Welcome, friends! 
Let me give you a glimpse of my everyday life.
I wake up around 6:30 a.m., have a cup of coffee, count my blessings, write posts, edit photos, etc. until the kid wakes up, with any luck at least an hour and a half later.
Then God gets a cup of coffee and gets ready for his daily entertainment of the three ring circus that is about to begin at my house.
For the next 4-6 hours, I try to keep the kid from falling down stairs, jumping off the couch & breaking a limb, booty dancing on the coffee table, climbing on the dining room table & swinging from the chandelier, eating questionable items, pestering the dog, laying on the dog bed, coloring on the walls, playing in the toilet, pouring her milk on the floor, pulling heavy objects on top of herself and somewhere in between it all, I try to make sure she actually eats more than a strawberry for breakfast and a chicken nugget for lunch.
Besides enjoying the circus, I hope God is listening to my prayers for patience throughout the day.
If I’m lucky, at some point she will take a 1 1/2 – 2 hour nap.
If I’m lucky.
And during that time, I do some more post writing, pay bills, take more photos, edit more photos, etc.
And I do it all very quietly in hopes she will sleep longer.
But she never does.
Because evidently, God really likes the circus.
And when she wakes up, I crack open a cheap beer and turn on Mickey Mouse because I need a break in order to maintain the little mental stability I had to begin with.
Sure, there are those two days a week that she goes to preschool for 4 1/2 hours. And during that time, I am painting beds, re-upholstering chairs, and turning trash into treasure.
And now, I’m supposed to decorate for Christmas on top of it all.
And I love Christmas. I told you all about how much I love gift giving.
Can my gift be a personal assistant?
Pretty please, Santa? Grunt Labor? Dad? Anyone?
Please don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade my little circus for anything. I mean, I totally understand her. She is 100% her mama’s child, God bless it.
So, over here, this girl is all about quick and simple holiday decorating.
My quick and simple holiday decorating tips:
Throw some ornaments, make it rain.
My favorite Christmas decorating items are ball ornaments. Preferably vintage ones, but I will take any. Anytime I see them at Goodwill, on clearance, or in an antique store for a good price, I buy them.
So, throw some of those bad boys everywhere.
In bowls. On Goodwill trays. Hang them from chandeliers. Unless you have a circus that likes to hang from chandeliers, then you shouldn’t do that.
Use Wrapped Gifts as Decor
The other day, I was talking with Mama and she was saying how she read in a magazine about using gifts as decor.
It was like angels started singing.
Duh. You have to wrap presents. We usually try to make them pretty. Why do they have to stay under the tree? Spread those bad boys around the house.
I even used mine as my dining room table centerpiece this year.This is also fabulous for keeping them out of reach of the little circus. Until the little circus climbs on the table. And on a side note, I will show you how I made those gift tags on Monday!
Oh, and don’t let me fool you for a minute. The gifts you see on my table are the same gifts you saw in the entryway. As if I have had time to wrap all the presents yet.
Personal assistant??
Anyone? Anyone?
Tinsel is My Friend
As you will see more of next week in part 2 of my home tour, I love tinsel.
I drape it around wall decor, use it as a filler in bowls and lay it out anywhere a little more bling is needed. There are some fab tinsel ideas here.
I think tinsel has a way of making it feel more like a party, instead of holiday decorations.
And I like that.
Curly Gold Ribbon Makes Everything Better
Go buy a roll of gold, or another color of your preference, curling ribbon. Cut pieces off and throw it on the ornaments that you rained all over the house. Instant glam.
Where Ornaments Won’t Go, Use Greenery
Not enough ornaments? Or they won’t fit in your containers? Fill them with live greenery!
I have an evergreen tree that I take clippings from, but Lowe’s (and maybe HomeDepot?) gives away their greenery clippings from Christmas trees.
If I can, I love to pop a few ornaments on top of the greenery – I can’t get enough of that contrast.
Wreaths aren’t just for doors
As you may have picked up on now, I am a wreath lovin’ fool.
I love to put my vintage elf wreath over the mirror in my entryway. I just use ribbon and a thumbtack.
And my paint stick evergreen wreaths graced my liquor cabinet this year.
Be sure to come back next Tuesday to see the rest of my Christmas tour.
Ya know, like the tree. Cause that is supposed to be the biggest holiday decoration, right?
There is lots more in store for you next Tuesday.
I have to go catch the circus now.
Need more easy Christmas decorating ideas? Be sure to see these simple and affordable Christmas decoration ideas then!
Like what you see?
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