How was your Thanksgiving weekend? Did you have a good time connecting with loved ones? How many here went out Black Friday shopping? We enjoyed our Thanksgiving. But was I ever tired after. I felt like I couldn't focus my mind at all on Friday. I stayed in and baked a batch of bread and washed a lot of dishes from Thursday's dinner. No Black Friday shopping for me. Or Saturday or Sunday. But I am gearing up for some shopping, just as soon as my family gets back to me on what's most important to them this year.
I have begun decorating, however.
You reach a point in life where you really have a lot of holiday decorative pieces. For me, unless I need to replace a worn out something, I'm not inclined to add more to our stash. So my cost to decorate is just about zilch.
Here's a cozy spot in our kitchen that I pulled together with what I have already. At first I just wanted to do something nice with my kitchen candle. I light this candle when I wake up. This time of year, it's dark for a couple of hours in the morning, and a little candle glow has a comforting feel.
First, I put the candle on a plate and surrounded it with greens from outdoors and some pinecones, red balls, and chunks of cinnamon that I had in a bag with our Christmas decorations. It looked nice, but I also wanted to accent more of the red. So I folded a red striped kitchen towel and placed it under the decorated candle plate. Nice, but not quite. So I added a wooden tray under the towel and candle plate. Good, but this would be the prefect place for our Christmas coffee mugs, I thought. And now, it has just the cheery look I was after.
I didn't spend a lot of time working on this. In fact, I was washing a large batch of dirty dishes (still no dishwasher). As I would finish a chunk, I would reward myself with a minute to do something with the candle plate. Switching up dull jobs with tasks that I enjoy helps me get through moments of drudgery.
Where is your cozy spot in the house? Have you added some Christmas cheer to that place?
One last invite reminder (I'll keep a link in the side bar this month) -- I'm doing some Advent readings on my other blog. You're welcome to join me. The first one went up yesterday morning, the second one this morning.
You definitely have a talent for making things look nice. We had a nice Thanksgiving at my BIL's house. It is much easier to only take a couple of dishes than hosting, but then we didn't have any leftovers. :( We've started a little Christmas decorating, but the big push has not come yet. For one, we're waiting for better weather to put up the outdoor lights.
ReplyDeleteHi Live and Learn,
DeleteI'm glad your Thanksgiving was so nice. It is a trade-off -- the work of hosting, but also control over the leftovers, or sit back and enjoy, but little to no leftovers. I often send our son and daughter-in-law home with most of the leftovers, as it's foods that they don't eat often, and I can remake any of it at any time for just our household. So we had enough leftovers for one other meal, plus a pot of soup.
We got outside on Sunday to do outdoor decorating, as I'd seen in the forecast that we'd have a lot of rain in the next couple of weeks, and Sunday was actually very nice. I hope the weather improves soon so you can get lights up and enjoy them for more of the season.
I love your candle decoration. I know what you mean about a little light being comforting at this time of year.
ReplyDeleteIt was the four of us for Thanksgiving, and I thoroughly enjoyed our time together. We decorated the tree Thursday evening, since my son was leaving Friday morning. I did our outside decorations on Friday to be ahead of a snowstorm, and then Saturday, my daughter and I completed the indoor decorations. I try to do it when I have extra hands to help ( my husband isn't interested in decorating).
I purchased indoor/outdoor, battery-operated light strands yesterday. We already had some on the Christmas trees flanking our front door, but up till now, we've also had some that needed to be manually turned on and off, which means going outside in the cold before bedtime. Brr. I decided that I have had enough of that. Battery operated lights with a timer for me! Other than that, I reuse what we have. I also pull out throws and pillows that I own which have a lot of red in them. It immediately looks like Christmas when you see red accents. :)
Our area has had an unusual amount of snow this early in the season, so it looks festive outside. I made a snowman for free wintery decorating.
Hi Kris,
DeleteI'm so glad the four of you could all be together for Thanksgiving. We did our tree on Thursday evening, too. We wanted to include our son and daughter-in-law, and we might not see them again until Christmas day.
Good luck with your new indoor/outdoor battery and timer lights. I know what you mean about no longer being willing to go outside in the cold and dark just to turn off the lights each night. We'd been doing that for one strand of lights, too, until last year. One of our outdoor outlets is switched on the inside. The other is not hooked up to an indoor switch. Last year I bought a multi-outlet strip to plug into the switched outlet. So now I can turn off all of the lights from inside each evening. So much better.
Love it -- the free decoration, a snowman! And it was probably fun to do.
We had thanksgiving with my sister so it was the 5 of us. I think I finally figured out how much we really need for dinner, except stuffing. But we didn't overeat and watch our usually Thanksgiving episdoes. This year I found a Barney Miller eppisode which was good.
ReplyDeleteI did not shop on Friday. I have a Christmas budget and follow it. Plus I worked retail for about 10 Christmas seasons and noticed that the price stragtegy. So not interested. I did go to CVS with some expiring Extra Care Bucks for some baking needs.
I only replace items in my Christmas decor collection. I didn't need lights or garland...the 2 items that wear out in my collection. I do come across rummage sale finds like towels and pot holders that I have bought over the summer. But at $3 a bag those are a wonderful find.
My family home was destroyed in a tornado 40 years ago and I have been able to replace a few ceramics that I treasured over the years. This year I haven't done that though. I might go over to Ebay and see if they have a Joseph. But other then that I am happy.
Hi Amy,
DeleteGreat job on getting amounts just right for Thanksgiving! It sounds like you and your family had a lovely time together. I haven't watched Barney Miller in ages. Was this a Thanksgiving episode?
You know, the Black Friday deals haven't been very good for years, in my opinion. Plus, as my kids have gotten older (all adults) they have specific wants or needs that just aren't featured on BF sales. I stick to a budget, too, and stick to a list of suggestions provided by each recipient. I want to give gifts that are actually needed or wanted.
I'm so sorry to read about your family home from years ago. That must have been devastating. I'm really glad that you've found some replacement pieces for those you lost in the tornado. And I hope you find a Joseph.
Yes it was a cute little episode I found it on Tubi. The one story was about a guy who had lost his cool with his brother in law and stabbed his hand. One of the things I like about Barney Miller is that they have a moral and a conclusion that usually feels better. Both men worked it out.
DeleteThank you for your regard about the tornado. It is really just something that happened to us and is part of my makeup now. I no longer feel sadness from it. Replacing the ceramics did not occur to me until the last few years. I replaced some angel ornaments, caroling children and am looking for a Joseph that is painted similar to the rest of my nativity. I have been leaving his space open. It is a way to remember my mom and the Christmases she created for us.
Amy, we lost our home 20 years ago to fire. Like you, as time has passed, the sadness has decreased.
DeleteI purchased a few replacement Christmas ornaments that I found on eBay too. They were actually angel ornaments given to my daughter over the years, but she embraces minimalism as she rents, so they still reside with me! They make me smile when I see them on the tree, as do a few of the children’s handmade ornaments that survived the fire.
Hi Amy,
DeleteI'm glad for you that you can look back on the effects of that tornado and no longer feel sad. I love that you're filling in the ceramic pieces in part as a remembrance to your mom. I have a couple of ornaments that were gifts to my mom from a friend. I see those every year and have warm feelings as I remember the woman my mother was.
Hi Lynn,
DeleteSadness really does diminish with time, doesn't it? I'm glad you were able to find some angel ornaments to replace some of what was lost in your home fire.
The older I get (I'm 48 now!) I am actually feeling extremely minimalist in the Christmas decor area of my life. I treasure some older pieces and homemade stuff from when my kids were younger and a few other favorites. Every year I find myself donating more out and not adding anything new in. It's almost as if I prefer less!
ReplyDeleteI don't go Black Friday shopping. I shop year round at yard sales and thrift stores. You can find the most interesting things second hand!
I absolutely love your towel with the mugs. So pretty!
Sorry! I forgot to put my name in! That's me Amanda above!
DeleteHi Amanda,
DeleteThat's interesting about your change in how much or little of the Christmas things you care to have around now. And now, someone else can love those things that you've donated.
I totally agree on thrifting for wonderful finds. I don't have as many good yard sales in my area, but the thrift stores can have some really nice things. I prefer to buy clothes at thrift stores, as I can see how they will wear for me after being worn and laundered by someone else. Also, I don't worry about ruining a thrifted shirt as much as I would a store-new one. I've found a lot of our household items at thrift stores, too. I'm currently looking for a "new" crockpot to replace the one that stopped working a year ago. Both of my daughters frequently ask for thrift store gift cards as gifts for birthdays and Christmas. They love the thrill of the hunt, too.
Thank you on the towel and mugs! It's nice to make a little spot in the kitchen pretty, even if for only a season.