A Very "Green" Christmas

Our Christmas is green this year because our theme for decorating is "Beg, Borrow, and (don't) Steal." We begged Hubby's parents for Christmas decorations, we borrowed some from my grandma, I begged Hubby to at least let me buy a little tree. He did, but only so that I would stop whining.




Our Christmas is not literally green though. It's finally winter in Minnesota, as evidenced by the barbaric winds and mounds of snow on every street corner. Every morning of the week, I make myself a big ol' thermos of coffee, and I drive away from my warm little house. It's really heartbreaking. Then I see the high schoolers shivering as they walk/shuffle to their bus stop and I feel a bit more thankful. This, by the way, is the view from our little patio.




This is my first house, and I just can't seem to get enough of Christmas decorating. When I was little, I loved helping my mom set up the nativity, decorate the tree, put out the Christmas tablecloths, and listen to Amy Grant sing Christmas music over our stereo. I have always been enamored with Christmas, but this year is different because I finally have a canvas of my own.





I'm really glad we decided not to purchase any Christmas decorations this year. It's helping me be more frugal, but it's also given me the chance to really use my imagination. I got home early from work today, so I was finally able to take some pictures in the daylight. They turned out so much better than the previous ones!



We had some extra branches left over after we had to trim our tree a little bit. Instead of throwing them away I decided to put them in a milk-glass vase for a centerpiece. I love how it turned out, and it makes the smell of evergreen waft through the whole house!




I thought maybe it needed a bit more color, so I ended up using some leftover (fake) yellow forsythia from our wedding.



I really like having color around me, and yellow is one of my favorites. Who says yellow can't be Christmas-y?

On our coffee table, we have a little birdcage (Goodwill) with some books and a candle that I got as a gift a couple of years ago. I added more tulle to the birdcage and a little handmade cloth flower with a vintage button.




I also purchased some pretty new vases. And, then I borrowed them from myself to use for Christmas decorations (I totally did not cheat, they are for year-round use I swear!). OK, maybe I cheated the system a little. But they were 5.99. For all three.


Aren't they cute? They are totally a knock-off of the IKEA vases, but they are BLUE! I love blue.

(image from ikea.com)

Tomorrow, I am posting about a little project that I did today. It involves sticks and glitter. I really think that glitter makes everything fabulous, even some old sticks. And tomorrow, you will see how they can be transformed into the perfect, simple, GREEN Christmas decor.

A (Non) Snow Day

Yesterday we had a "winter storm warning." It was predicted that we would have up to 12 inches of snow at one point. I laid awake in bed all night listening to the howling wind, expecting to wake in the morning and find myself completely snowed in. I was practically giddy with excitement.

I had dreamy plans of lounging in my slippers, drinking unseemly amounts of coffee, catching up on my blog-therapy, sewing some cute little owl Christmas ornaments, and just having a deliciously calm day.

Then my alarm went off at 5:30.

I stumbled out of bed, pulled on my slippers and went to the window expectantly. I just needed visual confirmation of the copious amounts of snow before I called my supervisor and either a) found out that the office was closed or b) decided to take annual leave in order to remain safe, cozy, and caffeinated at home.

What I saw was disheartening. Yes, there was snow. Probably about 5 inches in some spots. But the sky was what shocked me; it was completely devoid of even the tiniest little snowflake. They call this a BLIZZARD? I could shovel myself out with a spoon.

Apparently, it was enough snow to cancel all schools within the twin cities area. It was enough for my husband's office to close down. It was enough to cause widespread panic and triple the normal amounts of Spam that were purchased in a day. But it was not enough for my office to shut their doors, or for me to justify using 8 hours of precious annual leave.

So, I made myself some coffee to-go. And then I dragged my sorry bum to work and prayed that I would not be a snot to my husband when I got home. And I (for the most part) wasn't. He cleaned the entire house while I was gone, and he had fresh tea waiting for me when I got home. Did I mention that I am married to the most wonderful man in the world?

Holiday Party

Last week was our annual "Holiday Party" at work. I was on the decorating committee. It was, to say the least, rather stressful. I spent about 8 hours hanging lights and tulle from the ceiling; and I have never been more sore in my entire life (well, except for perhaps the time I fell off a ski lift, but that's a whole different story).

We rented centerpieces and tablecloths and draped with tulle and lights wherever possible. Some people said they felt like they were at a wedding. I said, "Surprise!!!" Just kidding. No one got married.

We even had a "fake fireplace" set up on a computer. It had a warm glow and even made a crackling noise. Not my idea, but I guess it was a nice touch.

We had the food catered in, and it was yummy! Pulled pork and turkey sandwiches, with green beans, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce.

The (empty at the time) punch bowl was filled with ornaments and lights. Again, not my idea but it turned out so lovely! We used mini "party lights" from Michaels. They are so handy because they are small, battery powered, and give off plenty of light.

While I was dancing around on top of the tables (while being extremely careful and taking the necessary precaution to ensure my safety), putting up the lights and tulle I didn't really think about the fact that they would have to come down again. That's a good thing. Thankfully, while it took 8 hours to put them up, it only took 1 hour to take them down.

We had a good room to start off with. I love the brick walls and exposed beams. So Urban Chic.

And now, I think I will hire myself out as a wedding decorator. I will also hire some monkeys to climb around and put up tulle for me.

A Merry Christmas Makeover

Our little townhouse was looking a little sad at the beginning of December...

I wasn't sure exactly what it needed until the day after Thanksgiving...

Suddenly, the light came on. It's time for Christmas Decorating!


(Haha, I tricked you into thinking that I was unaware of the imminent arrival of Christmas. I wasn't. If Christmas had a stalker, it would be me).


This year, Handsome Husband and I decided that our theme for Christmas decorations would be "Beg, Borrow, or Steal." With a little more emphasis on the begging and borrowing, and a little less on the, uh, stealing.

So, I dug out my box of Christmas decorations that I had painstakingly gathered throughout my single years (or stumbled upon in the Target dollar section). The wreath was a dollar section find, highlighted with some little bejeweled love-birds and some ribbon that I had on hand.

I also took a couple of those little trees that everyone seems to have (you know, the ones with burlap wrapped around the bottom that you got from your Grandmother?). I replaced the burlap with tulle. I know, it's amazing.




We also cheated a little and bought a Christmas tree. But you can't really even begin to decorate for Christmas until you have a tree!




Here's where the begging and borrowing came in... We received many of the lovely little ornaments from the In-Laws, along with the glass tree-topper. The tree topper used to be rather sad, with it's pale cream-colored, chipped paint. To give it a face-lift, I painted it gold and now it stands tall and proud atop our little tree.




Ah. Christmas.

Now I can sit and read, drink tea, bake cookies, and listen to Christmas music with the lovely glow that only white Christmas lights can bring.





I'm also going to work at remembering the sacrifice and basking in the love that God brought to us so many years ago in the form of a tiny child. There is no better time to remember His goodness, His grace and presence in our broken world.

I linked to the Hooked on Houses Holiday House Tour here:

http://www.hookedonhouses.net/.

A Cup of Tea

I have been sick for 4 weeks.

It started out as a little tickle in the back of my throat and just propagated from there. I finally went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a sinus infection and bronchitis.

Needless to say, I consumed quite a bit of tea. Perhaps too much.




Mom, thanks for putting tea in my bottle when I was 2. You made me into a monster.

Scrooge

My Hubby and I just went and saw the new movie "A Christmas Carol" with Jim Carrey. I was absolutely blown away! Part of it was due to the fact that we saw it in 3D (yay for geeky glasses!) and at an IMAX theater. This movie is exceedingly well done. The animation, the characters, the music, everything comes together to form a truly breathtaking experience. It has been a long time since I have seen a movie that made me want to cry.

But the real reason why I was blown away was the story. Dickens' heart-wrenching story is as relevant, as haunting, as soul-searchingly beautiful as it was over 100 years ago. I was so glad that the producers of this movie were true to Dickens' work, true to the heart behind the message. The dialogue between characters is straight from the book, and is full of the biting wit and charm that Dickens is so well known for.

I think the story can resonate with almost anyone. Who doesn't feel a little like Scrooge once in a while? I think that Scrooge is just a bigger version of the selfishness that lives in each and every one of us. So many times, I find myself feeling uncharitable, unthankful (I know that isn't a word!), and grouchy towards the people around me. It was a good reminder to me to treasure the moments that I have, the blessings that I have been given. And with Christmas right around the corner, it could not have come at a better time.

A Vintage Wedding

Our wedding took place on August 8, 2009. The day started out with a deluge of rain; I sat at my hair salon and watched the sheets of rain run down the windows, praying that I would be able to get to my car with updo intact.

Thankfully, as I drove across the 35W bridge to go to the church, the sun started beaming at me through the clouds. By the time everyone started arriving, we had a bright and sunny day.

That morning, I had woken up at 5:30 am out of sheer excitement. I couldn’t believe it was finally our wedding, the day I had planned and imagined since the moment I first saw a bridal magazine. Yes, I was one of those girls. I dreamed about my wedding for years and even hosted little weddings for my barbie dolls (I was always upset when the girl/guy ratio of the attendants was off, and would usually borrow my brother's GI Joes to make it even).

That being said, as I grew older the marriage behind the wedding became my dream. The wedding is important because it’s a celebration of the relationship, but the wedding is not the main point. So, I spent time trying to incorporate meaningful details into the wedding to "personalize" it, but I tried not to go overboard with spending and worrying because (seriously) it's ONE day. I didn't even feel that pretty on my wedding day because I was stressed out and I always get stress zits. Blech.

We decided early on that our wedding would be affordable. Not the affordable you read about in bridal magazines (read: under $20,000), but really truly affordable for our lifestyle. We didn’t want to start our marriage in debt, and I knew early on that my parents would not be able to contribute large sums of money to the wedding fund. So, we set our budget at around $6,000 for a wedding and reception for 175 people. That included everything from the clothes we wore to the rings we exchanged to the catering.

We were able to stick to the budget by cutting out things that we felt were not significant to us as a couple. My husband hates dancing, and the reception was held at our church where they have a “no dancing” policy for the reception hall. Problem solved. Instead of hiring a DJ, we had my brother set up a sound system to play an ipod playlist through.

We also hand made a lot of the elements for the wedding; my mother in law sewed the table runners, my aunt helped me with the bouquets and flower arrangements, my husband assembled the table numbers, and several of my aunts contributed decorative items and helped to decorate the church and reception hall.

We decided to go with a sort of vintage feel. We didn’t want a costume party, so I made sure it wasn’t too specific in terms of decade. We also incorporated some newer elements to make sure everything blended well. My dress had a vintage look to it- I love the 20’s style sequined shift look with a mermaid type skirt and I found exactly what I wanted for under $500. I was very adamant that I did not want to spend thousands of dollars on a dress that I would wear for ONE DAY. I think that was one of the best decisions that I made! I felt beautiful and unique; the dress was perfect for me.

We also utilized the talent that we had among our family and friends. We had two extremely talented photographers: my cousin Yetta and my friend Andrea graciously “gifted” their time and talents to the wedding. My cousins Hannah and Sam played the violin for our ceremony. My aunt Jane and my friend Nicole helped with the flower arrangements.

My parent’s friends hosted our rehearsal dinner at their beautiful home. There were so many people that gave their time and talents to help us, and it was such a blessing to have them involved in the wedding. Some of my favorite memories are from the days leading up to the wedding when we were finishing up the details and just enjoying each others company. It was like one great, big party!

Now that we have been married for almost 3 months, it is so wonderful to look back and remember that day. It wasn’t “the best day of our lives.” If it was, then what would we have to look forward to? I am looking forward to learning how to love my husband and be a better wife to him over the coming years. I am looking forward to experiencing life with my best friend by my side. I am looking forward to all the memories that are yet to come, the ways that God will mold us and change us as we grown closer to each other and closer to Him.

All photographs by Yetta.