Open House

Come on in to our Christmas house.  If you were here last year, very little has changed.  But I do move around the doodads, hoping to find the best look.  Once I really love something, it usually stays that way for years!

This picture is taken standing in the front door ~ we don't really have an entry, but this works.

To the right is the dining room.

I put my red tin toile dishes in front of the regular ones.  I love those tin Christmas dishes.

My nativity sits in the dining room.  It's about 20 years old, but the manger is really old, from my grandparents house ~ maybe even older than me!!  It's musical and plays Silent Night. 

The living room is opposite the dining room.

This nativity sits under the tree for the grandchildren to play with.  I love its bright colors.

I got some new pillows from Dear Lillie ~ love them!

I love this little Italian nativity that sits on this little table.  I could only afford to get one new piece each year, and it was retired before I could get that last king.  My blog friend Debbie only has 2 also and as she reminded us it is not biblical that there are 3 ~ so I am going with that.  I don't feel incomplete any more!!

Thanks Debbie! 

The Nutcrackers are a fairly new addition.

I will get busy and post a few more rooms, I figure I might be ready by the 25th!

I am joining Marty for Tabletop Tuesday.

{and I apologize for the wonky picture arrangement ~ I don't know why they aren't all centered, and that kind of thing really bothers my OCD:-) }

Mantels

I am getting pretty close to finishing my decorating and am ready to join in my first blog party.  And by finished I mean ready to be done.  There are so many good ideas on Pinterest and on different blogs that it is very easy to be unsatisfied with what you have done and feel the need to keep tweaking or make one more trip to H*bby Lobby!  So, I decided to love what I have done, and BE done.  It's a wonderful feeling.  I will admire everyone's decor without feeling the need to "fix" mine.

   Pamela at From My Front Porch to Yours is hosting a mantel party, and as I have 4 mantels I wanted to join in the fun.

This is my see through fireplace.  I get 2 mantels with just one fireplace!  This is the living room, and on the other side is the

library.

I have decorated it this way since we moved into this house, for 5 Christmases.  I love the simplicity and the focus on the Holy Family.  Last year I added some beads for bling, but I like it this way the best.  It looks lovely at night.

Here's the library side.  It is hard to get a photo in this tiny room.  I was having some issues with this mantel and trying a few different looks.

Here's my first try.

This is the final.  I took off the Santas and I like it so much better in this simpler look.   I have had the lanterns forever.

This is the fireplace in our family room/kitchen.  Again, I went for a simple look.  While my sister was visiting we played around with a few of my collections but I decided I like this look the best.  2 snowball candles on one side and my Santa on the other.

A basket of our Christmas books on the hearth.  These are some of my "non" Night Before Christmas books.  I have a collection of those and they get their own basket in the library.

Today is a rainy, gloomy day, but I ran outside anyway and snapped a couple of the outdoor fireplace.

Mason jars and epsom salt ~ simple.  I get the fresh greens at Home Depot in their freebie bin.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek at the decorations.  I'll get busy and get some pictures of the rest.  

Merry Christmas!

Peppermint Party

Ho Ho Ho

It's that time again!

Time for the boys' annual Peppermint Party.

{I am a terrible proofreader.  I know the apostrophe is missing.}

The peppermint trees are holding up well.  I think I made them 2 years ago ~ I just put them in a baggie and store in the cupboard above my cooktop.  The cupboard I can't reach without a tall stool.

We are so "fancy" for our party!  I use wrapping paper to cover the table, and plastic chargers and paper plates.  This year for some reason, the table made me a little dizzy to look at ~ lots of stripes going on!

I found the cute headbands in the dollar bin at Target.

Each child got a little peppermint bag with a peppermint sucker, a candy cane ornament, and a snow globe.

Dessert was peppermint ice cream and "snowballs."

Sweet Elizabeth.

Evan didn't want to wear his headband.

Cooper and Ben having fun.

Our baby Jackson.  { I could just eat him up!}

Cutie pie Emma.

Another favor ~ peppermint play doh made by Laura.  It had glitter and smelled wonderful!

The kids all had a blast, and it was really a very easy party.  We began by watching Rudolph and eating peppermint popcorn.  Then, lunch was ready and they ate and opened their treat bags.  That's always their favorite part I think.  After lunch while the girls cleaned up, I played Christmas bingo with the kids. We play that at all of our Christmas parties and use mini marshmallows as markers.  We also have a stuffed Rudolph that acts like a "hot potato".  He plays music that gets progressively faster as we pass him around the circle.  He's always a fun activity too.

I think the main thing is just to keep it simple, and I keep to my theme with all red and white decor, and a few peppermint foods.  They seem to love it.

I know I do, and I am hoping that these are memories of love and fun at Grandma's that will stay with them always.

Merry Christmas!

I'm joining in the 12 Days of Christmas Party at Keeping the Christmas Spirit Alive, 365

Thank you

What a delightful surprise to find our outdoor kitchen featured at the lovely blog 2805.  Thanks, Honey, for the honor!!  I apologize for the very late thanks, I have been a very absent blogger in November.  {Where did the month go??}


I have good intentions for December so we'll see how that goes.  I am in the midst of decorating as I'm sure so many of you are.  The result is always worth it, but the process isn't as much fun as it used to be, sad to say.  


But, I've got my IPod going with all of my Christmas music and that really gets me in the mood ~ a little snowfall would help too, but as it's about 60 today I'll give that up.  Tonight we go to our daughters' church for their Christmas festival and that is always fun.  They do a live nativity and we just love it.

Thanksgiving Blessings

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving week full of family and fun!

My sister, her husband, their 2 small children, and my brother made the long drive from Minnesota to Texas to spend the week.  They came on the Sunday before Thanksgiving and left on the Saturday after.   When you add our 2 girls and their families it made for a lively group of 15, with 6 being children 6 and under.

Fun times.

Memory making times.

Sad to say I didn't get a lot of pictures.  But, I did get a few and I will share those in the coming days.  

Along with them in their car from Minnesota came a little bug.  It made Emma sick on the way down, it hit Evan first thing Monday morning, and then went to Jim {sister's husband}, then me, to Bob and my brother.  The only one in the house that survived was my sister.  We stayed away from  Laura and Jessica's families until Wednesday hoping to spare them.

Everyone was well on Thanksgiving {so we were extra thankful!} and preparations were kept very simple!  I used my everyday dishes and paper napkins but I think the table was pretty in a very simple way.

My girls really did the bulk of the cooking so it was very easy for me.  I think the only thing I made was the gravy! 

I love having adult daughters:-)

The glimpse below is of the children's table ~ brown paper covered their table.

We had a wonderful time together.  

I am so thankful for my family!

An Award

I was honored and surprised to receive this award from Suzy who blogs at Worthing Court.  Thank you Suzy! 


                            

The recipient of this award is asked to thank the blogger who bestowed this award upon them and to include a link back to their blog.  Then to pass the award onto fifteen other bloggers, include a link to each of their blogs and to reveal seven things about yourself that others may not 

know.

Hmmm, 7 things about me.

  

1.  I married my high school sweetheart, we were voted cutest couple of our senior class.

2.  We have lived in 6 states in our almost 35 year marriage.

3.  We have twin daughters and the 4 cutest grandchildren on earth!!

4.  My mother had twins too, and my twins were born on the same day ~ 13 years later.

5.  I hate to exercise ~ 

6.  I have my Christmas shopping almost done, and everything is wrapped.  I feel panicky if it's not wrapped by Halloween.

7.  I love to organize.  Although my garage currently looks like it is auditioning for Hoarders. 

That was difficult.  I have new found admiration for those of you with the list of 100 things ~ 7 was tough for me.

I could not single out 15 blogs, so please consider yourself awarded if you are reading this.  I so appreciate each and 
everyone of you that stops by!!