it's that time of year

it's that time of year

a middle tennessee garden blog


finding beauty in the natural things around us makes for one happy self and a lovely life. ~marmee

dash home farm, leiper's fork, tennessee

Sunday, December 14, 2008

faux tree

soooooo, the weather outside is frightful
and the fires have been delightful and
since we've no place to go(ha)
mys-well put the ole' faux trrrreeeeee!


not being able to go cut a real tree has
curbed my enthusiasm, just a bit.
in the other house we moved from,
i had a real tree the family would
decorate together and a faux tree
in the formal living room that i would
take my time and decorate by myself.

this is the first year in this house
we put up the faux tree.
it doesn't quite fit.
so the topper to the tree has to be left off.
it seems kinda strange a tree with no top,
so on goes the angel to see if that works.
dh says it's okay so i press on.
i'm really not sure which ornaments
to use so i just pick and choose
and leave a lot of them in the storage boxes.


abbey and i worked on it together.


then wrapped presents to put under it.





we had fun and it is done.
this is the latest i have ever put up our tree.
so it will probably be up well into january.

hope you all are having fun with
the christmas season
and all the wonder it brings.
merry christmas!

34 comments:

Meems said...

I knew I wuold have some catching up to do when I got over here. No matter that the tree is not real... your decorations are stunning. Be sure to get some fresh Christmas tree limbs from a lot that gives them away. You can make some arrangements with them for the fresh scent through out the house. The key this year is to "enjoy the beauty of the season"! Absolutely lovely tree, Marmee!

Gail said...

marmee,

Your tree looks delightful! Meems is right...your decorations are stunning! We bought our first real tree in years...to celebrate our son being home for the holidays. We also have a few frasier fir wreaths that bring the Christmas tree fragrance into the house!

Have a lovely week and I do hope we can figure out a time to get together...where has the time gone?

Gail

Cheryl said...

Hi Marmee......whatever you do always has a magic about it. Your tree is charming....I love some of the unusual ornaments that adorn it......

The grandchildren have stayed this weekend and have helped to decorate the house.....it has been fun although a little chaotic...lol

Have a wonderful Christmas season..........

Anonymous said...

As I was trying to explain to Meems yesterday...a tree is not a tree until it has some presents under it!!! :o)

Send me an email please because I lost your email addi when my computer crashed. Thanks!

Meadowview Thymes said...

It was hard letting go of cutting down a live tree, but I got use to it and now enjoy our tree and not worrying about it drying out. Your tree is beautiful!!!

Unknown said...

Your tree is just wonderful and you have some neat ornaments. With all of your talent for decorating no one will notice the tree is not real!

Wendy said...

Your tree is beautiful. A true labour of love.
I haven't got ours up yet, so you've beat me. I just put it in the garage this afternoon to thaw until tomorrow. Then I'll put it in our living room.
Hugs.

Robin's Nesting Place said...

Believe it or not but I've never had a real tree. We've used the same tree for about 26 years.

I love the idea of getting fresh greenery. We have a tree farm just a mile or two down the road, I'll have to check them out!

Susie said...

faux or not it looks lovely. You guys did a great job of decorating Marmee.

marmee said...

meems, thanks i am happy you like my decorations. i did buy to live wreaths but i decided to put one at the backdoor and one at the front door. i do usually get fresh greenery when we get our tree and make something for mailbox, garland, then into something for the table. i'll have to go and get some stuff just for that. great advice on "enjoying the beauty of the season."
i appreciate your perspective, meems.

marmee said...

gail,
thank you, oh you are sweet to say such things. how fun that you got a real tree to celebrate your son being home. enjoy that wonderful fragrance, there's nothing like it.
you just let me know and we can make a time to get together.

marmee said...

cheryl,
thank you i like to put a lot of thought and love into what i do for my family and hope they get something real/magical out of it.
we love all things natural including animals so we put them on the tree too. feathers are always good as well.
it sounds like you must have had a wonderful albeit crazy weekend. i love the fact that you let the grands help decorate. i am sure they will have fond memories of doing it when they grow up.
you too have a wonderful christmas.

marmee said...

arissamae,
tell her to at least put something under there. at least it will give people something to shake and go to bed dreaming of what it might be. thanks for coming by. hope you and that adorable lil boy are taking every little moment of the holiday in.

marmee said...

mt,
i have alot of funny tree stories. i'm not going to give up on the real tree thing just yet just not this year.
a couple of years ago i decided to get a tree burlaped and balled so we could plant it afterwards. not only was it hard to find a vessal to hold it but by the time christmas came most of the needles were gone worse than charlie brown's christmas tree. needless to say that did not go over well with the fam.

marmee said...

darla, thanks for the encouragement and your very kind words. it's fine now that it is decorated. i just miss the whole family adventure of going to the farm and everyone running around like little crazies and trying to pick the final tree with all the different opinions. i guess i used to the craziness of it all.

marmee said...

well wendy i would say that you are just a little busy with hubby and new grandbaby. it doesn't really matter when you get it up. i always put pressure on myself, so dh says. thank you i do put a lot of thought and love into the christmas season hoping my children will feel it and draw strength from it. have fun doing your tree when you are able to.

marmee said...

oh robin, it is hard to believe. years ago, like 20 or so. we got a live cut tree that grew. it had new light green growth on it. that was very cool. have a live tree or at least some greenery it a must around here for the smell and natural beauty. make sure you get some greenery this year and let me know what you think.

marmee said...

susie, thanks. we had fun no matter what. i am glad it is done. now we get to sit back and enjoy the pretty lights and presents underneath.

Roses and Lilacs said...

Your tree is lovely. You have so many wonderful ornaments, no one can see the artificial tree;) You have a wonderful talent for decorating.
Marnie

Rissalee said...

Marmee,

Did you explain somewhere WHY you weren't able to cut a real tree this year? Did I miss it? Do tell.

Little one is LOVING all the sights and sounds of Christmas. Christmas lights, penguins and snowmen, and "candy cans" (as he calls them) are among his favorites.

I'm not a gift shaker, but I DO go to bed at night dreaming of what they might be!!!

Rissalee said...

OH! And "mile 283" is the spot I'm at on my life's journey. A mile marker if you will...along the road to where I'm going.

You will have to stay tuned to the blog for a future post in which I will explain more! :o)

I'm surprised how many people have asked about it!!!

Anonymous said...

yes, you do have a lot of 'tree stories'!! like the one you related a few posts back of the time we scraped together every dime we could to try to beg for a little tree for Rachel when she was just a baby! and how about the tree that you salvaged from a throw away? it was the bottom half of a much larger tree and had no top branches. so you & your dh tied up the low branches to form a tree shape and put in on a card table. (i actually think i have an old pic somewhere of that one) it was beautiful when it was all decorated too!

the time you spent with Abbey decorating & wrapping is the really significant beauty of the season! i look forward to every year being a little different. i even threw away a lot of old decorations this year, and that is hard for me to do. but life is about change and gracefully accepting those changes that we cannot do anything about. being rigid about the same old same old makes us grow brittle and hard. especially at this time, with all that is going on in our world, it is best to just go with the flow and appreciate the "reason for the season" more. we are very restricted financially right now, so i am finding joy and peace in letting each day speak to my heart and enjoying the moment! if something unexpected comes up, just keep on praising the One whose birthday we are really celebrating and let go of the disappointment, lack of enthusiasm or whatever. sometimes it is really up to us to make it a 'Merry Christmas'!

p.s. your tree is very beautiful, as usual. and maybe no one else will even care or notice it is fake, except you, of course!

Anonymous said...

We use a artificial tree every year since my youngest has allergies. Your tree looks lovely with all the pretty decorations, presents & angel on top!

marmee said...

arissamae,
i do know what mile markers are i meant what is 283>? is that a random # or what is the meaning of those specific #'s?

also the place we found this year to cut trees is about 2 hours away and the weather had been frightfully cold or rainy since thanksgiving or we have school practises for the nutcracker. it just hasn't worked out this year and i didn't want to wait anymore to have a tree up.
i am sure this is a wonderus time for any toddler with all the glitz and glitter of christmas. how fun! i absolutely love his age.

marmee said...

marnie, thank you i guess you can really fake it when you put so much stuff on it to cover it up, lol! it definitely is sparkling.

marmee said...

arissamae,
btw, love your picture it looks like a very happy contented you!

joey said...

Your tree looks stunning, Marnee! (Think of how happy the ease of taking it down will be). I'm with Meems (sisterly advice) you can cut greens from your yard or go to the local farmer's market (or better yet, come visit me ... I have tons to share, plus lots of holly!) The holidays are for enjoying and not for working ourselves into chaotic frenzy (I'm trying to take my own adivice :)

marmee said...

gigi,
i do remember the bottom of the tree story very vividly. it was a blessing to have any tree at that point and it did look wonderful in the end. it would be good to see a photo of that.
every year is definitely different and this year is the topper. i am learning a lot about life and myself. life is full of changes sometimes i resist and sometimes i go gracefully.
thanks mom for coming by.
i am grateful for the beauty of the time i have spent with abbey and getting things done.
we are supposed to have ice storms tonight and tomorrow. it should be another winter wonderland but of the icy nature. we are all going to stay in.
love you.

marmee said...

pgl,
glad to see you and am happy you like the tree. hope you are enjoying your christmas season and all that it brings.

Esther said...

Well, I love the way the tree looks-it gives the angel a perfect little seat. It never really seems like any tree topper truly fits a pointed tree because they don't always want to sit straight! So I think you have something there. Anyways, I love all the decor... I miss you and love you so much! I remember our half tree at least I should say I remember the stories but I think at the time I had no idea because it looked so beautiful to me. I think of how Grace sees the world-so fun and inviting full of joy and wonderment. I have to remind myself sometimes: that it is truly what it is all about.

marmee said...

estee',
thanks honey you always have such a sweet way of saying what is in your heart. it is a wonderful thing when your children are so young and just enjoy the
little-ist of everything. it seems that all is magical and of wonder to them. i wish i could see her face as she looks at the tree... hears a christmas song...opens her gifts and squeals with excitement. maybe next year. thanks for visiting. now i can go on your site, i had forgotten how to get there. love you

Sandy said...

Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Yes, I do love this season and love to decorate for it. Thank you for your sweet comment. Your tree looks lovely. I really like the rich colors, ribbons, textures, and unique ornaments you have decorated in. Have a wonderful holiday!

Anonymous said...

Just beautiful, Marmee! Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Jan said...

I think your faux tree is beautiful:) Usually, we put up a live one but this year we decided not to...for various reasons, and we have our artificial tree up. It sounds nicer to call it a 'faux' tree! Much more elegant:) Merry Christmas! Jan