A Little Christmas Tour

Wow...my 3rd year in a row joining in the Christmas Tour of Homes hosted by Boomama!

It seems to me that either last year or the year before, I was busy inviting you all in by way of taking pictures while a windstorm raged outside.

This year, again, a storm hit our area...but this time along with the wind, a ton of snow and frigid weather have joined forces.
A snowstorm was predicted and by Saturday we knew there would be a good chance that the last day of the big performance might be canceled. Still we were hoping...but sure enough, this morning it came. And yes, the last of the performances were indeed canceled!

And here in our area, we're use to a little dusting or some wet snow that melts the next day...but this time the tempatures are dipping into the teens with a wind chill making it hover near 0! Yikes....

So, um...do come in out of that blizzard!

Yes, if you look behind you, that is indeed my husband and girls...taking a very brief zip down the road with the sled...but they will come in after just a moment, since it's way too cold out there!

As you come in, you'll notice our very tiny little entryway spruced up for Christmas and having a fresh coat of paint on the wall...


And just next to it is our end table. Towards the back is my crystal Nativity candle set that I've had from before I was married.

Before we see the rest of the Christmas decor, would you like some egg nog? I know...you either love it or detest it, so if you'd prefer, I have lots of flavored teas...Our family just drinks 'nog' from the moment it hits the shelf in October until that last one is sold in January...

Anyway...
Across the room is our fireplace mantle. We're not crazy about the brick, but at Christmastime we don't even notice that we don't like it!

Here it is with the garland lights on...so cozy...


Next to our mantle is my "It's a Wonderful Life Village". My mom and I began collecting these pieces before I was married...and now my own family loves it, too!

In fact, one year my husband bought me the "It's a Wonderful Life" train. It doesn't currently work but we like to set it up by the village, of course...

And then there's our Old World Santa...

We had gone to an office party three years ago and everyone bought a white elephant gift...where people can "steal" someone's gift if they don't want to pick a new one out of the box. The people at my table were laughing as I kept nudging Santa farther and farther under my chair...oh, how I wanted to take this guy home and not end up with some obnoxious gag gift!

And last but not least, is our one and only tree...the tree I spotted right away this time and guarded as fiercely as the old world Santa...
I've never had a "themed" tree because ever since I was a child- and now as a parent- my Christmas tree has always had childhood ornaments both bought and homemade, as well as ornaments people have given me over the years.


I have a couple ornaments from our first married Christmas (one when my husband was on deployment and one when he was home the following year)... and of course my girls' first Christmases...and even three very simple cardboard bells made by cousins and mom on my own first Christmas...I'll show these on one of my next posts!

But just like with some of you, so many ornaments represent something significant in our life...bring back special memories...remind us of our own childhood Christmases.

I have yet to put our the special Navitiy set, but hope to do that tomorrow...every year it goes atop our piano in our little family room\office. Perhaps I'll show it to you later...but I know you have to run now before this storm gets any worse! It's really blowing out there...
Bundle up, now! And thank you for stopping by again at my little Christmas Tour!

Christmas Tour of Homes!

It's time for the Christmas Tour of Homes, hosted by Boomama!

Welcome, and please come on in!


You may remember that last year during our tour, we were having a pretty wild wind storm outside! But aren't you glad the weather is better this time...just a drizzle. Still, you must come in and...yes, if you don't mind you can slip your shoes off here, with the new carpet and all.

You'll notice I did add a little greenery on top of the inside of the door...and why yes, that's our new door, too!


Right here, on the end table, is my crystal Nativity votive...I acquired this, and many other Christmas items back in the days when I sold House of Lloyd (also known as Christmas Around the World.) It's one of my favorites!


And of course, here is our Christmas tree...the one we all chopped down at a tree farm last week.
My flash was giving me a bit of trouble this evening...either that, or our tree was feeling rather camera shy... it was hard to get a good "pose"...but this one was one of the better ones.

Notice our new multi-colored star that hubby brought home!

And here is the best I could do by the twinkling lights...


And to the right we have our Nutcrackers, which my mom gave the girls and I the past couple of years...


Over on the other side of our living room, our stockings are hung by the chimney with care...

(Normally, we wait until Christmas Eve, but the girls were very anxious this year so we hung up theirs- and their grandma's.)

And here is one of my favorite collections. My mom and I each started collecting years ago, before I was married.
It's my "It's a Wonderful Life" village.

My husband gave me an official It's a Wonderful Life train set a few years ago...it's suppose to go around the village but we currently don't have a table big enough for Bedford Falls and the train, so for now, it's resting in front.

I tried to take a picture of it lighted...it came out a bit blurry, but I think you get the idea.


Sometimes the girls just like to sit and gaze at it!

Why don't we step into the kitchen\dining room. I can fix you a cup of hot cider....or I do have a few flavors left of my the hot chocolate my sweet husband brought home a few weeks ago...
(there were eight I think...but there's still some great ones left!)



Here in the dining room I have a little table dresser decorated for Christmas.

That old world Santa we won at my husband's Christmas party last year and I just love it!



And up close you can see a musical decoration (courtesy, House of Lloyd again!) and my treasured "It's a Wonderful Life" ornament.
(Are you starting to see a trend here?)

On the other side of the dining room is our Advent calendar.

Now, bring your hot chocolate and step in this way to our...well...office, family room, grandma sleeping quarters, laundry area. (Amazing how a room this small can have so many purposes!)

But on the piano I grew up with, sits our Nativity.


Let's walk over for a closer look...


It's been so wonderful having you stop by. I know you have a lot of other homes to go visit, but can't you just sit down for awhile? We were just watching an old Andy Hardy movie on TV. You know, Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland?


Oh, good! I'll make popcorn! So, you'll be a little late visiting all of the other places...just relax and kick back and we'll throw another log on the fire...:)

Welcome to my neighborhood!

Hello, and welcome to the "Welcome to my Neighborhood" tour, hosted by Kathleen Marie! Thank you, Kathleen!


OK...the above picture is technically beyond our actual neighborhood, but it is on the outskirts!
It was taken on our Labor Day weekend berry picking excursion...when the weather was actually warm and gorgeous.
But today, we're not going far, even though I live in some beautiful country up here in Oregon. This time, we're just going to stay right here in our little neighborhood.

It's a little bit drizzly today, but being in the Northwest, we're pretty much use to that. So I hope you brought your umbrella...did you?
Good! Then, follow me, and we'll take a little walk...

We are blessed with some very tall, old evergreens in our neighborhood. I absolutely love them! You can hopefully see just how tall they are in comparison to some of the houses.
It does make me a little nervous during one of those big winter wind storms, though...when those happen, I peer out the window and eye them suspiciously as they sway and bend.
But they sure are majestic and beautiful, and definitely say Oregon to me!


As we stroll a bit further, we'll see the tiny walking woods. It's a bit dark in here today, so you may not be able to get a good look. But just to the left is a little bridge, under which flows a tiny creek.
I suspect that this is actually private property...but it sure is cozy in there! Our family has enjoyed trip-trapping over that bridge (quietly, of course) and feeling like we were in the middle of nowhere from time to time!


Now, let's walk a whole different direction.
When we first moved in, we had fields all around us (as well as forests!) But a new housing development sits on one of the fields now. Normally, I feel sad when this happens...I'd much rather have nature and countryside! But in this case, it provided us with some great sidewalks to ride bikes and for me to do my "power walks".

OK, these power walks have been few and far between lately, but let's try and stay on subject, shall we?

There's still a few fields nearby, though. Here's one of them...still holding out, but I think it may not have long for this world, either.


I love country and nature...but I also appreciate the little conveniences of life.
One of the local stores in the neighborhood is a common sight in the NW, and I frequent it a lot!

As advertised, it's my one-stop shopping. Have a need for a stapler, a new coat and a side of beef all at the same time? Go right in...
And it doesn't hurt that next door is another little favorite business...


(And to think, I'm not even being paid for these advertisements...)
If my husband's reading this, honestly, honey- I don't actually buy coffees here often.
Just once in a great while.
Most times, I just gaze at the sign longingly and let the caffeine fumes that are drifting outside fill my nostrils as I pass slowwwwly by.

But since we're here now...would you care to join me for a double mocha latte?

Yum...that really hit the spot, didn't it? Especially on this cool, drizzly September day. Glad we took the car over here, though...not only is it raining but I'm a little tired out from helping my mom with her yard sale over the weekend! (But that's another post...)

What? It's time to go on to the next neighborhood on the tour? But I haven't really shown you the best parts of my neighborhood yet! Well, alright...I guess we should, with the rain and all.
And my tired muscles.

But trust me, there's so much more to our neighborhood than we have time- or, uh, my energy- to see! And if you consider the outlining area beyond the picket fences- or in this case, towering pines- part of the neighborhood, then actually, there is SO much more to see.
Maybe there'll be a Neighborhood Tour Part 2 in the near future- on a day, preferably, when I am not recovering from a day of heavy lifting, long drives, and mental energy spent deciding what to write on all those little price stickers.
But I digress...

Right now, there's not too much in the way of flowery blooms or green grass on our street at the moment...not like in this picture taken back in May...


I suspect it's like this in some of your areas, too...kind of at the "in-between" stage...between the flowers and the beautiful autumn leaves everywhere.
No yellow leaves yet to show...only end of summer yellow grass! ;)

Still, I enjoyed showing you around the neighborhood just a bit and hope you liked seeing this tiny little corner of the Northwest.
Even in the rain.
In fact, did you know that our coffee tastes better when it rains? It does.
And our yellow grass likes it, too...(the rain, that is. Not so much the coffee.)

I hope you all have a wonderful week- no matter where your neighborhood!