It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Well, not quite like Christmas down here in FL.  But in our house, yes it is starting to look like Christmas.   I didn’t go too crazy, but I do seem to accumulate more stuff as the years go by. So without further ado, it’s time to get our Christmas decorating on.  As you know we already have the tree…

Look at that happy little tree.  You know I can’t stop there!  The rest of the house needed a little Christmas love as well.  What better place to start then the mantel…

First up, the stockings!

My mom sent these last year filled with all sorts of things for Justin and I(yes, we still get our stockings filled!).  These two became my new favorite stockings, so last years have been retired.   I also picked up a couple little reindeer from Hobby Lobby to hang out on this good ol’ mantel…

It also got a bunch of candles and a cute little Christmas tree.  And did you notice that awesome new pillow hanging out in the basket?

My aunt Kim sent this sweet monogrammed little pillow to us for Christmas.  Don’t you just love it?  Thanks Kim!

I also grabbed my glass hurricane that I used to decorate for Thanksgiving…

And I used that sucker to decorate for Christmas too !  Versatility rocks yo!

This time I used a white pillar candle and just strung some red beaded garland around it.  I just threw it together and yup, love it…

Some more reindeer joined the hurricane on the console.

And a snowman to boot!

Next up I headed to the kitchen and plopped down our Christmas table settings that Justin’s mom picked up for us last year.  Along with a cute little centerpiece that we got to take home from Justin’s Work Christmas party this year! Love it!

And do you see those berries in the background niche?  Oh yes I stole that idea from my Thanksgiving decor as well, remember these?

Well they got filled with beans this time, and I picked up some sticks with berries attached from Hobby Lobby and came up with this…

I dig it.

I also added a gingerbread man…

And snowman soap dispenser, gotta have one of those…

Here’s some more Christmas decor and our massive Christmas card collection, yes that’s all of them!

I made these pine cones a couple years back, just picked them up outside and spray painted them white and red.

Holdiday plates?  got those too.  And a handsome yellow lab.

And of course some santa napkins…

Lastly we headed outside to get festive.  Justin tackled the front yard…

Aren’t those globe lights in the tree just dreamy?

I think it’s my favorite part!  We got them from Lowe’s if you’re interested.

And last but not least, the palm tree on our back patio received a make over…

There you have it, our house for the holidays.  Hope you all have a rockin Christmas!

Organizing closets and storage

In case you don’t already know… I really like organizing.  I think it is important for everything to have a place, that way you never lose anything. Justin thinks I am annoying because everything has to go back in it’s place.  Even though he is pretty organized himself(thank goodness.)  In our apartment everything had it’s place already, but here in our new home that’s not the case.  So, I spent my rainy Saturday going through everything that hadn’t been touched since we moved in.  This is what I was tackling…

This is the closet in the guest room I have yet to paint.  Just a mess of junk shoved in a closet.  Next I will show the other guest closet in the room I have painted gray.  I didn’t get a good before picture because I had already started removing some items.

I had already taken out a bin and our suitcases.

So my first step is to get into those bins and find out what’s inside…

First up some random decorations and kitchen stuff…

and tons of extra picture frames that I didn’t even remember I had(sorry about the blurry picture.)  I sorted through, took some frames that I wanted to use, moved some things to the kitchen and put some holiday decorations to the side.  Next up…

Christmas decorations,  I didn’t unpack this bin because I knew it was all Christmas decorations.  I did however add a couple that I found in the previous bin.

Fall and halloween decorations, a whole bin full.  I did empty this one.

I found a couple odd items in this bin and also…

some Easter decorations.  I repacked the bin a little better with the halloween and fall things first.

I still had remaining room so I packed in the Easter stuff as well.

Next I found this bin which was full of Justin’s school and accounting books and folders.  Pretty cool stuff in here. I added a few other accounting books I found in a duffel bag, then I closed this sucker up.

The next bin had a little bit of everything, Justin let me know he had packed this one.  It had some dog stuff, some decorations, a cooler, a poster, some paper, a bag with cords in it, a hunting license and hunting hat.  I just put the items in this one in piles and moved them around the house to whichever room they belong.  I then took the remaining things and packed them into the empty bins.  I had picture frames and decorations left.  So I packed one bin with frames, then the other with decorations.  I then labeled all of the bins, so when christmas comes around I don’t have to open every bin to find the christmas stuff.

I then put the bins back in the guest closet, eventually I think they will end up in the attic but for now they will remain where they are.

It really does not look too different, I wish I had gotten a real before picture with suitcases and other junk stuffed in.

As for the other closet…

Neither look too extremely changed, but I now know everything that is in those closets and it is all easy to find.