Holidays a deux

Something my husband and I have always made sure of is spending time together, even during the madness of the holidays.


Even if it is just for a few minutes while the kids are (gasp!) watching a video, it is very important to us to have some time to chill and talk about what's going on in our lives, what our plans are for the next few days, to make sure we're in sync and not forget anything in our busy schedule.


We don't have fancy china or a lot of heirloom pieces but I like to set a table for two with items that mean a lot to us:

The runner on top of the off-white tablecloth was made by my mom. The yellow napkin underneath the leaf and mug on the right is part of a set made by me. Yep, I sewed a set of 16 napkins because I loved the color of the fabric I found. The three little pumpkins in front were purchased at my youngest's pumpkin patch field trip, and then the boys and I painted them with a clear glaze, then sprinkled glitter on top. They look so sweet and remind me of the fun I had with my boy that day. The ORB-painted candlestick is my on of my beloved fleur-de-lis candlesticks, which I found on sale at Goodwill. The little ceramic holder (you can see it better in the second pic) was gifted to us full of yummy almonds last year, after we ate the almonds I couldn't part with it :D

Some hot chocolate and good conversation makes for a nice break - we are lucky that my mother-in-law watches the boys often for us, and we get to spend some quality time together.