Here’s a fun fact.

All 3 feet 10 inches of a gidgety 8 year old girl can in fact contract the flu in the middle-endish part of April.

We’re on day three and half of being housebound. She’s pitiful.

Here’s something good, though. Of all my children, my girl is my kindred when it comes to being a homebody. She loves to be at home, to be in her room, to be with her people and outside of a school day and maybe gymnastics she mostly chooses to be here. We’ve had lots of quality time.

And I’ve gotten some good spring cleaning and rearranging done. Like a spice drawer. It makes me so happy. I totally copied a friend so I’m not really a genius.

I finally hung some stuff up around our tv. I did a bit of robbing Peter to pay Paul here and stole things from other walls that I don’t look at as much. It’s a hodge podge, really. My painted lady is a watercolor of my Gee Gee Mama (great grandmother) that my great aunt gave us for a wedding present. My mom cross-stitched the two Charleston cathedrals. The two family crests were my grandmother’s and the needlepoint cottage was my grandma’s. There’s room for one more teensy thing that I’ve yet to figure out.

All this? It’s what I’ve come to call forced rest. Good. Hard. Stir crazy. Rest.

Related: Can you have too many gallery walls?

I wish I could invite all of you over. Last week, you took a post about my friend’s ebook and made encouragement for me. I like y’all. It’s a hard turn after such a heavy weekend but today I’d like to welcome you in to how we do Christmas here at our home.

After the conversations we had in October, I trust you know that the celebration of making a home comes from the work God has done in my heart. You can read all about how to make the wax paper candleholders right here.

I’m linking up today with my friend, Nester. I’ve also passed more than a few minutes browsing all the creativity over there.

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I’ve got another post up at Beautifully Rooted today. Won’t you come over and celebrate the Coming King with me?

Hi. We’re in full on Christmas mode now. Would you like to see?

I’m linking up with my friend, Nester, for her annual tour of homes.

Way back when I was blogging at Handmade Recess, I made this wreath. It felt like it belonged over here, too.

We’ve got four pretty, waxy and full boxwood bushes in our backyard.

And I’ve always coveted those preserved boxwood wreaths.

But not so much the price. I don’t covet that.

So. I googled all around and discovered that it’s pretty easy to make your own. And cheap, too.

Here’s how it went down.

First, I basically did everything that this tutorial instructed.

I hustled myself down to Jo Ann and got some green floral wire and a wire wreath form. I believe that I paid $5 total for the pair of them.

The night before I wanted to make the wreath, I cut a big pile of boxwood and soaked it in water until morning. I’d read somewhere that soaking would prolong prettiness. You can actually preserve your own. It’s just a matter of dipping your clippings in glycerine and letting them dry for three whole weeks. I had this grand idea last week so no preserving for me this year.

Basically, you group then wire then group then layer then wire and repeat. It’s really easy (and much more detailed in that tutorial I linked to up there) and I did it in the span of about thirty minutes with my darling friend Mary Beth supervising.

P.S. Just a note about Mary Beth. When I posted a picture of my ironing pile two weeks ago? She drove over and took it from me without letting me get a no in. She ironed all of my clothes. Did I already post about that? It was the most beautiful service and friendship.

Back to the wreath.

It’s right at home on my mantel now.