Decorating

I spent the past couple of days with my wonderful mother-in-law, who came in town for the sole purpose of helping me decorate my Christmas tree. I enlisted her help over a year ago, and if you saw the Christmas trees she has decorated at her home in Houston and at the lakehouse, you would know why. She just has that eye, you know? She's extremely talented and I'm hoping her mad skills will rub off on me at some point. Last year she helped Rachel decorate her Christmas tree. We had very little space in our apt last year, but I knew that whenever Kyle and I had a tall enough ceiling and some floor space, I would make it happen. I've been so excited about this past weekend...in fact our tree has been in the works since October. :-) I love my mother-in-law dearly. She is one of the most gracious, generous, and considerate people that I know. And she is the easiest person to talk to. We had a blast decorating our home for Christmas, but I think I was even more excited to have her to myself for a couple days. And the finished product was, well even better than I imagined. I thought of putting up pictures of the tree, but why would I? I would MUCH rather you come see it (and me!) for yourself. I'll make you hot chocolate and any Christmas treat your heart desires. Plus, the pics don't do it justice. (I've taken plenty since I will have to re-create this tree on my own next year). While we're on decorating, some "before and after" pictures of our little dining area. We had a tad bit of a "blinding lamp problem" with the light that was above our table. No matter how high we raised it, there was a perpetual need for sunglasses while eating dinner. Thankfully our sister Rachel came to the rescue with a beautiful chandelier that her showroom had ordered two of. I just love it! Problem solved. BEFORE: AFTER: