Holiday Home Tour 2011

At Christmas, all roads lead home. ~Marjorie Holmes

Hey friends!

I hope in the hustle and bustle of this cheerful holiday season you are finding joy and a little relaxation.

Where we live, we're lucky to see one good snow for the whole winter. But already this year we have woken up twice to a somewhat surprising blanket of white...One before it was even December!

Our backyard winter wonderland!

Although we were "home" for last year's Christmas, we had just moved in 2 months before, so unpacking boxes of dishes and moving couches to have a place to sit took priority over hanging Christmas lights for the holidays. I said back then "Promise me will have Christmas lights on the house next year." And we followed through!


It's beautiful...but SO COLD! So shake the snow from your boots...

And step into our warm entryway...



I just bought the little snowman sled for $2.75 from a local thrift store...My favorite choice for buying Christmas decor.


Ornaments strung on picture hanging wire and tied with ribbon dress up the stair case.

Hobby Lobby had the olive green peacock ribbon half off and it goes perfectly with the brown, blue, and green ornaments I used last year.


Last year I went with rustic and natural. This year's tree was all about color!


We still have our Christmas train set circling the tree.


I filled clear ornaments with red, yellow, and turquoise paint, keeping with the color scheme we already have in our living room. I strung both white and color lights, so we could plug whichever one we wanted in at any time. I can never decide, so doing both was perfect! Alot of work, but still...

My babies snuggle up warm by the glow of the tree.

Lighted garland was strung over the entertainment center with the nativity scene.




Santa can find his milk and cookies on a table right in front of the fireplace. I really hope he decides to come down the chimney with my new camera!

The mantle was simple to put together this year. It's all about Santa Claus with the Santa dogs, The Night Before Christmas (the recordable book; a gift from one of my kids) and Santa figurines.

The artwork is easier than you could imagine...I found a roll of wrapping paper I couldn't pass up...Lots of Santa pups in bows and santa hats! I wrapped a scrap canvas and placed it on the mantle.


It's so easy and cheap to do with any wrapping paper you like. I think it might be my new Christmas decorating obession!

I gave this hammered brass dish a dose of silver rub-n-buff and a glossy seal to add to the mantle to hold red and silver ornaments.

Last year at Christmas, we didn't have dining room chairs, so our Christmas village had plenty of space to spread across the table. This year, I wanted to leave the table open and set up for dinner so I displayed Meemaw's Christmas village on long hallway shelves in the living room.

The carolers sing outside the hometown church...

The North Pole, a wine shop, and villagers shopping...

It's my favorite thing to set up every year and will probably change each time. I have no idea where or how I'll set it up next year.

More and more each year, I learn to enjoy the chilly weather while we're out and about, because nothing is more comforting than stepping into a warm, glowing home to defrost. You can't even feel the warmth unless you've felt the cold, right?

Now that I'm working each school day with kids in a district where many are less fortunate, I cover up in my warm bed on the harsh cold nights and see each of their faces as I fall asleep... wondering if the bed they are falling asleep in is warm like mine.

You may not have specific faces to envision or names to put with them, but remember to feel grateful for the simplest of comforts; warmth and safety in a loving home.

Sometimes I question why I go to the trouble of dressing up the house for Christmas like I do. In a few weeks, I'll be undoing all the work, so what was it for? And Christmas is going to take place just the same whether or not I have sprinkled the house with glitter and sparkle that I'll later be sweeping up for days. These thoughts usually come to me as I'm carrying 50 pound boxes up and down stairs and climbing up and down a stool 30 times to string lights on a 9 foot tree.

But the warmth and coziness it all evokes is an invaluable feeling that not everyone gets a chance to feel over the holidays. Decorating for Christmas is the deepest of traditions, and following through with tradition gives us all a sense of security. Christmas memories of my family are more vivid than any other. Pulling down that same red cardboard box of familiar ornaments let us know that we're all still together; we're still the same family.

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air." ~W.T. Ellis

I hope that despite the stress and hectic schedule, you find the energy to create a warm and joyful atmosphere for your family...or just for yourself. We all deserve that at Christmas.

Warmth and Blessings,
The Grays

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Give Thanks::2011

"O Lord, who lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness."
~Shakespeare

This year's Thanksgiving season was rich with family, bustling with excitement, and abundant in blessings to be thankful for.

First on the agenda the week before Thanksgiving, was a trip to Little Rock to call the hogs to a win against Mississippi State.

{Tailgating a War Memorial}

Why, yes! We do the dougie at Razorback tailgates.

I'd had enough waiting. I couldn't WAIT for the game to start!


I think there is something beautiful about Tusk. Maybe only a Hogs fan would say that, but...

We saw Joe Nichols, Arkansas native, on the way into the stadium.


He led our first HOG CALL of the game. Wooooo PIG Sooie!


Our boys entered the field for game time. The last game our #88, Garrett Uekman, would play. He died the next morning.

God bless his team and his family.

Second on the agenda, was Sean's Dad's family's Thanksgiving at our house. Thankfully, my first go at dressing was a success. It was so nice to have family dining at our house, in the dining room that seemed to not have chairs for an eternity and in a kitchen that was forever a work in progress. In October, we had lived in our home for a year so it has come a long way since then.

Thankfully, the weather was pleasant and the family was able to romp in the backyard with wiffleball games...

And even grade-school jump rope games! Initiated by the 10 year old, but soon attempted by many of the adults.

{Mrs. Pam}

{Me}

{Long Legs McGee}

I would say I highly recommend grabbing a jump rope at your next family event for entertainment like none other! A few of the visuals had me laughing out loud that night while trying to go to sleep:)

Third on the agenda, was apparently for me to become deathly ill on Monday and make my 2nd trip to the MD's waiting room in 2 months, on Tuesday. Maybe it was the 4 hour wait, maybe it was the accompanying migraine or maybe it was the 2 shots, but passing out, throwing up all night and taking a sick day was not the Thanksgiving break I had hoped for!

But I am thankful for good medicine, time off, and a somewhat resilient immune system.
That night, while doped up on so many meds I couldn't see straight, I had to manage to paint quarter round and stain t-molds...In preparation for our living room hardwood installation!! SOOO thankful that the carpet is gone. And to have a husband who would stay up til 1am ripping up the carpet alone because I was incapacitated. I am thankful for that boy!

I couldn't exactly sleep all day like I would've liked...what with the repetitive banging, sawing, and hammering going on in the living room...but the beautiful result was so worth it.

I searched and searched for reclaimed wood to use but it was very hard to find. I chose a dark, wide-plank antique hickory with the distressed nicks, scrapes, and knots that I love. We are so happy with it and cannot wait to have the rest of the floors stained to match...One day.
Thursday was a whirlwind of family time, first with Sean's Mom's family then at Nonnie's for my family.

For the first time in all my 25 years, Nonnie was not there. She was in the hospital and did not come home until a few days later. But we are thankful she is a fighter and we pray for her health daily.

Not a family to stray from tradition, everyone gathered at Nonnie's for the most comforting of holidays. In holiday get-togethers of a family so close, so big, and so deeply rooted in tradition, everyone stays all day and late into the night, without even noticing. Classic stories were shared...again. Kids ran in circles from one room to the next, and everyone scouted the ads for Black Friday deals and devised plans for shopping together. We all wish Nonnie could have been there, but continuing the customs in the family she started was comforting.

{Sean and Bella chillin}

{Phillip and Gabe making the rounds}

{And horsing around}

{Puuure Happiness! Cutie Pie Emry}

We all filtered out in shifts, each making our way to the hospital to visit.

Family made sure Nonnie was ready to cheer on the Hogs against LSU Friday!"

As we pause to thank Him for the blessings of the past year,
we must not forget to thank Him for the lessons we have learned through our difficult times.
We are not to be thankful for just the pleasant, easy things, but ALL things."
~Millie Stamm

After things settled down, we stoked the Christmas spirit a little by starting with decorations.

The house lights are done!

And Baby Avery helped Seany set up the train for the tree.

And picked up and placed her wipey as it came around the track...only about 20 times:)

The days until December 25th pass far to quickly. But I'm thankful for each and every fleeting moment.

With Love and Thanks,
The Grays

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