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A Christmas Tour. And Tide To Go Minis.

So, I was planning to link up with BooMama’s big Tour of Homes this morning. Lydia, my almost 3 year old is at Camp Primo: The Winter Retreat and I knew I’d have some “alone” time to clean get online.

Then…uhm…well, I bought a book. First of all, I am embarrassed to say how long it’s been since I’ve read a book. I haven’t even picked one up since the pirate was born almost 3 months ago.

Until. Twilight.

Yes, I bought Twilight. I’m all about a bandwagon.

So, I’m on page 312 and haven’t really thought about the Tour of Homes in oh…two days. This morning I finally looked around my house to take pictures of my beautiful holiday decor. And uhm…it looks exactly the same as it did last year.

So, to add a little umph to my tour, I’m offering up a prize. Yes, a prize. And really it’s the fun folks at Tide who are offering it up. But, whatever. It’s a prize.

I’ve got a bea-u-tiful Christmas stocking chock full of STUFF for you! Don’t you love it? I can’t tell you how hard it was to NOT switch one of my old stockings for this one…

 

But wait! There’s more! Let’s see…there’s a Meyer’s peppermint soy candle (smells delish), some Burt’s Bees lip goodness (my absolute fave!), a box of Russel Stover chocolates (YUM) and something exceptionally practical from Tide: some mini Tide To Go pens. These are CUTE! So little! What a perfect stocking stuffer—or purse stuffer so you don’t get any more embarrassing stains on your clothes at Christmas parties. Not that I’d ever drop salsa on my shirt within 5 minutes of being at a party or anything…

 

Now, how can you hang this stocking with care on YOUR mantle? Just look at my pictures. Oooh and aaah over my tree, my decorations and uhm…blog. Then leave me a comment. A comment about…well, honestly, I don’t care. If you want to just say “pick me”, that’s fine. But if you leave me a comment telling me you have a similar ornament, or absolutely looooove my tree, I might come visit your blog. (Wow. How’s that for friendly?)

(And of course, if you want an extra entry, leave me a comment letting me know you subscribed to my feed and/or that you blogged or tweeted a link to this post!)

NOW. ENOUGH OF THE WINDBAG, let’s get to the pictures!

First. Our tree. I simply adore our tree. It smells delicious. It looks pretty and I want to leave it up all year!

 As theme-y as I like to be, I don’t theme out our tree. I like to collect ornaments that go along with our life and experiences. I have ornaments we collected in Tulsa, on our skiing trip, when our children were born and inside jokes among friends.

My favorite decoration/tradition is our mini trees. When I was little, my mom bought my brother and me a mini tree. Then each year she’d give us a mini ornament from Hallmark to hang on it. The idea was that one day when we went to college or got married, we’d have our own little tree ready to go. And you know, my husband and I had that mini tree as our only tree for about 6 years! What a special piece of family and memories to have in our home! Now, I’ve done the same for everyone in our little family. (Ooops, I need to get Asa one today!!)

Here’s Lydia’s…mainly pink glitter and princesses…

My husband’s is all Snoopy. Who knew it was a 15 year series?!

And mine? Well, it’s chock-full of memories! I love it. My favorite this year is a little African girl. She reminds me of our Compassion daughter, Alizeta.

One of my new favorite decorations is actually a big pile of old ornaments my mom gave me. I didn’t really want to put them on my tree, but I did want to keep them. So, now they are sitting in an old rusty tin in front of my tree. It’s full of “my” ornaments as a kid. I love looking at them!

And speaking of tins, I apparently collect M&M Christmas tins. It was just one of those accidental things and I ended up with about 20 of them. I use them in place of a tree skirt and they double as ornament storage during the year!

Are you still with me? I’ve just got 2 more pictures to show you…Here’s my dining room table. It’s not much, but I think it’s pretty. Every plate has a different little decoration on it. (More because I didn’t have anything matching than trying to be creative…)

And last but not least my daughter’s “Jesse Tree”. It’s getting filled up, huh? (Click here and here for more info on my version of a Jesse Tree.)

And that’s all folks! If you actually made it through that long-as-Christmas post, you deserve to win that cute stocking from Tide! Thanks again, Tide!

I’ll announce the winner this weekend and oh, it’s only open to US addresses.

Merry Christmas!

 

Comments

  1. I keep all my ornaments from when I was a kid but I have so many that I have to pick and choose which ones to put on the tree each year. My kids’ ornaments take up most of the space on our tree now.

  3. Cute!!!! I have a pattern book for felt Jesse Tree ornaments. I’m hoping to work on them throughout the year and maybe have them all done by Christmas next year!! We’ll see…..
    give_me_a_latte at yahoo

  4. I love your M&M tins! Cute stuff! It’s a great idea instead of a tree skirt. We were going to put a tree skirt around our tree, but then we realized that there would be enough presents to cover the base of the tree the same day we put it up so we didn’t worry about it.

  9. Boo Canadians always get the short end of the stick lol

    You’re getting me inspired to start decorating, we don’t even have our tree up yet!

  10. Love your pictures. We make our Jesse tree like yours: on a paper tree. It is one of my favorite things that we do.

    Thank you for entering me,
    Tasha

  11. Love, love, love your tree! It’s beautiful. Looking at that picture of you in that ornament, I can really see Lydia in you!

  12. EVen if I can’t take part of your little “tombola”, nevertheless I’d like to leave you a comment. I really like your Christmas decoration especially your M&M tins. And I like the idea of these little christmas trees 🙂

  13. Love the idea of those little trees. Snoopy is a family favorite. =)

    And your Jessee tree is great. I keep saying I am going to do that with my kids one year. Maybe I should put it on the calendar for next year so I don’t forget?

    And, I am pretty excited about your giveaway. I love the stocking.

  14. I love the M&M tins for a tree skirt! My tree skirt consists of a Christmas table cloth. I figure presents are going to hide it anyway.

    P.S I’m a subscriber and really should stop by and comment more. 🙂

  15. That picture of you is so cute – I love it! I am theming-out my Christmas tree this year and Tim hates it (he likes the random ones) but I keep telling him I just need to get it out of my system and then we’ll go back to the free-for-all trees that we both grew up with.

  16. First of all, I NEED more Burt’s Bees lip stuff. TWO of mine have run out in the past week (yes, I have like 5 tucked away all over the house so I can get to them whenever I need…). Second of all, I subscribed to your feed. Last year. Does that count? 😉

    I love your trees. I thought of you this year when Josh and I were talking about getting a mini-tree for the boys. We’re not doing it this year, but it will be done! You’ve inspired us! And – how much does Lydia look like your first grade pic? WOW!!!

  17. Love the old ornaments. My favorites are the ones from my childhood as well (Strawberry Shortcake). Your decorations look great!

  18. i love trees that don’t necessarily have themes, but have lots os special ornaments that have memories, it is fun to look back.

  21. I love the mini trees- we got James one, but it’s on the porch with just lights on it. I could do so much better, but I’m lazy like that 🙂 Happy Holidays!!!

  23. Your tree is so sparkly!! And, using those tins as ornaments holders through the rest of the year is brilliant.

    And, can I please please win the stocking? Thanks. 🙂 🙂

  24. Hey Amanda-

    I love your blog – it’s so cute and I showed my roommate about it since she does need ideas for her preschoolers from time to time! My mom and I actually just talked about ornaments the other day – she says I should get the box from her house since they never put up a tree, and I always do! I did a theme when I moved out from my parents house and bought my own – red and gold with red lights and ribbon flowing down ward…I’ll try to post a picture – it’s really pretty and I have no kids to impress with mine! I do love yours – it looks real too…love the smell of a real tree – I just don’t have a way to haul one. Anyway, hope your contenst is successful!!!
    Danielle

  27. Looks great! Love the mini-tree idea. I think I just might have to borrow that idea. For next year. 🙂

    Oh, and Twilight. Ah, Twilight. The books kept me reading for 5 days straight. I’m still not over the fact that the author isn’t writing any more. Ugh.

  28. The idea of using an empty tin to hold old Christmas ornaments is brilliant!

    My tree is all silver and white and blue – but my ornaments from growing up are very different, so they never go up on the tree. Maybe I’ll look into something like that!

    I love the Jesse Tree (and loved reading your post where you explained how you were doing it). I also think the mini tree idea is cute, very practical.

    Have a Happy Christmas.

  29. Ever since I started reading Twilight a week or so ago I have gotten NOTHING done! Nothing like being fat and pregnant sprawled out on the couch reading about vampires!

  30. You have a beautiful tree. I love your ornaments. I used to have a collection from my childhood and the ones I bought my daughter. I had a house fire 4 years ago and lost all of them…We are slowly building the collection back. Merry Christmas to all!! Tammy

  31. Your tree looks great! I love little first grade you! I am also super impressed with your Jesse tree and wishing I had gotten my act together sooner with Chritsmas-y crafts. We’re going to make some marzipan nativity figures this week (I hope… that’s if I don’t eat it all first – yum!), but today’s the 15th! Slacker 🙁

    Oh, and pick me! I spill stuff a *lot* and I have a jolly great belly to catch everything on. Not pretty.

  32. Amanda: I LOVE your decorations! You put me to shame! I have two ornaments on our tree right now. Chelsea keeps telling me she is going to decorate it. High school kids! So undependable! Miss you guys! Denise

  33. I’ve got tons of ornaments too but unfortunately my tree’s looking like it ought to be at Charlie Brown’s this year since my toddler keeps ripping off all my ornaments! lol, Well, there’s always next year for a fabulous tree, we still have each other and that’s Christmas enough!

  34. Actually, we don’t do stockings, so if I am randomly picked, you could have the stocking, and just send me the contents.

    See, don’t you feel like “helping” me to win? 🙂

  36. I love your tree and I really like the MM tins instead of a skirt. That is such a neat idea.

    I’m reading Twilight too, but I’m not near as far as you. I guess I better get back to reading. I spend too much time reading blogs instead of the book.

    I’d love to win the stocking.

    Thanks for sharing your home and Merry Christmas to you and yours!

  38. I love your tree! We like ’em just like that, with heartfelt ornaments. And (ours) not decorated by Martha Stewart. 🙂

    I loved what you did with the ornaments from your mom, what a wonderful idea. What floored me was your first grade ornament. 1983. I graduated from HS when you were in kindergarten. And I have a 22 month old daughter. Oh gosh, that makes me old enough to be your kids’ grandmother. EEPS! 🙂

    Merry Christmas, thanks for the scare. Going to go and check for gray hairs now! (hehe)

    Kiy

  39. Hi! I am brand-new at blogging and discovered this wonderful Tour of Homes! I am so loving all the ideas – I am going to look for “tins” like you have – what a great idea!! And it would keep the ornaments from being broken too! Thanks for sharing!!
    ….and please pick me – I’ve never won anything!!!
    Hugs from Michigan

  40. After 30 years of marriage my tree has to be bigger to hold all of my ornaments. I still have the ones I received from the children that rode my bus, my childrens handmades and Penguin’s galore. Your place looks beautiful! It’s too bad our homes don’t look this good all year round.

  41. Love you home. It’s beautiful and you have wonderful ideas. I am new to the house of tours and to blogging. Next Year I think I will be more prepared. I need more decorations! Merry Christmas to you and your family!

  43. i am in LOVE with your tree…how i miss a real tree…..
    and your daughter’s jesse tree is precious! i might have to steall that idea next year ;O)

  45. The upside-down Hallmark ornament in the box…that’s not a First Christmas ornament, is it? I won’t mention the year, but it looks awfully similar to mine. 😉 My Nana bought me one of those every year (while they still made them). She then switched to the mini Hallmark ornaments, so I have a mini tree, too. Evan just put ours up a few days ago. I decided to forego the big tree this year, but he was dying to put one up. 🙂

    Loved the pics!

  48. Okay, I HAVE to research and find out the scoop on “Jesse tree”. Everyone has them, it seems, and I don’t know what it is!! Anyway, your home is lovely and I’d love to win. Oh, and you’re invited to my place too. Merry Christmas!

  49. I’ve been in a hum-drum-srhum mood this year and have had a horrible time getting decorated for Christmas. I finally finished our tree Monday night and when I stood back to look I thought I would be looking at the most ugly tree in the world. I’ve always thought a tree was suppose to be overwhelmed with lights rather than having a few, strategically placed for beauty. Then I thought the tree should be wrapped in garland or ribbon and then finished off with a ‘theme’ of ornaments. This year however I put very few lights, no garland or ribbons, a wide assortment of ornaments that have been collected over the years, and finished it off with an Angel on top. While our tree could use a few more ornaments I believe it turned out beautifully. I do need to take pictures and get them posted … maybe this weekend, after I add more ornaments!

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