MY 2014 CHRISTMAS HOME TOUR PART 1 (?)

I promised myself a simple and pretty look for Christmas and I think I held true to that. The problem is it seems, it takes more time to pick and choose what I want from the many bins I have, and then that little voice in my head chanting, "Too much? Too little?" lol! So I did my best. This poor little poinsettia nearly didn't make the show. I picked her up at a garden nursery where we found our tree. Afterwards we went out for a light dinner and brought the leftovers home in brown bags. Yep, you guessed it, she was stored in the fridge alongside the hamburgers and pasta! A little shriveled at first but I think we're okay. Next to my survivor are a few vintage ornaments from my childhood days. Thank you, Dad. Hope you're smiling on us from heaven.

I guess I have a thing for old chippy windows and they look so perfect on a mantel. This is the one I found a few weeks ago. It's just perfect surrounded by some fresh greenery and a real boxwood wreath. Funny, the only place I have artificial greens is outside on my porch! Ha!

I really am rocking the pillows this year and so many were recently found at Homegoods. You just can't find a better deal. This is my favorite...maybe!

This is the natural wood and grapevine "window" I found at L.L. Bean. I can't wait to see it when there is some snow outside. So far it has missed us. Very odd compared to last year. Parts of Northern Illinois have gotten it, not us.

I don't like using a bad picture but you probably can't give a Christmas tour without the tree and it was just so foggy and gloomy today. I couldn't get the camera to focus, thus there was a bit of wiggle. I'll post another next time. We put the monster of a tree in the corner of the room because it basically was the only space it could fit in. And since it's a beast, my hearth seems to look like an appendage of it! Still, it's a beautiful tree and I loved decorating it. I did some ribbon on it...next post will be close up shots. I used a thin type of burlap with a gold trim on the edges. Just perfect with the variety of ornaments I have, You know, paint stamps of the kids hands, "Babies First Christmas", terrible things I've tried to craft over the years! It's all there. I have stockings for all 4 kids and their partners, I'll get a close up of those for you next time, too.

If you click on the picture to see it larger, you can see the mantel better. I seemed to gravitate to a 'tree' theme without knowing it. I found the woolly trees last year at Windsor, and then this year I found the candles on the right at Crate & Barrel and I thought they were so sweet together. At the garden nursery I came upon these mini cypress trees, and voila, a little winter wonderland with just some greenery and candles. A little more than the 'simple" I wanted but I to have that candlelight! :)

You had a peek at my family room in my last post. This is the opposite side of the room. I love draping garland, especially the textured sort everywhere I can.

The sofa. Ugh...those wires are now glaring at me. We have Surround Sound in here (although it doesn't help me, but boy, when a boom or bomb goes off on TV, the house shakes. ;-)

The coffee table is a bit of colorful whimsy. I love my choir girls but I really miss that 5th one who's head broke off. Santa, bring me a few more!

The sofa divides the room and here you have my office. Seriously! My laptop and notebooks, pens and scraps of paper are hidden on the seat of that chair towards the back. I love this space as I can see outside and our backyard is always alive with everything blooming in the summer, the squirrels acting wacko in the fall, and of course the falling snow on a white carpet in the winter. Yes, we actually have an office but I like this better. I'm not a big fan of tablecloths but I tried one out this year. Like?

The year of the ribbon. I'm having a ball with it, and getting pretty good. Now can anyone teach me how to tie a simple bow?

Little touches in the master bedroom, home of my never ending insomnia. I actually ordered two red standard size ticking stripe shams from Pottery Barn and they sent me one standard and one European. Waiting on the standard (which went on sale by the way ;-) More little sweet treasures around,,,just too gloomy to give them justice, but I will. :)

A little greenery in the bathroom. I used to keep magazines in this basket but they would get warped and shrivel from the steam! Ha!

In the bathroom, I used one of those Mason jar candles I made awhile ago, you can see how here. Some red ticking hand towels and some Christmasy soaps and that's it for the shelves. :)

At our farmer's market/nursery/grocery store at the lake this weekend, I saw this outside and I just loved !! I know some of you that have the deer chomping on your veggies and fruit trees may not like this to attract the gentle giants, but I just thought it was so cool!

And yes, this was a bittersweet time at the lake at the memorial for my friend Bob. Thank you for your prayers. It was held at his and Sharon's home and thank goodness their house is large...there were tons of people. Food and sweets and wine, a party Bob would have loved. Still..so sad that I will never see him again, he was such a huge part of my life at the lake. Rest in peace, dear man, and love and prayers to your precious family.

Sunday was a wonderful 50 degrees in most of the upper Midwest and on my lake. I pulled up a chair on the patio and sipped a big mug of tea to keep me warm. Layla rolled in the grass and Milo ran all over our property in search of new smells that will most likely disappear once we get really cold.

It wasn't all that fantastic yesterday when I realized the intermittent coughing Milo was having had gotten worse over the weekend. I didn't even know dogs could cough and I'm a dog lover/owner from way back. Then my son, Jeff, who leaves his hound Tulo with me for days on end, told me Tulo had a respiratory infection. Yes, they can be passed on from pet to pet. I got Milo in to the vet on an emergency basis and sure enough, he was wheezing and had a high fever. So he's on meds and from this picture I took last night, he got some relief and passed out cold on my bed, little Layla watching over. She hides under the bed when Tulo is here so I guess she escaped the germs!

Lastly, I want you to hop over to my friend Elaine's blog. She is having a great giveaway. And...read how she met Matthew Mead! Yikes! We have been friends for a long time and she writes about life in Boston and the New England area. Sigh...such a beautiful part of our country. Visit her at Cafe Chatelaine.