Have a look here for my Christmas House Tour Inside.
Christmas is a time for giving. We all know that. It's also, of course, a time for receiving. I myself have already received 2 burns, multiple scratches and a paper cut that is completely unimpressive for the amount of pain it is giving me. At least with a real gash or compound fracture you have something to show off. HEY look at this. Look at the bone sticking through my skin. It really hurts! That's the kind of thing that gets you sympathy, or if you're really lucky gagging from whoever you're showing it off too.
At best a paper cut gets a sideways glance and maybe a nodding of the head in acknowledgement.
Here is a list of the injuries and/or indignities I endured while putting up my outdoor Christmas decorations this year.
1. Cut the tip of my finger in a cedar pruning miscalculation.
2. Smashed my knee on a cast iron planter jumping down from the table my pizza oven sits on. It was the kind of pain where you immediately throw up in your throat then run inside to roll around on the ground.
3. My tripod fell apart in my hands. My brand new $300 tripod. Yup. The leg fell right off of it.
4. Decided to change all my outdoor lights from multi coloured to white. Decided since all the lights worked that would be a waste of money and I'd wait until a year they started acting up. Hung all the outdoor lights. They all acted up. Spent gross amount of time hanging out of windows and standing on railings wiggling bulb after bulb.
5. Cursed out loud at the lights acting up while a small child walked past. Small child looked at me alarmed. Pretended it was my hydrangea bush that was swearing. Stupid bush. Hydrangeas are well known for their short tempers.
6. Jumped off of porch railing after fixing lights in super-cool style only to land partly on porch swing and half wiping out and half keep myself upright. Because I'm super-cool. As all the neighbours observed.
Like with the inside, I simplified the outside. Fewer lights, fewer accessories and more cedar.
Please enjoy the efforts of my embarrassment.
Yes. That is indeed me in the middle of a blinding snowstorm (a few flurries) taking pictures outside. That was another thing I endured. Frozen hands. Which are nearly as annoying as the song.
The best accessory for anyone around Christmastime is snow. And piles and piles of wood.
Having an enormous amount of wood I took a bunch of pieces and fitted them into my square planters. All I had to do was add a few boughs of cedar and the planters look holiday perfect. Once I set them on fire they'll be even more eye grabbing.
I tried to coax the chickens out for a shot but they refused. I'm being polite. They did more than refuse, they squatted down, did a big poo, and then laughed at my paper cut.
Have a great weekend.
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I thought I was the only one on the planet that hated that song/movie! I'm glad I'm not alone! I can come out of hiding!
Beautiful decorations! I can actually smell the cedar just by looking at your photos.
My hubby cringes at the site of dry wood that is not tarped/covered. Our wood stacks are wrapped up tight like a Christmas present however yours looks more festive.
OH! Well, you may or may not want to tell your husband that completely tarping wood actually isn't the best thing as far as keeping it dry. I'm sure he won't like the sound of that. Because any moisture that gets in there or already *is* in there from the wood can't dry out. It's the same reason behind why stacked wood should be tight enough not to fall over but still have little air pockets between the logs. So air can circulate and keep the wood dry. Technically the best thing to do is lightly tarp the top so rain doesn't get on the top pieces. But even if it does get wet, seasoned wood is already cured so the water doesn't sink in. All it needs is a few hours inside to dry out again. If your husband is like most husbands you probably just want to keep that information to yourself though. No need to send him into a firewood meltdown at the holidays. ~ karen!
HA!
you always makes me smile.
Outside draws you in , inside blows you away . Great great great job Karen . Paper cuts, nipped fingers, frozen fingers and toes we might not give more than a nod to, but all appreciate the results . The easier it looks the more hard work and thought has gone into job . I take my hat and mittens off to you Karen beautifully done.
Very nicely put Lynn. Thanks. :) ~ karen!
Everything looks beautiful. I don't know if you were showing off the decorations or the snow though. A covering of snow makes everything look beautiful.
Where do you get all the cedar? It's everywhere around here, but on private property. No cuttings for me. It would be cheaper for me to buy a Christmas tree and cut it up to get that much greenery.
Thanks for sharing your mishaps. My legendary clumsiness is a trial and an embarrassment to me, so I love to hear someone else takes big ugly spills. Our snow should not get here until the first of the year, but yours fills me with dread.
Do the chickens have their home decorated as well? Maybe a tiny tree hung strung with a garland of popcorn and meal worms and topped with a cheddar cheese star? Would love to see it.
Beautiful, I love the simplified version. You could do nothing and your place would look festive with all that glorious snow! I grew up in Michigan and spent years in New England...I miss snow at Christmas.
My husband recently cut his finger on some cardboard. You know how men are when they get hurt. Thanks for taking all the risks and injuries for us! Merry Christmas. Can't wait to see what you are going to have for us in 2015!
How lovely! Loving the wood in planters...brilliant! And yes, snow is the most wonderful decoration. Too bad we only see a few flakes of it every ten years or so here in Hot Alabama! The loss of finger-tip was totally worth it IMHO because the cedar accents are perfect! Merry Christmas and thanks for inspiring!
Your home is beautiful, Karen. Merry Christmas!
I, personally, winced in sympathy pain for your paper cut. I was a secretary for 25 years, so I do know of wence I speak. Order of most painful: paper, envelope, file folder. OUCH!!!
As always, you're home is lovely.
The pictures of your backdoor are amazing. I would want to stand there and take in all the atmosphere and memories of snow that would come flooding back. The wreaths are so beautiful - simple and beautiful. Do you sit in your front porch swing under the lights at night and feel proud of your home and feeling a bit like Chevy Chase? That looks inviting also. I can only imagine that #5 broken leg is the worst pain of all. Did I mention I loved your back door and wreath?
If I didn't know better I would have guessed, with the amount of wood stacked around your home, that you had no access to oil, propane, natural gas, electricity or a ticket to the Caribbean. With me that really struck a "cord". Also I might suggest that you invest in a ladder or, if you happen to already have one, perhaps consider bringing it out of the shed. This is just one small "step" to avoid being "rung" up as a Christmas casualty. I had no idea there were so few word plays for a ladder.......Hmmmm, maybe I shouldn't have started this.
If anyone was going to start something like this it wood be you. ~ karen!
The outdoor decorating looks lovely. Exactly my taste for Xmas decorating. Love the greens and wood- very classic.
Is the tree next to your front door just propped up in the pail or is it a potted tree?
It's on a wood base so it stands on its own Cred. (So it's not a potted tree.) ~ karen!
Nice and simple, my kind of decorating. Good job Karen and by the way you have smart chickens. They stay in on nasty days.
Beautiful!
I'm jealous of all your snow. That's pure ignorance on my part as I have never lived anywhere where the snow stayed around longer than 3 days.
Your scaling back has left you with a surprisingly similar amount of holiday decorating as mine has. It is nice to have company in the nut house and in the ER as I, too, take risks for beauty.
And everything looks beautiful as always.
What? Fish! You have fish? Why did I not know this? Do they have names? Do you feed them at all in the winter. Are they Koi? Are they coy? (Hee hee) So cool that you have fish! I have two outdoor cats that are pampered and loved. They have heated water and a heat pad in their very cleverly made cat house on our deck--safe from rain and snow (northeast Ohio gets its fair share), & the occasional roaming dog. So, no fish. As to paper cuts--I always have fake skin stuff on hand. Burns like hell for a couple of minutes, but does the job. Thanks for the great photos, as always. Merry Christmas Karen!
Thanks EV! And, I have Koi and Shubunkin. They don't get fed in the winter. They sort of hibernate once the water gets below 50 degrees or so. ~ karen!
Paper cuts suck! One of my jobs is cutting mats for an artist and I frequently get matboard cuts which make me want to vomit from the pain. Mine bleed, because the beveled edge goes in deep, and I truly HATE them. Especially the ones that get in my cuticles. OUCH. And Merry Christmas!... your house is beautiful inside and out.
Your house looks beautiful in and out, just like you. Happy holidays! (Still can't figure out why anyone would want to live where it snows.......shaking her head in disbelief....)
It's just what you're used to... mostly, as there as many Canadians who flee winter at their first chance. I can't imagine Christmas without snow. I love it and am missing it this year. We had a heap in November for about a month but after a big melt, I'm still waiting for a white Christmas.
Where I live, in Ontario, we experience 4 distinct seasons and I wouldn't want it any other way. The love the beauty of all the seasons....and the wardrobe change- by the end of summer, I look forward to cozy sweaters and tall boots.
Bring on the snow!
Ha! I can't imagine living anywhere where it doesn't. I love having 4 very different and distinct seasons. :) ~ karen!
Your home is decorated beautifully! I somehow never noticed the porch swing before! One of my favorite pics. I live in AZ and we do not get 4 seasons. I was an air force brat and lived in many places with 4 seasons and, even though I have lived here for 30 plus years, I have never adjusted to plain old hot or beautiful, mild autumn and spring. Not complaining, but very hard to get used to no autumn leaves and snow. I guess that is why I always decorate bunches to get in the spirit! Upside, no car rust, no slippery driving, no huge gas bills. But then we have 115 degree summers that hit the electric bill. lol. I loved your newsletter. The bra strap comment was the best!
Merry Christmas! Have a great, relaxing time off.
Thanks Holly! I like writing the newsletter I just don't ever seem to have time to do it. Maybe I'll simplify it. No pics, no links, no real focus, just me blabbering sort of incomprehensibly, lol. I like 115 degrees but ONLY when you have somewhere to escape to. Like one of our famous Canadian igloos. ;) ~ karen!
Yup, hear you. I help maintain a website for retail store and we don't even have time to do our newsletter, with maintenance, changes, optimizations, new products, price comparisons, e-mail marketing and customers. It is soooo time consuming. I personally would love your blabbering sort of incomprehensibly. I do it all the time, especially at the end of the day. BTW, if you ever have another 'tell me your grossest bug story, etc., I have one for you that I unfortunately experienced yesterday with our AZ bugs..a scorpion. The worst ever..nightmare, gag, holy sh**sters. lol.
Merry Christmas, and wishing you and all the readers a safe, peaceful New Year!