Cheap Beauty

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Love pulling out old ratty ornaments, hand-me-down trees, and Target dollar bin wreaths! I really do, not trying to paint a negative picture...last year we were in the newborn fog during Christmas and enjoyed it but I'm not sure how much I really decorated. Charlie was three weeks old on Christmas day and as easy as she was, she was still a new baby and we lived in a new place, bigger than our other house and needing fancy decorations. We're still hoping those show up one day :)

I bought this red ball for Charlie yesterday at IKEA. It is her only Christmas gift so far. I set a personal record spending only $1.07 there, and come to think of it it's probably a record for IKEA as well. Her favorite thing to play with is a ball. Maybe because we have quite a few of them thanks to our toy supply of boy things from Amy and the twins!
I've had these wreaths for three years and never figured out what to do with them and then I had an inspired moment and viola! The big windows in the living room are now a little festive. Got these in the dollar bin at Target.
Santa's seat. My goal this year is to hit up the good store sales right after Christmas and get five matching stockings.
Now this thing is a beast. Our realtor, also an old friend from church, moved from our neighborhood last year right after Christmas and guess who inherited her tree. They moved to a house with shorter ceilings than their old house so it wouldn't fit. If I was a photographer I could capture its size for you but just imagine a mammoth tree full of ornaments sitting dangerously close to the play room. I used to leave Ty in there for long stretches until this tree went up. Now I have to make sure he's obeying the "No, those are not balls to play with," rule. I'm on the hunt for a tree topper, though I'm not sure how I'll put it up there. Sean has a little thing about climbing to the top of ladders (I won't call it a full-blown fear of heights because he might get fired) and since I'm pregnant he doesn't feel good about me climbing to the top of our ladder. There's something mixed up about a pilot that doesn't like heights and a wife terrified of flying but willing to climb to the top of any ladder. God has a sense of humor.
Isn't this wreath great? Now I know it should be decorated or something but at least for this year it's not gonna be. Since we first looked at our house we've gone, "What do we put THERE," in the entryway of our house, beckoning some designer person to fill it with beauty. The only time of the year there is something in that space is Christmastime so I love the wreath for it! The day after Thanksgiving last year Mom and I found it at Michaels 1/2 price. See, I AM the black Friday type.