New Year

 I'm not so great at New Year's.

I'm not sure why, other than it feels a little forced.  

I am excited about the prospect of a new year, new adventures, and new beginnings,

but I'm just not good at the whole celebration of it all.  

Lame, right?   

At any rate, I WILL have a fabulous time tonight 

- at the very least I can count on the music-

wink, wink

I'll just pretend like it's any random night!

That'll work.  

Nesting

The days after Christmas are always the same for me, 

I just wanna be at home.  

It's such a good time to snuggle in and enjoy the calm before the new year begins.  

And, I absolutely adore this quote:

My family has adhered to this mantra since I was a little girl and I intend on keeping my Christmas mess for a little longer.  

Post-Christmas Post

This year, I made a concentrated effort to put the camera down and experience Christmas.  

....which means I really don't have any great pictures.  Boo.

However, my hubs totally took up the slack and got some way cute video and that will have to do for this year!

Here are a few shots of my mom's trees.  

One was totally decorated with candy, of course that was G's favorite!

For Keeps

I'm always a little sad to see Christmas go, but this year we've prolonged it a little.  

There will still be parties and family time throughout the week.  

Love it!

Very Merry

Sparkle and Shine

It's almost here! 

Hope you're having as much fun as we are on our Country Christmas!

Sign Of The Season

I found this sign at our local antique warehouse (and by local, I mean 2 minutes away from my house) a few years ago and   

I bought it in hopes of one day displaying it in our current home.  

In all the hustle and bustle last Christmas it never made it out of the garage, 

but I was so happy to re-discover it now.   

And, I look forward to moving it around the house for many years to come!

Same But Different

I knew I wanted to keep my moss table runner since I just made it for Thansksgiving, but I did want a little change for Christmas.  

It needed to be a little more sparkly and light for this festive holiday so I removed the branches and added lots of white.  

Christmas Cards

How do you display your Christmas cards?

Set up on the mantle?

Tied with a ribbon?

Lucky for me, I have the PERFECT Christmas card display!

In fact, that's all it's good for since it's a pier mirror with no mirror.  

I punch holes in each of the cards, then hang with ornament hangers.  It's like decorating the tree each day when the mail comes!  You just add a few at a time.  :-)

I'm Ready

For the most part, the big stuff is done and I'm ready to 

It's A Wrap!

At a recent Christmas party, a friend and I discovered a shared love for all things paper.  

...especially at Christmas.  

So, when my gold & silver packages looked a little dull under the pink & red tree, I relied on paper to spruce 'em up by way of  fun gift tags.  

(With the help of one super cute, talented, creative, new college graduate!!  We had a wrapping party one night last week - she cut them out while I wrapped.)

Outdoor Decor

I really stayed with my natural theme this year and this is how the front turned out.  

...and a few night shots.  

Spreading Cheer

What songs are you singing?

G's favorite this year is "Riding Through The Snow." 

Everybody knows that one, right?

'Tis The Season

to EAT!!!!!

...and I've been doing a lot of it.  

With all these goodies around, it's hard to resist.  

I made these for one of G's friends.  

...and I made these for a cookie exchange, but I was afraid G was getting sick and kept him home.  

So that meant the cookies stayed home, too.  

Hope you have a fun weekend, don't eat too much!!

Scenes From Wonderland

Here are a few shots from the Fest of Trees to keep your Christmas spirit up!

  

Green

I loved this simple look of pine waiting to be woven into garland.  

So pretty.