Better Late Than Never!

So I'm a little late with the Christmas recap.  The whole emergency-room-overnight-stay-till-Christmas-Eve-craziness kind of put me behind, but getting snowed in makes for time to write.  Better late than never!

We had a little Christmas Party at our house, so of course I channeled Mom to cover the place in Christmas.  I'm pretty sure a Hallmark store exploded onto our tree.  Jayne would be so proud.

And if you're channeling the legen- { wait for it } -dary Philly G then there has to be a flower arrangement.  I think she was proud of me on this one.  Except that my container leaked.  Hence the dish towel.  Oh well.  Next time I'll line it with foil.

And if you're going to channel the women in our family, then the infamous Maude is next on the list.  Which means Christmas cupcakes are not far behind.  A little piped white chocolate { okay clearly it's green }, a few Red Hots and... BING!  Instant holly berries.

Just prior to what shall now be referred to as the Emory Adventist Adventure, we had the in-laws over for dinner.  Well, I guess they're really only my in-laws.  They're Spencer's parents, sister and such. : ) However you slice it,  I got to break out the china, silver and crystal and I was PUMPED. { Oh my word I am my mother.  At least I'm aware of it. }

And then we finally made it to Macon to wake up there on Christmas morning, post-Emory Adventist Adventure.  I've never not woken up with my parents on a birthday, and I'm so thankful to have been able to have done it for the 27th time.

No Gamble family Christmas is complete without some sort of redneck gift { or gifts, as the case may be }.  While I'm embarrassed to admit that we actually like our comfy $5-clearance-bin-at-the-tractor-store-camouflage-deer-patterned-flannel pajama bottoms, Spencer's hat stole the show.  Picture a camouflage hat with animated, light-up deer antlers that sings "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer".  Oh yes, and it came with a turkey call.  Thanks, Jimmy Boy.  If there are turkey in the suburbs of Atlanta, we'll find 'em.

How on earth do you top that?  Well, to be honest you don't.  But we tried.  With "It's A Major Award!" pajamas for Dad.  { I need suggestions for next year, people.  Help a girl out. }

So... while this Christmas didn't exactly go as we'd planned, it was Christmas all the same.  Here's to 2011!

It's A Wrap!

I loved working at Hallmark in high school.  So much so, that today when I go to the grocery store and pass through the section of greeting cards { Hallmark Expressions at Kroger is not quite the same thing as the real Hallmark, for the record }, I have a tendency to stop and straighten the cards.  I just can't help it.

{ And then there was that time a ten point buck jumped through our front window and chased sweet Ms. Virginia into the stockroom.  Jayne's Hallmark was always an adventure. }

But by far, the favorite remnant of my high school career is a love for gift wrap. { Plus, it's a lot less inconvenient than a subconscious need to straighten cards }.  I get such satisfaction out of a beautifully wrapped gift, and I honestly think that even the smallest gifts are made more valuable in the presentation.  If someone's first impression of the gift is that you took the care and time to present it well... first impressions are lasting!

Last Christmas, my team at the office asked for Gift Wrap 101.  They asked me for a few of the links again this year, so I thought I'd share them with y'all as well.  Here's to beautiful presents!

Gift Wrap 101

• Buy good paper.  Cheap wrapping paper will tear and make for more work and more waste than if you'd bought the better stuff to begin with.  A sure sign of good paper?  Look for grid lines on the back.  It'll help you cut straight, which also cuts down on waste.  And it doesn't have to be expensive.  Check the square footage of rolls when comparing prices.  A roll may be less expensive on its own, but a slightly more expensive one might wrap twice as much.
• I buy almost all of my wrapping paper at Hobby Lobby. { And earlier this month, Hallmark did a promotion where if you bought one roll, the second was $0.99.  Score! }

• Be gentle with the curling ribbon.  There's nothing worse than uneven ringlets or a store-bought curlicue that's lost its sticky.  The less pressure you put on the scissors when curling, the looser the curls will be.
• Overdo it?  No problem.  Just turn the ribbon over and gently run the scissors over the reverse and it should loosen the curls.  { Be careful not to bear down too hard, though, or you'll wear the ridges completely off and it will be stuck straight. }

• Tulle is for more than weddings and tutus.  I make tulle bows for everything!  Just trying a it like you tie your shoes makes for a fluffy bow that will even survive shipping across the country.  Want more loops?  Just have extra long ends and keep tying like you tie your shoes over and over until you run out of length.  Tulle bows work well with large or small presents, they stay up without having a wired edge, and they definitely don't break the bank!
• Michael's and Hobby Lobby carry spools of tulle in the wedding section, but their color selection isn't the greatest.  I order mine online from http://www.tullesource.com/.  I love the 6" width, and you get 25 yards for $1.99!  Order yourself a good assortment and you'll be set for months.
• This was the biggest part of the little Lunch & Learn we had at work.  I'll do a follow-up post with more specific step-by-step instructions and pictures if anyone is interested.  Just comment.

{ Just one little corner of our happy little tree. }

• Who needs gift tags!  Have multiple gifts for one person?  Tired of spending money on gift tags?  Or, as Spencer and I are facing this year, having trouble differentiating which gift is for whose Mom or whose Dad?  Here's a solution: just select a particular pattern of paper or a certain color ribbon to identify what goes with whom.  That way, when you leave for the in-laws, you can just grab all of the green ones and go!

• Select a signature paper for birthdays and other occasions.  I got tired of having half a roll of fourteen patterns of wrapping paper on hand and never actually having enough to wrap the one gift I needed to.  So, I bought a ton of black and white damask paper { at Hobby Lobby, of course } and now I use it for everything.  Hot pink and lime green tulle bows for birthdays, light blue for wedding gifts... even red and green for Christmas.  Buying in bulk also saves you from the last minute panic of an empty roll.  Whatever you choose, just look for something simple and versatile.

Now, if I can just convince my husband that I need one of these... happy wrapping!

{ Wrapping Cart by Ballard Designs }

Christmas is coming!

In my world, Christmas starts with the day after Thanksgiving.  Being a Christmas baby makes you a bit of a purist.  It's not special if it's here all the time!

So, since today is the first day I'll allow myself to start Christmas-ing { even if we're in Ft. Myers and it's 85* outside }, I thought I'd share a little something to get you in the Christmas spirit.  Elf Yourself is back!

It was a tough call, but of course we went for the hip hop one.  That's how we roll.  Besides, Spencer does the coffee grinder AND the worm!

Let the Christmas-ing begin...

If Handel had a Flash Mob...

If Handel had a Flash Mob { wait, should that be capitalized or not? }, this would be it. And concidentally, if this happens to me while I'm out Christmas shopping it will seriously make my day.  I would most definitely join in singing.  Guess if I want to be part of spontaneous Christmas-caroling I should shop somewhere other than Costco and TJ Maxx...

Enjoy!