Tis the season: mantel decor

I hope your Thanksgiving was lovely! Ours was brimming with food, family, & a bit of relaxation (well, as much relaxing as chasing a toddler will allow) & we were thankful.  My  brother-in-law made his famous smoked chicken, which was so much better than the usual turkey.  I'm usually that person who loads up her plate with all the sides & leaves the turkey untouched anyway.
Like most of Blogland, we also brought out some holiday decor.  I typically skip the seasonal decorating because I don't like clutter.....but mostly because I'm just lazy about the whole process.  This year though, I decided that I probably should attempt holiday cheer for our daughter.  When she's grown, I want her to look back & think: "Say what you want about my mom, but you can't deny that she at least tried to half-ass some holiday spirit."
Awwww, thanks sassafras.
Quinn just turned 1 & is running these days.  She started walking when she turned 10 months old &  hasn't looked back.  This little firecracker, I tell you.  She's a sassy little whore, which I assure you is a term of endearment full of spirit, spunk & will.  Kindly step away from my blog if you can't handle my inappropriate humor & sarcasm.

She has no MEDIUM setting--she's either ON or ON FULL SPEED.   Her endless energy baffles me.  

So I put her to work helping me decorate our mantel.   Of course she quickly got bored & decided that hiding her new barn animal toys for us to discover days later was more worth her time.

Our mantel decked out for the holidays.   I used what we had & the only new things are our cable-knit stockings (Target, $10/ea).  

Here's how the mantel looked when we moved in a few years ago & here's how it usually looks. What's on your mantel?


P.S. I'm not very efficient at life these days & am so behind on answering emails.  Please know that I might not be very timely but I WILL respond!!  And as always, I'm so very thankful that you read this little blog of mine.  It keeps me chugging along even when I'm low on fuel.