Butterflies

For Christmas, Grandma Thomason got Catherine a butterfly garden. We sent away for the caterpillars and the girl's anxiously awaited for them to come in the mail. They finally came and the caterpillars looked like little black rice specks. Not very exciting when you are expecting to see caterpillars and butterflies. They grew so fast though, within about 10 days they had grown huge and were hanging upside down. After a few more days, a hard shell encased all of the caterpillars and they moved on to their pupa stage which was the grossest for me because I then had to transfer them from their enclosed little containers to the garden. This involved me ripping the paper they were attached to off of the lid and pinning it to the side of the net. They were nasty-looking and they wobbled and it really wasn't my favorite thing. Then, they hung there for almost 10 days before the first one hatched into a beautiful painted lady butterfly. We had two the first day, then by Sunday morning 9 had hatched. The last 3 hatched on Monday and now there are no more. We released them this morning. It was a very fun experience, but I am glad it is over. The girls want me to order more, but I think it might be a once a year sort of deal. They are so beautiful though and I got to hold them while I was letting them go which was really neat.

Until We Meet Again...

Christmas is come and gone....again. I always get the post-Christmas blues. They only last a few days, but they are painful and incite great misery for me and those around me. I like to leave up my decorations until New Year's Day, but this year I feel like putting everything away right now and banishing good tidings. I am in a particularly stinky mood this year, I wonder if getting older has anything to do with it? We had a wonderful Christmas and were very blessed this year. The girls were so excited to wake up and see their scooters from Santa (thanks Amazon for the "razor" price mix up) and also for their rockin red kitchen from Woot! Of course all the Grandparents spoiled them horribly along with my sisters, who came out in force this year. It made up for all that has been lacking around here lately. It was very special and we are so grateful. I am the proud recipient of bath products and chocolate galore. There isn't anything better than that! We are so excited for the huge Thomason Family Christmas dinner tonight. The Nickerls flew in from SC and have been visiting friends in Yuma, but will be back tonight and the girls are so excited to have everyone at our house. There will be 17 cousins including Cat and Sarah; 5 couples and half of the 10 original Thomason kids in one place. By this weekend, Manda and her family will be here and then we will have 6. It is pure craziness! Right now, I am sitting here typing away to the sounds of cleaning by the ECOMAIDS. I love Christmas! So, if all the holiday mess is being cleaned up for me, why am I feeling so foul? Hopefully, 2011 will bring a brighter future and an even happier Holiday season!

Christmas Decorations

So, the lights and garlands and bows have been up for a couple weeks. The tree has been trimmed and the presents wrapped. However, today, I found this lovely at Walmart for $20!!!! How could I not buy it! It is my signature color and goes very lovely in my kitchen.

This is my table scape for the formal dining room. I found at Thanksgiving that I really enjoy making these and they go right along with the fancy feel I try to achieve in that room. I think that they turned out fabulous!

Shutterfly Christmas Cards

Here are my Christmas cards for this year. Didn't they turn out absolutely adorable? I was able to order 50 for free because I participated in the Shutterfly Blogging promo. You can scroll down to see that post and how you can enter. You have to enter before December 31st, so there is still plenty of time. I am so happy with how they turned out and can hardly wait for them to show up in the mail.

With Love Chartreuse Christmas Card

Make a statement with custom Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Shutterfly for Bloggers

Shutterfly is a great online site that enables you to upload photos onto pre-designed cards for any occasion. I am so excited this year to be getting my Christmas cards from Shutterfly! Normally, I spend about a month cutting and gluing and embossing to make home-made Christmas cards. Since I started school a couple months ago, I really don't have the time this year. Shutterfly is going to take care of Christmas this year for me. It is going to cost the same amount for me to order cards as I would normally spend on supplies for making my own cards. I am so excited to have someone else take care of it for me this year. If you want Shutterfly to take care of your cards this busy Christmas season, I have the answer for you.
This link will enable you to receive 50 free prints from Shutterfly! How fantastic is that? You must be a blogger and you will need to post about Shutterfly. There is a small section to fill out, but it is so worth it! Here are some of my favorites.

"With Love, Chartreuse"

"Sweet and Retro"


These are just a few great Christmas cards, look at more here. They also have calendars that would make splendid gifts for Grandmas and Grandpas who live far away, or even for the Dad who has everything, check calendars out here. I have several family members who never quite get out their Christmas cards before it is New Year's; the New Year's cards would be perfect for them. They could say that they planned it that way, check out those cards here. I know that I am already planning to grab the "With Love Chartruese" cards for myself this year, head on over to Shutterfly and find yours! Good Luck!