And Around the Rest of the House....

Here is the rest of our Christmas decor!  Much is the same as last year, but we added the color red to our scheme this year instead of just green and white.  Who says you have to go all out every year with brand new ideas?  Not me!

The Mantle

I used the same moss wreath that I made last year, the same ribbon and  the "same" (it is fresh) Jackson vine as last year.  We each added red to our stockings -mine is the one with the ruffles :) I am particularly delighted about the glittered candles on the mantle.  I made them myself.   Here are the instructions.

The "chandelier" over the dining room table.

I was inspired by this picture in Pottery Barn.

I loved the look of this hanging from a light fixture, but we don't have a Pottery Barn in Mississippi and I didn't want to spend most of my decorating budget on a few large Christmas ornaments.

Solution: same ornaments as last year, fishing line and a bow.

*Sorry I didn't take many pictures of the construction*
With the help of my roommates I hung the ornaments (some individually and some tied together) from the arms of the light fixture with fishing line.

Then I took a smaller length of fishing line, wrapped it around all of the strands and the center of the fixture and tied it tight.  You can play around with the height of the knot and length of the strands to make "patterns" with the color of the ornaments.  Add a bow to the top at the knot and there you go!

The Front Door

Same garland and lights as last year, but this time I tucked in all the extra Jackson Vine* for a more lush look.

The wreath for is one I have used before, but the decorations are new.

I am not a fan of plastic ornaments AT ALL, but will use them outdoors in a heartbeat.  No one wants to worry about their wreath anytime the doors shuts.  I found these ornaments at the store and tied them in clusters with floral wire.  I then spaced them out on the wreath and tied them to the form.  The bow is made with ribbon from Hobby lobby - no surprise there :)

And that's all folks!

*Jackson Vine is the layman's term for Smilax smallii.

** For great bow-making instructions check out Martha's. 

Happy December...Let the Decorating Extravaganza begin!

I now have no shame in my Christmas Extravaganza.  And to be truthful, we put up most of the inside decor before Thanksgiving - the Christmas season just isn't long enough!

On Sunday afternoon there was a sight to see in our household.  Three girls (I, being one of them) managed to put up an 8 ft. Christmas Tree.  And no, we didn't break anything or hurt ourselves in the process.  I must say the key to our success was THE BEST CHRISTMAS TREE STAND EVER.  Here is a link so you can go buy one yourself.  It is made for trees that might have a crooked trunk, but is is super easy to use and I think I will use one forever more.  We did have to trim off two bottom branches with a hand saw, but that wasn't too much trouble.  

On Monday night we decorated it.  I have a vast collection or ornaments at my parents house and brought back all of my non-breakable ones for this tree (I'm a bit protective of my collection).  The roommates and I started the tradition of giving each other a small gift last year, which was really an ornament exchange and we continued it this year too.  

Here are the ones that were added to my collection this year.  

All of us  received this one from one roommate! - A picture of our house and the date.

Someone knows me well... War Eagle!

And this one isn't on my tree in Mississippi, but it's the one my mother gave me this year.  Ever since I moved to MS we have been looking for a magnolia ornament and this year she found one! 

Here is the a picture of our finished tree!  In the past we have decorated but never put up a tree and it really is wonderful to have one in the house.  In fact, I would rather not go anywhere this month and just sit in our living room.  

Oh Christmas Tree!

Each year Belhaven College (our neighbor) constructs a giant Christmas tree shaped stand in the middle of a field on campus.  On Friday and Saturday night of the first weekend in December the "tree" is covered in "angels" who sing Christmas carols for the enjoyment of on-lookers and neighbors.  It is the oldest singing Christmas Tree in the South and Southern Living though enough to write it up last year. 

The best part about the tree is that it is across the street from my house.  We can listen and watch the crowed from our front porch and if it's too cold, we can listen from inside.  We always have friends asking if they can park in our driveway or let their kids use the bathroom...we usually oblige :) 

If you're in Jackson this Christmas, or an other Christmas for that matter, try to stop by the tree - it will put you in the Christmas Spirit!

A very sporty Thanksgiving

Well...you can officially call us crazy.  My family has rented a lake house near our very dear Alma Mater for Thanksgiving so that we may attend our school's biggest football game of the year.  That's right.  We're giving up the coziness of Thanksgiving around the dining room table for the Iron Bowl.

 
Due to this change in location we've mixed the menu up a bit as well as our regularly scheduled activities.  This year we will be descending upon this poor, unassuming home with  "The Bag Of Unlimited Fun" (a family gathering staple) that is sure to be filled to the brim with puzzles, decks of cards and board games.  The ladies have been planning the menu and I'm ready to start cooking!

For my part I am making the Barefoot Contessa's French Green Beans and these amazing-looking Buttered Rosemary Dinner Rolls rolls from the Pioneer Woman.  I'm hoping to find whole wheat dinner rolls instead of regular white.  That way they'll be healthier...since I'll be using all that butter :)

Hope you're holiday is filled with lots of thankfulness, joy and a big War Eagle!

Listen Up!

I've never been a huge Michael Buble' fan, but this song has converted me. 

Please go to iTunes and buy "Haven't Met You Yet.'' 

Then go to You Tube and watch the video.  

I am not ashamed to say that for the past three days this songs has consistently been playing on an iPhone, iPod or computer around our house.  

And it's fun to dance to.  

 And sometimes you need to dance around the kitchen.  

The Smell of Fall

November.   

Halloween is over, Thanksgiving is coming up and Christmas is drawing closer.  We have pine cones in bowls all around the house to encourage the "Fall" feeling and bit more (which is needed since the weather is still in the 70's).  We've been burning the pumpkin spice candles a lot too.  However, the best thing we've done was an ingenious (yet, seemingly obvious) act of my roommate.  

I awoke Saturday morning to a smell that I was  sure was some fabulous baked good.  I stumbled into the kitchen (literally) and and saw of pot of brown liquid simmering on the stove.  

Smart girl had filled a sauce pan with water and a good amount of cinnamon and the whole house smelled wonderful.  I don't know why I've never done this before!  Forget having to buy a package of mulling spices, an expensive candle or a crock pot full of apple cider - water, cinnamon and  a few cloves do the trick.  

You could probably add a few tsp. of pumpkin pie spice too.  

The key is to make sure you don't let the water get too low.  Simmer on low for a few hours and add water when needed.  Believe me - burned cinnamon is not an aroma you want filling your house this holiday season. 

Another Fine Read

Variety may be a spice of life, but why fix it if it isn't broken?  That turned out to be a motto in gift giving among my siblings and I last year.  While my brothers gave me a subscription to Fine Cooking for Christmas, we gave one brother a subscription to this magazine for his birthday one month later.  

(The perfect gift for a landscape deisgner who hunts)

If you haven't read Garden & Gun yet, you are missing out - recipes, fabulous homes and gardens, restaurant reviews and other goings on of the South.  Based in Charleston, SC the magazine is a fresh take on the South, it's culture and people.  

Pick up a copy and check it out.  You can even be their Fan on Facebook, which has been quite nice since they post articles and interesting links a few times a week!

Oh So Fine!

...Fine Cooking, that is.

Christmas 2008 was a great holiday.  For a gift I received a subscription to Fine Cooking from my dear brothers. 

A great gift for a cook!  However, the fine folks at Fine Cooking somehow managed to mess up the order and when did I receive my first issue?  Yesterday.  No joke.  Eleven months into it I got issue #1. 

Thankfully it is a great issue and thankfully I am essentially getting two Christmas presents from the boys this year.  If you've already picked up a copy I'm dying to try the Bourbon Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole recipe on page 54!