a few of my favorite things...

my grandpa gave me just about the best gift ever. a set of vintage stamps. they are over 100 years old. my great grandfather used to use them to make signs in his drug store. my gramps put them in an old cigar box and covered it with an old leather purse of my great grandmothers... when he was around 9 years old. awesome.

john. our elf on the shelf. the kids love it, but are also a little scared of him. they say he creeps them out. they freaked out a little when sarah picked him up. i just heard a lot of screaming and... no! no! he'll lose his magic!! you can't touch him!!
christmas manicures. especially when i have 2 home from school all week... rotovirus. poor kids. it's ok tho, they were better by saturday. then got strep throat on monday. good times people.
our first ornament.
paul's mom saved a bunch of his old ornaments. i love having these vintage (70's) ornaments on our tree.
my grandma gave me this set of angel ornaments on her last trip out to az before she died. she also gave the kids some bright yellow big bird sweatshirts. i am going to save them forever.
i bought these ornaments when big S was 4 months old. they were so cheap and we didn't have any money. i was so excited. i think they were 2 for $1.
love this pic of my girls. they were in ireland in fine irish linen gowns sitting at an amazingly beautiful church with a cemetery surrounding the entire grounds.
more vintage ornaments...
love this. i think my mom got it for me in santa fe. maybe.
i bought this on clearance from pottery barn when big S was a baby. again, just a fun memory. where does the time go?
i'm pretty sure my friend ann made this herself. she did stained glass artwork as a hobby. pretty sure i won this at an ornament gift exchange. you could steal for a shot. i'm not sure... it's a little fuzzy...
these little gems get me every year. the kids always put their hands on top and say "look mom! look how much my hand has grown! was it really that small?" it makes me cry just typing it.