
Journals, Jewels, & Journeys

Home, Lifestyle, Family
Before we stored this Prelit 1,000 light tree, my Hubby took the time to bind the branches with a plastic cord and separate them into 3 sections before hauling it up to the attic.
This is not a one-man job! Those days are long gone when I would assist my Hubby with lifting and carrying heavy items. With four sons at home, they've got us covered..
My favorite part of the tree is the bottom, because it's so full! Do you see how the branches touch the floor, it's been known to hide a few gifts, or two - even after Christmas!
After this piece is attached, I start getting happy. Up to this point, it's a little intense!
The top isn't heavy, but feeling for the channel to feed it in can be time consuming. In the end, It's all worth it!
I make sure the tree topper goes on the top portion of the tree before Hubby grabs it, otherwise, it becomes problematic! What happens next is from my department - Attach lights, turn on, and shape the tree!
Now begins the arduous process of plugging the lights into the right places, because they're many possibilities. Once I do that, I plug it into the outlet, and when it comes on, I say, "Thank you Jesus!" Whew!
This wreath had not been used for my 2014 decor, but it was about to be utilized. The Holly Berries began to dry out by January, but was durable enough to make a winter wreath that I could hang outside. We'll see!.
When these Holly Berries were fresh, they were stunningly beautiful, just sitting in my basket by the window. Then but they began to dry out -that's when I no longer found them appropriate for my decor.
I first made sure there was enough Hollies to go around the entire wreath before I started the project.
Next, I tied thin wire around a small grouping of bushes until they were all separated into bundles.
This was so easy to assemble, I didn't even have to be very careful. All I did was feed the end branches through a slit in the wreath.
I worked the end branches through openings in the wreath, and covered exposed wire with the next application of Hollies bushes.
This is what the wreath looked like in February, just before Valentines Day. I even spoke about it on this video clip.
This was an experimental project. I sat on my bed and attached the bulbs by feeding fishing wire through them, but it wasn't until I went to hang them in my dining room that I ran into a problem........
The problem was, I needed a second set of hands. My kids were all asleep, and my Hubby was all the way in the basement! The bulbs began to do it's own thing, intertwining with each other.
It wasn't what I tried to replicate from the DIY, but it was uniquely my own. My family loved it, and so did I!
Look at how beautiful the bulbs looked once reflected by the Christmas lights. It's Magic!
Now for the windows, we clean them both inside and out, in the Fall, just before Thanksgiving so that I can hang my lights, and again in the Spring. that's twice a year, and that's enough!
My daughter Jada assists her dad with cleaning the inside living room windows. This always make the house smell fresh.
While daddy does the outside cleaning using a nicely scented bottle of Windex, we get instant results, "Crystal Clear"!
Diamond cleaned all the kitchen cabinets, and did a fabulous job. First she used an all purpose cleaning spray, then washed it down with Dawn Dish Detergent in warm water to remove the chemicals.
To clean the tile, she used a product called Goof Off. Afterwards, I had her do a second wash, this time using Dawn Dish Detergent in warm water.
When you're in holiday mode, you start cleaning everything, but last year, we repainted the chairs white. and his year, we decided to get rid of them altogether.