Wednesday's What If''s…."What If The Ghost Of Christmas Past Could Visit You Again?"

Would I like it?  

 What if I could change things and want a "do over"! Would I? 

I really don't think I would! At this time in December of 1992 I was ready…and so was Holly!

 She was posing for the "Teddy Bear Tea Party Shoot" for Southern Living!

( now I know why today's issue of The Over The Mountain Journal stirred my heart so much! It didn't hit me until now! I will show you at the end!)

And then, in 2005…..I guess they needed a home decked out in red and green…and as usual, I would do anything for advertising!

And trust me…I remember ADORING this fabulous greenery, etc!!! So thankful for my designing friends that do weddings, parties, etc… LOVE it!!

And all of these lovely ornaments that weren't perishable are still wrapped lovingly in tissue…and yes, I've reused them! I just don't want to bore you with way too many pictures!

But I can tell you that I loved seeing my mantel adorned so wonderfully! That was one of my biggest splurges when we built this house 16 years ago!

And then the Christmas spirit visited me all over again yesterday when I read this! I knew it was meant for me…and for you…and for those of us that love to decorate and create long lasting memories. 

The minute I opened this magazine it hit me!  I knew that this is truly how I would want my own home decorated for my annual Christmas Party! 

Our party isn't a big affair by any stretch of the imagination!

But it is truly something that I look forward to every year!

For a lot of us it's one of the only times during the year that we truly get to be together and enjoy a fun-filled, relaxing evening!

 Christmas certainly lends itself to making time to spend with family, friends, co-workers, etc…and it's been the one time every year that I get to have a party…So of course I fell in love with this issue of my favorite magazine!

When I first received my complimentary copy of Veranda Magazine…(Thank You, Veranda! I guess that's one of the perks of advertising with them every now and then!) I was thrilled to see this home and the beautiful, elegant and yet understated way this home was decorated! I had totally forgotten my home from "Christmases Past" and this brought back so many memories and gave me so many new ideas!

The soft, neutral pallete just lends itself to warm, cozy nights spent at home with family and friends and allows you to bring in so many "earthy" textures from your own backyard! 

Which is what this homeowner does! A woman after my own heart, that's for sure!

I love that in the article the homeowner declares that the house doesn't have to be perfect! Isn't that how we want it? I certainly do! I want it to be real!

I love that she grew up with her mother always re-doing houses and was surrounded by antiques!

( are you listening, Holly?)

I have plenty of antique transferware plates that are held together by staples!

It gives them character…just like she says!

My "flower girl"! aka, Alison Thomas of AKT designs actually texted me this beautiful picture last night as I was writing this post! I guess the old saying is right! Great minds DO think alike! Alison's work is beautiful and she incorporates so much of this same technique in her floral design! She's done my Open Houses and my Christmas Parties for the past several years and I'm always thrilled with her work! In fact, that is what made me start looking back at Christmases Past! 
I had totally forgotten about this issue of Southern Living Recipes!
That is, until I starting searching through things!

I have to let go of my pride and ask you…do you see my babies? I'm 48 years old and my babies are grown! How did that happen? It's ok! At least now we can enjoy little things like Trick or Treating tonight with Layton! And wait… do you see her daddy? Do you? In the picture on the left? with the dark brown hair? Isn't he the most handsome child ever?

And there he is again! He truly was loving his ice cream! He hated having his picture made but he didn't care as long as Southern Living gave him ice cream!

And there is Holly at her "Teddy Bear Tea Party!"
She loved having her picture made!!

And I had totally forgotten about my precious two year old Miller in this issue of Southern Living along with Holly! 

What fun that was!

Talk about ghosts from the past! What a priceless, precious picture! I sent this to Holly last night…I need to send it to Miller! Holly say's she's never seen it? How does that happen? Do you see how much she's always loved him? That's why it was so easy to raise him! Because she was always there! 

We certainly need her back…very, very soon! After God gets finished wanting them to be in New Orleans, that is! We all miss her! We all miss Brad! We all miss Miller! But I'm digressing here! Back to enjoying Layton tonight...

Do you see why my breath caught in my throat when our ad came out today and I saw Layton with me!
She and Holly are almost mirror images of each other at five years old!

 Of course, I'm crying now…what a precious sight!

I'm so thankful for my children…I'm so thankful for Christmas memories!! 
What are you thankful for? Family, friends, Christmas memories?
I would love to know!
Hope you are doing well and that if you are one of my North Eastern friends that you have faired well during Sandy's wrath!
Please let us know!!
XOXO!!