Making Progress and Visiting Bluebirds

Happy Days! I’m sooo much better! Yesterday was the turning point. I’m way behind on my decorating from being sick for the last ten days, but I got a tremendous amount done today. I purchased a wreath, hung garland around the door, added more ornaments to the tree, wrapped all the presents except two, set a table for Tablescape Thursday, photographed it and had a repairman out to make a few minor repairs. It’s been a full day and I’m tired, but wow, does it feel good to be better and almost back to my old self.

Those of you who have followed me for a while know that I offer fresh mealworms to my bluebirds all throughout the year, especially during nesting season and during the wintertime. Recently I decided to give dried mealworms another try. In the past, my bluebirds wouldn’t touch the dried mealworms when I offered them.

Well, either dried mealworms have gotten better or maybe I’m just buying a different brand this time around, but my bluebirds love these mealworms available here: Mealworms. I still had my camera downstairs from photographing my table setting and snapped these two pics from across the kitchen. Not the greatest photos since I was so far away and had to zoom in, but aren’t they absolutely adorable! Sooo cute!

Bluebirds eating dried mealworms

 

They visit all throughout the day to eat the mealworms, and they are much easier to store than the live ones. I just love seeing the bluebirds coming to eat, definitely one of my most favorite moments of the day! Lots of other birds love the mealworms, too.

Bluebirds love dried mealworms

 

If you are in need of any additional Christmas ornaments, Hobby Lobby has their ornaments on sale for 1/2 off. I purchased a bunch yesterday to replace those I’ve lost over the years to breakage. Here are just a few of the ones I purchased: this Cardinal bird sitting on a pine cone looks way better in person than in this photo.

Cardinal Bird Ornament

 

Loved Santa falling head first down the chimney.  🙂 Do you see the moose carrying home a small Christmas tree…so cute!

Santa Falling Head First Down Chimney, Christmas Ornament

 

A sweet bunny…

Glass Ornament, Whimsical

 

Couldn’t resist the sleigh piled high with packages, and the Holiday Camper.

Glass Christmas Ornaments, Sleight and Camper

 

Santa’s sleigh loaded down with lots of toys…love his reindeer!

Christmas Ornaments on sale half price

 

I shared this beautiful ornament on Instagram HERE the day I bought the ornaments at Hobby Lobby. I had no idea HL had such beautiful ornaments! He was originally $11.99, but on sale for 50% off. Good time to shop for ornaments if you need them, and no, I’m not affiliated with Hobby Lobby. Just sharing this sale because I think it’s a great one!

Glass Ornament, Turtle Carrying Ornate Egg

 

You may remember that I hadn’t been able to find a tree topper that I really liked. Thanks so much for all your suggestions in the comments on previous posts, I loved your ideas and truly appreciate them! Today it dawned on me that I have some pretty angels tucked away in my stash of Christmas decor. I’ve never used them on a tree before, but I have used them over the years to decorate staircase banisters and over the front door as seen in this previous post: Deck the Halls.

Angel Tree Topper

 

Here’s how she looks in place. She isn’t sparkly, but I do love how she looks at the top of the tree.

Angel for the top of Christmas Tree

 

The tree is much more filled in now with all the new ornaments. I can’t begin to tell you how much I love this tree. I’ve been very tempted to buy another one just like it, but in the 9 ft size for my bedroom which has a vaulted ceiling. The only thing stopping me is, I don’t have any place to store it upstairs, and I really don’t want to have to carry it up and down the stairs every year.

If you’re still in need of a tree, I purchased this one here: Christmas Tree.  So would it be weird if I had a tree in my bedroom full-time, but just decorated at Christmastime? lol I wouldn’t mind sleeping by Christmas lights every night, although this tree has so many, that could be difficult. 🙂

Tree Decorated with Glass Ornaments

 

See you tomorrow for Tablescape Thursday!

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Comments

  1. I’m so glad you’re feeling better! Love the angel as tree topper.

    • Thanks, Joy! It’s weird how fast I started feeling better once it started. I was like a new person yesterday and today. The only thing I’ve noticed is I’m exhausted at the end of the day, but I’ll take that over being sick any time!
      XXX

  2. The angel makes a wonderful and elegant tree topper. Today I saw a cookie jar that was the red farm truck with the tree in the back–cute idea. Good to have the real you back 😉

  3. I hit send by accident: Also love the ornaments. The style and colors look much like the ones from my childhood.

    • The glass ornaments have really grown on me over the last few years. When I first used them on the living room tree, they seemed a bit over-the-top, but I really do love them now. They feel very nostalgic. 🙂

  4. I bought the same tree from Home Depot based on your review. We love it. We have been married 50 years and this is our best tree ever. So easy to assemble and ALL 1000 lights work. Lucky Black Friday sale-$80.00 off the original price. Yes, there really is a Santa Claus!

    • I’m so happy you love it, Nancy! It’s by far the prettiest tree I’ve ever had. I absolutely love how bright it is…and all my 1,000 lights worked too! 🙂 I hope they don’t quit making it because if 10 years from now the lights begin to fail, I would totally buy the exact same tree again. You got an awesome deal, too!

  5. I’m glad you’re feeling better. I seem to get very motivated after being sick. I think it might be from all the rest I get while I’m sick. I love how the angel is up high watching over everything!
    You can leave the tree up & decorate it for the different holidays like Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, and just have birds/ nature things for the summer.

  6. Finally you’re better. I can quit nagging you. I have a little artificial tree(24”) sitting on the mantle of the fireplace in my bedroom lit with fairy lights. When I moved here I didn’t bring my ornaments. In the Caribbean I had a 2 bedroom condo with the master off the living room and every year I had a big Christmas party and dinner for friends and didn’t have the space for a big tree plus all the guests so I set the tree up in the bedroom and people could see it from the deck and living room but it wasn’t in the way. I loved sleeping by the light of that tree and adore the light from my mantle tree. You could set up a little one in your bedroom. They make perfect nightlights. Really like all your ornaments.

  7. Hi there, too funny I bought the 9′ foot GE tree 1800 lights. We usally put over 2,000 lights on a smaller tree but the GE tree looked great with the 1800 lights. We love it…it just glows. Get better…and I love reading your blogs!

  8. Hi Susan! Glad you’re feeling better! I loved seeing the photos of the bluebirds. We don’t have them in Albuquerque, so seeing yours was a real treat. Your glass ornaments are so sweet. I collect Santa’s have many glass ones. My mom bought me 3 in the late 60s when I was born. One even has a cotton beard, which you don’t see anymore. So precious. Merry Christmas!!

  9. Ann E Seigman says

    Hi Susan, I am so happy that you are feeling better. It took me a long time to feel better, too.
    The blue birds are so sweet and it almost looks like the one little bird is looking back at you in the second picture!
    Your Christmas tree is absolutely beautiful! The Christmas Angel was such a good choice. She really reminds me of the German wax Angel that I got while I was in Germany.
    My mother spent the last few years of her life in a nursing home. We tried to make her area as inviting for her as possible. She had an antique secretary that we displayed many of her favorite things in. I also hung a wall Christmas tree on the wall. I decorated it for every season or holiday of the year and we kept the lights on all the time. She loved it and all of the residents would stop by often to get a glimpse of her beautiful tree. It brought her much pleasure. It might be cheery to have a tree in your bedroom!

  10. I think that you could leave your bedroom tree up year round. If you didn’t want a bare tree you could do what I do. I have a tall skinny alpine style tree that sits on the landing of my steps that go upstairs. I leave it up year round. It is not near an outlet so no lights on it but it has red/black buffalo check bows and photos. I started using the photo Christmas cards that I would get from extended family. I also used wedding/engagement photos, new baby photos and graduation photos. If the photo was the right size I would cut it out to match a flat glass cutout from the craft store and attach it so the photo showed thru the glass. Other photos are framed in small frames, some wood and some gold or silver. Still others, especially the ones with larger groups like wedding parties or family pictures I punched a tiny hole in the upper corners and used a narrow ribbon to hang them on the tree. Several years into the project I started dating the pictures on the back with the year and who was in the picture, especially the ones of new babies or people that we don’t see often.

  11. Dee Skislak says

    Good morning. This year, in my small house, I have a tree in every room. Even a little counter top one in the bathroom. Love decorating for the holidays. Glad you are feeling better.

  12. Such a beautiful tree! It makes me want to go to Hobby Lobby to buy new ornaments even though I didn’t use half of what I have this year 🙂

    I’m tempted to try feeding bluebirds. Do the squirrels get into the mealworms? Can you share where you bought the little green perches the birds are sitting on? It all looks so nice! Bluebirds and yellow goldfinches are my favorite birds.

    Have a great day!

  13. Peggy Gregory says

    Hi Susan, glad you are feeling better. I have this tree in the 9+ foot size. It is beautiful. I think this is the 4th season I have had it and unfortunately half the lights do not work anymore. I had to add 3 strings of lights this year. Oh well, I still love the tree and will continue to use it. This year I also added some flocked pine picks (from HL and Michaels) to the tree and they added more beauty to the tree. Michaels has 50% off all Christmas decor plus a 20% off coupon in addition to that.

  14. Isn’t it amazing how much energy you have after an illness? So glad you’re feeling better, Susan, and I’m sure you are too! LOVE seeing bluebirds and their expressive little faces this time of year. May I ask where you bought the “good” dry mealworms? (Asking for a friend who has a backyard with several birdfeeders and a husband who is losing patience with her *wink*.) Your tree and ornaments are gorgeous. As someone else suggested, you could have a theme tree for every season if you get the 9-footer. I bet your creative wheels are turning at just the thought of that! Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!

    • Thanks, Lori! I know, I feel like a million bucks now compared to the last 10 days. I get tired easily, so I guess my body is still recovering, but I’m so much better!

      I purchased my meal worms here: http://amzn.to/2j5shZz I’ve also seen them in my local Wild Birds Unlimited store.

      That would be pretty awesome…a themed tree. 🙂

  15. ZoeAnn Yussman says

    What containers are you using for the mealworms?

  16. Glad you’re feeling better, Susan. Nothing worse than the lingering effects of being sick and wanting to be better. The bluebirds are such a beautiful sight!

  17. Your tree looks wonderful ! And glad you are better…I was fighting the same thing and it just makes you feel awful when you want to be doing “Christmas Stuff”! So glad you are on the mend….me too. First Christmas in our new downsized apartment…still have a screen porch/patio and trying to make the decorations work. Keep walking around with stuff in my hands thinking “this goes there…wait, there is no “there” there” !!! But having fun, meeting new people, hosting new parties, and making cookie dough today. Thanks for all the tips…continue to feel better and enjoy the season!

  18. Susan, so glad you are feeling better but please pace yourself as you don’t want a relapse of it. (This is 70+ years of experience talking … 🙂 ) Your tree is absolutely beautiful and the angel is the perfect topper. As for the glass ornaments; they are stunning. All very beautiful in every aspect from the top of the tree to its very bottom with all your creative gift wrapping. -Brenda-
    P.S.: I wish we had a Hobby Lobby here in Canada and unfortunately the American cities that are in close proximity of me, don’t either.

  19. So glad you are feeling better! Your tree is a piece of Christmas art, Susan; an explosion of color, light and ornaments! Enjoy it throughout the season.

  20. donna a zoltanski says

    Your little blue bird visitors are the best. It really is the “little things” that can brighten each day right? I am on my way today to Hobby Lobby – hoping they still have some pretty ornaments like you purchased. I want my tree to look like yours! You have a special talent for decorating. It is nice to hear you are feeling lots better. Enjoy your day!

  21. Yea! Glad you are doing better. You are such a dear person. I love my small tabletop tree in the bedroom that features a lovely white angel and brown, gold and orange accents with gold foliage and burlap magnolias. The rest of the trees in the house are more traditional but I would love to have a large tree like the one in the bedroom someplace else if there was another place for one. As I had mentioned to you in my email we are training Prince Hairy and it is a full time job. Not one accident yesterday. Glad I decorated early before we purchased him or there would be none this year. But he is worth the effort. Again, glad you are more up to speed.

  22. Kim Jorgenson says

    Hi Susan,
    I didn’t read all the comments, so someone else may have already said this…but, you could leave the tree in your room all year long and decorate it for each holiday/season like your friend Marie does!! Your tree is beautiful! Glad your feeling better, happy day to you!

  23. Bernadette M Gibson says

    The tree is magnificent!! My daughter has had aChristmas tree in her guest bedroom year round. We call it the bordello tree because it is decked out in pink and white lights and lots of frilly type ornaments. Glad you are feeling better. You do more when you are sick than most of do when we are well!!

  24. Marlene Stephenson says

    So glad you are feeling better and your Christmas tree is so beautiful. Have a great weekend.

  25. Susan, your tree looks sumptuous!
    Well done. By the way, the traditional topper for a Christmas tree is either a Star or an Angel. Both very pertinent to the holiday!
    Glad you are feeling better and on the mend.
    Wish to and the family s Merry Christmas and the best New Year ever!

  26. Glad to hear you are doing better. Love seeing your visitors! Adorable!

  27. Susan, it is glorious! I wish I could see it in person. Love the new ornaments. I want to do a post on our tree. Several bloggers have asked me, so I need to make a point to do it. I love studying other’s trees. I always spend time closely admiring friend’s trees when I visit in homes. They usually tell a story, and I love that. I like a collected tree!
    As for a tree in your bedroom, I say do it! I have a friend who leaves her tree up in the living room. It isn’t decorated, but it sits there.

  28. PS
    I need to check HL’s ornaments. That turtle is amazing!

  29. Hello from Northern Virginia ((Wash. D.C. suburbs)) —

    For the bedroom, try a smaller tree, maybe 4-foot, for a few months to see how you like it; They can look charming on a tabletop, chest, or crate (use a seasonal tablecloth or fabric for a tree skirt) … decorate it for the seasons and see how you enjoy it. It’s a lot of effort to decorate and ‘undecorate’ a tree, you might find that the smaller tree is a better decision not only for taking up less space — on display or in storage — as well as taking less effort to decorate/re-decorate every few weeks. Consider also that you’ll need storage area for the decorations. Not trying to talk you out of it, just noting some things to consider!

    Watch for the good after-Christmas prices and you’ll be able to get a smaller tree for a song!

  30. Bunny Rogers says

    Your tree is so lovely. We don’t have ours up yet. We better get on the ball. Everybody in my house has had this Christmas Crud as I call it. The coughing is the worst part.
    I adore bluebirds and we have several houses up around our property. I too gave up on fresh mealworms. Would you please share what brand of dried you bought and where you got them? Many thanks. And a Merry Christmas to you and yours.

    • Thanks, Bunny! You are so right, the cough is awful! And it sneaks up on you happening at the worst time, usually right when I’ve just called someone on the phone. I’ve started warning everyone at the start of the call that I may have a coughing attack during the call and that if it happens, I’ll drink some water and be right back with them. Have to warn them up front because when it happens, you can’t talk at all until you drink something. Hope you guys get through it quickly. Guess it’s good it happened to us now and not right at Christmas/Christmas Eve or Day.
      The mealworms I purchased are these: http://amzn.to/2BRPQK5 My birds love them so much, I’ve ordered two additional bags.

  31. Susan, I love, Love, LOVE Christmas so much I would happily sleep with a Christmas tree all year. 😀 I sing Christmas carols year-round, would love to own a Christmas tree farm and believe that Jesus is worthy of celebration every day! So if you love your tree so much that you want another, I say, go for it. Life is short, celebrate as much as you can.

    So glad you’re feeling better. You certainly made up for lost time!

  32. JUST SPLENDID!!! Gees, now I need to get to “Hobby Lobby”….luv the little cars that just arrived…my hubby just said, “you know you don’t have to get “every”thing Susan has…” 🙂 That turtle and egg are so handsome! franki

  33. Bobbi Duncan says

    Very glad to hear you’re much improved. Michael would get that choking cough until tears ran down his face-bad virus, for sure. We kept two lighted ficus trees in our sun room so why not a Xmas tree–it’s an evergreen. I loved sitting in there at night with all the other lights turned off–so cozy. In the other three seasons it simply felt festive. I always hate having to remove the window candles after Xmas. I love your sweet little birds–precious! Thanks for the meal worm info. We may be in for some snow this weekend–makes it seem more Christmas-like. Still need to finish up with my gift shopping, and better get it done soon because many items are already sold out. Hugs!

  34. Bobbi Duncan says

    Forgot to tell you that your new ornaments are so pretty!

  35. I’m happy to know you’re feeling better. I use fresh worms because my birds avoided dried ones like the plague. I’m going to give these a try. What’s the benefit of the saucers in the mesh feeder? I’ve tried that feeder but the worms escaped.

    • The mesh thing is just a good support to hold a bowl because it hooks over a deck rail and doesn’t fall off. Yeah, mine would never have anything to do with the dried mealworms in years past. I guess they have improved or this is a different brand than what I purchased before, because they love these. I’m still going to buy the live ones occasionally. I noticed the Phoebe that was visiting the last few days, seems to be looking for the live ones. I bet it’s one of the Phoebes that nested on my porch this past summer and that I offered live mealworms to during that time.

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