January means...

...getting my house back from the Halloween-then-Christmas decorating-pallooza!

As soon as the extended family left for various parts south, I made my way up to the attic to bring down the empty red and green tubs I had taken up there two months earlier. I find cleaning and decorating to be very therapeutic. After the stress of this holiday season, I was really looking forward to tearing apart my house and putting it back together again.

It's been slow going this year. My husband has been sick with a whopper of a cold since the first.Dave almost never gets sick but when he does....It's really thrown him for a loop, poor guy. Now Asher is sick , too. Not as bad as his daddy, thankfully. I also had to check on and clean out my parents apartment. No big deal except Asher doesn't quite understand that Grandma and Grandpa are far away and won't be back for a long time. I was already a bit melancholy, so his questions and confusion really brought us down and made the task a bit trying.

I have almost all of the Christmas decorations packed up and away. Just my room and Nathanael's room are left.As for putting the house back together, well, I'm getting there. The living and dining rooms and kitchen are done. And I put Asher's room back together on Monday. Slowly but surely I'm putting my home back together. And when that's done? Spring cleaning, of course!

Here are some pictures of my progress. The theme? Snow and Hearts!

Kitchen

Counter in the kitchen/dining room.

Counter in kitchen/dining room.

Tray on my dining room table.

Dining room

Living room- where the Christmas tree had been.

Living room

Living room- fireplace mantel

Living room- fireplace mantel

Living room- fireplace mantel

Living room- love, love, love

Living room- love for Jane Austen

Danielle