On The Road Again...Mount Rushmore or Bust!

The family and I are headed to Mount Rushmore this week. It's a great place to feel patriotic and spiritual all at the same time. I wish everyone a good week, and bid farewell to July.

Belated CIJ Celebration Details!

Sorry for the long delay everyone. Meetings, preparation for our vacation and the fact that my daughter broke her foot/ankle put things into a bit of overload here in my home. I've still got plenty of things to share and that's why my blog is called "Confessions of a Holiday Junkie". The ideas are endless and on no time restraint. I've still got recipes from dinner, new Christmas ideas popping up and Halloween is just around the corner. Stay tuned for some fun things. Now, with no further delay are pictures of our little CIJ party. 

My dining room is paint central a the moment, so no sitting down for a formal dinner and for some reason everyone forgets I have a basement. So we always end up in a circle upstairs in my itty, bitty living room. It's very comfy and cozy. 

Tammy started off great by bringing me some flowers. They were the perfect center piece and she cut them and put them in the vase all by herself. Yeah!! 

We had a small gift exchange this year, thanks to Tammy's fabulous idea. Ciara decided to be a little creative and used Duct Tape to wrap Shae's package. The point was to keep her out of it for as long as possible. But she is a kid and they will figure out a way to get into the package. 

Ciara had Shae and Shae had Ciara, so that was fun. They bought her the coveted Keep Calm and Carry On poster for her room. This has been on her want list for at least a year. Now we'll be searching for the perfect frame. 

Byron made Aunt Sandy a Houndstooth beaded bracelet. As usual,  his bracelets are always a hit. They are made with lots of Time and LOVE!

Tammy was my partner and she gave me these beautiful snowflake earrings. As usual, my camera would not do what I needed it to do, so you can't see the crystals up close. I love them and I loved my Disney tag! 

Shari also brought me a hostess gift. It was a fabulous ornament, reminding me of  how much I ROCK! hahahahah 

Mike is always fun, because he's the kid at heart in the family. I was  his Secret Santa, so I bought him a bouncing glow LED ball and a UFO magazine. He loved both! 

Byron received an Orchid. He loves Orchids and his had some bugs, so it went bye, bye! 

Byron and Hector, weren't suppose to be here for the dinner, but they both made it and amused us. 

Shari received this beautiful frame from Aunt Sandy and we all received a little extra something from the Gorilla glue... (wink, wink)

We wore our best T-shirts and beautiful Christmas jewelry

Santa made a visit... well sorta...

We had some fabulous Ham and Mashed Potatoes from the crockpot, along with a fabulous mini salad bar and some deviled eggs. I tried to keep everything COOL this year, considering the heat.

Then we had this fabulous Ice Cream Sandwich cake from the freezer and it was awesome! I will be posting the recipe in the future for sure. 

After a bit of laughing, good food and enjoying each others company we decided it was time to part ways. But we did have a little fun on the way out. 

My purpose of this post is to remind you, that everyday is a good day (and excuse) to have some fun with your family. You don't need to wait till Thanksgiving or Christmas to make it fun and special. Just pick a day, any day and come up 

with a good excuse! 

Happy Christmas in July My Friends!

Today is a fun day in my household. My daughter spirit started off a little slow, but next thing I know she's wrapping gifts, playing Christmas music, helping prepare dinner and even put together a little surprise for our guest tonight. I was lacking a little enthusiasm to get things together the past week, but it's all coming together. It's just after one and most of the food is prepped and ready to go or cook in the crockpot later in the day. I enjoy this day for several reasons. For one, it's a way to get my mind off the long heated days of July and helps me "daydream" about the cooler temps. Next it just makes me and my guest happy and laugh a little. You can't help but smile when a Christmas Tree is present and Christmas music is playing. Third, I love the small reminder of how we need to celebrate the Birth of Christ all year long. Lastly, I love having one more crazy excuse to have my friends and family over. It's kind of like St. Patricks day, everyone knows that on July 25th, Michelle's  house is the place to be. Above is a photo of the small tree we've decorated and below is a poem I found. I hope you enjoy both and tomorrow I'll be back with our full menu and recipes to share. Have a Merry Christmas in July everyone...Love you all!

The Spirit of Christmas

The spirit of Christmas is often found
 In things that we can see
A street of gold and silver
A sparkling Christmas tree.

It’s found in quiet serenity
Of freshly fallen snow
In lights upon the river
A candles’ gentle glow. 

It’s found in pretty presents
 And treasures of delight
In stories told of Christmas’ past
On cold and wintry nights.

It’s found in Yuletide carolers 
Who stand out in the street
And spread good cheer and tidings
To everyone they meet.  

It’s found in bustling cities
As choirs get up to sing
In sleepy little villages
Where lonely church bells ring.

It’s found within a beggar’s heart
Who kindly takes the time
To help a cold and hungry child
By sharing his last dime.

It’s found within the prisons walls
And temples made of stone
It’s found within the orphanages 
And in the nursing homes.

It’s found within the wise men
Who brought gifts from far away
And the eastern star that led them
To the stable where He lay.

It’s found within the Spirit
This gift from up above
It’s filled with  pure salvation
And wrapped in His sweet love. 

It’s even found in old St. Nick
As he kneels down to pray
To Jesus, Blessed Redeemer
Who was born on Christmas day.

Author/Written By:
Marilyn Ferguson
©2002

Nightmare Before Christmas Wedding Shower!

One of my online buddies came through again, but posting this amazing link to a party highlighted by Hostess, With the Mostess. It's a Night Before Christmas inspired wedding shower. I have to be honest, I'm not a big fan of the movie, but this cake is absolutely amazing. I'm thinking it is the ultimate cake and party decor for a Super, High Class, Ritzy Halloween Party!

VENDOR CREDITS:
Baker: CAKEgoodness
Decor & Event Design: Sandra of Maison Des Reves
Florist: Enchanted Garden Floral & Event Design
Photography: Paul L Benton
Venue: Boccacio’s
Makeup: LMS Studio Beauty

Christmas in July-Day 22 Wrapping Ideas

Sorry for the delay in posting. I've been working with my daughter to get her room cleared and painted this past week. Then yesterday was my birthday and I was out day and night, just hanging out with friends and family having a good time.  But I have a lot of spare time in the few days, which means I'll have several things to share this coming week, including my CIJ dinner on Monday.


For today, I thought I'd go directly into my saved files and photos for wrapping ideas and inspirations. Wrapping is one of the highlights for me during the holidays. I love paper, I love ribbon and I love giving something that's as pretty on the outside, as it is on the inside.  Some simple, some are more detailed, but here they are....


Photos of some of my packages from this past December.

There are ideas saved in my inspiration file.

For additional ideas, you can check out Tip Junkie , Martha Stewart, and BHG.