Tropical Christmas 2012

Once upon a time, there was an odd, scraggly little pine tree sitting on a shelf at a thrift store, waiting for someone to happen by and fall in love with him.

I was that someone. I thought he was a very cute little tree, and although I had no idea what I was going to do with him, I bought him.  My daughter took one look at him and christened him the Tropical Tree. And with that, our theme for Christmas 2012 was born.

odd scraggly tree decked out with small ornaments

more of the mantle with shells, flamingo and candles 

the word NOEL inspired our color scheme

We found a soothing seascape picture and propped it up on the mantle, too.

We glittered sea shells and made a garland out of pipe cleaners

We stepped out of my Christmas comfort zone with glittery flower picks and bright colors.

And some  pretty crazy ornaments!!!

We knew traditional green and red would look out of place so I came up with the plan to use brown paper and brightly colored curling ribbon.

Piglet seemed to approve.

The finished tree with Matilda, my Christmas hippopotamus lounging among the gifts.

My word for this year...

Because If You Have a House, You're Going to Have to Clean It

Saturday chores for Kids
...because if you have a house, it's going to get dirty. And if you have kids, it's going to get dirty quicker. And if it's going to get dirty quicker and you have kids, they might as well help you clean it up! And if you have kids, and they are going to help you clean the house, you might as well have a checklist so they know what to clean.

Main Bathroom
-sink
-counter
-toilet
-mirror
-tub
-door mirror


Laundry bathroom
-sink
-counter
-toilet
-mirror

Mom and Dad's bathroom
-sink
-toilet

Kitchen
-sweep
-mop
-clean off table
-dishes  (dishwasher or by hand)

Sweep bathroom and hallway

Family room
-tidy up
-sweep

Living room
-tidy up
-vacuum

Laundry
-wash clothes
-fold and put away clothes
-wash sheeets from your own bed

Clean own bedroom

A Sink

A sink of beauty is a joy forever.

(and a nice new faucet is an added bonus!)

The Kitchen Counters

Ooh, the kitchen, the heart of the home. If that is truly the case, then my heart is not a happy one. My kitchen is not a happy place. It is a cluttered place where I feel like I can't even move around in, much less cook a meal.

And this is on a good day!!!! You should see it after grocery shopping or after supper or even lunch on school days. Shocking. I know.

So I went to work. I cleared off the counters. I stuffed things in cupboards. But that was good for only one day. Sigh. When things fell out of the cupboard when I opened the door, I knew it was time to get serious. I looked at everything in the cupboard. Just one cupboard. But it was a start. I pulled out things that I never use. Or that I only use once in awhile. Some stuff went in the "donate bag"; some other stuff in the box I will put in the attic so I can get that double boiler or the jello mold if I should ever *really* need them.

I love the clear counters! I love having a *little* extra room in the cupboards. Since the cleared-off counters are so inspiring, I put extra effort into keeping them that way. And I :) when I see them and <3 how it looks!

Home is the Comfiest Place to Be

Home is the comfiest place to be~Winnie the Pooh.

At least, it should be. This blog is the account of the "journey to comfy" in my home. I want my home to be "comfy" and welcoming to family and friends. A place to feel at home and at rest in, not a place of clutter and disorganization. A bright and cheery place with lots of light, not a dark and dreary place.

And so it begins. I suspect it will be a long journey and I am sure I will follow a few rabbit trails along the way. But I am ok with that, because it means I am going somewhere!