Merry Christmas!

The picture above was taken at about 4 a.m. on Saurday morning (Dec 19). We had about 2 inches of snow at that point. Miss Lilo had to go out so I took the opportunity and grabbed the camera.

This snow bunny picture was taken on Saturday afternoon. There was about 8 inches of snow overall at the house and Lilo loved every bit of it. She even got compliments on her snowman sweater from passersby. Well ... the ones she wasn't barking at.

Snowboarders decided to take a stab at the unplowed Virginia Street on Saturday afternoon. Lilo did NOT like this and told them about it, as you see in the pic above.

We even were visited by Santa's helpers on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 20). Mom and dad decided to trek up the Interstate and bring us some toys. Dad came in a Santa hat and a red bag ... of course. And even Lilo got to open up her first Christmas present.

These lovely icicles formed on our front porch. Melissa, Chris, Scott, Mike and I had some fun taking pictures of them on Sunday night (Dec 20) while a pack of kids were sledding on the hill across the street. We wanted to join in, but decided we would rather stay warm. Plus, Mike was having too much fun trying to throw things at icicles to know them down. Which explains the next photo.

I was very angry with this development. We will be shoppping for a replacement bulb in the post-holiday rush. At least the rest of the lights stayed lit!!

I will leave you with this warm and inviting shot of our icicles, wreath and Christmas tree. We are very happy to have enjoyed this holiday season in our first home with friends and family coming to and fro. We are looking forward to many more seasons to enjoy. Maybe we will join the kids across the street next year.

Our little bungalow is a happy one with happy inhabitants. Not sure we could be more thankful.

Not quite a Charlie Brown tree

Remember the ceramic tree discussion from before? I finally have a picture of the little tree painted at the Wow! Factory. It was disappointingly easy to do. It provides festive cheer to my coworkers who visit my cube.

Yuletide Necessaries

The bungalow's decorations are all encompassing. This means even our bathrooms get a little festive. You will remember we have beach themes for the two necessaries. The downstairs room is decorated with Corolla in mind (where we were engaged in the Outer Banks) and the upstairs bathroom plays host to Antigua flair (our honeymoon!).



Because the downstairs bathroom is already blue and white, it was the perfect spot for snowmen decor recycled from mom. The only thing we purchased was the sign above the bathroom door and another hanging in the room.

Is it weird or funny to have a sign above the toilet that reads, "Comfort and Joy" ? I purchased this sign earlier this month in Hershey Park.

This sign hangs above the bathroom door. It was purchased at the Ben Franklin in Fayetteville!

The Antigua bathroom is the smallest room in the house. But it isn't too small for a little green Christmas tree and some Christmas light garland from Pier One!

Oh Tannenbaum!

Let's begin with a little Ernest P. Worrell.

It's no secret how much I love this time of year. Poor Mike deals with me by leaving for the majority of the month. He thinks using the ol "duty calls" excuse works. But I secretly think he cannot deal with my Christmas obsessions.

So this is our first Christmas in the ol' Bungalow. It's a little overwhelming to try to figure out a new decorating scheme for a new place. And I have to say I am still missing some of our decorations simply because I either do not know where they are after the move or I do not know where to put them. For now, let's examine the Christmas trees of the house. All FOUR of them.

The kitchen tree

This little cutie is only about a foot or two tall and sits on the countertop. It is adorned with gingerbread men and little candy apples. It's cute enough to eat!

The guest room tree

After the addition of pink and decor to the guest room, a pink Victorian tree was needed for the holidays. This four foot white tree was donated by MoJo, complete with pink ornaments and Victorian figures. I remember having this tree in my bedroom growing up for a few years. It included ballerina ornaments, but those are still in Maysel.

The WVU tree

For many years (i'm talking since Christmas '98), I/we have had a WVU-themed tree. Usually this is the "main" tree (the real one), but I switched up things a bit this year. The WVU tree is upstairs in the master-converted-into-tv room.

Mom and dad started giving me these WVU ornaments every year. This year's addition features Santa in his sleigh. Cute!

The "Southern Living" tree -- as my friend, Sam, calls it

I love big, real trees. Poor Mike is allergic to real trees. He swears as long as he doesn't touch them he is fine. But I question this theory and spend most of the holiday season watching him for any signs of runny nose and sneezing. I do feel guilty, but look at this beauty!

This tree features old fabric ornaments from my mom as well as the old Martha Stewart straw ornaments she gave to me. There are strings of multi colored wooden beads I remember from my childhood. Mike's first ornament is also hung here and my first doll is perched on a branch (baby's first is still in Maysel, I think).

A word from Lilo

Lilo says Season's Greetings! ... and "Get me out of this thang!"




I came home a couple of Mondays ago to see Mike's giddy face through the front door's window. He motioned for me to come on in. I opened the door and Lilo was at my feet in this getup. She was not as excited as Mike. But she was just as cute, if not cuter.