Our Atomic Christmas Decorations

Last winter the kids and I began an adventure redecorating the house. Instead of the dark warm colors that my husband preferred, I told the kids I would go along with anything they could agree on... and they chose atomic midcentury. So this neutral-loving mama is now living in the brightest shades of turquoise, lime, and tangerine possible. It's bright and airy in here, and looks nothing like it did a year ago. 

In keeping with our "new house" we have altered our holiday decorations to match. Which means that for Christmas we are steering clear of the traditional reds and greens, and going for ultra-bright teals and lime green instead.

For our tree we went back and forth between a white or tinsel tree... but decided on white in the end. I love the way it's not so big as to take over the living room, but not so small that it disappears. The tree skirt was handmade from fleece and pompom trim, and really helps bring out the bright colors we were looking for. 

At the front door we chose a simple white wreath. I haven't decided whether to add some bright color or not, so for now it will stay simple. A few bright ornaments MIGHT find their way onto this eventually, but I'm still undecided. 

There's always next year! 

 

 

 

 

 This sweet singing yeti has been a part of our Christmas decorations for a few years now... and the pail of smiling snowballs has been in our home since the kids were young. Indoor snowball fights are a frequent evening occurrence here, and Mr. Yeti looks quite cozy sitting atop the gossip bench I upcycled last year.   

Cryptids are pretty popular in our house, and I fell in love with these smaller yeti figurines LAST year, but by the time I went to buy them they were sold out. When they came back this year, I ordered them within the week... yep I was THAT girl, Christmas shopping in September. They look ever so sweet with the tiny sweet shops I found in the Target dollar spot last year, and add a fun playful display to the top of the tiny console we built from a pair of $20 desktop drawer units from IKEA.

 

With a kitten tearing about the house swiping things from surfaces, we chose to keep our fireplace/tv-stand very simple with tiny stockings attached via Command hooks. Personally, I love the simple look here!

 

Between the kitchen and dining room, our cabinets have a built-in display niche. This has always been a favorite place to display larger seasonal goodies. 

I found these tinsel trees on clearance last year, and the blowmold penguin jumped into my cart this year as I was on my way to the dog food. Where we live, outdoor decorations don't work well between the extreme temperatures and thieves... but this was the perfect way to bring that midcentury feel to our house without worrying about it disappearing! 

(and my daughter absolutely adores penguins!) 

   

This sweet snowman is another favorite piece that's been in our house for quite awhile now. It is on the SUPER skinny table we built to go behind our sofa, as a coffee-table substitute. 

 

I WOULD put this on the table as a centerpiece... but Berlioz has informed us he is the only table decoration we need. It's his afternoon napping-spot, and so far I have been unable to convince him that a soft rug in the sunspot on the floor would be a better option. So on the end of the kitchen counter these adorable deer sit in a snowy little lantern. I found them on clearance last winter, and the dollar-spot trees from THIS Christmas were the perfect finishing-touch. 

 It is SO bright and SO festive in here... and yes, the bright colors are starting to grow on me. 

This is our happy home.

 

Thankful for 2020

I am thankful for 2020. 

It sounds crazy because this year has been SO hard in SO many ways, but I am... I'm thankful for this year. Not for the pandemic that's beyond terrifying. Not for the racial issues that fester like an ugly cancer on our country. And not for the ongoing political migraine that defies logical comprehension. But I am thankful for this year.

I am thankful for the time with my kids. This year we have played more board games and Mario Cart than ever before. We've listened to radio dramas and watched chick flicks. We've walked around lakes, picnicked in the living room away from the mosquitoes, created an in-home arcade to celebrate absolutely nothing, and laughed for no reason at all. 

Christmas happened in July, and Halloween was spent in our bathrobes. Our weekly movie and game nights have become the high-points in our lives and taken on a life of their own. We've stayed home because it was necessary, but we were never "stuck" here... we've made the best of things, spending the time enjoying just being together, and I wouldn't take that back for anything. 

I am thankful for Berlioz. Discovered under our house on July 9th, was an abandoned 7-week old underweight mite-infested kitten. After a week of trying to find him a home, we realized WE were the home he had chosen... and we needed him as much as he needed us. 

This tiny frightened baby is now a sleek 6 month old adolescent who naps on the dining room table, shreds boxes for our recycling bin, and absolutely lives for chin-rubs and napping on our feet. He has turned our world upside-down, showing us that we don't need decorations below shoulder-height, computer keyboards are for standing on rather than typing, and that if we walk past the chaise our ankles are forfeit.

The dog still growls at him and will rush him any time they are together, but at nearly 13 years old - we are letting her be grouchy. She sleeps most of the day now anyway, so we have given her space away from him where she can snooze in silence. We continue supervised  introductions, and whenever he gets the chance Berlioz will boop her nose with a clawless-paw or nibble at her ear... we honestly don't know if he's trying to be friendly or simply enjoys making her growl, but either way he hasn't tried to hurt her and is clearly curious about the fluffy white growly-thing. 

He arrived in our life filling a hole we didn't know we had, just when we needed him most... and has become an integral part of our little family. 

And... I am thankful for safety. For our silver anniversary, I gave myself a gift: the gift of freedom from an abusive husband. For 7 months now I have slept in my bed feeling safe, we are free to see the doctor when we need to, and our bills have been paid before their due-date so we no longer live with constant bill-collectors threatening to take away our home. 

I am taking my mother's maiden name. It is also the name of my Scottish clan, and seemed the most fitting as I am not returning to my childhood, but am now someone else; someone with deep roots, who is stronger because of her past. 

For 25 years I stayed silent, praying he would become the man he promised to be. For 25 years, I lived with multiple forms of abuse and a husband unwilling to stop hurting his family. The story is long and complicated, but this year I am thankful for the crisis center who helped us break free, for the pro-bono lawyer who is helping with my divorce, and most of all - the feeling of security I have knowing that when I lock the front door each night, I have not locked us in with what made us unsafe.

2020 has been hard. I miss seeing people. I miss visiting the zoo every week. I miss being able to browse the dollar spot at Target in a leisurely manner. But I am thankful for 2020... because it gave us time to be a family together, it gave us our sweet little Berlioz, and it gave us freedom & safety. 

Yes, I am thankful for 2020.

It's the Great 25th Birthday, Charlie Brown

 

Most people probably imagine a sophisticated 25th birthday. 

My son is not most people. 

He kicks autism's butt on a daily basis, and most people don't even know he struggles. Sure, he will always need help with random things, and yes we've had our share of struggles of frustrations. Every once in awhile however, it shows up in the oddest of hilariously unexpected ways, and THIS is what we choose to focus on.

One way that it manifests, is in truly not caring about his own birthday. He loves celebrating his sister's birthday, and goes absolutely CRAZY as self-appointed point-man for Christmas decorations, but couldn't care less about his own birthday. Asking him how he would like to celebrate tends to result in shoulder-shrugs, eyerolls, and a mumbled, "meh... whatever..." Two years ago, all he said was "mangoes." So he had a mango birthday, with mango-themed meals and desserts, mango paper-lanterns, a mango tee-shirt... since he rarely requests anything EVEN for his birthday, when he gives me even a single word I'll run with it. 

This year when I asked him what he wanted to do for his 25th birthday, keeping in mind that we're still keeping distant... he said he wanted to watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. 

Challenge accepted, Little Man... challenge accepted. 

I started by finishing a project that has been on my to-do list for two years; creating a pumpkin diorama. I purchased the pumpkin two years ago, and the Linus figurine a year ago. A little moss, a few miniature dollhouse goodies and some x-acto work with foamboard & gilitter, and we had a cute pumpkin that will come out every year now. 

I found a Snoopy wall decoration to go over our television, and some paper plates & napkins that were perfect. 

For dinner, we picked up a pair of cheese pizzas from our favorite gluten-free take-and-bake shop, and added black olives to mimic Charlie Brown's zig-zag shirt before baking them. 

With our furnace not working properly, we all curled up under "Linus Blankets" and watched the movie while noshing on pizza, and his requested apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. 

 It was a small birthday, but that's the way my guy rolls. He loved it, which is what counts. 

Happy Birthday, Little Man!