a little lingering christmas cheer...

i LOVE christmas...EVERYthing about it, the baking, the carols,the decorations, finding just the right gift, my nativity sets and most especially the lights...i don't know why, but the lights are especially wonderful to me. anyway, i had hoped to be as on top of it as some of my fellow bloggers and to do my christmas post perhaps the day after, or at the very least in the same week...however, as usual,i am about a month behind, but i have chosen to look at this as an extension of christmas rather than it being belated. Much as i love recieving that one last birthday gift you had coming from that friend you hadn't had time to meet up with till a month later my "christmas" post is delaying the close to the most wonderful time of the year, at least in my head it is. So anyway, without further delay i shall post some pics....

the tree...it was my year to pick & even daniel had to admit, she was a beauty!


roo in her christmas hat...

Ru Bears first Christmas ornament, a baby bird almost as cute as her!

her first dolly...i haven't named her yet, any suggestions?

all the goodies in her stocking...

cute little book i found at roger's gardens

precious little onesie, i can't wait for her to fit into!

our christmas dinner, doesn't look like much, but this was actually the most enjoyable christmas we've ever had as a family...we had to stay home due to ruby being sick, so daniel's mom brought us dinner and we watched elf and enjoyed the lights on our twinkling tree...no hustling and bustling about as we usually have to do.

some of my bottle brush tree collection, surrounding one of the most thoughtful gifts daniel ever gave me. i have always wanted an advent calendar and thought it would be a fun thing to do with ruby when she gets older, but had never found one that quite matched my style...when this one popped up at target in early november, i was all over it, i mean who would have thought i would find one in a shade that close to aqua. I thought it was a sign from God that i needed to purchase it immediately, however, daniel told me not to get it and we would think it over, which generally speaking is translated "you don't need it and we aren't getting it!" much to my surprise, he had gone out and purchased it on his own as a christmas gift for me, but after one VERY bad day at work, he decided i needed a pick-me-up and gave it to me as an early surprise. i was so excited and i got to enjoy it for the entire Christmas season! CHEERS to bad days!

these might not look like much, but ruby LOVED the dangling pom-poms i randomly decided to hang from the fan! she would stare at them and just spontaneously crack up! i almost left them up, but eventually decided to take them down with the rest of the decorations.


one of my favorite vintage inspired decorations...

this little beauty is original vintage and once hung on my dear friend miss julie's christmas stocking when she was a little girl... i think she is precious and every time i see her it reminds me of a dear friend...