It's looking a LOT more like Christmas!

So the boys were off hunting this past weekend, AGAIN, which meant 3 things for me:

1.  I got to leave all of my half-completed craft projects out all weekend.  

2.  I could leave my clothes on the floor/bed/chair/where ever they ended up after I took them off--yes my hubby is a neat-freak--crazy right?

3.  I got to pull out all of our Christmas decorations and Winter Wonderlanderize our house!  Yay!

I will spare you the pictures of my half-completed craft projects and my un-put away clothes.  

Eric was so sweet and made sure we had a Christmas Tree to decorate before they headed for the hills.  I am a real-tree fan, so getting our tree takes a little more effort that pulling it out of the closet.  I put our 4 strands of lights on the tree, but soon decided it looked a little bare, so I picked up a couple more strands for the tree and another one for the mantle at Wally World.  I was pretty pleased with the results!

Such a beautiful tree!  I am white lights kinda girl, but our ornaments are a mod podge of red and white balls (from the Lady Hawk tree my roommates and I put up every year in college), to nutcrackers, to homemade ornaments, to our dated ornaments Eric and I get every year.

The mantle was a bit of a struggle for me this year.  The mounted television was not there last year, so my nutcracker collection was displayed on the mantle.  For obvious reasons they would not fit up there this year, so I had to improvise.  You can't see from the pic, but there is green christmas tree garland, sparkly foliage garland, votives and some random Chrismas knick knacks up there, too.

This is the top of the bookcase next to the mantle.  The smaller photo on the left if a picture of my dad around age 5 (middle) and his two brother at a church Christmas function when they were kids.  A few years ago someone gave this pic to my dad and told him someone found it in some old files at the local newspaper in Arkansas (where he grew up).  The guy who gave it to him said that some people at the newspaper found the pic but didn't know who the kids were and there was nothing written on the back of the picture.  I guess the pic made some rounds until someone who had known my dad and his brothers growing up said there was no mistaking that it was a picture of the Jones Boys.  It is one of my favorite pics and actually stays on our mantle along with some other old pics of Eric's granddad and Eric and his brother as kids.  

I am hoping that I have finally created a wreath that I will use for a couple of years.  I have two others I have made in years past, but they just don't do it for me anymore.  I blame Pinterest.  I was pretty pleased with this one, so maybe I'll use it for 2 years before moving on. =)

Christmas Puppy Cousins!

No we didn't get another dog.  That sweet face with the red and green collar is that of my FSIL and BIL's puppy dog Junior.  They got him a few of weeks ago.  Isn't he precious?!?  We had a bit of an adventure with him this weekend when he decided to chew through the screened-in porch and escape while my FSIL and I were shopping on Saturday.  After several anxious hours, she found him at the back door wagging his tail, waiting for her to let him in.  I guess dogs really do know how to find their way home! 

I am still not completely done decorating, but I am pretty pleased with my progress so far!  More pics to come later!