It’s time for Boo Mama’s 2008 Tour of Homes. You can travel all over the world and see homes all decked out for the most wonderful time of the year.
A very warm welcome to you from ellen b. in Washington State and Southern California.
The tree above is our first annual Mystery Tree. I started a new tradition last year. I walk into Home Depot look at all the tied and wrapped trees, pick one without unwrappping it, bring it home all wrapped up, and surprise our Mystery tree is unveiled and we can laugh or cry at what we ended up with. Actually it’s quite fun to pick a tree this way. Good way to lighten up during the season…
Like many of your homes Jesus is at the center of our Christmas celebrations and Joy! This is what you’ll see at our entry in Washington.
And this is from our condo in Southern California.
Let me serve you a festive drink and some chocolates and let’s start our tour before I serve dinner. These chocolates are the easiest things in the world to make. Just melt 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 bag of butterscotch chips then throw in some pecans or walnuts or whatever nut you like, spoon them onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and let them cool and voila you have candy. I’m so darn sorry I forgot whose blog I saw these on. If you happen to visit here let me know if it was you and I’ll give you credit!!
Another collage of my little fake Christmas tree with lights that I bought for the condo from a local thrift store here in Camarillo, California. I’m usually in the State of Washington the whole month of December and only put up a tree there but this year is different and we’re not flying to Washington till Christmas day so we need something at the condo so people won’t think we are part of the Grinch family!
Now if you visit us in Washington I could serve you at this table.
Or from this Christmas table in Southern California.
Here is what I will be serving and what is part of our traditional Christmas Eve meal.
We’ll have a Rib Roast, Creamed Corn, something green, and Yorkshire Pudding. (Ok, it used to confuse me that they called Yorkshire Pudding pudding when it’s not pudding but a popover type bread that you bake using the hot drippings from the roast, I’m way over it now. You can make it in any pan but I bought this great popover pan that works great for them.) After dinner we can sit by the fireplace and enjoy the tree with a cup of cocoa or coffee. If you stay for Christmas morning we’ll have those yummy Swedish Pancakes above that Dear makes for us every Christmas morning after we open our stocking gifts…
Now for some of the people God has put in our lives to share all the wonder of Christmas with…
I’d like to introduce you to our family. Our daughter Katie and DIL Laura. Our oldest son Josh with Dear. Our son Dan. Josh and his wife, our DIL, Laura. Another shot of our son Dan. Dan and Katie live in our home in Washington and take care of it while Dear and I are living in California. Josh and Laura live in Washington, too.
More shots of the family and extended family. The top left photo is of my sister Lana G! and I. She has a tour happening at her blog too, Above the Clouds . We have a great time blogging and tablescaping together. Dear, our daughter Katie, and me at Molbaks in front of the Poinsettia Christmas tree, Our girls…Katie and Laura, ellen b. and Dear at our 34th wedding anniversary celebration.
Thank you for taking my tour and meeting some of my family…
To see more tours click over to Boo Mama’s.
Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.
Love it! Those black beaded chargers are FABULOUS!! Great find!
The condo tree is adorable!
What a beautiful home, thanks for having us. I love just love it all 🙂
We bought a mystery tree too. Kinda fun!
One day, when I’m all grown up, I aspire to have ovely table settings just like yours!
Everything is beautiful, but your tables are especially gorgeous. Merry Christmas!
I love your dinnerware! So festive :o)
I LOVE your mystery tree in front of the bookcases. How absolutely awesome your home(s) look. Love the place settings too. Nice touch. And I would love to taste your chocolates, please and thank you!
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and your loved ones!
I love all the pictures. Very pretty. I’m crazy about your Mystery Tree. Sounds like fun to me.
Your home is so warm and welcoming. I would LOVE to try Yorkshire Pudding for the first time.
I LOVE tapioca pudding, anything like that?!?
Merry Christmas
What a great tour, everything is so pretty.
Merry Christmas!!!
Your house is just beautiful! Love your table settings!
Shannon
Well, Your home looks so warm and cozy! We were in the San Juan Islands not too long ago! I wish I were ther now!
I also thought your table was beautiful and I would love to come over and eat with all of you!
Thanks for sharing your home…it’s wonderful!
-Kim
Loved your tour! All the details were great! Christmas Eve and Christmas morning meals… Yummy! Gorgeous table settings. How neat to include photos of your loved ones!!!
A Very Merry Christmas to You!
Simply beautiful! I love your table settings and the shots of the tree by the fireplace! Makes me just want to curl up and watch the lights!
WOW!!! That is just all so incredibly beautiful. I esp love your table settings. oh I wish my table looked like that.
And I am sooo goign to do that fun candy recipe witht my kids! THANKS!
Merry Christmas!
How wonderful to get to decorate TWICE! Both have beautiful decorations. We have a holiday cottage by the coast in N Ireland, but we won’t be there until after Christmas, so I don’t usually decorate it. Maybe I will next year!
Hope you get a chance to visit my Northern Ireland blog.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Your house is so nice and cozy! I love the tree!
Oh my, my, my! Thank you for inviting us into your homes! I tell ya, I’m thinking sweedish pancakes this year, for sure. My stomache is growling at the thought! Oh dear! Tahnks for the great EASY candy recipe. I love those kind, especially ones that contain large amounts of chocolate. 🙂 Hope you’re enjoying the warm California weather. We had snow here in Puyalup today! Merry Christmas to you!
My favorite is the picture of your living room/den. I love it.
Beautiful trees, beautiful decorations, and a beautiful family. Thanks for sharing all with us!
How beautiful – I’m so impressed that you decorate TWO places! Your mystery tree idea is really fun, and I love that you showed us your family too. Merry Christmas!
Susan
You are killing me buffy! So many homes, so many beautiful things. I’m a little jealous.
Oh well, Merry Christmas.
I love the idea of a mystery tree! We always go on the coldest worst weather day to pick out our tree. We usually can’t stand being outside, so we don’t spend too long picking out a tree. This year we chose the second one we looked at. It leans LOL! Thanks for the tour – I enjoyed it!
Manuela
Wow! Beautiful decorations and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your tablescapes!
Thanks for the candy recipe!! I can’t wait to try it! Your homes are lovely and I especially love your bookcases!!! This is so much fun – it’s my first time “touring” and blogging – next year I will have learned from everyone and will enter in to the Tour also! This year I don’t know how to put the pics up on the blog!!!
May you have a Blessed CHRISTmas! I love how you call your husband “Dear” – how cute is that!!! We have been married 46 years and I call mine, “Honey”!!!
Carol in Michigan
Beautiful!
Beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing them with us. I totally forgot to “do up” the table this year! Oh well… Merry Christmas
i love your new tradition! sounds like so much fun. a bit late visiting for pink saturday but i’m glad ’cause i enjoyed your christmas tour so much. have a great week!
I loved your Christmas Tour. Thank you for sharing your traditions. Everything was just beautiful.
-Cheers, Amy
OKay, okay, where to start?? Love that mystery tree, too funny! I love your Russian St Nick – my husband got a bachelor’s in Russian. Oooh, those Swedish pancakes look soooo goooood!! Oh, and forget the chocolate (I’ll just eat the chips out of the bag…) I want the recipe for the drink!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the tour!
I love the ornaments you have a close-up shot of for your condo tree! Merry Christmas!
Your homes are beautiful! And you have made me very hungry!!! Merry Christmas!!
Wow! I love your table settings! Absolutely gorgeous:).
Your table settings are just beautiful! And I love the tradition of picking out a tree sight unseen–you did well this year–that tree has a great shape!
I love how homey your living room looks and how elegant your table setting. Beautifully done.
Thank you so much for the hospitable tour! I seriously felt like you were walking with me through your beautiful home, and I am absolutely swooning over your beautiful Christmas tables. Your menu sounds perfect, and I LOVE your wall of books in your cozy living room!
But all that pales in comparison with your gorgeous family. The best gifts! Thank you for the glimpse into your life.
Jenni
http://onething.beautifulheritage.com
Beautiful homes and decorations! What a lovely family too….thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks for sharing!! Isn’t this fun??
Blessings
What a delightful tour! Not only beautiful furnishings but what a lovely family! You are a blessed woman indeed! God is good, isn’t He?
Beautiful! Your Camarillo, CA home is about 1-1/2 hours away from me here in Santa Barbara county! We also have relatives in Washington State (Renton and Bellevue). Merry Christmas and thank you for sharing your beautiful homes!
Your home is so warm and inviting (both of them)~I love the tree in front of those bookcases! Your table settings are gorgeous, too!
Merry Christmas!
Love your collages…Beautiful pictures and presentation!!!!
Warm and inviting tour. Both places look so cozy. Thanks for the tour!!
Lovely posting! I wish I knew how to post photos other than all in a vertical row – you did a GORGEOUS job with your post as well as with your homes!
So beautiful! Your Christmas decorations are so lovely and your home looks so warm and inviting! Blessings to you and family! Thank you for the tour!
Your homes are beautiful. Merry Christmas!
I LOVE your square green plates with the poinsettias place on them! Merry Christmas!
Oh, how I love everything. Just love everything!
Beautiful! I love it all! Thank you for letting us “in”! Merry Christmas!
Yes, I do think that I would love to come and sit by your fireplace enjoying the tree with a nice cup of hot chocolate. Very inviting!
All your decorations are just lovely–You did such a nice job!
Julieann
You always make me feel welcome and comfortable. Here is to a great host! Merry Christmas!
Lovely home(s) and family!
Beautiful and so cozy looking!!! Ok, I want to know about the festive drink!
Great tour, I loved it.
mystery tree, what a fun idea, takes some of stress of trying to find the best tree when it dark and cold out
Good morning Ellen B.,
What a fun tour of your lovely home. Is that your library with the wall to wall books or your living room. Whichever it is it’s very inviting especially with a roaring fire to read by.
I hope you stay toasty and warm and out of the rain today. It’s coming down so hard that some of the train tracks were closed on my way into work so I had to backtrack and go around the other way. It’s a good day to stay off the roads.
🙂 Cori G.
beautiful! love, love, love the nativity!!! oh…can i have one of those chocolates??? 🙂
I love that you included pictures of your family and friends. Merry Christmas!
Your living room looks so cozy and I love the idea of a “mystery tree!”
Very pretty and festive – thanks for the tour!
A blessed Christmas to you and your family!
Everything is so beautiful! Thanks for the chocolate recipe too. 🙂
This is truly one of the most elegant stops I’ve made so far! Absolutely beautiful table setting…and your living room is truly gorgeous, yet cozy!
Thank you so much for a wonderful tour!
Hope you can stop by my humble place during the tour~
Blessings,
~Tammy (Lattes and Lollipops)
What a great tour! You have a beautiful home!
Both your homes are lovely – definitely happy happy joy joy all the way. The table settings are different yet still carrying out the holiday theme – oh baby the menu looks delicious! Yes yorkshire pudding had me confused for years – now I figure we southerners call something sweetbreads that is neither sweet nor bread so folks are entitled to their naming peculairities.
Your homes and decor are lovely. My kids are wanting a live tree so at some point I should try the mystery tree idea! I believe it is a novel idea. Honestly when I first read “Mystery Tree” I thought – oh that is fun… Cause I thought there were clues or something that tell a story. Maybe there is an idea for the forest my daughter beckons me to get…
Anyway. Your trees are quite lovely and you set an elegant table. I could almost taste the roast and Yorkshire Pudding – it all sounds thoroughly delish!
Thank you for having us into your home – I enjoyed our treats as well. I’m going to try making those hard candies for Christmas Eve – I think they will go great with Snowman Soup!
Blessings.
Hello! Everything is just lovely. I especially enjoyed your beautiful table settings–I am certain your guests always feel welcome and loved!
Ok, I am just beginning my tour but I have a feeling that your house will remain one of my favorites! How warm and festive and just beautiful!!
Both homes are simply beautiful! Such a warm and inviting atmosphere!Also, your tables are absolutely gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing!
Ellen! You’re on the front page of wordpress today! It’s no wonder..your home is so inviting and lovely!! (I’m so glad that I get to be with your family on Christmas!)
I love all your bookcases behind your tree! I’ve always wanted a library in my home. Beautiful!
Loved it all! The bookcases remind me of mine….I could sit right down and eat now!
The table! The balls! The food! The tree! Love it ALL!
I just love your home and all of your Christmas decorations! It looks so homey and comfortable – just what I like!
Thanks for sharing! (I enjoyed the people pics, too!)
I love all your greenery!
Beautiful homes! Love the picture collages.
Your homes are so beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful homes!! Love your picture collages, too. 🙂
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your homes! ….. especially the table settings! I’m a big table setter – the easiest way to decorate, plus your ready for your guests.
I’m from Washington too, but I long to move to So. Cal. My hubby, however, prefers to remain here. Thanks to you, I now realize it doesn’t have to be either or. We can have both!
All of your decorations are beautiful, by the way, but I should have waited until after dinner to look at your blog. The food makes me hungry! It all looks delicious!
All the best to you and yours for a warm and wonderful holiday season!
This was such fun to see two homes and meet your beautiful family all in one blog posting! Your homes are both wonderful, and all of your family is so good looking. Thank you for sharing this joyful Christmas post. laurie
Beautiful!!! I love the living area!
Amy H.
Both of your homes are beautiful! Thank you for sharing them with us! I’m now craving Yorkshire puddings! Love those. We also make the drop cookies, but we add chow mein noodles as well as peanuts. Yummy! Thanks for introducing us to your loved ones. Merry Christmas to you all!
Everything is just beautiful. You really did a lot of work to show both homes. And the pictures of your family were all so good.
What lovely holiday homes! Thanks for sharing them and giving a glimpse into your Christmas celebration.
You have a beautiful home! I love your little photo collages!
Thanks for welcoming us into your home!
Best wishes to you and your family during this Holiday season..
I love, love, love your tables and china! Both of them are stunning. Thanks for the candy recipe, that seems so easy!! I will have to try that before Christmas. I love the way you pick out your surprise tree, how fun!!
Merry Christmas
I’m lovin’ everything!!
You must share what’s in that yummy looking drink!??
Merry Christmas!
Love it all! And thanks for the yummy refreshments!
Merry Christmas!!!
Hi Ellen!!! What a lovely, lovely post!!! I am just now catching up on your posts. I hadn’t gotten on the computer the whole weekend because I was working my Christmas decorations… (with lots of breaks in between!)
I can’t decide… can I be served at both your Washington and Southern California table?! 😉 Your Christmas meal looks yummy. So far, we haven’t had a set menu for Christmas each year. The must-have food items are slowly emerging. Every year, we have to have a cheesy spinach dip with chips to munch on while we open our presents. I am currently working on deciding what cookies to make. The chocolate clusters sound easy and yummy – might try those for hubby. 🙂
I am off to your other posts…
I love how you have done all the pictures in sets. Great pictures too! I need to figure that out for my blog! Your house looks lovely and very festive. Thanks for sharing both your homes with us!
Wow. Just wow! The place settings are incredible. I love your cozy living room. Everything is just gorgeous!
Everything looks simply lovely! Table is beautiful! Love the poinsettia napkins! Thanks for sharing your home with us! Merry Christmas!
Hello! tonight i watched a Russian movie. In this movie the main actor and actress love bread. I can’t help looking for Russian bread recipe and stop by your blog home for a visit. I will try your Russian Easter bread recipe some time. thanks!
You have a beautiful family.
Merry Christmas!
Lovely! So beautiful!
Your home and ALL of your decorations are just gorgeous!!
My mother makes those candies every year and they are SO easy and good! Merry Christmas Ellen!
Love all your decor! Very festive and fun. Do you live in Camarillo? My aunt owns Salon De Solace on Ventura Blvd. in Camarillo. I was born and raised there! Anyways, merry Christmas!
What beautiful homes! Your Christmas tables are stunning! I love setting the Christmas table every year! And such a lovely family! Someday I hope we get there too! Merry Christmas!
Your living room looks so inviting…and I LOVE the place settings! Merry Christmas 🙂
You have two beautiful homes. Thank you for sharing them with us.
Merry Christmas.
I want to come to your house for Christmas! Beautiful!
Merry Christmas…
I love your house.. It’s very beautiful……
I love that you put the reminder on here the real reason for the season! Love your homes! The mystery tree idea is really kinda fun! If I were able to have a real tree (allergic) I would definately have to do it this way!!!!
Just beautiful!
Thanks for opening up both homes. Your tables are great – I may come back for more ideas since my tables are not through LOL
This touring is fun – my first year to join in.
Sweet Blessings,
and Merry Christmas!
DeeDee
Your home is beautiful and I love the idea of the mystery tree. You set a lovely table too. 🙂
I Love everything you’ve done!! What a beautiful home…or should I say homes:) And I love the recipe you posted for the chocolates. We make them every year!! Merry Christmas!
beautiful! how fun to have 2 homes to decorate! 🙂
I love you Nativity set!
Your tables are amazing and you have a beautitful family!
Merry Christmas!
Ellen your decorated home and condo are beautiful! I hope you enjoy your family gathering on the 24th in California-what a wonderful time that will be for all of you! Thanks for including me in the Goodwill trip in November…lots of fun stuff to be found there! I love the simple recipe for candy (I am really into simple stuff!)..I am going to make those for sure. Enjoy all the beautiful pictures; you and Lana certainly set gorgeous tables!
Your homes are beautiful. That last picture of your living room makes me want to grab a warm blanket, a cup of cocoa, and curl up with a good book.
Thanks for inviting us in.
Love your Christmas tour pictures! Those chocolates look delicious!
Your mystery tree tradition is so much fun, Ellen! As usual your table is absolutely lovely and your meal sounds delish. We are having roast on boxing day with my dad. I haven’t tried Yorkshire pudding in many a year. I do love it though.
Thanks for the tour. It was wonderful. Everything was beautiful. Loved that you included so many elements decor, food and family.
your living room looks awesome. love all the pictures.
Enjoyed your picks, you have a beautiful family!
What a tour and so many more to look at!! The food alone is making me feel in the holiday frame of mind!! Your nativity is truly the center of it all and puts the true meaning into Christmas!! God Bless!!
Lovely home! So warm and inviting. I love all your rich colors.
I love the mystery tree idea!
Everything is so beautiful-and tasty looking! Your family is beautiful-you have been blessed!
Gorgeous table scapes and I love your sweet Nativity. Thanks for having us to your homes.
What a lovely family you have… And your living room looks so warm and inviting. I can just imagine the wonderful times that your family enjoys in that room. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Thanks for sharing all your pretty decorations! I LOVE the mystery tree tradition you started…how fun! Happy Holidays!
You have beautiful homes and decorations – love the idea of the mystery tree! Also enjoyed “meeting” your family – very nice touch to your tour.
Absolutely beautiful! Thank you for inviting us all into your home! Merry Christmas 🙂
What a lovely home! Thanks for sharing with us 🙂
What lovely Christmas china!
Beautiful home, lovely family! Love the tree in front of the bookshelves – beautiful! Thank you for the tour – fun!
What a beautiful table you set!!!!
Your home is SO beautiful! My favorite thing was the family pictures! Smiling people make my heart happy! I am glad they are yours!
Such a BEAUTIFUL home!! I LOVE both of your tables – gorgeous place settings & table cloths!
stopping by from Boomama’s site
What a beautiful table you set!!!!