Tuesday, January 8, 2013

The Best Laid Plans


I love to decorate for the holidays.  If you read my blog often, you probably just nodded in agreement.  From October through December, our house takes on a festive tone, both inside and out.  My husband has a train table that he built and likes to display for Christmas.  I have a Department 56 village I have been collecting for about 12 years.  Because our living room isn't big enough to display both, we usually rotate years.  This year we had a great idea.  Put my village on the train table.  It was not a great idea. 


So we started unpacking my porcelain masterpiece, box by box.  Our first problem was that we had originally planned for a grassy scene, but my village is the North Pole.  So we started laying down fake sheets of snow.  We also had to cut holes into the table so the electrical cords from the village could be plugged in.  It was a painstaking process.  December was also a month of working long hours.  We didn't get a whole lot accomplished.


Our second problem was Petunia.  To fit the train table in our living room, it had to but up against our sectional couch.  Petunia kept jumping from the couch onto the table (with all of the delicate pieces on it).  We had to have a barrier made.  It is clear, but we never got around to taking off the protective plastic.  I am sure it will be awesome next year.  


You will also notice the spray bottle on the table.  Yep, that was for Petunia too.  

Before we knew it, Christmas Eve was upon us, and our table looked like this (plus a really cool train that had since been put away).  We ran out of steam.  



Our village also extended to the top of our mantle, which also remained unfinished.  You can also see the pups new buddies Ham and Justin Beaver (yes, we think we are really funny in our house) hanging out (they were too big for their stockings).



This was a first for us.  We had never started a holiday project and not finished it before.  Sometimes the best laid plans simply fail.  This year the plan is to start the table in November.  That gives us ten months to change the grass paper to snow paper and rearrange our living room to make our table more Petunia-proof.  

For now, I am enjoying having everything put away.  As much as I love to decorate for the season, I love having my house back in order just as much.  

Do you have any good "best laid plans" stories to share with me?

5 comments:

rooth said...

Luckily in this instance, the next opportunity to try is only 11 months away. And look at all the holidays you get to decorate for in the meantime! Valentine's Day was a BIG one for my roommate and me in college

Suz said...

All my plans since the new year began have been best laid. Something or another happens and there is a set back. However there was one good day and that was the second. You ought to come over and see where I went. Also I posted an up to date photo of me on my 'Happy New Year' post.

Katie said...

Oh Petunia...good thing you love her :)

La Maman Heureuse said...

Love your decorations and so sweet you put stockings up for your pups :-)

Jess said...

I feel like all my plans are best laid plans

I'm Erin

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Hi, I'm Erin. I am living back on the east coast after 15 years out west. Currently readjusting to humidity and mosquitos. I love to take pictures and read fashion magazines.... and to talk about nothing in particular (ok, and my dogs).

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