December 18, 2024

Our Christmas Home

Hello, and happy Wednesday, my friends. This year is our first Christmas in our new home, so I am inviting you in for a visit! Pour a cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa, get cozy, and spend some time with me in our Christmas home. Finding new places for our special Christmas decorations that hold so many memories for us was fun. So please, come in the front door into the foyer, which usually contains numerous pairs of shoes, several coats, and other random items, but miraculously, it was completely clear on this day. 

From there, we move into the family room, where we spend most of our time. See Mocha? That is where I am in right now, typing up this post!



Behind the sofa, I hung these beautiful pieces I found on Etsy. 

And nearby, a perfect place for my beautiful nativity.

From here, we head into the kitchen, the heart of any home.


And, finally, the Bird Room, as we call it because You can see so many different types of birds at any given time from the beautiful windows across the back of the house. 




The tree is adorned with our special ornaments from years past...






And that makes me happy. 
As do pups and cozy blankets on a couch near a Christmas tree in December.

Thanks for visiting our Christmas home, my friends.
Have a wonderful day!

Billie Jo

December 17, 2024

Giveaway Winners!

Last evening, using a super sophisticated process involving a random number generator and my laptop, I randomly selected five lucky readers as winners of the Christmas Giveaway. I am so thankful to everyone who entered and wish everyone could win. That being said, here are the names of the winners!


Out My Window


Lori


Barb 


Happy@Home


PNW Vickie


Congratulations to the winners! Please email me so I can send out your prize. It will be an Amazon egiftcard. Please do so by Friday, December 20, 2024. 

See you back here tomorrow for our regularly scheduled post!


Billie Jo 





December 16, 2024

Monday Morning Coffee

 

Good Monday morning, my friends! I hope you had a lovely, cozy weekend. We had a fun, productive, relaxing, and Christmasy weekend here. On Friday, Madison and I went shopping in the charming Hallmark Movie town near here. I am not a shopper. I prefer online, always. But, after I went with Madiosn, I realized that I dislike shopping because of the crowds, chaos, and overstimulation of big stores and malls. I always felt overwhelmed and rushed and too warm. I discovered that shopping in a small town, in little shops with friendly people and slower vibes, is much more my speed. The cozy lunch by the fire was nice, too!



Life is funny, isn't it? As my firstborn and I walked through that sweet little town, I thought of all the times I took her places, led her down the street, and helped her with her coat. I thought about how quickly time passes, our children grow, and roles reverse. And I could have been sad. Instead, I felt such happiness that that little girl with the bows in her hair grew to be such a remarkable young woman and a wonderful friend. 




We ate lunch at a beautiful hotel that displayed this outside the dining room. I thought it was so cute, and then I read the sign that said it was all gingerbread! Then I thought it was amazing!

On Saturday, I did some wrapping. Allow me to offer this friendly advice, dear friends: No matter how young you think you are or how long you think you will be wrapping, think twice before sitting on the floor to wrap presents. I was rolling along, so proud of myself, wrapping away. It wasn't until later, at mass, that I realized that may not have been the best decision for a woman of my age! Nothing two Tylenol couldn't handle, though. By the time I returned home, I had realized my outside-the-house time limit and was more than happy to spend my Saturday night snuggled under a blanket in front of the television with four of my favorite little friends, Mocha. Cosmo, Marty, and Draper. 


Madison and Nicolas got fancied up to attend his work Christmas party...


These two were at hunting camp with Peyton and Chris...


And Rhett was working, so I was on my own. I turned on the Christmas tree and had a cozy night with my pups, coffee, and Alfred Hitchcock. 

Have a cozy Monday, my friends! Take time to enjoy these Christmas days!





I will have a special Tuesday post with the winners of the Christmas Giveaway tomorrow!

Billie Jo


Google for the Christmas Past images.