Popping into TJ Maxx

While helping Layla look for her mercury glass candlesticks this week, I popped into TJ Maxx to, you know…help a friend out and look for those things and then on my merry way I’d be. Well, you know how that goes. I always get distracted. First by all the pretty Christmas decor that was already being marked down. Then, I strolled over to another area and spotted this pretty round side table. On clearance. For $60! And it’s actually real wood. Yep, that baby is sold. I was really wishing for a black round table to add on one side of the beachy guestroom bed and this will do the trick. I’m going to paint her black and she will be perfect.

You just never know when a bargain will present itself. And no, I didn’t find the candlesticks.

Birmingham girls! This Saturday is my feature article in the Spaces section of the Birmingham News. Beachy guestroom redo. Don’t miss it! Of course, I’ll share here too.
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I was recently tagged by Stacey from The Blessed Nest for a Christmas meme. Now, I usually don’t play along with tags and awards very often (but I appreciate the thought AND I appreciate the awards that many of you have so generously passed to me!), so since it’s Christmas, I thought I’d participate in this one:

1) Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Definitely hot chocolate. Love homemade hot chocolate with real cocoa. My hubby makes great hot chocolate!

2) Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? We usually wrap our gifts, although with all adults in the family, we don’t do a lot of buying these days. The young adults get cash usually and me and my hubby don’t always exchange, although I have some fun things for him this year (shhhhh, just think AL football!)

3) Colored lights on tree/house or white? I love white lights inside so that’s what we use. Peter on the other hand, loves colored lights, so we compromised and last year after Christmas, I bought him 10 boxes of twinkling colored lights for him to string across the bushes in front of the house. I have to say, they are pretty!

4) Do you hang mistletoe? No, but I always had fond memories of it growing up, wishing someone would kiss me under it! LOL

5) When do you put your decorations up? As soon as possible, right after Thanksgiving or sometimes the week of Thanksgiving, I’ll get everything out. As you can probably tell, I love Christmas!

6) What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Oh, the sweets always call my name. Probably our cranberry congealed salad is something that I always look forward to. We’ve been making it in my family for at least 15 years and I love having it left over to snack on.

7) Favorite holiday memory as a child? Growing up as a preacher’s kid in a small church in Georgia, we always had a Christmas program and the kids got up and recited a little Christmas saying (remember that?). I took it very seriously and wanted to do a good job and I remember always being nervous, peeking out from behind the white sheets that were makeshift curtains hung with safety pins across the front of the church. I was an angel once or twice. Oh, the magic of it all!

8) When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Since my dad was a pastor, my parents never really “pushed” Santa at all, so I don’t ever remember believing in him. I think I just knew that our presents came from mom and dad and we didn’t get into the hype of Santa at all. We knew what the real story was and what was really important.

9) Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? sometimes hubby and I do open gifts on Christmas Eve, depends on what we have going on the next day.

10) How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Well, you all know I love to decorate for Christmas. My tree is done in golds and burgundies and I’ve added ornaments during the years. All white lights and feathers and pretty ribbon, that’s me!

11) Snow! Love it or dread it? Well, it doesn’t really matter, since down here in the South, we hardly ever see snow. We had a little bit last year, enough for the kids in the neighborhood to make a snowman, but I can’t ever remember having a White Christmas.

12) Can you ice skate? Yes, I can, but not very well. The only ice I’ve ever been on was at a rink in Atlanta. I can rollerskate like a crazy woman, but ice skating was a lot more challenging to me. Made my ankles hurt!

13) Do you remember your favorite gift? I’d have to say it was my Barbie doll, circa 1965 or so. I still have her! Go and look!

14) What is the most important thing about the holidays for you? Absolutely celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. As I get older, it just gets more important to me, as our country gets further and further away from the truth of who HE is and what He has done for all of us. They just don’t get it!

15) What is your favorite holiday dessert? I have SO many favorite desserts, anything chocolate will do.

16) What is your favorite holiday tradition? I love going to Christmas Eve services at church and taking in the sights and sounds, singing Christmas carols and lighting candles.

17) What tops your Christmas tree? A bow with feathers and glittery things.

18) Which do you prefer — Giving or Receiving? I’ve gotten plenty over the years, so now I just like to enjoy family and friends and don’t care all that much about what I get. I do enjoy giving to my hubby and a few others. And instead of making it all about the “stuff”, I have started making something handmade for my family.

19) What is your favorite Christmas song? Silent Night and O Holy Night

20) Candy canes? I do like candy canes, but they aren’t my first choice for candy. If nothing else is around, I’ll eat them!

21) What do you want for Christmas? I’m really not asking for anything this Christmas. I have a new flatiron that just came in since my old one broke, so that will do just fine for me. Don’t know what my hubby has in mind. We don’t go overboard for Christmas.

22) Do you attend an annual Christmas party? Last year, we had a LOT of parties to go to and this year, only a couple.

23) Do you dress up on Christmas or wear PJ’s? Usually just a casual day, not dress up. Not PJ’s either.

24) Do you own a Santa hat? Absolutely not! Or a Christmas sweater either.

25) Who do you normally spend Christmas with? Family, always

That’s probably WAY more than you ever wanted to know about me!