Trim the Tree

The rain still hasn't stopped! The roads are clear but the cars are covered in ice! Marlene and I braved the weather to hit up some thift shops (since they always have big sales on holidays). I didn't find much but Marlene got some great stuff. We got to four shops before we decided to call it a morning. At one shop, a man began talking to me while I was looking at dresses. He was trying on a coat and asked if it fit him. I stood back to look, looked at the collar, then the length, and he says, "don't judge it by my left arm, it's 4 inches shorter than my right!" He clearly had some mental issues but was harmless. I just love the stuff you see and hear in those stores.

John Mark and Jill Clifton gave us their old Christmas tree and I absolutely love it! It's the perfect size for our home and I think it still looks great. I've been excited to put the tree up but I wanted to wait until after Thanksgiving because I think that it confuses the holidays. I know some people are VERY opinionated whether they wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate.

I also wanted to wait because I thought it would be a fun family activity. Martin and Nathan put the tree together an bent the branches to fill it out, I put on the lights and garland, and Marlene and Allison put on the ornaments.

I found these ornaments at a thrift store and instantly fell in love. They are the same style of ornament that I had growing up and that my grandparents had on their tree.

 Since we don't have a mantle (or anywhere else to hang our stockings) I decided to make something. I found a piece of bare wood at Joann Fabric for $5, painted it white, then red, and then did a nativity silhouette scene. I bought three hooks from Walmart for 98 cents, and then Nathan put a wire hanger on the back. It holds our stockings perfectly and I'm glad to have a place to put them.