Welcome to the eighth week of Bricks ‘n Blooms Weekly!

I hope you all had a great week and enjoyed the holiday with your families!

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Rustic Farmhouse Christmas Decorating Ideas

Random Things Happening Behind the Scenes at Bricks ‘n Blooms

I finally got the gifts wrapped!

Every year, I wait until the last minute and it becomes stressful.

So this year, I planned ahead. Got all of my supplies early.

And still procrastinated. LOL!

Maybe next year.

Christmas Tree 2020

We had a great Christmas this year, despite it being a little different.

On Christmas Eve, I cooked a clambake. My sister-in-law and her family came over, which was much smaller than our typical 30 people family gathering.

We still had fun but it wasn’t the same.

My nephew is leaving for boot camp after the holidays, so it was really nice to spend some time with him before he goes.

Christmas with family by the tree

The stove top clambake was SO good by the way.

Clam Bake

Every time I make it, I have every intention of getting good pics of it.

But we just get right into eating it.

So hopefully I’ll get better photos next time. LOL!

stovetop clambake for Christmas

Part of the balance of blogging and living a real life is putting the camera down.

And just being present in the moment.

As much as I want to document it, I don’t want to distract from what the day is really about just to get the perfect photo.

Rustic and Elegant Christmas Table Settings

On Christmas Day, it was just us. So we enjoyed a really slow morning.

We opened gifts.

My kids made monkey bread. It’s our annual Christmas morning tradition.

We enjoyed a nice warm fire and watched a few Christmas movies together.

Bricks 'n Blooms Weekly

And because I focused on a clambake the day before, I ordered a freshly prepared meal kit from our local farm, Alstede Farms, to make for Christmas dinner.

It was SO good and required little effort from me!

The menu included short ribs, butternut squash soup, roasted vegetables, mac ‘n cheese, applesauce and homemade apple pie.

Merry Christmas to me!

proudly displaying baked pie in farmhouse kitchen

The day hit a small snag when our master bath shower leaked into my new laundry room and basement.

What would Christmas be without a plumbing leak, am I right? Ugh.

It happened just before I started prepping the meal.

That’s SO 2020.

Rustic and Elegant Christmas Table Settings

Anyway, we lit the candles on the Advent Wreath I made this week.

I really love how this turned out by the way and will make it again next year.

How to Make an Advent Wreath

Remember when I said I was going to make more of these paper bag snowflakes? Well, I didn’t. Time got away from me. Maybe I’ll incorporate a few with my winter decor after I remove all signs of Christmas.

How to Make Snowflakes with Paper Bags

Thankful For The Friends I’ve Made on This Journey

One of my favorite thing about blogging is the great friends I’ve made.

And I want to share the best of the best with you today because I wouldn’t be where I am now without their help and am truly appreciative of their friendship.

Check out their beautiful homes.

From gardening, to home decor to creative, unique DIYs, I know you’ll love them as much as I do.

Rachel – The Ponds Farmhouse

Kristin – White Arrows Home

White Arrows Home

Ann and Ann Marie – Simply 2 Moms

Simply 2 Moms

KariAnne – Thistlewood Farms

Thistlewood Farms

Jennifer – Cottage on Bunker Hill

Cottage on Bunker Hill

Chas – Chas Crazy Creations

Chas\' Crazy Creations

Thanks for stopping by the blog today and everyday! I really appreciate all of your sweet comments and feedback. I hope you enjoy the holidays!

Enjoy your day! xoxoStacy Ling logo

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14 Comments

  1. Hi Stacy,

    Sounds like a wonderful Christmas. I love Alstedes farm, a great place.

    Happy I found another NJ girl. Hopefully we can connect more in 2021.

    Cindy

    1. Love Alstede! We’ve been going there since moving to the area and their food is awesome! Would love that too Cindy! Happy New Year!

  2. What a wonderful time, Stacy! And of course your table is beautiful! 🙂 Hope your new year is beautiful too!

  3. Sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas despite the leak…hopefully, that’s all fixed now. Thanks for including us in your post this week! 🙂

  4. It sounds like you had a great holiday Stacy, that is except for the leak. That’s crumby. Thank you so much for including me in your post. You’ve been such an inspiration to me and are such a good friend. Looking forward to the new year!

    1. Thank you Danielle! The clambake was amazing and I’m really thankful to have ordered from Alstede’s. I did not want to cook anything from scratch that day! xoxo