I Can't Believe It's Over!

I guess I'm kind of like a lot of other people in that I am always a little disappointed when Christmas is over. We spend so much time in preparation that we kind of don't want it to end. I will say, it's a good thing I'm a crafter. Because, even while I am already missing the excitement of Christmas (and my house is still decorated but the family is gone), thoughts of Valentine's Day have started to creep into my mind. I don't usually start to take down Christmas until January 1 but when that is done, I will go straight into Valentines. I used to decorate for "winter" for a few weeks until I realized just how much extra work I was giving myself by taking down all of the Christmas red, putting up white and pine for just a very short time only to take that all down and go back to the red. I finally caught on and decided to "skip the middle man".

My entire family (15 of us) and 5 large dogs made it here this year. It was a loud, crazy, furry, crowded chaos...but we loved every minute of it.

 The last of the family left yesterday so I am using today to get sheets, comforters and towels washed, extra serving pieces and dishes put away, etc. After that, there are a few extra notes and cards to write and mail and 2020 calendars to get set. There is more than enough to keep me busy until the new year arrives. Take down is always hard but I am already getting some Valentines ideas floating by so I think I will be ready.

In the meantime, I want to chronicle just a bit of our holiday. For some reason, I am never good at taking a lot of pictures during the fun. My SIL took the ones of these that are actually clear. I wish I had taken more but, I was just too darn busy enjoying.

This is how the family room always looks before anyone arrives. I push all of the furniture back to the walls so there is lots of empty floor space for gift opening-and, this year, extra space for more fur babies.

And, before I know it, cars start arriving and the room soon starts to fill up. 

And, any time I can get all 7 of my grand children in one place, there has to be the obligatory "Nana" picture!

The day after Christmas, we got all of the females together to go see "Little Women". What a treat to have them all here for that. Oh how I wish we were all always in the same town and could do these things more often. But, when they do happen, I have learned to treasure them all the more!

There are no big plans for New Year's Eve at my house this year so this will probably be the end of my posts fro 2019. I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday and I will see you soon to get the new year going! Stay tuned. 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! I'm sure the opening of presents is now over in most homes around the world...but not here at my house. My family will all start trickling in soon and then the fun will begin! But, until that happens, I have a few minutes to record all of the fun that I had yesterday.

Daughter #3, her family and I attended a beautiful candle light service at their church. After church, we headed downtown. We knew it would be bustling and lines would probably be long, but, we were fine with that!

We started at our favorite restaurant and were told there was a 2 hour wait. Not exactly what we wanted to hear, but we were in for the long haul. The funny thing is that we almost always prefer eating outside...and, usually, so do many other people. But, there was just the slightest of mists coming down, so no one was outside. We decided to give it a go and were seated. Honestly, by the time the appetizers and wine arrived, it had stopped "misting" and was perfect. It got a little bit chilly as the night went on, but it IS Christmas time and that is what we wanted. We had a long dinner going from apps to dessert and enjoyed watching all of the hustle and bustle on the square.

As we left dinner, we decided to see what the wait would be for a carriage ride.This is usually a VERY long wait but, as if the heavens opened for us again (lol), if we were all there within 5 minutes, we could have the private carriage. And, to make it even better, the carriage and driver were from the horse farm where my grand daughter took riding lessons so she knew both the driver and the horse and we had the most wonderful trip all through town. This was definitely the high light of the evening for me as this ride has been a family tradition for many years and we missed it last year-which made me sad. I always hate to break tradition. I was as excited as the kids waiting for Santa.

The square is so beautifully decorated and it was full of families with multiple generations -little ones, parents, grand parents, family, friends and even fur babies. It was the perfect way to fill up on spirit at this time of year that can be stressful for many.

We did a bit of light watching as we drove through a few neighborhoods and then headed back to their house to make sure the reindeer food got out so Santa knew where to land his sleigh.

This was a bit of a bitter sweet moment as my grand daughter told me this was the last year they would be able to do this. I quickly asked why and she reminded me that she is in 5th grade. The reindeer food is usually made at the 5th grade Christmas field trip out to Camp Kiwanis and, as she would be in middle school school next year, there would be no one left to make the food. I did remind her that I actually have Santa's recipe for the special mixture but I think half the fun of it for her is the whole experience of making it at camp and then bringing it safely home...and in this case, keeping it away from your dogs so they don't find it and eat it-haha... so we shall see what next year brings.

So, Christmas Eve 2019 is now officially in the books and I am looking forward to all of the fun that today has in store. I hope everyone is having a family-filled day. I'll be back with more before you know it. Stay tuned.

Last One...I Promise..I Think!?

I'm blaming it on the rain today. It is the kind of day where you want to stay inside...and maybe watch Christmas movies. And, that is exactly what I thought I would do. But, I ended up baking more cookies. And then, I just knew I needed to get the guest rooms decorated. I mostly decorate those rooms-since they were my girls' rooms when they lived here-with lots of old Santa pictures from their childhood and I know they always love their trip down memory lane...so, how could I not do them this year? Here is daughter #1's room.

And, daughter #2's room.

My youngest daughter's old room is now my office and the grands "dormitory". Ever since the four oldest grand daughters were young, this Barbie tree has been here for them at Christmas. Even though they are all well past the Barbie days, they would be heart broken if they didn't fall asleep to this pink glow at Nana's for the holiday!

And then I made the mistake of watching a house tour on a site I follow. And right there, in front of my eyes, was something I had never thought about. The owner had used a swag and lights nestled up against the back of a side board. And the light bulb went off! I have been thinking my dining room needed more holiday twinkle but, since I had removed the faux fireplace, there was no where else to hang some. I never really thought that swagging didn't need to be hung.

And so, with just one swag left over and a set of white lights, I tried it out...and, I love it. It adds just the right amount of twinkle to this side of the room. It was hard to get a good picture but, trust me, the glow is beautiful. It kind of radiates out from the back of the side board and is just perfect!

And now I'm done. I promise. I think. wink-wink. Stay tuned.

Seriously?

Seriously. For those of you who know me, was there ever any doubt? I just kept thinking about the twinkly tree in the master bath and then realized that I could achieve it without ever leaving my house. I simply took the tree that had been on the sunroom table and moved it to the bathroom. Now, this is what I see from my bed:

And, in its place in the sunroom is my crazy mixed up Christmas cactus...finally in a place of distinction because after all of these years of blooming at Thanksgiving or EASTER, it has finally come home to where it should be-blooming at Christmas.

And with that, I think I am done tweaking for this year...let the fun begin. Stay tuned.

Wrapping It Up...Literally & Figuratively

So, my 2019 Christmas plans are now pretty much figured out and written in ink! With my crazy gang, it sometimes takes right down to the wire to get this done so, I am kind of ahead of the game this year.

It looks my three youngest grand children will be here the next two days to do some baking and then help with any other loose ends-like a few things in the yard that have been neglected with the either cold or rainy weather we have had. Forecasts are good for awhile, so it is nice to be out in the fresh air and, if we can accomplish a chore or two, all the better. Then, the Christmas Eve church service time has been chosen as well as a place to eat out. Daughter #3 usually makes a beautiful meal but, with her entire house down to the studs, cooking would be impossible and, since everyone will be at my house the next day, letting someone else do the cooking that night sounds like the best plan. And then, of course, all of the out-of-town family will be arriving the next afternoon. It will be a full, happy, loud, chaotic house but that is just how we like it.

In any case, just a few more things to show you. I know you're probably over decor by now, but it truly helps me next year so I like to keep it all documented. We'll start with the guest bath...pretty straight forward and, since so people will be using it over the next week, pretty pared back so there is room to actually function.

And, lastly, the master bedroom. I still love my PB "knock-off" sign and the glow of those lights at night is magical.

Here is where the extra Nutcracker photos ended up...plus, our old, childhood Christmas photos as well as my mom's Christmas pins and the little ceramic angels that she always put on a candle every year in her decorating.

 

I love the "stained glass" picture that my grand daughter made for us many years ago.

The master bath is hard to photograph without my image showing up in the mirror so this is the best I could do.

If I weren't so "over" crowds and traffic, I might head out to find another tree for this spot. I think one would look nice sitting in an old crock or wooden box with some tiny twinkling lights...maybe next year!

I just realized that I haven't decorated the guest rooms. Maybe I'll leave that until tomorrow and see if the kids want to help.

Somewhere in my browsings, I saw a post about an "old" wooden grain scoop used in decorating and I couldn't get it out of my head. The lady posted that she got it at Tractor Supply and I actually thought it was one sold to really scoop grain. I pushed it into the back of my head until I saw another post about one and discovered they were in the home decor section...and then, I started seeing so many posts about how people had used them and how they had decorated them...and I knew I could resist no longer. We actually have a Tractor Supply not too, too far from my house, so off I went and snagged one before they were all sold out. And, on sale to boot.

Of course, when I got home and started trying to figure out where it would go, I realized that there is nary a free spot anywhere in my entire home right now. And so, I just put some greenery in it and a cranberry candle, put it on top of the basket that holds dish towels and slate serving trays on my kitchen counter and called it a day. But, I just love the feel of it and I think it will be one of those things that will remain out and be decorated for every holiday and season.

So that is it for the Christmas house this year. I will probably be back with some photos of the weekend craziness but for now, I'm off to scratch a few more things off of my list. Stay tuned.

So Many Santas, So Little Time

I have always had an affinity to Santas. I especially love the vintage looking Santas. For years, family and friends have gifted me with Santas. And, for many years, I made Santas to gift to others. A few years ago, I decided I had hit my limit and I actually got rid of some that I had just purchased and didn't have a special meaning. For a year or two, I cut back with how many I actually displayed but couldn't bring myself to part with them...and boy am I glad that I didn't. For some reason, this year, I craved my Santas again.

I know decorators will say to put all of your collection together in one place and to not spread them out around your home but, quite honestly, I have way too many to do that without making it look like a store...and, I decorate with what I like and very seldom listen to decorating rules - much to my two decorator daughters' dismay. If I like it, I do it! It is my house and I'm not letting any design police in any time soon so I feel confident I'm safe from decorating jail!

In any case, I decided to go around and see how many of the Santas I made are still around. Here are the ones I found.

I remember I found the pattern for this guy in a magazine...probably Woman's Day or Family Circle?

A friend gifted me with a Santa similar to this and I liked him so much, I made a bunch to give to family and friends that year. He is mad out of papier mache' clay.

I think I saw these guys at a craft fair and ran home and whipped some up out of canvas and some texturizing paint.

I was all about antique candy molds back then...I actually did wax figures for almost every holiday I could find a mold for. I poured beeswax into the molds and then after they were hardened, I painted them.

Another friend gifted me a similar batting Santa and I borrowed her idea and made a bunch of these cuties.

I found the idea for this guy at a huge country Christmas show my friends and I used to attend every year. He is mad out of velvet wrapped dowels, faux fur and wavy, white hair..

This one is from the year I was obsessed with all things Bingo card and ephemera.

I love these Santas. They are just made out of felt and braid embellishment.

I almost forgot this guy. He is from way back when my eyes were so much better and I had some piece of counted cross stitch always in the works.

And, as I was looking through old blogs, I saw a few of my Christmas pictures that I forgot to get out this year. When I went in search of them, I came across all of the old cross stitch Santas I used to make. They put out a new pattern every year and I was so faithful...until life just got in the way. I think I even continued to buy the patterns for a few years thinking I would eventually get time again to get back to a favorite pastime but, alas, I never did.

And, because I have suddenly developed my love of all things Santa again, I decided I wanted them out. The last time they were on display, they were nailed all around the door frame in the sunroom.
 but, I never really liked that and so they got put up...until now. I walked all over the house trying to decide where I could hang them when I realized I now had a ledge over some of my doors and windows...and decide to give it a try. It is a bit busier than I like but, i am happy to see them all on display once again. They're not necessarilry evenly spaced because it was simply a game of hit amd miss with the different sized frames and the up and down on the step stool got old pretty quicjkly. I did take off the hangers on the back so they would lean a bit better and then I got my old PlastiTac from teacjing days and kind of got a big glob on each one. Hoping they don't fall on anyone's head if somwone closes a door in the sunroom!

Sorry for my trip down memory lane but I am realizing more and more every year how much I am truly steeped in tradition. I have never been one to like change but especially at this time of year. I love all of the beautiful new palettes that people are using for Christmas...just not in my house. I somehow just can't break from what is old and comfy...nor do I want to,

Hope everyone is having a wonderful pre-Christmas season and enjoying all of things still left to do. I know I am. Heading off to watch a Christmas movie while I make another list-and check it twice! Lol Stay tuned.