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.