OH CHRISTMAS TREE

Our tree is up and decorated. Finally.

Always a trip down memory lane. It's a hodgepodge of the last 33 years, even longer actually. Mike used to give me Christmas ornaments when we were dating once upon a time. Sadly, some were lost a couple of years ago when our tree inexplicably flung itself onto the hardwood. For reasons known only to it. And very possibly the cat.

Because my MIL is a saver, our tree includes lots of little treasures like Mike's baby shoe...

And many handmade ornaments. I was very into cross-stitch the first year of our marriage and made several of these, which I traded with my neighbor. Also newly wed and into cross-stitch.

 Designed these when our daughter was in Pony Club for their entry in The Festival of Trees. What fun it was, putting these together with a bunch of horse-crazy girls.

I still have oodles of little clay hooves, should I ever be in the mood to make them again. I treasure the ornaments given to us by friends and family over the years, as well as those I bought to commemorate special events. Added this French flag the year our son was working in France and did not come home for Christmas, our first holiday separation.

My brother sent this pheasant feather ornament when he was living in Idaho.

Made these Santas the year I was madly into felt.

These little guys are a family favorite. My MIL saved and sent away Rice Krispies box tops for them, eventually collecting six, enough for each of her sons to have a pair.

The tree is done, the outside lights are up, and every nook and cranny is as Christmas-y as I can make it...

Now to finish the shopping, and start the baking, and the wrapping...and on and on, but remembering to pause now and again to appreciate the beauty of the season.

XO.

MANTEL: BEFORE AND AFTER

We moved into this house seven and a half years ago. The location was perfect, there was room to build a barn, the house.... we could work with. One of the things I didn't like was the fireplace mantel in the family room. Too dinky for the high ceilings, I thought. Conversely, the seller thought it was a real selling point. Handcrafted by the builder, she said. Hmmm...dinky. Just a long rectangular box. If I'm ever called upon to give a snake a proper burial, I'll have just the thing.

Going through some old magazines, a couple of weeks ago, I saw a picture of the mantel I wanted. I showed it to Mike. Do-able, he said.

So he did.

I love it! It's exactly right. We were so excited about this upgrade, that we were inspired to hit the furniture stores, and found the perfect  entertainment center. It had such a cavernous space for a TV, however, that our poor little television looked silly and lost , and you can probably guess what happened next. I'll show you the entertainment center and new TV next time. Also, the sofa. Oh dear, "if you give a mouse a cookie." Do you know that book by Laura Numeroff? It was a favorite when our children were small. If you give a mouse a cookie, he might ask for a glass of milk, then a story, then a pillow, a nap, and so on. It's like that with decorating, don't you think? One upgrade leads to another. New drapes can make a rug look shabby .New end tables make the lampshades look a little sad. And so it goes.
Now, I'm on a fall cleaning binge. Somebody stop me before I hurt myself.
XO.