Thursday, December 12, 2013

The Not So Perfect Christmas House Tour

 
I started out with the usual grand plans for Christmas decorating. I even began immediately after Halloween. Almost all of my holiday decor was destroyed in the flooding this past spring, but I found a random box of goodies stashed away that was untouched by the flood and I had a lot of stuff left over from holiday markets that I decided to put to use. My goal was to not spend any money that I could be using towards the kids gifts this year.

I think we all see so many perfect photos of perfect homes this time of year and it's easy to get a little down in the dumps when we aren't able to match that level of perfection. I had nearly decided to not show any photos this year, and then I thought well why not? 
My house is perfectly imperfect and that's okay!   

Not gonna lie...I paint in my house and my floors are covered with drops of paint...picmonkey has amazing tools to smooth those bad boys right out though!
 
 The tree skirt is an old crinoline that I almost threw away because it was torn, glad I didn't!
I decided we needed a coffee table so I brought in an small table from the garage/shop. I cut the legs down with a hand saw that was so dull it would have had trouble cutting through soft butter.....that was my work out for the day!!

As I was taking photos, I realized I had forgotten to finish painting some sections of walls. Oh well....it's Vintage Farmhouse charm right?
 Stockings were lost in the flood. Have you priced stockings lately? Wowzers! $10-$30 for ugly ones. Whew, thank the dryer fairy for an old shrunken sweater that I sewed into stockings for the kiddos. Even stamped their names right on them. They aren't perfect either....but they can hold a perfect ton of stocking stuffers and that's all that really matters!


 I've received some flack about the "mustache" or "eyebrow" over the mirror.  I like it. Sure it looks a little goofy, but oh well. Holiday decor doesn't have to be so stinkin serious!

 I accidentally let my ferns on the front porch die in the first freeze, so I dumped them out and brought the urns in. In my box of random stuff that survived the flooding was a ton of pieces of an old silver tinsel tree so I just popped them on in one of the urns. 


Here we have the dining room all super pretty instagramed!
And next we have the dining room in the broad daylight. 
My fabulous boxwood wreath promptly dried up to a crisp despite spritzing it daily with water. My paper whites got super tall and only one bud. {Pretty sure I don't have a green thumb....just sayin}
My white tree that I used for show display came in the house with all of the left over ornaments from the shows.
And now we come to the even more perfectly imperfect part....
My favorite part. 
The part that actually makes this house a home. The part that is what REALLY makes up the holiday spirit.

While trying to take photos my son walks in and starts playing video games, and you know what, I kept taking photos. These are my favorites. These are the ones that will serve a lasting memory of how perfect and beautiful our holiday season is.
 My lil Izzy peeking out from the pile of blankets she loaded up on the couch.
  My crazy cats who absolutely have a weird need to be in every room for every photo.

 {Cat on a Shelf....our version of Elf on a Shelf}
And here's me, in my "Where's Waldo" paint pants, feet up enjoying the view of my house, enjoying the kids and cats and thinking about baking cookies with the kids while a cat stares at me from the counter top and not about trying to scrape the paint off the floor {that's what picmonkey is for} or painting those sections of wall I missed, or fluffing more decor. 

So if you are stressing this holiday season about how to make your house "look" perfect, take a good hard look around....chances are it already is perfect...perfectly imperfect and full of life and love! 

50 comments:

  1. Beautiful!! You live in a "Marshmallow World"! LOVE it! Love the white on white, so peaceful!

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  2. Success, you made the Christmas magic for your family and for all of us. It's wonderful!

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  3. I love it. Every single thing! Gorgeous. My cat decides to become PART of the village when I set up my little Victorian display. I love how simple and clean your look is and how your everyday decor flows so graciously into Christmas. It is such a far cry from how my home looks but that's the fun of Christmas-no two houses the same.

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  4. Such a great post! I think everything looks gorgeous and I love all the imperfections. You have to live in the house afterall! :) Your kids are adorable...and so are your cats. I love it when bloggers show pictures of people actually living in their house :) Enjoy the season :)

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  5. I think your home is beautiful and it holds the true Christmas spirit. I barely put up any decor because the peace i find in nature is what brings the cakn of December to my soul. So i wanted our home to feel that way and looks barren compared to all that i see in blogland. Our cat sits on the table too. :)

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  6. I love it...especially the stockings and the photo-bombing cats (I have one of those, too!). All too often we worry about making our house look "perfect" and overlook the real meaning of Christmas. I know I am guilty. This year I've scaled way back too. Even though I love all the decorating, that's not what I hope my daughter will remember when she's grown up...I pray that she remembers the love and traditions and carries them on into her own family. Great post...Merry Christmas!

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  7. It looks beautiful! I love the natural simplicity.

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  8. Stunning! And i love the story!

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  9. So realistic!! Love every photo!!

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  10. I love your perspective! Your home is lovely!

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  11. Your home is beautiful ! love all your holiday decorating !

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  12. Your home is just beautiful, and still relaxed and inviting. Some homes are too perfect, like museums. Yours is gorgeous and warm and fun! Love the photos of the kids and the cats. The crinoline was a stroke of genius!

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  13. It's a true farmhouse... Use what you have and make the best of it. You have and it's beautiful! Merry Christmas.

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  14. I think this is one of my favorite posts, a real farmhouse with real people, and although you mentioned it wasn't perfect, well, to me
    it is;-) Merry Christmas from our not perfect abode to yours;-)

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  15. I adore your house! Incredibly lovely and I love the stockings!

    Amber @ www.AverieLane.com

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  16. Thank-you- this is exactly what I needed to hear/read today. I was struggling with the hoopla of perfect decoration, menu & celebration planning..BAH! It is our imperfections that show our personality - thanks for that reminder that it is only ourselves that inspect the flaws.. to the rest of the universe our lives/ parties/decor are really amazing - BTW I love your sense of style!

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  17. so beautiful and cozy! i love it! love that shot of the dining room- gorgeous!

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  18. So delightful to read a blog post where there is actual living going on and the home doesn't look like a showroom that no one is allowed into. Bravo. I love your style but with 2 dogs and 5 kids, not sure I could ever pull off all the white. How do you keep it free of pet hair and spills?

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  19. Thank you for helping me feel good about my not-perfectly decorated home! So nice to know Im not alone and, yes, the video-gaming kid is in my home too! But your home is so beautiful, I think its perfect! So soothing!!

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  20. So pretty and simple. Losing the ornaments in a flood. Not good.
    Seeing that 'Less is More' in the spirit of the holiday. Good.
    Enjoying family in the midst of it all... PRICELESS!
    loved this post. and your home AND ATTITUDE...ARE LOVELY!
    PAT

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  21. I think it is just wonderful!! Everything is beautiful and unique and thats what I love. I'm tired of the same thing everywhere, so it's refreshing and lovely! I got several spindly trees that I'm sure no one would every pick this year and couldn't be happier. Love it all:-)

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  22. I love your home. It looks perfect to me.
    I think it is just dreamy.
    Stacey of Embracing Change

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  23. Absolutely gorgeous...and the perfectly imperfect parts ARE the best!!!! Love the cat on the table...we can't keep ours off either. :)
    Merry Christmas!
    Kelly

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  24. Nice.....My Cats sleep on the table also....Merry Christmas

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  25. every bit looks perfectly wonderful! merry christmas!

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  26. Love your house because I guess it is like mine "perfectly imperfect" !

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  27. It's already gorgeous, but you're right, the kids add the best part! I especially love that tree in the tub. I am a "white" person, wish my family was, too!:) Happy holidays! xoxo Kathleen

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  28. Finally, someone is saying what I am thinking...why does it have to be perfect? All the home tours and I wonder what they missed with their families while they were getting their home ready for those big tours?? Maybe we need to step back, take a breath and get real??? Dianntha

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  29. lovely. Love everything about it.

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  30. I love your home! In one picture it looked like there was a price tag on one of the pillows. My husband always kids me because I leave price tags on after bringing something home from the booth; I might want to take it back sometime and keeping it there keeps me from having to price it again. You helped me feel right at home. Thanks.

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  31. Finally!!! A real home -Down to earth, realistic living. And man, I love you for it. BTW your home is lovely, and real. Take that all you prefectionistic bloggers.

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  32. I love everything about your home. It's perfectly perfect!! Thanks for sharing Nicki!!!
    Tootles for now.

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  33. I am glad you shared your Christmas home with us. It is beautiful and I wish you could see it from my computer screen because I love every bit of it. So white and full of texture, I love both the trees each in their own way. Merry Christmas!. Alaina

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  34. love this post and your photos! i stumbled upon your blog via a facebook post. i've been contemplating having some photos taken of our home and sending them into a few magazines. i see that you have been featured in several magazines =) i was wondering if you have any tips? i'd really appreciate it.

    thanks!
    debbie =)

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  35. This is something we all need to see -- keeping it real, being perfectly imperfect and I love it!

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  36. it's all about making memories! not about how much stuff you have. the only thing, I think, that would improve your decor is some red! berries from outside or have the children string some cranberries and popcorn. I've only recently started reading your blog and didn't know about your flooding...it's nasty business but as long as you have your family nothing else matters!

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  37. I LOVE this! A house that is like mine. "Real". I don't have the time, or the finances to decorate like some of the other people do in blogland. Not that there is anything wrong with having an elegant, beautifully decorated home. It's just a little intimidating sometimes, to show my humble abode, and it's simple decorations. Your farmhouse is lovely. Your decorating style fits the house perfectly! LOVE all the whites!!! You have done a wonderful job showing what is important to you....family.

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  38. Well I enjoyed this tour immensely! I love all of the soft white vintagey goodness you have everywhere. I love your tree dressed in silver ornaments and the darling sweater stockings you made. I can totally relate to someone photo bombing your pictures too. My son plays video games too, so I try to take pics when he's in school. But if he sees me walking around with the camera, all bets are off!

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  39. I think your perfectly imperfect house is perfect!
    It looks great Nicki.

    Cindy Bee

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  40. Thank you for the tour. I really enjoyed seeing your lovely pictures.

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  41. I love this post! Your home is beautiful!

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  42. No need to apologize for any of your decorations they are gorgeous love the stocking you made .
    I think your right up there with the big blog girls as far as pretty in white goes LOL

    Merry Christmas

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  43. Finally, a "not-so-perfect" Christmas tour. For the rest of us ordinary folks it was a delight to see things that are a part of every day life creep into your photos. It makes you human, not some unrealistic view of what we can't hope to achieve. Your home is a beautiful winter wonderland. Thank you for sharing.

    Wishing you a very Merry Christmas.

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  44. I love your home and your wonderful post enjoy the season celebrating Christmas and New Year's with your family in your gorgeous home!
    JP

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  45. I'm going to tell you that your blog is only the second one I've found that I find so entertaining that I am going back through all the old posts LOL I love reading from an actual honest to goodness down to earth girl. Much too much time is spent on trying to be perfect or seeming to be as perfect as those magazines pics but there is nothing that can put the warmth into those....it has to be genuine from the heart like yours!! Here's to kids who are blissfully unaware of perfection and cats that sleep on tables LOL I used to get so upset when my cat got on the table or the counters but she will only drink water from a dripping faucet...what am I going to do let her thirst to death? Nope and she can sleep on my table any time. that's what sponges are for .

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