JOYEUX NOEL

I want to thank everyone, from the bottom of my heart, who sent their warm condolences to me after the passing of my father. It has been a truly long week and although I feel a little numb, I still have the drive to make this a very Merry Christmas for my family. I had planned to downsize the decorating a bit this year anyway and that pretty much happened on it's own. Still, I'm pleased with how everything turned out.
This old pitcher started out with one branch filled with pine cones and berries. Soon I was stuffing it with anything festive that came along and needed a home. It sits on a runner that I made last year out of drop cloth and fabric paint.
Our tree is weighed down with ornaments {The Husband did a great job picking out a perfect one at Home Depot, don't you think?}. I have to confess, I didn't decorate the back of the tree and only used about half of my ornaments. I also need to fiddle with my mantel a bit more...I took a nap after the funeral yesterday and when I woke up, Emily had cleaned the house and had packed away the rest of the decorations and all the boxes. So I need to scoot downstairs and see what I can come up with.
During some downtime, I read a few blogs and stayed in touch just by skimming over some of the pretty holiday decorations. It was much better than reading or looking at any magazine. The inspiration is just incredible. And I am amazed by the talent so many of you women have.
These little guys are new this year...I couldn't pass them up. The wind around just about anything with their arms and legs. My chairs are perfect for this. They really make me smile.
Our holiday celebrations begin on the 23rd, when family comes in from out of town. This is when I will be needing all of the baking that I was supposed to be doing. And I have presents trickling in that I ordered online and I need to play catch up with the wrapping. These things don't feel like chores, if anything I have felt the need to grab the horse by the tail. These are special times and special days and we need to feel the love all around us as we prepare for this blessed day.

I have left out some things I wanted to show all of you because of the poor quality of lighting in my house today {we had tons of snow last night}. I hope to post that before Saturday. And I have received some wonderful gifts in the mail that I want to share, so I'll be back soon. Happy Holidays! :-)