Kiss on the Cheek, not on the Lips!

I read somewhere that the person in charge of etiquette in England (yes, there is such a person) recommended that with the flu going around this season, that when encountering someone under the mistletoe, to kiss on the cheek, not on the lips, to avoid spreading germs. Pretty good advice, especially if you've got one of these hanging around:
I found the idea for this bad boy online somewhere and knew my kids would love it. It is so simple, and is a fun replacement for mistletoe if you don't happen to have any. All you need is a bag of hershey kisses (or you could go with the hershey hugs, if you're more of a hugging person), a styrofoam ball (found at any craft store), hot glue gun, and a ribbon or strong string to hang it with.
First you will need to arrange a way to hang it. I punctured mine with a super big needle, threaded ribbon through it, and then tied off the end to keep it in place. If you don't have a needle, you can use anything else that is relatively sharp and narrow, like a screwdriver. To put it together with kids, I held the ball and put a generous dot of hot glue on the ball, and let my boys stick the kisses on, one by one, until the entire ball is filled up.
I'll admit, it is sort of wacky looking, but everyone around here really likes it. I had already found that mistletoe ball thingy at Joann but wasn't very happy about. It's sort of ugly I think. Thatcher claims that when he is 10, he will be tall enough to reach the kissing ball and he will eat all the chocolate off of it. Sure...

Want s'more?

Super Cute Holiday Wreath in 10 minutes

I really wish I had paused long enough to snap a 'before' picture but I just didn't think to. However, just imagine this wreath with nothing but the pinecones and one of those fake velvet red bows on it - that's how it came. We got it at Lowe's when we got our Christmas tree for about $13.00. I was fully prepared to leave it as is and call it good. Until. Until I passed through the floral department at Joann's.

As a general rule I steer clear of the floral department. I have no business there. Frankly, it frightens me a little with all it's foam, spanish moss, and sparkle dusted fake foliage. This day however, I was in need of a wreath hook to hang said Lowe's wreath. I happened upon an entire aisle of what I will call "doodads" for lack of a better term.
Christmas doodads - holly, snowflakes, leaves, berries, fake candy, little trees, letters, snowmen, sparkly balls, assorted foliage, and more. Despite my lack of floral arranging skills I found myself snatching up a few items. All 50% off. I spent $4.80 on the doodads, and $2.00 on a spool of ribbon, came home, and spent 10 minutes putting it together. Not too shabby. I think I might have to visit the floral department a little more often.