Decorating: Well, the easiest way I can explain this is by referring you to the blog post that went live this morning. I shared a Christmas home tour today and put lots of pictures of our Christmas decorations this year. Funny fact: I never decorate the same way two years in a row.
I like to put a little touch of Christmas in all the rooms, even in the upstairs bedrooms and bathrooms. I use special Christmas scented handsoaps and all purpose cleaners (Mrs. Meyers) to make things smell extra yummy and I like to light my evergreen scented candles in the daytime and evenings.
Smelling: Currently I'm not smelling much. My nose is a little messed up from battling with my sinuses recently and since we all had covid last year, I can't smell a good portion of the time. My sense of smell never fully returned, which is so strange, or I'll have a smell of something burning that I smell. When I am smelling, I like to smell the candles I already mentioned or a clean house. I am trying to be better about mopping and will do that either today or tomorrow, but I love smelling Pine Sol in our home. It smells so fresh and clean!
We have hardwood floors downstairs and the dogs make lots of paw prints on them, so I've started buying inexpensive rugs to cover the trouble spots, like in this hall above, at the front door on the inside, in the laundry room and by the back door.
Sending: I'm not sending much right now, but when I do, I love to buy surprise little happies on Amazon and ship them to people. I love sending books my great nieces will enjoy and I have plans to send some other things here and there to a few people. Would you believe I've never sent Christmas cards? It's just never been my thing and even though I love receiving them, I knew that it would not be realistic for me to start sending them later on in life, especially as I got busier with raising our sons.
I love sending encouragement to people over social media. I shared the pictures above recently. One of them is how I use the inside covers of my bible—I like to use that space to preserve things I want to keep forever, like handwritten notes and verses the boys gave to me when they were young. I also love to share sermon notes occasionally and posted this to our women's page on Instagram from this past week's message. It was SO GOOD!
Wrapping: I have started receiving gifts, but I haven't started wrapping them yet. I love to wrap gifts! It is similar to folding clothes, which is also something I love to do. It's so satisfying to me! I love to use brightly colored wrapping paper like these below.
I love buying my favorite wrapping paper from Hobby Lobby, because it has a grid on the back of it that makes it easier to cut straight lines. It's the Brother & Sister brand that I love so much. I buy a couple of new rolls each year to add to my arsenal, but I make sure they all coordinate with one another. I'm funny like that.
Thanks for reading my blog, friends! I hope you have a great day. Love to all. ❤
I love wrapping paper with a grid on it too - I dont mind wrapping - as long as things are in a square container - LOL
ReplyDeleteCrazy your smell hasnt come back - my taste is still messed up - nearly 7 months later. Some things taste metallic to me - UGH
I love that you never decorate the same way twice.
ReplyDeleteI do not like to wrap presents, but if I'm going to I prefer the paper with grids too. My smell is mostly gone too and as far as I know I never had Covid. Hubby and I both have lost most of our smell and we don't know why. I'm just figuring when we had what we thought was a cold, maybe it really was Covid though. Who knows?!?
ReplyDeleteI am not a great wrapper! LOL I love the look of wrapped gifts though - it just makes me happy. Sorry your smell has been so messed up since having Covid. I do love the smell of a nice candle, especially this time of year with cinnamon, etc.
ReplyDeleteLauren @ www.shootingstarsmag.net
I like wrapping paper with grid on the back, too. Wrapping paper from the Dollar Tree also has the grid on the back (not sure if you guys have Dollar Tree stores- everything is a dollar- I love it for gift wrap and gift bags, etc.). That is sad about your sense of smell. I use wax melts everyday and I love holiday smelling ones (I usually use a pine scented one but right now I have a cinnamon smelling one going and it is divine). I sure hope you get your sense of smell back soon.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if I would like wrapping better if I thought about it like I do laundry. I love the tidiness of folding laundry and putting it away but I really dislike wrapping.
ReplyDeleteRebecca Jo- seriously! When it's a weird shape, I do gift bags. But I have a German Shepherd who sometimes messes with gift bags and tissue paper. One year she reached in and ate part of my stepmom's peppermint scented soap! She also ate my peppermint lip balm. Another year, she ate all the heads off the nativity people! Except for Baby Jesus.
ReplyDeleteIt's so weird how it effects us all differently!
Adrienne- thanks for stopping by! Well, part of my reason for that is because I can never remember or because I put things in weird places when I put it all away. Insert emoji with hand over face here. I am rolling my eyes at myself. Ha!
ReplyDeleteCathy, I would guess y'all had covid and just thought it was a cold. Most of the time, that's how it presents in most cases. It can get worse, of course, but mainly it's almost like having the flu, a cold or a bad sinus infection. It's so strange how it effects us all so differently. I can smell some candles, but not most. Who knows if it'll ever come back normal again?
ReplyDeleteLauren, I love the look of wrapped gifts as well! I'd love to be a big bow person, but I just skip it all together or I buy the kind in the package. Thanks, and thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteMaria, I did not know that! We do have a Dollar Tree. I'll have to check out their selection!
ReplyDeleteIt's okay, if I have to "suffer" with some effect of covid, I don't mind this one too much. I can still smell some candles, depending on their strength of smell and the brand. Most of them smell like something weird, like popcorn or baked chicken. You'd be astonished to know how much I smell something like cotton candy or cheese pizza. Lol.
Natasha- that's what I love about laundry! I fold in neat little Marie Condo style squares. I used to work at Eddie Bauer home and my job was folding towels to fit in cubby holes. I loved doing that! Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving some comment love!
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