Category Archives: holiday

Dec16

Lights at night

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After doing some carpet deep cleaning (not finished) the family room yet), I almost fell asleep watching a paranormal show on A&E that Sean told us about. It’s called ‘Paranormal State‘ and the main guy and his team are from PSU where Sean attends. I’ll have to read up more about it. Then the repeat of the Longwood Gardens special came on and I had to see that. The local news people have a yearly show there now and I wanted to see the new children’s garden which looks so cute-jumping water, steam, etc. I have until the 27th to go for free and I wonder who will want to go this year?

I added both multi-colored lights and white lights to the hedges that run along the front of out house. The colors are like the icing on a white cake. Bri thinks my window box needs lights too-since he cut the greens for me he wants it fixed up better.

We hit the grocery store and I bought the rest of my cookie baking supplies. I also bought some pot roasts for Christmas dinner. Everyone loves my pot roast and it’s easy to make. I like spiral cut ham, but Sean doesn’t.

We ran in Big Lots to look around and I found a nice size gold wicker sleigh! My pal Zoey (Perennial Passion) has a green one with a Christmas tree in it and I liked the idea. I’ll get that together tomorrow. I can’t believe I’m still decorating (and cleaning). I hope the weather isn’t too bad tomorrow as we still have tons to do. I hope my doctor wouldn’t be mad that I am doing all this extra curricular activity as I’m still healing and I am of course, a left sided person (not just left handed).

Carole, I’ll try and do that meme soon, hope I can think of 12 things. : )

Have a great Sunday!

Dec15

Photo Hunt-Small

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I just bought this adorable teenie tiny gingerbread boy at World Market on Tuesday. I think he’s about 2″ tall if that.

PSHunt
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Very small ornament

Long shot of the little guy

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I got down to my mom’s on Friday after over 3 weeks of not seeing her. She cringed at my boo-boo, but was anxious for me to assemble her Christmas tree-the kind with a million branches where you have to match up the letters on the tree pole to the one on the branches. We ended up with two that had different letters then the spaces left, so we shuffled a few around and that worked. Mom bought amber lights with white cording-opps-but we worked them in the middle well and they look okay. She has this pretty angel with fiber optics and really long ribbons that hang nicely down the tree. I was accordion pleating them and I think it’s going to be a gorgeous tree. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her dishwasher, but she may have dislodged or kinked a hose while forcing the dishwasher door shut when the bracket on the top that holds it to the underside of the counter was bent funny. I hear water gurgling though.

We went out for Chinese and then went to a few stores. I got a few more things for the guys, almost finished! Then we went to Home Goods and I saw a ‘must have’ peacock ornament-silver with Swarovski crystals on it’s body and a real peacock feather! I also bought a carved cookie press decoration modeled on an old one of an angel with laurel around it.

Needless to say, I am exhausted! I just wanted to get my photos up to share and rest and maybe trim my front hedges in the afternoon before the snow hits.

Dec12

December Calendar

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As I mentioned, I thought I’d give this a whirl tonight after dinner. The only problem was my glue was missing! Most of my art supplies are scattered around. After some looking, I found a new bottle of tacky glue in a basket.

I had made most of the 3″ squares from images I found on my Flickr group or from a vintage image CD I purchased from eBay. Some of the things like the small stocking, was from a mini-scrapbook kit I found in good ol’ Big Lots. I didn’t measure the poster board correctly (though I remember laying out the squares at one point) and had the space left on the right, so I made ornaments that hang from the Christmas tag garland. I love that garland as it looks like vintage tinsel. It’s from Martha Stewart. The squares are mounted using velcro dots (which I added to hang it up too). I need to add a few more numbers for dates too. I do like it! I’m also not saying it’s finished yet either.
My December calendar
Much thanks to my pal Greta for making 6 of these for me. It makes it extra special because of her additions.

Dec11

Lots of red and Cardinals

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I was looking through a catalog and saw a Cardinal tree wreath and decided to copy it the best I could. I’m sure there is grapevine that is shaped like a tree somewhere, but I bought artificial garland greens and shaped it myself. I just don’t know what to use for the base of the tree. I think mine is smaller, but for $10-12 instead of $40, I think it looks pretty. I even added ‘something else’ that I will show you on the 17th! Cardinal tree wreath

My inspiration:

My inspiration
Here’s the tree! I am saving the one that shows the lights better for the blogger tour of homes on the 17th. Mind you, I am still cleaning as I go. I think there are always books in any of my room shots lately. The golds beads in a few areas are antique.

Our tree 07
Here is a close up of a swirly ornament.
Swirly ornament
I went shopping by myself today and got Bri’s big gift. I had a 20% off coupon for Bed, Bath and Beyond. I also got something my mom asked for and got Sean one too. I then went to Michaels and bought the things for the wreath and some more items my mom needed for her decorating. They had gorgeous artificial poinsettias for only $5 (see above). I thought they had glitter on them, so called mom and she said to get them for her and my uncle. The only thing is, the glitter was from other greenery. I did buy a can of glitter to give them a spray before I give them to her.
My last stop was World Market for stocking goodies. I got some more Christmas crackers, but smaller ones like I gave my niece and nephew last year. They were fun to pull and hear pop-and you get a prize! So I had a busy afternoon. I cashed in coins to the tune of $64-so I got two gifts with that! Gotta love that spare change at this time of year!
I’m finding it a little difficult on my sore spot with the seatbelt across that area-it’s tender.
And Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law Mary Anne! I called to wish her a good one and she had her mom making dinner for her while they waited on my nephew and her niece.

Dec11

Just a few retro Christmas shots

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Of some celebrities-these can be found on Corbis.com

1929-Buddy Rogers (married to Mary Pickford) and Mary Brian, well known in the 30s-40s. I love her gown!

Buddy Rogers and Mary Brian

The Dionne Quints from the 193os

The Dionne Quints

One of my mom’s favorites, Robert Sterling and his wife Anne Jeffries. Mom learned that he passed on a few years ago from shingles complications. She had shingles, so she knew somewhat of how it would bother an elderly man.

Robert Sterling and Anne Jeffries

The tree decorations are up! I used ornaments I haven’t used for a few years. I also got my feather tree up and have mostly handmade ornaments on it. Still not ready for photos yet and I’ll probably go shopping tomorrow. I will probably participant in Boo Mama’s web house tour on the 17th. I can do a lot in a week!

Dec9

Shopping and decorating

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Finally! I did a bit of shopping last night at TJ Maxx. I love that store! They have just about anything you can think of, but I love giving body lotions, ornaments and useful kitchen or household items too. I saw a few things I liked, but Bri had pooped out and went to sit in the van. I like cloches (clear bell-shaped glass pieces) and they had one that was maybe a little larger than I wanted. Poor Bri now thinks he has to run around looking for cloches. I know a artist from eBay who uses them (the tiny ones), so I’ll have to ask her if she would mind telling me where she gets hers. I remember when I use to stencil slates with designs for ‘Welcome’ signs for a local lady and someone else who stenciled went off and started selling them herself. I was hinting around to where she got the slates and she wouldn’t say exactly where as she didn’t want competition in case I wanted to sell some. Anyway, I also saw a neat looking Victorian style glass biscuit jar in the store that was a bit on the large size.

Today, Bri fixed the switch in our bedroom-hooray! It was a pain pulling the cord in and out to use the main light. It didn’t take him long to do so. Then he got the Christmas tree out of the attic, stuck it in the stand (it unfolds like an upside down umbrella) and I ‘fluffed’ the branches, added red lights (some have the white lights with the red) and garland and antique gold beads. It looks completely different than last year’s tree so far. I wanted to perch cardinals on the branches, but need to get to a craft store to find some. I did add candy canes, so I am calling it my ‘candy cane’ tree. I have so much more to do. This is a ‘sneak peek’ as I like to see how the tree looks through the ‘camera’s eye’. I did have to rearrange the top. There are no ornaments on here yet, just some candy canes.

Sneak Peek

Last year it looked like this, quite different!

I did want to add that I was checking through one of the several catalogs that I get in the mail and found a few things I wanted to see if I could get on the web, one being a book for Bri’s dad. Sure enough, I found it on Amazon and ordered it and saved about 50% off the cost of what it would be in the catalog. I saw some cute angel wing earrings (one wing an ear) and a garden gnome that is holding a medallion that says ‘Gnomes for the holidays’. I may be ordering them from the company’s online service.

I need to take a break as my sore area is bothering me a bit. It’s rough to be a leftie and to have a boo boo on that side.

Dec6

Winter wonderland

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We got about 3″ or so of snow and the temps dropped drastically. Bri had to go down a steep side street and was sliding as he went. I could tell he was shook up when he came in, but he was nice enough to go through McDs and get their yummy chicken strips and a salad for me. I made baked potatoes too. I just am not doing well with cooking. We also need to go to the store as I think of something to have and we don’t have the meat or whatever. I made a Rachael Ray 30 minute recipe a few nights ago and over salted what would have been tasty turkey burgers. I used ‘Italian’ flavored turkey, so I should have left that alone.  Bri ate some for lunch yesterday too, I don’t like over spicy stuff.

I did find a cute new Gund Piglet and receiving blankets that Brian gave the lady at work.  Receiving blankets may turn into the child’s lovies when he gets older.

Today I’m kinda of ‘going through the motions’ as I am thinking about tomorrow. My brother left me a comment here that wasn’t suppose to be public about how he was still angry about last year. My mom had sent him a birthday card and ‘stirred the pot’. I get emails of my comments and when I saw his name, I called Bri in before I opened it as I haven’t heard a word from him in over a year. I was hoping he would say he’s sorry about what’s going on his me, etc. but no, it was all about him. So I feel like he divorced me! I am trying to get my mind off things. My Christmas cards are almost filled out and then decorating more is next. In my family we never really did Christmas decorating until we were all home for Christmas break. Bri’s parents (use to) and my brother (still) put up their trees on Christmas eve. I don’t plan to bake until the 19th or later as I give cookies as gifts and want them to be fresh. So although I am going through stuff, I feel I’m on schedule. ; ) I applaud my pals who have everything ready.

Dec4

A Collection of Family Christmas Memories

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Back in 1994, I compiled a keepsake ‘book’ for my mom, three brothers and uncle and their families. The cover shows the creche/manger scene that my grandfather Alan would put up every year. It’s in my possession, but I haven’t displayed it in a while as it’s so fragile. It means a lot to me! Of his 4 grandchildren, he only knew of 2 and I was about 7 weeks old when he passed on.

Christmas book

That’s me as a newlywed and my mom at Longwood Gardens! Little did I know I’d live 10 minutes away a few years later. The next photo is Brian holding little (actually big) 2 month old Sean. The teddy is as big as my baby boy! That year I let Bri go pick out the tree, and he got quite a huge one as you can see! The next year, my uncle got us a small tree from his former property in Delaware, and we put it up high so Sean wouldn’t play with it. Love my 80s, haircut! And Sean received Teddy Ruxpin, the talking bear, as his main gift that year.

Sean’s early Christmases

Sean being mellow and hamming it up for the camera when he got his Micromachine tank.

More of Sean’s early Christmases
Here’s some our growing up. That’s my maternal grandmom Ruth and my brother Ken. By the way, my mom still lives in this house. Then there’s my brother Don and me. I get very sad when I see these as we were so close. As you can see, I always loved cats, that’s my girl Smudgie. There’s Brian at 10 playing with a road race set. Look at that big tree! Do you like my green crushed velvet skirt set? And there I am being the big sister to Ken.

Our early Christmases
Are you dying to know what my favorite Christmas memories are from the book?

My brother Don and I are visible in all my remembrances of Christmas from childhood. I wish I could see Dave, but Kenny’s sweet face opening presents is there. Don and I were like two peas in a pod for 13 years. I can see us building with our Flintstone syrafoam blocks at our first Christmas in the Media house (about 1964). Actually, we both loved them so much, that we fought over them.
I can see us going in Mom’s closet to ‘preview’ our gifts. We did this when the temptation grew so strong that we couldn’t stand it anymore.
One year when I was about 14, we opened gifts on Christmas eve and took photos as well. The catch was at we had to have a surprised look on our faces. Those are some of the best photos we have.
Other flashes from the past-Mom didn’t wrap presents until we were older. With 4 kids, it saved her a lot of aggravation. After she started wrapping them, we were still spoiled, so she let us open our gifts on Christmas Eve. We just couldn’t wait!
Mom-mom taught me how to wrap gifts when I was about 10 or 11. The first few things I wrapped were pantyhose and an Andy Williams tape or record for my mom.
My favorite gifts-Always the stuff in my stocking. We couldn’t wait to see the bulging stockings on the stair railing.
Lite Brite and Spirograph-Don and I got them with our father’s approval, and played with them in the middle of the night for an hour or so. The Betty Crocker kid’s cookbook-for the budding chef. And my Easy Bake Oven, though I only got to use it a few times as my brother Don shorted it out by pouring V-8 juice on it! (as an adult, he bought me a new one and I may pass it on to our niece-he must have felt terrible guilty all these years).

Dec2

Sleepy head

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The events of this last week have sure taken a toll on Brian and me. He started with a sore throat yesterday, but used some Ziacam and seems okay this morning. My head just feels so foggy. I find when I am concentrating on things I’m much better, though it was hard to write checks out yesterday. I did put together a handmade Christmas card that I need to get color copied. I hope to work on them in the coming week. I made eggs and turkey bacon for breakfast, so that’s a good start. The weather is wet, not snowy as expected. Maybe Bri can take me down to the shopping center so I can walk around a bit. I had burning in my left shoulder and my friend’s wife, who is a nurse, said it was definitely from using air in the procedure and I need to walk more.

So this year, I’m taking the holidays slowly. I have to, no choice. I did move a little tree with lights (frosted fruit that I keep on my desk year round) to a different table, so that’s a start. I’m hoping we can put the tree up next weekend. I remember last year I had that tummy bug which was miserable, but I got over it and Christmas was fine.
Thanks for your comments and prayers-I’m grabbing and hugging them!

No! No! No!-Brian read this to me the other day! If you haven’t had a mammogram and you are over 40, this is the time to get a base one done. Please do this for your own peace of mind.