New Blog Design!

December 29, 2008

If you've been following my blog for any amount of time, you've probably noticed, it has a new layout as of this morning!!! Michelle at Shabby Creations had a layout that was perfect for what I had been looking for. I get bored over time with old layouts, but I think this one is a keeper! It has that Victorian and Shabby Chic look that I'm really in love with right now.

I also made another addition. I want to post my decorations of my other seasons decorating, our travels, etc, but this blog is dedicated to my Christmas decorating. So, I now have a new blog! I'm sure I will be updating it more often than Slaton Christmas in the next few months, but have no fear, I will keep new ideas coming and keep searching out cool Christmas things, but in the mean time, I will also be keeping up with other holiday's and the life of Heather and Ryan at my new blog. Michelle did a great layout for it as well. To visit my new blog, Faith Amore, go to: http://faithamore.blogspot.com/

I always appreciate your comments, so please let me know what you think of the new layouts!

Shabby Creations

December 28, 2008

I was looking for a new template for my blog tonight, which I've been doing for a while, but haven't found one that just "hit" me yet. But, what I did find tonight was absolutely amazing! There's a lady named Michelle at a place called Shabby Creations (Click the image above or go to http://shabbycreations.blogspot.com/ to view her designs) who does amazing work! I knew instantly when I saw her designs that I was done looking for a template designer, I had found mine!

Check out her blog and see what she has to offer, there is some great stuff there! She is even giving away blog templates this month as well! Be sure and get over to her site before Jan 3rd!!

New Tree for Me!

December 28, 2008

We made it home from Shreveport earlier today, and when we got home we both took a long nap! lol It's been such a long few weeks with get-togethers and last minute preparations, etc. It was so fun decorating so much this year. With the TSO show being our last "Christmas Event" for this year, I was almost sad to see it go. I think I had been leaning heavily on my Christmas decorating and planning to keep my mind off not being able to get pregnant yet. We had such a good time at Christmas, and Ryan was such a wonderful husband helping me with everything. I enjoyed the nights with mom and Tiffani helping me with trees and dollhouses. We are going on a cruise in a couple of weeks, to Mexico. I think that will probably help a lot with the fertility frustrations...

Today when we were in Shreveport, we went to Target so I could pick up a Champagne colored tree I had found there last week and passed up- For my new teal and copper theme I want to do in Christmas 2009. While we were there I saw some really cute Valentines decorations. I've never decorated for Valentines Day but it was so cute. It made me go back to that episode of Jon and Kate Plus 8 that we saw where Jon and Kate had made heart shaped pancakes for their kids breakfast on Valentines Day etc... I just can't wait until we have our own children and celebrate holiday's with our kids. I know Ryan will make such a wonderful father, and I hope to be a good mother one day. My parents have been the best example that parents could be I think. Sometimes the chance to have children seems so far away for us. I just hope our kids understand one day how much we went thru to get them here, and how much we loved them, before they were ever brought into existence. It sounds crazy to some I'm sure- but I already love them with all of my heart and would do anything to protect them and keep them from harm's way.

Somehow when I sat down to write about my new tree it turned into a baby post... I would apologize about that, but, that's part of our lives right now, and I'm okay with that. Sometimes it just feels good to write what your feeling. We talk about it at home all the time, but writing the frustrations does something different. Not sure what. Maybe its a mental cop-out.. dunno. But hey, it works. :)

More to come...

*Heth*

Back from TSO!

December 28, 2008

We got to go to our first Trans-Siberian Orchestra show last night in Bossier City, LA. Wow, it was amazing! If you ever get the chance to go to one of their shows, RUN!!! lol We had bought tickets a few months ago, thinking we would be sitting on the floor, but close to the back of the arena. When our tickets came we saw they were in section 2. We ended up being 12th row! It was great. They put on such a good show. We had been there a little over an hour, and they did what seemed like a finale. But, they were just getting warmed up. We ended up being in there another hour and a half, and that part of the show was even more outstanding than the first show. I would definitely love to go each year to see them.

I wasn't able to take any pictures. :( They weren't allowing cameras in. Tiffani managed to take her small camera in, but I don't know yet what kind of pictures she got. I will post any as soon as I get them though.

We went shopping on the Boardwalk last night afterwards and that was fun. I got some good stuff at the Farmer's Almanac store there, lots of after-Christmas finds. Ryan also got me the two coordinating train pieces to my Jim Shore train engine he got me for Christmas. they are sooo cute! I can't wait to use them for a centerpiece next year! Their so cute I hate to put them away for the rest of the year. Maybe I'll find somewhere to display it and not put it away. lol We've been looking at getting a curio cabinet. Maybe I can manage a couple of year-round Christmas shelves in it.

I guess I better stop rambling for now-- Breakfast should be here any minute at the hotel, so I need to put the computer away!

Keeping the Christmas Spirit Alive,

Heth

Day-After Christmas Shopping!

December 26, 2008

Well..... Needless to say I do NOT need anymore Christmas decorations. Actually, truth be told, BEFORE today, I did not need more decorations. But, that didn't stop me! lol I got up about 6:00am this morning and headed to Wal-Mart for the first of many stores Day-After Christmas sales. I got quite a few things there, including several new trees. All pre-lit, woohoo! No more stringing lights for me! I got a 5 ft black tree that we're going to do a black and gold theme with, a 4 ft. blue tree that is going to be used for a Winter silver and blue theme, a 6.5 ft. white tree that I am going to do a Beach theme tree with similar to Tiffani's, and a 6.5 ft. green tree just-because... And who could forget, a 4 ft. purple tree. :) Not to mention several smaller trees, for above the cabinets, etc. this coming year.

We found some cute Annalee's at Dillards, and went to Target, Kohls, Michaels and Marshalls. Marshalls had the best deals of all in my opinion! They're Christmas decor was marked at least 50% off, then, they took an additional 50% off the clearance price! It made everything so cheap.

The Tahoe was loaded so full you could not fit one more thing behind my seat or Ryan's, all the way to the back! lol So, we got home and unloaded it all so I could start sorting it. Ryan was so helpful to me today. He is such a wonderful husband and so supportive of my Christmas addiction. :) I've attached some pictures below so you can get an idea of what all we fit into the Tahoe! Crazy huh? lol The sacks are ornaments we've yet to sort. We go see the TSO tomorrow in Louisiana, so i probably won't finish sorting it all until at least Sunday afternoon when we get back.

*Hugs*

Heth

Christmas at Mom and Dad's

December 26, 2008

We spent Christmas Eve with my parents and Tiffani. We had a great time. I got in the kitchen and helped mom and Tiffani cook, and then we watched a couple of movies, one being Christmas Cottage, the story of Thomas Kinkade. It was wonderful! I suggest it to anyone who likes Thomas's work, Christmas Movies, or just a good all-around family movie with a Christmas air to it.

I love Christmas and as you can tell by my posts here, I spend much of the year preparing for it, because it has always been such a special time to me. We had really wanted to have our first child by this Christmas, or at least be pregnant by Christmas. We've been trying for about 16 months now, and after a corrective surgery and many months of doctors and treatments are seeing a new specialist next week. We had prayed that we would be pregnant by now, but we are still waiting on our miracle. Also, I have received several comments and emails from many friends and readers over the last few months and I want to thank you for all of your compliments and prayers for us.

So, in saying that, I had in the last couple of weeks dreaded Christmas a little... My brother and his wife are expecting, and it seems like everyone we know is expecting or just had a child. But, our family really helped make it a wonderful Christmas and helped me get my mind off of the fact that we weren't pregnant.I felt just like a kid again. One of the first packages I opened was a 25th Anniversary Cabbage Patch. She is so adorable. Cabbage Patches were my favorite toys when I was a girl. I always had one toting it around. I also got a Molly American Girl doll, another character that I loved when I was a girl.

Talk to you all soon!

*Heth*

Me with my Cabbage Patch Kid

Ryan opening his new Tackle Box

Tiffani with her two new American Girl Dolls

Ryan and Tiffani at Mom and dad's earlier in the week when our brother's were over

Mom opening a gift, a beautiful ring from Dad!

Dad with his gifts and handing out gifts from under the tree.

Christmas At Home

Our cat peaches, hopping in one of Ryan's open boxes.

December 26, 2008

Christmas Eve night when we got home from mom and dad's house Ryan and I opened our gifts to each other. I am so blessed to have the wonderful husband that I do. I cried with everything I opened, in a good way!

I got a gorgeous stained glass, and two Jim Shore figures, my favorite of the two is the one called "The Real Meaning Of Christmas" with Santa praying at the manger. He also got me a really special surprise- Custom made earrings. When we got married, he had 3 gem stones from when he was a boy. He had gotten them from a jewelry store "Christmas Tree" while he was there with his dad, and he said he knew he would always use the stones for a wedding ring for his wife. Well, when we got engaged, he had taken the largest stone, a diamond, and had it put into the center stone section of my wedding band. This year, our second Christmas married, he had the other two stones made into stud earrings for me. It was so special. I bawled like a baby! lol

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is blessed in the coming new year!

*Hugs*

Heth

Ryan with a gift

Me with my "Real Meaning Of Christmas" Figure

Christmas at Grandma's

December 26, 2008

We spent Christmas lunch and afternoon at Ryan's Grandma's and with his family. We had a good time seeing everyone. As usual, the deocrations were beautiful. The candleholder (above) is one that Ryan's uncle did.

I got some great Lemax villages and village pieces from Ryan's parents for Christmas, yay!! More to add to my village collection. I also got the most adorable gingerbread lady pot holder and cup towel set, along with a beautiful Painted Pony Carosel horse. :)

Below are a couple of pictures from our Christmas lunch!

*Hugs*

Heth

Ryan opening gifts from his parents

Ryan's parents opening their gifts.

Christmas Trees @ Gaylord

December 26, 2008

We made an evening trip to the Gaylord Texan to see the lights, ice show and trees there. It was so pretty! I think I liked the Gaylord Opryland better, but everything was still amazing! I've attached several pictures below. Enjoy!!

Christmas at Ry and Heth's

December 19, 2008

Tonight we had our Christmas with my brothers and their families, Tiffani, and my parents. We had a good time. We ate Mexican food, then played some Christmas games with the kids, and they had such a good time. After we played games, the kids opened presents, and finally, we decorated cookies!!

After our date night this week, I told Ryan I bet the kids would really enjoy getting to decorate cookies. So, I worked last night and this morning making several dozen cookies and getting sprinkles, food coloring, and icing to decorate them tonight. The kids did so good! We also picked them up all aprons tonight, which is what they're wearing in the photo above. They had such a good time and we enjoyed doing it with them. I've got a ton of pictures from tonight, but I only posted a few. By the time everyone left it was so late, I didn't feel like editing all of them. I'll post the decorated cookies later this week, they were all very creative!

Keeping Christmas In My Heart,

Heth

My sweet Ryan in his "crown" he got out of a Christmas Cracker

L-R Bryson, Haley, and Conner

Danielle and Tiffani

James Michael

Conner

Braxton

Abby

Cookie Making Date Night

December 17, 2008

Sometime about 3-4 weeks ago, we were laying in bed about to go to sleep and Ryan suggested we go on a date one night. This isn't odd for us... We're newlyweds, and go out to eat or to the movies, and do things that you could call a date all the time... But, the date night he wanted was what was so special and sweet to me.

He asked me if we could make sugar cookies from scratch one night and decorate them and the whole nine yards. Of course I loved the idea and said absolutely! :) So tonight, we got in the kitchen and made some yummy sugar cookies and decorated them with icing and sprinkles. We didn't make our own icing, but we did color it ourselves. I made green and Ryan made red. He was kind of upset at first because he mixed some blue with it and it made more of a burgundy than a bright red icing, but I told him it looked great. :)

We had such a fun time making them, and no, I don't think we're ready to open a cookie store yet, but we had a great time and it was so much fun to get in the kitchen and make homemade cookies with my husband. I did manage to snap a picture of him working the mixer. It is so cute. I was going to take it candid style but he turned and smiled right about the time I took it. lol Isn't he just dreamy? ;)

I think we're going to make another big batch tomorrow night, and use cookie cutters on some of them, and leave them undecorated and Friday night when my brother's and their kids are here, let the kids decorate some cookies. I think they would have a blast doing it.

*Hugs*

Heth

Christmas Villages, DONE!

December 16, 2008

So we FINALLY finished all of the villages on Sunday! Tiffani came and helped me and was a lifesaver. We ended up with a total number of 117 villages. I was shocked it turned out to be that many. I am so happy with how they turned out!!! Below are pictures of the villages from each side, and I've put the ones we put up a few weeks ago on this post to too so everyone can see the entire display all in one post.

*Hugs*

Heth