A very Craft Christmas Eve

Nat (16) and Lauren (19)

Just love my girls soooo very much!

my GIRLS and their GRAMMY...these 3 are something else!

The CRAFT Family wishing you & yours a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Me & my SWEETHEART

This mama sure hearts these 2 like crazzzzyyyy!!!

DEVOTED DAD & his 2 DARLING DAUGHTERS

Some more favorite pictures of my PRECIOUS family...

 

We had fun evening just bein' together. Started out Christmas Eve with Jim, my Mom and me going to church at Life Center. It was a wonderful service and great message on NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD! Then back to our home for favorite snacky foods and playin' a game of Farkle before the girls opened a couple gifts.

I sure do LOVE LOVE LOVE having my mom live so close to us now! She spent the night with us for Christmas Eve...her first time to sleep in the PINK room...she loved it!

This sure is a fun game! Shara gave it to our family when she came to visit!

Even tho this picture is blurry...I just love her expression!

Twas the night before Christmas...

Filling dad's shoes is NOT an easy task...

These are the words Natalie said this past week as Jim has been gone for a few days over in Bothell helping and caring for his SWEET Grandma Lorraine! {I absolutely HEART Grandma...that's another blogpost} So, Natalie who is 16 has really been a huge help to me! I had several things going on that needed the attention of good ol' Jimbo however I didn't have to worry a single bit! 

First, I was having a work Christmas party for my Gymboree ladies and it has been so foggy lately that I was worried about how they would see to turn on my road. There are no lights on our road so that alone makes it tricky but then you add heavy fog and icy conditions, etc., it can just be a big mess! Nat told me NOT to worry at all...she would take care of it for me! I went to an appointment on Saturday a.m. and she called me that afternoon at about 3:00 p.m. and told me it was all taken care of! I was most excited to get home to see what she had fixed up!  She wrapped lights around the mailbox so people could see which driveway to turn into and then made a lighted pathway in the front grass so they would come to the front door. We usually use our back door but it is SOOO icy on that walkway and I didn't want anyone to fall! It worked out perfect! I loved it and I couldn't have asked for anything better! She did comment that doing the things dad does are not always easy! My friends that came to the party said they would not have found it without the lights!

PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT!

Some additions to the front porch to make it warm and inviting! Normally it's so windy {and snowy} this time of year however this particular night although it was freezing cold it was perfectly calm...thus the reason I could have candles out there. In mason jars by the way so I felt kinda Martha Stewartish...you know how I like that!

THANKS FOR SAVING THE DAY ON THAT SITUATION NATTERS!

Secondly, that same weekend Lauren had a friend and her {darling} 3 year old girl stay the night and Saturday a.m. Nat got up and made us all breakfast before Lauren and her friend went off to Paul Mitchell School. Nat came in my room and woke me up at 6:30 a.m. {on a SAT} and said she was making a big breakfast for us all. She said that's something her dad would do if he were home! Let me tell you...it did not disappoint! We had chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns! I'm not kidding...Nat did it all! I just set the table and turned the pancakes! That's all she needed me to do! Anyway, it was so fun and so extra special to have her do that. The 3 year old  REALLY liked the chocolate chip pancakes! {Me too}

I just LOVE that all this and so much more about Natalie! She's ALWAYS thinking and doing for others! There used to be show on the Disney Channel called "Kim Possible" and on it the mom used to say to Kim Possible...YOU ROCK MY WORLD KIMMY! I have said that now to my Natalie for years! She bought me a Kim Possible key chain 3 years ago and it sits in my kitchen windowsill...I love that reminder of our love and it's also my prayer reminder many times throughout my day as I stand at my kitchen sink!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE MY KIMMY! 

SHE DEFINITELY ROCKS MY WORLD!!!

Oh Shiny Brite...responsible for so much happiness both past and present

Shiny Brite Ornaments...just the name of them makes me happy! Makes me smile! The words SHINY and BRITE in the same sentence...how can one not smile??? I have lots of these festive ornaments...some are vintage and some are newer. Either way I LOVE SHINY BRITE!!! Just can't help myself!!! The colors are so vibrant and rich and as far as the vintage ones I just love to think about their past history and the many trees of yesteryear they may have hung on!!! Oh the stories they could tell if only my

SHINY BRITE ornaments could talk...

Oh Shiny Brite, you look so perfect in so many spots throughout my home...

In a vintage jar on my kitchen island...

In an enamelware pan sitting on my kitchen floor...

On the little silver tree in the living room...love this picture because Jim and Nat were down on the floor playing and having a good ol' time with Saylah and all of sudden she just stopped and stared at this tree and was quite mesmerized by the lights and of course shiny brites! The sheer magicalness of the season as far as I'm concerned...Christmas through the eyes of a sweet child!!!

They look so pretty hanging on the garland that adorns my big Santa shelf...

In a smaller enamelware pot...all crackled and aged...

The vintage boxes look wonderful throughout the displays in my home...I especially love if a box has the original price tag with store name on it! Those are the best!!! My friend Shara told me she found a box where she lives in Illinois that had the price tag with the store name Grandpa's on it! She asked the sales lady in the antique store about that store and she said indeed it used to be the local drugstore in that town that everyone loved. Used to be! That's the thing...I so miss the stores like that...Woolworths & JJ Newberry's being my top 2 favorites! Those stores in my mind were so incredible. Newberry's was a store my sister and I grew up back in Pennsylvania. There was one on the little city street in between Scranton National Bank {where our mom worked} and Bunnells Hardware {where our dad worked}. I remember occassionally going there after school while we waited for our parents to get off work. There were little grill/eating areas at those kind of stores...we thought we were pretty special if we got to eat there or sit up at the counter and have a coke! Makes me laugh now because I can't imagine eating now at a local drugstore!!!   This last week I was feeling especially nostalgic so I went to Cheney to Ben Franklin {yes we still have one!}...it's the closest thing still around to that ol' time feeling...however there is nothing quite like Woolworths or Newberrys!

The ones that have scenes and pretty things on them of that soft { I don't know what it is} flocking material are at the top of my favorite Shiny Brites list!!!

The colors are so beautiful...especially lime green...that my favorite color ya know!

They add just the right amount of cheer and color my display on my coffee table!

You just never know in my home at Christmas where you might spot a Shiny Brites however when you do I hope it brings a smile to your face & heart as it does mine!!!

SATURDAY SLEEPOVER with SAYLAH

This past weekend Saylah Grace came over and we all had so much fun with her. It's so neat to see a little one walking/running around. I was quite amazed at how well she did with all the Christmas decorations I have out...she would just look and stare but never touched anything! I thought I might have to barricade the trees and such...she had just turned 1 the end of November so she's at such a fun age. Saylah is our friend Samantha's little girl and we enjoy the time we are able to spend with her. {Thanks Sam for allowing us to be a part of little bits life...we just love her to pieces!}

Don't those big brown eyes just melt your heart???

So sweet...Saylah absolutely adores Nat!

It just made me smile to see such a little one walking around my house!

She went over to the slider and was banging on it to let me know Bailey wanted in! 

She kept firmly saying GOGGY and DOGE to get my attention!

She {and Bailey} were happy when we let him in!

Let me tell you...she LOVES her Papa! and he LOVES her!!!

Who knew she'd have so much fun with one of Nats hats!!!

She loves to play my piano...that of course makes me one proud Nana!!!

 Who's in the house? Saylah's in the house...

Who's in the house?  Papa's in the house...

They were raisin' the roof together!!!

such cuteness...Nat had made Saylah a noise maker out of clear plastic cups and cheerios! I thought that was clever! Well Saylah did NOT! She couldn't understand how come she could see the cheerios yet she couldn't get them out! Needless to say, Nat made her some more noise maker/shakers with red solo cups! {Makes ya think of the song Red Solo Cup by Toby Keith doesn't it?} She really had fun with those after she couldn't see the cheerios!

What is this girl to me???

She is my SUGAR PIE!!!

ya know the line of the song...sugar pie, honey pie ya know how I love ya???

I love to sing that to her!

I am teaching her when I say to her...

"What are you to me?"

She'll reply...

"I'm your SUGAR PIE!"

My mom did that with my sister and I and then with my kids and I just loved it! To my sister my mom would say..."What are you to me?" and Laura would reply..."I'm your hug bug, lovebug and sweetie pie"

To my son Tyler she would say..."What are you to me?"  and he would reply..."the love of your life..."

So much sweetness! That's what life is all about...don't you agree???

We all want to love and be loved!!!