I debated.

Big time.

Should I participate? The tour starts with my dear friend, Lindsay from The White Buffalo Styling Co. and the talent throughout is absolutely phenomenal. I mean, seriously. Amazing. And if you’re coming over from Eileen’s blog, isn’t she just a breath of fresh air? (P.S. Lindsay, Eileen and I are actually only about thirty minutes apart! It was so fun to actually meet in person a few months ago!)

 But even knowing that these peers are my friends, will MY home be up to par?

I really want to use red this year but it seems a lot of bloggers are using red and what if someone thinks I’m copying them?

What if my home isn’t perfect by Thursday? I have a newborn. How can I get this done?

 

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(And of course, when I somewhat finished, it rained for three days with intense fog so the lighting was terrible for photographs!!)

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For me, decorating started with a red high chair. I let a friend borrow it and she painted it red and when I got it back, surprisingly, I loved it! And you KNOW how much I love my whites.

Last year for Christmas, I stuck with my blues that I love, love, love but for some reason this year, I wanted a cozier feel. I needed more warmth, I guess. IMG_8327

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And let me tell you, there’s nothing like bringing a baby home to a decorated house for Christmas.

But then as I sat here all week, I kept wanting to change things around! Which we all knew would happen…

But I didn’t. Because I love, love, love my tree and even kept a few blues.

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And I maybe spent $30 between fresh garland and wreaths (a must), some fake berries for 50% off at Hobby Lobby and those adorable skis that I’m kicking myself for only getting one set! I also grabbed some $3 mugs at Wal-Mart on a whim one night because they were red and blue. The perfect mix.

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I used red the very first year we lived here so I kept it in a separate box and this year I started with all whites and then barely mixed in red with a few small blues.

Anyway, all of my questions about what the heck I was doing were thrown out the window when I read my first devotion of the Advent season.

And I was reminded again how much it truly isn’t about me.

It’s not about my tree or my mantle or if someone else used red and I did, too, it’s about the cross.

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It’s about the stable.

It’s about family.

It’s about the sacrifice of a young mother that labored intensely so that we could be set free.

And a week shy from my own labor (that included medication), I recognize this all too well.

I imagine Joseph wasn’t just waiting expectantly to cut the cord and catch baby Jesus. I imagine him pacing and asking and talking fervently to God. His brand new bride is delivering the Messiah.

Our Savior.

That would change the world.

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In one night.

In one stable.

Under one star.

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That led us all to a place where perfectly decorated homes are the least of our concerns.

Because He is sovereign.

And faithful.

And true.

So, come, let us adore Him.

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In every moment of this holiday season.

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Be sure to head to some of my very favorite bloggers ever over at DIY Playbook.

 

MONDAY: The White Buffalo Styling Co. | House Seven | Bliss at Home | Mimosa Lane | Swoon Worthy | Claire Brody | Nesting with Grace

TUESDAY: The Makerista | Simple Stylings |  Amanda Katherine |  The Sweetest Digs |  Iron & Twine | Style Your Senses | Dream Green DIY

WEDNESDAY: Hunted Interior | Cuckoo 4 Design | The Chronicles of Home | Go Haus Go | Chic Little House | Burlap & Lace | My FABuless Life | Desert Domicile

THURSDAY: Rain on a Tin Roof | Michaela Noelle Designs | Dwellings by Devore | A Creative Day Blog | Restless Arrow | DIY Playbook | Julie Blanner | Craftberry Bush

FRIDAY: Inspired by Charm | withHEART | Dimples and Tangles | SG Style | Brittany Makes | Place of My Taste | Primitive & Proper

Amber