Best Christmas Gift 2011

So, if you haven't figured out, I'm playing catch up on some fun blog posts. Don't worry, pictures of my Ecuadorian getaway are soon to come! But first, I have to share with you the absolute COOLEST Christmas gift I received this year. (My apologies to everyone else who gave me other really cool gifts, but I think you will have to agree that this one takes the cake!)

This year, my grandpa decided that being retired means making everyone's Christmas gifts. When you have a crazy aunt who knits ugly sweaters, homemade gifts are a BAD IDEA. But, when your grandpa rocks at carpentry and makes awesome things like a handcrafted stable for your Guatemalan nativity set, the result is INCREDIBLE! Check out these pics!

Please note that he hand-painted the stones and then added the stucco texture so that the stable looked authentically worn. SO COOL!

He even put in a light bulb so that they're illuminated! Isn't it beautiful! 

Gah! It makes me so happy!

Mike had apparently sent Grandpa exact measurements for all my nativity figures (which I purchased the summer I lived in Guatemala). So, the proportions are PERFECT! 

So, if you can't tell, I'm in love with this nativity scene. I think it looks perfect, and couldn't have been more excited by this handcrafted gift that I'll get to display for years and years and years to come!

Thanks, Grandpa!

Stupid Tree

We brought that lovely tree we cut down home, and trimmed it to a T! 

So pretty! We were excited about our first real tree, and our first Christmas in our new house. 

 Then, Sunday morning, Mike walked downstairs to let Bixby out, and found this....

Stupid tree had fallen over in the middle of the night. It stood for at least 8 hours, fully decorated, and then it just FELL OVER! To say the least, we were a bit perturbed. 

Putting the tree back up after it's tumble revealed that we were going to have to start over with the decorating. haha. The tree was fine and no ornaments broke, luckily. 

Mike ended up wiring the tree to the wall, so that round two of decorating would not end in the same disaster! Stupid tree.