Monday, December 17, 2007

Christmas Tour of Casa de Phillips

I am playing along with BooMama (whose blog you MUST read because it is nothing short of hilarious) and hosting a Christmas tour of my home.

So pour yourself a steaming cup of hot chocolate, overflowing with marshmallows and sprinkles because that is the only way to drink it, and welcome to casa de phililps at Christmastime.


First, the tree....We purchased this little tree during after-Christmas sales the year we were engaged. Sadly, this is the final year this Christmas tree will be with us. It has been faithful for seven Christmas seasons, but is getting old (and is currently being held up with a few back issues of Sports Illustrated) and is going into retirement.


I must point out that I only decorate and wrap presents in red and gold....mismatched paper and decor make me a tad anxious.
Saturday night, husband and I attended a Christmas concert by our local symphony orchestra. Apparently we also enrolled in the "Sweater of the Month" club as well....
The Christmas we were engaged, I made ornaments with each of our names on them. For those Days of Our Lives fans...does this remind you of anything? For some reason I decided to make Tobe's silver and blue (and have an unintentional Dallas Cowboys feel), which does not match the whole red and gold theme. I have offered every year to make him a new one, but he wants to stick with the original.


Isaac and Evelyn's ornaments




The Rocking R....the farm brand from Tobe's Grandparents farm. I made these one year for his entire extended family.Our tribute to our respective home states....these always hang side by side on the tree Our Piano

The fireplace....eagerly awaiting two more stocking holders so Tobe and I can hang our socks next to the children's.

Because we live in an area that doesn't see much cold weather, there really is no reason for us to have a fire roaring in the fireplace. I chose to place greenery, large ornaments, and Christmas lights in there instead. My Santa collection....each year I purchase a new Santa. I always write the date on the bottom of his foot so I can remember which Santa was purchased during what year. I began a snowman collection for Evelyn this year, which means she has better come to love snowmen or she is going to dread her holiday decorations each year.
The Kitchen Table...which I keep "set" during the month of December. The tree on this table is decorated with cookie cutters and is often redecorated many times during the day by an unnamed toddler.
Something new we started this year is eating dinner by candlelight every night in December. Although this can be a bit tricky with a curious two year old, it does set a relaxing and mellow mood for the evening.
This is just a sampling of our Christmas decor....we have decorations throughout the house, including trees in each of the children's rooms, our room, and the guest bathroom.




Because you were so kind to stop by and tour casa de phillips, I want to share the (in)famous Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Cookie Recipe.



Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (Use the real stuff....your cookies will thank you)

3/4 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

48 red M&M's (approx.)

96 mini chocolate chips (approx)

Pretzels, broken into 96 1-inch pieces



* Preheat oven to 375 degrees


*Beat together butter, peanut butter, and sugars on med. speed for about two minutes


*Add egg and vanilla..beat until combined


*Sift together dry ingredients, then slowly add to wet ingredients


*Roll dough into one inch balls and place one inch apart on baking stone


*Press down light with hand, then get ready to decorate


*Broken pretzels are the antlers, chocolate chips the eyes, and the M&M's are the nose. I had better results decorating before baking, although you can do it immediately after cookies come from the oven if you prefer.


*Bake for about 8-10 minutes





Merry Christmas!

32 comments:

Sarah said...

Your ornaments could totally go on the Horton family Christmas tree!

Hootin Anni said...

So cool.
Love the 'home state' devotion too.

Mine's posted. I have two versions.

A thumbnail short version
and
a
slide show long version.

Anonymous said...

I love your ornaments, your home is very warm and cozy! Merry Christmas!

KC said...

very pretty home. What a wonderful picture of you and your husband. Thank you for inviting us into your home today.

ellen b. said...

Thanks for the lovely tour and the recipe! Blessings...

Shelley said...

Thanks for the tour! Love the Days of Our Lives ornaments. I think I cry every year when they show the family ornaments on "Days". Looking forward to seeing that episode soon!! Merry Christmas... Love the candle light dinner idea :)

Jenni said...

Gorgeous home! Thank you for sharing!

Melissa Stover said...

very cute. i think that's the only time the arkansas razorbacks will be side by side with texas.

you would be very anxious at my house. there's a lot of mismatched paper. but i love how it looks all matched up. maybe next year!

Jessica said...

I did the same thing when we got married and made personalized ornaments. Your's are much prettier! You have a gorgeous home! Merry Christmas!

Unknown said...

What a lovely post, and those ornaments will be one of your most cherished possessions forever. Your home looks lovely and I wish you a very Merry Christmas, Blessings, Karen

Southern Heart said...

Everything looks lovely! you have a beautiful home, and your tree and ornaments are wonderful. I like that photo of you two...what a cute couple!

Merry Christmas,

Andrea

Jess said...

Beautiful home! My hubby would be thrilled to see that Cowboys ornament.

Dianna said...

Oh, my! It looks like you had a pro come in. I love your tree all lighted.

Amber Smith said...

Lynley,
I loved looking at your Christmas decor. Don't worry about the lack of stocking hangers. All four of ours are currently being held up by Scotch tape. :)
I love your piano. So beautiful! And...I love the idea of eating by candlelight during the month of December. What a great idea!

Sydni said...

When Clint saw that you guys got cell phones only within the past few months he said he knew Tobe was a man after his heart. I'm not convinced though, because Clint does not involve himself in laundry or kitchen duties!

Your Christmas decorations are lovely! Thank you for the tour!

Sydni said...

Oops! One more thing... I've wondered for awhile now - does Tobe unloads the dishwasher?

Sydni said...

Sheesh. Sorry for the error. I meant 'unload' instead of 'unloads'. Hope to be gone now for good!

Phillips Family said...

Glad everyone is having a nice time visiting our little casa!

Sydni...Yes, tobe does unload the dishwasher. He is quite handy around the house!

Val R said...

Beautiful!!!

It's a Mom Thing said...

Very cute house! I love your hand-painted ornaments.

Kim said...

Enjoyed my visit. Merry Christmas!

Multi-tasking Mommy said...

I LOVE all of your homemade ornaments--so special!

I hear ya about a colour theme, but I gave up a few years ago--my hubby and I have VERY different views on xmas decorating!!!!

One year, I WILL get my silver and blue tree!!!!

Unknown said...

What a beautiful home! I am afraid you would get the jitters at my house with my packages all mis-matched. We use 5 colors of ribbon, one for each member of the family (my solution to hiding presents).

The simple idea of eating by candlelight every night in December is lovely. Really. I can do that. And the way you decorate your unused fireplace is so pretty and clever. I love that too!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your beautiful family. And thank you for the inspiration to make my home lovely!!

Merry Christmas!

kimi said...

SO DOOL! I'm so impressed!

Unknown said...

What a lovely blog and home. Love your hand decorated christmas decorations for the family. To note the date on the santas is a wonderful idea - thanks for that :)

I have enjoyed browsing through your blog, and plan to return for more.

Merry Christmas to you and yours from Northern Ireland.

Unknown said...

I collect Santas too and usually get them as gifts. Thank you for the idea of writing the year on them, I had never thought of that before... from now on... Merry Christmas!

Liz said...

I love all your handmade touches! So lovely!

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas! Ah you little tree is bidding a fair farewell! It still looks pretty as does the rest of your house. I have a photo of my husband and me in a similar pose before-gulp-my 30th high school reunion! It was taken expertly our 21 yr old son, so he's getting his own digital camera from Santa! Shhhh...

Mercy's Maid said...

Oh my goodness! This is the second Razorback ornament I've seen on the tour of homes. I'm clearly missing out here because I do not have one.

Woo pig sooie!

Cherdecor said...

Thank you for inviting us in to view all your Christmas decorations. Everything looks so beautiful, warm and festive. Thanks for the recipe!

Anonymous said...

Lovely! Thanks for the tour. Merry Christmas!

Anonymous said...

I love how your piano looks! Have a wonderful Christmas!