My family has encouraged me to stay at home as much as possible. That's not to much out of character for me in this stage of my life. But I've always been able to go out to the library, store, or lunch with my friends when I wanted to until now. However, yesterday I decided to venture out and see what was going on in my community. I wasn't going to mingle with people or go shopping, I just wanted to take a drive and look around. It was no surprise to see fewer (much fewer people) out but the empty parking lots and shopping centers felt weird. The Biltmore area with it's large buildings and housing lofts was just eery. And Old Scottsdale, which is usually crawling with people was bare. Restaurants were open for carry out only, but even then it was just a car or two. That didn't seem as eery. In fact it was peaceful. It brought back how life was when I was younger. Stores were closed on Sundays, families spent more time together, people weren't rushing around or having a phone to their ear, with an ipad waiting to be turned on. It was a slower, more relaxed life. Well I'm safely back in my home and I hope all of you are too. Remember to wash your hands and have limited contact with anyone.

Do you have a favorite Christmas tree ornament?

I know many of you have your Christmas Trees up and decorated before Thanksgiving, but if you're like me and wait until closer to Christmas here are a few tips on decorating the perfect tree.

Step One:  Hang Christmas Tree Lights.

Step Two:  Add Christmas Tree garland.

Step Three:  Hang Christmas Tree ornaments.

That raises a question on how many ornaments do you put on a Christmas Tree. According to Better Homes & Garden you need approximately 70 ornaments for a 7 ft tree.  If you go really big and have a 8 ft tree you need 80 ornaments, 9 ft tree you need 90 ornaments and if you go all out and have a 10 ft (whew) tree you need 120 to 160 ornaments and a large step ladder.  And don't forget the tree topper, that will add additional height to your tree.  

As I've aged and my children now have their own Christmas traditions I don't put up a tree.  I can now enjoy their decorations without pulling all those boxes out of the closet.  However, this year I did pull my boxes of ornaments out, just to see what all I had.  What I found was several vintage Hallmark Card and Avon ornaments that were my favorite for so many years.  I decided instead of keeping them boxed up in a closet where no one was enjoying them I would put them up for sale on #Etsy.com.  Several have already gone to good loving homes and that makes me happy.  

If you need more ornaments to fill that 7 or 8 or even 10 ft tree check out my #vintage #ornaments at 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/stormrowstudio?ref=seller-platform-mcnav&section_id=25032448 

  This is just a sample of what you find on the above website.  

HAPPY TREE TRIMMING!!