Christmas at the little casa 2011!

Feliz Navidad!

December 22, 2011

Feliz Navidad!  I am settled in at the little casa for Christmas.  It will be the first Christmas here since the renovations took place.  Last year we had a flood just before Christmas and ended up having to do a redo on top of the redo of the kitchen, dining room, living room and hallway.  We are blessed to have the inside finished and have enjoyed many days of rest and relaxation away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Our home in North Texas has been on the market since October ... With showings going on, I didn't decorate the house for Christmas this year BUT did fill the little casa with all things Christmas.  The only thing I am missing is the fireplace but maybe that will get put in this next year.

Some months ago, I did a blog on living large in a tiny house.  I laugh because I wondered how we were going to fit in our favorite Christmas decorations in such a small space.  Somehow ... it just worked!!

Merry Christmas from the little casa!

Family and friends are always welcome at the little casa.  Some come in the front door yet others walk around to the back door and grab a cup of coffee before nestling down in the parlor (I got that term from Bestemor and love it!).  My kitchen turned out beyond my wildest dreams.  I have been baking up a storm and stockpiling cookies and candy for gifts.  The wood floor creaks beneath my feet as I walk from the refrigerator to the sink to the stove!  I look down and see the imperfections of many years of love as those baking and cooking before me have made their mark ... Dad Seidler making his German specialties ... Mom Seidler making her bread pudding and divinity...  Now, it's Michael and I stamping our mark with our own delicacies.

If you take a few steps up (yep, the floor slants a little!!) you enter our dining area.  If we squeeze in elbow to elbow our table will seat eight.  The room is surrounded by prints, needlework and paintings of special memories.  We especially enjoy candlelit dinners preferring the table to eating in front of the TV.  I'm kind of a fufu person loving the feel of gently worn cloth napkins and silver.  I often wonder if the times of dinner together has gone away with the busyness of our lives ... not at the little casa!!  We will host Christmas dinner this year for two of our neighbors ... Fun!!

Our parlor is small but just perfect for intimate conversations.   Michael and I love to read so it was important to have a place for our books.  My favorite movie of all time is It's A Wonderful Life ... a springboard for my collection of Waterford bells proudly displayed beside the books.  I so enjoy looking about me and seeing pieces that have become like old friends over the years.  I made room for a large Christmas tree this year surprising Michael (he kept telling me it wouldn't fit!!).  If there's something he's learned about me since we've been married it's that if I set my mind to do something, it gets done!!

The only thing left of the old bathroom was the tub which was resurfaced (yes that does work ... perfectly!!).  I drew a blank when trying to design the bathroom so picked out the sink and vanity and told the contractor to "have at it."  Lupe did an amazing job of coming up with a very functional yet "pretty" space!!  I am able to light candles and have a great soak in a very deep tub!!

Our guestroom doubles as an office but has maintained it's charm and comfort.  Every now and then, I go in there if I am having trouble sleeping.  I can hear the fountain outside and the comforting noises of the night lulls me to sleep!  Hamilton Elf found a spot in there this Christmas and has been instrumental in overseeing the Christmas decorating.

It's sort of odd but the master bedroom is the largest room in the casa.  There was room for a tree and, yes, I leave the lights on at night so that I can wake up and look at the beauty of the glass ornaments sparkling against the darkness of the room.  The room is cozy and I get that warm fuzzy feeling when I crawl under the layers of covers on the sleigh bed.

Songs of Christmas echo through the rooms of the little casa enveloping us all in the backdrop of what is to come in a few days time.  The smell of evergreen candles brings me back to a time when Christmas trees were cut and carried into the house to be adorned with special ornaments made by little hands.  There are a few packages wrapped under the trees ... more than enough to make us grateful and less than years before to make us humble.  We wish we could gather our families here for an old fashioned Christmas but will be content knowing that we will all be celebrating separately yet together as FAMILY - FOR BETTER OR WORSE.

For those of you who share the experience of living in an old house, you will understand when I say that the little casa is imperfectly perfect.  With all its little quirks, dents and dings, it is a charming getaway from the craziness of the world outside.  Our Christmas here will be joyful ... Christmas Eve dinner with Mom at the nursing home ... Christmas Eve candlelit church services ... and, Christmas Day festivities with Mom at the nursing home and our neighbors coming for dinner.  It will be a packed couple days!

I hope and pray that you will take time to rejoice with me as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For in the words of Roy L. Smith ... "He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree."  Think about that as you make those last minute Christmas preparations.  Without "Him" there would be no Christmas!

Always remember you are loved and prayed for ... YA YOU!!

Merry Christmas!!