Christmas in July on QVC.

It has finally happened.

I have come down with a bad case of QVC-itis.  

Christmas in July on QVC was this past weekend.

 (Oddly enough.)

I didn't plan on it coinciding with my bloggy Christmas. 

However, I watched almost all day Saturday and most of the day Sunday.  

The lights, the glitter, the easy payments, 

the manic frenzy that is whipped up and thrown at you as if your life depends on buying 

the fiber optic snowman 

or the pink "cashmere" pre-lit with pink lights Christmas tree .... 

yes all the excitement was simply too much for me to handle.   At about 7:30 Sunday evening.... I finally had enough.  

But even though I turned off the glitzy, commercialized, sensationalized holiday must-haves, my adrenaline would not shut off.  

I didn't sleep well Saturday night, Sunday night, or even last night.  

 I closed my eyes, but there was an overzealous host pushing QVC crack right under my nose.  Ah, stop the insanity I say!  I cancel all my drunk with glitter orders!  

You... battery powered Christmas wreath, you shall never make it to my house!

I cancel you stuffed animal Moose dipped in soy wax that smells like gingerbread-applesauce.  

I cancel you the snowman server with the four ceramic dishes that you can bake, freeze, serve, and eat in.  

Take that you flameless candle with timer, shaped like a sweet Christmas tree with glitter shimmering throughout your wax.  

But uhhhh.....

I am keeping the shatter-proof ornament wreaths with stands.  OK? Don't tell anyone huh?

They're soooo pretty! 

The Magic of Christmas...

I don't know...

Is it in the lights?

or maybe

it's the chill in the * air* * *
the smell of simmering Apple Cider... ginger cookies baking in the oven...

fresh cut Christmas trees...

(This is where we bought our tree last year. Oh it was so lovely! And they had the best apple cider EVER!)


KidsandChristmas = Magic.

  I love this picture of my sweet niece!


Do you see the (Rein)deer in my sister's yard?

*** It's just magical!***

A Newlywed's Christmas....

This was our first Christmas tree after we were married:

Marc was used to his mother's style of decorating

so he thought the tree had too much on it at first.

He did finally get used to it.

We were living in a small basement apartment.

I had gone to Garden Ridge and also to Kmart and bought us a ton of ornaments. However, we were so strapped for money that I had to return some of them!  We have a video of me decorating the tree, and it's funny because I'll say...and I returned those, and that one, and those.....

We got Macy, our first kitty, right after we were married.

She was so cute!

But I had to take a running leap to get in the bed because she would hide underneath and scratch your feet if you weren't careful.  Also, Marc "installed" a piece of carpet on the post (near the tree) and Macy would run up and down it like it was velcro.   

It was a small apartment. Therefore when used, her litter box stank!

So she was given coal in her little kitty stocking!
(I was too, but I never did figure out why?)

Awww, I was so skinny!!! 

(see our poor newlywed furniture???!!!)

It doesn't really feel like seven years ago.  Does it? 

 Don't answer that Marc, darling! 

O Christmas Tree.....

Each one is so unique...

My Mother-In-Law's tree is a little more natural and lightly decorated. Never fussy.

Marc's grandparent's tree is constant and unchanging. A comfort.

My tree is a little more rustic than I ever planned, but I love my ornaments!

My sister's are the best! She has themed trees. She's had snowflake trees, birdhouse trees, and the latest was a whimsical "Grinchy" creation for the kids. 

Awww. Cuteness.

As a child, I loved to lay under our tree and look up at all the lights. I would lay there and dream of all the new toys that I would get.  

When Christmas morning finally came 

(3:00 AM - nothing yet...)

(4:17 AM - *sigh*...)

(5:27 AM - score!!!)

Then I would curl up with a blanket and wait for everyone else to wake up!

Christmas Past...

Christmas Past

My first Christmas in 1977.

Me and my sister.... 1978

Who me?  

I wasn't too crazy about Santa.  And why do I have to sit on your lap?

My sister handled it much better than I did!

Mom and Dad always left Santa a snack. 

Daddy always helped "clean" it up. 

(Was that a Pop Tart??)

Oh!  I love this picture!  The toy display was always spectacular!!

Think I'll go shopping now.  

Hmmm, yea, still not crazy about sittin' on your lap. 

But again, it seems my sister handled it a little better.

~AND~

If that wasn't retro enough:

This is my mom and lovely Bmama & Papa back in the day!

Aren't they beautiful!!!

Christmas in July... all week!

We had a wonderful night out with our friends in Asheville this past Christmas.

Jessa gave me some *f a n t a s t i c* chocolates!

Speaking of Chocolate...

This was from The Grove Park Inn...

Such a beautiful piece-o-cake!

~AND~

We even saw

SANTA!

NeXt WeEk...

To help jump start my Christmas spirit
for the upcoming

Grove Park Inn National Gingerbread Competition...

I deem next week on my blog:

C h r i s t m a s I n J u l y !

To help kick off things a bit....

This picture was leftover from Christmas 2008.
Apparently I found this breakfast to be a little out of the ordinary.

And thank goodness....

ginger snap cookies,

Coke,

and

a candy cane.

Now that's a breakfast of champions, f o r s u r e!

Losing Marbles...

Awhile back, I took my Ingles grocery store key card off my keyring with the thoughts of replacing it with a much cleaner one that I had. However, I dropped the new one between my seat and center console in my car. I kept forgetting about it until the third visit to the store. I didn't like that the cashier had to ask the customer behind me if I could borrow their card... (geesh don't they have a generic card they could swipe?) So I was very purposeful to remember the dang thing this time.

I picked up the little card and also (low and behold) remembered to grab my "green" bags so I wouldn't have to ...you know....kill any sea gulls by using plastic bags. I walked into the store, grabbed my buggy, and started shopping. Not far into the store however, I realized that I didn't know where I had put my card. I searched and searched practically emptying my purse on the bread aisle. I was becoming pretty flustered. I hate being absent minded, but apparently I don't mind everyone seeing personal care products flying out of my purse on the cat food aisle or in the freezer section. heh.

Finally, I admitted defeat and walked up to the checkout counter. I explained that I couldn't find my card so the cashier tried to look up my "account" using my phone number. She couldn't find it so she gave me a brand new card and a form to fill out and bring back at the next visit.

On my way out the door, I looked down and .... Ta DA!!!! There on the floor was my stupid 1/2" X 1 1/2" card. Grumbling at myself I took my groceries out to my car. When everything was secure I realized...... what the crap did I do with my card?? AGAIN?

It was in with Marc's beer. Lovely.

Aw knots.

SO. We have a lot of knotty pine in our house, from the floors to the ceiling.
A lot.
Do you see what I see?


MosQuitO.


Moose


Beagle looking over fence...


That brown thing from the movie "Ice Age."


How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop??


Swooping Owl.... (there are many owls)


You ain't nothin' but a hound dog!!


Baby Seal..


Giraffe!!!


Dragonfly...


Beetle Bug crawling out from a rug!


Sperm and Egg. Wait! You're going the wrong way!!!!!!


Dachshund doggie! (on our bathroom cabinet.)


Here, puppy, puppy!!!

Is it just me... or do you see them too?

Nostalgic Salt Shakers....

When I was a kid, the family would get a big ol' watermelon, a pile of newspapers, a couple of knives, and some old salt shakers to take out to the patio at my grandparent's house.

I never really liked watermelon because it was always too salty.

Wait. You don't have to put salt on it??

Uhmm, it is good!