confession:
i am not perfect
not really surprised
are you?
it seems like lately
i have been browsing other blogs
to check out each lovely holiday home tour
and have begun to feel pretty lousy by comparison
i click on a link to see some beautifully decked-out
scrupulously clean
cleverly appointed
vintagey eclectic antiquey home
and leave feeling
less
less creative
less tidy
less moneyed
it's not anyone's fault but my own
that i seem to so easily get caught up in
comparing myself to others
but i need to stop doing that
we all need to stop doing that
as i show you these photos of my decked out home
remember what you're not seeing:
my piles of dirty laundry
dust bunnies under the dining room table
silt under the sofa cushions
toothpaste in the sink
and a host of other imperfections sprinkled around the house
keep your eyes peeled
and perhaps you'll spot
a warm and welcoming home
filled with the detritus of December life:
coats and scarves hung on pegs inside the kitchen door
boots on the welcome mat
stacks of logs beside the fireplace
of course
i did clean for you
just like i would for any guest
would you like to come over?
we are pretty casual
back-door kinda folks
so you'll enter right into the heart of our home-the kitchen
see that mail cram-jammed on the shelf?
we just got a new Compassion child
and we are so excited to pray for her
come through to the dining room
where we'll feast on Christmas goodies
and yes
are about 100 years old
and once belonged to Chad's nanny
i think she originally purchased them at Woolworth's
we cut our tree down on Friday
as per tradition
now it sits in the corner of our living room
resting in an old, galvanized tub
glistening with white and red lights
and weighed down with dozens of our favorite ornaments
if you've never had to dress a black and brown marble mantel
you have no idea how hard it can be
most garlands don't show up well
so i've learned to stick with shiny metals
for the best pop
i'd take you upstairs
but i didn't clean past the first floor
so the furthest you'll be invited today
is the hall to see our traditional garland clad banister
remember the not-so-perfect thing i mentioned?
here's a couple of rooms as they looked
about 30 seconds after i let the kids back in
and our not-quite-finished garage door
feel better?
thanks for coming over
and taking a peek through our Christmas house
and be sure to check out many of the other lovely homes
on the tour...
I am happy to be one of more than 40 bloggers participating in the "Christmas in the Country" Home Tour and Link Party 2014 from November 28th till December 12th. Please visit Creative Country Mom's to see all the new stops on the tour each day. There is also a Holiday themed link party for the event where you can add your own posts at www.creativecountrymom.
Happy Decorating!
{alison}
p.s. If you'd like to see last year's decked out Duff House, click HERE.