Christmas Decor tour

Welcome to our Christmas Home Tour!

I've got lots of pictures, so I'll try to keep it short and sweet.

Our Christmas tree, as you may know, didn't get it's usual decadent treatment this year due to the kittens and Asher. It's a pitiful little thing but it does have some ornaments that we've made together to liven it up that I'm sure I'll treasure down the line if they make it past this year! Ha ha...

Let the embarrassment begin.

Poor crushed tree

Our tree started out looking nice and fluffed up. For about a hour. He started to put the cats in it and just flattened it and then the lights started getting pulled every which way so I gave up. That's when I came up with the home made ornament idea and thought I'd dress up other areas of the house that I'm going to show you :)

Star cut out by me and glitter by Asher.

Ornament shape

Star topper

Here's what I've got scattered around the living room, dining room and entry.
So when you enter my home the first thing you see is our staircase and my old upright grand piano all decked out with shiny tinsel.

Stairs that lead to my studio to the right

An angel that my mom gave me. I'm afraid to add her to the top of tree so I added her here

I like the white from this magnolia. I wish I had bought more last year when they were marked down so cheap.  I may do more white in the coming years because my house is so dark.

As you turn left, you enter the living room and see the fireplace glowing with my poinsettia garland that I added twinkle lights to.

and the stockings all hung from the chimney with care in hopes that St. Nicolas soon would be there

I like this the best I think, the fireplace with this garland.

So as you walk towards the dining room, the stairs to the basement gets gussied up with a wreath.

Here's my snowmen gourds! Yes, I kept them ;^) I normally have my grandmothers very old nativity set here, but thought it best not to get it out with the kittens jumping up and playing with everything.

Snowmen gourds

And here is a print out of all these pictures I took of Asher during his first Christmas. I keep meaning to find a cute frame for it to display better, but I just have it leaned up in this area for now. He was 9 months old. Oh, how cute!

Look at that toothless grin!

So here is the same hat, same kid... only here he is 4 and three quarters! My how time flies!

With the twins...

Asher, Lightning (L) and Thunder (R)

Finally with Zoey...

Buddies

So I tried to get cute and put the hat on the dog, but she just wanted to chew on it and now it stinks like dog. Thank goodness for Febreeze.

That's about it. Notice there are no presents under the tree because Santa hasn't come yet. At the rate Asher is going he may find out what a lump of coal is this year. Sorry this turned out to be longer than I intended but I felt you all needed the details of the tour... hee hee

Merry Christmas to you all my friends!

OH NO! Not A Snowday!!!!!!

This is me going outta my mind

Today is not a proud day for me. One day I actually thought I would be this cool mom for my kid and like all the fun things that I thought was great when I was a kid and celebrate that fun with him. But today I think I found out that I am not going to be that cool mom. I am going to be the mom that loses it. I may be turning out to be that mom that is barely keeping it together with nothing but chocolate, a lock on the bathroom door and knowing I've got a few Xanex in a little sandwich bag from a friend in my bedroom. I may be the mom that my son will have to visit in a little rubber room. Let me tell you about my day today starting with last night.

It started last night when I got the call that there would be no school because of the winter storm that came through on Sunday. Great. I never thought in all my life that No school would be a real bummer but I have reached that day. I have to admit that the wee bit of time that I get to myself 3 times a week has been a saving grace from the rubber room. We were out yesterday in the mess and getting this and that and I told Asher that we would put the Christmas tree up when we got home if Daddy would help get the boxes out of the attic. He was elated. It was a bit treacherous and it wasn't ten minutes after we got home that Daryl got a call from a buddy that he was off the road and needed help. So I had to schlep that crap down from the attic myself. I start getting the tree up and fluffed up and he's dying to help. Nothing he can really do that doesn't require me to re-do. Then the lights, 2 hours later he's flopping around, getting into stuff and generally getting on my last nerve because he's tired and hungry and so am I. I had to stop to make a late sandwich for us and then bath and bed for him and shower for me and collapsing on the couch about 11:30 pm. The husband still not home and conveniently missed all the excitement.

So today after picking up the tree off the floor for the umpteenth time I yelled (at the TOP of my lungs) "THAT'S IT! We are NOT putting ornaments on the tree this year!!!" I may even end up taking the thing down. I'm so aggravated between Asher messing around with the lights and the kittens climbing in it and Asher putting the kittens in the tree... it already is a mushed up mess. The kittens have even pulled the plugs out of the outlets! I'm surprised they haven't been shocked yet. It's a mess. Now Asher is following me around everywhere asking when are we going to decorate the tree and then screaming "you don't love me anymore!" when I tell him we're not. Sing with me... "you're a mean one... Mr. Grinch". Now that I've calmed down a tiny bit, I'm having major first course of Mommy Guilt with a side of crow eating because I'm thinking of making ornaments this year out of construction paper and glitter and just letting Asher go wild. If the cats tear 'em up, so be it.

I haven't even mentioned all the cat poop I've cleaned up today and the pile of vomit under a table in the basement, a dog going in and out of the house with snowy muddy paws and cleaning up after her. Oh and Asher and the kittens causing mayhem with all the boxes laying out with Christmas stuff in them that I'll have to schlep back up to the attic. I've already threatened to take the tree down after the last You don't love me episode and told him "I'm taking the tree down if I pull the cats outta here one more time and Santa won't come here if we don't have a tree!" He just scowls, and so do I. It's a battle of wills in this house and I think I'm losing my mind. Do they still make Calgon? The rubber room is sounding better and better.

Snowmen Gourds!

White Snowgourd

Here are the cute little snowmen I told you about Sunday. Aren't they the cutest little guys?! Oh I wish I could take the credit for these. They are made from gourds! I bought these from a super nice gal, Lori Allen, of Carmi Illinois. She was at Christmas in New Harmony and I hope she did well. Her pieces were all so nice. These snowmen accommodate a battery powered tea light to light them from within and they are level on the bottom to stand up perfectly. She carves out designs on them and also has some that she wood burns on. See her website www.gourdsbylori.com for more of her designs. She also makes bowls, baskets, vases, birdhouses and more!

Snowgourd buddies

Adorable!

I originally bought one for me and one for a "dirty Santa" gift, but they look so cute together that I think I'm keeping them both for myself! I know, I'm a grinch for keeping all the presents. I'll find something else, this time maybe I ought to buy something I don't like... haha yeah right.

Oh, if you don't know the "Dirty Santa" gift exchange, here's how we do it: Each person buys a gift appropriate to their gender and wraps it up pretty and it goes under the tree without a tag other than it's for a male or female. We take turns opening up the gift, boy girl, boy girl style. When the first girl opens a gift she keeps it by her until the next girl's turn. When it's the next girls turn, she can open up a gift, or she can go "steal" the already open gift from the other girl, then that girl gets to pick another unopened gift. It's a lotta laughs. Last year we had a downright feud going for a red leather purse!

Kitty Update! The little beasts are still inside... I've had to bite my lip a few times. I'm still having some poop issues here and there and I found my mop bucket full of pee the other day. I'm still giving them a chance, who wouldn't? Look how cute they are. And it's sooooooo cold outside. I'm such a sucker.

Asher and Thunder, both happy

Ready to roll

We've Been Adopted!

The boys - Thunder (r) and Lightning (l)

We've been adopted by two gray and white kittens. These two are not from the liter I talked about earlier in the summer, those little guys got moved by their momma and I never saw them again. These kittens came out from their hiding place and came up to our front door last week. We took them back, since we knew where the hiding place was (I still have poison ivy from finding it... haha) and they came back later that evening and came running when they heard our voices. They are adorable of course, and Asher is thrilled. I thought well, I could use some mousers outside so why not? So here I am wanting to bring them in now and thinking about how am I going to bring this up with A. the husband and B. the 18 year old princess cat, Glove. I've already named them, Thunder and Lightning. I'd say they are between 4-6 weeks old, or about there. 

stealing hearts

awwwwww

It's love.

I was worried that Zoey, our dog, would hurt them so I've had them in a kennel outside while we were away this past weekend to the Smoky Mountains and discovered that they had escaped and apparently Zoey is not going to kill them... thankfully. She was scaring me before because she would pick them up with her mouth and carry them around kinda rough and also nudge them pretty hard knocking them down. She seems to want them on their back and them proceeds to nibble on them. Maybe she thinks they are her puppies? I've never had a mama dog, so I don't know how they act. I was told when we got her that she had had a litter of pups.

Zoey keeping a watchful eye on the kittens (and wondering if she's in trouble for being in chair!)

When I put them in the big dog size kennel, I had a cute little fuzzy bed and blanket for them and their own litter box with food and water all neat and tidy and they had it dirty, food everywhere walking in the liter box and then the food within 60 seconds flat. I've forgotten what it was like to have kittens. I've never had two at one time and man can they be little terrors... haha but they are so incredibly cute they are forgiven immediately. They are hungry all the time and very vocal about it. I can't get over how loud they are!

Being loud, but still cute

Well, so welcome our newest family members... Thunder and Lightning.