Tuesday Top Ten

It's not Letterman's Top Ten, but welcome to Ten on Tuesday!

Ten Things I'm Loving Right Now

1. Il Moscato

A delicious, budget friendly version of my fave sparkling moscato. Trader Joe's has it for $9.99 a bottle. Yum-O! An odd little quirk with this brand, which also has Il Prosecco, if you're so inclined, is that it doesn't have a cork. Rather, it must be opened with a bottle opener, so if you're the only one enjoying a bit of the bubbly, be sure to pick up one of these vacuum stoppers to keep it fizzy for next time.

Or you could just finish off the bottle. However, then next morning, you might need this.

2. Home Depot

While I'm not usually a big fan of superstores in general, I don't mind going to Home Depot to pick up the random item for Diva Husband. Last week, Homer and the gang ran this fabulous deal for $3 off LED Christmas Lights. Since DH does light duty in our home, he sent me to pick up lights for our new tree (See below).

3. Ginormous Christmas Trees

Our family room ceiling is 18' tall. For five years, DH has lamented the fact that our Christmas Tree, in all of it's 8' glory, was lost in the height of the room. Thanks to Craigslist, we are the proud owners of an almost-new 12' tree. And our pocketbook is $50 lighter.

Not a bad deal. Pics to follow.

4. Patient (If a wee bit dumb) Dogs

If you've read my musings for any length of time, you'll be familiar with Princess (the Wonder Dog)and her archnemesis, The Manimal. I had really hoped that, with Christmas coming, we could use the age-old threat: "Santa only visits good little boys."

It's not working. Poor pup.

5. Fall Weather

I love Autumn. It's my favorite season of the year. The gorgeous fall colors, crisp air, Friday night bonfires. The whole package. I enjoy the occasional Indian Summer weekend, but I especially love Autumn.

Particularly when Mother Nature remembers that Autumn weather should occur in October/November.

6. A Nine Year-Old Boy

I love SS#1 with all my heart. He's my first, my baby, my little Squirtle. I'm not loving this "I'm always right" stage. But I do love my boy. I love my boy. I love my sweet stubborn boy.

7. Finding the Perfect Gift

I found the absolute perfect gift for my parents. Unfortunately, I can't even give you a clue, since BOTH of them read my blog. I also found the perfect gifts for The Lawyer and my Wonderful SIL, and my nephews, Tex, Sir Falls-a-Lot and Baby Bean. Well, I haven't really found the one for Baby Bean yet, but I'm hoping my luck holds out.

I can give you a leetle clue on my gift for The Lawyer and Wonderful SIL. She actually introduced me to this company. Prices are reasonable and I found a 35% discount code which made my personalization and shipping FREE! :)

And that leads me to...

8. Online Discount Codes

I'm late to the party on this one, I'm sure, but did you know that you can Google to find discount codes for online shopping? They don't always work, and sometimes they bring up expired codes, but it's SO worth trying! I just enter the business name and "discount code" or "coupon" and it brings up the results.

Saving money AND finding great gifts. Merry Christmas to me!

9. Good Books

I've recently finished reading the Mitford books, by Jan Karon. When I was 7, I received the Little House on the Prairie Boxed Set for my birthday. I read them so many times that my mom had to put them away for awhile so I'd read other books.

Last year, she gave them back to me.

I've re-read them twice since then.

I'm pretty sure Mitford is becoming my grown-up version of the Little House books.

10. Vacation

I have exactly four days of work left before I'm off for A WHOLE WEEK. Three days if you don't count today. Then I work for fourteen days and I'm off for TWO MORE WEEKS.

Vacation/PTO days are one of the few best perks of my job! :)

Fragmentation

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! No, we haven't had snow, but in my head we're having a white Christmas. Yeah, I know. I'm crazy, but I'm all about the decorating this year. I've also had this song running through my head.

You're welcome.

What is with children and sofa cushions? It is apparently impossible for my children to play in the living room without removing ALL of the cushions from BOTH sofas. On the plus side, the dog likes to eat the dust encrusted fruit snacks and pieces of popcorn that seem to multiply like rabbits in the crevices, and our change jar has grown a bit heavier.

You know those days when you want to run away and join the circus? In a week I'll be about as close as I'll ever be. Ringling Bros. is in town and we're going to sell the boys to the clowns.

Not really. The clowns said they'd take the big one but the little one scared them a bit. I told them they came as a package.

They said the deal was off.

So we're just going to watch. I'll let you know how it goes.

Tuesday Top Ten

It's not Letterman's Top Ten, but welcome to Ten on Tuesday!

Ten Fabulously Easy Holiday Decorating Tips

1. We'll start with one of my favorite holiday centerpieces ever! Find an inexpensive cut glass bowl or glass trifle dish (often already living in your kitchen or pantry) like this:


and fill it with glass/plastic ball ornaments like these:
2. Do you love holiday wall decals like these? Me too! Unfortunately, we'd rather not spend that kind of money on them. Check out Walmart, Target and your local grocery stores. I found some smaller Christmas themed decals for...are you ready for this?

$2.00 each!

3. If you're having guests for the holidays, try to put a bit of the holidays in every room. In our powder room, I have a square laurel wreath with a brown velvet ribbon. During the holidays, I put red berry picks in the wreath. Before our guest room was otherwise occupied with a certain preschooler, our holiday guests enjoyed small candle groupings and holiday potpourri on the bedside table.

4. Stock up on Command Strips and Hooks. Trust me on this one. It will make your holiday decorating SO much easier!

5. Decorating is much more fun if you set the mood. A nice cup of cocoa or glass of wine, along with some fabulous background music will really make for an enjoyable time. I'm partial to a nice sparkling moscato and one of these new Christmas music collections:


6. Let the kids help. When I was little, Diva Nana used to let Baby Brother and I make window decorations. We'd draw and color to our hearts' content, then she'd tape the snowmen, candy canes and Christmas trees in the front window. They may not have made the cut for Pottery Barn or Martha Stewart, but we loved them and loved that we got to help!

7. Take a bow. You'll be taking bows after you show off your incredible bow-making skills. Several years ago I happened to be in a Container Store where they were giving holiday bow-making classes. That fifteen minute class and some practice with wired ribbon has served me well over the years. Pre-made bows are pricey, and it's amazing how some sale ribbon can be transformed into beautiful bows for stairwells, mantles, gifts, wreaths and more! Check out your local Michael's or Hobby Lobby, or ask a florist friend for their secrets!

8. Go back in time. Have a hot air popcorn popper in the depths of your cabinets? Pull it out and make some popcorn garlands. Be sure to use a fairly fine needle and make LOTS of popcorn, so you've got enough to string, even if some breaks. If you're really ambitious, alternate with cranberries or even red beads.

9. Remember your outdoor friends. Make some popcorn bird feeders with pinecones, peanut butter and birdseed. Hang them with some red string and deck the outdoor halls!

10. Pick up an inexpensive solid color tablecloth for everyday use. Even if, like me, your china doesn't match and you tend to use paper napkins, and your cuisine is more Rachel Ray than Julia Child, everything is a bit more festive when served with a tablecloth!

Happy Decorating!