All is calm, all is bright……{sort of}.

Well, kinda-sorta…..all is definitely bright around my home, but not all is not calm…..

How are you handling this season? I find myself vacillating between

enjoying this month and absolutely loathing it at the same time.

My to-do lists are longer, social opportunities are more plentiful,

kids need more clothes, more treats, more money, Target

sees me more often, so does the wine shop, gift shop

and post office. And don't even get me started on my

unfortunate 'wine incident' my computer encountered

last week! The Apple store saw LOTS of me

this week and it wasn't all pretty.

December is a month that I have trouble blogging - being present

with my family celebrating the birth of Jesus is what should

be important, right? When I go online I am often left

feeling like I'm just not cutting it - homes are decorated to

look as if Better Homes & Gardens is showing up for a photo

shoot any minute, kids are crafting happily, bloggers are baking

teacher gifts wrapped as if they are presenting it to Martha Stewart

herself! Don't even get me started on the gift guides - aren't we

still in a recession?

I know all those images are meant to

inspire, but sometimes, I acknowledge, they can also

leave you feeling inadequate and that is the opposite

of what I want to do here. Nevermind that I

am participating in a Holiday House Tour next week -

but don't you worry - when you see the photos you will

know that BH&G isn't visiting the Forever*Cottage. While I am being

completely honest and forthright, I will admit to you and only you -

WE DON'T EVEN HAVE OUR TREE YET!

{the one pictured above is momma's tree with simple white lights}.

So spill it - how do you feel about all the holiday posts?

Inspired?

Inadequate?

A little of both?

* And I do look forward to showing you our holiday home -

simplicity at it's finest. What's hard to photograph is

love, comfort, delicious smells and the sound of laughter -

because isn't that what it's all about?
The rest is just 'stuff'.

Thanks for listening -

23 comments on "All is calm, all is bright……{sort of}."

Farmgirl PaintsDecember 12, 2013 at 7:45 PM
Right there with you friend. Deciding to my studio at the same time was really silly. I'm so beyond frustrated with the mess and chaos. Ready for it be over. Isn't that awful?!?
AntiqueChaseDecember 12, 2013 at 8:32 PM
We have a tree, but it's sitting undecorated.. can I just leave it like that, no lights, no trimmings? LOL
UnknownDecember 12, 2013 at 11:46 PM
Thank you for saying all of that. There is so much pressure for the holidays to be perfect. And we look at all the pretty pictures and think that everyone else is making it happen. But they're not. Remember, we're seeing what they want us to see. :) Merry Imperfect Christmas!!! Julie
paigeDecember 13, 2013 at 2:30 AM
oh definitely feeling the tension between the two.
peek season for both my businesses and the time of year my home-body self really wants to be home!
LOVE your tree!! when i saw those on my trip i flipped!! always wanted one like that. xo
UnknownDecember 13, 2013 at 3:14 AM
I truly appreciate this post. I was looking at your beautiful home the other day on instagram and thought...why can't mine be that pretty? As I trip over soccer gear, school books and wrapping paper. Thank you for making me feel normal. Merry Christmas!!!
UnknownDecember 13, 2013 at 3:42 AM
i love your little tree in corner! you have a knack for simplicity at its finest :) we have alot of family strife going on this year so our home is anything but merry..that is what disappoints me more than the lack of decorations.
joDecember 13, 2013 at 4:37 AM
My house is a 91 yr old little country house in rural Minnesota with drafty windows, creaky floors and crooked walls. Yet I love it and I'm very pleased with the decor. I look at those pictures (and every blog I read has beautiful photos of their gorgeous homes - you included!) and really admire them. I'm 65 and a widow so I don't do a lot of decorating. But still, I look around this house and I love it. Would I like something like I see on my blogs - sure. Don't we always want what we don't have. But I'm very happy with what I have, and the way I see it, the bigger the house and the more beautiful stuff sitting around - the more to clean, and at 65 I have way more important things to do than clean!!! Merry Christmas, Jill, to you and your family.
DinaDecember 13, 2013 at 6:32 AM
Thank you and Amen! Pinterest and blogs are usually my best girlfriends in the evenings after I put my babes to bed, but this month, I am SO over the christmas home tours, wish lists, and wednesday wants. It's not realistic, it's not life, it makes me feel badly about my new home that needs so much work and so many projects waiting. But people only show you what they want you to see :-) Your home and blog are so realistic, thank you for that, it's a treat every evening :-)
UnknownDecember 13, 2013 at 7:10 AM
I always appreciate the mess behind the perfectly staged kitchen island. You know - all the things they had to removed from it to get that magazine worthy photo; crayons, paper, cereal boxes, homework, groceries still in bags, etc. We all have those moments of not measuring up when we see the photos on Pinterest and in magazines. But, no home is perfect and we just need to keep reminding ourselves of that.
Donna@anangloinquébecDecember 13, 2013 at 7:41 AM
I have really slowed down on my approach to Christmas decorating. I decided a few years back that it was really about traditions, "our" traditions and not something instructed to me through Pinterest or even other blogs. I have never much liked the "model" homes or the magazine quality rooms that I am starting to see reproduced on a large number of blogs these days. I am more drawn to rooms that sing out the character and personalities of the people that live there.

This year, what has really gotten to me are the number of "house tours". Every time I click to a favourite blog it seems I am faced with 5 days 40 bloggers or 5 days 20 trees etc...... I will admit that I have avoided most of those tours this year. There is a feeling of "sameness" washing over me in many of these homes. The amount of "stuff" being purchased scares me and yet a lot of it doesn't seem to reflect joyous moments from past years or celebrations but rather recent purchases at a local home decorating or box store.
Please don't take that as a criticism of you joining in to one of these tours. I have always admired your home and I am sure it will be beautiful. I will peek in to see what you have done. I am not sure what that says about me other than my feeling that I have become very selective.

I also hope this does not sound like a rant. I love this time of year. But I have to remind myself as to what it means to me and my family and hold on to that.
Jen GildayDecember 13, 2013 at 12:35 PM
I hear ya! So feel your pain. I was just chatting with a friend about the shelf elf and how we feel like such failure's compared to everyone else on social media! It's hard to keep up.

Thanks for being honest. Have a GREAT weekend! Can't wait to see the rest of your house all decorated!
Jen
MegDecember 13, 2013 at 12:38 PM
Perfectly said Anagloinquebec! I couldn't agree with you more! I am planning on taking a step back from the blogs over the next few weeks and focusing on what is important to my husband and I and our four kids. Happy Holidays! Meg
AnonymousDecember 14, 2013 at 7:27 AM
So true! LOVED the last paragraph in this post!

Julia
AnonymousDecember 16, 2013 at 11:44 AM
I stumbled onto your blog through bloglovin' and I'm glad I did. I totally agree with your perspective here. Blogging can be a stress reliever and...it can be stressful. Very easy to get caught up in the comparison game, etc. I appreciate your candor!