Southern Fried Christmas Recap

All I can say is we are a blessed family here at Southern Fried. There was a little bit of everything for our family by way of gifts and celebrations this year.

Santa graded on the curve this year on all accounts!

We tried to get BBC to ask for his two front teeth but all he wanted was a golf ball and a Santa suit. Thanks to Santa he got both. Oh and Santa thanks BBC for an easy year...

This was by far the biggest hit...

Seriously almost has NOT taken it off since he got it.

After we opened gifts we went to DH's grandfather's home for a traditional southern Christmas dinner and gift opening. Somehow I managed to not get any photos there. I also got spanked at Catch Phrase...oh well, can't win them all!

We didn't get a white Christmas but my mom and brother did. This is the road condition for my brother and his family coming down the day after Christmas to celebrate. We are committed to our family gatherings!

First we met for breakfast at the Golden Corral in Fort Smith for Christmas with my dad. Very chaotic but fun.

Then we headed to my sister's home to open gifts and snack like there was no tomorrow. It was loud. So much so my young niece who is recently married stated she was going to double up on her birth control for a few more years - ha!

Well that is our 2009 Christmas story. We are blessed. I am thankful for the memories with all our families. I am also thankful for all my blog friends. I have enjoyed reading about your Christmas gatherings as well! Blessings to you! ~Southern Fried Gal

Christmas Tour of Homes Round 2

I'm still on tour with Nester. There are over 1000 links to her tour so lots of FABULOUS Christmas decor to check out in your spare time. So here goes round 2 of my home tour...

This is the main view of the living room from the den. I have eclectic taste and you might say my style is dichotomous. I like formal (symmetry, rich fabrics, bling) and casual (cozy, comfortable, natural). My living room has several great examples of these styles coming together.

I also like my decor to make sense (at least in my mind - ha). I LOVE this picture. Not the photograph but the symbolism. Mary, Joseph and Jesus in the hurricane looking down to the cross looking down to the shepherd boy on his knees. And with arborvitae (tree of life) tucked around. Doesn't that just sum it all up?

Here's some natural and bling playing a role together. I love those blingy fruits!

And why not mix a wreath of greenery and berries with a bright, shiny ornament and then tuck them into a rusted urn?

Looking out of the living room onto the berry, blingy banister. Don't mind the fall candle on the stairs...

Walking down the hall into the kitchen you will find the very festive breakfast nook. Aren't those windows screaming for mistreatments? Any suggestions?

Simple centerpiece. BBC's favorite!

Speaking of BBC. I turned this shelf into one sweet spot for him. The top shelf is reminiscent of an old fashioned candy shop. The bottom shelf is ready for the baking to begin. We have a LOT of baking to do this weekend.

Couldn't help myself here. DH thinks I lost my mind as usual...

A quick look into the hall bath. Simple, simple.

Oh and I tweaked my favorite centerpiece by tucking in a few pheasant feathers. Love it more than ever now!!! Thanks for stopping over! Wishing you a beautiful and Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tour of Homes - Round 1

Nester is hosting the Tour of Homes this year and of course I am joining in all the fun. Let's begin with Round 1...door, foyer, dining, and den.

Welcome to my Southern Fried Home...
I like to make a BIG statement from the get go!

Signs of Christmas and New Life greet you as you walk into the door. This is the end of my Berry Blingy Banister. I loved it so much last year that I decided to rinse and repeat.

A cheery entry table even if the picture is dark. The weather has been gloomy as of late. I love showcasing Christmas cards here.

Since we just repainted the dining room I chose to keep the decor simple in there. It is a nice contrast from the very blingy entry.

I love my centerpiece. Love it.

As you walk into the den this is the view of our tree.

And the mantle.

I miss the nutcrackers from the previous year but didn't want to drag that bucket out so I just put lots of clusters of ornaments and shiny sticks into the garland. Easy peasy.

Well that is all for round 1. Thanks for stopping by! I still have the kitchen, hall bath, and living room to share. Hope you will stop back by for that tour. And be sure to head over to Nester's new digs for even more Christmas home decor. Have a blessed day! ~Southern Fried Gal.

Our Christmas Tree 2009

Our internet was out all day yesterday due to maintenance in our neighborhood. Don't these people know I am trying to get back into bloggy shape? Isn't that just like a real diet/workout routine? Just when you are ready to go full force you find more opposition than before? Ha!

Anyway. Here is our tree this year. We always get a real tree. I love the scent and it is fun working with the natural characteristics of each tree. This year I fell in love with a tiny tree. It took the boys some convincing but I finally got my in the end.

Here are a few Southern Fried tips for your tree...

1. The key to keeping your tree fresh throughout the season is to cut off about an inch of the trunk and put in a big bucket of water at least overnight. It is amazing how much water your tree will drink up that first night. The one year I skipped this step we had the driest, messiest tree ever - yuck!

2. To put my lights on the tree I follow advice from Martha. I run a green multi-plug extension cord up the trunk and secure with green pipe cleaners. Then I wrap each branch individually. It's an obsession but I love a tree covered in lights. I also use pipe cleaners to tie up a branch here and there and create more stability and shape in the tree.

3. After lights I start layering in shiny but inexpensive ornaments in the center of the tree. This year I used RED to tie everything together on the tree so most of the internal layer is red. I did add a few gold and green here and there just to create a little more interest.

4. Then I layer in my better ornaments from the inside to the outside of the tree. I like a lot of depth and interest. I consider our tree to be an old-fashioned tree filled with ornaments that have meaning for us. There are a TON of nutcrackers because DH made the mistake of mentioning that he liked them when we were first married and I obsessively bought every set I could find. That is meaningful to us so we keep it. Since adding BBC into the mix we have a good bit of ornaments with meaning that are not nutcrackers.

5. After I get the ornaments placed just so, there are always "holes" in the layering of the tree due to weak branches. So I go back and tuck in ribbon to bring color and camouflage those areas. This year I used a 4 inch mesh ribbon with metallic threads. It catches a lot of light, too.

6. And finally I take care in grouping ornaments together to give them more presence. At the top of the tree this year I put a cross because first and foremost, Jesus is the reason for the season and I like to remember the full picture of his life as we celebrate his birth. I also put an ornament from our honeymoon, our first year together ornament, and BBC's first year ornament in a place of prominence.

Well I hope you enjoyed my walk through of my approach to decorating my tree. I wish I had great photography skills because it is way more beautiful in person that those posted here. I have been enjoying all the looks into your holiday homes. Can't wait to see more.

~Southern Fried Gal

And this is how it looks today...

Came home to this today...

Lots of great deals in those boxes!

Our Southern Living at HOME Winter Clearance Sale is in full force...

You can check out the details here.

Contact me for details on how to order. Hurry - items are selling out quickly!

~Southern Fried Gal

Christmas Door Decor Building On The Previous Year

Last year y'all went gaga for my door. I hope you enjoy this year's look as well. Each year I build onto my Christmas decor during the after-Christmas sales. I'm going to step you through how I upgraded my Christmas door from last year to this year...

So this is how it looked last year...not bad.

And how it looks today.

Last year I did the topiaries with a skinny, non-embellished look.
(sorry for the bad photo)

This year I poofed them...

Last year I did big poofs of mesh and didn't have ribbon.

This year I did smaller poofs of mesh and added in two coordinating ribbons that I picked up on sale. I also added in a handful of new ornaments from clearance sales last year.

Last year I threw together this wreath...

This year I removed the large ornament, flipped it upside down, and wired in the boot and ornament clusters.

I thought I loved the look last year but it pales in comparison for me to this year's look. My heart skips a beat every time I drive up AND I have had plenty of oohs and ahhs from passersby. By building on my decor I was able to achieve this with very simple changes and little additional expense.

If you want to see how I create this look you can check out my how-to post from last year. If you are in central Arkansas, I can save you the hassle and hook you up for a small fee ;). I will be posting pictures of other doors later this week.

I am linking up with the DIY party at A Soft Place to Land. Be sure to head over to Kimba's and check out all the other fabulous DIY projects this week! ~ Southern Fried Gal

Playing Catch Up...

Like BBC's latest bad guy outfit...
It has been a little crazy around here.

We had a big scare with my precious sister-in-law over the Thanksgiving holiday. Her liver wasn't working and she had to be admitted to the hospital that week. We sent out many prayer requests that night and by the next day all her enzymes were heading back to normal and the doctors had a hard time explaining. Praise the Lord! They figured out that instead of problems with her liver she actually was having gall stones. She is set to have her gall bladder removed this week. Please keep her in your prayers. Her name is Melanie.

This is the gang of cousins on Thanksgiving morning...

Oh and BBC lost his first tooth since we last spoke! It was interesting finding out the going rate for the tooth fairy. He cried when going to bed that night because he was afraid of her...

Anyway - that is what has been going on with us. I am planning to get back in bloggy shape with two-a-day posts this week. Lots to share. We have completed a DIY home project. I taught a trash to Christmas treasure class at church a few weeks back. The door is up for Christmas and I have been decorating others, too! The tree is up. I am wrapping up other Christmas decor this week. And much more.

Have a great week! ~Southern Fried Gal