Fall's Decor

Decorating for fall took all of five minutes for me, and most of that time was spent chasing the decorations back from Eliza and answering Seth's repeated questions of "What's that? Why are you putting that there? What's it for?"

Finally, I gave them some Trick-or-Treating bags I got on clearance last year which distracted them enough to let me put my little signs up. They were still fascinated with the motion sensor lights on the bags by the time I was finished, which led me to the conclusion that I need to get more decorations for fall.

Putting the fall garland on the (still not finished but I'm not complaining because it looks SO much better than what was there) arbor took a few minutes though. That's good, right?!

Yes, the honeysuckle is STILL waiting for a trellis to climb on...sigh. Let's go back inside where home improvements in the front room are pretty much finished!

Wow, I should have dusted before taking the picture. Uh, it adds to the Halloween ambience! :) I was a bit worried that Eliza's acrobatics would lead to sadness and destruction, but she remains focused on taking out all of the DVDs and VHS in the coffee table drawer for a little while longer.

I think the "Pumpkin Patch" sign has deterred her from taking out the books (which is why they're slightly disheveled, but again, ambience!)

My little gargoyle I got in Paris near the Sacre-Coeur is a year-round cool dude in the room, but especially fitting for the season and thus deserving of a picture.

And, that's it! I know, kinda lame, but I make up for it in the next season.


And I also have yummy smelling fall scents I use on a regular basis. Ooh! I've also been doing autumnal-themed cooking like my made up Harvest Stew/Back-to-School Soup/Autumn Soup (I couldn't decide on a set name but it was yummy!) as well as become a fan of mulled cider and doughnuts on a pretty regular basis. Maybe that'll have to be its own post...

I listen to my Fall playlist a lot--calm one on the blog when I need a little peace and a more rockin' one when I need to kick up the energy a few notches (listening to Thriller totally helped me empty my dishwasher the other day!)

Happy Autumn!

It's the Most Wonderful Time...

I just LOVE the Christmas season, so here's a peek at the decorations I put up (and yes, I put them all up myself while Chris was working to eliminate any spiffles that might arise...especially since I broke my rule of not decorating until after Thanksgiving. I did it all a week earlier).

Make sure you check out the post below this one which is our tree decorating experience. I think I'm going to be doing that on my own from now on too... ;)

Santa is the first to greet at the door.

Getting ready for the feast...

well, the family's not ready to actually eat on these, so they're mostly just for show for now.

My Grandma Lee has these Spode Christmas plates that we've used for years, and my mom got me a set of dinner plates to continue the tradition in my own home.

Night & day bookcase

The most breakable stuff was supposedly out of Seth's reach, but he's still found a way to get to the tiny teaset above the "Joy" sign. The hoodlum! Nothing broke, but he's still a hoodlum.

In the kitchen, and yes, we still need to paint the trim! :\

The real reason for the season.

This nativity was a wedding present from my Aunt Jenny and Aunt Kristina (one of the perks to getting married so soon after Christmas!)

Merry Christmas to all!

Tree Trimmin'

Well, for FHE we decided to decorate the tree we got through the YMCA (in which a portion of the proceeds goes to updated equipment and other YMCA goods).


I was taking pictures, so you'll have to use your imagination and picture me there with them. With all honesty, the picture taking didn't last very long...you'll see why.

The tree after I got the lights and ribbon on (I forgot to get the camera out until after I did those steps!)


Eliza, our "Elf in Training" happily looking on, providing her input in baby language. It was most helpful!



Chris and Seth started hanging the ornaments, but they weren't...quite...in the right place...


Moving the ornaments after I "instructed" them on proper tree trimming.


Chris trying to be patient (and not really succeeding) after the instructions


Sitting on the couch while I finished the tree decorating.


A close-up of some of the ornaments

O' Christmas Tree!

I just love the warmth from this holiday...even if that warmth sometimes comes in the form of anger or "meticulous" work (using Melissa's term for being anal about something)!

Happy Holidays!