Merry Christmas 2016!

 Merry Christmas!!  I hope you have enjoyed the beautiful 

Christmas season - especially today! 

I have loved our tree this year.  We bought it right after Thanksgiving 

and it STILL looks and smells amazing!  After many years of artificial trees, 

it is so awesome to have a gorgeous live tree. 

Although I have tried various themes over the years, traditional red and 

green is still my favorite - you can never go wrong with a classic. 

 

By moving the chair out of the corner of our home office, I was able to

place our slim tree here this year.  The colors go perfectly with the office, and who could

resist all these precious owls, deer and other animals? 

We kicked off the holidays at our house with brunch on Christmas Eve.  Actually it was just our family and Jon cooked a big breakfast late yesterday morning.  But, doesn't brunch sound so much better?  And everything is better on festive dishes, don't you agree?

I used our Christopher Radko salad plates that I have had for several years.  The red and white dinner plates were a HomeGoods find that I couldn't pass up! 

One day I will get used to not having a fireplace - I hope!  But for now, this is where we hang our stockings.  I long for a mantle to decorate.  

 

This was the last quilt my mom made - it is a beautiful reminder of her. 

 She made Christmas so special for all of us!  

I don't know about you, but my favorite decorations 

are the ones we've had forever  - the sentimental ones.  I've had this 

"red princess" jar since I was a really young teacher... a long time ago! 

More sentimental favorites - the poinsettia pictures belonged to my mother.  

I love to hang them each year.

I was going to do a full blown "Holiday Home Tour" so I could share

 all of our trees (2 full, four small) and other decor, but since I am so late posting this because we have been savoring every minute of the season, I will end with a few pics of my precious family!  This boy will be 14 in January - be still my heart!  I am so proud of him!    He LOVES the holiday and makes Christmas so much fun!! 

We forget to take pics of the two of us together, so I was thankful Seth took one last night. As you can tell by our attire, it was not a White Christmas (or a cold one) in Mississippi!  Nevertheless, it was a wonderful day!  

Thank you visiting Buttercup Bliss!

Be blessed,

Lisa 

To Blog or Not to Blog?

As you can probably see since it has been a very long time since my last post, I am struggling with blogging.  I thought when I retired I would have all this free time and I would blog like crazy.  That has not been the case.... at all!  I want to blog, but it seems like everything possible gets in the way. I've wondered why I can't seem to establish a good blogging schedule. What seems to be the problem? I began thinking about when I first started this blog (actually, even before that - back to when I first discovered blogs) and what I wanted to accomplish.  When I began I thought it would be a good creative outlet - something I could do that would be enjoyable for me.  I enjoy writing - not books or articles - just writing in general.  I also have always enjoyed anything that has to do with our home.  I love houses (Don't you just love it when people have their blinds or curtains open at night and you get a glimpse inside?), antiques, decorating, and cooking.  I truly thought it would be a perfect hobby....

And for a time, it was.  I look back over my early posts and I love them.  I wrote about memories, things that make a home a HOME, and just life.  But.... I remember when a prominent blogger asked me to link to her "party". I wasn't entirely sure how to even link to a party.  I soon figured it out.  I also figured out there are so many BIG TIME bloggers out there.  I don't know what happened, but I soon began to feel like my posts, my blog, weren't good enough because I didn't have 5,000 plus followers - nor was I featured in any blogs or * gasp * a magazine! I remember thinking, "Well I thought this would be fun, but now I feel like the girl who never made cheerleader - like I didn't measure up!"  I hate to admit it, but it took some of the joy out of the whole thing.  I began to feel like I had to constantly have projects so I would have something new and interesting to blog about.  Since we are being honest, I don't have the funds to redo a room every few months. My husband even commented that I was striving to create things just for the blog. 

Nevertheless, I went on blogging sporadically.  My love for my home, recipes, decorating, and small projects never changed but I wasn't sure they were up to par.  I realize these are my own insecurities, but, it is what it is.  I would go longer and longer between posts. My sister would say, "Would you PLEASE update your blog?"  I revamped the blog about two years ago and I love the new layout.  I added the link to my Instagram... and then BAM! Insecurity strikes again!!  I would see people who have blogs and Instagram accounts (and sometimes both) making comments like, "I just started this account two months ago and I am now at 50,000 followers."  What??  

So.... what does this have to do with anything?  I talked to my "real-life" blogging friend, Lynda, recently.  We were discussing our blogs  and she encouraged me to start blogging again. No pressure, no expectations, just blog!  So I am -  for me!  Because I enjoy it - for no other reason.  I am taking it back to what it was in the beginning - a creative outlet.  For those who have a gazillion (is that a word??) followers, I think that is awesome!! You rock!!!  But, I am content (finally!) to do my own thing and share whenever and whatever!!  You may read about our fur babies (Ollie and Clarabel) or what Seth is up to in sports, our holiday traditions, or maybe even a project or too.  It will be about our life, which is full and "real".  We are just a normal family - making it day by day by God's grace!!  And that, my friends, is enough!