Busy...Busy...Busy.....

I just don't know what happened to October.... and here we are half way through November! YIKES!!!!  It is coming so SUPER DEE- DUPER fast!!!! Will someone PLEASE slow down the clock!?!?!? Please.... I beg you.....

As I have reflected on the past 7 or 8 years and how much I have really NOT enjoyed Christmas... It saddens me.  I hope that I have not ruined my children.... I USE to enjoy decorating my house for every month and I USE to look so forward to the Christmas season... but life took a turn about 8 years ago and Mrs. Bah-Hum-Bug was born! I'm not proud of it by any means.... but it is what happened.....But this year.... THIS YEAR! MRS.MARY CHRISTMAS has come back!!! hee hee hee!!!  And I couldn't be more excited....

Yeah - I may not make my goal of being completely done by November 30th .... BUT I'm sure going to give it my best!  And I do know - I WILL NOT SLEEP THROUGH CHRISTMAS MORNING AGAIN!  I do know that I am going to TAKE TIME TO REMEMBER the REASON for the SEASON!  We - WE are going to enjoy the season as a family.... LIKE IT OR NOT!!!! :)  WE WILL!!!

As I look back in the past month or so, I feel like I'm getting nowhere - but when I look at my projects - they have been on going for quite some time... like most of them I started back in January - and a few of them I started a year ago in September... so it has been a long process - and I'm just hoping that the next 2 weeks... (15 days to be exact) I will see some SUPER progress and reach my ultimate goal of sitting back to relax and enjoy the holiday season the way it is intended to be.... at least "intended" for me!  :)  I just can't wait to get back to the "simple" things... the things that mean so much to my children and me too!  I've really missed it the past several years, I was too busy being a  "bah-hum-bug!"  I am just so determined to "enjoy" "relax" and "make the best of this year!".....

Now, I can't post EVERYTHING that has been going on in this "workshop" ... but here are a few glimpses of what I've been up to.....

Just a couple days after Halloween, I was in Wal-mart - and just happened to take a gander down the "close-out" isle... I stumbled across these black and orange bowls... the orange bowls had spiders and black cats on them... definitely Halloween... but the black ones... hmmm... surely  there was SOMETHING I could come up with - I mean come on  - they were 62 cents!  That's a deal!  One must think of something... so I grabbed 8 - (now I'm wishing I would have grabbed more - story of my life....)  anyway - for a few days I racked and racked my brain.... and finally!  Something came!.....Back when Mrs. Mary Christmas lived here the "ELVES" use to pay the kids a visit... every day the month of December... The "ELVES" would leave a "treat" or "activity" for the kids, OR sometimes it was a "note" reminding them that they need to work of being better.... because Mr. Claus was watching them... so thus, the ELF BUCKET" was created.... so so simple!  Just a few vinyl pieces cut and then slapped some "felt sticker" around the bowl... WAH-LAH!  ELF BUCKET!  And... this MRS and her little Elf Helpers will be delivering the "ELF BUCKET" with a treat and instructions to the doorsteps of our married kids .... Each morning, the REAL "ELVES" will deliver a "gift" or "note" to the bucket.... the kids are so excited... they can hardly wait!

Total cost for ELF BUCKET  about $1.50

Aren't they cute??? :) ( I let the 8yr old elf decorate! She was in HEAVEN!)

The ELVES and I have already made our trips to get most of the "goodies" for the Elf bucket... we just have a few "personal" touches to add.... 

I can hardly wait for those CUTE LIL ELVES! to visit! It's going to be so fun!  

I just LOVE the little reminders of the "REASON for the SEASON!" 

JUST LOVE IT! 

Stay tuned... there will be daily posts coming.... IF I don't fall asleep by accident! 

Good night, 

MARY CHRISTMAS! 

:)