Why I Chose My House

August 6, 2019 By Linda 22 Comments

I would like to think this fabulous idea of telling you all (finally) about how and why I (and we) chose my (and our) house was all mine. But, alas, that honor goes to the very fabulous and talented Jennifer at Town and Country Living.

And you can read all about why Jennifer chose her historic home here …

This week she’s organized a bunch of us bloggers to share the tales of how and why we fell in love with our homes. You can find links at the end of the post.

So, on to my story …

Now, many of you who stop by regularly have heard me moan and bemoan about my Chicago home. It’s old. It’s creaky. It’s drafty …

and, it’s (technically) a tear-down in my now very gentrified Lakeview neighborhood. So I’ve been reluctant to make any large investments. Lately, it’s been a lipstick on a pig situation.

Sorry house!

But it wasn’t always so. There was a time when I swooned over this house!

I was going to correct the headline to include a “we” and “our” because Mike did play a role too. But then I remembered that … technically … I really did choose this house!

Well, at first that is.

Mike was on a business trip when the realtor called insisting she found our first home. So I rushed over (alone) after work to take a look.

It was love at first sight.

Not to mention love at first neighborhood.

I fell in love with the tree lined street. I fell in love with the cast iron fence. I fell in love with the refurbished Victorian right next door. And the house next to that? Yeah, I fell in love with their white picket fence.

Swoon!

As far as I was concerned, it wasn’t just a house I was buying. I was buying the entire block and the entire neighborhood.

And after 25 years (we originally had a 5-7 year plan) I’m still in love with the neighborhood. The block. And (most) of my neighbors. 😉

Shall we step inside?

The interior looks nothing like the house we bought.

Decor wise.

Style wise.

And detail wise.

In the entry we embarked on our first big DIY experiment: installing faux board and batten molding.

In our space-challenged home, it offered up a great storage solution for the kids coats and backpacks.

Okay, they still threw them on the floor. But at least mom now had hooks to pick them up and hang them on!

And we liked the board and batten look so much …

we installed it in the living room too!

The big windows are nice for letting in light, but we’ve never been a fan of casement windows.

Ah well. Twenty-five years later and we’re still living with them!

This is the space I call my office (since I don’t have a space to call an office). It’s where the proverbial magic happens!

Oh, and that side table is usually piled high with notes and papers and cans of diet Coke!

Did I mention we liked board and batten? Yup. We installed it in the dining room too!

Our house is a railroad set up which means the rooms are stacked back to back. So the dining room is probably the least used but most visited space in our place!

And through that French door is the family room we added on when I found out I was pregnant with #2. I don’t have pictures to share today because my son (who was two-years-old when we built that addition) came home from college and set up his electronics back there! 🙂

Here’s the view from the dining room through to the living room …

But what really sold us on this house …

what really made us realize we needed to live here …

was the screen porch out back.

This is actually our second screen porch. We had to tear down the original and build new for that family room addition.

Thank you so much for visiting my home! And be sure to check out my blogging friends to learn why they chose their homes …

Monday’s Homes

Town and Country Living / Designthusiasm / StoneGable

Tuesday’s Homes

The Happy Housie / The Wicker House / Sincerely Marie Designs

It All Started with Paint / Maison de Cinq / Jennifer Rizzo

Wednesday’s Homes

Worthing Court / The Happy Housie Cabin / Duke Manor Farm

Robb Restyle / Shabbyfufu

Summer Table Setting in Gray, White, Gold

August 1, 2019 By Linda 7 Comments

Summer Table Setting in Gray, White, Gold – Table Setting Ideas for Screen Porch

Sometimes I’m so behind the decorating trends, that I often find myself ahead of them.

Does that make sense?

A decorating/color/craft idea comes along and I miss it. Completely. Whoosh, over my head miss it.

Summer Table Setting in Gray, White, Gold - Summer Table Setting Ideas

But then I get something in my head that I can’t shake.

Perhaps I was influenced by that trend I missed after all?

Perhaps it just takes my mind a little extra time to compute, appreciate and embrace that decorating/color/craft idea?

And when I say a little extra time, I really mean years … and even decades! 😉

Gold Lantern, Succulent Place Card Holder, Grosgrain gray white striped napkin, gold flatware - Summer Table Setting in Gray, White, Gold - Summer Table Setting Ideas

Take gray, for example.

Gray has been trending since the first day I started this blog eight years ago. And was probably trending before then (though I wasn’t paying much attention). And while everyone was painting everything within reach warm gray and greige tones …

I was slathering the very cool-toned and very dark navy on my walls.

Now, I’ve finally turned the tables and am embracing gray just as …

wait for it …

Gold Lantern, Succulent Place Card Holder, Grosgrain gray white striped napkin, gold flatware, faux eucalyptus centerpiece - Summer Table Setting in Gray, White, Gold - Summer Table Setting Ideas

navy starts trending.

For real!

Sigh.

On the plus side, navy & gray/greige do place nice together!

So am I very pathetically behind the decorating trend when I finally painted my walls gray almost a decade after everyone else?

Or was I ahead on the navy trend?

Am I decorating savant? Or perhaps I just sing to a different decorating tune? Follow my own way …

And will I regret my gray wall decision in a year or two when beige and brown (god forbid) comes back?

Hmmmm…

But as I was creating these gold paint dipped terracotta place card holders that I used in this summer table setting in gray, white, gold, I got to thinking …

is the paint dip trend still a trend?

Or has it landed on one of those evil lists that keep telling me mason jars are so not hot anymore?

And yet, here I am finally … finally … paint dipping something, just as paint dipping something is sooooooo 2015.

Maybe I can bring it back again?

And who knows? Next week this not-so-trend-setting-trend-setter might just be back here with a coffee filter wreath tutorial. 😉

I never made one of those, so I’m only about 10 years behind on that decorating trend! 🙂

Pin It!

You Might Also Like:

Screen Porch in Gray & White

Cabana Gray & White Stripe Envelope Pillow Tutorial

How to Make Cabana Stripe Envelope Pillow Cover

How to Make Gold Dipped Terracotta Pot Succulent Place Card Holders

Screen Porch in Navy & White

Screen Porch in Gray & White

July 25, 2019 By Linda 10 Comments

Screen Porch in Gray & White – Decorating Ideas for Screen Porch

I used to be all about the summer. The sun. The sand. The tan.

Not so much anymore.

But then again I used to be a size 2.

I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking there might be a correlation between the two. Or 2. 😉

But when I say I was all about the summer I mean I was All. About. The Summer.

I would spend the other three seasons of the year dreaming about the summer. Plotting and planning for the summer. Scrimping and saving so I could rent a house at the beach for the summer (typically with 10 or 12 other people, some of whom I would meet for the first time on that first day of summer).

And when summer would finally arrive … after so much plotting, planning and anticipation … I would spend the summer perfecting the perfect tan.

It was all about the summer tan.

But then I grew up. Had kids of my own. Discovered the dangers of tanning and the protections of sun block. And all that plotting and planning and scrimping and saving came to an end.

Oh, and did I mention the size 2 got lost somewhere in between the growing up and the having kids? Um huh.

And then one day I turned on the TV and there was the tan mom from New Jersey. Remember her? Scary stuff. And a total wake up call for this suntan chasing girl!

Now I’m more about Spring. And Fall …

and Spring and Fall sweaters to cover up that no longer size 2 suntan-less pale body of mine! 🙂

And our screen porch — all decked out in gray and white Cabana stripes this year — is perfect for keeping the sun out during the Summer.

And Spring.

And Fall. 🙂

Screen Porch Shopping Sources*

*includes some affiliate links

You Might Also Like:

Cabana Stripe Envelope Pillow How To

Screen Porch in Navy & White

Screen Porch: Before

Neutral and Gray Living Room Makeover

June 6, 2019 By Linda 12 Comments

Neutral and Gray Living Room Makeover – Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray

Back in November I volunteered to host Thanksgiving dinner. We were a smaller(ish) crowd than usual. Now grown nieces and nephews were traveling out of state to spend the holiday with their own extended families.

It had been years since I’ve hosted any formal gathering at our space-challenged home.

Needless to say, I was a bit rusty.

But in the middle of it all, I decided to add a little mayhem to the madness …

and completely redecorate our living and dining rooms before that Thanksgiving feast.

That’s something a sane person does. Right?

But to be honest, I’ve been threatening a makeover of these spaces for months.

Okay, more like a year.

I actually bought this fabric in February 2018 from this Etsy shop. And then I just waited and waited and waited for …

I’m not sure.

I definitely needed a push.

To be honest, I work best with a deadline. And hosting Thanksgiving seemed a very logical deadline. And much-need push.

My husband and kids, on the other hand, thought it was completely illogical. And perhaps a bit insane … 😉

And these prints? These black and white botanical prints from this Etsy shop?

Yeah, I had been hanging to to them for close to a year as well.

The big question, though, was wall color.

I had paint chips of grays that I shuffled and reshuffled for a year.

I wanted something not to dark … not too light. Not too blue. Not too green. Not too purple.

Gray is tough!

And I was working with a self-imposed ridiculously short deadline, so there was no time for a do over.

In the end, I picked Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray.

Which is actually a lighter shade and a bit warmer than in the picture above. (See the first picture on this post for a more accurate shade).

It’s definitely more of a greige gray with warmer undertones.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the walls were previously painted a very dark navy (Sherwin Williams Naval) …

You can see more of my navy & white living room at this link …

Remember?

So before I even opened up my can of Agreeable Gray, I had to reach for the primer.

Followed by two coats of gray.

Sigh.

It was done in the nick of time.

And, as much as I loved my foray into the dark side with navy …

I’m really happy with how much lighter and brighter the living and dining rooms are!

You Might Also Like:

The Mudroom. Ish.

February 7, 2019 By Linda 3 Comments

I never play the lottery.

Okay, I’ll amend that. I don’t play daily. Or weekly. Or monthly. I only play when it hits crazy super high jackpots.

You could say I’m a fair weather lottery fan. 😉

And as I play the lottery (usually online with a mix of hand-picked numbers and auto selected numbers) I immediately start house hunting.

Is that wrong?

Am I the only one?

And … most importantly … am I jinxing myself by “counting my winnings” before numbers are even drawn?

Because as I’m picking those lottery numbers, I’m toggling back and forth with Zillow and Trulia and realtor.com

My focus (these days) of those Zillow and Trulia and realtor.com house searches are on downtown Chicago (shhhhh, don’t tell my husband). Fabulous million dollar condos with must-have amazing views. Must-have spectacular kitchens and bathrooms. Must-have floor to ceiling windows so I can lie in bed at night and look out at Chicago’s amazing, twinkling skyline …

And … a little further down on that must-have list … a mudroom.

Oh how I dream of a mudroom. With hooks and cubbies and a place for everything …

Now, in our current house we have a mudroom. Ish.

Before we adding on a family room on the back of our house, this was the back door area. When we moved in, there were a few hooks on one wall and we had an egg crate to capture our shoes and boots.

During my crazed board and batten obsession, I gave this mudroom-ish area it’s own treatment. And, in doing so, was able to add even more hooks for the kids coats.

A few months back I gave this area a little spruce. Some gray paint on the walls (Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray). And the sconces got a coat of Rustoleum chalk paint in Charcoal.

Oh, and a few fabric wrapped cork tiles help to keep us organized. Ish. 😉

Oh my God, I just had a revelation!

Perhaps my furnace dying on the coldest day of the year (twice now) karma is because I keep dissing my house? I mean, hopping on Zillow as I purchase lottery tickets is a serious house diss. And I do frequently talk about how I’ll be selling her as a tear down …

Perhaps this is the ultimate punishment … or, more likely, revenge? Forcing us to keep investing $$$ in her that we’ll never recoup!

I think my head just exploded! 🙂

You Might Also Like:

Fabric Wrapped Cork Boards

Gray & White Powder Room

Home Office in Gray and White

February 5, 2019 By Linda 9 Comments

Home Office in Gray and White – Gray White Home Office.

Welcome to my home office.

Where the magic happens. 😉

I know, I know. You’re thinking, “really Linda?” Really? Because that looks an awful lot like your living room.”

To which I respond, “Yes, yes, my eagle-eyed friends. You are correct. This is, in fact, a corner of my living room.”

Now there’s a logical reason I’m claiming this corner of the living room as my office space. You do remember how my home is spatially challenged, right? Which means there is no magical spare room in which I can make the magic happen. So my living room has to pull double duty …

This is where you’ll find me most days for most of the day. Tucked behind this laptop table, all dressed up in my yoga pants and over-sized hoodie with my hair pulled back in a pony tail and reading glasses firmly affixed to my face.

And this is where I edit pictures and write blog posts and answer your questions.

You know, all that magic making stuff. 🙂

The best part of this laptop table is this open cubby. Now I can keep this home office corner of my living room organized and clutter free by tucking away all my pens and notepads and notebooks filled with “to do’s” and future project and post ideas.

But my office isn’t just relegated to that one corner by the window. I’ve extended my reach over here …

This side table is not just a side table. It pulls double duty by housing all my blog and household files …

Clever, right?

I’m all about the hidden storage ideas. And the pulling of double-duty furniture and spaces.

So while I return to the magic making, I thought I’d share all of my home office shopping resources …

Home Office Shopping Resources:

Greige & White Striped Armchair from Wayfair

Jute Rug from Wayfair

Laptop Computer Table/Desk from World Market

Filing Drawer Side Table from Better Homes & Gardens Collection at Walmart

Drum Table from a long, long time ago from a distant relative (and here’s a link to how I painted the base & and here’s a link to how I stripped and whitewashed the top)

Painted & Distressed Mason Jars from My Etsy Shop

Pin It!

You Might Also Like:

Drum Table Makeover

Fabric Wrapped Bulletin Board

Gray White Bathroom Makeover

January 8, 2019 By Linda 2 Comments

Gray White Bathroom Makeover – Sherwin Williams Repose Gray Paint.

As I was editing these photos, I got to thinking …

actually, I got to thinking while in t,he shower (my favorite thinking space) between photos edits. Which is probably too much information. Or TMI as the cool kids say.

Now, ironically, TMI is exactly what I was thinking about while I was thinking about this blog post in the shower.

So TMI brings me full circle to my thinking.

You still following me here?

Good. Can you explain it to me then? 😉

You see, I started wondering if this whole blog thing is weird for my family.

I mean, beyond seeing … and reading … the ramblings of the inner workings of their mother’s brain (for the kids).

Even beyond the whole putting up pictures of the living room or dining room or kitchen.

The TMI question that popped into my head while taking my TMI shower is: When exactly do we home bloggers hit the TMI wall?

Could this be it. The bathroom? Am I at the wall?

Is it weird that pictures of our family’s bathroom somehow makes it on to the blog?

And …. by extension … Pinterest.

And …. by extension … Instragram.

And …. by extension … Facebook.

And … by extension … Google images?

Is this the equivalent of taking their hypothetical purses and dumping the contents onto the counter for everyone to rummage through?

Is my family wondering, what’s next mom?

What TMI will you be sharing next week with your readers? Interiors of messy closets? Close ups of the contents of underwear drawers?

Well, I want to assure them this is the TMI wall.

Pinky swear. 🙂

P.S. The bathroom wall color is Repose Gray from Sherwin-Williams

P.P.S. Here’s a link to the bathroom “before” (complete with cringy photos! I’ve certainly come a long way!)

You Might Also Like:

Balloon Shade Tutorial

Mason Jar Fabric Cozies DIY

Gray Painted Bathroom Cabinet

Christmas in the Kitchen 2018

January 2, 2019 By Linda 2 Comments

Merry Christmas …

from the kitchen …

a week (and a day) late.

I know, I know. But I’m not holding my head in shame. Nope. I’m taking full ownership.

Besides, I already took pictures of the kitchen pre-Christmas day. And downloaded said pictures. And, among hundreds and hundreds, picked my favorites. And edited said favorites. And then culled through those favorites to pick my favorite of the favorites. And added them to this post. And then looked at them again and didn’t like how they looked. So I edited them some more. And I culled it down (again) to my favorite of the favorites of the favorites …

and if that sounds exhausting, it can be. But after all that work, how could I not share my Christmas kitchen? A week (and a day) late.

My original post idea for Christmas day (a week and a day ago) was to share my favorite part of the kitchen at Christmastime. And you might be surprised to find out my favorite, especially when there are so many things to choose from.

There are the delicious smells of cookies baking and roasts roasting. Which are definitely delicious. But that’s not my favorite favorite.

And then there are the cute mini wreaths on the cabinets that make me smile each time I enter the kitchen …

but that’s not my favorite favorite.

What I love the most about the Christmas kitchen is the sound of the dishwasher running on Christmas day.

Yep, that’s my favorite favorite.

It evokes memories of my childhood. It seemed like (to little me) that my mother hosted all the big holidays. Which kept the kitchen very, very busy.

And there are so many great memories of the smells of the turkey … or crown roast at Christmas … cooking in the oven. Then there was the peeling of potatoes. Not exactly a favorite memory, but it was something my dad and would do together.

But at the end of the day, with full bellies and the table cleared … and the last giant pot or roasting pan scrubbed, dried and put away … we would turn off the bright overhead lights and turn on the dishwasher.

And that soft sound of the water rushing and thrashing about to clean our Sunday best dishes was so ….

so …

comforting. And satisfying.

The perfect end to the perfect day!

Oh, and Happy New Year too! I don’t have a New Year kitchen or story to share. It looks pretty much the same today. Though, a little less merry …

and a little more messy! 😉

Christmas Table Setting in Gray, White, Gold

December 20, 2018 By Linda 6 Comments

Christmas Table Setting in Gray, White, Gold – Gray and White Holiday Table Setting Idea.

It’s official. I’m an old lady.

How do I know this, you ask?

I mean, besides what I see looking back at me in the mirror. Oh, and my actual age.

I know I’m old because advertisers aren’t just targeting me … they’re actually reaching me.

All. Day. Long.

The find me on the Hallmark Channel. And Lifetime. As I tune in to the never ending and delightfully cheesily predictable holiday movies. Reaching out to me about Medicare Part D and products to help when I fall and can’t get up.

They find me on AM talk radio in the car. Though, sometimes they are confused and think I’m an old man with a certain dysfunction (wink, wink).

And not-to-sound-paranoid-with-a-paranoid-sounding-observation: I sometimes wonder if they’re listening in on my phone and/or watching me on my laptop (I really do need to figure out how to turn off that camera). You know watching and listening as I watch Hallmark Channel movies and listen to AM talk radio. Because advertisers are always following me across the internet with pop ads for … you guessed it ... old people stuff.

And what does this all have to do with my holiday table setting … or the holidays at all?

Because at this time of year, advertisers have one more way to remind me that I’m getting old: while listening to Christmas music on the radio. There’s one station here in Chicago that goes full-on 100% Christmas music in November straight through Christmas day. And when I’m not tuned in to AM talk radio (geez, I really am an old lady, aren’t I?!?) I’m tuned into Christmas music.

And the ads?

You guessed it. Old people things and services.

Tis the season to be old and addled, fa la la la laaaaa, la la la la!

So to defy what the advertisers are insisting (I will fight my outer old lady to the bitter end!), I decided to go with an “Everything Old is New Again” holiday table setting …

Let’s start with the (faux) crystal candle holders and tapers. Old me would call them old fashioned, old lady table decor. But new/old me? New/old me calls them eclectic. Quirky. A fun mix of old with the new, sparkly white Scandinavian inspired trees.

And the gold flatware (which is actually gold toned stainless I found at Target)? Old me would see them as ostentatious. Flashy. Tacky. But new/old me? New/old me sees them as glam, rich and classy …

I’m liking how this whole new/old me thing works. 😉

Finally, the vintage-look-French-striped napkins (found mine at World Market). Old me would’ve called them rags. Relegated to wiping up messes. But new/old me? New/old me calls them linens. Crisp and fresh and deserving of a pressing before use.

Yes, I did iron them.

In keeping with the everything old is new again theme, I think I’ll apply it to myself. So when I look in the mirror instead of old me seeing wrinkles, new/old me will see lines of wisdom. And laughter. And smiles.

P.S. My apologies if this blog post is filled with ads for old people stuff and services. I mean, I did mention old people stuff in the copy and Google knows and documents everything. That’s not paranoia. That’s just fact.

Pin It!

You Might Also Like:

Christmas in the Dining Room

Christmas in the Living Room

Mini Christmas Tree Painted Mason Jar

Christmas Home Tour: Dining Room

December 13, 2018 By Linda 4 Comments

Christmas Home Tour – Dining Room Christmas Decor – Gray, White, Red Christmas Ideas.

The dining room.

The least used but most seen room in the house.

It’s smack dab in the middle of everything. You can’t got to the kitchen without passing through the dining room. You can’t go to the family room without passing through the dining room. You can’t go to the powder room without passing through the dining room.. You can’t do laundry in the basement (that’s my husband) or paint mason jars in the basement work space (that’s me) without passing through the dining room …

… and you can’t sit in the living room and not see the dining room.

You get it, right? Visible. From. All. Angles.

And yet while highly visible, not used much. Well, not used much for it’s intended purpose.

Dining.

It is used, however, as the place where everything collects.

And when I say everything I mean my things.

I’m the guilty one here. I’m the one who lets junk mail and half-finished crafts and painted mason jars pile up here. I’m the one who stashes bubble wrap and packing peanuts behind the table.

And since the dining room is the most seen room in the house, all my ‘stuff’ is visible for all to see!

Sigh.

I find over time I become completely blind to the mountain of stuff. I pass through on my way to the kitchen or powder room or basement and it just doesn’t register …

until it does.

Then it haunts me. Taunts me. Mocks me.

And when I’m fully haunted-taunted-mocked, I finally break down …

and break down the mountain. One half-finished (or failed) craft project and one piece of junk mail at a time.

There is one time of the year when I try really, really hard to keep the dining room table (mostly) clear.

The holidays.

But I’m not always successful.

Because … well … I mean the holidays do involve a fair share of crafting and junk mail.

Yes, that’s me making excuses!

And as I sit in the living room looking into the dining room my little eye spies a box of Duck Tape. A few Christmas cards. An empty mason jar box filled with gray and white ribbon. A cookie canister. And embroidery hoops (from a failed craft project).

So, yeah, the mountain is growing …

🙂

You Might Also Like:

Christmas Living Room 2019

Christmas Tree 2019

Christmas Bunting

Christmas Home Tour: Living Room

December 11, 2018 By Linda 20 Comments

Christmas Decorations in Gray, White & Red – Christmas Home Tour – Living Room.

This post is dedicated you.

All of you.

All of you lovely, lovely people!

Thank you … thank you … thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Your responses to my where have I been blog post last week overwhelmed me. All your support and encouragement lifted my spirits …

and gave me back my joy!

Did I say thank you?

You all reminded me about the very best part of blogging.

You!

Your comments. Your words of encouragement. Your words of understanding.

Seriously, it filled my heart! I felt like that moment in The Grinch where his heart just grows and grows and grows. With the reading of each and every comment you left my hear just grew and grew and grew!

Thank you!

I’m not sure how I lost sight of all of you in my blogging journey, but somewhere along the line blogging turned from a passion to a burden. Honestly, I was having a teen girl moment.

You know the one, right?

Where I was standing on the sidelines watching all the other girls get asked to prom and invited to all the best parties. Standing on the sidelines as all the other girls (or so it seemed) made it onto the cheer squad and dance team. And there I was. Standing on the sidelines.

Brooding.

I know, I know. Not an attractive look.

But then it dawned on me. Not everyone is going to get asked to prom. Or go to parties. Or make the cheer team. Or dance team

And who says it’s all that. Right?

And who says that’s the only — or the right — path in life?

Sometimes it’s best just to do your own thing.

Be your own person.

Own it (as Lisa Rinna says on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills).

Sometimes you just need to follow your own path.

And once I stopped looking at what the popular girls were doing, I felt freed up to just be me.

Okay, true confession time. I still do take a peek at the popular girls from time to time. But only in a see-what-I-can-learn/pick-up-from-them way. Not in a I’m-so-jealous-I-wasn’t-asked-to-the-party way.

So thank you!

Thank you for supporting me … and encouraging me … to do my own thing!

And thank you for being here when I finally realized my path is a pretty darn good one! 🙂

And it only took me seven years! Sigh.

And I’ll end with the holiday dog picture.

Yes, yes, I realize all the cool girls have a well-behaved holiday dog picture on their holiday home tour posts. But here’s the catch: Ernie hates the camera. He runs from it with his head hung low and tail tucked between his legs. But for once Ernie didn’t run away when I pointed the camera in his direction. Perhaps he was really tired. Or perhaps he was really enjoying the Christmas tree.

Or perhaps he really wanted to give me a popular girl blog moment! Ha! 🙂

Christmas Tree in Gray, White, Red

December 6, 2018 By Linda 19 Comments

Christmas Tree in Gray, White, Red – Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas.

As I was fighting with this Christmas tree over the weekend, I got to thinking …

You see, I bought this tree as a pre-lit one. Which is all great and good and convenient for like 4 or 5 or 6 years or so. Until …

until (insert drum roll here) …

until a strand of pre-lit lights stops working.

And that’s when the struggle begins. Because identifying the exact strand to replace is near impossible.

Two years ago when a single section of the tree went dark, I ad libbed (or is it ad hoc’d) it and just threw a new strand over the old.

Problem solved.

Then last year, there were a few more black out spots. So I ad libbed (ad hoc’d?) it again. The result, though? The tree was a bit overwhelmed with wires. And I knew this temporary light solution wouldn’t fly next year.

Welcome to next year!

So the unraveling began. As in removing the pre-lit strands of light. Eek.

And let me tell you, when they string these pre-lit trees they really, really string them. Seriously. It took me hours to get the old off. Not to mention all the fake tree scratches on my hands and wrists.

I won’t TMI you with a picture of my bloodied limbs, so you’ll have to take my word. 😉

And as I was struggling to unstrand the strands, I started thinking: how are these pre-lit trees strung? Is it automated? And if so, how? And if so, bravo to the engineer who came up with that automation line!

But if not … are they individually hand strung? And if so, well my combined cheers & condolences to the person whose job it is to string them. I’m hoping they wear some heaving duty gloves!

And now my pre-lit tree has one tiny little pre-lit section left. It’s the smallest piece of the puzzle that fits on the tippy top of the tree. I’m not sure why that one strand of lights continues to shine brightly. But if decides to follow the rest of the tree and dark next year …

I’m ready.

Though, next year I’ll wear protective gloves. 🙂

P.S. Clearly Ernie is enjoying this year’s Christmas tree!

Pin It!

You Might Also Like:

Neutral Christmas Tree

Drop Cloth Ruffled Tree Skirt

Christmas in the Kitchen