FFF- Ornaments

It has been awhile since I've done a Favorite Foto Friday post and today's theme was just the right one to get me back on board! Ornaments, now how can you go wrong with a theme like that?!? So here's a peak at a few of the ornaments we have hanging on our tree....with one warning. I'm a lame photographer and could not figure out the setting I needed to get these darn things in sharp focus! I think it's on a face recognition system and without a face to focus on it was confused. Every year as the lid is lifted from the storage box, both girls dive in eagerly looking for this ornament... a teeny, tiny wooden manger scene that we bought from a missionary group that ran a sale at our church. It was a MUST buy once we saw the "Made in Guatemala" stamp!! Yes, that is a "fake" tree! I'm a born and bred "real" tree kind of gal but Patrick smiles every year as he reminds me that Julia is allergic....the man never did like all those falling pine needles!! Mari insists on finding and hanging this one... the "cheese eating mice" as they call this ornament given to Patrick and I to commemorate our first Christmas together. Why does she like this one? I have no idea other than she is a VERY routine oriented child! Every year the girls get an ornament from my sister-in-law from Seattle... this is one from the carousel animal series she sent one year. We do have a lot of animal ornaments on our tree! There are also more than a few masterpieces made by the ladies of the house! The pre-school they attended was BIG on ornament crafts and SEVERAL would come home EVERY year...and of course you have to hang EVERYTHING your children make. There were a couple of years where the bottom branches of my tree resembled a bulletin board! Some are just favorite characters picked up on vacations to places much warmer and sunnier than Illinois....sigh. Back to the topic, there are quite a few versions of another favorite character.... Santa!!! The drink of choice of the Dad of the house is also frequently depicted...I counted four different teapot ornaments. Santa themed again but demonstrating a certain pet peeve of one lady of the house...while Julia embossed items abound, any thing with Mari is basically unheard of, so she has to 'settle' on her formal name if she is to have a 'personalized' ornament. Santa also appears in the good old fashioned glass style too!! And these would NOT be Santa's!! Usually a self-respecting Irish man would NEVER display anything English but Patrick humors me since these are mementos of vacations to London and... besides, there are plenty of these on the tree to make up for the few treasonous one! See, pre-school ornament #279....just kidding! It's cute with the hand traced wings and picture face but that glitter leaves it's mark for months after Christmas!!! More animals, also from Seattle sister-in-law who has now clued in on a certain lady's passion. Julia really gets a kick out of this little Zebra because he's also a working TOY! When you push on the bottom of the base the zebra collapses and then snaps back into place one you let go! Julia also gets a kick out of this ornament.... These two Wheaten terriers are sitting in a wash tub filled with bubbles (cotton balls) while drinking champagne. Another ornament given to Patrick and I to commemorate our first Christmas together which one of our children insists on being the one to hang!?!? Pre-school ornament #436...again exaggerating. The bling would rightly lead you to guess that Mari was the maker of this ornament...and she's now 12. That's right folks, nine years later and this paper decor still makes it's way onto our tree! AND this would be the storage box...which still sits open at the foot of the tree waiting for us to finally finish! Truthfully, I'm just fine with the tree the way it is so I may just put the lid on the box and put it back in the closet. The ladies have moved on to parties and presents so there's no chance they'll be back to hang more! I'm now off to bed! Trying the Tylenol PM with a glass of warm milk since I will need to be fresh and fired up tomorrow. Why, you ask? Well here's a peak at what's laid out on my kitchen table as a hint.....