Need some holiday endorphins

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I hope you sat at a big table with a fat turkey or whatever kind of meat you adore, with all those awesome side dishes (that in my opinion are the best part of the meal), with family or friends around you, with football on in the background, with a table of desserts that you were too full to eat, and with stretchy pants to make the afternoon more comfortable.

In other words, I hope you had the Thanksgiving I didn't.  I'm not complaining, honestly.  I (we) just didn't have the traditional holiday.  We stayed at a hotel, ate our Thanksgiving meal at Cracker Barrel and almost every other meal out except the free hotel breakfast.  There are family issues right now, so it wasn't possible for everyone to get together.  And even if we did get together, like I said there are issues that make it WEIRD. 

But we had a wonderful time with the girls, mostly laughing or laughing at them laughing.  If you're a parent, then you know the joy of listening to your kids laughing together, no matter their age.  It's as if you gave them the best gift that they get to keep for the rest of their lives - each other.

But we're back home now, and it's time to start getting into Christmas mode.  I'm usually pretty excited about this, and you'd think with the new house that I'd be especially excited to decorate.  But I'm just not feeling it yet.  Our neighbors will likely be disappointed in the lack of lights and decorations outside, and I'm sure someone will stop by to tell me how THE PREVIOUS OWNERS had the most beautiful lights on the block.  Get over it, folks!

I'm needing some inspiration.  Maybe you are, too?  A quick visit to Pinterest might help me:

I'm putting myself on a very limited decorating budget, using mostly what I already have.  So I've decided to try using things that are readily available, like all the pine cones everywhere.  I'd be a fool to not gather a huge bag of cones along any trail and use them this year.  I think I've just decided on a theme, ha.

I like this woodsy, cabin look.  I don't have a mantel to decorate this year, because it's currently adorned with a large flat screen TV.  Priorities, you know.  But this gave me an idea for a large mirror I have, and again - PINE CONES. 

I just think this is sweet and simple.  Perfect for an apartment.  Think how inexpensively it can be done.  Buy fabric instead of a table cloth - who cares about the edges?  Just cut neatly or use my new best friend, fusible bonding web!  And those little mini trees can be bought anywhere for super cheap.

Mostly what I'm doing outside is a large garland around the door and then something on the door itself.  I bet I can come up with ornaments I don't use anymore to decorate a wreath.  And pine cones.  :-)

This door garland with pine cones is a Martha Stewart design.  It is hilarious to read how much trouble and precision she uses in creating the pine cone adornment.  It's good for a laugh if you want to take the time to find it on Pinterest.  But I'm going to steal it shamelessly!  I love it.

With my latest addiction to painting and glazing, this frame idea is really tempting.  Really tempting.  And I happen to know an awesome trading post that would have lots of frames to choose from.  I'd have to read how they attach it to the door though, so it wouldn't bang all over the place.  Those 3M sticky things maybe?

Okay, I'm a little more in the mood now.  Alan will read that and think something else. ;-)