I always love the Let’s Look link up with Shay and Erika because it’s always fun to get a sneak peek into other people’s lives. For the first Let’s Look of 2020, it’s a peek at your bedside table.
I try to keep my bedside table tidy, but our master bedroom is pretty small, and there’s only a bedside table on my side. So, that means my things (books, phone, framed photos) as well as other items like coasters and tv remote occasionally pile up.
The Last House Guest and Meg & Jo are what I hope to read next.
It’s no secret that I love to read, so I usually have a couple of magazines and books as well as my Kindle on my bedside table. Every morning, I put my Kindle back in my purse for the day in case I have a free moment to read.
I’m currently reading The Hate U Give in hardback and A Woman is No Man on my Kindle.
I also have two picture frames on my bedside table that have been there for years and years. I have one of our wedding photos that’s almost 15 years old! I remember when the photographer told us to pose like we are, she said, “This pose will feel awkward and cheesy, but it’s always a great photo.” And…she was right! It’s always been one of my faves.
The other picture frame is a Twice as Nice frame that someone gave us at one of our baby showers over 10 years ago. Each year, I put the kids’ school pictures in it. I just updated the pics recently, and it’s always a fun walk down memory lane seeing pictures from when they were babies until now.
Books/Kindle, 4th grade school pics, and a framed wedding photo
I try to keep the bedside table tidy by putting the remote, coaster, and my ChapStick in the top drawer until needed. That being said, the two big drawers are a hot mess of pictures, kids’ artwork, cards, etc… Like many things in life…looks can be deceiving. Nice and tidy on the outside. Disaster on the inside. haha
Next month’s Let’s Look is about your winter wardrobe. I’m actually going to post a few faves in Friday’s upcoming post.
Don’t forget to check out the other ladies’ posts and have a great Wednesday.
Happy Friday! We are in full on Christmas mode around here. We’ve seen Santa, the tree is up, we’ve bought our Angel Tree gifts, the kids have been working on their 25 days of kindness, and the house is decorated. (Also, #realtalk some evenings we’ve been tired with a side of grumpy…but we are working on it!)
I thought for this Friday Favorites I’d focus on some of my favorite holiday decorations around the house.
Let the record show (Travis, are you reading this?)…I did not buy a single new Christmas decoration this year. #itsaChristmasmiracle
Decorating takes a bit of time, but I love the extra cozy feeling that holiday decorations bring in combination with the subtle sparkle of the lights on the tree.
Here’s a peek into our home and some of our Christmas spirit.
After decorating for fall, I basically just swapped out where I had fall decorations on and in the buffet for Christmas ones. Tree plates, ornaments in the clear glass server, a Nutcracker, and some trees!
We bought the Nutcracker a couple of years ago at Home Goods. The kids saw it and said, “Let’s get a Nutcracker like Gma has!” Gma, my grandma, has tons of Nutcrackers, so this guy is a fun nod to her.
I love the flocked tree and tall Santa from TJ Maxx.
I’ve had this chest, a family heirloom, for many years, but this is the first year it’s been in our living room. The Merry Christmas sign was bought from a local store here in Lexington, Two Chicks and Co., a few years ago, and I’ve had the light up gift with bow from Kirklands for years. A tealight in a lantern that used to sit on our porch helps this corner of the living room glow.
I’m pretty traditional with red and green decorations, including stockings. The tray of trees is out in our sunroom. I don’t decorate that room much, but I accessorize the tray that always sits there. Fun Fact: the green felt tree is already in pieces in my backyard. It’s been #Homered. I’ve had little greenery and pine cone chair decorations for three years, and I hope they don’t get #Homered as well!
The fireplace and mantle in our kitchen is one of my favorite spots. We even bought a stocking for Homer this year…right now he’s on Santa Paws’s naughty list.
I’ve always loved snow globes, but I only have one…and this year I put it out on our built in with one of my fave Santa pics with the kids. Every year, when I pull out the pic of the kids under the tree for their first Christmas (they were one month old!), I can’t believe how quickly time is flying.
Our entryway hallway has a few decorations. I’ve had the light up tree for awhile as well as the little snowman. I always love seeing everyone’s holiday cards, and the little bucket is a good spot for them after we check the mail. Lastly, the Merry and Bright plate is one of my faves and made by a small local Lexington business.
I swapped out my pumpkin pillows for the Merry and Peace ones as well as a soft red blanket.
One of my friends made the Joy, Love, Peace, Believe, Christmas sign , and I display it in my kitchen.
Here’s the tree all lit up—but, we quickly realized that having Homer is like having ten toddlers, so all the ornaments are now up high on the tree! haha. Last year, I took some Amazon boxes and wrapped them in my favorite wrapping paper. While I’m pretty good about purchasing most gifts in early December, I’m a last minute wrapper. So, these stay under the tree to make it look less empty until I get the real ones out. Again, with Homer, who knows if I should even put real gifts under the tree at this point?!
He looks so innocent, right?
I don’t decorate much outside mostly due to lack of time but also because I tend to like cute decorations, and I never know how they will hold up in the elements!
I bought this door hanger from a local Lexingtonian a few years ago and have a few other door hangers from her! I love this one….especially because I love polka dots.
Some years we put lights around the porch…and other years we don’t, but I always stick my pre-lit trees in my year round planter boxes (and add on the bows!), change my garden flag, swap my pumpkin pillows for reindeer ones, and put lanterns and poinsettias on the steps. Every year, I say I want to get wreaths for the windows, and always forget…and tend to be too busy after Christmas to get the great deals on them. Maybe one year I will make that a priority.
I hope you enjoyed this little home tour. While I love the decorations for fall and the holidays, I’m usually ready to get everything back to normal inside the house in January. For now, the decorations help us get in the holiday spirit. Tis the Season!
What are some of your favorite holiday decorations at your house?
It’s time for another Friday Favorites where Erika at A Little Bit of Everything, Narci at Grace and Love, and Andrea at Momfessionals host a link up for all to share.
For this Friday Favorites, I thought I’d share some of the fall decorations in my house. If you read my About Me Part 2 post, then you may have seen the part when I said, “I don’t play when it comes to birthdays.” Well, the same can be said for fall decorations. Like many people, autumn is my most favorite time of the year, and I look forward to switching out a few of my normal decorations for ones that are more fall like. I always love seeing how other people decorate their homes, so here’s a peek into my home.
I can never remember where I put certain decorations from year to year, but the mantle always just takes me a second. I switch out my normal white candles for the orange toned ones, put up the leaves I’ve had for yeeeeaaars, and then this year, I added the felt pumpkins from TJ Maxx. I tend to change the part up year to year, but the soft white pumpkins are a cute touch to soften the space.
This little corner of my kitchen is my fave. I found this pumpkin sign a few years ago at Home Goods. I usually have a cookbook in that holder, but I switch it out for the sign, add a few pumpkins from Kroger, and then we had the little jar of candy corn (Hadley added that to this corner, but real talk: the candy corn is already gone! I’m sure we will refill it soon.)
We got a new couch this past February, so I bought new pillows this year to match it for the autumn months.
True story. Travis said, “Oh did we get new pillows?” I said, “What?! We’ve had these for years.” Two days. haha
Found two of these pillows at TJ Maxx last week. They basically jumped in my cart.
This little space in front of our gallery wall in the kitchen is an easy place to add a few fall items. The stackable pumpkins I bought at Hobby Lobby a couple of years ago. I purchased the pumpkin plates from William Sonoma, I believe, a few years ago, and I just added some orange and yellow flowers to the metal vase in the buffet.
Last year, I found these fall plates at Target. They are a thick acrylic (I think) material plate, and there were a few patterns, so I picked up a total of 8, and they are what we use for most dinners this time of the year.
I wish Target had matching bowls, but they didn’t…so I continue to use my every day bowls.
I have two chairs in our office area, and a couple years ago, I purchased two “Morning Pumpkin” pillows from a former student of mine. These go with the colors in my house, and I love the little saying.
I hesitated to put any porch pics up as my porch is my favorite part to decorate, and it’s not complete yet…AND I’m very excited that we are getting a new front door (mailbox, and light fixtures) soon. I have two polka dot pillows I ordered from an Etsy shop about five years ago, but the “Hey there pumpkin” doormat is new….and only $11 (with coupon code) from JC Penney! I ordered it online with code, but picked up in the store. Then, I’ve been wanting a black and white plaid rug to put under the doormat to mostly use year round, and I finally bought one on Amazon.
I’ve had the Welcome door hanger for years…again, from an Etsy shop.
This tray sits out all year, but it’s easy to change up the decor with a pumpkin that lights up and I change out the decorations in my hurricane lamp to mini pumpkins and squash. Lastly, I hit up the buy one get one free sale last week at Bath and Body Works and bought a few candles. I’ve found that I prefer these smaller ones as opposed to the bigger three wick candles because the smaller ones can be set out just about anywhere. The candle in the tray is Pumpkin Pecan Waffles, and it’s one of my faves.
There are still a few other spots in my house with a few more fall touches, but, to be honest, I’m patting myself (Travis should too) on the back. My only new purchase for inside my home was the pillows for the couch (oh yeah–and the white felt pumpkins…) Outside, the doormat and rug are the new additions, but I know they will last for years.
I can’t wait to decorate my porch this weekend. The mums arrived yesterday, and I hope to buy the stackable pumpkins after school today to complete the porch.
I truly believe this is the most wonderful time of the year (and would love for Mother Nature to make it start feeling that way!)
