2018 Christmas Schrallville Tour

Y'all. I can't even. My parents are coming for Christmas this year! Last year was the first year that we stayed home. It was the first time I have ever not been with my extended family for Christmas at my grandmother's old house. But with Daniel needing to be around at the church, it just is too hectic to try and go back and forth with two kids. It was bittersweet for sure. But unfortunately, as families expand and life changes, so must traditions. 

(extended family - if you're reading this, I'll be reaching out in 2019 for a Rothrock Family Reunion!)

OK, back to the tour...let's start with the crazy outside shall we? 

O Christmas Tree, O Inflatables? For a long time I complained about having inflatables because I thought they were so tacky. I had visions of pretty, elegant outside décor. Then one day I just gave up. The funny thing is...these are not for our kids. They could care less. They are for my big kid (i.e. my husband) and for all the neighborhood kids. Our house is on the school route so many of those who go to the elementary school come down our street in the mornings. We hear often that they love all the festive décor. There's even a friendly little competition with a friend as to who can have the coolest inflatables. 

At night the shrubs at the front of the house and the three dogwood trees have white lights. We are at nine inflatables and counting...

Let's head on in through the front door! 

I always try to make the front entry festive. I have a pretty Merry Christmas rug, a table decorated and some greenery over the pictures.  

I'm pretty proud that the ornament wreath I made years ago is still going strong.  

This year, instead of shoving the tree in with the already packed living room, I removed some furniture and have it stored at a friend's house. Thank heavens for friends with extra storage space! 

It's important to me to have cozy living spaces. That means it has to be pretty, functional, and include pillows, blankets, and color. 

Say hi puppies. They also find the living room cozy in their bed that takes up half the floor space. They especially like it when the gas logs are turned on. They even have their own stockings hung on an armoire. The stockings are hung high so that when they are filled on Christmas Eve, they won't be taken down in 2.5 seconds like they were last year. (uh hmm...I'm talking to you Bowman!) 

Each table top in our house has a little something Merry on it. (oh and I can see my decorating friends cringing that I didn't bother to fix my pillows prior to taking this picture!)

And I'm excited to add 2 new stockings to the mantle this year - Nana and Pop-E!

In the dining room I opted for a low tablescape so we can see each other at dinner. I'll add some tall tapers for Christmas Eve to amp up the pretty. 

In the "man room" we have an additional Christmas. We tend to hang out in the living room in the mornings and the man room at night so I wanted it to be festive as well. 

I let the kids decorate it this year. Hence all the ornaments at the 4 ft height. One of my favorite things to do is unpack the ornaments and decorate the trees as a family. This year I put the "fancy" ornaments on the living room tree and the kids picked what other ornaments went on what tree. They were really excited to be able to help make the decision. 

I don't know why but always love decorating the kitchen. This year I wanted more of a vintage vibe. It didn't turn out quite like I had hoped but I still love it. 

I found the cutest vintage picture ornaments that remind me of the 50's. I had plans to hang them in a different spot but I ended up hanging them from the cabinet door knobs. 

It may seem like a lot to some but to me, making our home festive is what helps make it so cozy and fun. Each little spot has something fun to add a little more sparkle, even our hallway "command center". 

My favorite memory this year is seeing how excited Cole got when it was time to put the angel on the Christmas tree. To him (and me), it's really important and the last thing you do to bless the tree. One day I hope to have a picture of it but this year I was too busy enjoying the moment to worry with capturing it. 

So there you have it! A quick Christmas tour of our crazy house! What about you? What's your favorite Christmas decoration in your home?

I just needed a little love...

Is it just me or is it just so negative EVERYWHERE!? I mean I can't even deal with Facebook anymore because it's mostly rants, ads and debates. Then you turn on the TV and it's even worse. So this year, when February rolled around, all I wanted to do is embrace is love. February is the month of love after all. 

I don't go all out since we're only talking 2 weeks but little touches here and there make me feel happy. Now forgive the pictures because I snapped these quickly and don't have the best lighting in some. 

Both front doors have hearts to welcome in guests. I love how they sparkle and pop from the road. There's even a heart flag (not pictured) by the front door. 

Did you notice the hearts on the glass in the front door? They make me smile the most. When I see them it says "kids live here and we love them!" I especially love them at night. The boys had fun putting them up. 

Inside there are little touches here and there like the red hearts I found at Hobby Lobby that I placed in plants. 

On our foyer mirror there's a metal heart that coordinates with the sign hanging from our mantle. 

In the kitchen there are Valentine's napkins and a few votives and hearts placed. Again, not much but it's the small touches that remind us that love is in the air (or should be!) 

Our dining room (that's open to the living room) always gets the most because it's where we eat every night and it's also where the kids find their Valentine's Day presents when they wake up that day. 

This year I once again tied red hearts found at the Dollar Store with burlap wired ribbon on the backs of chairs. I smushed one so it's a slightly different shape but not something you readily notice and is quirky...much like those that live in this house.  

Then I placed my red felt runner along with some simple candles found at Target for $3. 

The kids have their own placemats that pull in the colors of our room. They are from Target several years ago (only $1!!) and I put their name in vinyl letters on the hearts. That's an easy trick for cheap placemats. The kids love them! 

One new love touch this year are love notes to my children. I bought simple doilies at the Target $1 bin and every day (or so) until Valentine's Day they get a love note put on their bedroom door. A different color for each child and I try to specify a positive behavior. When they first saw them, they both beamed as they were read. (I might have forgotten and put three up at one time. Better late than never!)  It really is important to fuel our children in positive ways and this one is so easy. 

That's it for my tour of love. Just a few fun changes here and there. I hope this year you'll spread a little love to someone special! Smooches...

Christmas Tour (part 2)

Shall we head a little further in to Schrallville? Yes. Let's. 

This past weekend we hosted a party for our Sunday School class. Perhaps the biggest compliment I could have gotten, aside from that our house was very homey, was that it smelled good. I know that's weird but when you have 3 dogs, a cat and two little boys, that's a huge deal! 

I took you through the foyer and kitchen in my last post. Next is the dining room...

The mirror has greenery, the manger scene is set and in the mirror you can see a Christmas ornament ball wreath is hanging in the window. I made one a few years ago in golds, oranges and teal blues to coordinate with our colors. 

I also have an authentic wooden carousel from Germany. My parents brought it back from one of their trips and it's always fun to show the kids how the heat from the candles turns the carousel. 

My table this year is filled with mercury glass - ornaments, candles, trees. With a little pop of red thrown in for fun. 

I love the mix of sparkle and shine and it doesn't compete with the other colors in the adjoining rooms. 

I put our Christmas tree in a different spot this year. It's usually over near the couch but I thought I'd switch it up. While I like it here, I like it better tucked over near the couch. This blocks too much view in an already divided house. You can see what I mean in the pictures below. 

The living room always has a little something on the table tops...a Santa here...a reindeer there...

I love our coffee table this year. I bought a round wooden tray to add to the mix and with some fresh greenery and a few books, it looks very cozy. 

Some find it crazy that we have so many things "within touch" with kids. I've always had it that way. The boys have learned from a very young age that there are things they can play with and things they can't. Now it's not a big deal and they appreciate the decorations. 

The mantle this year is simple. With the TV and now soundbar, there's not but so much room to put decorations. But it's balanced and has a touch of sparkle without overwhelming it. 

The rest of the house has touches of Christmas. The main bathroom has a festive shower curtain...the "man room" has little pops of cheer spread around...even the boys have a little tinsel tree and some matching red garland along their windows. 

So thanks for taking our little tour. Our house is always open and we hope it always feels welcoming to all who enter. 

Merry Christmas!