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Musings: to meditate, think, contemplate, deliberate, ponder, reflect, ruminate, reverie, daydream, introspection, dream, preoccupation, brood, cogitate.

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Deck the Halls

I've been decking my rooms with garlands decorated with fruit and birds.  I usually do my dining room in all white, but this year I decided to use the traditional colors of green and red.  I started with the dining room. . . .

I love red Cardinals that live in our trees so I give them a place of honor in my decorating. . . .

You can get a glimpse of the Christmas tree in the living room in the mirror.   I have jars and tins of cookies ready for the kids when they come home for Christmas. . . .

I found these April Cornell placemats in a yard sale this year.   I love the battery-operated, timed candles.  They come on when it gets dark, and turn off when we go to bed. . . .


The mechancial cat gets his Santa's cap. . . .

I've switched Harry Richardson's painting to the winter scene of his grandmother's house, and have added a Grandmommy and baby to my Christmas decor. . . .

I put a little decorated tree and Santa in each guest room. . . .

The Snowman tree stands on the living room hearth. . . .

. . . .and miniature scenes adorn the book shelves. . . .

A cooking school and piano shop flank the creche on the hill. . . .

Behind the couch are two huge pinecones flanking a snowed-frocked tree with more snowmen. .  . .

This is my third year to get a Hemlock.  I love their feathery needles. . . .

Poetry loves hiding under the tree.  She doesn't get to go outside, so this is a real treat for her. . . .

Most of the decorations are handmade this year.  The birdhouses were unfinished.  I painted them red and added a shingled, pinecone roof, dried apple and orange slices and hung them with raffia, and added store-bought Cardinals. . . .

I hung pinecones that I painted with "snow" and tied homespun strips of fabric on the branches. . . .

You can see the dolls' house through the branches. . . .

Hannah is enjoying tea by the fire. . . .

The twins, Sarah and Gabriel, are out sledding in the snow. . . .

The creche is set up on the piano, reminding us all that Christmas is really all about the babe in the manger, God's Son sent to bring Peace to all of mankind. . . .

Wishing you all the Peace of God as you celebrate the birth of Christ!

                         

•*¨`*•. ☆ .•*¨`*•
Take Joy!

25 comments:

  1. Cathy,
    Your home looks so beautiful! I should love to come and spend a day with you , sitting by your fire, drinking pots of tea and playing dolls! Truly a very welcoming and comforting home you have.
    Take Peace,
    Suzanne

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  2. Your house looks so happy and festive, Cathy. And so homey. Duh, right? A home that looks homey? Well, it does. All these things that you've collected for years, each in its own perfect spot in your "Christmas house." I bet a lot of them have a story to tell too. When I dig out my Christmas things each year I can remember where [or from whom] I got every item. And reliving those memories never gets old, even though some of my things [like my stocking] are coming up on sixty years of Christmas "duty." This year you must really be looking forward to a certain little peanut's very first Christmas. Have you gone completely bonkers shopping? I remember my Mom [a child of the Depression and normally extremely prudent with money] showing me all the things - bought for her first grandchild's first Christmas - that she "rolled over" to the next year because she thought she'd gone a little bit overboard. They completely covered one of the twin beds in the guest room. Obviously the clothes were returned because they wouldn't have fit a year, but Mom ended up not needing to buy a single toy or book the following year. PS - glad to report Mom was able to hold it together every Christmas after that. LOL. Well, here's wishing a very lovely, holy and happy Christmas to everyone in the Schultz family. Dickens said it better than I ever could. "God bless us, everyone..."

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    1. I love to change the decor with each season! I'll leave a lot of my Christmas decor up for the duration of winter, or tweak it to look more like winter. It's my way of celebrating the changing seasons because I'm always happy to see the next season arrive. Yes, this will be Olivia June's first Christmas! At 8 months she won't understand much, so it's next Christmas that I think will be special for her. Meanwhile, this Christmas will be special for her mommy and daddy, so I'll take lots of photos and videos for them. How many grandchildren did your mother have? With so many kids, your mother must have really cut down on the shopping for grandkids after a while. A very merry Christmas to you and your loved ones, too!

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    2. Oh, Mom only had two grandchildren [one of each]. Of we six sibs, my brother Andy was the only one of us who got married younger than age 40 - he was a mere 30. Isn't that incredible? I always say that if one of us ever goes on "Jeopardy" we should tell Alex Trebek that's what he should ask us about during the "contestant chat"portion. LOL.

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    3. Being in a large family sounds like fun, but then I would suppose you wouldn't get a lot of attention! Perhaps it creates people who long for some peace and quiet! :-)

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  3. I enjoyed seeing your decorations and even a peek into your doll house all trimmed for Christmas. I love your homemade tree ornaments…you've been busy! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas together.

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    1. I had help from my youngest and the bird houses I did a few years ago! I hope you and your family also have a wonderful Christmas together!

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  4. Oh Cathy you have been busy, your home looks beautiful. The twins said they would love to come & see your dolls house, you have so many special touches.
    Your cat is beautiful, such wonderful colours. George likes to sit under the tree too but he nibbles the lower branches so we have needles everywhere but at the moment he is not interested in the ornaments.
    I love your tree with natural decorations, we saw cardinals on a trip to New England many years ago.
    Have a very Merry Christmas to you & your family, I am so pleased I found your blog.
    Fondly Michelle

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    1. You are so sweet to say that, Michelle! I'm so glad I found your Blog, too! If your girls are interested in my dolls' house you can see more by clicking on "dollhouse" under "labels" in the sidebar. A very Merry Christmas to you and your family!

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    2. I meant to mention that if you click on the photos they enlarge even more so you can see more details in the dolls' house.

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  5. Merry CHRISTmas Cathy!! (and to your family)!
    Everything looks so homey, warm, cozy and stunning at your home :-) I can feel a real spirit here!
    It is so nice to feel as though I am right in the rooms looking at all the sweet details!
    I too am a lover of the color red and isn't this the perfect time of year to surround ourselves with it!
    Sending warmth and praying MANY Blessings! Love and hugs, Linnie

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    1. Merry Christ-mas to you, too, Linnie! I'm so glad the real Spirit comes through in my photos because it is how I feel when I'm preparing the house for Christmas! Many, many Blessings, to you, too.

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  6. Cathy, your home looks positively welcoming and inviting. I'm sure your family looks forward to stepping into the enchantment! There are definitely 'Tasha touches' throughout. I especially like the way you displayed the scene on your bookshelf to make the 'snow' flow into/out of the painting. Wishing you and yours the blessings of the season...

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    1. Thank you for noticing the painting and snow, Sharon. I love combining dimensions to make things more real-to-life or employing as many senses as I can. It heightens one's enjoyment of all that life has to offer. Wishing you and your family the blessings of the season, too.

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  7. Merry Christmas, Cathy, oh, I have really been enjoying your posts!!! Everything is just perfect. I would like to tell you something we started when our first grandchild was born and now we have four grandchildren and they really enjoy looking for "their's" each year. I found an ornament that would hold a photo of their first Christmas and then asked their parents for a pair of socks (tiny ones) that they wore. I attached the ornament to their little pair of socks and hang them on the tree each year. There is always a surprise of some kind in the socks Christmas Eve so that makes it fun for them. Just a thought in case you might be interested in doing something like this!!! You do such an amazing job with everything you do!!!! Joyce Maloney

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    1. Merry Christmas, Joyce! I'm taking any and all suggestions on how to be a fun grandmommy! I'm already planning to give each grandchild a special ornament each year and a stocking to hang on the mantle. I like the idea of getting a pair of their socks, though, every year and putting something in them, too, for my tree.

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  8. What a Merry Christmas you and your family will enjoy in your lovely home. I love all the attention to detail you have put into every corner. Your tree is especially stunning with its natural ornaments. We decorate our tree with ornaments that we have collected through the years. I'm afraid I tend to decorate in the same fashion each year. Enjoy this special time with your loved ones!

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    1. Thank you, Martha Ellen. I do tend to cram as much into every corner and tabletop as I can! It makes it very cozy, indeed. Merry Christmas to you, too!

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  9. Your house looks lovely! You have so many pretty decorations! I'm leaving in fifteen minutes to go pick up my daughter and her husband at the airport, and soon after I get back my other daughter and her partner will be here. And that's just the first wave of arrivals. In other words, these are my last moments of calm for the next few days. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

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    1. Thank you, Kristie. It sounds like the weather is cooperating so far for your travelers. My first son and family arrived last night but are off to visit the other parents for a few hours, so I have this time to finish my food preparations for tonight before the other two sons and daughter-in-law arrive this afternoon. We just have rain here, which will more than likely prevent us trekking into the woods by candlelight to visit the creche, but at least it won't impede travel. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, too!

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  10. Your home looks so lovely and festive wishing you and your family a very Happy Christmas! Sarah x

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    1. Thank you, Sarah. A very Happy Christmas to you, too!

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  11. Well you deserve a medal for all this festive beauty, I salute you. I especially love the toile chandelier with garland decor. WOW, all those trees! I never even managed to decorate the one live tree We brought in, that has never happened before. I dunno, I just couldn't get excited about it. I am so glad you did, everything looks stunning, sit back and bask in it. Hope you had a lovely CHristmas! Jeri

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  12. Thank you, Jeri. I actually thought of you and your quiet Christmas that you wrote about in a previous comment as I rushed about Christmas Eve preparing food and then getting everyone moving so we could get to church on time and out the door in the raining, foggy night.

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