Year in review

Well chickees...this is my 99th post! Holy crap, I'm not kidding. Interesting, because I started this blog in May, and only had about 20 posts in my first four months. Shows you how into this bloggy stuff I got in about...September or so?

For my 100th post I have a very cute (but small) giveaway to give to one of you. Can't wait to show you. It's not really a big deal, just fun. :)

What's with me just DYING to take down Christmas early this year? I usually wait till the 1st or after but I have been chomping at the BIT to get it down this year. What's the deal? I can barely wait to get it up and LOVE it during the season. There is just something about this time of year though too -- the clean, fresh house. I swear I fall it love with our home all over again right after the holidays. It's so cleared out and simple.

So Jules over at The Roost is having a fun New Year's Party that I thought would be fun to join. I put a different spin on it though, and picked the top ten commented posts to highlight here for your pleasure. (Or to help you take a nap, whatever works.)

Heeeeeeeere we GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

No. 10: My favorite, easy, cheap window treatments.

No. 9: My chocolate powder room.

No 8: My BFF Goodwill.

No. 7: My millions of projects.

No. 6: My spray painted laundry room.

No. 5: The Christmas Tree Party.

No. 4: Big Fat Honkin' Monogram.

No. 3: The Favorite Things Party.

No. 2: One of my favorite before and afters.

No. 1: HoHoHo transformation.

Well there you go ladies! A year -- well, eight months, in review. I hope you have enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed writing and sharing. Here's to another year of fun ideas and tons o' comments!

Happy New Year!!

Counting Blessings

C'est la vie

As the year comes to a close we have the opportunity to take a moment and reflect on our blessings. I count you, my readers, as a huge blessing in my life. Thank you!!! Willow Decor is labor of love and my sincere thanks for reading, and sharing your comments. I never imagined when I started writing this blog it would reach so many readers in so many countries. Your emails, comments and questions inspire me to be better each day. Wishing you all the best for the Holiday Season! I look forward to continuing the journey with you into 2009!

Peace!
Gina

Flikr

Cheap gift tags (FREE!)

First of all, thanks for your kind words about my last post. I appreciate hearing from all of you and to know I'm not the only one who feels that way sometimes. I know it is a GOOD thing to be so grateful, but I should try not to worry so much too. :)

So I have seen this idea a couple times in blogland and the first time I saw it, I knew this easy peasy project was just for me. Do you keep your old Christmas cards every year?? I do. Don't have a clue why -- I do the same thing with birthday cards, I can't let go of them.


Well it's like I've kept them all these years JUST for this! All you need is a puncher outer thingy:



(Ignore my banged-up coffee table. I like to call it "rustic" a la The Bub.)


Grab a card:


You may have to do some trimming to get it to fit in the puncher right. I turn mine upside down to see what I'm punching. I do it on the floor too -- much easier to punch. (These things are a work out!!):

Voila!! Instant tags for next year! I even cut out some of the messages inside the cards:

Aren't they just ADORABLE?? Caaaauuute I say! I am dying to get my hands on more cards from this year. I'm trying to be patient and am keeping them up just a couple more days. Argh, I HATE delayed gratification!!

These were some of my favorites:

The puncher was originally about $15, but I got it half off. Otherwise, this is F.R.E.E. chickees! Have fun!

**Edited to add: YES the photo cards make this harder -- I know they are easier people, but come on...I need tags!! BUT I forgot to mention that I took the puncher thingy to some of the cardboard gift boxes that were torn up. (The one's with a design on top.) Those are adorable too!

ALERT!! The puncher thingys are half off at Hob Lob this week! Run, don't walk!

Are you ever waiting?

For the other "shoe" to drop?

I can't tell you how many times a week I have this exact thought in my head. Tonight I thought it again.

How is it possible I could be SO blessed? So lucky? So fortunate?

I have a home I love. Friends that are always there when I need them and a family that loves me and puts up with me no matter what. Most of all: a beautiful, sweet stepdaughter, my incredibly patient and loving husband and my out-of-this-world, I-could-not-love-him-any-more-I-swear, son.

I wonder, what did I do to deserve this? I try to live a good, honest life. I try to be a good friend. I try SO hard to be a good Mom and a good wife. I think I succeed for the most part. But is that enough to deserve this life? I hope so. I pray so.

I have paid some dues. Years 16 through about 22 weren't very fun, to say the least. I was tested and I feel I came through stronger. Maybe I have earned some of this joy that is my life, but my happiness SO exceeds any pain I've ever felt. Can my dues that have been paid be nearly enough to make this all mine for good?

Sorry to get all deep on you. Maybe it's the season, maybe it's the coming new year. Maybe it's that I got to go on a date with my husband tonight. Any time with him is treasured. I am thinking DEEP lately, and just had to get it out. :)

Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy your blessed home and life this evening too.

The Aftermath

First of all, YES! the tree is still standing!! Yahoo!! I usually leave it up through New Year's but wanted to take it down early this year. It is stressing me out. But Hubby thinks it will be fine so up it stays. I really do love it...as long as it stays put. :)

Secondly, before I show you how Christmas blew up in our house, check out the GORG wreath I got today at Tar-jay!

My girlfriend bought one this year and it was GORG on her door. I got it this morning for only $17! But I'm thrifty, so it took some convincing from Sister for me to get it. I am SO glad I did:

Sheesh it's purdy. So did anyone get up before dawn this morning? I've only gotten up that early on purpose maybe four times since my son was born. Two of those times were from the two previous December 26ths! I have to do it though, I must be first to get the deals. BUT it was dead around here this morning -- I could have slept in, darn it!

OK, now onto the PIT that has been our house for the past two days (you can't walk in this room and it looks worse now):

(And much of it had already been thrown away!)

Let's just say we have a VERY lucky and happy two-year-old on our hands. My stepdaughter wanted small expensive things...he got HUGE monstrous toys, like TENTS:

What the heck was I thinking? I was thinking fun-unfinished-basement-play-area. But failed to remember that is is freakin' freezing cold down there right now so not one of us will brave it. The heating company is coming this week because I can stand about one more day of this and then everything needs to find a home. :)

But we had a WONDERFUL few days, and I wouldn't change the mess, the toys, the pile of trash for the world. We are blessed.

Hope you had a great holiday! I'm going keep taking some time to check in with many of your sites and will be back soon. And I am ITCHIN' to get back to my molding projects -- I'm going through withdrawal! I have a few projects in mind I cannot wait to get started on.

Oh, and remember to keep in mind how you organize things in your home so you can share them with us on the 12th!! We are going to DECLUTTER and ORGANIZE ladies!!

And to all a good night...

(photo: Country Living.com)

After a day spent cooking (seafood chowder, mulligatawny soup, sweet and sour meatballs...sound familiar?) yesterday, and delivering a few cards and small gifts to friends, I am spent. I want to sleep in, wrap the four remaining gifts that I keep stubbing my toe on as I attempt to climb into bed, and tune out some of the noise coming from my children...at least long enough to drink my morning cup of tea. Instead, I will probably fret and rush around the house tidying in preparation for our Christmas Eve guests, and remind my children/the boys to spruce themselves up a bit and then try to make myself look presentable. I will then pour myself a glass of my wine and enjoy the hustle and bustle that is simultaneously going on in millions of homes everywhere. We will enjoy the day, the food, the company and later, I will fall into bed, overtired, like all mothers...and toss and turn all night in anticipation, as I have for as many years as I can remember.

May you all have a very, merry Christmas, and enjoy it for all that it means to you. I wish everyone health and happiness, and for those struggling through difficult times, I wish you peace, strength, and comfort.

Happy Holidays!!

The tree that would not STAND UP.

I figured you wouldn't believe it if I didn't show you...

Notice anything different??

No?? How about now?:

No, I'm not kidding, this tree is falling over again. I noticed it while I lounged on the couch out there the other night. Yeah...relaxing...imagine that. Later that night, I kind of wiggled it and it ALMOST FELL OVER AGAIN. Hubby was asleep, Sister was asleep, so there I was with my drill and drywall anchors at midnight, drilling holes in the wall to keep this bleeping thing up till Christmas!

Whew. Hubby swears "It will be fine." I swear to you, if it falls again, I. Will. Lose. It.

Anyhoo...I wanted to show you some of my favorite decorations that I hadn't shown you yet. There are more, but you'll just have to wait till next year. :) Warning: Picture overload!!

My favorite Santa. He watches over the countdown. Can you even believe Christmas is here?!:

Of course I have to dress up the brass knobs. (ugh.) I made these years ago and it was so easy -- a few extra sprigs of garland, a few berries and an ornament twisted together:

More GORG magnolias:

My second cookie jar...this one was brand new at Goodwill for $5:

Yippee! I love this boot! (Rebecca, do you recognize it?):

Even the lamps don't escape me...buwuwahahaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!:

I used rub on snowflakes for the mirror. $1.50 on sale, and I'll keep them up through the winter:

The scrolly mirror holds our cards every year:

Dollar store snowflakes that hang in the windows:

I adore these little birds!! So much so, I paid full price of $3 for them at Target!! I'm eyeing them for Friday -- but there's only a few left...I'll knock you out of the way if you go for 'em. Not kidding.

ACK! Tell me these are not CAAAUUUTE!! They were $1.99 each at Kirkland's!:

More glass things for me to put stuff in...this is a cake stand and dome (yes it's a stand, weird how it looks like it's sitting on the island!) and I stuffed it with goodies:

I also hang ornaments from the windows:

I took some advice from Amanda and wrapped my candles with ribbon.

Guess where I got the ribbon? From Amanda!! I won her Dollar Tree trees and I love them!! Ahhh! And she made me a little notebook! Seriously, she rocks!! (Tag!) (By the way, I want a ton more. If any of you see them, let me know and I will pay you for them and shipping!!)

And finally, we are ready for Santa...just need to make the cookies. I searched for a Santa's cookie plate for almost two months. Found this at our state museum of all places, half off, last weekend!:

The carafe was free from the cookie exchange. Enough said:

I'm off to wrap a million presents!! I'm going to take a few days off to visit your sites and catch up. Like always, if you'd like me to visit and I haven't, let me know!

Merry, merry, merry Christmas to you!

I hope you have a blessed holiday and a wonderful new year.

I appreciate you all so very much.

P.S. Say a prayer for my tree. :)

HO HO HO!!!

For Real....

Taking a cue from Kimba and her take on showing what really goes on behind the scenes of carefully snapped photos, I thought I'd show you the photos of my perfect-Martha Stewart-inspired cookie-decorating moment. Remember I said I was going to try my hand at these?

You probably had your doubts, didn't you? Because, you know, I am not a baking/cooking blog am I? Sure, I throw out the odd recipe here and there. But known for my attention to culinary detail, I am not.

Who says I'm not?

After all, this is how mine turned out:

Can't tell the difference, can you?

I can explain:

Here are some behind the scenes photos of our cookie-decorating:

Baking them was the easy part...

Especially when your husband takes over once boredom (mine) sets in...

Sophie and a friend helped me decorate them. Of course, Royal icing and I are not friends, so it got too stiff too soon, and the complaints started...

Then I had the great idea of heating the bottles up for seven seconds to soften the icing. Sounds good in theory, except when you hit the three button along with the seven button...

That is what happens when the top of the bottle blows off and the icing starts spewing out of the bottle, decorating the inside of my micro-wave... (I promise I didn't swear, out loud, in front of the girls). Of course, the icing hardened immediately, and I had to chip it off the walls of the micro-wave. Charming...

Did I tell you how much I hate Royal icing? Now I know a few of you are clucking your tongues, thinking that hate is not a very nice word. No, it isn't, but surely it's okay to hate an inanimate object?

Anyway, I decorated six cookies in total. They looked like this:

If you squint, they look really nice!! Squint extra hard when looking at the angel!

**Someone needs to tell Martha Stewart that decorating four dozen cookies all fancy-like, is a really dumb idea. I should march right over to her blog and tell her myself. Only I won't, because it's Christmas after all...and I think leaving mean comments on people's blogs is really nasty!

So, for all of you with secrets to share, cough them up!!