A Little Nostalgia and a Peek into our Holidays

Take a look at this ornament! Anyone else remember making these? Oh, the elementary school memories... cut out some pictures from magazines, put a school photo over it, add a touch of mod podge, and BAM, you've got yourself a one-of-a-kind ornament to cherish for all time! ​

​This is a picture of Ben (the creator of Martha's Bath and Body) from elementary school. What I found so interesting was all of the "scrubbing bubbles" he put on it. When I asked him about it, he remembered being fascinated by those scrubbing bubbles and he loved them so much. Fast forward to today, when he started and runs a soap company! Foreshadowing, perhaps? If you look closely, you'll also see Popeye and some Thanksgiving turkey. And if you look REALLY closely, you'll see a picture of a box of butter, strategically edited by a 9 year old boy for maximum hilarity. And, yes, that 40-something year old today still thinks it's hilarious! 
Speaking of ornaments, here's a pic of how we store our ornaments. So many of these ornaments were handed down to us, and we really enjoy rediscovering them each time we decorate the tree. Using this system, we can store a ton of ornaments (many of them fragile) in one large tote. We've found this is much easier than the ornament boxes with all the separate compartments. We attached a piece of narrow satin ribbon to each ornament that needs it, so we never have to mess with ornament hooks! Ben's mom gave us that tip years ago, and it still works like a charm! 

Our lives are enriched because of the love and generosity family and friends. This is the perfect time of year to reflect and respond in kind.