it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I finally got some decorations up!  This is the garland that I have over the fireplace in our family room.  Instead of the traditional bows at the corners, I used a different spring of garland that has pine cones and snow, some ornaments that look like wrapped candy, glass snowflakes and glittered white wooden curly cue sprigs.

This is picture shows the whole garland.  I usually don't put a tree in here because I don't like clutter so I usually put the tree in the entry way.

This is the veiw of the entry way.  I put one small pencil tree, and two prelit trees that are potted that I got on sale last year at Bed Bath and Beyond. 

I love the feel of the garland on the railings and trees at the entry.  I also like how it all looks next to one of my favorite pieces of furniture.  This was my grandmother's desk that she did her homework on while she was growing up.  Todd's uncle Charlie did an amazing job refininshing it for me about 20 yrs. ago after an unfortunate flood Todd and I had in our first home. The chair is a Hitchcock chair and has beautiful acorn detail on the back. 

This is a train that I always put under our tree.  Todd's mom, Marjorie, got it for us after Evan was born.  They still like to see it work every year.  It smokes and whistles and lights up.

This is a veiw of the dining room off of the entry.  I made my own center piece for the table and put garland on top of the china cabinet and the nativity scene on top of the buffet.

This was my grandmother's nativity scene.  She used to put it high on the mantle with colored lights.  My mom never used colored lights so that is what I loved about it first but then when I got older my grandma let me wind up the music box on the side on the manger.  It plays Silent Night.  Every year I play it and think of her and how much she enjoyed it too.  It was the only Christmas decoration she requested we put out, on the small ledge in her nursing home room, for her last Christmas in  2004...and we used colored lights!

This is the center piece that I made this year.  I used flower vases for candle holders, some pieces of garland, scented cranberries and red and gold Christmas bulbs placed on a red charger plate.

 

Snowmen always remind me of my sister Lori...she loved snowmen!  Pam LaValley, the wife of a gentleman that works for my husband...(and the sweetest couple you'll know in New Jersey!) made these for me and I just love them.  I too put them on a red charger plate and used them as a center piece instead of a floral arrangement or candles.  I think of Lori everytime I look at them:)

Well, look what fell out of the sky durning the weee early morning hours.  Our first snow!!  It wasn't much, but it did keep me from traveling to bible study this morning so I am using this time wisely to post on my blog.

Isn't nature just beautiful!  I just love how the evergreens are a background to the red twig dogwood bushes and the white snow its blanket.  How beautiful!

Speaking of beautiful...look at this holly!  I know now why my mom named me Holly! Ha! Ha! All kidding aside, I do love the bright red holly berries next to the waxy green leaves with the sparkling white snow kissing its branches.  Just makes me happy looking at it!

Another one of my favorite evergreens, canadian hemlock, looks so pretty with its lacy foliage covered in snow propped next to some more holly bushes.  The wreaths in the windows I have had for 10 yrs now.  I got them at Big Lots when we were building this house.  I added some poinsetteas and ribbon...but I think that they need a face lift next year.  The wreath on the front door was given to me by my bff Julie when I was helping her design her house back in the 90's...still one of my favorite wreaths!  Speaking of Julie, I will be seeing her and my other bff's tomorrow.  I will post some fun pictures from that get together:)  Enjoy the snow!