our tree

We have many Christmas traditions but one that seems to have formed without any help from us is Panther "posing" for a picture under the tree shortly after we bring it in & get it situated. It never fails, as soon as the skirt is on she immediately cuddles up to it. She reluctantly lets us get the lights on and then takes over her spot. Needless to say, she's not very happy once packages start going under it and she has to move.

Panther's favorite part of Christmas may be cuddling underneath it but mine is taking out our ornaments and reliving the memory each one brings. What a joy it is to think about the love that went into picking out the perfect ornament for that year [thank you Mom!] and to remember the meaning behind each ornament. Yep, that's right, every ornament on our tree has a story.

The s'mores one to the left of the candle? I love s'mores and on our first Christmas together Lee found this for me at the place we bought our tree. The palmetto tree covered in little ornaments on the bottom left? We bought that on our vacation to Savannah to celebrate our 2nd anniversary. The Winnie the Pooh ornament? That was a gift from a friend/co-worker from back in my Lake Tahoe days. The bear dressed up in blue next to the palmetto tree? That's from my solo trip to London back in 2000. The cute owl? That was a gift to myself last year to celebrate my new crush on owls.

The ice cream cone was my mom's yearly ornament to me in '07 after she saw me literally drop everything and run out to the ice cream truck that cruised around the neighborhood where we'd rented a house. The sand dollar one came from our trip to St. Lucia where I turned the big 3-0. The snowman with the black hat and pink scarf is from my childhood.

The teacup is from my dear friend Sarah who used to meet me for tea and scones when she lived here. The mitten is actually a gift card holder from my favorite store and it celebrated my love of mittens. The teddy bear with wings is another favorite from my mom.

The Santa & Mrs. Claus toward the top of the tree was given to us by my mom on our first Christmas as a married couple. He's putting a pearl necklace around Mrs. Claus's neck and Lee gave me beautiful pearl earrings as my wedding gift. Pretty symbolic, don't you think? The angel at the top of the tree was my mom's offering the year a very special friend of mine passed away. There's meaning on each and every one of our branches and I absolutely LOVE it!

As a bonus this year my mom and step-dad found something that reminded them of me and just had to share it with me. First, the back story...when I was in high school we traveled to Indiana one Christmas and my mom forgot to pack my stocking. My step-dad went out to get me a stocking and came back with a very large one [much to my delight!] That became my stocking for the next decade or so and I loved it! After a couple years my mom caught on and began filling it up with larger/boxier items so she didn't have to buy so darn much. While I was in college I often found a case of Top Ramen waiting for me each Christmas morning.

This year they stumbled upon the biggest stocking they've ever seen and David said they absolutely must buy it for me. I got a good laugh out of it when I opened the box and found this...

It really is as big as it looks! As a joke I took a picture of me in it to send them as a "thank you" and it came up to my waist. I can't even imagine what it would take to fill it up!

So, what are your favorite parts and/or stories of Christmas? I'd love to hear!

words to live by

I love everything about this - the words, the colors, and the way it makes me feel. It's certainly something we should do year round but I find it really resonates with how I'm feeling now with the festiveness of the holidays swirling around.

This is my wish for you today, tomorrow, next week, and next year!

more whimsy

I drooled over this set last year and was thrilled when one made its way to our house this year [thank you Mom + David!]. While the above picture doesn't do it justice, I'm fairly happy with how some of the detail shots turned out...




The colors make me a very happy girl and definitely add to the touch of whimsy we have going on. This is something I'll look forward to pulling out year after year and, most likely, will be the first decoration out [just like this year!]

[Land of Nod also has an adorable set for the same price.]

rustic whimsy

I don't think the term "rustic whimsy" is truly a term but it's one that came to mind when I was trying to figure out what my Christmas style is. I have a little bit of this and a little bit of that saved up from years past. All of it was loved at one time or another and as I collected holiday decorations over the years it seems my style has gone from one extreme to another. This year in trying to only pull out things I love I struggled to find a cohesive look. I love pine cones, the smell of fresh pine, reindeer, and the thought of snowy mountains but I also love bright colors and a fresh spin on holiday decorating. As I stood in our living room trying to pull a look together I became overwhelmingly frustrated. I decided to take a break and warm my belly with a mug full of hot apple cider that had been warming on the stove. As I sipped it I tried to define what I love about Christmas and came up with "rustic" and "whimsy." Hmmmm...rustic whimsy? I threw some pine cones in a bowl and brightened it up with some mini ball ornaments in bright colors (see above) and it was love at first sight. To me it sums up my style perfectly and each time I look at its display on the coffee table I smile. So simple and yet it's one of my favorite decorations this year.


The picture above was taken prior to getting our tree so imagine the green chair in the background replaced with a live Christmas tree. Another thing I'm loving this year is the hurricane filled with assorted sizes of jingle bells.


The following picture didn't come out great but it will give you a feel for how our entry way looks. This is probably the most "rustic" of all the areas but think our "For Like Ever" gives it a great punch of color + whimsy.


Here's a picture of our mantle before adding the fresh pine branches [it looks so much better now]...


More mixtures of pine cones and brightly colored glass ornaments. The way the light shines off them makes me very happy...


And there you have it...rustic whimsy.

What do you think, does my made up term seem to fit?

words to live by

Sometimes all it takes to turn my sour mood into a smile is a little treat. During this crazy season I've found myself turning to Starbucks for my "sweet treat" (in the form of Gingerbread Latte or Peppermint Mocha) more often than not. Most times it works like magic and my anxious, overwhelmed, and stressed feelings melt away. Granted, if I'm out dealing with crowds much longer the effect does wear off but in the moment it is a true lifesaver.

During the mad rush to finish your shopping and make everything perfect for your family don't forget to take care of yourself and treat yourself every now and again. I promise...a little treat goes a long way!

::adorable print found here

so proud

See this gorgeous gal?

This is my friend, Tracy, and she's running her first ever marathon today in CA. I can't begin to express how proud I am of her! She set a goal and saw it through...regardless of how hard it was. Although I can't be there to cheer her on in person, you can bet Lee & I are rooting for her like crazy from here.

Tracy - I hope you know what an inspiration you are to so many. You are such a blessing and I'm incredibly lucky to have you in my life. Love ya!

words to live by

I believe this is something we should do all year long but find it even more important this time of year. So many people let the craziness and stress of the holidays put them in a bad mood. Already this season I've seen my fair share of impatient drivers, grumpy shoppers, and just plain rude people. I do my best to not allow them to affect my mood but I'd be lying if I said I was always successful in my attempt. I've found that kind words from someone else or speaking kindly to shoppers experiencing the same feelings I am works wonders. It allows me to put the holiday pep back into my step and takes me from feeling lost in the shuffle & cranky to having a huge smile on my face. Hopefully it does the same for others. Just think how awesome this time of year could really be if we all realized we're in it together?

::print available here

small steps {holiday decorating}

The same day we got home from North Carolina we had to turn around and drive to New Orleans for a meeting Lee needed to attend early Monday morning. Needless to say, that put a crimp in my decorating plans. I'd hoped to have our house all decked out and feeling like Christmas by Dec. 1 but that just didn't happen. However, I couldn't let the first day of December pass without putting out some of our favorite things and since they've all been acquired recently it made it easy to do [they were all waiting in the 'office' for their chance to shine].

Welcome to a few of my favorite holiday things...

Winter Forest Hand Soap

I found this last year and absolutely love its scent. It reminds me of how Lake Tahoe smells and allows me to enjoy the scent without having to shovel snow...perfect!

Peppermint Bark

This has become a holiday favorite of ours over the past several years and we look forward to seeing the gorgeous tin make its appearance in the stores each November. It wouldn't be the holidays for us without this yummy treat. We always stock up as it makes an excellent hostess gift and strongly encourage you to treat yourself if you've never tasted it. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Each year I get a new holiday candle and for years that candle came from The Gap. Surprisingly they sold candles with the most lovely pine scent and I couldn't get enough of it! They stopped selling the one I love a couple of years ago and I've yet to find a replacement. Until this year, that is. I found this [in the balsam fir scent] on our trip to Dallas but didn't purchase it. I regretted it the instant we got to the car and began our 3-hour drive home. I continued to think about it but refused to pay the shipping charges. Lucky for me I found myself in an Anthropologie last week in NC and promptly bought it. [I love it!]

12 Days of Christmas Ornaments

I drooled over these last year but didn't buy them. Thanks to my mom + step-dad the ornaments and the ornament tree you see above are now gracing us with their presence and I must say...they are gorgeous! They definitely add a touch of fun + festiveness to our house and I love it how they make me smile each time I pass by them.

While I couldn't get everything up by the 1st I'm happy to at least have gotten these favorites out. Hopefully by tomorrow the house will be decorated and by the weekend we will have found the prefect tree. Fingers crossed....

How are your decorations coming? Are you halfway done, completely finished, or just getting started?