100 Days of Holidays

100 Days of Holidays starts next week.  Create a holiday haven that will sparkle all season long the new 100 Days of Holidays e-mail newsletter. The FREE Better Homes and Gardens® holiday e-newsletter arrives daily starting September 24 and runs through January 1, from Halloween to New Years you’ll get an easy-to-read email filled with:

• Free pumpkin-carving stencils
• Complete Thanksgiving menus
• Stunning centerpiece ideas
• 100s of Christmas cookies
• Handmade ornaments you’ll love

Trees To Dye For

Wrote an article today for the Christmas Examiner on dying bottlebrush trees.  Go check it out.

Christmas Town Trees

Since the Christmas tree is one of biggest symbols of Christmas I am always on the look out for Christmas trees. Check out this beauty . . . LOVE the red. There are Fraser Firs, Cashmeres, Spruces, and more types of trees in abundance. Of course, ornaments are needed to decorate the trees. Also, available are tips on decorating your trees.

In addition to the online store, there is a blog. The Christmas Town Trees Blog shares recipes, decorating ideas, crafts, and traditions. Lots of fun Christmas inspiration can be found at Christmas Town Trees via the store and the blog.

I received no monetary value for writing this review.

Ideas for Twig Trees

Thanksgiving Tree. Each person in the family, including dinner guests, trace their hands and write down things they are thankful for.

Spray paint red and white like a candy cane and hang candy canes from it.

Use only nature type things like bunches of holly berries, small eucalyptus wreaths, bouquets of baby breath, pinecones.

Wordless Wednesday #4

Look at these ceramic trees I found at a flea market. I got all five for $10.00. Whoo hoo!

To see other great photos of just about anything, go to 5 Minutes for Mom.

Diamond Tree

This is the most magnificent tree I have ever seen. It is made with clear crystals and close to a thousand carats of diamonds. This diamond tree is literally worth a million bucks! Or 1.55 million bucks, to be more precise.


If you’re wondering why the tree hasn’t been stripped bare of its diamonds... it’s because they are all encrusted upon the huge star perched at the top so that it’s safely beyond reach.

Some statistics:
man hours — 12,966
weight — over 3,215 kilograms
lights — 456
crystal beads — 3,762
diamonds — 21,798
carats — 913
worth — $1,550,000

Six Main Type of Christmas Trees

Fraser Fir

This tree has become a Christmas favorite in recent years, thanks to the pretty contrast between the silver on the underside of the needles and the dark green on top. No worries about being pricked — the three-quarters-inch-long needles are flat, have blunt ends, and are soft to the touch. The Fraser fir is said to have the best needle retention of all the trees, but farmers say needle retention is based more on how well you care for the tree.



Balsam Fir

This aromatic, dark green tree will keep a room smelling like a forest in Maine. The needles are three quarters of an inch long, flat, and blunt at the ends, and grow in two rows on either side of the branch. All firs have good needle retention. Fir branches are airier than those of pines or spruces, so you can go wild with popcorn strings and colored balls.





White Fir

At the Jones Family Farms, in Shelton, Connecticut, the white fir is called "the tangerine tree" because of its citrusy smell. The soft needles are flat and thin, two to three inches long, and silvery blue, growing all around the branch. The white fir tends to be fuller than other firs. Not widely grown, it is a niche tree, says Terry Jones: "You either love 'em or you hate 'em."





Eastern White Pine

This tree is popular in the South. The branches grow close together, and the soft, hairlike needles, 2 1/2 to 5 inches in length, grow in bundles of five, giving the tree a soft, full appearance. But because of the tightness of the branches, it doesn't showcase ornaments as well as firs do.






Douglas Fir

The inch-long needles are thin, pointed, and soft; they grow in two rows, as on the balsam, and stick out in different directions, giving the tree a beautiful, feathery appearance. Douglas firs are dark green or blue green, depending on their genetic makeup and the type of soil they were grown in. The branches are more flexible than those of the balsam, making this not the best choice for heavy ornaments.




Colorado Blue Spruce

A beautiful tree that ranges in color from silvery blue to dark green, the Colorado blue spruce has needles 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches in length that grow "bottle brush" style on the branches. Because the needles are prickly, the Colorado blue spruce is often recommended to people who have cats. They won't try climbing it twice. The strong branches can support heavy ornaments without sagging.

This is a Christmas Tree

This is a Christmas tree.

This is a Christmas tree.

This is a Christmas tree.

This is a Christmas tree.

This is a Christmas tree.

These are Christmas trees.
These are NOT Holiday trees.
They are not Hanukkah bushes.
They are not Allah plants.
They are Christmas trees.

Say it...
CHRISTmas , CHRISTmas , CHRISTmas.

Yes, CHRISTmas -- not Holiday.
We are not celebrating the birth of a Holiday!
We are celebrating the Birth of Jesus Christ!

What Color Christmas Tree Should You Have?

You Should Have a Blue Christmas Tree

For you, the holidays represent a time of calm, understanding, and peace. You avoid family fights, and you don't get too stressed out - even when things are crazy! You like to make Christmas about making everyone's life a little bit better. You don't get caught up in greed or commercialism. You're too sincere for that. Your blue tree would look great with: Lots of silver tinsel You should spend Christmas Eve watching: It's a Wonderful Life What you should bake for Santa: Chocolate chip cookies

What Color Christmas Tree Should You Have?