it’s the most wonderful time of the year

it’s officially christmas time in the stuckenschneider household, aka the most wonderful time of the year.

christmas time is simply beautiful, spirits are happy, and the music rocks (though i think those in retail will tell you otherwise). while it would be lovely to have the decorations up all year, it wouldn’t feel so special, so magical.

it’s our first christmas at our new place, and the lighted garland i bought at target this year works perfectly with our carved wood details.

we are a real tree family. though ryan and i don’t go and cut one down ourselves like my family has, for as long as i can remember, we do pore though the trees at the hardwood store to find “the one”. fraser firs are where it’s at, and this year’s comes in at about nine feet tall. though not as full as we prefer, this one fits perfectly in our living room corner.

getting the lights on the tree is the worst part, in my opinion. somebody doesn’t help much, so i have to climb up and down a step stool over and over again. this year it probably took me an hour and three rearrangings of the lights. we have three strands of lights for the tree, but next year i’ll add a fourth. and the star at the top bugs me, it’s so hard to get straight. i’ll be on the hunt for a new topper during the post-christmas sales this year.

the tree is filled with ornaments i have bought after the season is over (at 75% off), gifted ornaments and a few that have been passed on. i have a loose white, silver and purple theme, brought about by the purple and silver tree skirt i bought last-minute for our first tree. my favorite ornaments vary by year, and this year i seem to be drawn to my animal ornaments. let’s take a tour of the tree.

i die for these tiny (about 1 1/2 inches) animal ornaments i picked up last year at macy’s – there’s a raccoon, owl, hedgehog and squirrel.

this larger white owl is bea-hoot-iful.

i think this was another macy’s purchase (i go every year with my family post-christmas for ornament purchasing), and the glass body is filled with feathers.

yet another macy’s purchase, and an animal, this deer is so fragile but i hope she lasts forever.

these small, shatterproof, glitter balls by martha stewart are always my fave. there’s two shades of purples and two shades of silver, perfectly fitting my color scheme.

on the sentimental side, ryan’s aunt gave us this ornament after ryan’s dad passed away two years ago.

can you see this teeny tiny angel? we got a bunch of sterling silver ornaments passed down from ryan’s grandma, and this is my favorite of the bunch. it’s probably less than an inch tall.

i can’t explain my love for these plain black balls (that sounds kind of bad, huh?), but i absolutely love them.

then there’s ryan’s ornaments. he complains that they don’t get front-tree billing, but i’m sorry, no. plastic sports ornaments just don’t get a place of honor. can’t he see my vision?? if someone sneaks behind the tree they can view them from there this year he did get one at the front, after all his complaining…but it’s at the bottom.

{this one has the added bonus of making noise. no thanks.}

can you blame me?

so that’s christmas tree 2011! i’m so excited to add presents under the tree, but as of now, with 25 days until christmas, i have exactly one present bought.

do you have your decorations up yet? how are you doing on your present list?

{justine}

thanksgiving recap

ryan and i successfully hosted our first thanksgiving. we survived our to-do list, cooking a thanksgiving dinner for 10 people (with help) and four house guests plus two guest dogs.  and i have to say it was pretty painless, apart from you know, building a table (although let’s be clear, i was not the builder, just the designer and stresser-outer). a huge thanks goes out to all those who helped with everything from finishing the table to setting the table to bringing delicious dishes to doing the dishes. the most praise goes out to ryan though, who built a damn good table (those details to come in a later post). he’s got skills, and he’s all mine.

{my first turkey. success!}

{cheers!}

{pears spraypainted gold. not for eating.}

{my mom’s awesome gravy boat. we never had cold gravy! (pier one)}

{italian catchphrase = catchphrase with an italian accent = hilarious}

i wish i got more photos of the food, because it was ridiculously good. i have to admit that my first turkey ever turned out delicious (thanks to the tutorial from bobby flay on the today show thanksgiving morning), though the turkey is probably my least favorite part of the meal – i’m a sides lover. and i got my share with stuffing, cranberries, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole and rolls. and let’s not forget the apple pie, pumpkin pie and cheesecake. i’ve been enjoying the leftovers all weekend, and probably will be for the rest of the week too. a slice of cheesecake per day? yes please.  i think i need to start my gym membership….

the rest of the in-laws’ visit we enjoyed some shopping, hanging out and plenty of meals out and once the house was silent saturday afternoon, let’s just say the couch and i became best friends.

{poufs can be toys too}

how was your thanksgiving? hope it was a blast filled with friends, family and way too much food.

i enjoyed hosting and was glad it seemed to go off without a hitch – but next year you’ll find me bringing a side dish or two…

{justine}

happy turkey day!

table is built, family is here and the bird is in the oven.

hope you have a great thanksgiving!

bench: check

it’s 10:28 pm, my hand is so sore from stapling, my back is killing me and i’m beyond exhausted.

but we can cross another to-do off our list.

{why yes, that is the state of my dining room, 2 days before thanksgiving for 10. no table but we have a bench, two bikes and a dresser).

the dining room bench is a beaut. ryan and i made a great team. and i’m so happy with my fabric choice (looks darker in this pic than in real life; and will be scotch garded).

we do question if the beautiful hairpin legs can hold four people like we need it to (lesson learned: don’t try to go cheap), but we’ll add in temporary support for thanksgiving until we figure out a permanent solution (either an additional leg or two in the middle, or buying thicker/stronger legs).

all that matters right now is that it’s done. and i can go to bed.

{justine}