Decking the Halls

I finally got some Christmas stuff up.  It takes a lot longer when it's a new house.  Usually you just put things where they go right?  This year nothing had a place yet.  Here's the mantel.

I turned the blue window around to reveal the white side and added a wreath.  I added red candles to the candle sticks too.  The homemade stockings are back.  It's nice to not have to be scrambling to make a new one this year.  I was running out of ideas for characters on the front.  Each year the kids get a new ornament that matches the character on their stocking.  This way when they have trees of their own, their ornaments will all be the same theme, and we don't have to argue about which ornament belongs to which person.

I am finding myself in love with all things "sugar coated" right now.  Santa above and Snowman below.  The garland was easy.  I just got a couple of yards of pom pom trim and sewed the two colors together.  My blinds in my childhood bedroom had lime green pom pom trim, so it brings back good memories.

I also am in love with all the retro Christmas decor out there.  This is our $7 advent calendar that I discovered yesterday.  Too bad December is half over already.  I forgot I had it.

Some more sugar coated trees that I found at Hobby Lobby.  They remind me of something out of a  Dr. Suess book.

A new nativity scene from a local artist.  I just love their faces.

I've gone sort of wreath crazy this year.  I bought 12 new wreaths this year alone.  Adding to my already extensive wreath collection.  Before you judge, scroll down to the next picture and see the reason for so many wreaths.

I put wreaths on almost every window in the house.  Thank goodness I found them for $4 a piece at a craft store here.  In Texas, my wreath cladded windows were a novelty, but now that we are back in colonial house country, we fit right in.  I just love a house with wreaths on the windows, candles in each window and a spotlight on the house to light it all up.  It looks so great, and you don't have to send your children up trees to get the lights just right.

Since the above picture is actually another "in between" project, I should include the before.

On a warm day in November, we painted the trim around the front door and the pediments above all the windows.  It looks so much better.  I had painted the door gray a while back, and it looked horrible with the trim color.  The plan was always to paint it white, but I thought we had run out of exterior painting weather.  Thank you mother nature.  I have a gallon of black paint for the shutters, but that will definitely have to wait until spring. 

And as always, Buddy, our elf, always has a special place in decking our halls.  Here he was making snow angels in a pile of sugar on the kitchen table.  No one noticed that his arms are actually sewed together not to mention that the arm impression would not be possible with his long arms.  I guess my kids aren't that observant. 

I still have a pile of things that haven't found a place yet.  However, last night I realized that Christmas is really only a week and a half away, so what's the point?  I'll have to find a place for them next year.  I hope all of you are enjoying this wonderful season and remembering the real reason for all the celebration.  It's so easy to get lost in all the school parties, band concerts, piano recitals, gift finding, card mailing commotion.  Merry Christmas!