Closing In

 It is just over a week away. Christmas.  It is just two day away.  Hayden's birthday.  As I mentioned before, we decided to leave the birthday banner up for the whole month.  Saves time and stress.  I'm smart like that.

 I did some things differently this year.  I found these glass ball ornaments at Tuesday Morning just before Christmas last year.  They work nicely in my hurricanes.

 I hung a few up around the house as well.

 White poinsettias are all the rage.  Red is so last year.

 We added our two new nutcrackers.  Mr. Blue and

 Mr. Red.

 To date, we have received only one Christmas card.  This is what happens when you skip a year.  Like I did.  Last year.  And probably this year too.

 I thought I would show off my big scores on Christmas ornaments I got at the After-Christmas sales last year.  I love this die cut look.  I got four of them at TJMaxx.

 I guess I had a thing for birds last year, because I ended up with several for the tree.

 Quails are always nice.

 

Mr. Owl is obviously asking, "WHO?"

 Last year I searched for vintage ornaments, but became horrified at the prices.  I later found a box of vintage "reproductions".  I got six for the price of 1/10 of one vintage one.  Sorry, I know public math isn't easy.

 I told my boys these were like ornaments from long ago. They couldn't believe we had the technology "back then" to make something so beautiful.

 I love this little tree in a cloche.  It looks very "snow-globish".

 Of course, as I'm looking for all the new stuff, I stumble onto the old, special and homemade.  I have two of these - made by each of the boys when they were in 4-year old pre-school.  I hope they last forever.