DIY ornament wreath

I've seen several ornament wreaths on Pinterest lately and I really wanted to make my own. So I finally made one this year!



I ended up finding some neat ornaments in Target's dollar spot.
I grabbed a cheap wire hanger we had in the house.
And I used some silver ribbon that I had leftover in my Christmas decor.

It's pretty simple. Just unwind the wire hanger, string the ornaments onto the wire until you get it to the size you want, twist the wire around itself to close off the loop, then cut off the excess wire. I had seen tutorials suggesting that you glue the ball on the ornament to the little loop at the top (so all of the balls don't come popping off). I decided not to do this. I actually had a few balls come off when I bumped the wreath, so I was regretting that for a moment. I got my glue gun out and heated up but then realized that the balls would pop right back into the hanger on the ornament. I think I got lucky with how the ornaments were made :) Just another reason I love Target!

I just used some sticky tack to secure the ribbon to the back of the door.


You should try this out if you haven't already. It's pretty simple and doesn't cost too much. (I think I spent a total of $7 on the ornaments.)

I hope everyone is looking forward to Christmas. I know I am and I'm looking forward to seeing family and a few friends too! We have so many blessings in our life and the most important is that God sent His Son to be born into this world. Merry Christmas!

India - Day 4 and 5

After arriving back to the hotel late from the Taj Mahal, we turned right around the next morning and left the hotel about 7:00am again to catch our flight to the city of Nagpur. So the driver hurried us off to the Delhi airport and we were in Nagpur in no time.

Once again, we had an adventure once we all piled into the car. The car was a similar size to the one that picked us up at the Delhi airport, but instead of a back bench it had two seats facing each other. This ended up working out just fine. Chris, Kaitlyn, and I made our way into the back with almost all of the backpacks, stretched out our legs onto each other, and started our 2-hour car ride to Pench Camp.

It was an interesting way to ride...we got some looks from the many motorcycle riders that saw us. Kaitlyn and I even got an "OK sign" from a guy! We were having fun with it even though it was a little tight. We had fun having a different view from inside the car too. On the car ride, one of the things we saw was road construction - we were counting the number of Caterpillar machines, which there ended up being quite a few (which made Chris happy)!

Before we knew it, we were at Pench Camp for a few days of relaxation and going on safaris to see wildlife inside Pench National Park and hoping to catch a glimpse (and a picture) of a tiger - there is a tiger reserve inside this park.

We checked out our tents after we checked into the camp and were pleasantly surprised with what we found. These were tents, but definitely the nicest tents I've ever seen! They had several single beds, coat racks, chairs, coffee table, and also an attached bathroom with toilet, 2 sinks, and a shower. It was very nice! (Much nicer and more accomodating than I thought this "tent" would be.)

All 7 of us went on a safari pretty much right after checking into the camp. And I know all of us had a great time. That night we enjoyed some tea by a bonfire when we got back to camp (which I found out I really like Masala tea), enjoyed an Indian dinner later on, and then watched a little tribal dancing they had around the bonfire. It was already proving to be relaxing and a great time!

The next day we chose to wake up at 5:30 am so we could go on the morning safari! We weren't crazy about the time, but we were on the hunt to find a tiger so it didn't matter too much :) Rachelle was sick that morning so Grandpa stayed behind with her while the rest of us froze on the safari ride. (Yes, it does get cold in India. It is winter here right now. In this area of India, it got in the 40's at night which makes it very cold to ride in an open-air vehicle before the sun comes up to warm up the temperature.) But we had blankets so we did pretty well and didn't get too cold. We were thankful when the sun started to warm things up around 9 to 10am. We had fun and enjoyed the peacefulness of being in the jungle, but still no tiger or leopard spottings!

After lunch, the 5 of us headed back out to the park. Even though there were only 5 of us going, we still had to stay in our original vehicles. So Chris, Kaitlyn, and I were in one vehicle and Craig and Beth were in another. I think it was that safari that took us forever to get into the park. Each time we went on a safari, the government officials at the entrance to the park had to assign us a park guide and check our paperwork and passports. This proved to usually be at least a 30 minute process (especially since the park is so busy this time of the year). That afternoon we finally got into the park after about 45 minutes. Craig and Beth ended up having to waiting about another half hour because most of the tour guides went on strike. The head officials finally gave in to the issue the guides were mad about (hence the strike) and the rest of the vehicles were on their way :)

We were having fun that afternoon but still no tigers and we only had about an hour left that afternoon. Then we came upon a group of vehicles that said they heard an alarm call from a sambar deer about 10 minutes before we got there. We stopped for a few minutes and then decided to head on. Then we were passing another vehicle (it's common for the vehicles to stop while passing to see if either had seen any tigers) and they said they saw a tiger where they had just come from!

And we were off - racing down the road in the forest in hopes that we could see this tiger!!!

Kaitlyn and I were laughing and having fun because we were going so fast and bouncing around! The driver stopped the car to make sure we were ok with him driving fast. And we said "YES, YES, FAST!!!"

And off we went again racing through the forest! We felt like we were absolutely flying!

All of a sudden we started to go up a small hill and the park guide said "tigre!!!" and pointing ahead to a spot in the road at the crest of the hill! There it was!!! Oh my goodness!!! There's a tiger!!!

We slowed way down (to a crawl) as we finished going over the hill. The tiger was just as calm as could be. It walked along the road for a bit, went to the grass on the left, crossed back over the road to the right, walked down the road a little further, and then walked off to the left again and before we knew it the tiger disappeared back into the thick forest. It was absolutely amazing. I think we got to watch the tiger for about a minute. (It's hard to remember how long it really was but I took about 6 or 7 pictures and my camera is very slow when trying to take multiple pictures right in a row.) It was so great to see such a powerful animal and one that we don't see everyday (especially in the wild)! And the markings on a tiger are just beautiful!

We were so excited with what had just happened. Seeing that tiger definitely made all of the safaris and our trip out to Pench Camp worth it. After that tiger spotting, we actually turned around with the vehicle that had been behind us and drove for a little while. Then we decided to ditch that vehicle and we turned around to see if the tiger had come back out onto the road since we had left the area. No such luck.

But soon after that, we raced off again because we heard there may be another one in the area. We didn't end up seeing any other rare animals. For a while we felt like we were absolutely in the middle of nowhere and that we were way out in the park. We thought it was going to take forever to get back to the entrance since we had raced off so fast (and had traveled so far) when we raced to the tiger! But before we knew it, we popped back out onto the main road in the park and were back to the entrance :)

Craig and Beth told us that when they got back to the camp they had heard a rumor that we had seen a tiger! We thought that was kind of funny because the guides at the park entrance were talking about the "young Americans" who had seen the tiger :)

I think the 3 of us felt on top of the world for a while! We enjoyed another relaxing evening with tea by the bonfire and dinner before heading to bed for what would be another early morning safari.

India - Day 3

Today was our trek from Delhi to Agra and back in one day so we could visit the infamous Taj Mahal. The vehicle we had that day was more roomy – it was called a Force, which is similar to a small shuttle bus with 10 seats in the states.


We had a quick cold breakfast at the hotel and left around 7am to head to Agra. We wanted to try and get out early to avoid some of the crowds that would be at the Taj. It was foggy that morning (like it usually is in Delhi during the winter) so that made driving more difficult for the driver.

We experienced a few interesting things on the way there. We witnessed our first accident in India and it happened right in front of us! The car in front of us rear-ended the car in front of them. And they just kind of went on their way without it being a big deal. We also had to stop at the state line so the driver could talk with the authorities. While we were waiting, there were some people trying to sell items and there were also monkeys that were dressed up and on leashes. One of them decided to hop up on the teeny tiny window ledge (on the outside) right behind Rachelle, which of course startled her – we called that monkey “Jumper Monkey” :)

After making one stop at the “tourist stop” (which has ‘normal’ bathrooms) along the way, we finally met up with our tour guide for the Taj about 5 hours later! It was a long ride with us running into traffic and also passing through a bunch of smaller villages, which was cool to see. We were so glad to be at the Taj Mahal!

After getting inside, it was absolutely amazing! The Taj and the grounds around it are so beautiful and the crowds that day were also crazy. We eventually made our way from the gate up to the Taj, which is where we joined the end of the line. There was a huge line to go up the stairs to the elevated part and then there was also a line to walk through it. We had to wait a little while but it was well worth - we said it would have been silly to travel all that way and then say that we didn't feel like standing in line! So we got to walk around the Taj and also go inside to look at the beautiful marble and stone work inside. Some interesting facts about the Taj that we found out:
- there are 22 domes on top of the entrance gate - one for each year that it took to build the Taj!
- each of the 4 towers next to the Taj are pitched 2.5 degrees to the outside - 1 to each side and 2 to the back
- construction started in 1631 and was finished in 1653 (if I remember right) making the building about 360 years old!
- architectural design comes from Muslim and Hindu influences
- fountains are fed from the river behind the Taj
- on a night with a full moon, the Taj glows like a diamond
- the white marble is non-porous

After leaving the Taj Mahal, we noticed that the line to get through the gate was so long...much longer than when we entered. There were just tons of people everywhere! We finally caught back up with our driver and stopped at a place to do some shopping. This shop specialized in making pieces of the same marble used on the Taj Mahal. We even had the chance to see how they make the pieces, which was really neat. So everyone found something they wanted and Chris and I also went upstairs to look at their shawls/scarves, which were really pretty. We were eventually on our way (those Indian salesman are ruthless, trying to sell you everything in the store), which was good because we probably had another 5 hours ahead of us and it was already after 5pm.

It was a fairly quiet ride home because everyone's heads were bobbing (everyone was sleeping). We stopped at the tourist stop again. We got some drinks and a snack - a bunch of us got 'hot milk chocolate' which we were a little suspicious about (but thankfully ended up not making us sick). There was still a lot of traffic and it didn't help that the driver got us lost when we got back to Delhi. We were probably driving around for an extra hour! So we arrived back to the hotel after midnight. It made for an extremely long day, but it was well worth it. We got to see the Taj Mahal, which is one of the seven wonders of the world!

India - Day 2

(Sorry for the delay in the blogging from India...the last 2 days have been jam-packed of activities! We made it to the safari part of our trip today - so awesome - and we're just waiting to have dinner in a little whlie. So I'm typing from literally the middle of no-where in India!)

On Christmas morning, we left Mumbai and took a flight to Delhi - this was the next stop on our journey. The flight went well but when we got out of the airport in Delhi, we couldn't find our driver at first. Then a guy walked up to us with a sign saying "Craig Barnes". So we went with him (although he looked like he had just rolled out of bed!). When we got to the vehicle he was driving, we were a little concerned...this was a vehicle about the size of an Escape, but with a bench seat in the back instead of luggage space, and it wasn't in the best of condition. So the driver loaded the luggage on top to tie it down with Chris and Craig on-looking to make sure his methods would in-fact hold the luggage on the car :)

So we all squeezed in the car with our backpacks on our laps. Off we went for the ride to our hotel, with some of our seats shifting and all! This was definitely an "experience" for us, but was frustrating because a larger vehicle had already been paid for.

We were happy to reach the hotel and had fun seeing the Christmas brunch that was happening there. And it was especially funny because there were 2 Santas and they both had masks to make their faces look white...which looked so cheesy! But it was still fun to see all of the festivities they were having and the Christmas music they were playing. (We were surprised to hear them singing Christian Christmas songs!)

After we got different cars for the afternoon, we were on our way to tour Delhi in two cars and a tour guide.  We made a few stops:
- Humayan's tomb
- Quitab Minar
- President's residence and Parliament buildings
- India Gate

These were all fun to see and gave us a taste of what we would see the next day (the Taj Mahal) because some of the architecture is similar. The last 2 places we just drove by. Chris, grandpa, and myself were with the tour guide, so it was interesting to hear different things about Delhi from him and the fact that it has about 16 million people!

After getting back to the hotel, we had our Christmas dinner at the chinese restaurant in the hotel, called Jade. And the food was delicious! I think I ate the best spring roll ever...the roll was very light (the way it should be) and not heavy like they typically are in the US. We enjoyed dinner together and also got the chance to call all of our family, which was wonderful. At the time, it was Christmas morning in the states. It was so nice to talk to everyone and wish them a Merry Christmas!

It was a unique way to spend our Christmas this year. (It was nice to at least see some Christmas decorations and a tree in the hotel we stayed at in Delhi.) This trip has been such a great opportunity and time for all of us. But we can still remember why we celebrate this holiday even though we are halfway around the world and that everyone over here celebrates the giving of gifts for Christmas (instead of also Christ's birth). We remember the eternal gifts that we have through Jesus.

Also...pictures will be coming later after everyone compiles all of the pictures we've been taking! Oh, and it would take me forever to upload to this 4G internet connection I have in the middle of the jungle :)

*december 25th*

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas!

We hope that you slow down from the busyness and commercialism to remember that God sent his only Son to earth only to become a sacrifice for our sins. Today let's rejoice in the fact that God loves us that much!

*december 20th*

Well, today was my last day of work for this year - yay!!! I'm so excited to be done. That only means one thing...we're leaving for India soon. I'm excited for the amazing experiences, time with family, and warmer temperatures!

I've been packing since yesterday and I feel like I've packed multiple times (because I was switching around suitcases). I think we have it figured out now and have some room to bring back things we buy over there :)

There was one last Christmas item I had to finish up and Chris delivered it for me today. I decided to make a jar of cookie mix to give to our realtor that we liked so much. (I actually made one of these to put in the white elephant gift exchange too.) You can go here for the recipe. It's really simple and I think it turned out very well...my first try at one of these. I used Christmas M&M's instead of the pink ones.

I bought my jars at Hobby Lobby - they have jars with either the "Ball" logo on or just plain...they didn't have enough in the plain the day I went. And you may also notice that my jar is topped with sugar instead of pecans. That's because I ran out of room for the pecans! I'm not quite sure how the lady on the website was able to fit it all in!

You should give this a try. I have a feeling I'll be making more of the cookie mix in a jar in the future.

Enjoy the anticipation of Christmas getting so close!

*december 14th*

Tonight I made some cookies for my work's Christmas lunch tomorrow.  There's a Pioneer Woman recipe I had found that I really wanted to try so this was a good opportunity.

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies...doesn't that just sound delicious?  A link to the recipe is below if you'd like to try them yourself.

what my cookie dough looked like (I was worried that it came out too stiff, but it seemed to work out ok in the end)

the finished product...you can really see the sugar sparkling on the outside :)

Find the recipe here.  Enjoy!

*Update* These ended up turning out really well! They were pretty yummy - something different with the gingerbread/chocolate combination. I consider them a success since a co-worker liked them so much that she asked for the recipe :)

I do think that I cooked them a little too long and I probably didn't need the full-flavor molasses. (I could've used the lightly-flavored molasses.)

*december 13th*

After looking at some blogs a couple weeks ago, I decided I wanted to make a Christmas calendar. I got my inspiration from some advent calendars that I recently found.

Somewhere I had found a project using a clipboard to countdown the days in December (I can't find it now). So I blended that project with these free downloads I found here:

http://thecraftingchicks.com/2010/11/christmas-handmade-ornaments.html

So this is what I decided to make. I think it's kind of fun to count down the days in December to Christmas.

Nothing fancy. Maybe I'll add some more embellishments to it next year :)

*december 12th*

Here are a few new ornaments that we've added to our tree this year...

Chris found some really pretty angel ornaments when he was in Germany and Prague (which is in Czech Republic next to Germany). This is the one angel that survived the flight back home.

While Chris was in Germany, I decided to stop by this local store that I heard good things about. They ended up having the most ornaments for sale that I've ever seen! I could not believe how many they had. So this was one of the ornaments I found.



Yes, it's a yellow dozer...only in the town that's Caterpillar's headquarters :) So I just had to get it for Chris.

What's your new favorite Christmas ornament?

*december 8th*

Tonight I decided to make my jar candles a little more pretty.

(Special thanks to my good friend Kenlyn who originally gave me the idea to put ribbons around candle holders :)

*december 7th*

Well, we didn't do much of anything to do with Christmas yesterday.

One noteable thing I did was start my P90X workouts!

For several months, Chris and I have been brainstorming ideas of how I could change up my workouts, especially since I was out of commission for 2 months and couldn't run...buy a gym membership so I could start lifting weights again? take aerobic-type classes (which would also require membership)? try to still do something at home? Well, we decided the cheapest and best option was P90X. It would be cheaper in the long run instead of paying extra money for a gym membership every month. (We had to buy the program packet and some equipment in order to start.) And we wanted to continue working out from home so we can be home with Maggie more during the week. From what we've heard this program really works (if you stick to it). And the most important thing about it is VARIETY. Variety is the key in this program in order to confuse your muscles, which in turn makes for better and more effective workouts. And I need variety. I'm tired of doing the same workouts. I think I just need something brand new. And that's exactly what this is.

(Ever since we started doing workouts from home (when we moved to Lafayette) I never liked doing the same set of ab exercises almost everyday. I really took up running for a couple years so I never had a huge reason to change. But then what happens if you can't run? Plus I'm not a huge fan of running in the rain and extreme cold when I'm not training for a race. Although I'm gonna try to keep up with running.)

So the past 2 days I've gotten out of bed at 5am to get these workouts in before work. And I'm loving it. I get my workout done for the day right off the bat and I can relax and do what needs to be done when I get home from work. (I used to workout after work when we lived in Peoria before.) I've been doing pull-ups and pushups of every kind, a workout called "ab ripper" which lives up to it's name, plyometrics (which is like athletic training with all kinds of jumping), and that's only the first 2 days.

So we'll see how strong and slimmed-down I get as this program progresses. (I've lost a lot of strength I used to have since I've stopped lifting and I want to lose several pounds too.) It's a 90-day program (which you can also continue afterwards). Chris will also be doing this with me once he's able. (It's kind of difficult to do since he's traveling.)

Let me tell ya, December is definitely a weird time to start a new workout, but I'm glad I didn't wait to start!

*december 6th*

(Credit to my hubby for today's picture.)

Evidence that it is officially winter and 14 degrees outside (with 4 degree wind chill) tonight - a frozen sol patch from running...



*december 5th*

So happy to have a new wreath hanger as of today. I finally hung this on the front door...

So much better than a naked front door :)

(the wreath hanger we had previously somehow got lost in the move)

*december 1st*

For the days leading up to Christmas, I decided I want to try to post something about Christmas (or winter) every day. We'll see how this goes but I think it will be fun! You'll be able to see what we're up to. And it means I will have to take more pictures of the stuff that I normally don't bother taking pictures of. It's always fun to capture every day stuff, special events like parties, and the way that we spend our December!

I'm sure there will be days of me cheating by back-posting the day after, but here we go...

view out the deck this morning...we had some flurries yesterday! great way to bring in december.

We needed to use up some leftover turkey so we made a turkey pot pie tonight. I normally make this recipe for Pillsbury's classic chicken pot pie, but we just switched out the meat and it was delicious! (And with only 2 of us, we eat leftovers of this for a couple days after.)

complete with a feeble attempt at a Christmas tree cut into the top :)