Back Porch Christmas

 

We have a lovely little back porch

that was added some years ago onto our house.

A few years ago we took out the old closets

and freshened it up a bit.

It is our main entry point into the house

as family and friends all come to the back door.

There is lots of space for jackets and shoes.

It is also one of my favorite spaces to decorate now

as it is the first impression given

when people enter our home.

I love cardinals and my collection has slowly been growing over the years.

Anything red,

anything rustic,

and anything nature inspired

are hard for me to resist.

These two little pieces "Peace" and "Joy"

were added to my collection this year.

They were great Dollar Store finds.

My little snowman is still part of my back porch.

You can find out how I made him here.

I hope you enjoyed visiting my back porch decor.

Do you have a favorite Christmas decor theme?

~Finding the amazing in the simple~

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Christmas Cookies & Traditions

When my kids were younger, a lot younger, my mom and I would get together at Christmas time and decorate Christmas cookies.  When you have little kids around its always easier to do things with two adults around over one.

However, as the kids got older and our lives got busier our getting together to decorate cookies fell by the wayside.

This year though, I thought it would be fun to get together with my mom and decorate cookies once again.  A reviving of an old tradition.

It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon, chatting away while decorating, the warm fire from the wood burning stove crackling away and the smell of fresh baked bread filling the air.

And of course, sampling the cookies with a delightful cup of tea afterwards and having a chance to also chat with my dad. 

Traditions are good.  Sometimes certain things fall by the wayside as lives change and we go through different stages but its nice to be able to revisit those traditions at a later time.  Although not exactly the same as when the kids were young the time together was just as sweet as before :)

I am joining Cindy at "My Romantic Home" for Show and Tell Friday

And Lorie at "be different, act normal" for Show & Tell Saturday

A Winter Day

We are on our seventh day of snow and it is really beginning to accumulate and it is cold.  The sun decided to peek out for a little bit so while hubby decided to continue work on the family room (we're hoping to be able to move the furniture in before Christmas) I decided to head outside and take a few pictures of our winter wonderland.

It was cold which made me want to stay inside for the rest of the day and do some baking. 

I made some Cinnamon Coffee Cake for our brunch.  I haven't made it in a very long time and it was so yummy fresh from the oven.

My daughter also did some baking.  She made her favorite, Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares.

When we were done with the baking I decided to pull the Christmas decorations out of storage.  I'm anxious to get decorating now.  We do have a tradition that the kids and I take an afternoon and do the decorating.  It is kind of like a Christmas decorating party.  I wasn't sure if they would still want to do that with their busy schedules but when I asked if they would like to help me decorate they gave me that look.  The one that says, "Why are you asking a silly question?"  LOL  Anyways, I guess that means we will be decorating next Sunday afternoon.  That is the only time all of us have time together but I hope to get some Christmas baking done before then so we can enjoy a bit when we decorate.  I can't wait.

Well, hauling the totes out from storage and then carrying them down a full flights of stairs is a bit of a chore so when I was finished I sat down with a nice warm cup of hot chocolate with a bit of whipping cream, and of course, I put it in a Christmas mug.

A perfect end to a peaceful day.