Christmas in The Cedar Loft

Time slips by, doesn’t it? Well before Christmas arrived, I thought I’d share a few pictures of our very simply decorated Cedar Loft. Especially with it decorated for Christmas, I feel like I'm in Little House on the Prairie. It feels warm and cozy. :)

Still no curtains there above the bed, but hopefully that will come sometime after Christmas. It’s always a good thing to have something to which I can look forward.

Jason made the pegboards for me a few weeks ago, which made the perfect spot to hang some primitive stockings. I saw some of these stockings over on Tammy’s blog (A Primitive Place) and loved them and how economical they were too! The stockings are $1.00 Christmas sock/stockings from Dollar Tree which of course had to be tea stained to give them an instant primitive/old look.

We’ve used this Christmas tree a little bit of everywhere in our home, but mostly on the front porch with only twinkling lights. This year it was given a place of honor in the little alcove of the dormer window……a perfect spot for it.

We made everything on the tree except the cranberry beads and the star on top. I really wanted it to be an old-fashioned tree with everything handmade.

The candy canes began as the pack of 6 that you can purchase at Dollar Tree for a $1.00. They are wrapped in strips of tea stained muslin and homespun. Love those!

And oh how I love these little twig stars. I saw these on Pinterest (so many goodies on Pinterest), and knew I would love them on our tree in the loft especially. Well they turned out just as I envisioned them, but they were little boogers to make. Thank the Lord Jason jumped in and practically took over this project, bless his heart. It was difficult holding all the pieces together to get them tied appropriately. I do love them though! And since we have plenty of twigs in the yard and I already had the jute, they didn't cost me anything. :)

The garland was made from tying strips of homespun together and knotting them.

I would have liked to dry oranges to add to the tree, but my to-do wish list became longer than my time.

A little Christmas in the kitchen area:

Joy has always set up the village. She loves arranging it. We decided to put it out in the loft this year. She set it up with a little help from Luke.

This is my favorite little scene of the village.  Of course, I love the log cabin and the people enjoying the simple moments.

We couldn't forget the bathroom. Got to have something Christmasy to look at when we're in there. :)

I'll be back with a few highlights of Christmas in our home.....not alot, just a few favorite photos to share. It's time to start baking. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Faithful Friday - "His Presence"

It’s Friday. Time for Faithful Friday.  :)  It’s one day we set aside to share something from our Christian walk, although we enjoy walking with the Lord on a daily basis.  :)   Started by my daughter, Joy, as a way to share our faith, we invite you to join too. Just leave Joy a comment here on her blog and let her know you are participating. We’d love to visit you! Even if you aren’t joining us with a post, be sure to read Joy’s Faithful Friday post today. It’s a wonderful heartfelt and thoughtful post. It blessed me.

Today’s post is taken from the daily devotion book, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. In this busy time of year, it was refreshing to read this when I woke up this morning. I hope you enjoy it too and take it to heart.

I am speaking in the depths of your being. Be still, so that you can hear My voice. I speak in the language of Love; My words fill you with Life and Peace, Joy and Hope. I desire to talk with all of My children, but many are too busy to listen. The “work ethic” has them tied up in knots. They submit wholeheardly to this taskmaster, wondering why they feel so distant from Me.


Living close to Me requires making Me your First Love – your highest priority. As you seek My Presence above all else, you experience Peace and Joy in full measure. I also am blessed when you make Me first in your life. While you journey through life in My Presence, My Glory brightens the world around you.

The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. Isaiah 50:4 (NIV)

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Revelation 2:4 (NIV)

See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you. Isaiah 60:2 (NIV)

I pray you and your family are blessed this Christmas season and that you take time to feel God's presence and allow His glory to brighten your world.  :)

~ Tammy ~

Our Family's Top Picks in Christmas Movies

I’d really love to share Christmas décor pictures with you, but since my house doesn’t seem to be able to stay clean long enough for photos these days (between all the running, crafting, wrapping gifts, cooking, and all the Christmas season busyness), it’s just not happening today.

So…..since it’s also the season of Christmas movie watching, I thought I’d share our family favorites. We don’t have cable or satellite, so all of our viewing is on VHS, DVDs or instant streaming from Netflix. We even get limited local stations. So I am basing our favorites on what we have access to watching.

I’m going to list each of our "top three" favorites. Without revealing our favorites to each other, this is what we came up with.  And these in our top favorites are watched multiple times during the Christmas season!  And let me just say right here that I told Jason he cheated.  :)  He made his second choice a tie.  Believe me, it was hard trying to put it in just 3 top picks.

Tammy’s:

#1 - It’s a Wonderful Life
#2 – A Holiday for Love (known on TV formerly as Christmas in my Hometown)
#3 – The Christmas Card

Jason’s:

#1 – It’s a Wonderful Life
#2 – Tie: A Holiday for Love & Christmas Comes to Willow Creek
#3 – The Christmas Card

Colt's:

His are in no particular order. These are just his favorites when asked to name three favorite Christmas movies.   No surprise, his are all comedies.  :)

Jingle All the Way
I'll Be Home For Christmas
The Santa Clause

Joy’s:

#1 – It’s a Wonderful Life
#2 – The Christmas Card
#3 – Christmas With a Capital C

Luke’s:

#1 – Christmas Comes to Willow Creek (Because it has an 18-wheeler in it which he LOVES!).
#2 – Bob the Builder - Christmas to Remember
#3 – Kipper's Christmas Eve

And seriously, It's a Wonderful Life is in a category all its own because none really compare to it in my book.

Now, we narrowed it down to the top three, but there are several more that we make a point of watching every year. These additional ones always include: A Christmas Romance, A Holiday Romance, A Holiday to Remember, Smoky Mountain Christmas, Comfort and Joy, Holiday Affair, Prancer, Mary Christmas, Christmas At Plum Creek, and Borrowed Hearts. Oh and I also love Annabelle's Wish, but we have always rented it and haven't found it this year and I really want Luke to see it!  It's a sweet one!

For anyone taking note of these, I do want to warn you that Christmas Comes to Willow Creek does have a couple of words in it that I could do without, but since we know where they are, we can skip through it.  Also after just watching Comfort and Joy again, please note that there are a couple of situations and lifestyles in there that we don't approve of in her "old life". 

Actually the most wholesome movies listed above include:  It's a Wonderful Life, A Holiday for Love, The Christmas Card, A Christmas Romance, Christmas With a Capital C, A Holiday to Remember, Christmas At Plum Creek, A Holiday Romance, Borrowed Hearts, Annabelle's Wish, Mary Christmas, and Prancer.
The movies we seem to enjoy have “that Christmas feeling” about them. It’s hard to describe. It just feels like Christmas. It is cozy and family centered, with a good moral story, and those with lots of snow definitely helps too. Speaking for myself, I also love to look at the houses and décor in the background. For example, A Holiday for Love, A Christmas Romance, Christmas at Plum Creek, Smoky Mountain Christmas, and a Holiday to Remember have “my kind” of décor, country/primitive/farmhouse/rustic charm, in the homes.

What about you? What are your favorite Christmas movies and why? Are we missing some really great ones that our family would love based on what I revealed about our favorites? Tell me.......... :)

Oh, and I definitely hope to be back in a couple of days with Christmas photos of our home and The Cedar Loft.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a great day!  And be sure and grab a big bowl of popcorn, snuggle up, and enjoy some Christmas movie watching!  :)

Christmas Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone that stopped by and entered the Christmas giveaway! I used random.org to generate the winner……….

Are you ready?  :)

These Christmas goodies will be going to the home of...........

~Donna ~ One Simple Country Girl ~


Congratulations, Donna! Donna has been a long time blogging friend! If you can email me your address, Donna, I’ll send  your Christmas goodies out by priority mail!

A Christmas Giveaway!

It’s giveaway time! I love Christmas and as a thank you to the readers of my blog and friends in blog land, I really wanted to host a Christmas giveaway!

I know today is the usual day for a Faithful Friday post, and I hope you’ll forgive me for skipping this week, but because of wanting to get this giveaway posted and out before Christmas, I decided to forego it this week. We should be back on schedule with it next Friday though.

Since Christmas is quickly approaching, the deadline to enter the giveaway will be Monday, December 12th at 9:00 p.m. (Central time). Hopefully this way, the winner can get their shipping information to me right away, and the Christmas goodies will be on their way via priority mail the next day, Tuesday the 13th. That’s the plan anyway.

Here’s what’s offered in the Christmas giveaway:

Table bench not included.  :)

The Merry Christmas blocks were cut out by Jason and decorated by me.

The set of six primitive candy canes were crafted by Joy and me. Of course they can be separated, we just bundled them together with some Christmas greens.

The 8 x 10 stitchery was stitched by my good friend, Betty W. and tea stained and framed by me.

The giveaway is open to my US friends only (due to the cost of shipping). So sorry…..I really wish that could be different, but shipping is outrageous otherwise! You can be entered up to four times. Please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for each entry to be counted separately, since the winner will be drawn by random.org.

You will be entered once by leaving a comment on this post letting me know you want to be entered. You will be entered a second time by letting me know in another comment that you are a follower of my blog. You may entered a third time by posting this giveaway on your blog or sidebar (and letting me know that in separate comment). And you may be entered a fourth time by following me on Pinterest (and letting me know that also on a separate comment). You can find the link to find me on Pinterest on my sidebar. By leaving a separate comment, each entry will be counted separately, giving you more chances of winning! 

Example:

First Comment:  I would like to be entered in your giveaway.
Second Comment:  I am a follower of your blog.
Third Comment:  I posted this on my sidebar (or blog post).
Fourth Comment:  I now follow you on Pinterest.

Oh, and make sure you have a way for me to contact you in at least one of the comments!  If I can't contact you, I'll have to pick another winner!

I will announce the winner Monday evening as soon as we have a winner! Again, thank you to each and every person that visits my little corner of blog land! I really appreciate you! And I hope you’re all taking time to enjoy the simple moments this Christmas season.  :)

Meet Koda.......

Colt gave himself (and Amber) an early Christmas present, compliments of one of his customers from work.

Since he is living in town in an apartment now with his friend and coworker, Tony, Colt drove out here and he and Amber were waiting on us next door at Grandmama and Pop’s house Saturday night when we came home from grocery shopping. We didn’t even notice his little surprise for a few minutes because she is SO tiny that she was hiding under Colt’s baseball cap. It was a few minutes before I noticed the cap moving on his lap. At first I thought he had mama’s little dog, Stinker, under there. Colt and Amber were trying hard to hold back the grins and snickers. He removed the cap and introduced us to Koda. She is a chihuahua and is supposed to be 6 weeks old, but we are doubting she is really that old. She is the cutest little thing. She actually reminds me more of a little wolf in the face.

Boy has she been fussed over. Her feet haven’t touched the floor too much because somebody is always holding her!

Colt told us Sunday at church that she woke him up every hour. Guess he’s getting practice for little ones one day (and pay back for all those nights he kept me awake).  :)   She is eating fairly well, but he's been giving her water and a little milk with a dropper. She’s already doing well with potty training for him too. He did look a little tired on Sunday though. :)

Colt and Amber came out for dinner Sunday night and brought Koda along. Of course, she was passed around again. She is just darling. Despite Colt insiting that she would NOT wear a sweater (after suggestions from Amber, Grandmama, and me), Koda arrived in a (very fashionable) sweater, compliments of Amber. She created it from the sleeve of fuzzy footy baby pajamas! Guess Colt was out voted!

Koda is quite the puppy super model too, except when she was just too cozy and sleepy to cooperate.

Just watching her is enough to make you sleepy!

He’s calling himself daddy to Koda, so does this mean we have a grand-dog? :)

***********************************************************************************

I just couldn’t wait any longer…….my next post will be a Christmas giveaway! I'm finishing up some crafting tonight and getting it ready to go! I'm hoping for tomorrow evening, but for sure by Thursday! Be sure and stop by! :)

Faithful Friday - "Jesus is the Reason for the Season"

I am very relieved to see many of the stores where I shopped on Black Friday and where I love to shop sticking with the greeting of “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays”. After all, the holiday is Christmas and Christmas is the holiday we celebrate Christ Jesus’ birth.

We all know how commercialized Christmas has become. We have always made the point of making sure our kids knew why we were celebrating and why we give gifts and we’ve try not to put the emphasis otherwise. But every year still we get caught up in the commercialization of Christmas as well. This year we are trying especially hard to make it all centered around the real reason for Christmas. We are starting an advent called What God wants for Christmas. It was given to me by someone at the end of the season last year, and for the life of me, I can’t remember who. Isn’t that terrible? Anyway, I had tucked it away since it was at the end of the season last year and just found it this year.

 It is an interactive kid friendly nativity with things to read and activities to do and they are all centered around Christ’s birth. In the past we have made birthday cakes and sang happy birthday to Jesus as well. This year we are committed to especially making an effort to put the emphasis on the birth of Christ and not everything else. We are even checking into our family helping to serve dinner on Christmas Eve at a homeless shelter, random acts of kindness throughout the week, and anything else that involves the real reason we celebrate Christmas – the ultimate gift of love given to us in Jesus.

When I go to a store, no more Happy Holidays for me, I make a point to say Merry Christmas. By the way, that reminds me……have you seen Christmas with a Capital C? It’s a movie revolving around an attorney who returns to his small home town in Alaska and quickly rocks the boat by getting an injunction against the nativity display tradition and attacking Christmas. It can viewed instantly on Netflix.

Also I wanted to share a naughty or nice list concerning stores that still use “Merry Christmas”, those that are borderline, and those that do not use Merry Christmas, but instead Happy Holidays. Choosing not to shop at those that don’t support Merry Christmas and shopping at those that do, is just one small thing I can do and have done and intend to continue doing. You can view that list by clicking here. 

I would like to challenge you to make a point of taking the Reason for the Season, Jesus, and do something He would want us to do. First of all, make sure He is foremost the center of our celebrating. Just a pleasant “Merry Christmas” (instead of Happy Holidays) to the clerk who checks us out; picking up someone’s tab at a restaurant, random acts of kindness, helping out the needy……….those things. Those are the things I want my family to be all about this Christmas season, and we’re going to try really hard this year to make that the center of our celebrating. Just thought I’d share………wouldn’t it be nice if we could all do that?

We'd love to have you join us in Faithful Friday too. If you have something you'd like to share from your Christian walk, just let us know in a comment either here or on Joy's blog, so we can come visit you too! (Joy's Faithful Friday post is coming....later tonight...she's babysitting today.) :)

Have a great weekend! Be Blessed!