Preparing The House For Christmas

While I don't go as overboard as I used to do whenever my kids were little, I still love and enjoy decorating my house for Christmas. It's a process that I've simplified over the years, especially now that my kids are grown. Funny enough, my youngest son tells me he misses the big production that was Christmas years ago. Still, I think he appreciates not only the amount of work that goes into decorating, but the beauty of a slightly more subtle Christmas. My hope is that, while making the home cozy and festive, we don't forget the true meaning of the season: Immanuel, God with us.

To start, I first had to take down all the fall decor that had been out since September.

It didn't seem like so much whenever I had it out around the house! I didn't even attempt to count the pumpkins - suffice it to say, there's a lot. Of course, there's more than just pumpkins here. This includes throw pillows, kitchen towels, outdoor decor and flower arrangements.

It's bittersweet to take the fall decor down (especially the pieces I picked up at Hobby Lobby just a week ago on clearance), but it was quickly replaced with the excitement of putting up the Christmas decor.

Next, furniture needed to be relocated.

One of my bookcases moved over to the wall separating the kitchen and the laundry area. This would make way for the Christmas tree. I like having the Christmas tree in front of the sliding glass door but not blocking our way out to the patio. I also like decorating the bookshelves, but if this is covered by the tree none of the decor can be appreciated.

In the master bedroom, I took out the armless chair that is part of the sectional and replaced it with the leather chair and ottoman. Again, this is to make way for the Christmas tree. I could potentially leave the chair in the living room, but it would make the room look crowded which I don't like. I draped a minty blue throw over the chair and added the lumbar pillow to soften the look.

My bed went from this:

To this:

Much as I love the pumpkin pillow I picked up from Costco this year, I do love this little pillow for Christmas/winter.

I got this from the Target dollar spot last year, I believe for $5. It's super cute, but honestly I picked it up because the colors were perfect with my bedroom decor. The other side is plaid and can be used throughout the winter.

The poinsettias I found at Hobby Lobby look beautiful in this vase. I put them before I did anything else because I was dying to see how they looked, and I am thoroughly loving them.

I decided to put up whatever decor I had recently bought before bringing up the tubs with all my stuff. I found these plates at TJ Maxx and I love them so much I may never put anything else up here.

They have a winter scene, which means I can leave them up until the spring - which I fully intend to do.

I also put my new Costco and Hobby Lobby pillows on the sofa with my big green pillow that I got years ago from Target. It's exactly how I pictured it would look.

The next day began the intense decorating, along with some changes that eventually happen whenever I'm decorating my home. Come back, there's plenty more to come!

The Week In Review

I'm so far behind on my week in review post! I think I'll blame Thanksgiving and all the preparation for the upcoming holidays. So many distractions!

On Monday I went to TJ Maxx to see about some bottlebrush trees for my Christmas village. I'd seen some at Hobby Lobby but I wanted to see if I could find them cheaper anywhere else. I'd already confirmed that Amazon had them but for more than double the price. No bottlebrush trees, but I did find this:

I have been wanting a floor lamp for ages, but they are pretty expensive. I'd found one on Amazon for $86 but it was out of my budget for that month. I waited till the next month, when the price rose to $130! No thanks. I waited again to see if the price would drop, but it never did. I saw another one at Target that I liked, but it was $119, still more than I wanted to spend. As I went around TJ Maxx, I spotted this lamp all by itself, with no price tag anywhere. When I inquired, I was told it was $69.99. I knew that price was way better than anything I'd seen anywhere else, but there was a bonus: Mondays are Senior days at TJ Maxx, and I could get an additional 10% off my purchase. So this lovely came home with me for $62.99! It is a perfect addition to my office.

I spent the week cleaning and preparing for Thanksgiving, while at the same time placing orders for Christmas presents. As soon as they come in, they get wrapped and hidden. I've got a neat little stash, but there's still more to go.

Another thing I've been doing is applying to jobs. I haven't worked since we moved to the new house. My old job was part-time, and since I live about 45 minutes from my old digs, it didn't make sense to keep working there. It was my intention to start looking for work once we were settled in this house. Then a pandemic hit. I've put off looking for work but I really can't anymore. Of course there isn't a whole lot out there, and there's a lot of people looking for work. I'm leaving this in God's hands; He has always come through for me, and I know He will come through again.

Friday was grocery shopping day, and time to get everything I needed for Thanksgiving. I took my weekly trip to Walmart with shopping list in hand.

I'm making the Pioneer Woman's Green Beans which are my favorite, so I bought a big bag of fresh green beans. The chocolate pudding, Oreo pie shell and Cool Whip are for a chocolate cream pie, the boys' favorite. I also got potatoes for mashed potatoes, fresh herbs for the dressing, and yes, a jar of turkey gravy. I'm perfectly capable of making gravy, but with so much food to make, I'll take a shortcut here and there. This is one of them.

There were regular groceries to get as well. Most of it was salad fixings and fruit. As I run out of stuff I like to pick up whatever else I need.

I didn't buy the turkey till Sunday. I don't have a lot of freezer space and I didn't want to try and stuff a big turkey in there (pun intended). I always get my turkey from Publix, and I was so glad to see them at $.49/lb. I got a nice 15+ pounder for under $8. While I was there, I also picked up some sweet tea because Publix sweet tea is the closest to homemade I've ever had. And yes, I'm perfectly capable of making sweet tea too. Shortcuts people, shortcuts. Besides, it was BOGO - can't pass that up!

Oh, and I went to get my hair cut on Saturday. I should have taken a selfie but I didn't think about it. Us older folks forget about those things because we didn't grow up with a phone attached to our hand. My hair was getting really long - it was all the way down to my shoulder blades. It's just on my shoulders now and I'm enjoying having it shorter. It grows like a weed so it won't be short for long.

And that was my week. I've started decorating for Christmas - can't wait to share that! Stay tuned!

The Week In Review

I thought I'd update y'all today on everything that got done - and everything that didn't.

I say what didn't get done because I had scheduled an electrician to come this week and change out the light fixture in my entryway, the one that is too high up for me to reach. We agreed on Thursday at 9:30 am, so I got up bright and early to be ready. Just as I was about to brush my teeth I got a text message: the electrician's daughter was sick, had been taken to the doctor, and was given a Covid test. Although the electrician had no symptoms, since they didn't have results yet he wisely decided to cancel all his appointments until they knew for sure. I haven't heard back from him, so I don't know if he'll be available this coming week. It's a reminder that, while I make plans, God decides what gets done and what doesn't.

A lot of studying was done this week. I was serving in children's ministry on Saturday so I had to study the lesson. This was week 3 of our ladies bible study so I had to prepare for that as well. We studied Matthew 25:1-13, the parable of the 10 virgins. And my son had his Astronomy final plus a research paper he had to turn in, and he asked me to help him study for that. He's done very well in the class thus far, but the final was a disappointment. The professor directed the class to a study guide which my son worked on, only to find out none of what was on the study guide was on the actual final. He ended up with a 68%, much lower than any of the quiz grades he's had. However, since all his other grades have been good, I think he will end up with either an A or at least a high B. Since this is just a gen-ed class I'm not concerned. It's still a good grade for what was a pretty difficult class, and he did it in 8 weeks so I'm proud of him.

Thursday was a day of unexpected stuff. Around 8:30 at night I got a call from my son-in-law. He was at a local gas station whenever his car battery died. Thankfully I have charger cables - though at first I couldn't remember where I'd put them (they were in my toolbox) - so E and I were able to get his battery jumped so he could get home. My daughter had been using his car to go to work because she needed new tires, and my son-in-law is currently working from home. Now this little predicament meant she couldn't take his car until he got a new battery, and she'd have to get her tires changed right away. I teasingly told them it's a good thing I live nearby. I was able to pick them up and/or drop them off at Pep Boys so they could get their vehicles taken care of.   

When my daughter's car was ready she asked if I'd go with her to TJ Maxx to look for some bathroom decor. She and my son-in-law are remodeling their master bath and she wanted to look for some new towels and organizers. I can't say no to TJ Maxx; it's my favorite home decor store because I always find great decor at even greater prices. I'd mentioned before on my blog that I was thinking of upgrading my bedding, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money. I'd looked at Costco since they usually have some high quality affordable bedding, but I hadn't seen anything lately. Then I saw this at TJ Maxx:

And this is why I love this store! Y'all, this comforter is so soft and luxurious! It came with 2 standard sized pillow shams and the cost is $39.99. I could not believe it was so inexpensive! I couldn't wait to put it on my bed and see how it looked.

While I was at it I picked up some new pillows. The pillows I had were very soft, a little too soft for my liking. I picked up these extra firm pillows for $16.99 for a set of two. 

I tried several different options on my bed. This was the first idea I had.

I folded the current bedding, which is a mint green bedspread, and put it over the new comforter. I also used all the pillows I had on the bed previously and added pillows in the new pillow shams.

I then put the fall pumpkin pillow in front of it. I love that pillow so much, and it ties in all the fall colors that I've added to my bedroom, so I knew I wanted to incorporate it.

I liked the idea of keeping the bedspread folded onto the comforter, but I felt like it covered too much of it, so I folded the bedspread further. Now the comforter showed up more, and it looked like a fancy hotel. This was much better, but there was still something I wasn't feeling that I couldn't put my finger on. Yesterday I tried something else, and I think this is my favorite.

I took off the throw pillows with the teal design and left just the plain teal pillows along with the fall pillow, and I think it's just enough. I figured out that it was too many pillows and that was throwing me off. I feel like now it's just the right amount, and all the fall colors make me smile.

As my daughter looked at bathroom decor, I spotted something that was perfect for my own bathroom.

I knew I wanted to change my shower curtain. Not because I didn't like it; it's a very pretty and simple design, just what I like. But I had a bit of a mishap with the shower curtain and some Clorox cleaner.

I cannot even express how upset I was whenever I saw that I'd gotten Clorox cleaner on my new shower curtain! Thankfully it was at the bottom and it stayed covered by the bathroom vanity. Still, I knew it was there and I wanted to get a new shower curtain; I just didn't want to spend $25+. That's what this one had cost at Target (I had a gift card so it was free to me). The curtain I found at TJ Maxx had all the colors I love and it was only $14.99 - $10 cheaper than the one I already had but much nicer quality in my opinion.

The bathroom went from this:

To this:

It may not seem like a huge change, but to me it makes the bathroom seem brighter and more cheerful. I am so happy I found this shower curtain!

This week was also bittersweet for me personally. My oldest son R got married yesterday. In California. That's where his fiance has been living with her family. I wanted to be at his side on his special day. That had been the plan since they got engaged last year. Then coronavirus hit, and California has so many restrictions that it would have been a waste of time to travel all the way there and not be able to celebrate with him. So we stayed, and I cried. We love his new bride, my new daughter-in-law, and my one comfort is knowing she never wanted a big wedding to begin with, so she got her wish. But oh, how I wanted to be there! Still, I know God is in control, and He has gifted me another daughter, so I will rejoice in that. Welcome to the family AB!

That's my week's highlights. Looking forward to what God has in store for me next.

The Queen Of Clearance - Part 2

Last month (aka two days ago) I began posting about all the great clearance deals I've gotten over the years, and there were so many I didn't want to put them in one overwhelming post. I began thinking that maybe I have a problem. The more I thought about it the more items came to mind. Is there a CA (Clearance Anonymous) out there?! I may have to join!

The biggest clearance item in my living room is, of course, my sectional sofa that I got at Costco and paid $650 for after my rebate check. But I do have a few odds and ends in my living room that were once residents of the clearance racks.

This sweet jar is actually a candleholder with a flameless candle inside. The cutout is a flower. It's very rustic and sweet, and was only $7.99. I don't recall what the original price was; I bought it at Kohl's many years ago. It's still a favorite, and has found itself somewhere on my bookshelf ever since it entered my home.

This little cutie is a recent find from Hobby Lobby. The original price was $13.99 but I found it in the clearance section for a mere $3.49. I have several white animal figurines, but this one is the most unique.

I never pay a lot for pillows. I've seen throw pillows upwards of $80; that's not for me. Even pillows that are $25 and $30 are too much for my wallet. I think the most I have ever paid for a single throw pillow is $10. That's why, whenever I find throw pillows on clearance, I do a happy dance! I have several clearance pillows, but this one is a favorite. It's 24"x24", and y'all, I found it at Target for $8.00! I found another pillow at Target, this size and the same price, in pink. But the reason this one is my favorite is...

It's reversible! It's like getting two pillows for $8.00 instead of one! I love that the colors go with spring as well as fall. I can even leave it for late winter, since spring in South Florida typically begins in February or early March. We don't get much of a winter here.

This lumbar pillow would have cost me $24.99, but I found it at Target for $8.50. This is why I won't pay full price for pillows. If you look for them, you can find them. Patience is key; they don't always have them but whenever they do, it's a good deal. Flexibility is also necessary; you might not always find exactly what you want, but I don't feel like I've settled for less on either. In both cases I got brand new pillows for what a pillow cover might have cost.

I can't forget my olive tree that I found at Hobby Lobby shortly after the stores began opening up this year. Whenever I first saw it, it was on clearance for $29.99, but I was already at the checkout and I didn't want to hold up the line while I went to look at it. I decided to pass it up, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. I went back the following week to buy an arch for above my front door, and I figured if they had any trees left I'd make a decision whether I wanted it or not. They were at the entrance whenever I got to Hobby Lobby; there were only two left, and they'd been marked down to $24.99 from the original price of $99.99. There was no thinking about it - this baby was coming home with me! It's been in my kitchen, and now it's in my living room. The white basket it's in came from the Target dollar spot.

Trays are another thing I like to get on clearance because they can get pricey. I like having things corralled in a tray; it makes it easy to move things whenever I'm cleaning. This one in my living room is from Target; I got it for half price, $12.00. 

This tray is in my kitchen. It's the same size as the Target tray but this one is mostly metal with wood sides where the handles are. I picked this up at Kirkland's for $7.78, reduced from $19.99.

I found some Pioneer Woman goodies in the clearance section of Walmart a few years ago and I was so happy because they are so beautiful and classy. They can go with all different types of decor. The salt and pepper shakers were $2.00 each, and the soup tureen was $19.99 (down from $30).

Another great clearance deal I got from Walmart is my Keurig. I actually had this on my Christmas list whenever I saw it in the clearance aisle for $50.00 - it was $99.99 regular price everywhere else! I've had it for four years and it still works like a charm. It's a One Cup Wonder, but even the newer "cheaper" one cup Keurig machines go for over $70 so this was definitely a great deal. It was brand new in the box too. I think this particular color was not available in store, only online, so they had to sell it for less. It had been reduced previously to $75 but it hadn't sold. I guess it was meant for me!

Whenever I'm at Target I check the Hearth and Hand section for clearance items too. I've found several really good deals, but none beats this one. These ceramic jars can hold pretty much anything. The original price was $9.99, but I got them for $2.50 each. I ended up paying less for all three of them than what one would have cost at the regular price!

And how about this gorgeousness?! Hobby Lobby put this on sale after spring. It was originally $49.99, but it was 75% off! I was able to get it for $12.50, and it is perfect in my bathroom.

I recently found this adorable little birdhouse at TJ Maxx for just $6.00, less my 10% senior discount for shopping on Monday. I believe the original price was $20 but I'm not certain. Anyway, the color is so cute and it's a nice addition to my patio.

I don't remember what the original price was for this ceramic lantern, but whenever I found it at Target I picked up two of them for $4.50 each and asked my daughter if she wanted them for her new house. She declined, so I kept one for outside and gave one away as a gift. It was greatly appreciated - no one would think it was so affordable!

I love a bargain y'all, not gonna lie. It's thrilling to me whenever I go in a store and I find really great deals like this. I've had to train myself, though. It was getting out of control. I was buying stuff not because I needed the items, but because the deal was too good to pass up. Problem is, it's not a good deal if you don't use it. Thankfully I've used much of my clearance purchases as gifts if I don't use them myself, but I'm learning to be more intentional with what I bring inside my house. If I don't have a place to put it, or someone specific to give it to, I walk away. And that there is another way to save!

Decorating For Fall

 All over the stores, all over YouTube, all over the internet, everyone is saying the same thing: they're excited for fall. Pumpkin spice everything. Leaves changing color. Temperatures start to go down. Sweater weather they call it. Time to break out all the fall decor, the oranges and reds, the blues and grays, the purples and pinks (yes, I've seen purple pumpkins. Very glam). 

Here in South Florida, September doesn't look like it does up north. Not only are the temperatures still in the upper 90's, it's the peak of hurricane season. At this writing there are six - count 'em, six - storms or developing storms just in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The humidity is off the charts so there won't be any sweater wearing for at least another couple of months. And while we have some trees that drop their leaves, most won't till January, and palm trees never change color.

Still, we can enjoy pumpkin spice. And we can pretend it's fall by decorating. That's what I did this week.

I don't usually decorate so early. I like to wait until the first official day of fall. But it was past Labor Day and with this whole pandemic and being stuck indoors all spring and summer, I desperately wanted a change. In my last week in review post  I showed some new items I picked up to decorate, and my Itch To Switch post was all about furniture rearranging. Now it was time to get it all put together.

On Tuesday, the day after Labor Day, I started with the items I had close at hand. These were either in my closet or had just been purchased. I started in my master bedroom.

I flipped the bedspread over to the solid side. I always buy bedspreads or comforters that are reversible so that I get two looks for the price of one. I brought the throw pillows that had been on the sectional and added them to the pillows I normally have here. After adding the throw blanket from the living room, I was done for the time being.

I went into the linen closet and pulled out my kitchen towels.

This cute pumpkin towel is, I believe, from Target. I'm not exactly sure. I've had it for a couple of years now. I thought it looked cheery hanging out of my mixer.

These towels are from Kohl's, also a few years back. They are simple and functional, which is what I want in my kitchen.

I pulled this flower arrangement out that I've also had for several years. The base was a gift basket I'd gotten from a girl at work for my birthday, and after eating all the goodies I filled it with fall colored flowers. It has a Christmas tree on the other side so I can use this all through the holidays.

My little coffee station is little for a reason. I don't have tons of counter space. I know tiered trays are all the rage but it would get too crowded here for me, so instead I have this cake plate from the Target Dollar Spot. I replaced the ceramic doll I had on it with one of the tiny pumpkins I picked up at Hobby Lobby and put another one next to the Keurig. Then I switched out the coffee mug for my favorite Peanuts mug and that was done.

I started out very simply in my office. I use my desk regularly so I don't want a bunch of unnecessary stuff on top of it. This storage box was one I found a few weeks ago at TJ Maxx, and I decided to get it to keep my planners in.

I picked it because it was the right size and the colors were pretty. It wasn't until I looked at it at home that I realized it was perfect for fall.

There's pumpkins on it y'all! How did I miss that?! Anyway, it's on my desk, and I put this little vase on top of it, and I love how it looks - clean and simple.

In the dining room, I used what I had on hand. The only new things were the flowers I'd bought at the Dollar Tree.

The runner is from Big Lots, probably four or five years ago. Under the pitcher is a charger from Walmart that I've also had for a long time, though I think they still carry something similar. I use this instead of a tray; it cost $1.00 and gives it some dimension.

I then pulled out my new pillows and started working on the sectional. I was so excited!

I put the two pillows I'd got at TJ Maxx on either end of the sectional. In the middle I put my new pillow from Costco together with a large pillow I'd gotten on clearance from Target a few years ago and a throw blanket that I've also had for years from Walmart. As a side note - Walmart has really nice throw blankets and they are usually under $10. I stepped back and looked at the sectional. I didn't know if the spring flowers on the coffee table were throwing me off, but it seemed like it wasn't right. It was too skimpy - which is odd because I normally don't like a whole lot of pillows on my sofa. Still, the fun of decorating is moving things around and trying new looks, so I added a couple more pillows.

Y'all, I went back and forth with this several times, but I decided I liked the layered look of the pillows best. I moved the Costco pumpkin pillow over to show the big pillow behind it. I liked it but it still wasn't enough. So I tried one more thing.

I liked this a lot better, but I still wasn't 100% sure. I decided to live with it for a while and see. Then I thought, maybe something in my storage bins will have what I'm looking for...

So that's what I started to do on Wednesday. But that's gonna be a separate post, since this one has gotten long enough! Come back to see what got added, what got changed, and what it all looks like now. God bless y'all!