Christmastime ... was here.

And just like that ... it's over!

I'm not quite ready for it to be over, to tell you the truth.

The hustle & bustle, yes ...

but the warmth, ambiance, cheer ...
the family time & festivities ...
the cozy blankets, hot chocolate, Hallmark Christmas movies ...
& the tree & the lights ...
NO, I am NOT ready for those things to end!

And the Christmas music ... no, I never tire of that.

Course, not all of those things have to end because Christmas is over.
You can drink hot chocolate year round, ya know.
But it's more special by the lights of the tree.
You know I'm right ;)

So my remedy to the 'is it really over this quick?' conundrum, I usually extend Christmas a bit.
I don't take down my tree right away.
I DVR Hallmark movies so I can watch one whenever the mood strikes me.
And I always have more yummy foods on my holiday list than I can make,
so I even continue cooking/baking the things I wanted to before I ran out of time/parties!

And whenever I've had my fill, I'll put Christmas away til next year.
It usually takes a few weeks though before I fully feel like I've enjoyed the calm after the 'holiday storm'.

I finally got around to taking a few pictures of our decorated Christmas house yesterday
so I'll share a few of them with you.
(Beware, these are NOT staged pictures!
They are 'as is' ... don't be alarmed when you see a random doggie or doggie toy ... or whatever else.)

The gifts are all gone ...

But here's proof that they were here in full force.

The little NOEL corner was fun.

I wasn't sure where I wanted those letters this year.

I sat them up here to think about & there they remained.

A crock full of antlers.

Everyone needs one of those.

I've searched for curtains since May.

Found these cute ones just a few weeks ago at Big Lots, of all places.

They are a grey/tan color.

I didn't do any gift wrapping til a few days before Christmas, so beforehand, 

these skates, a tin of pine cones, & a poinsettia, along with a picture of the nativity sat under the tree.

I used a variety of plaids again this year.

I love the warmth & Christmas cozy that plaid adds!

I pretty much love pillows!

And a mixy-matchy look is what I went with this year.

These are my pretty Christmas flowers that James brought home one evening.

They are still looking lovely!

I found this plaid platter for next to nothing at Christmas Tree Shops.

The long wooden cutting board/paddle behind it was a Christmas gift from Garrett & Carissa.

I love it so much.

The one in front is an antique one that I've had for years.

And the sweet crock candle from my niece, Erica ... isn't that adorable?

Still have finishing touch up work to do here in the kitchen since we painted the cabinets 

(I don't think I've talked about that on the blog) ... I hadn't planned on sharing any pics just yet 

but it looked so cozy in here one evening that I had to snap a pic.

I'll share a before and after post here soon.

Well, at least that's my intention ;)

I wanted to add a wreath to the window for Christmas, so I kinda threw this together.

I took apart a large valance & made these curtains.

I plan on making a new curtain & using a whole new color palate in the kitchen in January.

I sat my little tree in a small crock for the dining room.

(I didn't put up my kitchen tree ... I was feeling more 'minimalist' this year.)

(You can take a look at it here.)

 

This little dish is one of my newest pieces of ironstone.

It is beyond cute. 

In the spot where my kitchen tree normally sits, I put the old sleigh.

 

So, to wrap things up ... I don't know where we'll be this time next year.
We are debating on putting our house up for sale in the spring.
That's one reason I wanted to share these pics.
My blog is more of a personal journal than anything ... more for me & my family than any other purpose.
In the event that this was our last Christmas here, I wanted to share the pics & the memories.

And even though the holiday season speeds by faster than January & February could ever hope to,
we've loved every minute of it.
We are so blessed.
We have a relationship with the Savior & know the real reason for it all.
Our family is healthy & we love each other like crazy.
We take none of these things for granted.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too ...
and my prayer is that your new year is your best one yet!
Thanks for visiting.

Til the season comes round again ...

Who doesn't love a good party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.
Monday           Amaze Me Monday     Coastal Charm    The Dedicated House
                     I Should Be Mopping the Floor     The Hankful House     The Modest Mom
Tuesday        A Delightsome Life    A Bowl Full of Lemons  
                                    Titus Tuesday  A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style      
                              The Thrifty Home   A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday    Between Naps on the Porch    Katherines Corner 3D Lessons for Life
           Hope in Every Season     Lamberts Lately
Friday      Rooted in Thyme  The Thrifty Groove   Farm Blog Hop   Flea Market Friday   Missional Women
 Best of the Nest  Anything Blue Friday   French Country Cottage  The Girl Creative
Sunday    Nifty Thrifty Things   Simple Saturdays    Sew Many Ways