Lena's House At Christmastime

Today the kids had a snow day, so we all slept in.

I've had my house ready for Christmas since we celebrated Thanksgiving with our eldest daughter at home. She will be flying to Thailand this week for two months, and I've been dealing with sorrow about her being so far away over Christmas. (So proud of her) I'll share about that in a later blog.

So, this morning, when my feet finally hit the floor I was like, "It's time for you to be inspired and do something that will make you and your family happy!" You know the slogan, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy?" Well, I moved furniture, threw stuff out, and redid most of my Christmas decorations. Now Mama's feeling happier, and so is everyone else. 

Remember this ugly green "S" I picked up in Florida at a salvage store? I painted it white and sprinkled some transformational glitter on it. "S" is for "Schlabach!" Or, if you prefer, for "sassy!"

Rock salt that's normally scattered on the icy walks was repurposed as snow in this little snowscape. 

I untangled my music note star garland from last year and added it to the tree--the one with several strands of lights that have already given up the ghost!

 

 

Dead lights=pet-peeve!

I cut some fresh evergreens for this little side table and rustled up these gold reindeer from the craft room.

Was so glad I made myself do this, because now I love my house again!



I used things I already had and just switched things up.

This window by the kitchen needed lightened up a little. I had a canopy curtain there before. Added some lace via hot glue gun, fashioned a boxwood wreath, and now I absolutely love it! 

I want to paint this ugly cabinet white or grey, but until then, I'll try to make it beautiful as-is.

Not too shabby, eh?

I really like the crystals dangling from this chandelier above our kitchen table.

This centerpiece swaps out daily, which takes care of my OCD.

This is our front door with the sheet music wreath back in it's place.

The best part was my Mom called and invited us over for supper.

As we walked over to her house next door, the snow was blowing and an amazing sunset washed the landscape with color. 



Mom made rivel soup and homemade ice cream. These were both favorites of mine growing up as a little Amish girl. As the kids fought for the dasher in the ice cream maker, it brought back many memories. My parents are still Amish, and I'm so thankful we get to carry on some of the same traditions with our children.

Now I'm sitting here feeling blessed. I'm thankful I dealt with this mess--I'm talking about me as well as our home. Our home is nothing fancy but just right for us.

If you're feeling down about a situation or a circumstance, push past that, and do something for yourself and your family that you know will make you happy. Those around you will be more happy, too.

Happy Holidays from the Schlabachs!