BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes - The Mountain House

Welcome to The Mountain House! To those of y'all who have made your way over to my humble bloggy abode from BooMama's, so glad you clicked on by...

It's pretty cold up here on Signal Mountain, but before we go inside where it's warm, let me tell you about one of my favorite parts of our outdoor decorations, the Moravian Star.

If you live in Winston-Salem, NC, this is a most familiar Christmas sight. Our star was a wedding gift from Stuart & Stephanie Hipp. It started out as a geometry lesson in the Moravian schools and has turned into a much loved symbol of Advent. I love that I have one of my very own to hang outside our door.

Ok, so come in in!

{As always, if you're wanting to take a closer look at something (ie, the extremely cute pictures of me and Jason as kids posted down below) just click on the picture.}

I've collected quite a few angels over the years, some on purpose and some by chance. I decided to gather them all together to decorate the top of our entertainment center.

I decided to start a decorating tradition and somehow include our current Christmas card picture in the main display.

The Petree Christmas Tree! With multi-colored lights! The votes can't persuade me otherwise, this tree has a unique sparkle due to a rainbow of hues glistening in its branches. So there.

Besides being the focal point of this season, this ornament is special to me because it was handcrafted in San Francisco, CA, site of the one and only marathon I have ever run.

Jason and I give each other an ornament every Christmas that somehow represents the past year. I think my choice for Jason this year was pretty much a given.

And so was his choice for me...yay for the east coast!

Jason's annual ornament from last year...

My sister will be in Afghanistan this Christmas, deployed with her Air Force unit. This Santa (she has her own Santa collection, started by our mom) is the perfect way to represent her on our tree.

My mom started an angel ornament collection for me as a toddler and has added to it every year. This angel marks my first year at Carolina.

A treasured piece of my Grandmother's christmas spirit...

A bridesmaid gift from Carlye's wedding and handcrafted by her mom...

I love this Angel of Courage and her triumphant declaration from the top of our tree.

Real Simple magazine provided the inspiration for my dining room table centerpiece.

This is my "vintage" corner. The washstand is a much loved hand-me-down from Grandmother and Grandaddy, as is the Santa Claus and stocking. The little tree is adorned with ornaments that were cross-stiched by my Mom when I was a baby.

I found these delightfully old-fashioned cards as Jason and his family were going through items at his grandparent's house.

The quaint greeting and the beautiful handwriting are rare finds these days...

My grandmother loved Christmas and I was lucky enought to inherit some of her decorating pieces that are a prominent part of my childhood memories. The ceramic Christmas tree in the middle of this picture (which should be lit up but the bulb blew right before I took pictures) had a special place on her piano every year. This year it's on my bookcase surrounded by pictures of Jason and I with our siblings at Christmas.

Angela, Jason and Shawn...

Me and Allie...

Thanks for coming by! Before you leave, make sure you grab a copy of one of my favorite holiday recipes:

Aunt Melba's Chocolate Trifle

2 boxes- Ghiardelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix
1 large box- Jell-O instant chocolate pudding
1 large tub - Cool Whip
1/2 cup (divided) Khalua or strong coffee
6 Heath Bars, chopped

~ Combine both boxes of brownie mix and prepare as directed. Bake in a 9x13 pan. Make sure you let them cool completely.
~ Prepare the pudding while the brownies are cooling.
~ In a trifle dish, crumble enough brownies to cover the bottom making one layer.
~ Pour 1/4 cup of the Kahlua/coffee over the brownie layer.
~ Spread half of the chocolate pudding on top of the brownie and coffee layer.
~ Spread half of the Cool Whip on top.
~ Sprinkle half of the chopped Heath Bars on top of the cool Whip.
~ Repeat all layers: brownie, Khalua/coffee, pudding, Cool Whip, Heath Bars
~ Cover and refrigerate for at least six hours before serving.

This is a great dessert to make the night before, then grab and go! Trust me, everyone at any soiree you bring this to will think it's fabulous.

Don't forget, if you click on the button at the top of this post, it will take you over to BooMama's blog where you can view literally hundreds of other folks' Christmas decorations. Have fun and Merry Christmas!