Welcome, everybody!
Now since most of you have had to read about our recent move over and over again – and since I haven’t posted any pictures of the house since we’ve been here – this little Christmas bloggy house tour thing-y is the perfect opportunity for me to show you around.
Except I’m not showing you the bedrooms because they’re still a bit of a train wreck. And yes, we’ve been here two weeks now, but I do have a toddler and DO I LOOK LIKE A ROBOT?
Anyhoo.
It’s a wonder that I decorated the front door, because honestly there were bigger and better things I needed to be doing (like, for instance, unpacking our clothes). But I decided that it would bring the little man untold joy to see even a single strand of lights when he was outside, so I threw together a little something.
Let’s all just pretend that we don’t see that pesky cord over there to the right. ‘Kay?
When you walk in the front door, you’re facing the living room, where Sister and I arranged furniture until 2 in the morning on the Friday that we moved. Neither our backs nor our bladders will ever be the same.
(Here’s what you should be ignoring: the pillow in the floor, the couch not centered on the wall-o-windows but OH it will be by this weekend, the three year old who couldn’t even bother to turn around for the photograph.)
And in the front corner of that room, you’ll find our Christmas tree:
I can’t take any credit at all for the beauty of said tree; Mama decorated it for us when we moved in. She and Sister can decorate Christmas trees like nobody’s business. I, on the other hand, am totally intimidated by the whole process and pretty much just stand back and whimper. So it was a HUGE blessing for her to do that for us, especially in the midst of the moving madness.
And look! Lights!
FANCY!
We don’t have a mantel over our fireplace in this house, so I did what any good Southern girl would do given the circumstances: I hung our stockings on the bar. I thought that was pretty resourceful, though I may be setting myself up for scandal what with us being members of a Baptist church and all.
The dining room is off of the living room, and as you look at this picture just pretend like all the chairs are upholstered in the same fabric because I haven’t exactly gotten around to that particular project yet (see: NOT A ROBOT).
On the table at the far end of the room, you’ll find just about the only “collection” I have:
I really do treasure them, and during a season when it’s easy to get bogged down in what we’re giving, what we’re getting, what we’re eating and what all we have to do, the nativity scene reminds me of what really matters during this special time of year.
In Alex’s playroom I put up the tree we got at Home Depot the day after Thanksgiving (remember? it was free!). That’s where I’m putting all the cards we get in the mail, and I can already tell that the Christmas Card Tree is going to be a tradition in our house for many years to come. I just love it.
I’ll post another picture at the end of the holidays when it’s chock-full-o-cards…it’s been so fun to have our friends’ pictures become a part of our Christmas decorations.
Well…that’s about it, I reckon…I’ll save pictures of the kitchen and playroom and all that for later since there may be a few other houses you’re hoping to visit today.
So grab yourself a mug of hot chocolate, get settled in a comfy chair, start clicking on the links (oh, how I hope there are links), and enjoy some of the warmest hospitality that the interweb has to offer.
Merry Christmas, y’all!
A quick reminder: link to your specific post, not to your general blog address. Thanks!
December 15th, 2006 at 10:14 pm
Absolutely beautiful. Love the big spaces and the wall of windows in your beautiful home. Your tree is gorgeous and we’re in the same boat with the stockings and no fireplace!
December 15th, 2006 at 10:27 pm
Thank you so much for hosting again! It is so much fun. Your new house is lovely! Those windows are just wonderful!
December 15th, 2006 at 10:34 pm
How fun to Tour everyone’s homes……
December 15th, 2006 at 11:20 pm
Love all the loveliness! Us women put on a good Christmas show!
December 15th, 2006 at 11:58 pm
Your house…..is GORGEOUS!!!!!!! I LOOOOOOOOVE IT!!! LOVE. IT. And I will absolutely be copying the Christmas card tree next year! How ingenious!! I never know what to do with my cards so I can enjoy them all month long and I just LOVE….LOVE this idea! Can you tell I’m commpletely impressed?!
December 16th, 2006 at 1:21 am
Honestly? I thought back-of-stray-child’s-head was a theme *everybody* uses in their decorating schemes! We do, here.
Thank you for a thoroughly enjoyable tour of your Christmas home and traditions. And thank you, also, for inviting us to join in the fun. (There goes my weekend – I’ll be planted firmly in this chair, enjoying the tour!)
Dy
December 16th, 2006 at 1:41 am
It’s amazing what you have done in so little time! I can’t believe I decided to participate, but I did. Thanks for a wonderful time and Merry Christmas!
December 16th, 2006 at 1:45 am
BooMama,
Thanks so much for hosting the tour! As if you didn’t have enough to do already with moving, etc.
Your home is gorgeous. Your tree is wonderful. I really love your Christmas Card Tree. I never can figure out how to display the cards we get. Alas, no room for another tree.
Many blessings for Christmas.
December 16th, 2006 at 2:20 am
Thanks for hosting this tour, it was great fun, however I’m staying up a little late, since fairly new to blogging, and wasn’t sure what I was doing. Could you help me, telling me how to put something on my site to let everyone know why I wrote what I wrote. Not sure about all these things. Your house is beautiful. Have a Merry Christmas!
December 16th, 2006 at 4:51 am
OH MY WORD! I desperately want to visit everyone – but 147!!!!! There will be no Christmas around here if I visit them all!!! Good luck with your visiting girl! :)
December 16th, 2006 at 8:17 am
This is fun! If I hadn’t been such a total and utter slacker about decorating this year, I’d participate.
December 16th, 2006 at 9:10 am
Boo Mama, just wanted to say I am sorry for having put my name up THREE TIMES. Third times the charm, right? LOL I am an OLD, MENOPAUSAL lady, what more can I say!!
December 16th, 2006 at 10:06 am
The Christmas Card Tree…what a neat Idea!!!
December 16th, 2006 at 11:17 am
Well, your home is just so pretty, & the decorations look great. Your hard work paid off! Thanks for the tour, Boomama.
December 16th, 2006 at 4:36 pm
Your home and your lovely blog design is really wonderful. ;) I keep forgetting to put you on my blogroll. Sorry we missed your home tour. We didn’t decorate this year because we will be gone for 2 weeks out of state with family. :) My holiday decorations will all be vicarious this year – Pop & Nana’s, Grandma Betty’s, and all the pretty lights we will see on our long journey home. Not to mention the smells of fresh coffee from Starbucks while we sing carols in the car!
December 16th, 2006 at 5:20 pm
Ah! I’m late! Sorry. Thanks for hosting.
And hey, your place looks really great — with or without a recent move. Really lovely.
December 16th, 2006 at 6:21 pm
BooMama – I am late but it’s fashionably late. Thanks for being such a darling hostess. – Alison B.
December 16th, 2006 at 8:13 pm
I loved putting this together. This is a first for me. It challenged me to figure it out and so hopefully next time it will be better.
Thanks for being out host, Boomama. Merry Christmas, Amanda
December 16th, 2006 at 9:11 pm
I’m new! Thanks so much for hosting this, it’s going to become a new Christmas tradition! Sorry for my stupidity but I accidentally added myself to the list twice (#159 & #160) If your able to delete #159 please do – I couldn’t figure out how to and I didn’t want to mess up anything else!
May God bless you and your family in your new home this Christmas!
December 16th, 2006 at 9:24 pm
What a fun and creative idea! I’m sure you’ve heard it all before, since I believe I am your 120th Comment, but Thank you for coming up with a way for people to share in the joys and beauty of the Holiday Season as we celebrate our Saviour’s birth :)
December 16th, 2006 at 10:41 pm
Thank you Boomama!! I have loved looking at so many homes!!! This is such a GREAT idea! Thank you for hosting again! You are the Hostess with the Mostess Girl!
Blessed2BMom
December 17th, 2006 at 7:09 am
Love, love, love it! And I will add mine next week just for those of you who still love me to see..
December 17th, 2006 at 8:48 am
Considering you have just moved into your new house, you have certainly made it feel very Christmassy and welcoming:-) Love your tree, it’s just gorgeous! Thank you so much for hosting this tour, I’m now going to spend the day visiting everyone else on the list…I haven’t had a chance until now!! Merry Christmas BooMama!!! xox
December 17th, 2006 at 8:56 am
I’m going to enjoy visiting as many of your homes as I can, and maybe it’ll just show me how to decorate my own! New house is lovely lovely…
December 17th, 2006 at 9:45 am
I love the Christmas-card tree. What a great idea, especially for those of us who don’t have many places to put cards!
Thanks for the tour, it’s a great idea.
December 17th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
OKay-so me being the crazy blogger that I am-REALLY wants to post again…but can’t for fear of people coming and not reading the ‘instructions’ to this homes tour thing because I linked to my December archives instead of one particular post. Read comment #29 if you don’t ‘get’ this comment. Anyway…any chance you can change the link for me to this….
http://zeahrenaissance.blogspot.com/2006/12/christmas-tourkinda.html
That way, I can keep posting-but not mess everything all up. I tried to fix my mistake anyway but…to no avail.
Anyway thanks! And I have to say-WOW. I have never done this before but I NEVER expected an outcome like this! Whooooweeee!
December 17th, 2006 at 4:51 pm
[...] I know I’m late to the party, but I love Boomama’s idea of a Christmas Home Tour. There are over 160 bloggers joining in, and I’ve enjoyed peeking into their homes and seeing their beautiful Christmas decorations. I hope Boomama won’t mind that I’m straggling behind the pack. I’m sure the casseroles have cooled, but I don’t mind leftovers. [...]
December 17th, 2006 at 4:55 pm
Thanks for hosting this, BooMama. Sorry to be a couple of days late — hope you don’t mind heating some leftovers up for us stragglers. :)
You have a beautiful home!
December 17th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
Sorry, I didn’t realize it was home decoration. I have decorations of my hometown Waterloo (Belgium)
December 18th, 2006 at 7:28 am
[...] I am a little late for the Boomama-hosted tour, but I hope you’ll join me anyway…grab a hot, freshly baked cookie and follow me! [...]
December 18th, 2006 at 7:30 am
Thanks for hosting! LOVED your pictures!!
December 18th, 2006 at 7:43 am
Can you even believe my sister and I are related? She’s gone to every site, and I’m likely the last one to sign up. Better late than not at all. xoxoxo
December 18th, 2006 at 2:04 pm
Just posted my link…just wanted to tell you that this tour is what inspired me to start a blog! :-)
December 18th, 2006 at 3:19 pm
Neat idea. Thanks!
Jenn
December 18th, 2006 at 4:47 pm
Sorry I’m so late. Saw the post over at Overwhelmed with Joy. Your house looks absolutely lovely. Thanks for sharing!
December 18th, 2006 at 5:03 pm
I am a late entry but I made it! Hopefully all the snacks from the other tours have worn off and you are ready for a stop at my house!
December 18th, 2006 at 7:05 pm
I am so gonna browse ALL the homes here. Loved the idea!
December 18th, 2006 at 7:52 pm
Thanks again! Your new home is beautiful. I’ll pray for a quick settling in and getting down to just living again. We’ve moved often, so I know the drain. But once you’re unpacked, it will feel so worth the effort!
Blessings,
Elisa
December 18th, 2006 at 11:57 pm
[...] I would be thrilled if you’d join me. I know that you all just participated in BooMama’s Christmas tour, but I thought it would be cool to post about the true Reason for the season on December 25th (I plan on adding Mr. Linky). I wish I could say that this is an original idea from me to display the Nativity scene — I have to thank Sissy for that . [...]
December 19th, 2006 at 9:50 am
Thank you for hosting this. I’ve been enjoying visiting everyone’s Christmas homes :)
December 19th, 2006 at 11:36 am
Thank you so much for hosting this! It’s been a blast visiting everyone. My apologies for being so late.
December 19th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
This is such a good idea! Linking us all together in yet another way. What a blessing to share our homes these Holy days!
Thank you!
December 19th, 2006 at 12:52 pm
Oh, and with God’s will, I’m going to take some more pictures of our decorations and post them on the blog (hopefully before Christmas!).
Blessings to all.
December 19th, 2006 at 5:43 pm
I finished all the houses. Unfortunately, blogger would not let me comment. *weeps*
What I’ll do instead is to post pics of my fave decors. Drop by to see if your ornament or decor made it.
=)
December 19th, 2006 at 6:33 pm
I finally did it!
December 19th, 2006 at 9:37 pm
Phew, just under the wire of coming at 200th!! Wish I had posted this earlier! Still fun to do even if I’m the only who visits my post ;)
December 19th, 2006 at 10:50 pm
That Christmas card tree is such a great idea! I never knew how to display ours…until now! Thanks for sharing your home. Merry Christmas!
December 20th, 2006 at 11:09 am
What a beautiful house! I love the front entrance and the tree is gorgeous.
I have mine in several posts but all under one category. Here’s the link.
December 20th, 2006 at 6:56 pm
I love your beautiful new home. And I love how blessed you were to walk right in and make it a great home in such a short time.
I’m a lurker coming out. I love reading your blog – you brighten my day!
December 22nd, 2006 at 10:37 am
Well, I wonder if I’ll be the last to add my tour! The thing I’m best at this year apparently, is procrastinating! I’ve enjoyed everyone’s tours and hope you all enjoy mine as well. Thanks Boomama for hosting! Great idea!