Bringing Back the Throwbacks...for the Holidays!

I'm so excited for the holidays!  I thought I'd resurrect the Throwback Thursday posts to share some of my favorite holiday posts.  They might be new to some and a first time read for others.  To me, there faves.  I hope you enjoy!!

Usually I post something on the blog on the anniversary of moving into my home, but I didn't this year.  This past August was actually my 5th year here!!  Crazy scary how fast time flies!!

So in the spirit of the Holidays, this Throwback Thursday, I am sharing the first Christmas Home Tour I ever did on the blog.  It's the first time readers got a peek inside my home at Christmas.

I am all decorated for Christmas already this year, but plan on posting this years home tour later on in December...stay tuned!  For now, let's turn back time!

Christmas Bucket List: 5 things I'd love to do this Holiday Season!

Happy Friday!  And happy First Day of December!  What??  Where does the time go.  I'm excited December is here but it's also really scary!  Christmas is right around the corner...and I am soooo not ready!!  My tree is not up, my cards are not mailed (or even ordered!!) and I still have lots of gifts to buy!

Today I'm excited though to be taking the time to blog!!  I'm joining a bunch of fun gals and sharing a Mini Christmas Bucket List...5 things I'd love to do this Holiday Season!

Get a picture with Santa
I'm so angry with myself.  On Saturday, while I was shopping Small Business Saturday, they were giving a way SWAG Bags, having a food drive, and offering free pictures with Santa.  I dropped off my cans of food and noticed all these kids taking pictures with Santa.  It wasn't crowded and I thought for a moment about hopping on Santa's lap!  But then said to myself, "I can't really take a picture with Santa!"  But now, after seeing a friend's photo on Facebook of her two dogs (only dogs!!!) on Santa's lap, I'm totally regretting that I didn't do it!!  He was a really great Santa too.  So now I'm determined to get my picture with Santa!! LOL


Head the the Beach to see the Christmas Light Display!
A local beach had a huge drive through Christmas Display for years and I never made it.  When it closed I was sad that I never got there. They are bringing it back for the 2017 Christmas Season and now I'm determined to go!  Fingers crossed I make it this year!!

Actually bake my cookies this year!!
For the past few years my sisters and I have had our annual cookies and cocktails day!  It has always been the joke that I bring the break-and-bakes (and drink more than I eat)!!  I want this year to be the year that I actually bake my cookies!  I am hoping to find a fun recipe I can bake.  I think I'll be able to do it this year too!  Because now that the family's gotten so big and cookie day has gotten so crazy, we've decided to have the dough prepared ahead of time.  This way, while we're there all we have to do is bake!!  Oh and I'm open to recipe suggestions, so if you have nay, I'd love to know about them!!

Drive around the neighborhood and look at lights!
Years ago my friend and I used to go out and look at the Christmas lights on the houses.  We haven't done it in forever!  This year I want to bring back this tradition!!  Maybe make a Jammie Cocoa Christmas.

Get Christmas Crafty!
For the last few years, my mom has been gifting each of my sisters and I a Christmas present that she's made herself. And I've been wanting to do the to do the same. I have an idea as to what I want to make...actually I've had it for quite a while.  Half the battle is really just getting my butt in gear and finding the time to do it!  I think that the gift I have in mind is fun and will be appreciated.  If I put an actual time line and this and actually put the idea in writing, maybe, my chances are good that I get it completed this year. HA!

Mom with last year's Christmas creation!

What fun things do you want to do and see this holiday season?  Let me know!!  Have a wonderful December Weekend!!  And thanks for visiting today!




Linking up today:
The Blended Blog
Friday Favorites
H54F

Christmas Home Tour with The Blended Blog!

Happy Monday!

How is it that we are less than two weeks away from Christmas!  That is just crazy!  My presence on the blog has been less and less as the year comes to a close but I am happy to be back today sharing a glimpse of my home at Christmas time with some of my favorite Blended Blog buddies! If you're stopping by from Sheila's blog and you've made it this far in the Hop, I thank you!  :)  I've really enjoyed getting to peek into everyone's homes today!

If you're a regular reader of the blog, you've seen my little home.  I love my home, but no more so than at Christmas!  I can't wait to show you the few new touches I put on this year!  Come on in....

My mom made this snowman last year at Christmas for each of my sister's and I!

This year I got a new tree and I'm so happy with it!  It's a foot and a half taller and really fits in the space well.  My tree is the first thing you see when you walk in the door.

I'm loving the new bow pillow I got at Pier 1, too...there are tons of cute ones!

My tree skirt and matching stocking were made by my mom.  She gave me the tree skirt the first year I had my own tree in my first apartment and then she gave me the matching stocking my first Christmas in my condo.  I know how much time they took her, but I love them and know I'll have them forever!  Just like my mom still has her handmade tree skirt form the year she was married in 1971.

Living in a condo, my place is basically one big great room!  This is the living area...

My mom made me my handmade stocking but this is my original stocking from my first Christmas in 1980.  This Christmas pillow I got on super sale last year from Primitives by Kathy.  Actually a number of my Christmas decorations are from her site, either given to me as gifts or bought on sale at the end of the season!

My nativity is really special to me, too.  It was passed down to me from my grandmother.  It is a Hummel nativity from the 1950's.  I know it might be a little unorthodox, but I believe it fits really well on my wine table!

Now that my TV is on the wall, I use my TV stand as a display place.  I switch this up a little bit every year!  This is this year's Christmas version!

The WANTED sign stays up there year round!  

Here's a close-up!

The kitchen is pretty Christmassy as well.

My corner nook!

My mom claims she worries about my wine consumption, but then she buys me awesome wine tags like that one!  HA!!  I also enjoy running my diffuser this time of year with Christmas Spirit! 

Last but not least is my Christmas card holder, which is just a ribbon hanging from my pantry!  I really like this simple, easy idea.  And it's really a great way to showcase the cards I receive.

I hope you've enjoyed my home at Christmas and loved seeing all of our TBB Homes!!  Wishing you the happiest of holidays...

  Thanks for stopping by today!

If you missed my previous years' tours, you can check out 2015{here} and 2014 {here}!

A Few Christmas Week Looks!!

Well...I try to get in the spirit as far as my clothes are concerned over the holidays!  Most of the time it's for the fun of it all, so I thought I'd share some of the Christmassy looks I sported over the holidays!

Some teacher friends and I wear "ugly" sweaters to work on the day before the break. I wore this one last year!

This year's sweater I actually also bought last year, with the intention of wearing one, and returning one.  But I never returned this, so I was glad to have it for this year.  And now that I'm thinking about it, I guess if this tradition keeps up, I will have to get a new sweater each year!!  YIKES!!  I really wish my mom kept all those Christmas sweaters we all made fun of for years!!  I swear she had one for everyday of December!!

Looking at this, I'm realizing you can't really see the sweater!  Ugh...But I guess I dressed it up ok!

After school for this year's annual Cookies and Cocktails day, I wore the ugly sweater I finally got (after wanting for two years!!)  I didn't wear this one to school because...you see, I teach in Catholic School and thought that perhaps I might get fired!!  HA!  But I so totally love it and it is the epitome of ugly!!  I also mentioned to my family that I thought ugly sweaters could be a new tradition for Cookies and Cocktails!!

Christmas day with my family is always fun!  We spend the day in our PJ's.  My pants I picked out last December 26th at the Nordstrom Half-Yearly sale and kept them specifically for Christmas day.  It took me a while longer to find a top that I liked and thought would match "good enough"!  This thermal I got on super sale at Old Navy!  I was super cozy in this for the day! (my socks matched nothing but are super cute santa socks with martinis on them...HA!)

Not only do you get me in pjs...you get the whole family!!

The Monday after Christmas I went to dinner with a friend and her husband and chose to wear this.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this sweater and after wearing it last New Year's Eve, I haven't worn it at all. I liked this sweater a lot though and think this needs to get in rotation!!  Any day could really be a "Cheers" kinda day!!

I had a busy break but when I wasn't all decked out, I did spend lots of time in my blardigan and the new PJ pants my bestie Mel gave me for Christmas...just cozy!

Over the break, I relished the longer mornings spent in my PJ's sipping coffee and reading...be it a few pages of my book or the blogs!  So I thought I'd post this just for fun!!  It was an insta photo from the week. {Follow me here}

I hope you got a little time with family and a bit of relaxation during the holidays!!

Have a great Wednesday.....We've made it over the hump!!  :)

Linking up today!!

Carrie @ A Lovely Little Wardrobe

The Pleated Poppy

Alice @ Happiness at Mid Life

Fabulous Friday on A Pocketful of Polka Dots

Lisa @Daily Style Finds

A Few of Our Favorite Things!

Head on over to The Blended Blog today!  We put together a super fun post all about our Christmas Favorites!!

A Christmas Gift Exchange!!

So excited to be participating in the Christmas Gift Exchange with the ladies of The Blended Blog this year!! The swap is coordinated on Elfster, which I love because it's super secret (not like the Secret Santa I participate in with my family!)

My gift arrived last week and I debated opening it until it was time to write this post, but I just couldn't wait. I was super-excited that sweet Leslie was my secret Elfster!

 She filled my box we so many wonderful gifts. I was touched by the sweet message in her card and how hard she worked on the gift to make it me!!

 Here's what was included!

This super cute wine grass ornament is just perfect and right at home on my tree!!

This pretty snowflake wine stopper is awesome...and so needed!! I was just thinking about how I wanted to get one!!

These cute Christmas cocktail napkins will be the perfect addition to my Christmas Eve gathering!!

So will this raspberry chipotle dipping sauce. Yum! It says for grilling, marinade, and dipping and dipping! So I am going to serve some for dipping on Christmas Eve so we can all enjoy it!!

And last but not least Leslie sent these, too cute for words, wine bottle koozies!!

I was so touched that Leslie sent one for me and my best friend, Mel. You may remember that back in August for Friendship day, Mel and I joined forces with Leslie and her sister Valerie for a blog post about best friends.   Leslie is always so sweet to comment on my insta pics with Mel and tell me how our lifelong friendship is so special!! It was so kind of her to remember us BOTH this Christmas!! WE LOVE YOU LESLIE!!!!

A huge thank you, Leslie for my gifts!! I love them all...you know me so well!! LOL!

During this Christmas season, Leslie, I wish you and all your family the most Blessed of holidays. And nothing but great things and good health in 2016. So many exciting things to look forward to for you all!!

Much Love,

Katie

Now please head on over to Sheila's blog to see what I sent her in the gift exchange!!

Christmas Cheer Box Swap!

Happy Thursday and Happy Holidays!! Hard to believe that Christmas Eve is one week from today!! YIKES!! I may not be ready for Christmas, but I am certainly ready for Christmas vacation!!

I was really excited when I saw on Vanessa's blog that she was doing a Christmas Box Swap. I thought it would be the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit!

I was super surprised to get my package in the mail....I wasn't expecting it that day!  I received such fun stuff from my gift giver, Jennifer who blogs at Jenuine Happiness!!  So many cute items were packaged up! It was so thoughtful.  I was grinning from ear to ear!

I loved receiving her family's Christmas card and with a sweet note on the back, too!  It was actually the first Christmas card I got so I put it right up on my card ribbon

I just love this journal.  I've already started writing down 2016 blog ideas in it! 

This super cute bamboo cutting board is perfect too!!  It's packaged up so nicely that I am already displaying it in the kitchen but I have yet to open it.  The recipe cards will come in handy!  One of my New Year's Resolutions is to cook more.

The next couple of items are Christmasy and fun!  Gift tags....so very needed!  A notepad, perfect for my purse and a cute little ornament that found a home on my tree!!

A big THANK YOU to Jennifer for my goodies!  They are much appreciated! I am so glad to have "met" you during the Christmas Box Swap and so enjoy following your blog!!  Wishing you and your sweet family a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the new year!!

Katie

Find out who I sent my gift to here!

Linking up today with Vanessa and Penny!!

My Home at the Holidays!!

Christmastime is here!   The halls have been decked!  Decorating for Christmas is one of my favorite things to do.  So I'm super excited to be participating in today's blog hop with the ladies of The Blended Blog!  If you're visiting from Christy's blog, WELCOME! Thanks for stopping by!

Come on in...to my home at Christmas!

This year my tree was up before Thanksgiving, November16th to be exact!  But I didn't start decorating it, or the rest of the house, until the day after Thanksgiving.   Being such a small place, there's not much to decorate, but I do what I can!!  I actually feel like I've decorated less this year...like I'm missing a box or something!

My tree all decorated and lit up!  It right in the corner, when you walk in the front door.

 This is the front window in the entry way.  This year I added some poinsettia swag above the window.

My house is the lower level of a condo. So it's basically one great room.  This is the TV stand in my living room!  With the TV on the wall, I have plenty of room to display things during the year.

The Living Area

The WANTED {Jolly Men Bearing Gifts} sign stays up all year! HA!

Doesn't everyone put their Nativity on the Wine Table?

This stocking was mine from my first Christmas in 1980.

The Kitchen has a few Christmassy touches as well.

My new thing is displaying things on the cabinets above my microwave!  I like this sentiment!

I display the cards I receive on a ribbon on the pantry. Last year I feel like I had a ton more cards!  I haven't gotten many cards yet!!

One last thing I want to share is the door of my guest room.  This room houses all of my gifts, boxes and wrapping stuff! When I was little my Nana would put the same sign on her guest room door at Christmas time, to let us know to stay out!  Even though I don't have anyone to keep out of the room, I thought the sign was a great idea!  And is a little something that when I pass it, I smile thinking of my grandma!

It's was so much fun sharing my decorations with you!  Now hop on over to Shaunacey's blog at Confessions of a Frumpy Mommy to see all her beautiful decor!!

 Wishing you all a Happy Holiday!!

*Play a little game of "Spot the Differences" from this year and last here!*

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