Outdoor Christmas Tree for the Birds...

First for the garland, I put peanuts and cranberries on wire (from a spool.) It's important to use wire because if you use string the critters will bite through it and take all the garland off the tree!

Next "we" (my husband decided to join in the fun) drilled holes in dried corn cobs. I tied these to the tree with zip ties.

This is just bird seed you buy that is already in a square shape...Tie some raffia around it and it's a cute present~ You can buy bell shaped too or make your own!

The bird houses I bought at Jo-Ann's craft store. They are light-weight and I tied them on the tree with wire. I painted the bird houses seven years ago and they still look great from being out in the weather. Some of the houses I painted red, some white, some both colors-Then I sanded them a little on the edges, stained them with walnut stain then wiped most the stain off.

Add them all together and you have a cute tree for the birds and squirrels. I put the tree in my backyard right outside the window from my formal dining room table. It's a great conversation piece at Thanksgiving and Christmas!

I love walking through my formal living room and seeing it outside all lit up at night.

This guy (Steller's jay) visits daily-He thinks he is king of the tree~

Seriously, he thinks I made this tree just for him.

But the truth is, the squirrels rule...Sometimes two squirrels will visit the tree at the same time and be running up and down chasing each other all over "in" the tree. This is why I tie everything down with wire or zip ties.

This little guy is pretty shy, but will poke his head out for a second or two to grab a peanut.

Did I say the squirrels ruled the tree? My bad, this is my dog Charlie, she is in charge "when" she's not sleeping.

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By the way: Hummingbirds like to buzz the star on top of the tree. I put a little  feeder on the tree for them. I also attached bare sticks sticking out the sides for the birds to sit on. I get alot of chickadees that like someplace to perch. Many other types of birds will wait on the ground for food to fall...It's so fun to watch and see who will be next to stop in for a treat.

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♫ On The Seventeenth Day Of Christmas...

♫ The Robin's Nest brought to thee, ♫♪♫ Just me being a big tease! ♪

What does a tree in my truck have to do with...

Birds and Squirrels?

I'll show you the fun tomorrow~!

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♥ DECEMBER 17TH ~ DAY 17♥

( 8 days till Christmas)

From Store to Adore...

Tell me ladies... Has your man ever brought home flowers from the supermarket for you? You know the ones...They look nice in their cellophane wrapper but once you take them out and put them in a vase they look like the photo above? What I am wondering is, WHAT'S with the pine cone? You can't see from this photo but there is a pink flower to the right that makes me want to sing that Sesame Street song~♫"One of these things just doesn't belong here, one of these things just isn't the same."♪

Well, I am here to tell you~There IS hope...

First off, the two vases pictured are must haves for any household. The large one is $4 the small one is $3-You can buy them at Walmart. I've seen the same vases cost SO much more at other stores.

Now being it's Christmas lets...

Add lights! Just scotch tape white wired lights to the outside of the smaller vase.

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Insert smaller vase into larger one.****

Above are tiny Styrofoam snowballs I purchased at an after Christmas sale. I added these snowballs "between"(not pictured) the two vases~You want to keep the small vase empty so we can add water in it later. This type of snowball filler does well with the little bit of heat the lights put out. I only keep this lit for short periods of time "AND" I never leave the house with the lights left on-Yes, that was my OSHA compliant safety announcement. ****

Now that you have all your ingredients, you need to leave your house...That's right just walk (don't run) out that door and take a pair of scissors with you (hence, the part about not running !) If it's winter find either a ...

Pine tree

OR

A bush with leaves on it

OR

Cut some branches off your live Christmas tree like I did. ****

Add them with the flowers and you have this....

***Taa Daa!

(Yes, that is the same exact bow I showed you how to make the other day in my bow making video-masking tape and all)**

Now I know there are some of you out there (you KNOW who you are/God bless you) that have told me you could not make a bow even if I was standing next to you showing you how. So I took the bow out and added a Christmas sprig I had with pine cones and a bird on it. Then I added a bird to one of the branches for a nice extra touch.***

Above is a photo with the lights in the room turned down...

It really does look much prettier in person.

If you take the lights off the small vase you could add so many other fillers:

Cranberries

Ornaments

M&M's

Christmas Candy

Outdoor Christmas light bulbs (without wire)

Fake Snow flakes

Greenery

Mini candy canes

Precious Gift...

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We could all learn a lesson or two from children... Like how to love ourselves. Here is a very short (48 seconds) video of my granddaughter Noelle Grace showing you how easy it truly is... God loves you, it's important for you to love yourself too, just as you are.

Important Note: Watch how Noelle makes a heart shape with her finger at the very end of the video...I'm not one to believe in coincidences but I do believe in confirmations~♥

How to Make a Designer Floral Bow...

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Hi ladies~I decided to show you myself (yes, it's me in the video) how to make a easy floral bow. These are great to top gifts or to add to your floral designs. You can even make these bows real large to put on top of your Christmas trees. I bought the sheer wire edged ribbon shown in the video at Target. For beginners I would always recommend the wire edged ribbon. Don't give up if your first or second or even third bow isn't perfect-It takes a little practice. When I first opened my floral shop (The Robin's Nest) I had to practice and practice to get it right (we didn't use wired ribbon back then) -Hopefully this video will make it much easier for you!

If you have problems viewing the video click HERE.

Whew~! He's out of the woods...

Even though in the above photo he looks like he's still in the woods. :)

I wondered before Tim got sick how you could tell if someone or yourself had the swine flu??? My daughter Ronnie was sick and the doctor gave her cough medicine with codeine. It helped her feel better. Two days later Timmy gets sick, he takes the cough medicine with codeine and it didn't do anything to help him out at all. (This is a big swine flu sign, no relief with regular meds) He had a low grade fever, was achy, sore throat, cough, his lungs started hurting and he felt like he was in some sort of dream world. He had a terrible time even walking.

It was touch and go the first few days with him having horrible headaches and feeling very nauseous. He said he felt like he was decaying from the inside out. Thank God we got him in to the doctors the first day of his fever. They have a new test that works better to detect H1N1 it takes about 15 minutes for the results...Tim's doctor was going to put him on Tamiflu no matter what the test results were but after only 10 minutes the doctor came in and said the test result was positive for H1N1.

What a week!!! But Timmers is eating again, he says he feels good and he looks so much better!

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My family & I would like to thank you all for your prayers for Timothy and all of us this last week. You ladies really mean the world to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart~♥

I will be back with the 25 days of Christmas on Monday!

♫ On The Seventh Day Of Christmas...

♫ The Robin's Nest said to thee, ♫♪♫ Will you please pray for my son Timothy? ♪

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The pig has landed. My son Timmy tested positive for the H1N1 virus today. He is prone to asthma and is very sick so if you could say a prayer for him I would appreciate it very much.

"One of Timmer's Senior pictures I shot @ Point Defiance"

I will be back with the 25 days of Christmas as soon as I know Timothy is in the clear!

♥DECEMBER 7TH~DAY 7♥

(18 days till Christmas)

♫ On The Sixth Day Of Christmas...

♫The Robin's Nest gave to me, ♫♪♫ A day of rest because it's Sunday! ♪

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I am "dog" tired... taking a day off, see you tomorrow with some new Christmas ideas!

Love to you all~♥

Matthew 11:28-30; "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

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♥DECEMBER 6TH~DAY 6♥

(19 days till Christmas)

Candy Garland...

I am putting together a small Christmas tree for my kitchen~The main ornaments are gingerbread men but first the tree needed some sweet strands of garland.
I like the red and white mints alot.

But if you want more color then add some cinnamon red candies...

Butterscotch are also pretty...

The sky is the limit when it comes to different colors of wrapped candy. You can buy these candies in super big bags for around $3.00~ Make sure they don't have the candy makers name on the wrapper, it should be clear. Store brands usually have clear wrappers and are less expensive.

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Instructions: Use a glue gun to stick wrapper end to wrapper end together. A low temp glue gun works well~If you only have a regular glue gun then use the glue sparingly. I myself used glue dots for a fast, non messy, simple project~ We went a little crazy making these and turned some of the garland into yummy bracelets and necklaces☺

Caution: Keep these candies away from small children for they could be a potential choking hazard.

♫ On The Fourth Day Of Christmas...

♫ The Robin's Nest gave to me, ♫♪♫ Some computer fun using the "alt" key! ♪

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Ever wonder how other bloggers get symbols (♥♫♪☺) on their posts, E-mails or photos?

It's all about using the "alt" key and numbers on your computer. First of all find your "alt" key, it's below the "x" key.


The main thing to remember about creating a symbol is to hold down the alt key "while" also pressing on the numeric keys. It's very important not to let up on the alt key until you are done pressing the last number.

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For example if you want a heart ♥ press alt while pressing the number 3 ♥♥♥

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Here are some other symbols:
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Copyright (©) is Alt 0169
Trademark (™) is Alt 0153
Registered (®) is Alt 0174
Bullet (•) is Alt 0149
Cent (¢) is Alt 0162
One half (½) is Alt 0189
Dollar ($) is Alt 36
Smile (☺) is Alt 1
Diamond (♦) is Alt 4
Music note (♫) is Alt 14
Music note (♪) is Alt 13
Sun (☼) is Alt 15
Arrow (↨) is Alt 23 (↑) Alt 24 (↓) Alt 25 (→) Alt 26 (←) Alt 27
Big Arrow Right (►) is Alt 16 Big Arrow Left (◄) is Alt 17

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Also I found a great site that helps you rhyme any word. As you can see with my "25 days of Christmas" I am having to rhyme the word "Me" alot while trying not to repeat the same word twice (Ha! We will see how that goes!)

Click HERE to go to a site for rhyming. I tried many words and was shocked how many words came up that rhymed with them. I am however sad to be the one to break it to you though that no words came up that rhyme with the word...

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious~

♥DECEMBER 4TH~DAY 4♥

(21 days till Christmas)

♫ On The Third Day Of Christmas...

♫The Robin's Nest gave to "Lindsay," ♫♫ A book of vintage post cards and some See's candy!♫

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You might be wondering why the "Me" in the song was changed to Lindsay..? Well, it's because Lindsay just happens to be the name picked for my "monthly blog followers giveaway!"

To the right of my blog you will see a "followers" category with all sorts of wonderful pictures of my bloggie friends. Each month I draw a name out of my blog followers for a giveaway...It's just my way of saying thanks for supporting little ol' me~♥

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Here's what I will be sending Lindsay from The Cross-Stitch House:

A book of 30 oversized vintage postcards by Darling & Company based here in Seattle Washington.

Above is one of the cute postcard designs~I love all the fine little detail.

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AND...

Lindsay will receive a box of some of the best chocolates in the world~ See's candy!

HO HO HO! ~MERRY CHRISTMAS!

♥DECEMBER 3RD~DAY 3♥

(22 Days till Christmas)

Flocking a Fake Christmas Tree...

I took this photo the other day while up in the mountains. Notice how the green of the tree still shows through the white snow. All the flocked trees I've seen are covered in too much white AND are very expensive. So I decided to try my hand at making my own snowy tree.

Above is the tree I purchased at Target for $19-It is a six foot tree without lights.

This is just plain polyester batting that is used for stuffing craft projects. It takes about 1/4 of a bag to do this whole tree~A little goes a long way. Of course this is not finished because it just looks like batting on a tree.
Tip: If you find batting is too expensive, go to Walmart and buy a cheap pillow for $2.50. The inexpensive pillows are filled with (you got it) batting ~(Hypoallergenic 100% Polyester Fill. )

 This is the space above my front door that I will be turning into a winter wonderland. This "scene" is far from done but I wanted to show you what to do to make the batting look more like snow... The batting is only put on the tree to hold the snow "flakes"on.

Here we go... First put your tree where you want it to be because you won't be able to move it after these next steps.

Step 1: Open a bag of plain fake snow (bought at Target or craft stores)

Step 2: Throw it in the air above the tree while singing "♫I'm dreaming of a white Christmas♫!"

Warning, If you do not sing while throwing the snow your tree won't turn out very well.

Step 3: Make sure to get all sides.

I also bought one bag of special "sparkly" snow and here I am sprinkling it on sparingly. You want just enough on there that when any lights hit the snow it will be reflective and glittery.

The End Result:

♫ On The First Day of Christmas ♫

♫ The Robin's Nest gave to me... ♫Some Starbuuuuucks Recipeees ♫

Mock Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars

· For Cake Base:
· 2 sticks butter -- softened
· 1 and 1/4 cups brown sugar-- packed
· 3 large eggs
· 1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla (If you want use orange extract instead of vanilla)
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 1 and 1/2 cups flour
· 1/4 cup minced dried cranberries (Craisins)
· 1/4 cup Lindt or other quality white chocolate -- coarsely chopped
· 1/4 cup minced candied ginger

· For Frosting:
· 4 ounce cream cheese -- softened
· 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
· 2 Tablespoons butter -- softened
· 1 teaspoon vanilla
· For Garnish:
· 2 Tablespoons minced dried cranberries
· 1/3 cup white chocolate chips (e.g. Ghiradelli or Guittard) -- melted

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Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a 9x13 pan. Beat butter and sugar together for the cake base, and add eggs/vanilla beating until fluffy. Sift together flour, ginger, and salt and then add to the butter/sugar mixture beating well. Fold in the cranberries, chocolate and ginger. Spread thick batter in pan and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden.

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When cake is cooled, mix all frosting ingredients together and spread a thin layer over the cake. Immediately sprinkle with the minced cranberries. Then use a cake decorating bag of melted white chocolate with a tiny decorating tip (like the size used for writing on cakes) and drizzle the white chocolate over the cake.Cut this into bars immediately because the white chocolate hardens pretty fast and makes cake cutting messy.
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Mock Starbucks Holiday Gingerbread

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1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

2 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon orange extract, optional

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup applesauce

FOR THE FROSTING:

8 oz. cream cheese

2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Set aside.In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.Dissolve baking soda into applesauce and mix into creamed butter. Add flour mixture. Mix until smooth. Pour batter into a loaf pan.Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out just slightly sticky. Do not over bake.

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Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioner's sugar. Frost cake when it is completely cooled. Decorate with chopped candied orange peel or candied ginger. ****

♥DECEMBER 1ST ~ DAY 1♥

(24 days till Christmas)

Vintage Christmas...

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I'm not sure why I love vintage pictures & postcards at Christmas... Maybe because it reminds me of simpler times.


Remember when most stores weren't even open on Sunday? And if you didn't get everything you needed for your holiday dinner you sure weren't going to find a store open Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas! Remember when you had to share a phone line with your neighbors? (party line) Or how we just had a few channels on TV and how all the stations went off the air each night. Parents,TV's or computers didn't entertain kids, they went outside to play. Neighbor kids would knock on the door and ask if Ron or Robin could come out and play-There was no such thing as a play date.

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I miss those days of going out on the land with dad and cutting down the "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree that our horse pulled home for us. Then stringing popcorn to hang on it while watching The Lawrence Welk special with mom ("A One Ahh, A two Ahh, A three Ahh, lets polka!") Funny thing is, I'm not that old but times sure are different... I think about my Grandma who is 93 - What a shock is must be to see the world change the way it has right in front of her eyes.

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So at this moment I'm thinking/dreaming vintage while I am sitting in bed, typing on my WiFi laptop, watching a flat screen TV that has 900 something channels that I can pause, rewind or fast forward through the commercials. At the same time I'm burning Christmas CD's then flipping them over and engraving them a second later with my lightscribe. Yes, times HAVE changed.

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Would you rather live life like it was in the old days or do you prefer things as they are now? If you could live during any era which would you choose?

*Vintage Postcard images found on Google