Day 7

The coffee table is warm and festive. Something about Christmas just calls for candles...Lots and lots of candles... I have so many candles lit that Jackson rolled out his old firetruck...just in case.

Day 6

I was so excited to find these old ice skates at a Thrift shop el-cheapo. The clerk looked at me funny because they're HUGE - a women's size 11. I wear a girl's size 3 1/2. I said oh no, they aren't for me, I want to decorate with them. She said you want to decorate with THESE?

I guess folks down here don't see too many pairs of skates...

Day 5

One of my favorite ornaments.

(Just one of the finds from the Biltmore Gift Shop)

Day 4

FaLaLaLaLa.... I'm a deckin' the halls! and the walls, and the trees, and I'll slap a ribbon on pretty much anything that doesn't move or eat me first... The big tree is done and I'm moving on to the rest of Operation Decorate For Christmas. Tis the Season to be Jolly...

Day 3

I got some decorating done at the church, but I wasn't completely convinced that my floral arrangement was "Christmasy" enough. After I finished it, it really looked like a fall bouquet. Once I got it all in place, I asked Dave if it looked too fallish. His answer? "Well...if you want it to look more like Christmas why don't you put some poinsettias in it?" It IS poinsettias!! That's what I get for asking a man for an opinion about flowers...

Day 2

The boys put up their very own tree in the playroom today, with very little help from Mom. They sure have admired their work...

That was the easy part of my Christmas decorating! I just handed them a pile of ornaments that they could use and turned them loose. If only the rest of the house were that easy...

Day One

Melissa is sharing a daily photo for the 25 days of Christmas, so I thought I'd join in and see if I can keep up!

I seriously thought about having a "name that Photo" contest with this picture. To me this one is more than a thousand words. How do you narrow it down to one small caption?! A little boy, still in his jammies, and yet already outfitted for the trail, looking at Black Friday ads trying to decide what he wants for Christmas. The very serious look of concentration only adds to the preciousness of it. Yeah I just made that word up, it just seemed to fit right there. Anyway, stay tuned for the next 25 days and I'll try to share a bit of Christmas spirit...through the eyes of little boys.

The Happy Couple Returns!

The happy travelers have collected their mini cowboys and returned to the home front. We had a great time in the Smokies, and from all reports, the boys had just as great a time at Granna's.

THE CABIN

The cabin was something right out of a fairytale storybook. It was just oozing with charm, and the pictures simply do not do it justice.

The front porch would have been so very inviting had it not been 29 degrees...
We found the fireplace to be much more inviting...actually it was a necessity is what it was. We would have literally died without it.

The mirror is on hinges that swing open to reveal the TV cleverly hidden in the wall.

I loved the way it was decorated in blue and soft yellow.

The bedroom was complete with fireplace, jacuzzi, and more charming decor...

The kitchen was just as cute as the rest of the cottage.

We were so pleased with our cottage, had privacy, a great view, had an old fashioned Victorian flair and yet was loaded with modern luxuries, too.

THE FOOD

What's a good vacation without good food? That's my favorite part of a vacation. We nearly ate ourselves silly. This is at the Applewood Farmhouse. It was kinda neat to sit in porch swings while we ate our home cooked meal.

And the apple fritters were to die for!

The Italian Chocolate Toffee Cake from none other than Johnny Carino's. MMmmmm....

Then there were ribs from Calhouns, steak from Texas Roadhouse, doughnuts from Krispy Kreme......

THE BILTMORE

This is a handsome pack mule I picked up to carry my bags.

The Biltmore was breathtaking. Or maybe that was the frigid below freezing air. It was all decorated for Christmas with fantastic trees and mantle dressings. But if I had tried to take pics inside, I'm afraid Barney Fife would have wasted no time giving me a citation...

THE SHOPPING

The smokies are chock full of wonderful places to shop. If only we'd had more time...and money...

The vacation was a much needed time of relaxation.....except for all of the arguments. Oh, no. The arguments weren't between me and Dave. All of the arguments went on between Dave and the TomTom.

Before we could go anywhere, he had to ask ole Tom what was the best way to get there, and then sit in the parking lot and argue with it until it agreed with the way he wanted to go in the first place. Sometimes I wonder about modern technology...

Now we're back to reality. The day after we got home Carson brought me back into the whole Mommy thing with a bang. He picked styrofoam berries off my centerpiece and promptly stuffed them up his microscopic nostrils. It was kinda wild for a little while but let's just say it's all OK now and the nostrils seem to be clear and functioning properly.

Guess the dreamy vacation's OVER...