Photo Block Ornaments!

Every year around this time, I'm usually looking for ornament ideas. This year I wanted to do something with pictures that would capture some of the fun or special moments that have taken place over the last 12 months and came up with these photo block ornaments! They are incredibly simple to make and look great!

First, gather up your supplies:

- wooden blocks

- paint (whatever color you like--I used black)

- Mod Podge

- 4 photos per block

- eye screws

I used building blocks I found at WalMart (a set of 50 for $12--about $.25 per block) because they were cheap and easy, but I'm sure you could find some great blocks of wood at any Lowe's or Home Depot.

To cut my photos the right size to fit the blocks, I used a square hole punch I found at Michael's. It was originally $13, but I used my 40% off coupon so it ended up costing about $8.

My blocks are about 1 3/4 inches square, so obviously most photos would not fit. I got around that by going to WalMart and using their Photo Kiosk to print out a 4x6 collage. If you turn all your pictures landscape and have only 4 to a print, they are the perfect size!

Next, I used the punch to crop the pictures. See how perfect the size is? When I went to Michael's to get the punch, I brought along a block so I could ensure my punch was the right size.

I painted the top and bottom of the block I wanted to use and let it dry.

Then using Mod Podge I carefully glued one photo to each side of the block. Make sure to get the Mod Podge all the way to the corners to ensure a tight seal and secured corners!

The photos fit perfectly next to each other and formed an almost seamless square of joy!

Allow the block to dry. At this point, I would recommend spraying your ornament with a photo-safe spray to protect against moisture and inevitable fingerprints from curious kids. You can also paint over the pictures with another layer of Mod Podge and allow it to dry completely. I have yet to do this, but it's at the top of my to-do list! 

Finally, mark the center of the top of your block and screw in an eye screw. I didn't have any trouble getting the screw in and was able to use nothing but my hands. You can run a ribbon through the top of the loop or simply put an ornament hook directly on the loop.

Viola! Preserved memories in a cute little package! It would make a great gift for grandparents or family that might be far away.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! I'm linking to a few Linky Parties below. Don't forget to check out the other neat crafts posted!

Baby Jesus

For as long as I can remember, my family has had the same Christmas tradition. My parents tried very hard to make sure we remembered why we celebrate Christmas--to remember Christ, that he came to earth to help us return to our Heavenly Father. Every year on the first of December, we bring out a small wooden manger my dad built about 20 years ago. Each night before bed our family would gather around the manger to read scriptures, sing a Christmas Song, have family prayer and give our gift to Christ: service. We would each take a turn and recount any acts of kindness or service we gave to others that day. For each act we got to place one piece of hay in the manger. We would work all month long to try and build up that small pile of straw so on Christmas Eve when the Christ child was born, He would have a soft bed to lay in. I have loved this tradition. No, it wasn't always a spiritual experience every night and there were often days that would pass and I hadn't done any service that day, but I can honestly say it helped keep Christmas in perspective and encouraged us to give to others, to look beyond ourselves and try to help those in need.

Last week when I was at my mom's house, Jude discovered the manger that was tucked under Grandma's Christmas tree. Baby Jesus was laying inside atop a meager pile of straw (the month had only just begun). Jude crawled right over and looked, and looked, and finally he took that baby doll out and held him. I had to take a picture.

It was so cute and reminded me of all those years past when the six kids would sit around the manger at night, the only light from the fireplace and a candle we would light. We took turns holding Baby Jesus as we would add our straw to the pile. It made me smile as I thought about the fun times, the giggling as we (sometimes irreverently) played with the baby but would always wrap him up tight in his blanket at the end and return him to his little bed of straw. This poor baby has seen a lot in his days--he's smudged from grubby fingers, missing a couple toes and fingers from a curious puppy, and look less than pristine from the years of love--but it just wouldn't be Christmas without him.

Congratulations Chad!

Last Wednesday, we found out that Chad got into an Orthodontic program in Florida! It truly is an answer to years of hard work for Chad and years of prayers from the family! I couldn't be happier or more proud. Way to go, Chad! You deserve it!

Decorating our Christmas Tree

The Monday after Thanksgiving, we decorated our Christmas tree. I have to say getting to Charlottesville was a bit of a challenge without our trusty suburban we had last year. Thanks to George's dad, we had strong ropes to tie the tree to the top of the Cadillac and after securing it we did manage to get it all the way to our apartment without damaging the tree or the car. Success!

Monday George had to go to work, so Lance and I set about getting the tree ready to decorate. I hauled it from the car to the back of our apartment where I sawed off the "sap cap" [like a boss] and then set it up in the tree stand with some help from Lance. 

That night for FHE we decorated our tree. Jude missed it because he fell asleep early, but the rest of us had a great time listening to Christmas music and putting our ornaments on the tree.

Haircut

While Chad was in town for Thanksgiving, I asked him to cut Lance's hair. Lance wanted to keep his hair longer on top so he could "faux-hawk" it like his Uncle Jason. Everything started out really well:

...And then quickly went downhill.

Lance has a hard time with haircuts because one, he's nervous about getting cut, and two, he can't stand the itchy feeling of all that hair on his body. We tried to get him to wear the cape, but he wouldn't. He couldn't sit still so we finally all ganged up on him and this was the final set-up:

How many people does it take to cut a 5-year-old's hair? Apparently 3.

He was tuckered out when it was all over. Thanks, Uncle Chad!

Christmas Tree Hunting

As per tradition, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the Allred/Schiraldi family drove out to our favorite Christmas Tree Farm, Snicker's Gap. We have been going for at least 10 years now and love it! The trees are all beautiful and the experience brings back so many fun memories from Christmases past. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking:

 On the car ride over

Bundling up the kiddies. It was FREEZING!

We're walking, we're walking...

Lance wanted to help Uncle Chad cut down the tree.

Laura, Tyler and baby Mason came along for the ride.

Jude was super sad for some reason.

But Lance was happy. :)

 Mom and Glenn

Everyone trying to decide on the same tree... I don't think it's ever taken us less than an hour to narrow down the choices.

Jude finally cheered up.

Boys loving the grass and the trees.

Our family picked out our own tree to take to Cville. George cut it down...

...and carried it all the way to the baler. 

Our family with our tree.

The whole gang.

Afterward we went to Panara for a late lunch.

It was a great time!

Life lessons from a Dentist

This Thursday I'm heading up to Ashburn to do two painful things. Thursday, I have to drop Lance off at his dad's house for the weekend and Friday, I'm going to the dentist. I usually like going to the dentist, but this time it's different.

This past week, a couple days before Thanksgiving, I noticed one of my front teeth had a gray area. Worried it was a cavity, I rushed to make an appointment with a dentist to have a cleaning and get the area checked. I have never had cavities in my life and was hoping this wasn't one. The day before Thanksgiving I hurried to the dentist to have my cleaning. While I was there, they decided to do xrays to check all my teeth for cavities since I hadn't been to the dentist in more than two years.

When they put the xrays in front of me, I was floored. Not only did that one tooth with the gray area have a cavity, most of my molars had 2-3 each in the space between the teeth. They were small and couldn't be seen without an xray, but they were there. I had to fight away tears while I talked to the hygienist about what we could do and what needed to be done. I had so many cavities that I would have to get them filled in shifts, not only for my comfort but for insurance purposes as well. While we talked, we both came to the conclusion that one simple thing could have saved my teeth:

Flossing.

So, so simple. Something I had been told my whole life to do and yet I didn't do it. An extra 15 seconds each day could have saved me a lot of discomfort and a lot of money. Why, why didn't I listen? Why didn't I do the small, simple things to keep my teeth healthy?

Sunday we had a lesson in Relief Society about Pres. Uchtdorf's talk he gave during this past General Conference called, "Of Things That Matter Most". It's a fantastic talk and a good reminder for us of what is truly important.

"[O]ur relationship with God is most sacred and vital. We are His spirit children. He is our Father. He desires our happiness. As we seek Him, as we learn of His Son, Jesus Christ, as we open our hearts to the influence of the Holy Spirit, our lives become more stable and secure. We experience greater peace, joy, and fulfillment as we give our best to live according to God’s eternal plan and keep His commandments....

    UAdd a Note 

"To strengthen our relationship with God, we need some meaningful time alone with Him. Quietly focusing on daily personal prayer and scripture study, always aiming to be worthy of a current temple recommend—these will be some wise investments of our time and efforts to draw closer to our Heavenly Father. Let us heed the invitation in Psalms: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

I've been feeling a little distant from the Gospel lately. It's been harder to feel the Spirit, to have the desire to read my scriptures and say my prayers. This lesson and my experience at the dentist was a much-needed wake-up call.

I don't want spiritual cavities. We are told so often the little things we need to do to keep ourselves spiritually healthy--read our scriptures, say our prayers, go to Church, serve others. They seem so simple and so unimportant that we often overlook them when we get busy or when something else seems more important. Just like flossing can help clear out the bad bacteria that causes cavities, striving to stay close to Heavenly Father through scripture study and prayer can help us overcome those things that might take us away from the Spirit, whatever that may be for each individual.

Needless to say, I am now flossing.