With my oldest being eight years old, I feel like we have gone through just about every toy on the market. Many don’t last and hour, and some we have had an enjoyed for years. My favorite toys are the ones that both look great and are fun for my kids to play with. I enjoy well designed toys that when they are out, don’t look like an eye sore.
I hope you enjoyed my top picks for wooden toys. Hopefully this will help you with your Christmas shopping and you can give some Christmas gifts that will last for years like ours have!
I always knew that our home would look amazing with Christmas wreaths in the windows. But, last year being my first year to hang them, I was left scratching my head wondering exactly how I was going to securely hang them.
After asking around, and googling “How to Hang Wreaths on Outdoor Windows.” I found some ideas, but none of them seemed like simple ideas that actually worked. When I was wondering around the Home Depot, I found these Command Brand Strips that are made especially for the outdoors, and especially for windows. Finally, an easy solution that isn’t permanent and really worked! If you follow my step by step, the hooks will stay on no problem!
This is what you will need to hang Christmas wreaths on your windows: (affiliate links used)
Clean your windows well. Take the Rubbing alcohol and put some on a cloth or paper towel. Rub around the entire area where you will hang your hook. You will want to do this when the temperatures are not freezing! Read the package instructions throughly.
Step Two
Remove the black and white liner side that says window or wall side and apply it to the window where you would like your hook to hang. Press the entire strip for a full 30 seconds pressing up and down on the strip. (be sure to place the hook in the same area on each window so they are uniform)
Step Three
Remove the blue liner. Press the hook to the wall stripe and hold firmly for 30 seconds.
Step Four
Wait at least one hour before hanging anything on the hook. This is a very important step. The adhesive needs time to bond or it will not hold the weight of the wreaths. I try to wait at least 24 hours to ensure the hooks are on well before hanging anything heavy on them.
Step Five
Hang the wreaths on the hooks. You can also us some string to tie them more securely to the hook if you experience a lot of wind in your area.
Step Six
When you would like to remove the hook, stretch the strip slowly against the window at least 12 inches to release it. Always pull straight down not towards you or it will break!
Pretty simple, and it doesn’t damage your windows. They hold up very nicely in the wind as well. With the kind of wreaths I had they have wire as the base and were able to hook on nicely. They stayed put really well. I think one may have fallen off in some really high winds, but that was it! My hooks always stay on because I have carefully prepared my windows, and made sure to buy the hooks that are specially made for the outdoors!
The command strips are very easy to remove and made it really easy to make my home festive for the holidays.
I loved how it looked on Christmas morning in the snow! My family during our magical snow storm on Christmas morning 2014!
I hope this helps if you are looking to hang holiday wreaths on your windows this year!
Can you believe Christmas is just around the corner?!
Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!!! There is something so magical about Christmas morning when you have little kids. Everything just become so much more fun to celebrate!
We tried to keep the gifts simple this year, and only get a few things for each of the children. They were so thrilled to see that Santa Clause had arrived with their gifts! In our house, Santa doesn’t wrap the gifts he brings them, but mom and dad wrap the gifts we get our children.
I really enjoy putting in some extra touches to make the holidays that much more special for my children! I think it’s just as fun for me as it is for them to have some extra festive extras.
I have so many party items that I just keep around (cough, hoarder) so, pretty much all of this came from my stash I had!
I love these tiny little gingerbread houses that I found at Tai Pan Trading. Aren’t they darling!
Caravan Shoppe has some really cute printables for a great price, that I printed out and put around the table for the kids to color and fill out their favorite traditions, and favorite Christmases to share with each other!
For Christmas morning breakfast, I make the same thing every year. I love traditions! I can’t believe I haven’t shared these recipes with you before!
We make German Pancakes with a homemade vanilla bean syrup, fresh fruit, and a breakfast casserole every Christmas morning! I like it because I can usually make most of it ahead, then throw it in the oven Christmas morning, and it will bake while we open presents.
So funny story. This year the breakfast casserole got a little crispy on top. It doesn’t normally look this browned. My husband majorly surprised me this year for Christmas. He told me my present was out in the garage, and it was too heavy for him to carry in alone. So, we went out in the garage, and he surprised me with a new car for Christmas! I was in total shock!! Then we proceeded to jump right in and take a test drive around the neighborhood, forgetting about the breakfast casserole. Hence the crispy casserole. Luckily, it still tasted great!
Spread out hash browns, ham, green onions, and mushrooms in a 9×13 inch casserole pan. Pour melted butter over the top. Then pour egg, cheese and milk mixture over the top. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Or until eggs are set. Serve with salsa or hot sauce like tabasco.
German Pancakes
6-7 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 shakes cinnamon sugar
Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend well.
Melt 2-3 tablespoons butter. Place in a 9×13 inch casserole pan, and grease the pan.
Pour batter into pan, and top with cinnamon sugar.
Bake at 425 degrees for 17-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Vanilla Bean Syrup
1 stick butter
Melt in a medium saucepan over low heat. When just melted add,
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup cream or half and half
Simmer over medium heat. When it starts to bubble up, turn down to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
When cool, add 1 teaspoon of Vanilla bean paste. Keep in refrigerator. Great on waffles and pancakes too!
What are your favorite Christmas traditions?
I hope you all had the best Holiday Season! I’m looking forward to the New Year! Thanks so much for reading! XOXO!
