My Christmas Home

It's the most wonderful time of the year again!
The lights twinkle on the trees while the aroma of freshly-baked cookies fills the kitchen.
Excited children count down the days until Christmas,
and carols play on Pandora.

I broke my tradition this year, and began decorating for Christmas before we even celebrated Thanksgiving, thanks to some pleading from my children!
But I'm not even mad about it.
A few extra weeks of enjoying the coziness of evergreen and twinkly lights is just fine by me!

I hung my hand-crocheted snowflakes (gifted from a friend) on a branch,

and then added some mini trees and a cloche to the arrangement, along with some candles.

This is probably one of my favorite spaces in the house!

I love the mini white church and house that I found at the Embellish Christmas sale!

Aren't they the cutest?!

I hadn't found any Advent calendars that I liked, but wanted something visual for the children to count down the days until Christmas, so I was happy to find these printable tags online! 

Just don't ask me how many times they have fallen down! 😏

I may need to come up with a more stable solution for next year. (See what I did there? Stable?! haha.)

This is Mom's corner: aka my personal hot chocolate bar.

And yes, salted caramel can take that drink to a whole new level!

You're welcome.

Who doesn't love a crackling fire?

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

but there's only room for two of them there!

Okay, I'll stop with the cheesy rhymes!

The wall seemed bare so I used some embroidery hoops to create a few simple wreaths.

Maybe they still need some ribbon, but I like the simplicity of the evergreen.

Target has some of the cutest ornaments!

I found this one on clearance after Christmas last year.

Rather than use just one style of ornaments, I like to collect a variety over time from different places.

After last year's tree issues (in which the tree shed half its needles before we even made it to Christmas 😞), I'm happy to report that this tree has been good to us!

Is there anything better than the glow of twinkly lights at night?

I wish I could invite you all over for a pot of hot tea (or coffee!), 

but I sure am glad you joined me on our Christmas home tour!

May your Christmas season be a time of rest

and your heart full of joy in the Gift of our Saviour.

My Christmas Home Tour

With Christmas just 3 short days away, I wanted to give you a peek into our home!

Since the kitchen is the first room you enter,

we'll start there.

I just love this antique silver pedestal bowl and pitcher I got from the Embellish girls!

Piled full of oranges, greens and berries, they look quite festive!

Hadassah and I spent part of a Saturday afternoon collecting greens and berries.

It was so much fun making arrangements with them,

and it didn't cost a dime!

The blanket I draped over the banister is actually a blanket scarf!

I love items that have more than one function!

Up in the loft, the children's stockings are hung on the bookshelves, and I realized later that it was a mistake!

They informed me which child's stocking is which,

and of course, they never peeked! (or so they say) #momfail

This long, flat surface on the top of the bookshelves is perfect for displaying my nativity!

The children get to decorate their own tree and even got presents for each other!

You can read more about that here.

  

Lines from one of my favorite Christmas songs: Come and see what God has done.

Let's head back downstairs into the living area.

I love having a mantle to decorate!

Next year, the children's stockings will hang here. Hopefully, the height will deter them! 😆

I love textures, in case you haven't figured that out already!

And this mantle has a lot of them, so it happens to be one of my favorites.

The Christmas garland adds a little sparkle to my window.

In the living room, I displayed two of the gold pieces I got from Embellish,

along with a handmade tree.

Gingerbread houses make cute focal points, especially in a glass cloche!

And how cute is that truck and miniature Christmas tree that I picked up at the Cottage?

I have a few bottle brush trees, and I think another 5 would be just fine!

The European Christmas tree came from Evergrowin' Greenhouse.

Our first Christmas tree at the farmhouse!

Now, let's head outside to the front porch!

I filled my galvanized pail with greens and berries,

and pulled out my Noel sign.

And that's it!

Thank you for stopping by my home!

If you want to see last year's home tour, click here.

Merry Christmas, friends!

My Fall Home

Fall is one of my favorite seasons!

I love the brilliant colors, the woodsy scent of leaves, and the crisp evening air.

I get excited about pulling out my sweaters and boots,

and wrapping up in cozy blankets.

It was so much fun bringing some of those elements into my home this year!

I don't think I've ever really decorated my porch for fall, other than setting out a mum.

But after I got these gorgeous pumpkins from Massanutten Produce, it all just came together.

This old hickory rocker was left at the house,

so I added a cozy flannel I found at the last Embellish sale!

I stopped in at the Blue Ridge Hospice Thrift Store and found this darling yellow garden stool.

I love the pop of color it adds to the porch!

The galvanized bucket was a few dollars at a flea market.

I created these farmhouse banners for the Barn Sale this year,

and this one ended up in my studio!

I love the simplicity of these mini white pumpkins, and used them throughout my house.

The terrarium is a great place to display seasonal items!

I put a mini pumpkin, leaf and some acorns in mine.

This is one of the many old mantles that came out of the farmhouse that was originally on this property. 

The sign is one that I painted (and is for sale if anyone is interested!)

and the ferns were foraged in the woods behind the house. 

The succulent pumpkin was a gift; isn't it adorable?!

I used my wood round to create an autumn-themed tea bar, complete with pumpkin spice tea

and salted caramel syrup! The coffee drinkers can't have all the fun.

Oh, and let's not forget all the pumpkin desserts!

It wouldn't be fall without them.

And we're on the back porch, where Hadassah is cozied up with my Aztec blanket that I purchased 15 years ago in Mexico! It's also Sprinkle's favorite spot to take a nap.

Thanks for joining me on a tour of our home!

xoxo, Ruby

Our Farmhouse Tour I: Living Spaces

Four months ago, we moved into the farmhouse!

The weeks have flown by since then, with all the adjustments that come with a move

and settling into a new routine.

 But we are loving living here on the farm, and it truly feels like home to us.

This house was built 23 years ago, and is the home my husband spent the majority of his life in.

I hope we can create as many wonderful memories for our family as he had

growing up here!

The loft is an open room upstairs with an attic-style toy room inside the door you see to the left. 

My favorite part is that the mess is where I can't see it! :)

The children have spent hours of playtime up here.

I found this lovely end table at the Embellish Flea-for-All a few weeks ago!

I hope to get a large area rug and a coffee/game table yet for this space.

Eddie purchased this roll-top desk before we were married and had it restored.

It was a beast to move {not that I know from actual experience or anything!}, but I'm happy that we found a corner where it fits well.

My sister found this antique desk at an auction.

Our neighbors gave us this piano, and I am so happy to have one to use until I find my baby grand!

Hadassah loves to play it, and is already asking when she can start lessons.

Pictured here are the stairs that go down into the kitchen area.

I love that this space is open so that I can stay connected with the children while I'm working in the kitchen!

This is a view of the kitchen from the loft. I have big plans for this room...someday!

After working in a narrow, galley-style kitchen,

this one feels huge!

There is plenty of space for my little helpers to join me when I'm baking.

Next, we'll head from the kitchen into the living room.

This window gives me a great view of the back yard where the swings and sandbox are,

and I can watch the cows walk from the fields into the barn {a good thing since I forget to get them in some days until I see them heading down the path!}
This bench was originally black and I wanted to update it. My sister suggested using a spray paint with primer in it, and I'm happy with the results! 

The afternoon light that streams through this window is perfect for all my plants!

The desk came from Craigslist, and is still one of my favorite pieces!

I keep the children's art supplies in here, so it gets plenty of use. 

This is our main living area, where we relax, watch movies and read books.

I'm planning to purchase a rug, which will really warm up this space, but I still haven't decided exactly what  I want! Rugs are much more of a commitment than pillow covers or lamps!

Any suggestions on what style/color I should get?

I also want to get some art for my huge frame (also from my sister!) and a plant to fill the empty space in the corner.

 The coffee table gets so much use: our stack of library books and magazines

are stored underneath,

and we have played quite a few rounds of Berenstein Bears and Candyland right here!

The buffet is multi-functional, with the TV on top and books and DVD's inside of it.

I love the upholstered chair I got from Target a few months ago!

Another angle

We found a matching set of Lazy boy recliners on Craigslist for a steal,

and they are Eddie's favorite places to relax!

It's been fun taking you on a tour! I'll be back sometime in the next couple of weeks with photos from our bedrooms!

 xoxo, Ruby