Category Archives: holiday

Dec24

Waving and wishing all a Merry Christmas!

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I haven’t been a faithful blogger lately. The week leading up to Christmas is usually so busy. I do baking and cleaning-I like one of the two tasks. Still not finished cleaning. Later today, we are going to my brother’s house as they are having an open house. I’m bringing an awesome Rachael*Ray penne, sausage and broccoli rabe dish which I’ve made already and that my guys loved. I’ll get cracking at that soon, but we don’t have to leave here until 5ish.
My cookies turned out fairly well. I made most of our favorites, chocolate chips, peanut butter with chocolate swirls, Sour cream drops, 7 layer cookies plus pizzelles (I found my pizelle maker) and some Ruglach from premade pie crust-they are ok. I made Rocky Road candy-yummy!
I hope I have a gum/tooth issue under control as only one was bothering me. I have been using a whitening rinse and it seems to have irritated around a crown. I’m pretty sure I’ve had a root canal there. I am using a rinse now for irritated gums and it feels better today, but will keep a watch of it.
Some members of my extended family are again having a rough time compromising with each other, etc. I feel like I’m caught in the middle. I wish them well.

I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas!

Dec12

Woodland Christmas tree 2009

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Woodland Christmas tree 2009, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

Here’s our tree this year. There are mostly new ornaments on it that I got last year, even the pine cones at the bottom. It’s missing a few ornaments like icicles and maybe a few red balls or other things-yep, not really loaded done enough. I need to add something, probably an angel at the top. I just made the bow tonight-it has cardinals on it. I actually had to buy more clear lights for under the white pine cones. I guess my clears have gradually burnt out to just a few sets. I have almost every color light too! I hope I find some more cardinals too. That’s about our 5th year for this tree. It needed major ‘fluffing’ and is so easy to put up and load down. We are pretty happy with it.
We all watched ‘Up’ tonight, not a dry eye in the house. Very touching. If you haven’t rented it, you have to.

Dec11

More Decor

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Mantel in low light, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

I decorated the mantel and front window. I only got around to taking a few photos of what is on the mantel. I’m not quite finished my sofa table. The tree in up but not decorated.
The manger scene was my grandfather’s and I haven’t put it up for a while. Thought I would as I’m more into vintage pieces and it’s safe up there on the mantel. I repaired and painted this before I was married, so it’s still holding up after I did that about 26 or so years later.

A collection of Nutcrackers
Grandfather's manger scene

Dec9

A little decorating underway

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Feather tree in family room, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

Wow-I haven’t blogged since last Friday?!
Well I’ve busy! My brother moved on Saturday-in the rain and then snow. We were asked to finish cleaning out one bedroom. Bri and Sean moved an entertainment center, an end table and the top of a hutch (yep in a small bedroom) while I gathered up what was left. I wiped down the windowsills, helped mom clean the floors and moved what wasn’t too heavy. My brother wasn’t finally all moved in until Sunday night. He brought a Dalmation and a tuxedo kitty with him. Now there are 3 pets in the house. Mom’s been cooking a bit again too. The kitty went missing for a day and he was under a bed in a room next to my mom’s. They have a lot to go through and some appliances need fixing too.
Sean and I have been shopping too. I do most of my shopping online, but go to the nearby store to pick out clothes for my niece and nephew. I got some great prices! Also got myself two pairs of corduroys for $8.40 each and they fit perfectly!
We went to Delaware yesterday for the boring gifts-lol. Today the oven got fixed. We are questioning why they stuck $20 to the bill when they were getting like $144 for the labor. They guy was here 10 minutes. Same place that I had bank issues with as the tech ran my debit card through 3 times. Today I wrote a check! Hope we get that back.
I’m cleaning up the area for the tree that we will put up on Friday. The little feather tree is the same on I have put in our family room for a few years. Hope to make at least one ornament to add. I have one I started last year. I know stitchers who have enough ornaments for a big tree! I am decorating the fireplace mantel with my grandfather Alan’s manger set. I think it’s at least 60 years old. On the other side is my collection of nutcrackers. I just added a new small one to the collection. A few of the older ones needed a little gluing! Brian’s late mom gave most of them to us. I’ll be doing more decorating tomorrow-stay tuned!
And good luck to Sean on his interview tomorrow. It may be an internship, but let’s hope it pays.

Dec1

Getting there

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It took until 4 this afternoon and 3 phone calls to get my bank to take off the two charges for $205. Eek! That would have early put a damper on the next few weeks.
I didn’t sleep too well last night. Never install virus software in a new computer at 1 am. If you do, make sure you download the correct software-I should have looked at the email better. I finally got that squared away around 1:40 am. My oh my!
To keep my nerves calmed (a little) I made our Christmas card for 2009-it includes us this year-that’s all I’m saying. I did have an idea, and then artist Claudine Hellmuth shared something she made on Facebook which was the springboard for my imagination. I’ll share it here after it gets color copied and sent on it’s way.
My mom called me tonight. She sounds somewhat better. I wasn’t going to continue our conversation if she was only going to complain about little things, she was ok.
My brother is moving in over this coming weekend, although the apartment’s gas has been turned off and he has to take a shower elsewhere.
Tomorrow I hope to get a few groceries in here as today I just couldn’t. My post nasal drip has been Chinese water torture today. I used my Neti pot which helped a lot. I could tell the right side was more clogged than the left. It always seems to be the right side. I do sleep more on the right.
I did my cookie post for the 3rd so I wouldn’t forget to do it! I only have a berry wreath on the front door as it’s not really the one I want to hang. I am doing more of a natural theme. I wanted to do mostly white lights on the tree. Sean like multi-color, so maybe I’ll add a few gold to the mix. That won’t be until around the 12th, though I do have a helper this year,it could be earlier!
Speaking of my helper-he has an informal talk next Thursday with a local conservation district. I was really praying hard last night and then Sean got the call. I hope something works out for him! He has gone through quite a few boxes in the basement-many his old belongings. What the heck do you do with an old chemistry set?

Nov30

Cyber Monday

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How I enjoy shopping on the computer! The weather was chilly and dreary and I got to snuggle up on the sofa to shop-pure bliss. I have to be really selective this year and I found a place that has neat things and bargains-Lake*side Collection.com. I think I ordered 16 things (a few for me) and it was just over $100. Can’t beat that. I then need to get some things at good old Wally World and then get a few gift cards. I asked for a Cuttlebug-the machine that embosses and cuts paper. The above company has that cheaper than Wally World. I used a few gift cards I got for my birthday to get 25% or free shipping. I could go to those stores, but the one item I ordered is exclusive to the online place.
I was pleased as punch as I also got Sean things from his Ama*zon wishlist. Then Mr. May*tag repairman showed up…
Yes, I do need a element-$200 buck-a-roos. No he wouldn’t take a deposit, needed the entire amount. Why I didn’t write a check-but pulled out the debit card and out he went to his truck. In a few minutes he came in and said it was declined. Hello airhead, it’s Cyber Monday and people are going to town with the debit/credit cards! Out he goes again. I thought I was saying good-bye to $200 and it turned out to be $600! After he left, I checked out my bank account online and there it was, 3 debits in a row-apparently it did go through! I have an email and a phone call into our very local bank (11 offices) to hope this mess can be cleared up in a few days. I just mailed off a ton of bills and as I told you, did a bit of shopping. Why does cr@p like this happen to me?

By the way, didn’t talk to my mom today(she hung up on me Sunday) and the other person in the fiasco is very depressed. Maybe the silent treatment will get her thinking about how nice things could be.

My brother’s gift is an egg separator! (see below). You crack the egg into his head and the whites run out the nose area! The lady at the shop says it works great. My brother was always the one who liked to talk about gross stuff, so that gift had his name written all over it! I also got him a nice blus ceramic business card holder and a plug-in aromatic thingie.

Crossing fingers for tomorrow!

Nov29

Trying to get in the spirit

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I’m not going to be a ‘Debbie Downer’. I just need my family to settle down and go with the flow. I talk to one person for over an hour. I talk to the other person for over an hour. I’m caught in the middle. Things seem better and then the one person pi#@es off the other person and vice versa. It all messed with my 50th birthday and now my Christmas is getting jeopardized. I do have my own issues and I sure would like some emotional support from them, but it’s all about them right now. I understand lives are changing, but please consider my feelings too. I usually go all out for Christmas. I’m hoping when I can purchase a few gifts I’ll feel better. I have Sean to help me this year.
I haven’t cross stitched in weeks. I find doing the paper crafts and making them for swaps is good for me right now. The stitching will come back. I do want to make a Christmas card like I did last year. We’ll see.
I do enjoy going around to different blogs and seeing how you are decorating and stitching. In a few days, I’ll add a cookie recipe too! Things just have to get better.
I’ll share a ‘domestic goddess’ angel I made for a swap shortly. I have to hop on the other computer to do so.

Nov27

Good stuff

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Thanksgiving was mostly pleasant. Sean and I arrived at my brother’s house around 2:15 so I could get our turkey cooked. Then I helped out when Colleen needed me, and almost fell asleep!
Brian came down later as he was going to bring dinner over to his dad who refused to come to over even though he would have been driven back and forth to the my brother’s house.
My middle brother, who is moving in with mom is feeling the pressure of packing and trying to get a room painted. Sean offered his assistance to move boxes and he said ‘no’. I think in the next week he’ll need Sean more.
My brother and his family presented Don and me with a birthday cake (Don’s is the 28th and he’s a year younger than me) which was nice.
The cheesecake was popular and I believe there is only a sliver left.
Today I got a much needed smile maker.
Thanks to Carole over at ‘Pea’s Corner’ for this delightful framed snowman print; and some heavenly bath powder and body lotion.

Here is a photo of my brother trying to figure out what his gift from me was:

Take a guess and I’ll tell you tomorrow! (You can click on this and make it bigger)
Here is my sweet niece and me. I gave her the outfit she had last Christmas. Her mom gave her some sweet Shirley Temple curls. I’m wearing the earrings that Brian gave me for my birthday.

Here’s a photo I had my nephew take-not bad for the first time using a fancy camera. This was taken for Jennifer F., but I’m mailing a snail mail form to you!

And finally, I was making ornaments for a swap and I think I’ll make some for gifts as they were challenging and fun to do-plus I have the template now!

By the way, the serviceman never came to fix my oven today. No courtesy call to say where he was. Brian called them three times! They rescheduled for Monday. If one hour goes by without a ‘I’m on my way’ call, I’m calling Maytag up as they send these idiots out. I didn’t go shopping, too tired. Sean did go out and said Wally World was crazy. We aren’t giving each other too many gifts, just can’t afford it. We got an almost $300 plumber’s bill and we are disputing a $50 charge for ‘misc’ as they had to use a big roto-rooter. Come on, isn’t that part of the $160 service fee? They at least came right away on a Sunday.
Have a great weekend!

Oct7

Doing some spooky decorating

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    Here’s a peek at my mantel-not sure if everything is where I want it. I have a nice collection of ‘new’ paper mache figures that are so neat to look at-lots of black cats! I have Halloween lights strung on the mantel in shades of orange, green and purple.

    Halloween Lights on mantel
    I just found this owl trio at Tuesday Morning. There are mirrored mosaics all over them that catch the light.
    Trio of owls with mirrored mosaics
    Here’s a link to last year’s decorating. I’m not quite there yet!
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Quick question-anyone ever have a mouth ulcer or lesion on the underside of your tongue? I kinda remember biting it, but now I have a 1/4″ oval lesion that looks like a sore that lost it’s scab-white around the edge. It bothered me last Friday, but I’ve been using either peroxide or a mouth rinse, so it’s not painful. I think I’ll have to get medicine for it meaning I have to go to the dentist. They need to make sure my teeth on the bottom left aren’t hitting my tongue there. It is having a hard time healing.
    Update-Thanks to Julia for your suggestion. I do eat a lot of yogurt and take Acidophilus frequently. I just never had a sore under my tongue which concerns me. I found some Peroxdyl (sp), so I will rinse with that. It does look somewhat better today.