Greenery and red berries for January decorating.....

I've been playing with greenery...All my Christmas has been grouped in Taylor's old bedroom to be sorted through...All that is up is my big tree with only white lights and dried orange slices, greens, and 3 small trees....I'm going to try something new and leave my greens, red berries, and 3 little trees out throughout the month of January to chase away the January blahs! So far I'm loving it instead of a stark feeling house...Does anyone else do this?

3 yrs...In our hearts FOREVER......

In honor of Little Rob...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure your firearms are secure and locked away from your children or from someone else getting them...All it takes is a careless moment and a child can be GONE forever....I will never let my child go to another person's home without asking if there are firearms in the home and if they are locked up....Little Rob was killed at a friend's house when the boy decided to get his parent's gun out and aim it at him...We all know what happened next! Just telling your child to not touch your gun IS NOT ENOUGH!!! PLEASE be sensible!! Careless moments can shatter families forever!!!

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS from our family to yours!!! With love from Tim, Jenny, Taylor, and Luke

Jesus Is The Reason for the Season.....

 My final sewing project for 2013...My sewing machine has been put away til after Christmas...

Two years ago I bought this banner with Olde Fashioned Christmas stenciled on it...Then last Christmas i put it on osnaburg with a running stitch...It then sat buried under projects on my sewing table til today...I thought it was time to finish it...lol..It turned out exactly as I envisioned it!!

Is everyone else about finished with their end of the year projects??



From the Farmhouse~~hugs, Jen

 Weeks leading up to Christmas I move my sewing machine and clean off my work table...For a few weeks it will be a display area until I get everything back out and it is covered in chaos again...lol...Actually I'm still doing some sewing, an order, and a swap, and I need to get some things made for the Primitive Handmades Mercantile update next week...So, the sewing machine isn't completely put away...

I hope you're all enjoying the Christmas season!

From The Farmhouse~hugs, Jen

Otis chilling in the hallway...It took Luke a while to find him after school...lol


I was unsure about all the lights in the hallway, but when i plugged them in and I heard Luke say "WOW!!!"...I knew they were staying.....

Our elf, Otis.....

I have been having a lot of fun with our elf, Otis.....I knew it was just a matter of time before he got into my x-stitch thread....I keep my thread in envelopes...It's amazing that he got into mischief last night after making a trip to the north pole to deliver Luke's letter and back before Luke got up this morning...lol

My dining room decorated for Christmas...

I re-did my table of blues after rearranging my sideboard and taking down the trees I had on there...I decided this table needed a tree and some height....I have had these sweet birds since the springtime and was planning on putting them on a Christmas tree this year...This was the perfect spot!!

I'm not sure why these pictures have such an intense yellow color to them....My walls are brown! It must be the glow from the light bulbs...Anyway, these are pictures of my simple mantle this year....Just some greenery and candles...

 My dining room table arrangement for now....

Kitchen/Work Area.......

Working in my kitchen/work area this evening...I'm heading out to haul in garlands as soon as Tim heads off to bed...I think this mantle just needs a bit of greenery and it will be enough...I decorated my tree this year with only 1 strand of white lights, red fabric covered balls, real candle canes, dried orange slices, a few wax ornaments, and a few black and gray baskets...Totally different then years past...Off to see what else i can get done tonight...

I will re-post my final pics...I just wanted to share my Christmas journey with you....

From the Farmhouse~~hugs, Jen

Orange Slices........

Orange slices ready to go on the trees and garlands...I still have a few more batches to dry...

I don't put anything on mine...I dry them at 170 because that is the lowest my oven goes to, with the light on, and i put a wooden spoon in the door to prop it open some....I want to dry them, not cook them... I also dry them on a pan that has holes in it...Like a pan you'd cook meat on to let the fat catch in the pan underneath...That way they get air/heat from top and bottom...They will turn brown if you dry them too long, but I still love them for bowl fillers even if they are too brown....I take mine out when they are **slightly** tacky and transparent...They will continue to air dry after you hang them on the tree...Then store them in a plastic container for next year...They will darken a bit each year, but I used my last batch for 6 years...Even when they get brown they are still pretty on the tree with the tree lights shining through them...♥

I'm drying orange slices and the temp is 80 today....lol...Tank top, shorts, and flip flops!

From the Farmhouse~~hugs, Jen

My sideboard decorated for Christmas....

I'm trying something a little different on my sideboard this year...So, off came the big trees i had on there the last couple of years...I think I really like the change....