Finishing Touches......getting ready to enjoy the season!

Once the first major layer of decorating was done last week, it was all about the little finishing touches this week.

 

Our tree is never complete until Kristen puts the Angel on the top like she has every year since she was a tiny little girl....this year, no exception....but she is so busy we had to wait almost a week until she had time to come over and put it up!

 

 ahhhhh......finished....

 Months ago when I redid the entry table for Kristen we picked out fabric for a Christmas Runner, backed with a Valentine runner.  We purchased the fabric....life got busy and I kept looking at it waiting to be put together....this was the week to finish it off!

Loved her choice of vintage Christmas for Christmas and then Eiffel Tower surrounded by hearts for the reversible Valentines day runner.....

 Since her table is long and she wanted a 81 inch length it took some 'siferin' on my part....math is far from my best talent and when fabric has length and width and salvages and patterns it taxes my little brain!

 Once I measured it out and remeasure it out and then measured it out again I cut the pieces and then I stitched them, reversed them, top stitched them and angled the ends.....

 Finished - check!

Since we redecorated the living room our color pallet has to be more white or neutral.  I knew I wanted a little snow scene on the side table so I found this little house at a thrift store when I was in Connecticut in October on our leaf peeping trip.....time to finish the vision!

 I simply painted it white.....then sprinkled clear sparkle glitter over it while the paint was wet....

 I put a white bottle brush tree next to it and also put a little reindeer that belonged to Steve's mom and put kosher salt around the base for snow.....done and done....

 Even our garden seemed to be finishing up....Dylan's peppers are trying to mature just in time for Christmas dinner!

 When we replanted the orchids after our landscaping we held our breath as they are so fussy....however when we went into the backyard earlier in the week we had several beautiful blossoms....our outdoor Christmas decoration!

 And can you really have Christmas finishing touches without snow????  In San Diego ours comes in a can, just add water....

 Dylan was the snow master....

 It had such a fun texture.....even Gramps played with it!

 Let it Snow!!!!!  Even when you are wearing shorts and have palm trees behind you....

 I finally took my handprint turkeys down off the fridge and it needed a finishing touch too!

 We cut circles out of light blue paper...the boys used their fingers to make a snowman and snowflakes falling like a snow globe....

 We let those dry for a few minutes....

 While those dried we traced and cut out snow globe pedestals and glued them on....

Then we painted on buttons, carrot noses, and a red scarf to keep our snowman warm....

 

 The finished off my blank refrigerator just perfectly.....

 And the time with the boys was priceless....they are extra good lately....could it be because Santa is watching????

 

 

Honestly, Sea World has the best Santa in San Diego and it is not over the top....however, they do get their plug in if you look at the blocks on Santa's shelf.....Finishing Rant:  Sea World gets such a bad rap from Peta....don't believe them if you live out of state....Sea World does so much for San Diego and all of our Marine Life and beaches....please keep supporting them and their work!



 So with these finishing touches time to kick back and start to enjoy the season!

Brody has a head start!

BirthdayFestivusDeckTheHalls

Anyone that has a December birthday will tell you that you always share it with Christmas....even if you were born on the 1st of December like me.  It is not a bad thing...it's just a blur of everything birthday with Christmas decorations added.....

 

It was fun to basically celebrate all week with lots of fun things and parties....it started with on my birthday having lunch with some special people and watching the OB Christmas Tree delivered...pretty impressive...and OB has a special place in my heart......

 

 There were lunches and coffee's and one special event was a Queens Tea at the Coral Tea House....love this place....

 The table was set so pretty.....I am always into the tablescapes....

 We had our own little room and picked hats to wear and just had the best time chatting and laughing and enjoying time together....

The theme this year at the Tea House was Peacock and it was done to the hilt....the picture of the tree did not come out well - it was amazing  tho - and the rest of the house all decorated to compliment the theme....

 Every detail in the colors and themes....so visually beautiful!

 And it seems we are always decking our halls on my birthday week as well....We put the travel tree in the family room....

 I made a snow scene from my vintage santa, trees and villages....and on the base of the pedestal put pieces of my Christmas village

 And my precious Horeb (a handmade recreation of our family church built in 1834 and still standing!) with a little Victorian couple and some trees....I think I am going to add some snow on the ground....

 The mantle is all my vintage ornaments and the antler heads the boys made me for my birthday....and the ceramic Christmas tree I made my mom for Christmas when I was 18 years old

 I put the boys Christmas train on the table this year and decided against my Lionel that I got for my 5th birthday....I will wait until they are a bit older to break out that antique (haha)

 The Snowmen went in the side cabinets....lighted at night....

 These are not even all of them.....I have a problem....yes, I know....

 The boys musical Santa collection on the hearth...Santa in planes, Santa on a Harley, Santa on a Sleigh, Santa on ice skates....you get the drift!

We also had our 25th Neighborhood annual celebration....what started as a progressive dinner in 1987 in our cul de sac now is a full dinner on a rotation of houses and so many have moved away - we are still here - but we always get together.....

 Another beautiful tablescape......

The gangs all here....just older and with more memories to reminisce on!

 I was so happy that my pillows arrived this week.....

 The just finish off the couch and the look....

 My PDR - everyone needs a Piece de Resistance!!!!  I also got a beautiful teal throw for my birthday that is perfect for the room and the couch and missed a picture of that!

 I am playing around with these beach themed ornaments....need to add something here....

 Love my beautiful ornament from a special friend....santa around Tour de Eiffel!

 On my way to lunch I stopped by a thrift store and found this treasure for Kristen....only 95 cents....they had no idea what they had...these go for $60.00 and up!  They still sell the lights and I am so happy to find this for her!

I had to laugh when Brody was playing with the train yesterday....he brought down his army men to protect the north pole and Santa with troop carrier/hummer parked behind santa's workshop....ISIS not getting in the way of Brody's Christmas! 

 The boys are really enjoying their Advent books that I prepared for them....they unwrap one each night and Dylan reads it to their little family....

That is the most priceless birthdayfestivusdeckthehalls gift ever!