Oh Christmas Tree Party

Today, I join with Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick, for her Oh Christmas Tree party to show you three of our Christmas Trees. It took almost two weeks, but I think I'm finally finished decorating them. This year, we have four trees. (Actually, there are more than four, but only four that require decorating).

This is a new one in the kitchen.

I went to Cracker Barrel and thought they had the cutest little gingerbread ornaments. They had some really nice Christmas items this year. Be sure to check them out if you get a chance because it's now on clearance for 40% off. Some of the ornaments also came from Michael's and Target's dollar spot. Sorry that I didn't get more close-up photos of this tree. This isn't my best post ever. LOL!

We have a Santa tree in the keeping room, similar to last year, but, apparently, I bought alot of ornaments on clearance at the end of last season because I couldn't seem to fit as many on the tree this year.The sign came from Dollar Tree this year. I removed the twine hanger and replaced it with a skinny red ribbon. Don't think that I'm feelin' it, and probably won't use it there next year.We went to Biltmore the weekend before Thanksgiving, since it's less than a 2 hour drive from our home and bought these personalized Santa ornaments for our girls. If you've never been to Biltmore, please add it to your "bucket list". It is hard to fathom the awesomeness of that home until you've seen it.We also went to Disney World over Easter, and the round Santa ornament came from Epcot. Like most people, I like to bring back ornaments from places we travel.

Then there is the foyer tree. This is my favorite tree, and it's the one at which we find Santa's gifts on Christmas morning. It looks much better in person than in photos. I wish it were in a room where we could view it more often. This is the first time, in probably the last 10 years, that I have left off ting ting, but to be honest, I was actually tired of decorating trees, so I stopped. Thought that would Ne-va happen!

This is the Biltmore ornament the Hubs and I share.
This one also came from the Biltmore trip.

A few more of the favorite ornaments...

Melissa Miller, the glimpse of the topper (above) was for you! LOL!

these came from some friends...

Dollar Tree reindeer...

Thanks for stopping by to view our decorations. Please come back to see more later in the week. As usual, there is no "hall" that goes un-decked in this house, so stay tuned.

If not, have a safe and Merry Christmas!

Halloween Tablescape

Thanks to Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for hosting another fun Tablescape Thursday!

As many of you know, I had another little "goblin" about 7 weeks ago (Mommy says to say "Hi" to all of our friends in Blogland)

so, I don't have quite as much time to do-daa (i.e. "Martha Stewart") everything, as much as I would normally do. My other daughter, Ashley, wanted to have her birthday party at home this year, with a Halloween costume party as the theme, since she has an October birthday. Major E-E-K!!! Am I crazy to agree to it, or what? I suppose I needed a few more gray hairs. But, like most parents who never want to disappoint their children, I agreed.

Here is the goodie table. Keep in mind that it is "kid food", so it's Not really nutritious, but I doubt if kids want to go to a "nutritious Halloween party" anyway! LOL!

The "Menu": bugles, chips and dip, popcorn, cheese puffs, Crunch 'N Munch, ghost Peeps, colby jack, cheddar and mozzarella cheese cubes, candy corn, orange and brown Tootsie-Roll lollipops, black licorice Twizzlers, Halloween candy sticks, Mary Janes, Pixie Sticks, mummies, and finger cookies.

And to all of my fellow thrifters/consignment shoppers, I picked up this candelabra at a consignment store. It folds flat, which is a good thing, considering I have a "sMaLL dish problem", and need all of the storage I can find.

The witch and trick-or-treater are Annalees. The witch is new this year from Home Goods!

I should have put a toy mouse beside that cheese because it is obvious that someone was sneaking some before the party started...and it wasn't me! Now, because the guests were pre-teens, I used plastic tablecloths, cups, and utensils, and paper plates and napkins. (Please forgive me, Miss Janice!) In addition, I didn't light the candles, for fear someone may have an "accident", and then it would be the first 9-1-1 Tablescape. Heaven forbid, I'd rather not be the first to have that "honor"!

Because I haven't had alot of time to search for recipes, I served a "creamsicle float punch", fancy for...I took a gallon of vanilla ice cream, and added orange soda. ;o)

It looked kind of spooky too. Of course, I "had to" float an ice hand for kicks (channeling my inner Martha).

The treat bags...

The craft table...

And the candy dish they "hit up" on the way out of the door!

Happy Birthday, Ashley!

In October of last year, I had just started my blog, and had a handful of Followers. I did a post on a Halloween party I had some years back for Ashley's 4th birthday. I posted a recipe for Creamsicle Fudge. I didn't have time to make it for this year's party, but if any of you are going to a Halloween party, I would recommend it!

Finally, for those of you who have asked for more baby pictures of Danielle, I'll leave you with this. She has captured my heart...Mommy thinks she is BOO-tiful.

Happy Halloween, Tablescapers!

She's Finally Here!!!

I'm happy to let you know that Danielle Alexis arrived safely, into this world, on Wednesday,
September 9th, at 12:28 p.m. As much as I had dreaded being awake during delivery, things went very well, and was a breeze when compared with my first delivery.

Needless to say, her big sister was very happy to see her!

And, I have to say, she is the sweetest thing since chocolate! In just 3+ days, we love her to death.

God has indeed blessed us again!

I'm still here

Just a quick post to thank everyone that has stopped by to check in on me. I'm doing fine and everything is o.k., as far as I know. I've just been very busy with the end of school activities, and getting ready for our new baby. I'm am set to have a c-section in early September, and will hopefully, be enjoying the summer, prior to that. I hope everyone of you will as well!

And for those of you that have asked, we are having another girl! I appreciate all your thoughtfulness! Keep in touch. Although I may not be posting regularly, I still like to hear from you, and you can leave a comment or send me an e-mail. I just wish I had more time to visit everyone right now. ;O)

I want to thank everyone that has come by and left a comment. I'm going out of town this afternoon, so I won't get a chance to come by and leave a comment for all of you, but just know I'm thinking of you, and miss visiting your blogs. I hope to get back into it when I return. Have a great summer!

The Fan Award

Lori at Basketball, Gymnastics and Me and Kathy at Empty Nester gave me the Fan Award!

I am honored and I'm a fan of your blogs also! The month of April has been named Tell 'Em You're A Fan Month. So, let your favorite blog sites know that you're a fan, just as these ladies did with me! Thank you so much, Lori and Kathy. I really appreciate it so much!

Here are the rules:

1. Leave a comment or an email for your favorite blogger telling them that you are a fan of the site.

2. Feel free to copy and paste the award, or you can get the code at Sited and Blogged to present to your blog friend or post on your site when it is awarded to you.

3. When you receive more than one fan, put the number of fans you have received under the image.

4. The more fans you receive the better! So, what are you waiting for...tell someone you're a fan of all their blog...HAVE FUN!

Now, since I have over 200 blogs on my blog roll, I am a fan of ALL of them!!! So, if you are on my blog roll, please know that I'm a fan of your blog, and please take this Award from me and pass it on!


Thanks, again Lori and Kathy! I really appreciate this!