Author: Staci

Staci blogs about travel at TheVoyageer.com.

Double Trees

Double Trees. Not to be confused with DoubleTree hotels, which I am much too thrifty to stay at. This year I have two Christmas trees! You’ve seen the main one in our house in this adorable picture (featuring Mosey) but I want to show you more pictures and details!

Did I mention that the tree had been left here (standing up, fully assembled) in the basement when we moved in?? Talk about a bargain! At first I was really creeped out by the concept of a Christmas tree that had been abandoned in a cold clammy basement, but since we’d had the whole house fumigated before moving in, I figured it wasn’t harboring any pests. Except for the pesky silver aluminum tinsel (the individual pieces, not the garland) that we meticulously picked off by hand before adding our ornaments.

Well, here she is:

We had some teeny tiny bronze and white balls, as well as some handmade paper ornaments left over from last year’s 3-foot tall tree, so one day (in October!!) while at Hobby Lobby, we picked up a tall tube of assorted bronze ornaments and one box of six red ones for added pizzaz. We stashed them with our other Christmas decor until it was time to pull it all out (the weekend before Thanksgiving, as it happened, and we’re not ashamed).

Here’s a sweet pheasant perched near the top, purchased at Target (along with the twig-and-berry star topper) Oh, and you can see one of the bronze ornaments–they came in light, dark, glitter, and “disco” as pictured below:

So much for tree number one! On to number two:

Above is my work tree. When I opened up the box that was brought down from the storage room, I was met with a gazillion gold bows and some broken gold and white ornaments. Since the lights are colored (what a new concept for me!) I went with simply tying bows onto the branches, fairly far apart from each other and calling it a day. I actually really love it this way! It’s so simple, short and sweet.

So there are my trees! I want to see yours! Link to it in the comments!!

iPhone

Dear whoever looked at a ton of my posts and gave me 40+ views yesterday:
You rock!

Okay, on to business. For Christmas, Doug and I are buying everyone either fair trade or handmade goods, and by doing so supporting a skilled individual with a face and a name rather than a big corporation! Except…. well, for ourselves… we decided to make the upgrade and get iPhones. And Apple really doesn’t have a great labor track record. To assuage my guilt I’m using the phone for positive things like connecting with people I love, using the free2work app, and using Lose It! to keep my holiday indulgence in check.

Oh, and taking lots of cute pictures of my dog.

     
I had a most excellent time with my parents last weekend and that will be blogged about in due course. This week I’m preparing for the IHAL Christmas party this Saturday, including making a few things to eat (it will be potluck style so not all the pressure is on me) and making some decorations. I haven’t decided on what to make. Sweet, salty, savory? Got any suggestions?

Rolling Out the Red Carpet

…Or, at least the zebra carpet.

The guest room is finally ready for humans to inhabit!
(As opposed to piles of junk from when we first moved in).

This also means I can cross two things off my list!

  • Clean off the guest bed so it’s sleep-able
  • Generally make guest room ready for guests

I swapped the comforter from our bedroom onto the guest bed. I really, really like it in here. The comforter that was on the guest bed, even though it’s twin sized, seems bigger on the queen–possibly due to the addition of an extra blanket. I also think since it’s heavier it moves around less and there’s less fighting for it. It really is much cozier. Plus, the extra length on the twin bed in here hides our under-bed storage! It’s a win-win.

Here is the view of the room as you turn right. I plan on putting chicken wire in that frame at some point so I can collect magazine clippings and such on it.

And the door. On top of the dresser is a mirror I hope my dad volunteers helping us put up… here’s crossing my fingers! Also, you can sneak a peek of what we’re working on in the hallway!

Just for fun, here is the room while we were moving! You can see the sad, bent, directly-on-the-window curtain rod.

End of Day 1: Guest Room/Office

Full disclosure: I am not going tomake both parents sleep on the twin. I now have a borrowed mattress on the floor but wanted to take photos while the room was still pretty!