JBigg: Life in Kentucky: 2015

Nutcrackers Marching on the Mantel

The Christmas Mantel is full of nuts, nutcrackers that is! Each of the nutcrackers on the mantel represent a trip to see The Nutcracker Ballet in St. Louis or Kansas City.

We enjoy trips to see the Nutcracker and make it a family Christmas experience. We have missed a few years but always enjoy the ballet each time we have the opportunity to go.

Pottery Barn Christmas pillows fill the chair next to the mantel.

My grandsons have shared a little time with Santa at the Annual Women's Club Breakfast with Santa.

I chose the Nutcracker theme for my grandsons (and the rest of us) to enjoy for the holidays. They were eager to help me place them on the mantel and each picked out the two they wanted to use. A few cardinal birds and tiny red lights were added to the small trees at each end of the mantel. A couple cardinals are also resting on the garland to carry on my cardinal Christmas tree theme. Stockings from Pottery Barn hang from reindeer on the mantel.

Click for a link to Decorating the Tree or to The Star on the Tree.

I can just see the Toy Soldiers marching across the stage in Tchaikovsky's March of the Toy Soldiers. Thanks for stopping by for another day of Life in Kentucky - Judy.

Linking to:

Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Mosaic Monday @ Lavendar Cottage

Show and Share @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life on Tuesday

The Scoop @ StoneGable Blog

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With an E

Tweak It Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Fall into Fall @ DIY by Design

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style

What Is It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants

Share Your Style Link Party @ The Uptown Acorn

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Favorite Things Thursday @ Katherine's Corner

Home and Garden Thursday @ A Delightsome Life

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home on Thursday

Simple & Sweet Fridays @ Rooted in Thyme

Feathered Nest Friday @ The French Country Cottage

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Fabulously Creative Friday @ Jennifer Rizzo

Foodie Friday & Everything Else @ Rattlebridge Farm

Weekend Retreat @ AKA Design & Life

The Bouquet of Talent Party @ Life on Lakeshore Drive - Saturday

Sunny Simple Sunday @ Sunny Simple Life

Table It Monday @ Rustic & Refined on Sundays

The Star on the Tree plus ribbons and bows

My Christmas tree topper is done and ready to share.

I'm using a star as my topper to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem.

This star is also called the Christmas Star and Christians believe it is the star that led the wise men, or magi, to Bethlehem and revealed the birth of Jesus.

The magi followed the star, which stopped above the location where Jesus was born.

My husband bought our red glittered star a few years ago and it has been used each year on at least one of our trees. This year, we only have one tree up (so much to do with our recent move and getting settled in) so our Christmas Star stands atop the tree as a Christian tradition in our home.

After the star was placed on the tree, ribbons were cut in strips 18 inches long or more. A single loop was pinched and tied with wire. The ends of the ribbons can be cut at an angle and curled. I like to use wire ribbons since it holds the curls. Each ribbon piece was tucked in around the star.

To see more of my Decorating the Tree - and a few tips post, click here.

Merry Christmas and thanks for stopping in for another day of Life in Kentucky - Judy.

Linking to:

Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Mosaic Monday @ Lavendar Cottage

Show and Share @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life on Tuesday

The Scoop @ StoneGable Blog

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With an E

Tweak It Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Fall into Fall @ DIY by Design

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style

What Is It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants

Share Your Style Link Party @ The Uptown Acorn

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Favorite Things Thursday @ Katherine's Corner

Home and Garden Thursday @ A Delightsome Life

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home on Thursday

Simple & Sweet Fridays @ Rooted in Thyme

Feathered Nest Friday @ The French Country Cottage

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Fabulously Creative Friday @ Jennifer Rizzo

Foodie Friday & Everything Else @ Rattlebridge Farm

Weekend Retreat @ AKA Design & Life

The Bouquet of Talent Party @ Life on Lakeshore Drive - Saturday

Sunny Simple Sunday @ Sunny Simple Life

Table It Monday @ Rustic & Refined on Sundays

Decorating the Tree - and a Few Tips

You may be decorating your tree or still planning to decorate soon. I thought I would share a few tips I kept in mind while decorating. Even though I am using an artificial tree, that doesn't mean it can't be beautiful.

Choosing a theme is an important part of my decorating. Because I have seen several cardinals around my yard here in Kentucky, I'm going with a cardinal theme with lots of red elements.

After I got the tree placed in the stand and fluff the branches, I began adding the lights and always follow the rule of 100 lights per foot. The tree I am working on is a 7.5 ft tree so I am 700 lights plus lights and push them in deep or at least I try to.

Three different types of berries were added to the tree.

After the lights and berries, you may have branches or pics to add. I've added some larges branches with apples and berries.

I'm also adding wired gold leaf branches.

Adding the garlands and swags to the tree helps to fill in empty places. I'm like using ribbons on my tree. Sometimes I make bows with the ribbons and other times I drape the ribbons.

Different shapes and sizes of ornaments on the tree add interest; with the larger ones hung towards the middle and bottom and smaller ones placed near the top.

The cardinals were added last to the tree since I wanted them towards the outside of my branches and making a statement.

My grandsons enjoy "Elf on the Shelf" so he has a special place on the tree.

I'm still working on the topper, so I'll show it to you as soon as it's done . Here's a little reminder of my tips.

Thanks for stopping in for another day of Life in Kentucky. - Judy.

Linking to:

Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Mosaic Monday @ Lavendar Cottage

Show and Share @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life on Tuesday

The Scoop @ StoneGable Blog

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With an E

Tweak It Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Fall into Fall @ DIY by Design

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style

What Is It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants

Share Your Style Link Party @ The Uptown Acorn

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Favorite Things Thursday @ Katherine's Corner

Home and Garden Thursday @ A Delightsome Life

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home on Thursday

Simple & Sweet Fridays @ Rooted in Thyme

Feathered Nest Friday @ The French Country Cottage

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Fabulously Creative Friday @ Jennifer Rizzo

Foodie Friday & Everything Else @ Rattlebridge Farm

Weekend Retreat @ AKA Design & Life

The Bouquet of Talent Party @ Life on Lakeshore Drive - Saturday

Sunny Simple Sunday @ Sunny Simple Life

Table It Monday @ Rustic & Refined on Sundays

Christmas Tablescapes in Review

So many of us just love to decorate for Christmas and create beautiful tablescapes and vignettes. I think I must just love sparkle and glitz for the holidays since it seems many of my tables are full of sparkle. I am sharing a few of my Christmas tablescapes with you. Enjoy the review!

You may start your table design by creating the centerpiece first. In this post, I shared my design for a Christmas tablescape centerpiece.

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A Lenox cookie jar was elevated then surrounded by red sparkling poinsettias.

Silver garland of sparkling silver ornaments also surrounded the cookie jar and poinsettias. A Lenox tablecloth gave the table an elegant touch.

A flocked tree with red ornaments in a mercury vase stood on a table to allow guests to move around the table freely. The large mercury balls were used for lots of glitz.

Once you are past the centerpiece, the rest of your tablescape design starts to come together.

My Sparkle and Spode Christmas tablescape featured bits of sparkle along with my Spode Winter's Eve - Cranberry dishes.

Silver was used on the server with a large silver tray and silver candle holders.

Silver ornaments and a Reed and Barton silver music box game the centerpiece added glitz.

White glittered deer brought more sparkle for the table along with crystal candle holders. A cranberry tablerunner was used to compliment the cranberry color in the Spode.

A big change in color was used for my Aqua Christmas Tablescape. Some of you may know how much I love aqua so, of course, I had so much fun creating this tablescape. I think I could use these dishes for any holiday or even just for everyday.

Again, I just added lots of sparkle and glitz to make this aqua tablescape perfect for Christmas.

Chartreuse was a fun color to use for my Christmas Dining tablescape.

This tablescape was created for a dinner party at my daughter's house.

I consider this tablescape as casual elegant with the burlap runner and the Lenox China used together

The China, stemware, napkins, and silverware are Lenox Holiday Nouveau.

The silver glittered deer were from Nell Hill's and gave lots of sparkle.

There you have it, hope you enjoyed the review and my use of lots of sparkle and glitz - Judy.

Linking to:

Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Mosaic Monday @ Lavendar Cottage

Show and Share @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life on Tuesday

The Scoop @ StoneGable Blog

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With an E

Tweak It Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Fall into Fall @ DIY by Design

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style

What Is It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants

Share Your Style Link Party @ The Uptown Acorn

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Favorite Things Thursday @ Katherine's Corner

Home and Garden Thursday @ A Delightsome Life

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home on Thursday

Simple & Sweet Fridays @ Rooted in Thyme

Feathered Nest Friday @ The French Country Cottage

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Fabulously Creative Friday @ Jennifer Rizzo

Foodie Friday & Everything Else @ Rattlebridge Farm

Weekend Retreat @ AKA Design & Life

The Bouquet of Talent Party @ Life on Lakeshore Drive - Saturday

Sunny Simple Sunday @ Sunny Simple Life

Table It Monday @ Rustic & Refined on Sundays

Time for A Fall Mantel

I'm just now getting my fall mantel decorated and just in time for Thanksgiving. You must remember we have recently moved to Kentucky, then there was the mold issue with our furniture in climate control so my mantel was a bit slow coming.

Just yesterday, I was able to get to the containers marked Fall. I try to keep my decor in containers marked with the season or holiday I plan to use them. It seems to make it so much easier.

The lanterns are new, I bought them from Michaels for the mantel when we purchased the house in Kentucky. They are battery operated so give off a nice glow.

The two quail were made by my Mom years ago as a gift to my Dad who was a quail hunter years ago. I always use them in my fall decor either on a mantel or on a tablescape.

The batteries last about 30 days if you burn them 24 / 7 like I do. I don't mind replacing them; it's nice to get up in the night and have a little glow in the living room.

The fall foliage stem and pieces are all pulled from my fall tub. See, it makes it easy to keep it all organized in a container.

So glad I have my mantel done. I have made a list for each day this week in order to be ready for Thanksgiving. Actually, I've had lists going for days and days trying to get moved in and the house all put together.

Thanks for stopping by for another day of Life in Kentucky - Judy.

Linking to:

Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Show and Share @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life on Tuesday

The Scoop @ StoneGable Blog

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With an E

Tweak It Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Fall into Fall @ DIY by Design

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style

What Is It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants

Share Your Style Link Party @ The Uptown Acorn

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Favorite Things Thursday @ Katherine's Corner

Home and Garden Thursday @ A Delightsome Life

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home on Thursday

Simple & Sweet Fridays @ Rooted in Thyme

Feathered Nest Friday @ The French Country Cottage

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Fabulously Creative Friday @ Jennifer Rizzo

Foodie Friday & Everything Else @ Rattlebridge Farm

Weekend Retreat @ AKA Design & Life

The Bouquet of Talent Party @ Life on Lakeshore Drive - Saturday

Sunny Simple Sunday @ Sunny Simple Life

Table It Monday @ Rustic & Refined on Sundays

Mosaic Monday @ Normandy Life on Sunday evening

So Many Boxes and No Place to Put Things - MOLD

My move to Murray, KY, hasn't gone as smoothly as I planned. We sold our house and all of our belongings were put in storage for months in Kansas City . We thought we would buy a home in Kansas City last spring or summer but when my Dad had a fall and needed me there with him in Southern Illinois, buying a home got put on the back burner.

Then our daughter and family decided to move to Murray, KY; we knew we wanted to go too and be close to them and our grandsons; we were so glad we hadn't purchased a home in Kansas City. We were free to move wherever we wanted. All we needed to do was find a home in Kentucky, hire movers and all would be just rosy.

It just didn't go like I planned. We bought a home in Kentucky, hired painters to get it ready. The movers came to pick up all of our furniture and other things from storage, then the story goes down hill quick. Even though we had our furniture in climate control storage, there was MOLD. Yes, ugly mold on all of my wooden pieces of furniture plus on the mattresses, a fabric couch, fabric chairs, even on a leather couch.

Who would have thought that even with our furniture in climate control storage, we would have gotten mold. What a shock for me! I called my insurance and no coverage for mold; then checked with the storage facility and no coverage there either. Looks like we were on our own to take care of this mess. The movers did bring the furniture to Kentucky and unloaded everything into the shop building behind our house. Nothing came in the house. We threw the mattresses away; I just couldn't stand the thought of sleeping on a mattress with possible mold spores on the inside. The worse wooden pieces of furniture were also disposed of. I'm working with cleanup and restoration specialists now so I'll give you an update soon.

Hating mold but loving Life in Kentucky - Judy.

Linking to:

Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Mosaic Monday @ Lavendar Cottage

Show and Share @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life on Tuesday

The Scoop @ StoneGable Blog

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With an E

Tweak It Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Fall into Fall @ DIY by Design

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style

What Is It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants