Some more Christmas in my home

The days are flying by I can believe it is just over a week to Christmas....oh my gosh. I have almost finished shopping, just a couple little things that if I don't get won't matter. I can't wait to start baking, cookies, pies and cheesecake, oh my!

I just went around and took some random shots of my Christmas Decorations, I just added these candles from Restoration Hardware. I love how they look and will be used all year. Just a little house gift, while I was shopping.

Door to my office
Dining room mantle, still needs tweaking....

Still in the dining room

My little twig tree has a snowman/gingerbread theme.

Back into the living room, you know the room I just had painted at a bad time of year....

The Power room needed some greens.

Oops another home gift, I found another Santa, the cream one at With Heart and Hand in Norfork, MA

Hope you are all having a great time decorating, cooking and wrapping this week. I am loving all the inspiration I am getting from the blogs...now if I could find more time to read the blogs and still get my stuff done............

Would you like some Gingerbread men??

To me Gingerbread makes me feel like Christmas. When my kids were little we always did a gingerbread house. Not one of those kits mind you. My first one came from one I saw in Good Housekeeping. I baked the gingerbread, cut it all out from a cardboard pattern I had made, after I drew out the pattern on graph paper. I didn't have access to a copier back in the late 70's. We went to the candy store and bought pieces of candy for decorations. I am going to look, it came out so good, I believe we took a picture....see I am wandering again. Please come on in and I will brew this Gingerbread flavored coffee. I made a pot while I baked today. It is so good!! You can get this Green Mountain Coffee here. It is Yummy! Cookies are baked and cooled waiting for some decorations. Not much mind you. They are for the Garden Club booth at a local craft fair tomorrow. I made them last year and they were a hit, so here they are again~

Let's put a smile on the faces!

My boys have already had three batches, but I am keeping some for home!
Let me just tell you how wonderful my home smells...when you open the door it smells heavenly.

Packed and ready to go. Last year I had clear bags and they showed better. Each one has a tag that says "Life is as sweet as you make it!" Thank you Tracey from Notes from a Cottage Industry. I say it on her blog a year ago and just loved it.

I have mulling spices and apple cider and all these little gems. The other ladies are doing chili, cornbread, coffee, tea and loads of baked goods. So now you know what I am doing Saturday!

A little bit of Christmas

My Christmas tree is still filled with ornaments we have collected through the years. Some stay in the box but still hold a special memory. Some are handpainted, some came from older family members, some from school, we have Disney, Harry Potter, Hallmark, handmade, store bought, craft fairs, hand me downs....each with it's own story, the wonder of Christmas.

All the Christmas home tours today are going to be such fun. I have to show you bits and pieces because I am still tweaking...ribbons, cleanup, still a pile of fresh greens to put in places. I cut tons from my yard and put them all around the house. We took a pile of Christmas plastic totes back to the basement last night. Not to mention I painted my living room last week...did I tell you I was a bit insane? I put up new curtains and fresh paint,( this was not the best time of year to do this, why not wait until Jan???) but I can't put the books back on the shelves for a while, so they went downstairs too in still more plastic totes. Have you ever wondered how many plastic totes this generation will leave behind...I mean cardboard boxes fall apart over time and those wonderful totes last forever! I can see what is in them.....I must have 50 of them, different seasons and then in general. Did I also mention I get distracted easily? I seem to be doing that more and more lately. Oh Christmas decorations, you ask? Maybe this is why it is taking me so long this year~

Oh my look at the little school decorations, the one on my left is my son from 1981 and the one next to it is his daughter from last year. Memory lane is so nice to visit.....hmmm. While we are up close notice that I have a fake tree!!! My first Christmas without a real one. So after 36 real trees, I went out and bought this tree....now hubby was not too happy, but after all I think we need a break. I cut real greens and stuff the house with them. This is such a huge thing for us, but the real tree is so dry when we take it out n New Years Day. SO I just went and did it. My son and grandson set it up and it was all done when he came home....I really did see a little relief on his face.

The baskets are filled with greens, hence the smell.....Can't you smell it?

One of my favorite snow men wishing you JOY!!

What a difference a day makes

Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus!

Happy Thanksgiving from My House to Yours

Welcome to our home join us for a quiet Thanksgiving dinner. We are very happy to have both our son and daughter with us , my 85 year old father in law....our last surviving parent. My oldest grandchild...the others will be coming later and then it won't be quiet and I will forget to take pictures. So come in and join us~ The table is set, not like a tablescape, we need room for the food!!



My family said let's move some stuff...make room for the platters.

Oops I need this dish for Linda's cranberry salsa.

My little centerpiece, with grocery store roses and boxwood, not too bad.

The candles are lit.

Walmart pumpkin plates

Now for the best part, I made Pumpkin martinis, just what I needed.

1 part Pumpkin liqueur
1 part Butter shots

1 part Baileys

Add ice stir and pour.

I added a sugar and spice, (cloves) rim

Here is Linda's Salsa

Go to Behind My Red Door for this great recipe
She was so right it was a hit indeed!

OK, Here is what I am the most Thankful for! MY FAMILY and all the joy and love and yes, heartaches, for all the ones we missed today. Our Mom's Big Ed...no one carves a turkey like him, hubby's Nana, she always sent the centerpiece, my Mom, yes I made the Lemon Meringue pie and the Indian Fudge. Ed always loved Eggnog. Grampa made Pumpkin pie for Jake. Hubby's Mom.....I did the dishes alone, well hubby helped, but I missed you. We all missed you, there used to be twenty-two for Thanksgiving and today there were seven and the rest were here in spirit. I really think this is a day all about family. So now after three days of cooking
I am going to go pour another Pumpkin Martini, call my Aunt in Ohio and rest my tired feet, because I still need to get the turkey carcass cleaned up. Oh and do that one last dish~

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

P.S. Tomorrow I start cleaning up all the Harvest and get ready for CHRISTMAS! Wahoooo


P.S.S. Don't forget Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan @BNOTP

Thanks Susan, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!!

My Favorite Things

Here are some of my favorite things... Join this nice party I found over at 320 Sycamore...which I found on Posted from Home. You know how that goes, on blog leads to another. I have been at a loss on what to post, so I thought this sounded like fun...here goes. My son( who is also a favorite) won this lobster at a raffle, lobster has always been a favorite and there was enough here for everyone...for days!

Other bloggers had items they loved from their makeup table...well, I love my makeup table. Years ago I found it in a second hand shop. I knew the owners and they lived on Main St in our town. I was driving by one day and saw it in the back of their pick up truck and I just knew I wanted it. I drove to the shop later that day to ask about it and it was still in the back room. So I have had it for about fifteen years and still love it!

I love my families reaction when I make Apple Pancake...the grandchildren were here so we needed 3.

I love a beautiful sunset viewed from our backyard.

This 1967 Austin Healey is my Hubby's toy. He got his license in one when he was 16 and has always wanted another and after much searching he found this one in the same color as his first one. His parents sold it because they were afraid it was dangerous and I don't think he ever forgave them. When our kids started to drive I understood just how they felt. Now on a nice day we go out on an adventure and just drive around. I love the time together it gives us.

Warm blueberry muffins...need I say more?

The soft glow of this little light when the kitchen is cleaned for the night.