Happy Holidays Open House Day 12

Happy Friday!!!  Christmas day is two weeks from today!!!  I finished my Christmas cards last night so they are going into the mail today.  Check!  How are you doing with your list?  Are you getting anything crossed off?  I have a Christmas wreath to make for our neighbors that just moved into their new house.  Fingers crossed, I hope to get it made by Sunday.  We have a very busy weekend ahead of us.  It starts this evening with the kiddos staying over tonight.  This will be the second night this week they stay over.  They are so much fun!

Today, I need you to dream with me.  I am dreaming of a white Christmas.  For real.  Seriously.  No kidding!  These 80 degree temp days with high humidity are not working for me.  I am hoping that if we all wish for snow maybe it will come true.  Or at least get cold.  Kind of like make believe?  You do remember how to play make believe, right?  Come on now....work with me.  If only it were this easy......

So in my hunt on Youtube to find "snow" songs I found several that I could not decide on so I decided  to incorporate ALL of them!  Why should a girl have to choose?  The first one I chose is Bing Crosby's White Christmas, the Snow song.   I hope you enjoy it.

Since it is "so cold" (work with me here) and we are outside on the patio today, I have prepared chili and cornbread for us.  Yumm!!!!  For now, we have cups of hot chocolate with marshmallows and sprinkles.  :)

Last year was the first year I decorated the patio as my "pretend rustic cabin".  No, I have not lost my mind.  I am practicing for the day I have a real home in the woods.  I wrote "let it snow" on my chalkboard to remind the universe I really would like a white Christmas.  (I know I live in the Houston area....I am aware that I am dreaming.)



I have two trees like this on the patio....



along with two like this smaller one.  Last year the smaller ones were on the front porch.  Can you believe I got these plush throws at Palais Royal for $14.99?  They are part of the Hotel Collection.  I am not going to leave them out all of the time, just when we are hanging out in the "cold" weather.  :)



I love red plaid.  It is so pretty.

Here's another song for your listening pleasure.  It is George Strait's Old Time Christmas".  I love the snow scenes.

I added greenery in a few places.

Michael Buble' is helping us in our dream of a white Christmas.

I love this wooden red truck ornament.  I stumbled across it while I was at Palais Royal.  It is so cute and goes perfectly with the stocking.

I belive I got this at Home Goods a couple of years ago.  I usually have flowers in it.

This wreath used to hang in the breakfast room but it was moved out here when Santa took reign over the mantle and the wreath that was there moved to the breakfast room.

Here's Dean Martin singing "Let It Snow".  I am not kidding about the snow thing.  :)

I truly believe in the magic of the season.  I believe people are kinder to one another and much more generous than they are throughout the year.  I always say I want to "bottle it up" to spread it around all year round.

I purchased the Sleigh rides sign on Zulily.  How fun would that be?!!!

Our Merry Christmas snowman originally hung inside but with the changes in the foyer he was moved outdoors.  I think he looks better here, don't you?  The metal angel is so old.  We have had her forever.

I LOVE this stocking.  I  have tried to find it a mate but haven't yet.  Let me know if you see one that would compliment it.  I got this one at Home Goods for little of nothing last year,

I also got the North Pole sack from Home Goods last year...

along with the "I saw mommy kissing Santa" sign.

Now isn't this adorable?  I thought those of you with little children might enjoy this song "Little Snowflake".  It is so cute!

Last year my sweet friend Nellie gifted me with her old ice skates. She knew I had a Pinterest board with lots of ideas of how to decorate with ice skates and I didn't have any skates.  So she dug her's out of the closet and gave them to me.  How awesome is that?  I will treasure them forever!

I moved this little snowman from the breakfast room to the patio.

This my friend, is the Santa picture that was hanging over the mantel.  I shared the story with you of how he fell here.  I couldn't throw away a perfectly good (minus a few scratches) picture so I asked the hubs to make a frame out of the pallet I have been saving for a project.  I told him I wanted it to be rustic and he obliged.  I love looking out the family room windows seeing him there.  I didn't get a chance to "rough up" the frame like I wanted.  I'll get to it after Christmas.  I think he did a good job! 

I bought the icicle lights last year.

 

I added a few bell ornaments to dress up the chandy over the table.

Here is another touch of plaid with a birdhouse for the centerpiece.

I love these woodland looking snowflakes I got at Big Lots last year.  The fruit garland is really old but it adds a festive flare to the back of the bench.

I bought this wreath at Big Lots along with the ones on the front of the shed.

Oh how I love to see blooms on my plants!

This is how many brass tacks I went through just to hang up the second wreath on the doors to the shed.  The first one went up the first time (of course!).  I did not think I would ever get the second one up but I finally did.

I bought this sweet angel at Big Lot's last year, too.

I added touches of ribbon and a couple of poinsettias around the fire pit.

I am so ready for some s'mores.  Are you?

And of course it would not be complete without a Mickey Mouse dressed like Santa.   Brad's grandmother gave this to me.  She had it for years.  She is always making new signs.  I love it!!!

This is our mat at the backdoor.  It reminds me of a comfy sweater.

I want to keep my posts real with you.  Things are not always perfect, that's for sure!  This is how the patio/pool area looked when I went out to take my photos.  This is the time of the year the trees in both of our neighbors yards shed their leaves.  I'm talking lots and lots of leaves.  It's really hard to see just how many in these photos.  I had a lot of cleaning up to do before I was able to photograph the area.

Can you see how thick the leaves are behind the chaise lounge chairs?  As I was bagging them the wind was blowing like we were about to have a storm dropping more leaves all the while.  I was working as fast as I could to get them up.

This doesn't look like a lot of leaves in the pool but it really is.  The baskets were over flowing with leaves.  I am always afraid that when I put my hand in there something will be in there.  Yuck!

I'm sure your are hungry so let's go eat our chili.  After all, we need something to warm us up, right?  (wink, wink!)  Would you like a glass of sweet tea or another hot chocolate?  I prefer sweet tea, myself.

I imagine you have quite a few things to get done this weekend.  I am sending you good vibes that you will get it all done and still have time for yourself.   I know it's hard, but try and take time for yourself (this is coming from someone that needs to learn that, too!).

Be sweet, slow down and take a moment to enjoy the holidays.

xoxoxo

Debbie