SOCIAL MEDIA

January 3, 2017

Happy New Year & Our Cabin Christmas

Hello and Happy 2017! It's been too long. Last I blogged was my Christmas Home Tour. How are you? Life around here has been keeping me busy, but I am certainly not complaining about that.
Red barn in the snow in the Adirondacks
We spent Christmas in the Adirondacks for the very first time ever. Billy has been scheduled to work either Christmas Eve or day for the last 20 years. When we realized that he was off for both this year AND the cabin was available for us to use, we made a plan to spend the holiday there. Which led to a very busy December because we wanted to celebrate Christmas with our families before we went away. And then there was the general business of packing all of our Christmas gifts, food (along with all of the necessary pots and pans necessary to cook a holiday dinner) and winter gear. I asked myself on more than one occasion if it was really worth it to travel for the holiday. But when we arrived to a winter wonderland, we knew we made the right choice.
Cabin Christmas in the Adirondacks


As soon as we arrived, we set about decorating the cabin. I brought up a few of my favorite Christmas decorations from home and used what was available in nature. Our tree is a bit sparse because we cut it down in the woods behind the house in a snowstorm. It seemed a lot fuller when it was full of snow! Once we added some lights and homemade ornaments, it was perfect for us. Here we are dragging the tree home by snowmobile.
Bringing home the tree by snowmobile
We made a log cabin gingerbread house with pretzel rods. We simply used a store-bought gingerbread house kit and added the pretzel rods to it with icing.
Log cabin gingerbread house for a cabin Christmas in the mountains
Log cabin gingerbread house for a cabin Christmas in the mountains
I was so proud of our little log cabin and I couldn't stop taking pictures of it. Here it is on the porch in the snow.
Log cabin gingerbread house for a cabin Christmas in the mountains
Our family's vacation house isn't exactly a log cabin, but we added some big Christmas lights to the porch to add some holiday cheer.
Putting up the Christmas lights
Christmas cabin in the mountains with jeep
The dogs were very excited about all of the snow. Keeper literally burrows herself down into the snow. She can't get enough of it.
Golden retrievers playing in the snow
The gazebo down by the lake is always decorated so simply and beautifully at Christmas. I take this picture every Christmas season and it never gets old.
Schroon Lake, NY gazebo at Christmas
I snapped the picture below of the gazebo in the middle of Warrensburg, NY. Any Gilmore Girls fans out there? It reminded me of the gazebo in Stars Hollow.
Warrensburg, NY gazebo decorated for Christmas
Christmas Day was bright and clear and after opening presents and eating a big breakfast, we headed out for a snowmobile ride.
Snowmobile fun in the Adirondacks
I used to think that I would be sad as my kids got older and Christmas changed. Turns out, the magic of Christmas has nothing to do with Santa Claus at all. I have learned that I really enjoy being a mom to older kids. These guys keep me laughing all day. Spending the day with them is the best gift. Here we are all bundled up taking a break on our ride on a hill overlooking the lake.
Family picture in the snow. Schroon Lake, NY
Birch tree in snow
Red house in snow in Adirondacks
We spent the week playing in the snow, shopping a couple of after Christmas sales and playing board games. We even fit in a trip to Vermont that I will talk about in my next post.
Ticket to Ride board game by fireside
Now that's not to say that we don't get on each other's nerves once in a while. A week in a remote area with no internet access can be difficult for us all at times. I watched some excellent movies on my iPad to escape (thanks so much, Netflix, for letting us download content now). But overall, we have a great time together and Billy and I know our family is better all year for the time we spend in 
the mountains together.
Golden Retriever on porch in winter
Today we are back home in NJ and as of this morning, the kids are back in school. Instead of pretty snow outside my window, there is a chilly rain falling. As soon as I hit publish on this post, I will  finish up packing away the Christmas decor. It's time to add some cozy winter decor to our home. Happy New Year!

15 comments :

  1. Courtney, now THAT is living! No slick, staged photos there, baby. You've got the real deal. Who could want more? Happy New Year.
    Rita C at Panoply

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  2. It all looks so beautiful! I live in a log cabin year round and it's always fun to decorate it at Christmas time. It looks like you had wonderful family time.

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    1. Hi Dawn, I love your cabin and always think how wonderful it must be to live that way year round. Happy New Year!

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  3. So beautiful and cozy.. I would love to visit your cabin...
    Happy new year..

    Please visit: http://from-a-girls-mind.blogspot.com

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  4. Every single picture in your post is gorgeous. It all looks like it could be scenery for a Hallmark movie. Love the cabin, the decorations, the snow, your log cabin gingerbread house, everything! What a great way to spend Christmas.

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  5. Ohhhhh Courtney what a great place to be for celebrating Christmas together. Love it all. Happy New Year. Wishing you lots of good health, happiness and unexpected joy through out the new year. Thank you for sharing your sweet friendship. I look forward to following along on all your new adventures for 2017.
    xoxo
    Kris

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  6. Hi Courtney! Happy and Healthy New Year to you and your family! Looks so warm and cozy in your little cabin! I'm sure Keeper and Dax enjoyed all that snow. What a beautiful Christmas!

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  7. Love your blog posts! Happy New Year!!!

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  8. I enjoyed hearing about your Christmas and seeing the pretty pictures. It looks like something out of a great holiday movie! Love the pretzel house, we should make that the next most popular Christmas activity! The snowman made me laugh and I love seeing your pups in the snow!

    Our holidays are quite different now that the kids are grown...much older than yours in fact. I have to say, they don't change much from teens to young adults, maybe just their egos! ;-D

    I'm letting Christmas hang out a little longer, we got a late start. And weekends at the lake get me out of whack with time and space! lol!

    Happy New Year, Courtney!

    Jane x

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  9. The miniature toys used for designing make the arrangement look just above excellent...!!!
    Lucky-patcher.co


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  10. I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. christmas desktop wallpaper

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