December 15, 2008

• Boo Mama’s 2008 Christmas Tour of Homes

  

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  This is my 2nd year participating in Boo Mama’s Tour of Homes, my first with Hooked on Holiday House Tours.  I’m so excited about both that I’m up at midnight!

  I concentrated last year on some of the great deals I’ve gotten on Christmas decor threw out the years, I’d like to do the same this year.  I buy Christmas decor anytime of the year I find a good deal on it, sometimes a tree isn’t exactly what I had in mind the first year; but will become, with time, one of my favorites. That’s what happened with my back yard tree this year but I’m getting ahead of myself.  The point is, I don’t spend big bucks, I take my time and find good deals and by no means did I do it all in one year, I’ll likely be working on my “Christmas collection” for the rest of my life

  So without further ado, Welcome to my Very Merry Frugal Christmas

  

  

  

  I retired the 7 1/2 Foot formal Tree this year as earlier this year I also retired the “formal” living room, it’s now what it should always have been, a room for my kids.  I replaced the big tree with an idea I got from the tour last year, actually I think it was an idea I got from our host, Boo Mama herself.  I loved her Christmas Card tree so we’ve been filling ours as the cards come in. 

    

  First off on our “Frugal tour” is the entry tree I added last year after Christmas, 50% off at CVS and I used Extra Care bucks to pay for most of it, out of pocket it cost me $11   I keep the lights burning threw out the year (sort of a pretty night light) and change the foil tinsel with the holiday. 

    

  Here’s the Christmas card tree (in the kids living room) I told you about earlier, I bought the tree from a yard sale a few years ago for $10 and the beautiful decorations come in the mail box every now and then all month long. The Penguin trio was an after Christmas purchase last year, 90% off, I think I paid $1.40 for it.   The penguins sing and dance, Savannah loves it. 

   

    

  I added icicle lights to the new fence behind the pool this year, you can see them threw the back door, I love to sit outside and see the reflection in the water.  I bought the two gold tree’s on the mantel at a yard sale for $2 a couple years ago.  I bought the Santa clock which plays a different Christmas song every hour, at Walgreens in November with Register Rewards, out of pocket I paid $9. 

   

    

  My dinning room tree and a ceramic tree I rescued from the rubble of a fire that burned my Grandpa’s house to the ground last year.  It was covered in soot, I brought it home, 1200 miles from SC to TX, cleaned it up, put new bulbs it and now I have something beautiful for my Christmas collection that belonged to my Papa. 

  The dinning room tree is where we put all our family ornaments, I collect ornaments whenever we go on vacation.  This is my 2nd favorite tree this year and here are some of my favorite ornaments on it.

       

       

  Fred bought me the cute little teacher ornament this year and the one beside it came from the Grand Canyon while we were out west this year.   The Sand Dollar came from Myrtle Beach about 3 years ago, I love hanging them on the tree and remembering the fun we had at each place.

       

  My favorite tree this year is my patio tree,  I bought the tree itself at a yard sale a few years ago for $15, last year was it’s first year outside and some of you will remember it only had the poinsettias on it last year.  This year in keeping with my “beach” theme I added some pretty shells.

    

    

  Most of the shells came from an estate sale I went to earlier this year and I picked up the star fish at Walmart.  Fred showed me how to use the drill and I drilled the holes myself   I was very pleased, didn’t break even one.

   

     

  I’m still not totally in love with Trey and Savannah’s trees but they’re a work in progress, I add ornaments each year and when they grow up and move out they’ll have a nice stash of Christmas ornaments to take with them.  The part I like most about these tree’s at this point is that they look pretty from the outside and T and S both love to sleep by the light of their trees. 

     

  Fred (dh) adds a little to my obsession collection every year with gifts like this old world santa who at present sits on top of the fridge in the kitchen.  The Dancing Santa is something I picked up a few years ago at a yard sale, I paid $25, at the time they were still selling at Wal-mart for close to $100   I bought the Penguin last year for Savannah,  I used CVS extra care bucks and paid $4 out of pocket

    

    

    

  Savannah loves to bake with me anytime of year but we tend to do more at Christmas time.  Fred (dh) bought her a pretty little apron the other day and she’s enjoyed “playing cook” all week… She sets up a station at the kitchen bar and “sells” her goods to Daddy and Trey. 

  

  Well this is Christmas at our house, I’m looking forward to seeing Christmas at your house.  Check out all the other Boo Mama participants by clicking the here and here! 

  

  Have a Wonderful and Blessed Christmas!

   

  • 3:46 am
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