Christmas 2016 Home Decor

Hi again! I have been really excited about this post and meant to have it up much earlier but, as you know, the holidays can be a little crazy and the days slipped away from me. Nonetheless, here it is! Plus, bonus, everything Christmas is probably on sale by now so if you're interested in any of the items below you can probably get them super cheap! So, anyways, I love decorating for Christmas and the cozy warmth that this season brings to our home. Mostly, I love that it is an expression of the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. What could be sweeter? 

I love traditional, rustic-ish (?) Christmas decor. Most of our year-round decor, furniture, and paint is neutral so I love adding in more creams, golds,and the occasional fun pop of red. I also like bringing the outdoors in with greenery, wooden accents, red berries and, of course, a pine cone here and there ;). I hope that you enjoy this glimpse into our home at Christmas time. If you feel inspired or in case something special captures your eye, I included links to several of the items shown. 

Front Door:

I found this door spray at Big Lots last year. I love the gold berries!

Living Room:

  

  

  

I love a lot of things in this space, but lets start with the red car pillow. Is it not the cutest thing ever?! I found mine at Kirkland's on sale for $12.00, which I thought was a pretty great deal. I'm also loving our mantle this year. We recently had our windows replaced and the one above our mantle here is one of the old ones. I just stuck some gold and white scrapbooking paper in the back for a fun pop of pattern and stuck this wreath right on top.

Plaid Pillow Set- Target

Antique Red Car Pillow- Kirklands

White Knit Stockings- Target

Garland with Pinecones and Berries- Hobby Lobby

Wreath With Pinecones-Big Lots

Dining Area and Nook:

   

  

  

Sadly, our living room just isn't big enough to fit a tree, but thankfully we have a perfect spot in our kitchen/dining/nook area room. Our Tree is mostly gold with red and brown accents. I love it! I didn't do much in our little nook, just added a red tree throw pillow and a really cool ceramic firehouse my dad gave me when I was younger. 

Kitchen: 

   

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This year in the kitchen I just threw some garland over the kitchen window, added a few accent pieces, festive towels and that's about it! I love love love this little red truck from the Target Dollar spot. It must be popular because I had to go to two Targets to find it and still couldn't find one until I spotted this one in an abandoned shopping cart. SO yeah, I kind of worked for that thing!

Ceramic Red Truck- Target Dollar Spot

Kitchen Towels- Marshalls

Holly Wreath Candle- Aldi

Master Bedroom:

  

When the weather turned colder I switched out our blue and gray paisley duvet for this super cozy microfleece and sherpa comforter. By our chair I used gold mini ornaments to decorate a tiny Hobby Lobby tree. I also threw in a wooden sign from the Target dollar spot (my mom actually surprised me with this, thanks momma!). Love!

Mini Tree with Burlap Base- Hobby Lobby
"Peace" Wooden Sign- Target Dollar Spot
Cream Plush Throw-Bed Bath and Beyond
"Dream" throw pillow-Kirklands

Thank you again for reading. As much as I LOVE Christmas decor, movies, music, traditions and all that comes along with this time of year, I think it's super important to take time to slow down, step back and remember the reason why I am celebrating. I am so thankful that God sent his son Jesus, that he loves me, saved me, died for me and that he is alive today! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas surrounded by the people you love and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the most precious gift of all!

Merry Christmas!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Isaiah 9:6

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

I don't know about you guys, but when the weather gets cooler I love apple butter on just about everything. My mom made apple butter when I was growing up and I've always loved it! When I made my first batch last year I used her recipe, adding my own twists here and there. Making it is super easy and the recipe is definitely adjustable to each persons own taste. Aside from its tastiness, it fills the whole house with the most wonderful smell. Also, tie a bow on them and these little jars make super cute gifts.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Apples- I used about 3.5 pounds
Water- 1.5 cups
Sugar- Around 2 cups
Cinnamon
Cloves

Whether or not you choose to peel your apples is completely up to you. Last year I peeled mine, but this year I gave up about halfway through and thought that the end product turned out just as great. I like to cut my apples up into smaller pieces because I feel like this helps them cook faster, but I'm sure it would turn out just fine with larger pieces also.

Once your apples are ready, just throw them into your slow cooker with your water, sugar and spices. You can adjust the sugar and spices as it cooks, so I wouldn't go too crazy starting out. It's always easy to add more. Cook on high for an hour or two, then switch to low and cook for another 8-10 hours or so. I usually check in here and there, sampling so that I can adjust the sugar and spices (That's what I tell myself anyways, maybe I just love tasting it, haha.)

After everything is cooked, combined and smelling delicious, you can choose whether or not to blend your apple butter. I like mine smoother, but I know that some people like to leave some of the bigger apple pieces which is super tasty as well. For a smoother consistency just stick it in the blender for a few seconds.

At this point just throw it in a can and you're good to go! If your jar is sealed and truly canned, it can last years, but otherwise it lasts a few months in the fridge ( I had to ask my mom about this part since mine is usually gone within like five minutes, ha. Thanks momma.:])

Hope some of y'all get the chance to try out this recipe and that you love it as much as I do!