DIY - Christmas Dollhouse

 

 

This house inspired me the minute it popped up in my Facebook news feed! My mom turned me onto Martha's Vintage Attic's Facebook page and I've been constantly sharing ideas! This tin dollhouse was simply the cutest thing I had ever seen and I knew I had to either find it or replicate it. Turns out, I replicated it!

My mom and I scoured the pages of eBay. I found several houses I liked, shared the links with her, and it turns out we both loved this darling colonial version. One that just happens to be the style of my dream home. I wanted to make it and have it ready for our holiday party, but according to the shipping directions, it might not even make it in time. I took my chances and it arrived with a week to spare! 

I was also inspired by a simple table top centerpiece from their site, so a trip to Michael's was in order. And, as luck would have it, everything I needed was 50% off! I stocked up on minuature wreaths, lights, and ornaments for the centerpiece. My mom went as well and found the sleigh that I had decided against but wished I had purchased once home. She also picked up the minature wrapped gifts and lights, as well as provided the batting and felt for the rest of the project. I was set!

Below are a series of photos and how the house took shape. I am so happy with the result. I didn't use hot glue as I didn't want to lose the integrity of the dollhouse. What if I had a different use for it down the road, and I don't mean with another child! Instead, I used good ol' Scotch tape and Zots.  

These are the things you'll need.

And the house, of course!

I decided to lay the felt on the roof first.

 

I placed Scotch tape across the peak only.

Then cut to look like snow.

What do you think so far?

To adhere the wreaths, I used Zots. (I find them on the floor from time to time.)

It's starting to take shape!

 

Next up, the lights. They work too!

I'm loving it!

This is the sleigh I passed up. So cute!

And this is the final version. Darling!

The Santa was a surprise. As you can see from the inspriration photo above, they had a Santa and his reindeer. We weren't sure where or when we would find something like that. I remembered the Santa at the last minute. When decorating a small tree for McKinley's play area, I discovered an antique Santa that belonged to my grandmother. What a perfect piece to finish off this antique Christmas house!

Crafting Alone at the Holidays

The holiday tradition creation continues at the Krasnow home. I really want to try and create memories that last a lifetime and traditions that we can continue year after year. Or as long as McKinley will participate. You know those pesky teenagers... 

My Christmas traditions consisted of going out on a tree hunt with my parents every year where we would hit every tree lot we could find. My dad and I would get out, scout the lot for the perfect tree while my mom stayed toasty warm in the car. When we thought we had found "the one", my mom would get out and give us her feedback. And, we generally ended up getting the very first tree we saw! My mom and I made cookies as most families do. My dad and I went Christmas shopping together every year for my mom. I'm not sure if it was actually on Christmas Eve, but it was as close to Christmas as we could get without it truly being last minute. We watched White Christmas every Christmas Eve night. And, we never opened our gifts on Christmas Eve. We were Christmas Day people. However, my mom allowed one gift on Christmas Eve and it was generally one of those books of Lifesavers.

Some of the Krasnow traditions I started last year are going to be pretty easy to continue. A couple of days prior to Christmas, my mom and I took McKinley to Crown Center for lunch at Fritz's, play time in Santa's Crayola Christmas Land, photos with Santa, and drinks for me and mom inside the Weston. I have it on the calendar for Friday the 20th and can't wait to do it all again. Last year was the first year I actually spent the night at my own home. I wanted McKinley to wake up on Christmas morning at his house, as I had done every Christmas for the past 38 years. My parents came over to help celebrate. I made a corn chowder for dinner, the Santa Sleigh Cocktail via Sandra Lee, tried to watch White Christmas, and went to bed so Santa could come. I plan to recreate this memory every year, or every year that my parents decide to spend the night and wake up with us on Christmas morning.

This year, I've wanted to add a few more things to the fold. McKinley and I have continued to bake, but I've added arts and crafts to the mix. We made classic construction paper garland a couple of weeks ago and it was a huge success! McKinley helped me thread the paper through each ring, alternating color, and he really paid attention to his work. It hangs in his bedroom and looks so cute! We made clothespin characters, which I thought were ornaments. I was wrong. They are simply characters and the tree also resides in his room along side a jingle bell tree on a little side table. (I have since purchased clothes pin ornaments that I hope to make next year.) Because things were going so well in the craft world, I decided it was time to experiment with a gingerbread house. This is an experiment that went so wrong so fast!

Upon opening the box I knew we were doomed. Both sides of the house were broken. And, since I had never built a gingerbread house before, I wasn't sure if it could be repaired. However, I kept hold of my positive holiday spirit and assured myself it could be salvaged. I got all of our house pieces, icing, and candies together. I had Joel at the ready with the camera. I needed him to capture this amazing new holiday tradition. We were ready!

As I started to assemble the house, I found pretty early on that the broken pieces were going to be harder to repair than I had hoped. It wasn't until I started to add the two triangle pieces to make the eave of the house, that the whole thing caved in. Oh, and I should say that while I was putting the sides of the house together, McKinley had completely lost interest. I mean, I had two sides of the house up and he was ready to play in the living room. What was happening to my new, cherished tradition? I was determined to not give up. So I added the front of the house, attached the roof, and started to attached the eaves when again, the whole thing started to collapse. It started with the broken pieces and then each piece started shifting, slowly into itself, and then fell into a heap. There I sat, all alone in the kitchen, devastated.

My devastation slowly turned to frustration which then turned to anger. Anger over the fact that my pieces were broken to begin with, anger over being left alone in the kitchen to finish the craft by myself, and anger that I am pretty sure this is how my life is going to be. Me, wanting so badly to create wonderful memories for my family, working hands on with my son in hopes that he will want to do these things year after year, and finding that I could just be that mom who does these things alone while the boys go off and do boys things. Because who wants to do girly things with their mom when you're a little boy who just wants to play cars, and trucks, and stuff. My hopes were dashed for the rest of the evening.

I always have these preconceived notions that life can should be like Hallmark commercials, ABC Family shows, and any Christmas movie every written. Everyone sitting around the table together, playing, eating, hanging out, simply enjoying each others company and completing any fun tasks at hand. However, life isn't really like that, especially mine, and I may just need to craft alone and show the boys what I've made in hopes of getting enthusiastic oohhs and aahhs! And about that gingerbread house, it wound up in the trash! Merry Christmas!

The "Elf on the Shelf"

So this mama has a question about the Elf on the Shelf. We don't have one, and probably won't get one, because if I'm being honest that thing creeps me out! (Look at his eyes. There's something there that isn't quite right.) According to their website, "The Elf on the Shelf® is a special scout elf sent from the North Pole to help Santa Claus manage his naughty and nice lists." When I was a child, I was simply told that if I were a good girl, I would be put on Santa's nice list. If I wasn't good, well I would be on the bad. It's like the carol says, "He knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake." It's plain and simple.

I wasn't a model child. I had temper tantrums just like everyone else. I was scolded, spanked (my parents were "old school"), and as a teenager, grounded. I'm not one to try and start controversy. I have, in the past, been slammed by others when expressing my opinion, and I will probably be slammed again. But, if we bring out this elf during the month of December, place him in different areas of the house at night (if one actually remembers), and ask that our children be good or the Elf will go tell Santa, what are we doing the remaining eleven months out of the year? Does your Elf sit out all year long? If so, that's a whole lot of remembering to move him. And, do we really need an Elf to discipline our children?

I will admit, McKinley is a pretty amazing kid most of the time. He's learning to say "please" and "thank you" unprompted. He's helping more and more when it comes to putting his toys away at night or when moving on to something else when playing. He's hanging up his jacket and placing his hats in their designated spot. And, above all, he's brushing his teeth twice a day with little or no fight. But, we also have our days. The long Thanksgiving weekend was very trying in our house. There were lots of "nos", thrown toys, battles over brushing his teeth, and a broken antique tree topper when he wasn't allowed to play with it. There was lots of rug time (he sits on the rug during "time out"), tears from both McKinley and myself, and lots of hugs to show that there were no hard feelings. 

We didn't threaten him with Santa's naughty or nice list. We didn't have "the elf" watching his every move. We simply disciplined him in the manner in which we always do. And, it worked. By the following week, things were back to normal somewhat normal. No's were replaced with his "okay" response. Please and thank you were back on the menu. Teeth were getting brushed before bed. (Granddaddy takes care of the teeth during the day.) And as for the tree topper, I finally had to break down and order a new one as I couldn't find time to head to my favorite antique store.

Again, I'm not looking for a fight. I'm not looking for comments telling me why I should buy the "Elf on the Shelf". This is a blog written by me and everything written is my opinion. I just don't understand why an elf replaced good ole fashion discipline.

The End

The Holidays - Creating New Traditions

The holidays are upon us and I for one am ready! I've actually been in the holiday spirit for weeks, but had to save my enthusiasm until after Thanksgiving. I am definitely one to NOT skip Thanksgiving. In my house, I refer to it as "The Forgotten Holiday". However, the Friday after Thanksgiving is a full on decorating day and I love how things are taking shape!

One thing I really want to focus on this year is creating new traditions and working more hands on with McKinley. He is getting to an age where we are baking together more so I really want to start exploring more arts and crafts projects. For Halloween, we made foam ornaments and decorated a little tree that sat by the front door. For Thanksgiving, we made lollipop stick puppets that didn't really go over all that well. For Christmas, I have lots in store. Baking cookies, crafting, and decorating. And last night was our first crafting session.

I wasn't going to put a tree in McKinley's rooms this year only because the living room tree has been such an ordeal. He is far more exploratory than he was last year and some of the ornaments are beginning to show some wear. His bedroom tree last year consisted of nothing but Santa ornaments, and since he has a tendency to wander upstairs and play in his room, I could just see these ornaments lying on the floor in pieces. Then, as I was searching for other decorations, I found a box of ornaments that I had forgotten about. Non-breakable ornaments that were on the main tree last year. Ornaments that were purchased only for him. Cars characters, Jake characters, and a few soft ones as well. McKinley can definitely have his own tree!

And because I'm going for non-breakable, I really wanted to make things with him that he can hang on the tree himself. So, last night we made the tradition construction paper garland! You know the ones I'm talking about, right? The ones all of us have made over the years and I'm pretty sure it started in Pre-School.

You take red and green construction paper, or any color you choose, and begin folding it back and forth like an accordion. I didn't take the time to measure a piece to create a template and then mark each one accordingly. I just folded the paper back and forth.

Once you've created all the folds you can, start cutting. And, if you have a toddler who has Play-Doo scissors, they can help "cut" as well. We have not entered the world of safety scissors....

Now, I'm not going to fool into thinking I'm a professional photographer, a professional blogger, or a professional crafter. In the real world, you snap pictures when you can, cut the strips of paper on your own while your husband gives your son a bath, and then pick up crafting where you left off. Everyone is in their pajamas because this is real life! And, you crop the photos so you readers don't see the clutter in every shot!

After the bath, McKinley continues to "cut" the strips for our garland.

Now the assembly can begin. I made the rings and McKinley helped me thread each color. And, he knew exactly the color pattern without me prompting him! He's a genius!

Helping mama fold the paper over to make the ring.

And here's the finished product. To McKinley, this is a roller coaster.  (And dreidel's are ice cream cones.) We will place this around McKinley's tree this weekend. I can't wait to show you the finished product. We have a few other crafts to make before we decorate the tree. I can't wait to get started on those!

What family traditions have you started with your children? What are some of your favorites? Can't wait to hear all about them!

40 Before 40 - What Didn't Make the Blog

There were some items that I worked on but didn't really blog about during my 40 Before 40 quest. It's not that I didn't find them important. They just seemed minimal to blog about individual. So I'm going to blog about them all here.

 

Take number nine for instance; learn how to crochet and actually make something. You know what I made, a chain. That's right, I made a single chain. I took it out, tried again. Took it out, tried again. I got so frustrated that I put it down and never picked it up again! I would say that number nine is complete in the fact that I will NEVER try it again!

 

Numbers 13 and 14 go hand in hand; get back in the gym and lose remaining baby weight. I never actually got back in the gym, but I did start working out again. It's not on a weekly basis, shoot, it's not even on a bi-weekly basis. However, I'm working out when I can by using my Zumba for Wii, taking walks around the neighborhood, and currently partaking in dance parties with McKinley. Those are the most fun! (Have you ever seen Shag: The Movie? DO!) And, I may not have lost all the remaining baby weight, but I am within five pounds of my goal weight. These may not be complete, but at least I've made something happen, right?

 

Number 23 has been hard, but I truly have been trying to refrain from using the F word so much! Especially now that McKinley has started to repeat things I say, like, oh my god! Actually, he used that once and I've tried to start using oh my gosh. Over the course of our trip to California, he found that when he used "oh my gosh" everyone would laugh, so he used it a lot. He hasn't used it since we've been home, which is a good thing! As for the F word, I still use it. It's one of my favorite words, just ask my friends, but I use it around adults or alone in the car while cursing bad drivers!

 

Number 28 is one that I definitely tried to take to heart; correspond more by written mail. I love to get something in the mail that's not a bill and I'm pretty sure others feel the same way. I've tried to send my grandmothers cards and little notes of love. I've sent holiday cards to friends which I haven't done in a couple of years because "I was too busy." When did I get so busy? I used to send them all the time. I just got lazy! I also sent cards of congratulations or for nothing at all. I really hope to keep that going in the years to come!

 

Same with number 39. Number 39 was to spend more time with girlfriends. This has been the toughest to do. I've tried. Honestly, I've tried. A small group of us went out to dinner before the holidays to celebrate in a smaller setting. I've had sushi and drinks with my friend Julie. I've had plans with some that have fallen through, but will get those rescheduled soon. I've said it before and I will continue to say it. I spend my "free" time with McKinley because I get such limited time with him. I'm not going to get into the debate of mothers who work inside or outside the home. The truth of the matter is I work. And, because I work, I get limited time with my son. I will alway put him first! And I hope my girlfriends can understand.

 

So, that's six that never really got a blog post, but are worth blogging about as a lump sum. A recap is coming soon, in case you haven't been following along.

 



40 Before 40 - Visit the San Diego Zoo

 

We are a family whole loves to go to the zoo. Even before we were married, we would visit the Kansas City Zoo often. It's just a peaceful place where you get fresh air, be one with nature and get a great walk with beautiful views! While in NY several years ago, we attended the Central Park Zoo and had a blast! It's a great zoo too. I truly recommend it. You don't feel like you're in the city. It's so quite, and again, a peaceful place to visit. We also attended the Lincoln Park Zoo while in Chicago last year. It's free, which is perfect while on a vacation, and fairly large. Again, we are zoo people! 

  

 So when I made my list of forty things to do before I turned 40, I indicated that I wanted to go to the San Diego Zoo. I honestly didn't think I would actually get to go. I hadn't planned a trip to Southern California in my head when I made the list. My main focus was Italy, so when that fell through, the next logical place was California, right? As soon as we booked the airline tickets, I knew that I would make number four a reality!

 

It's a long trip from LA to San Diego, about an hour and a half, but such a beautiful drive! You have mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. McKinley, who isn't up for long car rides, was at first enthralled by the views. That quickly turned sour so we read and watched You Tube videos to pass the time. (What did we do as kids on long car rides? On that's right, nothing! If you couldn't read, which at two I couldn't, you just sat in the back of the car and rode! These kids today have it so easy!)

 

 

We finally arrived in San Diego and made our way through Balboa Park to the zoo. I purchased our tickets online so no standing in line for us! We made our way through the gates and were right in the middle of the expansive view of the zoo entrance. It was amazing! We asked McKinley what he wanted to see first. His response, the double-decker bus that was headed our way. This happens to us at the KC zoo. Does he want to see animals? No! He wants to see the school bus, aka tram, and all the golf carts that make their way through the zoo. Maybe someday he will care about the animals. Maybe not. Joel and I decided that we would make our way to the Elephant Odyssey and what an odyssey it was! The elephant exhibit was huge! It's not that they had a large number of elephants, but their lay of the land was enormous! We even got to see one having their nails clipped in the elephant care center. Get your nails clipped by one person and be fed lunch by another. Where do I sign up?

 

 

 

We continued our journey through Africa where we found large lions, cheetahs, camels, llamas and zebras. Then came Northern Frontier, and as if on command, the temps turned cold! We started off with light layers, that were eventually removed, only to be added back within minutes! We covered McKinley with his blanket and he said "That's much better." Even he was cold! Their polar bears were snoozing, opening an eye every now and then, loving the chilly temps. We saw moose, which we don't have at our zoo, and they were so cool! Not in temperature, but as in so cool to see! They were enormous, by my standards anyway. And their antlers were impressive!

 

 

 

 

 

At this point in the zoo, we could go to Panda Canyon and the Asian Passage, but we decided to head to the Lost Forest. Inside the Lost Forest is a menagerie of animals, no pun intended. We saw amazingly huge hippos, a vast array of monkeys, turtles and alligators, and a swimming cat. That's what it was a called, a swimming cat. I've never heard of any cat loving water so this was huge news! Lastly, as we made our way to the beginning of the zoo, we found pink flamingos and McKinley found them to be hilarious! Since we never really get to see them at our zoo, it was fun to see him expression!

 

 

 

 

 

 

On our way out of the zoo, McKinley asked to ride the carousel, however this zoo didn't have one. I remembered seeing the one in Balboa Park, so we took a minor detour on the way to the car so he could take a spin. This was an old carousel that flew! I mean flew! It was roughly 15 miles an hour where newer carousels go around 10. Five miles an hour doesn't sound like much, but when you're spinning, it really does! He also wanted to ride the "small carousel", planes and butterflies that spun around on chains, and ride he did! There was a little train that ran around the park, but the entrance was back at the zoo, so we had to tell him no. It was getting late and we still had the hour and a half drive back to LA. He said, "Maybe next time, Mama." Next time indeed!!

 

 

 

There were several parts of the zoo we didn't see, and we really couldn't have in one day. If we do make it back to Southern California, the zoo is definitely on the list of things to see again. Or continue to explore.

 

 

But for now, I can say that number four is complete! For now....

 

40 Before 40 - Champagne and Caviar

Before the big 40th birthday celebration in LA, there was the early birthday celebration with family. And with that celebration came Dom Perignon and caviar! All of that took place right before a big birthday dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and cooked apples with a three layer homemade chocolate cake to follow. It was an amazing evening!!

 

Let's start with the champagne. My mom purchased the bottle earlier in the week and the story is crazy! As she browsed the selection of champagnes, looking specifically for Dom Perignon, one of the guys at the store asked if he could help. She stated which bottle she wanted and they said, "It's behind lock and key. We'll be right back." As they came back with the bottle, my mom was told that they would just carry it for her to the front. "We get it to the front. After you pay for it, it's up to you get it out of here in one piece." Can you imagine? Asking for assistance with a bottle of champagne, having it be in the back behind lock and key, and then to have it carried for you to the front of the store? This stuff better have been worth it, right? Well, it totally was!!

 

It was a smooth sip with very little bubbles. We normally drink Moet & Chandon or Perrier Jouet, which is just a lovely, but it does have a little more fizz. And I realize that number 37 was to drink a glass, but I think I had about three! Hey, it was my birthday celebration!!

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers to being 40....almost!

 

Then came number 35, the caviar. I was much more nervous about eating this than drinking! But, I was going to try something new. This is a new chapter in my life and I am going to try and do things differently. Conquer fears and try new things. This was definitely something new that I feared!

 

I just couldn't imagine eating fish eggs. That's when my dad said, "You eat the ones that come from a chicken." So true! But these were different. They were tiny, and black, and they just looked disgusting! But I was going to do this!

 

My mom purchased the caviar at Dean & Deluca and worked with George, their expert on caviar. My mom followed his instructions to the letter, and I would assume we did it correctly. You place shaved ice (we didn't have any so we used small cubed ice) in a small bowl and then place the caviar inside the ice. 

 

In another small bowl, add Creme Fraiche. Creme Fraiche is a very mild form of sour cream so it won't over power the taste of the caviar. 

 

George told mom to serve the caviar on little Blini's. So she did! They are basically little pancakes.

 

Now it was time! My dad took a Blini, added a thin layer of Creme Fraiche, a tiny spoonful of caviar and passed it over. (Note: do not use metal to serve caviar. All you will taste is the metal. The best way to serve is traditionally on a mother of pearl spoon, but George said a porcelain version was fine.)

 

Here we go!  Joel said I probably wasn't supposed to fold it like a taco, but I thought it was better to hide the evidence!

 

 

First bite....

 

I'm not sure what I thought it would taste like, but it didn't taste like what I thought it would taste like. I think I thought it would roll around on my tongue, since it's a small, round egg. But it didn't. My dad thought they tasted saltier than he expected. I just ate it!





I will tell you this. I wouldn't order it at a restaurant, but if someone served it a party, I wouldn't pass it up. Make sense? I would, however order the champagne again, but I'm not going to spend the kind of money! Can you imagine how they would present it in a restaurant though? Could be pretty impressive!

 

So, numbers 35 and 37 are now complete! I'm making headway, even if I had less than a week left! Still one more to blog about with a few little ones to talk about!