Our Christmas Breakfast Table

Welcome back! Today I'm showing off my simple red and white Christmas breakfast table.

Traditions are big in our family. We always have Christmas Eve dinner at my parents' house, but Justin and I want Buggy Boy to get to spend Christmas morning in his own home, so we volunteer to host Christmas breakfast.

This year, I used what I had around the house and went with a simple red and white color scheme in the dining room.

The doughnut holes and minis are pulling triple duty:

1. Displayed in canisters tied up with red and white ribbon, they make an easy and functional centerpiece.

2. They're the perfect size for popping into my mouth while chasing Buggy Boy around the house (and I can usually lick the evidence off my fingers before he even notices anything is amiss). No judging.

3. I can use them as an appetizer when my new (untested) "quick and easy" breakfast recipe inevitably takes way longer than I think it's going to, and everyone is standing around in their new Isotoners starving and glaring at me from behind their Rudolph mugs.

I'll be honest, when I'm hosting more than two a lot of people, I have a tendency to get so overwhelmed trying to prep and cook all the food that I usually forget about drinks. I don't typically notice until some poor parched party-goer finally pipes up and begs for water.

This year I'm planning ahead, and I've already set up my drink station. I propped two ball jar beverage jugs on a vintage step stool and set up individual milk jars with red and white paper straws.

Now all I have to do is add juice and milk to the jugs. Surely I can remember that, right? Well, at least there will be coffee. I NEVER forget the coffee.

Yep, we got two trees again this year. I couldn't help myself, I just love them so much. But I still managed to rein in the crazy (read all about why here).

The ornaments are a mix of red, white and woodland creatures. It's a lot more casual and rustic than our living room tree, and to be honest, I always like this one better. 

Just like in the living room, I opted out of a traditional tree skirt. In the dining room, I used an antique wooden box from a shoe company in Wisconsin. I like how rustic and simple it is, and it gives the tree extra character.

The table's all ready, now I just have to figure out what the heck we're going to eat! Any suggestions? Leave me a comment and let me know if you have any fail-proof breakfast recipes.

Thanks for stopping by!

Silver, Gold, and a Confession: Our Christmas Living Room

Well, we're cutting it close over here, but the stockings have been hung by the chimney with haste care, and the trees are finally up (although the bottom three feet are looking suspiciously bare these days...). It's actually starting to look pretty Christmasy at our place (just in time to open presents and take it all back down. Awesome.)

Before I go any further, I have a confession: I can't sew. I don't mean "Oh no, the hand stitching on this homemade baby quilt is a little wonky in this corner here" kind of can't sew. I mean the "I can't even pretend to sew this button back on to my pants because I don't own a needle or thread. I guess I'll just tie them together with this extra shoelace" kind of can't sew.

The good news is, my mom can "kind of" sew, and she very generously made these stockings for us this year. I wanted something simple that I could use year after year, even as my tastes change. Made from natural quilted muslin and white faux wool, these are perfect for that.

This year, I opted to continue my cheap is the new black theme by tucking a little backyard greenery into these initial pins. I picked up the resin initials at Hobby Lobby and superglued pins onto the back (Ordinarily I'd hot glue them, but my glue gun has gone missing. I'm offering a reward for anyone who might have information on it's whereabouts. We're very close. See "I can't sew" above).

 

 

I usually do a simple silver and gold tree in the living room, and a more colorful tree in the dining room. Instead of a traditional tree skirt, I used an old galvanized tub and wrapped it at the base with a knit blanket. 

Buggy Boy's still at the age when he doesn't have the wherewithal to go looking for his Christmas presents, so they're still stacked unwrapped in the laundry room (except for the one from Santa, of course). That really might not get done until Christmas Eve. No judging.

The little wall next to the tree was looking kind of sad, so I propped up an old door I had out in the shed (Doesn't everyone? But for real, Justin is about two antique window sashes and a drop-leaf table away from calling Hoarders on me). 

I layered it with an extra wreath, and my old friend the would-be bathroom vanity (you can read her story here). Finally, I topped it all off with a vintage typewriter, a few books, and some more greenery.

That's all for now, but check back soon for a look at our dining room all prepped for Christmas morning!

Rustic Glam: Our Winter Table

In the spirit of all things simple, I went with table centerpiece I could leave out all winter long. I'm calling it Rustic Glam, because it sounds better than Free Stuff I Found in My Basement And Yard.

I found the mirror at an antique store several years ago, but it wasn't attached to the frame. Rather than reattach them, I painted the inside of the frame with chalkboard paint, and it now lives in my dining room. In the meantime, the mirror works part time as an impromptu table runner for my kitchen table. I love how it reflects the light from the candles and adds a little extra sparkle. 

I added a huge ironstone bowl filled with pinecones, a collection of mercury glass candles, and several pinecone candleholders in different sizes. For an extra (free) hit of nature, I added a few fresh cedar clippings from my yard. 

If you caught my hot chocolate station post (and if not, you can check it out here), you know I've been looking for ways to incorporate these old family photos into my holiday decor. For the place settings, I layered simple black chargers, photographs, and clear glass plates I picked up on sale at target for about $3 each.

I won't lie, I've eaten on these place settings once already, and it's a little weird scraping pie off my plate and finding my great-grandmother's face smiling up at me. I like to think she's proud I cleaned my plate twice.

Thanks for stopping by! We're picking out our Christmas trees (Yes treeS, but I promise, I'm reining it in this year) this weekend. Check back soon for a tour of our living and dining rooms all dressed up for Christmas!

Get It While It's Hot: A Look at Our Winter Hot Chocolate Station

One of my favorite things about decorating for Christmas is setting up the hot chocolate station on our eat-in kitchen hutch. It makes the room feel so cozy and festive. And the best part about this particular seasonal decoration? It can stay up all winter long!

This hot chocolate station comes complete with three different flavors of hot cocoa and a Kuerig coffee maker that heats up water in a flash. So it's always ready when guests stop by (or when Mama needs her fourth chocolate fix of the day. No judging).

Marshmallows, anyone? We have three different kinds for picky cocoa drinkers. We also have assorted adult beverages for people who like their cocoa with a kick!

One of my favorite easy (and cheap) ways to add some festive Christmas flair is to wrap empty boxes with kraft paper and tie them up with some red and white baker's twine. I've also wrapped actual presents and used them in my decor before, but then I forget which boxes are presents and which are empty, things get misplaced and someone ends up without a Christmas present. Last year we did't find one of Buggy Boy's presents till mid-January when I remembered where I put it. Oh well, he was five months old. He didn't notice.

I use a lot of cedar clippings in my Christmas and winter decor because, well, they're free and we have a ridiculous number of cedar trees on the property. Use what you've got people!

This sign is from one of Justin and my favorite neighborhoods in St. Louis. We both lived in St. Louis when we were dating, and this neighborhood in particular was very special to us. We got engaged at a park there, and we visit that spot whenever we go back to visit. This sign makes me smile every time I look at it.

I recently came across a fortune of old family photos in a drawer at my parents' house, and it just killed me that they were buried away. So, I've been working on finding fun ways to display them around my house.

There's nothing better than looking at embarrassing childhood pictures of family members whenever they come to visit (Case in point: See the super cute curly q with the headscarf standing awkwardly next to her old Italian grandmother? That's my mother, ladies and gentlemen. Could she be any cuter?).

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of our cozy hot cocoa station. Next up: a look at our kitchen table all set for Christmas. See you soon!