Christmas Already!

Once you've been involved in retail, the holidays start early.  

The weekend after Thanksgiving is when we pick out our tree.  So, on Saturday

we went to brunch because you know we needed to eat some more food.  After brunch,

we went to pick out our tree.  Here's my 12-year- old with his selection.

Stop calculating right now.  Yes, my youngest is 12 and I had him when I was 49+.  

At the time, it felt

like the entire hospital staff was peaking in to see the 49-year-old in labor.  I was terrified that I would become newsworthy. 

But Nate put that all in perspective when he shared my current age on National TV here.  Forty-nine feels 

almost youthful now.

I digress.  Sorry.

We got home, put the tree in the stand, and the boys decided they were going to shoot some hoops.

It seems like Fall baseball just ended and now it's time to start dribbling.

That gave me some time to make some fresh wreaths for myself and for family.

We always grab a pile of the discarded tree cuttings at the tree stand, and with the help of a wire frame from Michael's and some green floral wire I'm set.  I wrap the fresh greens around the frame, looping the wire around the greenery and frame to hold it in place.  Once I have the shape of the wreath, I look around in the garden to see what shrubs I can snip and add to the wreath.
  Sometimes I add arborvitae, or holly berries, or magnolia leaves.  This year though my nandina had turned an exceptional fiery red and I decided that's what I'd use.  The nandina is from the bamboo family so it stays fresh and holds its color for a long time.  I then add some ribbon and whatever else I have around, and voila, the wreath.

Here's the wreath I made for my son and daughter-in-law.   It's hanging on the garage door, waiting for pick-up this afternoon.

I made wreaths for the front of the house.  One on the garage and one on the chimney.

Here is a close-up of the fresh wreaths.

Stay tuned.  More holiday decor to come.

Kathy