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Holiday Open House 2007



Click on the above link to visit Tiany for more "Holiday Open House 2007".







Welcome, what a blessing it is to me that you've stopped by. Please allow me to give you a tour of our home. After that we can sit down and chat for a bit.



Home Sweet Home for the past "10" years.









As you come up the stairs the house if filled with the Christmas smells of: Cinnamon, Apples and Yankee Candle "Christmas Wreath". You will first see our fire place. We are missing one stocking at the end. Do to the fact we got a new dog this past Easter and have not found the right stocking for her. The Reindeer with the gold bow was made by my husband grandfathers wife "Nina". So it is very special to us since she has pass on.





My Mother-in-law & Sister-in-law blessed me two Christmas ago with this Nativity Set. This stays out all year long as a symbol of Christ being the center of our home. The cake plate with the ribbon around it is used on Christmas Day. It is placed at Jesus "place" at our table with His birthday cake on it. My husband sits at one end and the other end is for Jesus. Christmas Eve we will bake Jesus birthday cake. At Christmas dinner we all sing "Happy Birthday Jesus" before we eat.
Click on the link to here the song that we sing.
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
1 chocolate cake mix
1 white cake mix
white frosting
yellow, red, and green liquid food coloring
3 round cake pans, 8 or 9 inches
large red candle taper
box of small
birthday candles
red and yellow piping gel
plastic
Christmas decorations (optional)


Directions Mix and bake chocolate cake mix according to box directions. Cool & flip out both. Wrap 1 chocolate layer and freeze for later use. Mix white cake according to box directions. Divide batter in half. Add several drops of red food coloring to the first half and mix; pour in cake pan. Add green food coloring to the other half of the batter and stir; pour in cake pan. Bake, cool, and pop out. Stack the chocolate layer first and frost with white frosting. Add the red layer next, frost, and finish with the green layer. Frost whole cake with white frosting. Decorate with plastic decorations or red and yellow piping gel, adding a gold star on top (representing the Star of Bethlehem) and the red candle in the center. Light the red candle and read the Christmas story. Light each person's small candles from Jesus' candle and carefully add them to the cake. Sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.



The girls would now like to take over our tour:

Meet Scottlyn & Shalyn: They are so proud of their bedroom door. They found this idea of wrapping the bedroom door in wrapping paper from their American Girl Magazine.


They picked "Pink' Snow~Family for their door and "Red" Snowmen for their big brother.
He will be home this Saturday.
What do you think a "20" year young man will think of this?

Back down stairs we go to see the school room tree. This is Mom's favorite because it is filled with hand made treasures from past years. The tree skirt was hers when she was a littler girl and the Nativity set was given to us by our "Grammie" it was the same one Momma played with. We also have a collection of our favorite Christmas Books here that we reread together each season.
Before we visit would you like to freshen up? Let them show you to the powder room.


A few Christmas ago Scottlyn had a Awesome Sunday School Teacher named "Miss Bonnie". All SS Teachers are blessings. But there is always one or two that touch your heart. This one gave her a very special Nativity Set and each year she likes to but it in the bathroom.

Would you like some "Hot Coco w/ lots of marshmallows"? We also have some special treats to eat! Yummy, Yummy. By the way all things are Fat Free. He, Hee :)!I got theses neat Christmas Tree placements this year with matching rugs for the kitchen.
This is part of out Kitchen. The tree on your left a dear "AWANA" students gave me one Christmas. Their is also our "Jesse" tree. Now, the white bows on the tree, the gold skirt on the "Jesse" tree and the green bows with gold Angle's on the banister when you came in the door were first used in our wedding "10" years ago this past October. Our very first Christmas tree skirt was the gold skirt and all over the tree were these white and gold trim bows. Now let's take our "treat's " and visit by the tree.

Here is our tree. My cousin"Sharon" gave us the Angle on top for a wedding present. I always thought it was the best present we got. To give an Angle tree topper was so special. Our first Christmas was a small one. We had just bought this house and we were in dept up to our eye's but our home was filled with newly wed Bliss. I laugh now. What were we thinking? But on to the "Tree". The tree is filled with an eclectic mix of things: their are purple grapes, red apples, gold poinsettia's, little pink and purple dresses, ivory angles, American Girl dolls, yearly pictures of us, ballerina's, gold balls and Lenox bells. The Christmas tree skirt my mother made us last year. The ruffle is out of some left over gold material from our wedding. It is so pretty.

This school year we have been memorizing the book of James. We have taken the this year off from AWANAS and spent our time more wisely studying the word. By Christmas we will have the first 2 chapters written on our hearts. The girls will dramatically recite from memory what they have learned. What a blessings this has been to us as a family.

Now that I have showed you my home let me open up my heart:

Every year at night when the kids are in bed and the house is quite and still I like to sit here and reflect of the past year. The year is coming to a close and I am counting my blessings. We are also blessed to be where we are. I know we are all in different places in life some of us our on top of a mountain yelling "victory" and others of us are in a low valley wondering when we will see the light? But know matter where I am or where you are I want us to praise God together for where we are in life. You can lean on me and i can lean on you. He is drawing us closer to Him though each season we are in. At times it's hard and I can feel His hand around me, caring me through. Other times I am smiling as I look at my children and see His reflection in their Christ like actions. Sometimes He uses them to speak straight to me. Life can not get any better then this. I have been praying for you (the reader of this blog) this past few weeks. What I have written I pray has blessed you and encouraged you. What ever season you are in "May you feel Gods presence around you." I love you my Sweet Sister in Christ. Have a blessed day with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Growing in Him,
Trina










21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for welcoming us into your home. What a fun and lovely tour.
Blessings,
4sweetums

Unknown said...

What a beautiful home. I'm sure your son will love the door, the girls did a great job. Have a blessed holiday. Julie

Anonymous said...

Trina,
What a lovely tour of your home. I really enjoyed it! It sounds as if you have a wonderful time during the holidays. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Hugs,
Pam
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hip2schoolathome

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing! Wishing you and your family a wonderful CHRISTmas!

Blessings,
~Tamara
www.TrainingHearts.com

lori said...

Coming inside to Daddy's Chicks house...
HOW FUN!!
Thanks for the tour and the traditions!!
They are awesome!
blessings,
lori

Speaking from the Heart said...

Trina,

You did a great job decorating your home. Thank you for sharing.

Wandering No More said...

Thanks for a great tour - very homey and welcoming!
I like that idea of wrapping the bedroom doors - never saw it done before but I'm sure my little boys would like to do that. :D

My Holiday Open House post is at
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhighlites

Jenn said...

Trina! I love your post, so many great traditions your family has. Thanks for inviting us into your beautiful home. The Jesus plate is so sweet!! I REALLY want to do the Jesse tree next year!

Jenn :)

MrsMomma said...

I love the way you've decorated, Trina! You have some wonderful traditions going on!

Merry Christmas,
-Heather

Melissa Markham said...

Your home and decorations are absolutely beautiful! I also like to sit and look at the Christmas tree when all else are asleep and the house is quiet and reflect. It is one of the most peaceful moments.

Angela said...

What a lovely tour!!! Love all the pics!!! Thanks for sharing!!! :-)

Ellie said...

Trina, thanks so much for stopping by my blog, and I have to tell you, I just love yours! Thank you for taking us on a tour of your home, and for letting us have hot chocolate with you! I can't wait to read your other entries!
Blessings,
Ellie

Tammy said...

Love the decorations! Putting wrapping paper on the door -what a neat idea! Let us know how the big brother likes it. ;) I also like the idea of singing to Jesus before eating dinner and a special plate too. wow!
Thanks for stopping by...check back with me because I realized I have more to post! :)
Tammy

Renee said...

Trina, what a wonderful and beautiful tour of your home and your holiday traditions. Your girls did a great job with the doors! Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Reading your words at the end, where you opened your heart, was so special..again, Thank you so much!

bubbebobbie said...

Oh I love the wrapped doors and I think a 20 year old brother will think his little sisters are awesome! I also think your nativity sets are beautiful, and your Jesse tree is such fun. Thanks for the Hot Chocolate it hit the spot and now I am off to bed. Thank you for inviting us into your home. The girls did a lovely job showing me around. They are so polite.

Because of Jesus, Bobbie
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/bubbebobbie/

Anonymous said...

Your home and decorations are beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Hi Trina, Just wanted to let you know that I will be keeping your family in my prayers. Hope you have a blessed week.
Pam
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hip2schoolathome

Anonymous said...

Wow! What a lovely home, that was a great tour, I enjoyed every minute of it! I have a bi level type home too, not near as nice as yours, its really beautiful!

Angela

Janne said...

What a beautifully decorated home! Quite lovely.

Merry Christmas!
Janne
http://janne.cc/blog

Disney for Boys said...

This was so much fun!! You have such a lovely home! Everythig so warm and inviting, wish I could hop on over for some of that Hot coco and Little Debbie Christmas cakes! My boys love those! LOL

Thanks so much for particapting and sharing your Christmas with us!!

Hugs & Blessings,
Tiany

Anonymous said...

Yes, I'd love some hot coco! It looks so good,.. as does your whole house this holiday season :)
May God bless you and yours this Christmas,
Love,
Joy
http://ajoyfulkeeper.com/my-blog/

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