The Christmas Shelf

Of course this isn’t really a Christmas shelf–as in, that’s all we will ever use it for. It’s just that the very first official use of the thing was to set up a bit more holiday cheer–so to speak. Most of our Christmas storage boxes are nestled deep in the shed or back patio with 80,000 more boxes and tubs stacked on them. So, all that we are decorating with here are the new things acquired this year, or whatever didn’t get put away from last year.

Slim, but still decent pickings, indeed.

I saw this in Target one night and it reminded me so much of my daddy and all his gingerbread making skills, that it worked it’s way into my cart–at the expense of two boxes of cereal.

Had to be done.

This is a cute little “shelf elf” of sorts, that I won last year from the local toy store called Blickenstaff’s. I don’t remember what I had to do to win, but he was worth it.

My dear friend Sue made the little wooden nativity and totally fulfilled my quest to get a new little set, from somewhere each year. Thanks, Sue!

Then there is our most beloved manger scene that Rhen brought back from Kazakhstan. Here’s the little shepherd with his lamb, his donkey and his enormous dog.

Here are the three wise men with their gifts.

And of course, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus–in his wooley manger bed. Being a non-Christian country–this had to be specially and very quietly ordered, ahead of time. It’s really beautiful.

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Our plan is to sleep over for the first night in the new house–tomorrow–Christmas Eve.

It’s becoming a sweet, cozy place–and guess what~

My bed is getting set up tomorrow.

Merry Christmas to me!!

Wahoo–it’s happening!

Christmas Essentials

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 With the goal being to actually move into my cute little house by Christmas, I figured that putting up the tree–fake as it is, and some decorations might just light a fire under the project.

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I could only find a few of the boxes but it had just enough stuff in it to give the place a little Christmas sparkle.

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Rhen found a few of his decorations for the tree.

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You know, the important ones.

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In the end it was just enough. So now we have a couch and a Christmas tree.

A couple of beds would probably be good.

Working on it.

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Underneath~

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I got brave one day about a week before Christmas and decided the bedroom carpet had to go too. It was the ugliest burnt orange piece of nastiness. Luckily, I knew there was hardwood underneath it, but I almost didn’t care. It was too gross to stay. But as you can see, even though the pad was much newer than the mummified stuff in the front room, it was still old and creepy and…this time…

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wherever it was deteriorating, it stuck to the floor.

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No, no…I’m not kidding. It was really stuck. But I’m a sturdy mountain woman…

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so I got out the equally sturdy shop vac and scraped and hosed it all up.

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I’m certain that someone much smarter and waaay more savvy about such things would have told me not to do it this way. But you know, whoever that was, wasn’t here and I was actually feeling pretty dang clever.

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And this time, I dragged the creepy orange carpet outside myself. We’ll talk about the ugly porch rock some other time.

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 Of course, I get that it needs the tack strips yanked off and a good, hard scrubbing…

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but hey…

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anything beats burnt orange…shag.

You know I’m right.

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Skilled Labor

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Every time I come over to the house to just “hang out” I’m excited to see what has happened since I’ve been here last.

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Baseboards are being cut and painted.

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The back bedroom is getting a few more coats of paint.

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There’s a pretty little corner turning thingy that’s awesome…

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and even a new beam separating the kitchen and the living room.

So much stuff that may seem little, but I’ll certainly never take it for granted again.

Our goal is to be in by Christmas.

Do wish us luck!

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The Scent of New~

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One of the advantages of not actually living at the house, while it’s being “made over” is that when someone comes to do something marvelous–like lay brand, NEW carpet–I get to hang out in the kitchen and snap pictures every chance I get.

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It was all I could do not to giggle when the carpet guy brought the new–NOT-falling apart into dust–padding in. He had no idea what pad trauma we’d been through. Sheesh.

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Ooooh, here it comes. Lovely-ness approaching.

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I’ve always wondered how carpet guys cut those huge pieces to fit so perfectly. But the more I thought about it, the more I worried, so I quit watching.

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As he pulled back the front room carpet to finish off the entry edge–we discovered that there is pretty little hardwood under that carpet. Oh, yeah. YOUR days are numbered too, funny blue carpet. Heh, heh, heh.

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But for now, I’m gonna scrunch up my toes in this soft, fluffy, perfect, new stuff.

I’m a lucky duck.

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PS~ Thank you with all my heart to all those who made this post possible. I love you.