Harrington House

Our Christmas Card...and some outtakes, of course!

I absolutely adore getting Christmas cards in the mail, and I love to send them.  I never had sent out picture Christmas cards till last year when we had Amelia.  Here is last year's card...

 

Wow!  It is amazing how much Amelia has changed in a year!  

This year's card...

   

Trying to get decent pictures of Amelia this year was almost impossible!!  But, in the end, we did...even though it wasn't the "poses" I had cooked up in my mind.  As my sister says, these pictures just show her spunk.  I guess that so-called  spunk was what caused my child to adopt an equestrian-style pose on her rocking horse, Rockefeller, during Christmas card photo session!  It almost didn't make it to the actual card, but we thought it was funny and would give our friends and family a laugh.

Here are some outtakes (because there are always outtakes...at least, at my house)...

 Let's see, eating fake dirt out of the fake poinsettias...

Sitting dangerously close to the fire and zoning out to Elmo on TV...

 

 Taking some time out for the Magna Doodle...

She's fast, my friends, very fast...

   

All this hard work calls for a little refreshment...

And then, the tears...

 

Oh mercy!!

The End...

 

Now, to see some beautiful Christmas cards (minus the tears & hind ends, I'm sure), go visitFaith & her Christmas Card Carousel!  Merry Christmas, y'all!

     

Amelia's First Haircut

And I did it myself!  Eeek!  I always wanted to be a hairdresser simply because I love the sound of cutting hair!  (You should see a couple of my Barbies.  Thank goodness I had some restraint and left most of them alone!)  Anyhoo...we were looooooong overdue on a haircut for Miss Amelia.  It was starting to look like a mullet.  Yikes!  I actually have been waiting to get it long enough so I could save a lock from her First Haircut.

Some befores...

 

   

I wanted to get some "During" pictures, but, well, that was highly impossible, as I am sure you can imagine!  So here are some afters...

   

 

So, I reckon I can now call myself a bonafide kitchen beautician, right?  I promise...I won't do any perms.  ;o) 

More Christmas Things...

   

  

  

  

  

  

   

One of my favorite decorations that I put on my tree are not really ornaments at all, but some of my collection of old Christmas cards and winter black-and-whites.  I have dozens and dozens of them, so I usually have to change them up each year.  Many of the cards are signed, which makes me love them even more.  My family has laughed at me for years over these! 

I also picked up some ribbon yesterday at Michael's to use on my candles.  

   

And I also got some ribbon for some of my little trees that I sit all over the place.  Everything's better with a bow!  :o)

I got these little trees at Michael's last year for next to nothing.  I love how they are wrapped in burlap at the bases and that they have that scraggly look.  haha!  I think they look just as good plain as they do fully decorated.  I just wired in some gold pinecones and red berries on this tree and put in some battery-powered white lights.

   

 

   

I also got some green berries to tuck into the mantle garland.  I keep thinking of things to stick in there!  I'm just waiting for The Nester to come knock on my front door and tell me to "Stop it, Katie!" or "Shut her down!"  Haha!  In the meantime, I'll just keep going!  ;o)

   

Yesterday, I covered a styrofoam ball in some boxwood that I got from the yard.  My intention was for them to be more round, but as you can see that didn't work!  Haha!  But I still like the way it turned out.  I covered egg-shaped styrofoam last Easter with moss, so maybe I'll just do some moss-covered ones next.  The base I am using here is a small alabaster urn that I got for a couple bucks this summer at an antique store that was closing.

A couple of nights ago, we went to Lenox to see Santa.  (We didn't want to wait in the line, so we are going to do it another night.)  But Amelia looooved the giant Christmas tree on top of Macy's roof (the "TEEEE," as she calls it!).  

   

We ate dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, and while we were waiting for our food, Amelia staved off her hunger with a lemon slice.  I know, I know...y'all think we are cruel!  But it's so funny!  :o)  And to be perfectly honest, she keeps going back for them!  Here's some of the pucker action shots...

   

   

 

It's a Garland Party!

And this party, as you can see, is being hosted by The Hostess with the Mostest...(because her garland is the mostest)... The Nester! 

As I set out to do my mantle garland this year, I wanted to inject some Southern flare, of course!  So I started with my base of pine branches and tucked in pine cones, fern fronds, and magnolia leaves.  I also put in some tee-tiny white lights.

 

       

(For the record, I have fixed those wires that you can see in some of these pictures!  I know that is probably bothering the stew out of some of y'all, like it does me!  Rest easy, it's fixed...haha!)

   

I still have a couple other things I need to finish, like getting some ribbon to tie around the honeycomb candles that are on the mantle.  And, yes, our tree topper (the angel) is MIA...I must be missing a box in the attic somewhere...

I should have had a fire going for this picture!  :o)  I have been on the lookout for a black iron firescreen that I could put in front of the firebox (even though our's is a gas one).  The surround used to be brass, and last year, Mike painted it black for me with heat-resistant spray paint.  (I wish this was a real wood-burning fireplace, because I LOVE the smell of them!  Have any of y'all ever had one converted?)

Celebrating the Small Stuff

Otherwise titled...

A few days ago, I read this by Emily, encouraging us to celebrate "what is while anticipating what is to come."  I am so guilty sometimes of not paying attention to the small stuff going on with Amelia during this season in her life.  I get caught up in the mealtime (making sure to remember to get that piece of roll out of the toybox), naptime (watching the clock till I can put her down so I can scrub the toilets), and bathtime (saying "No, ma'am" a dozen times while I'm getting soaked from the splashing).  I know that in all of those daily moments, there are little gifts that I want to receive!  I just have to open my eyes so I can open those gifts.  

On Saturday morning, we were in a mad rush to set the Christmas tree up before the party started.  (Mike had had to make a last-minute trip to NYC for a meeting, and, although my pregnant self tried, I could not get the tree out of the attic!  So, we were left with a Saturday morning set-up.)  Meanwhile, during the usually fun and exciting event of tree trimming, our pantry shelves decided to come crashing down, breaking bottles of oil and Karo syrup all over the floor!  While Mike tried to contend with the thick layer of syrup laced with glass shards, I completely lost my cool and hollared at Amelia to "Go play in the other room...now, young lady!"  Afterwards, I returned to the tree project, and I saw this...

    

I know it may not look like much to anyone but this Mama, but it actually melted my heart.  She had been keeping out of our way and busying herself with something that made no sense to me (cans of soda in the Christmas tree box??), but it must have been something that seemed meaningful or interesting to her at the time since she did it.  I know that years from now when my Amelia is grown, I am going to miss the things like this...the cans of soda in the tree box, the half-eaten roll in with the toys, and getting completely drenched while I wash her hair.  :o)  Oh, I wonder what I've already missed...  :o)   

Guess Who's Come to Visit?!

 

Santa's Little Elf has arrived to keep an eye on us around here!  These were actually the escapades from last year.  I wonder where he will end up this year...hmmm....

  

Sneaky Peak!

Here is a quick peak at Amelia's new room.  Mike was so great to get it all painted for me the other night.  We used Behr "Pismo Dunes," and it turned out perfect!  Yellows are hard to pick out so I was so surprised that we loved it since it was the first color we tried.  And, thank goodness, it doesn't look to "Hello, Sunshine!" in the daytime! 

The floral is going on the windows, and the plaid will be the bedskirt.  I have white matelasse that I am using for the main bedding, along with some of my white antique lace-edged linens and some colorful throw pillows in the coordinating fabrics.  

   

I just love doing this kind of thing, especially when I find lots of fabric that I love!  I wish Amelia was old enough to really be excited about it, that way I could keep it secret and surprise her with it on Christmas!  Wouldn't that be fun??  Momma did that one time when Kelly and I went to Granny and Papaw's one summer.  It was so fun seeing our new rooms!  And I'm sure Momma had a lot of fun doing it for us.  Oh well, I'm still very excited about this room! 

Christmastime is Here!

By far, this is my favorite time of year!  Christmastime!  We have been busy decking the halls this week and getting ready for a Christmas party that we are hosting here on Saturday night.  

    

I'm trying to get the menu finalized and get it mostly done tomorrow so that come Saturday, I won't be running around crazy!  

While we were in Nashville at Mike's parents' for Thanksgiving, we drove up to my sister's on Friday so we could visit with them.  One of my sister's favorite shops was having special Christmas festivities that weekend (including Santa and wreath-making with live greenery...how fun, right?!), so Kelly, Amelia, and I went and got all sorts of goodies!  They even gave me a whole bunch of magnolia leaves and seed pods to use for my mantle.  How sweet!  :o)

Now, Kelly has a cat.   A one-eyed cat.  Named "Winks."  Amelia just loves Winks.  And, well, Winks does not reciprocate that love.  Poor Winks....had to hide under the Christmas tree the whole time we were there...

   

From the safety of the tree and presents, Winks kept an eye on Amelia the whole time.  And you know that must've been hard work, since she only has the one eye and all.

Before leaving town, we HAD to hit up one of my favorite spots.  Favorite spots of all time! 

 

Mmmmm!  A footlong, some baby burgers, and a brown derby!  Kelly's coming down in December...too bad she can't bring me some more...

Now, lastly, one of my favorite bloggers and my pregnancy buddy Sarah passed on this Christmas tag to me...

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Egg Nog!!

Does Santa wrap presents or just put them under the tree?
He wraps them!  However, "Santa" doesn't do the best gift-wrapping at my house. 

Colored lights on house/tree or white?
Definitely white.

Do you hang mistletoe?
YES!

When do you put your decorations up?
As soon as possible after Thanksgiving.  There have even been a couple years when the tree has been up at Thanksgiving.  I can't help it, y'all, I just can't.

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Oyster stew!  I crave it come Christmas!!

Favorite holiday memory as a child?
I was baptized by my Papaw on Christmas Eve when I was 8 years old.  Now, every year, I pull out the program from that service (it has a poinsettia picture on the front of it) and sit it out somewhere.  He also gave me a white dove for my baptism that I sit out at Christmas, too.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
A girl named Jennifer (I'll refrain from printing her last name...haha) told me at the lunch table in the 4th grade. 

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
One year, Kelly and I begged Momma to let us open up ONE present on Christmas Eve.  After lots of begging, she said, "Go ask your Daddy."  So, we asked Daddy.  "Daddy???"  (Whenever we wanted something, we would always start off with and overly sweet and high-pitched "Daddy."  You could always tell when one of us wanted something!  haha! )  He said we could.  We went through that same routine every year thereafter...begging Momma, then asking Daddy.  :o)

How do you decorate your tree?
It's a big deal here at our house.  I love putting the tree up!  I do the lights since I am so particular, and we always have music playing.  I tend to keep playing "Santa Baby" over and over until Mike is about to go crazy, then we watch "Christmas Vacation."  Then, in true Clark Griswold fashion, Mike plugs in the lights.  And we take turns every year putting the angel on top.  Amelia gets her turn this year!  :o)

Snow.  Love it or dread it?
LOVE IT!  I wish we had more of it.  This is usually all we get....

 Not even enough to fully cover the grass...

Can you ice skate?
Only in a circle around the rink.  No twirls or anything exciting...unfortunately.

Do you remember your favorite gift?
Honey, yesss!!  I still HAVE my favorite gift.  Let me show it to you.  I pulled it out of the closet.

When I was six or seven, I asked for a white rabbit fur coat.  And, lo and behold, I opened up a box on Christmas morning, and there she was!  Years later, Momma told me she never had any intention of actually getting me a real fur coat, but she found one on clearance days before Christmas.  I looved this coat.  Sometime after the weather started warming up, I was still wearing this coat, and Momma told me I needed to leave it in the car while we went in to the grocery store so I wouldn't get it dirty (truth be told, it was probably because it was May).  Anyway, I made it through the store with nary a hair falling out of the coat, and what did I do at the checkout?  I leaned a tad bit too close to the conveyer belt and wripped a hole in the sleeve.  Momma just gave me that look.

 

But you really can't see it.  You have to hunt for it.  I still learned a lesson though. 

What is the most important thing about the holidays to you?
Making memories with my family!  I want my husband and my children to have wonderful memories when they look back!

What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Homemade bourbon balls, hands down!

What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Papaw and Granny would always make oyster stew on Christmas morning, and we'd all have that to hold us over till we ate The Meal at lunchtime.  I just crave oyster stew now on Christmas morning, and it just takes me back! 

What tops your tree?
An angel.

Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
I love to find the perfect present for Momma and Kelly!  We all love to antique/junk, so it's such a thrill when we find that perfect gift!  My brother-in-law, Derrick, says you can go to a dumpster and pull out a piece of junk and we all three would go crazy for it.  He's just about got that right!

What is your favorite Christmas song?
Wow!  Too many to count!  I love "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and "Angels We Have Heard on High."  And "Up on the Rooftop..."  I could list dozens!

Candy canes.  Yum or yuck?
YUM!

What do you want for Christmas? 
A new sewing/embroidery combo machine.

Do you attend an annual Christmas party?
Yes!

Do you dress up for Christmas Eve or wear PJs?
We'll dress up for the Vesper's Service, then back home to our jommies!

Do you own a Santa hat?
No.  I never have, and I highly doubt I ever will.  haha!

Who do you usually spend Christmas with?
It has always varied.  But this year, we will be home!!!

Well, my Christmas trees and Christmas music are calling me!  If you do this tag, will you please let me know so I can come see it?  I have so many more things to post, as soon as I get another free minute, I'll be back!