Looks like Christmas!

Every year as soon as Thanksgiving is over, I'm ready to bring out the Christmas stuff!  We've been so busy so getting decorations out has been a little bit of a process, but I think we've finally got it!  Having a house now means having a much bigger area to decorate, and suddenly as I was putting out my little decorations I realized I need more... lots more!  Well, no cash flow right now so that will have to wait.  Maybe I can check out the sales after Christmas and be ready for next year.  For now, we did the best we could with what we have.  :)

It was neat decorating with Bailey. Well, I say decorating with Bailey but I guess what I mean is... decorating while she gets into everything and has a ball playing with it all.  It made things more difficult but it was cool to watch her enjoying it too!

We decorated the tree first (that always get me motivated).  Again, she "helped" me put on ornaments!  She loved looking at all of them and telling me what they were.

We have a "family tree" for sure.  I don't (and will never have) a beautiful formal tree with bows and all matching bulbs.  Not me.  They are BEAUTIFUL, just not my style (I guess it has to do with what I grew up with).  I love taking out each personal ornament and putting it on the tree, bringing back memories or thinking about the things they represent for our family.  These are a couple of the ornaments we have so far that we love. :)

Our newest addition- it had to be the plastic cup, I'm not a fan of the hot coffees. But the frappucinos?... any chance I get.  Rich saw this one and decided it should be on our tree

I guess now we need to get a New Home ornament for this year too! :)

Bailey "helped" by laying the bulbs on the branches.  I left some there because it makes me smile :)
She also put candy canes on--- about 8 on the same branch.  Hmmm, I'll have to teach her to balance them out.

HERE IS OUR FIREPLACE!!!  I'm really excited, not because it's that cute (I told you I had to do the best with what I had), but because we have never had a fireplace before!  I had to go buy clips to hang our stockings- we've never gotten to actually hang our stockings before!  Yay!

Ok, Christmas lights. Another first for us.  Rich was so excited.  He was dying to put them up last weekend, but we were so busy and it was dark by the time we got a chance.  I had to convince him to wait, because he was ready to go put them up freezing and dark!  He spent all day out there putting up our lights, making sure they were all straight and neat.  Bailey and I went out to check on him a few times... again, she helped.

Our first shot at Christmas lights! Every year we can add a little more now :)

What a blessing it is to have a house!  We're on a budget and probably won't have much in the way of gifts this year, but we are already so overwhelmed with what we've been given.  It's been a little emotional because this is all so much.

Sometimes I feel like this blog highlights all the "happy" things in our lives, and leaves out some of the real-life struggles that we have right alongside those "happy" moments.  That's partly because some things are personal to us, and partly because I'd rather focus on the positive and not the other stuff.  We certainly have our challenges and things we are dealing with right now just like everyone, but we have such a great GOD and this time of year is an awesome reminder of that. I'm excited to teach Bailey about Jesus and just why this holiday is so special. :)