2013 CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

This is a wall hanging birdcage I purchased for $3.00 at a yard sale a year ago.  I finally stripped the old yellow paint and repainted it with a soft green.  It took several applications and a lot of scrubbing with a steel brush, but I am happy with the results.  I was able to find a couple of wood carved birds from World Market to put inside along with a battery operated candle and can change the greenery to match the season.

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My Hubby Jim and I at a New Mobilians Dinner. Living in the South has been quite an experience with all the good food and friendships we have acquired in the past 10 years.  Although I miss California at times, I can remember wanting to live in the south and experience all the old traditions; Mardi Gras; teas; croquet, and much much more.  There truly is something to the saying "Southern Hospitality", where it is a norm to send thank you notes and show appreciation for the thoughtfulness of others.  Yes, and where children address you as mamm or sir or Miss Shirley.  What a treat for children to show respect.  

 Christmas Eve with friends Janet and Janet and of course my Merry Christmas Puppy, Mitzie.  We all had a wonderful evening. I fixed the traditional ham diner with mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans and lie jello salad with cottage cheese and pineapple.  Our hor'douvers consisted of cavier, brie and champagne.  Desert was a homemade blueberry pie made by my hubby with frozen vanilla yogurt and homemade Kahlua and coffee.  A wonderful time was had by all.

Christmas is Upon Us and the New Year is Coming!

Christmas is just around the corner and is one of my favorite decorating seasons.  When my children married, I got them together one Christmas and divided all the ornaments we had collected throughout their childhood so they would each have something to remember and start their own Christmas with. All my ornaments were old fashioned Christmas ornaments in the traditional red and green.  After the children left the roost I changed to pink, which is one of my favorite decorating colors.  I have been decorating in these colors in various ways since the 80s and it doesn't seem to go out of vogue.  I admired the golds and reds of the early 2000's, but they are much too dark and confined to me.  I have never tired of my pinks, blues and greens.

Because of limited space we chose a very slim tree.  I normally put the tree where the bird cage is (as seen in a previous picture), but he raised such a fuss when I put him in the office, I decided in order to keep peace in the family, I would leave him be and move the Christmas tree to a new spot this year.

I have been collecting my pink ornaments for 30 years.  My angle was purchased 30 years ago as well. I have never tired of any of it.

Last year I saw this Santa Claus picture at Hobby Lobby and just had to have it.  It really made the house feel like Christmas.

 The holiday season seemed to have started full steam and with all my projects I have found very little time to catch up on my posts.  Although I am only working 3 days a week, there never seems to be enough time to get everything I want to do done.

My hubby and I survived the Thanksgiving holiday.  We had several activities during the Thanksgiving holiday, but were able to spend a quiet Thanksgiving dinner together.  Turkey and all.  Jim made the most wonderful Turkey Pot Pie with the left over turkey.  Only problem is I forgot to take a picture of it.  Following are some of my favorite places and Thanksgiving decor.  I think I changed  my table scape at least 4 times in the Month of November.  The Table cloth is over 50 years old and I saw one in a local antique shop used as a daybed cover priced at $145.00.  So needless to say I am making every effort to preserve it.


The following are pictures of some of the wonderful antiques in one of my favorite places to visit.

TABLE SCAPES

One of my fall center pieces

Another fall center piece for Halloween.

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MEMBER OF OUR FAMILY

MITZI - 8 weeks old

Our newest addition.  We have recently added a new member to our family.  She is now 9 weeks old and growing like a weed.  Her name is Mitzi and she is a Yorkshire Terrier (terror).  Don't ever ask me what possessed me to get a puppy, given the fact I am up at midnight, 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 am every night and still have to face going to work.  At least with a real baby you don't have to go outside in the middle of the night,  But, given all of this, she is truly a joy.  Puppyhood too will pass and she will make a wonderful pet.  Even Jim has fallen in love with her.  Our home will never be the same!  In the back ground is Freddie our Cockatiel.  We have had him for 10 years.  

Mitzi and Mama in front of the Christmas tree

She likes the new blanket I made for her.  Soft white on pink polka dot fleece.  Wouldn't mind some jammies out of this.

Mitzi loves the new blanket I made for her.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and may the coming year be good to you.  This was a good year for us even with a few minor set backs which we all have from time to time,  But all and all, it has been a good year,  Wishing everyone good health, happiness and prosperity in the coming year..

The Fall Season is Well Underway!

Well, it has been a long time since I have posted.  Thanksgiving has come and gone in the wink of an eye.  We had a very busy holiday with various activities, but were able to spend a quite Thanksgiving day with just the two of us.  The friends we usually spend Thanksgiving with were out of the country having a wonderful trip. I must say, Jim and I had a great time cooking, drinking a glass of wine or two and just relaxing.  We had enough turkey left over for Jim to make the best Turkey Pot pie the next day.  The only problem is that I forgot to take a picture of it.  Jim is a great cook.  Although I like to cook, he often takes over the kitchen.  He makes all the bread and baked goods as well.  Following are a few pictures of my Thanksgiving decorations.

Jim and I at a dinner party with our friends.  We have the best cooks in the south.  It seems like all we do is eat at every ocasion.

This is a table setting for an Italian dinner Jim and I had for a few friends.  We even had Italian music in the background.  I love holding internationally diversified dinners.  It is as fun to decorate the table and find the music as it is to eat the good food.

This is some of my fall decorations in my front entry.

This is a bloom of my Bleeding Heart bush.  It is beautiful in the summer.

One of the three different fall dining room table centerpieces I used during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Me after a long day at work,  It is beginning to cool down into the 70s now, so I can now wear light sweaters and slacks instead of cropped pants and short sleeves.  

We spent this night at the monthly art walk in downtown Mobile.  In addition to a great dinner and a great venue of art galleries, we were also entertained by this great jazz instrumental player.  I believe he was playing an electronic recorder.  Remember those black plastic recorders we played in elementary school?  Well, this one was the real thing.  Never imagined it could sound so great.  Sounded like Kenny G, who is one of my favorite sax players,

It has been a few weeks since my last post.  I have been very busy making a custom bedspread for a friend and finally finished it.  I will be posting the finished product once it is on the bed.  Now that I am finished with it, it is time to start painting again and finish up my Mari Gras Ball gown which is in process.  Below are two of my paintings.  The tiger cubs have been sold.  I am beginning to get in the mood again and looking forward to picking up the paint brush,  These are both oil on canvas and are large paintings.  These pictures do to show the frames. The floral is hanging in my dining room,

It is Halloween today.  I started the day in my garden before heading off to work.  Thursdays are now my Fridays, I dressed more casually with my fun leggings and top.  And, I had to wear my newest and most fun owl find.  If it wasn't for my beautiful youthful cousin Barbie who came to visit for Mardi Gras last February, I probably would never have put on a pair of leggings.  How liberating it is to experience the freedom of more fun attire.

Farmers Market at the Mobile County Fair

After living in Mobile for 9 years we finally decided to take in the Mobile County Fair.  We spent the afternoon walking around taking in the sites and people watching.  I was amazed at the size of the carnival.  I tried to talk my hubby into letting me ride on one of the big rides but no go.  He was convinced I would do myself in.  He said I would have to come back with "the girls" because he couldn't watch me on those wild and crazy rides.  We also enjoyed seeing the animals, especially the mama pig and piglets.  I was also able to get a picture of one of  our Azalea Trail Maids.  Even got to see a dinosaur or two.

Fall is always an exciting time of year.  The fall shadows lend to a serenity that we all look forward to each year,  Today, I spent time preparing for the Halloween Gouls and Goblins that will be visiting our neighborhood,  When it gets dark everything lights up and becomes enchanting.

I am having so much fun coming up with creative outfits,  My sweater was given to me by a friend, so of course I had to go out and buy a skirtto go with it,  After two days of exhaustive shopping I finally went back to Dillards and bought this leopard print skirt by Calvin Klein.  On sale course.  The second picture I included  my leopard print umbrella given to me for my 65th birthday earlier in the year by a dear friend,  It rains here a lot so we have a collection of umbrellas.  I love animal prints and have several varieties to chose from,