Merry Christmas From Our House to Yours!

Wishing all my readers, friends, and family a very Merry Christmas!

We don't have snow this year so I thought I'd share this one from a few years ago.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Cozy Cottage Christmas

This past summer we worked hard with our son, Eric, getting his new home ready to move into.  I just thought you might like seeing how the living room looks decorated for Christmas and see the transformation.

Our old skinny tree fits in nicely without blocking the cabinets surrounding the fireplace.

This is what it looked like before.

He removed the mirror and thankfully it wasn't glued to the wall.  I did have to retexture the area behind the mirror because of a few hairline cracks.

My hubby fixed the firebox and Eric is ready for his first toasty fire.

Thanks Bonnie for doing all the beautiful Christmas decorating!

Our Christmas Tree

I'm sure that everyone is busy shopping, decorating, and baking but I wanted to share my tree this year and show you the difference between last years tree and this years.

"2013 Tree"  

(this now belongs to our son)

"2014 Tree"

My sister gave us the beautiful desk on the left and this is where I fill my print orders.  When she sold her home she was getting rid of several pieces of furniture and I was the lucky recipient of this piece made by a friend of hers.  I didn't realize how skinny my old tree was for this area.

I hung the kids stockings on the coat rack this year because the shelf with the pegs is gone.

Jersey decided to photo bomb...

and once again without Jersey….

Rick keeps telling me I should clean the glass on the stove door before taking pictures, so please don't  judge me.  There's just too much to do around here.

I'm taking photos at my son's house today, so I'll be able to show you how our old skinny tree fits into his cozy cottage.

Off to make peanut butter fudge and wrap presents!

Check out the link to Kelly's blog The Lilypad Cottage.  This is where I got the inspiration for my tree this year because we bought the same flocked tree from Walmart.  Her home is lovely!

Folk Art Christmas Pillows

You may have noticed the new Pixel store in the shop links at the top of this blog.  Click on the link to go to my store where many of my paintings are now available as pillows.  Check out my "Caroling in Winterberry" pillow if you are looking for that special piece to finish off your Christmas decor or to give as a gift.  They even offer phone cases.

I have finally finished decking the halls throughout the house….

I do keep tweaking it though.  Do you tend to redo things or simply call it good?

It is the time of year for giving and if you are interested in giving to a good cause, I've put a link for a fundraiser for a dear friend of ours who is battling cancer at the top right column of my blog.  He is once again starting chemo this week and your prayers would be greatly appreciated.  Prayer can make a huge difference and his family would like for him to battle this cancer without having to worry about the bills.  

Christmas Red and White Cheer My Heart

Thankfully I have photos from Christmas last year to help me decorate this week.  I loved the red and white theme last year and I'm so glad that I had photos to remind me where everything went.  Seeing these images from 2013 put a smile on my face and cheer in my heart and I knew I had to repeat it for this year.

I believe my garden man plaque is happy with the red cardinals too!  Now it's down to business and getting this done for 2014!

My plans for the New Year involve painting the walls in this room a different color and to get rid of the outdated grapevine stenciling.  Painting around the faux marble fireplace may prove to be a challenge!

Kitchen Christmas Chalkboard Door

After a long break away from blogging, I'm refreshed and ready to roll once again.  This week I'm doing my Christmas decorating.  Click on the chalk board image for a closer view.  I love my Susan Branch calendar and can't wait to see what the 2015 calendar looks like.

This door in my kitchen leads down to the basement where I have all my Christmas goodies stashed. 

Last night I found my chalk and got to work on my door.  Chalk boards are such an inexpensive way to decorate for all the holidays.  

Last year I found some great burlap ribbon at Walmart and used it on the stairway along with some garland….

I used it on the tree as well as the old chair.  

This year we have a new tree and I'll share that with you as soon as I finish decorating it.  It's taking me longer every year to get everything decorated.  Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!