Christmas Collage

Hello everyone...I wanted to pop in to wish you a very Merry Christmas.  I hope all your treats are made, your shopping is done and you are ready to relax and enjoy the next few days.  I still have to clean and go to the grocery store so I'm going to keep this short and sweet today.

I put together a little holiday collage of some of my Christmas decorating and projects.  Some photos you have seen, but some are new.

Here's a pretty scarf, an ornament from my tree and some yummy treats...mmmm.  I can't even tell you how many candy canes I have eaten...a ridiculous number I'm sure.  Of course I will be continuing my binge tomorrow when my family comes over...might as well just be honest about it.

Some lovely poinsettias...I got both cream and pink this year and made some out of felt too.



Pink and cream.  I'm lovin' it.  Here's my dining room and one of the pink ornaments I made.

Well, there you go.  I have lots to get done so I bid you all adieu.

I hope you all have a blessed and joyous Christmas and please remember the reason for this wonderful holiday.

Best wishes ♥ Tricia

This post is linked to Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home and

Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors.

A Joyful Spirit

"Aren't my feet amazing?" she says with a smile, as she is getting out of the tub.  I look down at her little feet with her pink nails and soft skin, wrinkled from the warm water.  "Ohhh yes, they are absolutely beautiful" I tell her. 

I hear her little sing-song voice happily rejoicing over the simplest happenings of the day.  She creates a tune about the cat's nap, an outing to the store, a visit with Grandma or even brushing her teeth.  The twinkling of Christmas lights that adorn our neighbors' homes are, to her, awe inspiring.  The sight of something sweet to eat will always catch her eye, eliciting cries of glee and the clapping of her little hands.

My sweet little girl, just barely four, takes delight in the simple things that life has to offer and in its subtle beauty.

As the end of this year draws near, I think, as I always do, about how the coming year signals a fresh start...possibly a new way of looking at things.  I wonder if some of my daughter's appreciation for herself and the little things that amaze her could be sprinkled over me, like a magical pixie dust, washing away some of my ideas about life and myself, transforming my thoughts into those that have not yet been colored by the world.  A freshening of the spirit, so to speak.

My wish is to take in all of the laughter, beauty and happiness that the world has to offer.  To rejoice over life's simple pleasures and appreciate all that I have.  And to try and see the world through the eyes of a child.

Best wishes to you all ♥ Tricia

My Cozy Spot

Here in my porch, you will find this cozy spot...



It is my favorite place to relax, nestled under a soft blanket, all warm and toasty.  It is my place to be entertained...by a good book, a funny movie or by all your wonderful words and pictures.  It is also the perfect place to snuggle with my children.

It has just a hint of Christmas, with a pretty angel...



Some pretty packages...

Now I know a cat has nothing to do with Christmas, but I just wanted to include him, so let's pretend, okay?

 A sweet kitty...

Some wonderful white poinsettias and a wintry wreath...

Hope you are all staying warm and cozy in your favorite spot.

Best wishes ♥ Tricia

This post is linked to White Wednesday at Faded Charm, Inspiration Friday at Southern in My Heart,  Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage and Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home.

Winter Wonderland

We had a big blizzard here in the Midwest this weekend...you may have heard.  For all you lovely people who don't get snow, I thought I would give you a glimpse of my winter wonderland. 

Here is how it all looks today.  Of course, here are the pinetrees I have shown you before.

It was so windy that the snowdrifts gathered in waves like desert sand.

Very pretty.

This is how it looked yesterday...

Gee, doesn't that look fun?  It was freezing cold, so the little people weren't out too long, just enough to get a taste of the action.  As an aside...my husband, who isn't bothered by any kind of weather, not even blizzards, wondered if we should get Chipotle for lunch.  Ummm...no.

Hope your weekend was sunny, warm and lovely ♥

Christmas Family Room

Hello everyone!  I am nearing the end of my Christmas decorating, thankfully, and thought I would show you a little bit of what I have been doing.  If you remember, last week I showed you my dining room, well this week I have decided to share my family room. 

This room is located in the lower level of our house.  Don't you think lower level sounds so much better than basement? The word basement, to me, just sounds like a dungeon.  Do you remember when I told you I was making slipcovers for my ottomans?  Well, there they are...I survived.  And those big snow-covered pinetrees in my last post?  They are right outside the window.  Just tryin' to help you visualize :)

Anyway, we spend a lot of time in our family room watching movies or playing wii, so when I was decorating this room, I just tried to keep it simple and relaxed.  Since we don't have a Christmas tree down here, I wanted to add some greenery to give it a more holiday feel...I just layered it on my mantle, along with some pinecones and used a few presents as decoration.

I also got some cream-colored poinsettias...I was leaning a little bit towards red, but I'm glad I chose these since I like things to have a little bit more of a neutral earthy feel.  When I went to buy these, every single one of those pretty light pink poinsettias that I have in my dining room were gone.

While most of the furniture in my family room is more contemporary, I do have very nice antique Romanian trunk in there.  I really wanted to show you, unfortunately it was getting dark and all the pictures I had taken of it were blurry.  I did manage to get one nice close up photo of the front though.  I think the colors on it tie the room together so well.



Well, there you go...my cozy Christmas family room.  I've heard more snow is on the way for this weekend, so I'm sure I'll be sitting down here trying to stay warm.

Best wishes ♥ Tricia

This post is linked to Feathered Nest Holiday at French Country Cottage, Inspiration Friday at Southern in My Heart, Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home and Christmas Cheer Challenge at Perfectly Imperfect and Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.

Warm and Cozy

Hello everyone!  I have a little question for you...

What is gray and soft and perfect for keeping warm? Now, I know this isn't much of a brain teaser since the item is shown in the photo below, but the answer is this beautiful scarf.  I won it from Faded Plains and Andrea made it herself...she is so talented.  I just love it and wanted to show you how pretty it is.  Thanks Andrea!

Just to trick you, I was thinking of showing you my cat first, since he is also gray and soft and good for staying warm...he loves to snuggle.

Either way, both are wonderful when it is like this outside.  It has been so snowy and cold here lately, more than normal it seems.

Hope your week is off to a great start.

Stay cozy ♥ Tricia

Christmas Dining Room

Hello everyone.  Well, it's here...December.  Can you believe it?

Since I feel like Christmas is fast approaching, I've been frantically trying to put the finishing touches on my holiday decorating so that I can just sit back, relax and take it all in, sooner rather than later.  After arranging and rearranging my dining room a handful of times, I can happily say that it finally feels done.

It is just the way I like things...neutral with little bits of color.  I kept saying to my husband "Should we look at the dining room again?  Isn't it pretty?"  His response was along the lines of "Yeah...looks great" with a little bit of eye-rolling thrown in.  Whatever.

Originally, I was going to hang a wreath or some tablecloths on that old ladder, but then I thought of the stockings.  Note to self...good thinkin'.

I've had this big old galvanized tub for quite awhile.  I like the little label in the center...can you see it?  I thought about filling it with paperwhites...wouldn't that look great, a big grouping of heavenly smelling blooms?  I think so too, but in the end I decided to take the easy way out and just get two poinsettias. 

Originally, I was going to get the cream-colored poinsettias, but then I saw these and thought they were sooo pretty.  They are actually a different color than the regular pink ones you see around...sort of a pinkish-peach color.

I added one of my paintings to offset all of the old things and make it feel a little bit more modern and fresh.

This is just a little Christmas tree shaped rosemary plant.  Mmmm...it smells so good.  I think it looks nice with those red pears...seems like Christmas without being overtly so.

The sun was streaming in, casting its warm glow upon everything in the room while I was taking these photos. I love it when that happens, when a space is enveloped in just the right light.   It seems so much more welcoming...perfect when sharing your home for the holidays.

I have more decorating to share, but I'll save that for later.

So, until then...

This post is linked to Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground, Inspiration Friday at Southern in My Heart, Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home, Feathered Nest Holiday at French Country Cottage and Deck the Halls at Between Naps on the Porch.