Cozy at Home with all the Snow and Christmas

Now if only we can keep this snow for Christmas, that would be pretty.

Time to bake Christmas Tree Cookies and a Slovak nutroll we call Kolach.

Today, there is a big Christmas party in blog-land where people give you a tour of their home and how they've decorated for Christmas.  It's pretty fun to look at all of the pictures and see how people decorate.  I guess I enjoy the opportunity to poke my nose into others' homes too.   There are already over 380 blogs linked up!   That's 380 different homes!

See my new Advent 'wreath' om the center of table?  It's so hard to find an Advent wreath.  This is pretty and used votive sized candles which is a little easier for us with the two year old.

Christmas in my freshly painted house!  

I haven't even put up the 'normal' decor yet since we painted in November.  The little silver tree on top of my china cabinet is new from Target.  I've been wanting a feather tree but they are hard to find at a price I can afford.  This silver tree is fun.  I have it decked out in aqua, with a little paper train set running around the bottom.  Eventually, I will glitter the train set but I just didn't have the time to get that done this week with finals and my other jobs.

Our neighbor brought us Christmas cookies last night, very nice.  This plate and mug was also a gifts I received from friends at our book club Christmas lunch yesterday. It was a thoughtful surprise.  I am new to the club and wasn't there when the Secret Pals had begun so I wasn't expecting any gift. These two items will be perfect for Santa's treats on Christmas Eve.

 Hmmm, I thought I had edited this photo so it wasn't tilted... I guess not.   In my china cabinet, I have a couple of fragile Christmas items, on the top are Belleek China Christmas pieces that I have received as gifts; a tree topper, a trinket box and a little vase.  The three little carolers are from my Aunt Chris or my Mom, I can't remember who, so is the Belleek now that I think about it.

Love my new little aqua and silver tree. 

Our house is tiny in comparison to many 'normal' suburban homes.  It's under 1500 sq ft, with 3 bedrooms.   The layout is really well done - No wasted space.  

We like the open living space.

Best garage sale find of the year.

Simple and Sweet. 

I feel challenged in mantle decorating, whenever I try to decorate the mantle it just looks messy. 

Cross-stitched by my Aunt Kathleen for my Grandma.

And now for my little helper extrodinaire.....

Yes, his face is dirty.  It's yogurt.  I was using the coffee table, to steady the camera Friday night, while taking the below picture of the tree - guess who popped in and said 'Cheeezzzee!'   Guess who wouldn't crack a smile or say cheese when I was trying to get Christmas photos earlier in the week :)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!