Christmas Inspiration

Trees and quotes from those who can do it better than me...

When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things - not the great occasions - give off the greatest glow of happiness. ~Bob Hope

marthastewart.com

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly. ~Andy Rooney

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder




marthastewart.com

 Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall. ~Larry Wilde, The Merry Book of Christmas

bhg.com

 
Even as an adult I find it difficult to sleep on Christmas Eve. Yuletide excitement is a potent caffeine, no matter your age. ~Carrie Latet

bhg.com

Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.  ~Author unknown

bhg.com

I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month. ~Harlan Miller

bhg.com

 
The perfect Christmas tree? All Christmas trees are perfect! ~Charles N. Barnard





Marsala Roast

I had a little Marsala wine I need to use before it went bad, so I gave it the good old college try with a roast instead of the traditional chicken breast.  I think it turned out great!  Hubs scarfed down his plate in about 30 seconds so I think he liked it too! 

I cleaned and sliced up a 3 pound beef roast into 2 big pieces and set the pieces in a slow cooker.  I also added a cup of chicken stock and a cup of Marsala wine to the slow cooker for some moisture and flavor.  I set the slow cooker to low for 8 hours and went off to work!  When I got back home around 5:30 it smelled amazing!

I threw a package of sliced mushrooms into a skillet with a big pad of butter and softened those babies up.  Since a majority of the chicken stock/wine mixture had been absorbed by the roast, I also started over with more gravy. Once the mushrooms were almost done, I poured in a cup of chicken stock and another cup of Marsala wine and let it simmer for a good 10 minutes to get all the yummy flavors out and thicken the gravy up some.



After 10 minutes had passed, I added in a handful of chopped green onions and let those simmer for just a few minutes.  I don't like it when they get all wilty and dark so they always go in at the very end.

Cooking's done - ready to assemble!  Grab a nice big plate of noodles, set the meat on and spoon the mushroom/gravy mixture over top for a hearty dinner. 

Henderson Castle

Saturday night, hubs and I stayed at Henderson Castle in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  It was a Sweetest Day gift from hubs to me, and he never fails to outdo himself. It's also item number ten on my 30 by 30 List .  One item down, 29 to go!

Isn't it the cutest Bed and Breakfast you've ever seen? It is over 100 years old and the owners have been able to restore most of the original details in the castle. Check out the details in the woodwork and stained glass:

Each room had a different theme.  We stayed in the Italian room, which was the biggest room in the inn, but some of the other smaller rooms were even more impressive. My favorite was the Earth and Sky room.  The mural painted on the ceiling was absolutely incredible.

Its the constellations in the northern night sky.  They are true to scale and location - and if you look closely, you can see the stars are fiber optic lights.  It's the coolest nightlight I've ever seen.

Another room in the castle was the Tibetan Room. The ceiling in there was also incredible.

One of the best features of the inn was the hot tub on the rooftop.  While it was too cold dark out at night to take pictures when we were actually in the hot tub, the innkeeper let us go up again the next morning to take pictures.  I think it was meant to be, the second we got up there, it began to snow.  The view with snow falling was worth hassling the innkeeper for.

All in all, it was a very romantic, relaxing night in a castle.  The experience definitely stayed true to my fairy tale fantasies.  I would definitely go back.

What's your style?

A few days ago I discovered the Sproost What's Your Style quiz through Young House Love.

Being the sucker for online quizzes that decipher life's greatest mysteries, I had to take it a few times. Of course, each result was different, but each time taking the quiz was just as fun as the first.

The Nantucket and Cottage styling was no surprise at all, as my whole condo is decorated in water and sand colors with a touch of coastal feel. The Mountain Lodge style was a bit of a surprise though.  I think I selected the log cabin-like rooms because the novelty of Christmas and snow falling is just starting to kick in.  This time of year my vacation dreams stray from the beach to little cabins in the mountains, or bearskin rugs and roaring fires in the Swiss Alps if we're going all out here.  December 26 I'll go back to the normal vacation fantasies - beach or bust!

What is your decorating style?  Were you surprised by the results?

Christmas Mantle

I finished decorating the mantle for Christmas.  I'm a little proud of it, I will admit. Give me credit, its only my second year decorating for Christmas.  Here's the whole scene:

Like the cheeseball I am, I had to take the picture at night with the fireplace on.  It adds to the ambiance.  Anyway, you've probably already noticed there are quite a few nutcrackers on display.  It all started with the three little ones in the middle.

I saw the Nutcracker ballet with my brownie troop as a little girl and was totally enamored with it. Grandma found out about it and got me this little set of soldiers.  I have no idea where they are from, they are somewhere around 15 years old.

Grandpa (on the other side of the family) shortly caught on to the nutcracker trend and made this guy for me.  He carved it from a big block of wood and painted it up for me.  I can't even imagine how much time it must have taken him to make it.  This one is also near and dear to my heart, as that Grandpa isn't around anymore.

Here are a few of the other nutcrackers on display:

And one last glamour shot with the pup.

That's the baby.  The very large baby - it's his first Christmas.

Christmas Tree

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I can officially start decorating for Christmas! What better way to get the ball rolling but with the tree?  Here's what I spent my day doing:



While I love the trees that have some special theme, mine just doesn't have that.  I've collected too many different ornaments over the years and since I only get to see them for one month at a time, they all go up!  I will admit my tree is a bit on the girly side though.  I have lots and lots of ornaments in the sweets category - you know, gingerbread people, cupcakes and candies.  Here are a few of my favorite ornaments:

 

I can't tell you where any of them are from, they were all gifts.  Fortunately Mom stocked me up before I moved out.  I ended up with a very full tree my first year away from the nest, but hers was empty! 

The mantle decorations are almost done too, I just need to go out and get some chunky candles to go in the new candle holders (free from Ulta, bonus!) 

Kohl's

Dear Kohl's,

I was Christmas shopping in your store and happened to stroll by the women's department.  Actually, the check-out line was wrapped half-way around the store so I strolled by several departments I normally don't frequent.

Anyway, I was totally impressed!  I haven't shopped for clothing for myself at one of your stores in quite some time and was pleasantly surprised with your selection.  When did you step up the style level, and more importantly, why wasn't I notified?  In case you are interested, here are the goodies I had to pry myself away from...

Sincerely,
Smitten