Day After Shopping

Shopping the Day After!

We don't shop on Black Friday anymore.  Well, let me qualify that...we don't shop at brick and mortar stores.  We did do a lot of shopping online from Black Friday until Christmas Eve.  It was fun to get all the boxes on our front porch at first but after awhile they just became a pain to check for rain damage and haul them inside.  We got to the point that we were not even opening them.  About a week before the big day we finally got them all opened, reordered damaged things and wrong sizes and put into piles to be wrapped for Christmas.  We added our in-store purchases at Kohl's, Macy's, Dollar Tree and Walmart and we worked in the loft at my Grandma's kitchen table that my Daddy refinished.  My daughters and I and sometimes my granddaughters wrapped all our presents in our pretty Christmastime in the City themed paper and curling ribbons along with matching tags.  Some days it was fun and some days we felt like we would never get done! 

However...we DO shop on the day after Christmas!  I choose 3 stores that i definitely want to get to as soon as they open.  This year my first choice was Marshall's at Washington Crown Center Mall.  Since we were there the day before Christmas right before closing I got to see all the goodies that would be half price the day after Christmas.  So we arrived there shortly after opening.  I grabbed all the goodies I wanted.  

We raced across town to Target in Washington next.  I bought gift wrap for my Christmas theme next year which is Christmas in Evergreen (LOL!), bows, curling ribbon, tags, ceramic house, two outdoor timers and who knows what else!  Ha!  We stopped at Eat n Park for lunch in Peters Township.  



We went to Target at South Hills after lunch and they didn't have a lot to pick from but it was fun with the girls!  Oh wait they did have my Chobani yogurt in flavors I've never seen before!  I stocked up!

Barnes and Noble was our next stop of the day.  We found quite a few books to look at and some new authors to keep in mind.  We ordered cookbooks from Martha Stewart and Paula Deen.

We forgot to stop at Starbucks to use our gift cards for a holiday drink.  We'll do that another day though.

Our last stop of the day was Market District.  We love walking around in this grocery store.  They have so many different items than our regular store.  We found some needed groceries and candy.  

It was a very busy day that ended with a great Hallmark movie snuggled on the couch in our jam-mays!

We had lots of laughs and good times being all together.  The grandchildren were so excited to help find the bargains.  I hope your shopping trips were as successful and enjoyable as ours were!

Cleaning the Tennessee room

and praying I can get it decorated today.  It is a large job because I was putting all the things that needed packed away in there for weeks and the time has come to deal with them and put them away for the season.  I have two large farmhouse/Tennessee trees to decorate in that room.  I am also considering a Ralph Lauren themed tree.  I love the green tree I saw on another blog and would love to add navy blue with green on the third tree in that room off the kitchen.  It would probably also include travel ornaments on it.  I have cut down to 20 trees this year.  I was going to stick with 32 like last year but I started late and I have other activities that are added onto our schedule.  We are volunteering at the Canonsburg Old Fashioned Christmas Celebration.  We will be working in the photography area and some of the family is going to be in other locations also.  Canonsburg was chosen by Hallmark for the second year in a row for their sponsorship.  It is a huge honor.  We are avid Hallmark fans and Keepsake Ornament Club members for years now and we begin to plan our Christmas in July when they reveal the new ornaments for that year.  We love to shop in the Hallmark stores and I have boxes of cards that I have saved over the years from my parents, family and friends.  We are so honored to be able to volunteer at this wonderful celebration.  My parents moved to Canonsburg when they got married.  They lived in the new projects after WWII.  We live close to that area and are so excited about this year's celebration!  

On to decorating...I have the Tennessee room empty of other items but I have to admit that other than that I have only added the 18 inch extension to our dining room table and put a cream and white tablecloth on it.  Actually I did not put the extension in...I just told my husband and daughter to be careful, ha!  I am not fond of my new tablecloth and am struggling with the decor for that room now as well.  I have a Martha Stewart tree that has beautiful, soft pine cones on it.  I use it in the dining room every year and it is decorated with white balls and snowflakes along with a few special white ornaments.  Everyone always loves that tree.  So it remains pretty much the same every year...why mess with perfection!  I have two trees that are 6 feet tall and very slim flanking the china cabinet.  One is decorated in teacups called Tea at the Grand Floridian and the other is themed...Coffee, Chocolate, Men...some things are just better rich.  Those three themed trees have been around since at least 2009.  

Coffee, Chocolate, Men - Some Things Are Just Better Rich

Coffee, Chocolate, Men - Some Things Are Just Better Rich

 

Tea At The Grand Floridian

Tea At The Grand Floridian

A few photos of those trees now and I am going to sit down to dinner with my family.  

Farmhouse Christmas

Farmhouse Christmas 

Check out our awesome Rae Dunn personalized ornaments!

Hallmark Santa and his reindeer!

 I love these ornaments on this tree.  Some are from Pottery Barn, Tis the Season Christmas shop in Ohio, some are handmade, and the Rae Dunn ornaments are from Southern Style on Fifth Avenue!

Handmade Snowman

I hope you are warm and cozy where you are tonight!  CMA Awards are on and I love me some country music!  You will find me cozied up on the sofa with my granddaughter and daughter listening to every song!  Have a good night y'all!