We spent a great Christmas with family in Tucson, AZ and had the pleasure of visiting the Winterhaven Festival of Lights which has been illuminating Christmas in Tucson since 1949. The neighborhood is a unique blend of ranch style homes and the streets are lined with enormous allepo pines. This is not a cookie-cutter light display that is seen in many suburbs but an opportunity for residents to get creative and share their Christmas spirit.
The White House is always splendidly decorated for Christmas and this year proves to be no exception. The Bush's always decorated with aplomb and their state ornaments were gorgeous. This year we expect the Obama's to bring a fresh new look to the White House Christmas and we can't wait to see their decorating ideas.
photo: hownowdesign
Pregnancy has an interesting way of speeding things up to a rapid pace and then slowing down to a near halt. Every morning, Pregalinas awake to a new set of challenges, some days you wake up feeling not even pregnant and others you feel like you should just stay in bed. The progress of our nursery has suffered due to the later and my third trimester has announced its presence rather loudly.
After deciding the location of the room, we had a lot of demo work to do just to prep and clean for a new human. First, we decided to remove the carpet. A lot of parents we surveyed recommended carpet because it helps block out sound, on the other hand it traps germs and can increase allergies. We decided the current carpet had to go either way. Ripping out carpet is extremely satisfying however not great for a pregnant back, hence the slow-down on the nursery. We found decent hardwood underneath, which has several blemishes and is pretty scuffed up. We opted to paint instead of the expense and time of refinishing the floor or allergy-inducing carpet. We are going with a simple white lacquer but through my research I came across some great ideas for painting floors. Like, Catherine Weis's patterned floor in Craft magazine.
We love natural Christmas trees but everyone should remember that they need care to last as well as remain safe in your home. There is no greater danger than a tree that has dried out. Read this article from the New York Times for more information about caring for your Christmas tree.
Last holiday season there were about 200 Christmas tree fires in American homes, caused primarily by faulty lights and resulting in 10 deaths and more than $10 million in property loss, the commission says. Another 14,000 house fires are started yearly by misplaced or mishandled flame candles, causing 170 deaths and $350 million in property loss. And about 10,000 people are treated at emergency rooms for injuries from falls, cuts or shocks while hanging lights or decorations.
