Merry Christmas from Our House to Yours

Christmas has come to our house since my last post in early October. This fall, blogging took a backseat to the joys of rocking a baby, watching him learn to crawl, then walk, now run--all in a few short weeks! Between weekly treks to another city to be Gigi, I found time to change our home decor from rusts and browns to the traditional reds and greens of Christmas.

Come on in, and enjoy looking all through the house.

The entryway highlights what we celebrate at Christmas: the birth of the God-man, born in a stable, laid in a manger, but worshipped by angels, shepherds, and wise men.

The living room is decorated with silver trees,

 a china creche,

 and a choir of carolers.

The dining room table holds a bowl of gold balls and holly, red-ribboned pheasants, and candles.

The sideboard displays the Charles Dickens' village. 

Passing through the foyer and the living room on your way to the library, you find a calico wreath.

The library, where we spend the most time in the winter, features a feather tree and

 a tiny creche.

Just off the library in the master bedroom, a Christmas quilt is featured during the month of December.

Back in the main part of the house, just off the kitchen, is the sun room.

Here bisque candle holders and festive pillows set the stage for...

the Christmas tree.

 Just before you go out the backdoor,

you can't help but stop to admire a gorgeous poinsettia.

Its red blossoms remind us that our Savior was born to die that we might live. 

 Indeed, He is the greatest gift ever given.

Autumn at My House

A couple of weeks ago I made the transition from late summer to early autumn. I added brown to my color palate and bought mums, peppers, and grasses. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea of how my home looks these days.

I hope you are enjoying these beautiful autumn days as much as I am.

Richard Scarry's Busytown Birthday

My daughter, Rachel, chose an appropriate theme to celebrate her youngest child's first birthday--Richard Scarry's Busytown. The familiar characters: Lowly Worm,

 Sergeant Murphy,

Mayor Fox,

Hilda Hippo, and

 and sister Sally cat

could be found around the house. Rachel made actual moving automobiles for each of the characters. Lego wheels under their seats allowed the characters to zoom, zoom.

No wonder, Sergeant Murphy had to blow his whistle a time or two.

Decorations were bright and cheerful primary colors. Rachel used pompom rope as swags on the chandeliers. Here was the children's table.

And this was the adult tablescape.

Curt and Rachel made banners by enlarging pictures of Busytown characters they found on the Internet.

Name tags had Busytown characters suited to each guest.

Rachel creatively personalized a Costco sheet cake by making a road from crushed Oreo cookies in the shape of a one. The traffic lanes were marked by m&m's to keep miniature Busytown characters safe on the highway.

Because birthday boy's favorite food is yogurt, Curt and Rachel invited guests to come for brunch. They served a smorgasbord of fruit and granola, as well as yogurt.

 For kids, opening gifts is a highlight of a party.

They also relish eating cake. Birthday boy's first taste was tentative.

 However, it didn't take long for the verdict to register.

 Soon, the hesitancy was replaced with enthusiasm.

If a little is good, a lot is better.

So thoroughly did birthday boy enjoy his cake that a bath was called for, even before guests left.

One thing is for sure:  Busytown has nothing over this household. With four children six-years-old and under, there is never a dull moment. Great job on the party, Mama Cat!