Hey y’all! Tomorrow night I’m hosting a little party for my Bible study group. I love having people in my home … and I wish I could just bring all of you over one afternoon for some coffee and conversation. Wouldn’t that be amazing?
One of my very favorite bloggers, Myquillin Smith {otherwise known as The Nester} has these saying I adore:
It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.
Isn’t that awesome news?! I don’t know about you but neither me nor my home are ever perfect. But my desire is to create a space {off line and online too} where perfection isn’t the goal and where people can gather and know they are beautiful to — to me and the Lord who created us all in His image.
Well, when I heard Myquillin was hosting a holiday home tour for “the rest of us” {that is, the non-crafty among us who aren’t decorators or designers by trade or talent}, I knew I wanted to jump in. Mostly because I think if I let you take a peek around my house, you’ll see the things that matter to me and maybe feel like you know me a little better. Also, because if you lived near me, I’d want you to come over and curl up with something warm to drink and yummy to eat and share with me all the things going on in your life right now.
Since that isn’t feasible, I thought I’d invite you in virtually and let you know there is always a spot for you in my space! Come on in and let’s chat about Christmas and life and kids and marriage and whatever else we can think of!
First up, here’s our den. This is where all the best stuff happens … long conversations, movie marathons, game playing, and the general stuff of life. One of my favorite things I tried this year was to replicate an idea I found on Pinterest … an old box stuck in the fireplace with wood and lights. Here is what I came up with:
This became the inspiration for everything else … live greenery, burlap and red, a little sparkle and a lot of fun. Here is a little collage of the rest of this room. You’ll note we chose not to have matching stockings … I love the way they look. And of course, there is a box of children’s books ready for any of our littlest guests to explore. {Check out my ten favorite books this Christmas … and see which of these children’s books made the list!} You’ll also see we have a tree with police ornaments in memory of Scott’s dad who was Chief of Police before he passed away in 2001. And, of course, there is an Auburn tree. 🙂
Next up is the dining room. This is where I work … even though I have an office. I love this room and there is tons of natural light. We have our Fontanini nativity out in here … again low enough for little hands to reach and play with the sheep and baby Jesus. And there are old suitcases and a metal tackle box where I have displayed some fun vintage ornaments. We also collect nativity ornaments and have them on a tree in here.
I love this room at night … there’s an vintage lace tablecloth that belonged to my grandmother draped across the windows and a few pieces of my milk glass collection provide a touch of elegance. But I have to admit, I’m partial to the old candles in the windows. These are the very same candles my mom’s mom used in the windows at her house when my mom was a little girl. My Mema passed away due to breast cancer in 1981 when I was ten. Placing her candles in my window and using her milk glass to decorate is a small way I keep her memory alive.
Next up is our kitchen. If you were here I’d offer you some fudge or maybe some molasses cookies. I love to bake and make candy during the holidays. In fact, I’m adding a little homemade goodness in the form of everyone’s favorites to the Christmas stockings this year. Over the next week I’ll make more of my Mema’s fudge for Scott’s grandmothers, potato candy for his mom, and more molasses cookies for Papa. Speaking of Papa, here is an old kitchen cabinet rescued from the side of the road by his dad — Scott’s great-grandfather. I love having it in our kitchen and it is especially fun to decorate at Christmas.
If you look closely you will see a collection of Santa mugs from another of Scott’s great-grandmothers {Momma Casiday, for whom our girl is named}. And those beautiful blue Ball jars are from my sweet Bigmama who knows my fondness for all things old. The ladder-turned-bookshelf belonged to yet another Papa and all the layers of paint splatters show how much it was used.
Here are a few more images from the kitchen to look at while I get your coffee all fixed up. 🙂
We’re getting close to the end … here’s my “big tree” under which we place all the presents. This year, I started piling presents into the old steamer trunk we found in a shed at Mamaw Underwood’s house. I love how that looks, don’t you?
One more special thing I need to show you in here is a genius idea of my husband’s …
How cool is that??? He bought an old, old, old TV and took it all part, refinished it and then put his Rudolph collectibles inside. I know the photo is blurry but it is such a fun thing I hated not to show it. Plus, it definitely proves who is the more creative in our house.
Last but not least {and hopefully not weird}, is our bedroom. We’ve had a tree in our room since we first got married. I love it. There is something very calming and beautiful — and romantic!! — about it. So, here’s a few shots of our bedroom in all it’s Christmas-y glory!
And there you have it, a tour of our holiday home … thank you for stopping by and I hope you’ll be sure to visit my online home again. I have some great plans for 2015 including 31 Verses to Pray for Your Husband beginning in mid-January and ending on Valentine’s Day. And you can sign up for my newsletter and receive special content not found on the blog. Sign up by filling out the form here or in my sidebar.
Merry Christmas from all of us at the Underwood abode!
Your home is so pretty and I just love that box with the greenery, wood and burlap!!
Thank you! I loved it when I saw it on Pinterest and knew I would have to put my own spin on it!
I love it all!!!!
Thank you … wish you could come over for some coffee and prayer {and laughter!!}. I miss you.