From Her Cowboy Boots To Her Down-Home Roots

Another one of my friends and bridesmaids has taken that walk down the aisle to meet her new husband! I joined Hayden and Ty for their wedding weekend in Lepanto, Arkansas the weekend before Christmas.


Lepanto is a straight-out-of-a-movie small country town...literally.



I mentioned that Lepanto was home to the filming of "A Painted House", the movie based on the book by John Grisham, in this post. The barn next to the house in the movie is where we posed for wedding party pictures, just like we did for mine and Sean's wedding!


We weathered one extreme to the next. In my wedding in July we were sweating in the heat and for hers in December we were shivering in the cold. But we loved every minute of posing in our flirty, brown dresses, cowboy boots, and cotton bouquets.

I'll save you time counting. There were 12 bridesmaids!

The men coordinated in dark jeans and boots, brown jackets, and...why yes...even camouflage ties.

And just to melt your heart a little bit:
It was a magical little town to be driving around at Christmas time. Colonial style houses with wrap around porches were decked with big, colorful hanging ornaments and twinkle lights...The charming downtown, boasting one bar simply referred to as "The Bar", was festively decorated with garland and lights around each old-timey street lamp.

Meghan and I drove around a few blocks after rehearsal dinner, checking out all the houses dripping with southern Christmas spirit. I imagine if we had picked a random door to knock on, we would have been invited in by Uncle Joe and Aunt June for sweet tea and conversation in front of a warm, crackling fire. Or something like that...

Back to the wedding.

Hayden made the flower girls' brown, green, and white tutus herself, which they wore with white leotards, boots, and denim jackets.





Baby Avery was our littlest flower girl!


Kisses from Mae Mae as we wait for showtime.


Punkin was ready for her moment to shine!

All three of them were precious. And apparently told great stories!

In white baskets, they carried cotton to toss onto the aisle like a layer of clouds.

Meeting at the hair salon in the morning and spending the day hanging out in a dressing room is becoming common nature for us two!


Meg and I with our first niece.






When the doors opened, the sweet old man played'Amazing Grace' on the organ as she walked on the arm of her Dad through the wood-beamed church.

For the reception, we came in from the cold to bowls of warm chili for supper.

She was gorgeous. The smile says is all.

Happiness and Love to Hayden and Ty!

With Love,
Katie

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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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