we got a site right on the river.

can't have a picture without the bunny ears...

this is the view from our campsite...

we drove up to picture lake & walked around...

...and of course had to have a snowball fight...in july!!!!

beautiful nooksack falls!!

yay for hot chocolate!!! a great trip!