Christmas Mantle

I meant to post this at Christmas time. I just loved this picture.  It looks soo homey.  We had a beautiful Christmas, our first in our new house.  We've even had a few fires in the fireplace in spite of our doubts that we'd give in to the "cold" down here.

Merry Christmas to Me

Because since we moved in, our bar had been calling out to be dressed up -TSC style.

Thanks, Honey :)

Seasonal Doings: Home Decorating

Aren't there some things that you remember your family putting out every year that brings back that feeling of home? Our children love decorating the Christmas tree and helping put the lights up and all of that fun stuff that comes with the seasonal decorating. I try to recount the memories behind as many as possible each time we do it so that they will remember why things are special traditions to our family. We have a great time!!
These are a few of the more adult decorations we have enjoyed this year:


I cannot take credit for this, it was my mother-in-law's idea last year and I just added to it this year. But, I love it! It give my dining a festive look and helps to take the focus off of the school stuff that has usually taken over the space, walls and table--at once!

This is our small Christmas tree upstairs. You will notice the one blueish ball--that's my husband's Dallas Cowboys ornament which holds the same station on our tree and has done so for at least 10 years.

This quilt is a precious treasure! My mother quilted this for my in Christmas 2007. It is just beautiful and hangs in our foyer. Each block represents one of the "days of Christmas".

This, too, is an arrangement my mother-in-law put together for me. She has quite an eye for that sort of thing and I so do not. So, I leave those things to the professionals.

Seasonal Doings: Five in a Row Ornament Exchange

We began our homeschool journey 6 years ago, using literature based unit studies from Five in a Row.  The forums there are fabulous and each year, there is an ornament exchange.  I have only participated the last three years, but we have quite the collection, as you can see.  Many of the ornaments symbolize a favorite book that is included in Five in a Row, although some do not.  I have been using this wreath to hang our ornaments on, but it's looking like next year, we'll have to have a separate Five in a Row tree.  Lots of fun memories here!