we're gettin' there

why is that the day before thanksgiving

is simply

the day before Thanksgiving

a relaxing day just making sure i have all the fixin's for the feast

then

somehow

the day after Thanksgiving arrives

&

bam!

i wake up & realize

that despite my best intentions

i feel a little bit of panic start to creep in

all the things that must be done

in the next 20ish days or so

start flooding my mind

usually the weekend of Thanksgiving

i'm finishing up all the decorating

several packages are already wrapped

& hanging out beneath the tree

but this year

i've only bought 2 gifts

which are not wrapped by the way

i worked a double shift this past weekend

we were out of town for the funeral of a precious relative

whose military funeral was nothing short of breathtaking

& we celebrated my sweet Dan's birthday

but

this morning when i awoke

{early--the new me, thankyouverymuch}

& walked downstairs

the wonderful fragrance of a live frasier fir filled the air

& gently reminded me

its all good

it'll all get done

& my focus isn't on "all of it" anyway

this week marks the first week of advent

~hope~

& my desire is to truly focus on just that & be reminded of

how much the Lord has blessed me & my sweet girls

i'm hoping to get an entry about hope up before the week is out...

but if not...( get the entry done that is)

the tree is up

the lights are on

just waiting for the girls to arrive home

& decorate it

&

all is well

my decorating is intentionally simplified this year

goodness...if i had to chose my word for 2009

it would certainly be simplify

so in keeping with that theme

i left multiple boxes unpacked

i pulled out simply what i wanted to use this season

& without any guilt

put the rest

all away

even the dozens of dept 56 Christmas Village homes

much to caroline's dismay

i'm using creamy whites

mercury glass

some burlap

greenery

& vintage paper shred here & there

this antique silver platter is filled with a few vintage sheet music pieces

an old key & crystal from an old chandilier

vanilla candles

they're there...just realized you don't see them in the pic

& in the evening looks simply lovely

when the light flickers

each year i really change things up

& each year i like the final effect

but this year

might just be

my most favorite

& just in case you were wondering

everyone loved the ginormous bowl of vintage ornaments

in fact

its probably my favorite decoration in our home!

hope to share some pictures soon

xo

these last couple pictures are not of christmas decorating...

but just a few things i added that will blend well with the neutral wintry look i'm going for

some silvery white spray painted branches from the back yard

that i thought i'd just use during the fall , but love 'em so much

they're staying for Christmas!