Christmas Tree Inspiration

We are planning on putting up our Christmas tree this weekend. We get a live one every year. My family has always had live trees and I refuse to switch to fake trees. Maybe it's just because it makes the house smell like Christmas! Ever since I moved out in college, I've had the same tree decoration colors/theme- lime green, turquoise, bright purple, and hot pink. I love it, but Will thinks it's too "collegy" or something like that. Will's more of a traditional guy when it comes to decorations. Anyway, I went Pinterest searching for some new Christmas tree ideas. We'll see what happens with this year's tree...

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Love the red and turquoise

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I had been thinking about a gold/silver tree...not as over-the-top as this though. I'm not sure if I'm liking it or not.

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Another great red and turquoise one

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I think this one is my favorite. It's burlap and twine. I love it and I know Will would too. Maybe this is a keeper.

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Beautiful gold and teal!

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Lime green has always been one of my favorite colors so I obviously like this one.

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Wow. If I ever get a fake tree I want it to look like this!

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I think it's safe to say turquoise is a favorite color too.

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...And all the men in my family would love to have this antler tree!

How are you decorating your Christmas tree this year? Do you get a live tree or fake?

Mason Jar Jackpot

When we were in Muddy, I decided to go down and look in Mawmaw's underground cellar. Little did I know I would be opening the door to mason jar heaven. I was so excited to see those old jars down there. I've developed quite a love for mason jars over the past few years. I use them for everything. 

whoa.

I don't think Will was as excited as I was.

Mawmaw let me take a case of blue mason jars. I am thrilled. They are all so dirty and will require some elbow grease to get them cleaned up, but these are far better than anything I could buy new or even at an antique store. These were actual mason jars that Will's grandmother used and that makes them so special. I am so grateful to have them!

They were even in a pretty cool crate that Will is excited about using!

A Walk Through Muddy, IL

Will & I spent Thanksgiving with his side of the family in Muddy, IL. That's where his dad grew up and his grandmother still lives. Muddy is such a small town (population 70), but I always look forward to going just to relax. Usually you don't have much phone service and definitely no 3G or wireless...and that's a good thing to be without for a few days. Although I missed being with my family this Thanksgiving, I love being able to spend time with the Kassner's in Muddy. 

Ready for a history lesson??

Being that there's not really anything "to do" in Muddy, Will and I decided to go on a photo walk one day. Muddy is an old coal mining town. The town was born in 1880 when Slovakian immigrants came to work in the coal mines. The houses in Muddy were meant to house the coal miners. You'll see some pictures of the mining tipple that still stands in Muddy. (I learned what the word tipple means this weekend)

This photograph is from the 1920's of the tipple in Muddy. 

And here it is today. Neat, huh?

This was some creepy house behind the tipple. We both felt like we were walking into a scary movie in that house.

Cool fact: This post office was the smallest in the U.S. until 2002. Will's grandmother and then his aunt were the postmasters here. 

We had no idea what this church used to be until I started researching for this post. Wellll, the Slovakian's who immigrated here all shared a common faith: Russian Orthodoxy. So this church was built in 1913 for the miners in Muddy, IL during that time. 

Awesome swing set in Mawmaw's backyard.

Weekend iPhone photos:

The drive home was a sunny one and sunglasses just don't do the trick...

After all the times I have been to Muddy with Will, I never knew it carried such a rich history. It is SUCH a small village that I would have never imagined it a bustling coal town. Just makes me appreciate Muddy a little more, I think! We had a great Thanksgiving weekend with family and hope that you did too! We have SO MUCH to be thankful for. Now this week Will is preparing for his 2nd St. Jude half marathon on Saturday. I'm excited to go watch him accomplish another goal! Happy Monday!