Our Christmas

It undoubtedly still feels like Christmas here.  The kids (albeit E having a virus and feeling under the weather) are still waking up earlier than normal to run downstairs and play with their new toys they received from Santa.  The toys sill lay scattered on our family room floor, decorations and our tree are still up and stockings are still hung.  We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at our home.  That is our tradition - we like to kids to wake up and experience Christmas in their own home.

Christmas Eve mass was beautiful as expected.  It always makes me tear up and bring the true meaning of Christmas hit home.  We are so blessed.

This Christmas season seemed to go particularly fast, even though I felt more prepared this year than any other year.  You can see our house decorated for Christmas here.  The weeks leading up to Christmas, we baked cookies, roasted marshmallows in an outdoor fireplace, made a gingerbread house, attended Christmas concerts, sang carols at a nursing home, etc.  All the things that are so fun and magical for children and parents alike.  

We visited Joseph Hillenmeyer's annual Christmas store in Lexington and it was so beautiful!  There are more pictures on my instagram account, but the kids loved it here and I am thinking this will become an annual family tradition.  

Back at home decorating cookies and making gingerbread houses were the big hits of the season!  E is finally at an age where she can enjoy it and actively participate.  

My little helper below doing what she does best - licking the paddle and eventually the bowl!  

The day after Christmas we traveled to Michigan to visit Kevin's side of the family and spent Christmas again with 20 family members all gathered together under the same the roof - playing charades, opening up gifts, laughing and staying up late!  

I hope all of you had a wonderful, safe and happy Christmas.  Are you ready for 2015?  Let's go…..I'm excited to see where this little blog goes…..  

Inspired: Alice Ryan Miller

Last night was the first night for what seems like a long time that I didn't have any 'must-dos' on my list - no gifts to wrap, cards to write, cookies to bake, teacher gifts to organize, Christmas shingdings to attend, etc.

I just had a lovely, quiet evening with my husband.  I had a chance to peruse IG for a bit and that is when I spotted Alice Ryan Miller's sitting room on the Domino feed and became completely inspired.

So simple and not fussy, but yet so cozy!  I love how she avoids overloading her home with Christmas decorations, yet keeps it natural making a timeless statement.

Once I saw her sitting room, I had to look her up on IG and fell in love with her style!

Her family is completely adorable and her children are precious!

Alice Ryan Miller owns her own event and PR company and is known for her fabulously designed events.  The one below is for Bonpoint, the children's clothing company from France.  

I hope you enjoyed this small bit of inspiration this Saturday morning and are having a lovely weekend! 

It's here….

Christmas season….Advent season….celebrating St. Nicholas….making ornaments with the kids that will get hung on the tree, a little (lot) of hot chocolate, hearing Luke play 'It's Christmas Time' on the piano, watching Charlie Brown's Christmas and reading our favorite Christmas books.

I started decorating our home this weekend.  Still have more to go.  I was lucky because my oldest was at an Advent retreat at our church Saturday afternoon (so it bought me 3 hours) and I was able to get a lot accomplished.  This year I used real Cedar in our home.  I used it on our banister, FP mantel and entry into the kitchen.  In the past,  I've either used artificial or a mix of pine and fir, but I am officially switching to Cedar.  I love the smell - heavenly!!

This is our kitchen and I kept it simple.  Trader Joe's mini wreaths on the windows ($5 each) with a simple ribbon on the bottom of the wreath.  I can't tie bows for the life of me.  A white poinsettia I picked up at Home Depot while picking up anchors to hang up our super heavy mirror in the entry.  You can also see bits of the cedar popping in the picture which I (I mean my husband) hung around our kitchen doorway (I plan on hanging our cards here).

This was the first year I attempted to put together planters for our front entry.  Ideally, I would love to have mini fir trees with lights, but they were pricey.  This was free!  I clipped branches off our Christmas tree as well as our magnolia tree out back and some berries I picked up at TJs (well, they cost  about $5).

We finally got our tree into the house, but no lights or ornaments just yet.  We focused on celebrating St. Nick and prepping for friends coming over this week to help make ornaments and cookies.

And, yesterday, I made Jenny Steffens Hobick's roasted pork tenderloin which is the easiest recipe in the world to make and tastes delicious (I always make it when we have guests).  ANd, the kids love it too which means its a keeper.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!  And, if you are on IG, I am sorry for the repeat of pictures and I loved seeing all of your Holiday pictures!!

Wishing you a joyous.....

I am so thankful for all of you who read Green Street - you are a source of encouragement and inspiration to me!  I hope and pray that you have a wonderful and peaceful Christmas!

Merry! Merry!

Christmas card is from the talented Dani Silver - Dani Notes Stationary.  

Finally Ready!

I'm happy to report we are finished with the Christmas decorations around our house. 

I swapped the artwork that is usually above our fireplace with the mirror that sits above my chest of drawers in our bedroom.  I made the wreath hanging on the mirror by taking ornament bulbs and securing them onto a wreath.  I hung real rope garland across the mantel. 

I added the two hurricanes to either side of the mirror to add some symmetry and height.  

Last year for stockings, I used these burlap bags that I thought were cute, but my husband was not a big fan.  I finally decided on the Garnet Hill Hable Construction stockings - I love how graphic they are. 

Lastly, we have our vintage Santa cookie jar from the days of my husband's youth and my German candle pyramid/carousel from my mother's home town in Germany (Trier).  

And, if you've missed our front door and dining room Christmas decorations, go here or our Christmas DIY gumdrop wreath, go here.  

Come join me & other bloggers over at Rene's Cottage and Vine 2010 Christmas Tour of Homes.

Nearly there...

This weekend we finished our Christmas decorations - the house is done, the stockings are hung and ready for Santa to arrive!  I was able to take a picture of our front door before we had the horrible rain and wind storm yesterday that knocked everything down.  Yup, garland, bells & wreath are all currently laying on our front stoop!

Oh well!  I still need to take more pictures of the inside but the natural lighting has been really bad.  In the meantime, here is a close-up of a little bar I put together in our dining room.  I bought 30+ of these blue and gold barware glasses at an antique store for $25.  I absolutely adore them.

More pictures coming soon.....

  

Dear Santa,

It's only a couple of things!! :)  

Happy Weekend Everyone! 

{1} Canon Rebel XSi {2} JCrew Timex Vintage Field Army Watch {3}Kate Spate Tidbit Plates {4} AMH Designs Stitchable Journals {5} Jonathan Adler Book {6} Petite Porcelain Vase {7} Harry Allen Gold Pig {8} Kate Spade Sandpiper Bangle {9} Duluth Pack Green Canvas Tote Bag

My Gumdrop Wreath

This Christmas season I was determined to make a gumdrop wreath.  So, this weekend with hot glue gun in hand and 7 packages of gumdrops, I set forth to make my gumdrop wreath.

I started off with a 12" foam wreath form from Michaels.  For starters, I wrapped packaging tape around the top of the wreath to protect the foam from the fishing line I used to hang the wreath.

I used a hot glue gun to stick the gumdrops on the wreath.  This was extremely easy to do - just seemed easier than using toothpicks.  But, learn from my mistake and don't place your gumdrops in horizontal rows like this.  

You see the gaps between the gumdrops?  Not good.  Instead, after you glue your first row of gumdrops, start to stagger the gumdrops in the subsequent rows so you don't have a gap between the gumdrops.  In other words, when starting your second row, place the gumdrop between the gumdrops in the first row.  Does this make sense?

This will eliminate the gaps and your wreath will begin to look dense.  The wreath took me about 4 hours.  Who has 4 hours these days?  But, I actually enjoyed sitting there (after my son was in bed), gluing one gumdrop after another onto this wreath.  Not complicated and a bit cathartic.  

The ribbon covers the fish-wire that is actually holding the wreath.  I love how it turned out!  Supposedly, there is a spray you can use to preserve the gumdrops.  I have no idea if this will keep until next year.  If I had more time, I'd love to make another one and offer it as a giveaway!  Maybe, next year!

Plum Cushion: Deck the Halls

For the past week, I've been searching for some new Christmas stockings and lo' and behold......my prayers  were answered!!

Plum Cushion to the rescue....and now, all I have to do is to convince my husband!! ;)  Have a great weekend!!