A Christmas Post

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper, it's Cute!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial

3. When do you put up the tree? sometime the first week of December, usually our Family Home Evening Activity.

4. When do you take the tree down? Christmas day or the day after!

5. Do you like eggnog? nope, I like to think I do, I'll buy it, and then let the kids drink it. I don't usually like it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? black church dress with polka dots (they were sequined polka dots) on it. I loved that dress.

7. Hardest person to buy for: Robert

8. Easiest person to buy for? Me -of course!! :)

9. Do you have a nativity scene? 2

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail-if I get around to it. I used to do it yearly, but now it's been several years...

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? hmm, what if they read this??

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Actually does 7 brides for 7 brothers count, they have Christmas in the movie??? I don't know...

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? after July, but I don't start taking it seriously until October.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Once or twice, not because I didn't like it, but that I couldn't afford buying another gift.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? All the snacks and sandwiches... I do like Christmas breakfast too!!

16. Lights on the tree? LOTS ! !

17. Favorite Christmas song? Oh Holy Night, We Three Kings


18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Which ever, I just like to celebrate with family.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph (thanks mom :)

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? an Angel. the kids think it's Moroni, because the angel is blowing a horn...

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Family exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, Santa gifts on Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? grey snow!and grey skies!

23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? I like red and gold together and I think it's important to have a nativity.

24. Favorite for Christmas Dinner: Well, we don't do our Christmas dinner on Christmas usually. It's Christmas Eve. And we eat fish. And a meal that Jesus would have eaten... by candlelight. The kids love it!! :)

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A good time with family and for it to be over- I guess that calls for a ba humbug!

Now we have come to the Secretary

This piece is a delight. Really. I....heart....it. It's pretty awesome. It fits perfectly for Robert to come home and put his work Laptop on it and stay out of the family computer area. It stays out of the kids way too. We are very lucky to have been given this one. I wanted it to look good. I was very afraid to paint, and have it go wrong. You know how it goes when you like a piece. Now once again he picures are poor and don't do it justice. But you can get the idea.

I don't have before shots but it was a pinewood brown with bronze drawer pulls. The white s actually distressed, but the pic doesn't show up well.

I painted the inside red to match my chair. That detail is just for me. I love it. It's secret pop of color. hehe, I know it's silly but it makes me happy.

You can see inside, all the things I hide from the world. Mainly the bean system jars. This is the system that has gotten my life in order-once again. It came from a friend of mine and it works really well. But that is another post.

no, I'm not done...

Now I have the end table. I LOVE THIS TABLE. I have struggled for a few years finding one that I just Loved. I needed one that fit the space well, and I think I finally got it.

This table was a dark, dark wood, with inlaid leather and scroll work. *sigh* I didn't get a before pic. But I will tell you that although I loved the lines of this piece it was badly damaged (cosmetically) It had rings from cups all over it and scratches and a hole in the back. But the castors are awesome and the drawer works great. I painted it green like the hutch and white on the 'leather inlay'. I took off the hardware and painted it black as well.

It fits my needs well. It was fun to see transform and I like that it's kind of old fashioned. Not your 'normal' piece.

shelves and chair

The shelves were painted a beige color. beacuse I was unsure what to do. I was a little chicken with color. But now I have more of a 'vision' for what I want in the living room so I am ready to paint-and use COLOR.

Now we have the shelves and chair. I love them. The changes that the paint made is huge.

Before:

After:

The chair I got off of Craig's list for $5. It was well spent. I love this little chair. I love the caning. This chair was originally a really dark brown. It was worn, but had such beautiful lines that I couldn't resist. So I took her home. I put her in the garage and painted her red. She is my lovely red chair now.