AHHHH!! I LOVE Christmas!

I have officially gotten more than half of my decorating done!! The biggest job is always the tree. Every year, sometime during November, my husband begins to lobby for a fake tree. I finally told him this year that he may as well give up, cause it will always be a losing battle. I cannot even fathom getting a plastic plant, when the real trees are so beautiful!! I told him he should try again when I am 80. :)

I wanted to share photos of this year's tree. Even I, humble as I am, :) believe that it just turned out beautifully!! I chose a red, silver and white palette for most of my decorations, with some teal thrown in here and there as it is my absolute fav color. I would guess that I haven't spent more than $100 on this tree, most of which was not spent this year!! I created the tree skirt out of this wonderful black and white vinyl with a damask print and some red "ball" trim. Very cheap project, and by far the best tree skirt that i have had.....wipes clean. The ornaments are mostly discount store finds. Classic glass balls in red, glittered, clear, and frosted glass. A very important aspect are the glittered red snowflakes...they make the tree. I think I found them at Walmart for something like $3.00 for twenty of them. Then, I add the statement ornaments. Important gift ornaments and HUGE glittered balls that I "hide" in the inside of the tree. It makes the tree very interesting to look at. It's like a little treasure hunt :)

Our gorgeous douglas fir was purchased from the most adorable tree farm! We spoke to the cute little lady who owns it for quite some time. She said that she and her husband had moved out of the city and started the tree farm 18 years ago, and that is all they do! Joel (my husband), decided that it sounded like a pretty sweet deal, and has since decided that he wants to do the same. Sounds good to me!

Here are some photos of our beloved Christmas tree. Take note that the three munchkins have already had their way with it several times....what's a wannabe perfectionist to do?

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A Little Venting

Ok, so if you don't know, I live in Nebraska. Yes, Nebraska. I love it, as I am a HUGE Husker fan, love the good schools, and safe environment. However, it is practically impossible to find affordable modern furniture and home goods. The nearest Ikea if 5 hours away!! Insanity!

Everything is country here. I swear to you, if I walk into another "design" store and see another flippin rooster, I am going to drop-kick it through the window!! (just kidding) In all seriousness though, if you are in the remote area of Nebraska and no of a good (affordable) store, please let me know. I am sitting here looking around at all of the furniture and home decor that I had to "settle" for, and am a little disgusted. I think I threw up in my mouth a little bit :)

Fantabulously Frugal

Well.....here is a little gem that I happened upon today!! It is a blog called Fantabulously Frugal it is totally awesome!! It in and of itself, embodies what and who I am.....it melds the styles of the old and the new, all while staying on budget. This blog will become a daily read for me!!!

To make things even a little bit sweeter, lovely lady Lisa is having the most incredible giveaway, and there is loot from some of my favorite etsiers!!! Just one of the prize packs is worth over $600!! Plan to keep it for yourself....check out her blog, and sign up for her giveaway!! Make sure to tell her that MarKoos sent you!

LOVES!!!