Hellooooooo! How are you? We all survived! What a wonderful holiday this has been. On Christmas Eve I decided to try to set a nice table after all. I almost pulled it off, except I couldn't find my snow glasses. They look so pretty on the snowy blue table cloth. I have no idea where they are, I looked everywhere I could think of to no avail. Boo hoo. Still, the table looked half-nice;)

What a lovely Christmas day we had. How was yours? The day started very early for me as I didn't sleep much, if any, so Sally and i got up at 4:00. At 7:00 we woke everyone else up. I got many lovely gifts, but one of my favorites has to be my Trey Young Atlanta Hawks t-shirt! I love it so much! I'll be wearing it tonight for their game.

For the first time ever, my son cooked us breakfast. We had pancakes and bacon. Yum, he did a great job. Later we went to my brothers for lunch. That was such a nice thing to get to do because I always focus so much on us eating Christmas Eve that we have nothing to eat on Christmas day.  The rest of the day was spent pretty much vegetating.

I hope your Christmas was lovely in every way. Thanks so much for stopping by.

 

 Merry Christmas Eve dear friends! We've made it! I didn't think today would ever get here. It's been such a lovely season that I hate to see it come to a close. I have been on the ball every day, getting shopping done, wrapping presents, going to the coffee shop, and last but not least, going for our traditional Christmas Eve breakfast. We go somewhere different every year. This year we went to Waffle House. It's my favorite place because I love their hashbrowns. Not the most (if any) decorated space, but quick and yummy. 

One thing I didn't get done is setting a pretty dinner table. I really wanted to because I haven't the last few years. I had it all planned in my head, and I've got the traditional spaghetti dinner cooking, but the table is undecorated. sigh. Maybe next year! I've decided I need to get the table set days in advance. That would help a lot.

I guess that's it for today. I hope all your Christmas dreams come true. Thanks for stopping by.

 Two days before Christmas. I'm all wrapped, shopped, shipped, merried, movied, and sung, and  all that's left is relaxing with a bowl of soup and a sweet Christmas card one of my Sunday school kids made me. 

I hope your days are merry and bright. Merry Christmas! Thanks for stopping by.

SOUP'S ON

 Brrrrrrrrrr, we're in the 20's this morning. That's super cold to these old bones, but I have something to warm me up when I get home from church. I made vegetable soup last night.  It smells really good this morning. I've never made it in the crock pot before, but I totally under estimated the size of the pot I originally made the soup in. Luckily the crock pot was the perfect size.

In other news, do you remember this beautiful wreath I wanted to duplicate? 

Looking good after 2 hours in the oven....

Oops.looking bad after 4 hours...

It's kind of a long story, but the short version is I had the temperature too high for the next two hours. Wah!!!!!!! I'll give it another try soon.

Happy Winter Solstice and Merry Christmas! Thanks for stopping by!

 We had our yard guy come and blow all the leaves into the woods. This is the 4th time he's come. I'm now sitting in my comfy chair enjoying (NOT) seeing the gusty wind blow more leaves down. Our yard looks just like it did before. Why can't the leaves all come down at the same time??? Just sayin'.

Yesterday I went to a friends house to make wreaths out of her holly bushes. It was great fun but time intensive so we only got one made. I think it turned out very pretty.  Her wonderful husband made us a tray of yummy snacks - 3 different cheeses, 2 kinds of pears, several kinds of crackers - what a treat! 

My daughter and I decided to treat ourselves to a Chick-fil-A breakfast this morning. I now feel energized to tackle the day. Get the job done. Be a whirlwind around the house. OR, ahem, watch Seinfeld,  it's the barber episode - so funny. When George and Elaine can't stop laughing over his new hair cut I crack up every time. 

My only plans for today is a trip to the library. I want to read Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. Someone I know read it and said it's really funny.  Apparently it's a series of books. I'm always looking for series, I like it when there are repeat characters - like the Richard Jury series by Martha Grimes. They are my favorite. 

I hope you have a lovely day. Thanks so much for stopping by.

WIDE FEET AND OTHER MYSTERIES

 I have wide feet (EE), I hate to cook, I don't like to shop, I'm a picky eater, I hate having to go into stores, I don't like getting out of my chair. I hate when someone tries to make me taste something that I don't want to taste.

I love my home, I love my family, I like the smell of a fish market, I love movie theater popcorn, I love it when my house is all clean and neat (once or twice a year!), I love salt, I love my church, I love mentoring, I love my Sunday School class. I love Big Bang Theory, Seinfeld, Friends.

I could go on with my dislikes and likes but I figure you've learned enough (more than enough) about me.  I'm a complicated person, like most of us are. 

This afternoon I'm going to a friend's house to make wreaths. She has big, beautiful holly bushes. I'm excited about our collaboration. 

My mom and dad and a few adorable objects.

Aren't these clouds beautiful? 

Did you see the movie the mist? Walking through the parking lot I thought about what could be hiding in the mist. This morning the fog settled all across Coweta County. In the picture below, that dark spot in the distance is Walmart. Tricky driving in such dense fog. I wasn't worried about my driving, but every one else's. You couldn't see the traffic lights until you were right up on them. 

 I've been working on this little piece for years. Those little octagons are a pain to sew together, mostly because it's so slow going, but I love it. I need more fabric. Interestingly, I don't have many pastel fabrics. But hey, I get to go to the fabric store, yippee! 

This quilt was going to be for my niece, but I just didn't care for it. I don't know why, it just didn't say "rainbow", which is what she wanted. I like the one I gave her much better, but I still want to finish this one. 

Folks, it's only one week before Christmas! I'm enjoying each and every day and hate to see Christmas come and go. I have a few stocking stuffers to wrap and that's it. I hope to get a little baking done. I wish you blessings during this wonderful season. Thanks for stopping by.

 Winter makes me lazy. I feel like I'm resting on a cloud and just floating along, all snug in a rug, just enjoying the winter skies of grays and whites and touches of blue. I like the way the tree branches show against the winter sky. I think of all the squirrels and birds hiding out in the trees in their little cubby holes or nests. Only coming out to feed or enjoy the sun when it breaks through. The birds are still singing even though it's cold. Not cheek freezing cold, but cold enough to keep me indoors with a quilt in my lap, stitching the binding on and watching a Hallmark Christmas movie. Oh my, how many of them have I seen this season? I really enjoyed A Biltmore Christmas. I've been to Biltmore House so I think I have a soft spot for it. It seems a little silly when you compare it to the estates in Europe that are hundreds of years old, but the interior is beautiful.

I want to bake something. I'm thinking maybe this recipe. I want to use butter instead of shortening. I have a friend who makes the best biscuits and he always uses grated butter. 

I finally finished sewing the binding on my nieces quilt. It turned out prettier than I thought it would. I really like it.  It is so colorful and fun. I hope she likes it. It took three days to sew the binding, my arthritic fingers are glad I'm done!

It's quilted with stars and clouds. So cute. 

I hope you're having a great day, thanks for stopping by!

AN APARTMENT

 It's cold, and it's dark. I'm an early riser, but today I feel like staying comfy in my jammies and building a nice fire and drinking my coffee. Many, many years ago, before I was married, I had a little apartment on Godby Road in College Park, Georgia. Coming home from work on a cold, blustery afternoon, getting home just before dark. I would enter and make a bee line for my warm pajamas . Maybe a nice steaming cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows and an evening of watching old movies on TBS. North by Northwest, Charade or Desk Set (If it was Christmastime). Those are nice memories that I think of when it's cold and dark and raining.  I had no sense of style back then, so I'm constantly redecorating that apartment (in my mind)  with pretty sofas and antiques and quilts. I didn't quilt back then, but as long as I'm redecorating my apartment I might as well redo myself too! So I envision a sewing machine, fabric piles and quilt blocks on a board. The smell of homemade bread drifting from the little kitchen (I didn't cook  either). And lots of cool houseplants. Yes indeed, I have a good imagination and can fill hours redoing my past, lol. I even have a private Pinterest board called My Apartment and I've saved pictures of things I would have liked to have decorated my little apartment with.

From my Pinterest board:

This was the size of my kitchen.  I like the shelf up above. 

I love the fullness of this living room. So many interesting things and perfect for my little apartment.

***I don't know who to credit for these two photos. If you know whose photos these are, or if they are yours, please let me know. I can remove them if that is what is desired.

Thanks for taking a trip back in time with me today. I hope you have a lovely day.

CHOO CHOO CHUGA CHUGA

 Yeppers, moving right along. Like the freight train, Christmas is coming, ready or not!  I'm more on the ready side than I've ever been. Yeah me! Thank goodness for the help of daughter and son! 

I have no small Christmas quilts to use on the dining room table so I've got this autumn one out. It is still autumn after all! But by next Christmas I'll have a red and white quilt finished. I have one started that I decided to add more to. By next year it will be on the table. 

Meet Meeka, the cat that can always find his favorite spot. He is so funny, fitting his huge self into any small box or bag. He is not a sweet cat. He likes you to rub behind his ears, but that's it. No where else. He is quick to bite if you get out of line. Excuse the mess on the dining room table. It's used for paying bills, sewing, keys, critters, coffee cups, books.  holding anything that doesn't have a home and the occasional meal. Gah!

I'll be heading out for my Monday visit at school. I'm excited to give my girl her LOL doll. I hope she likes it. 

It's a lovely day, hope yours is too. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Oh Christmastime!!!

 Oh Christmastime! How fun your days are! The shopping, the baking, the family, the wrapping, the tree, the lights. There is just so much to enjoy. But I must confess, I haven't done any baking:( But it is in the plans. We want to make cheese straws and cookies and cakes and candy. If I get any of that made I'll be happy! 

I bought a super cute doll for my little mentor girl. She loves the LOL dolls and I think this one is adorable.

Isn't this wreath beautiful? I really want to make it and I think I might just get a chance to.

I got this picture from FB so I'm leaving the poster's name for credit. It's the first wreath I've seen using dried limes. I don't have access to variegated holly, but I do have a friend with holly bushes and I have some Frazier Fir branches. 

Well friends, the countdown is on. Christmas will be here before you know it and I for one want time to slow down. I'm having too much fun and enjoying every moment tremendously. 

I hope your days are full of delightful moments. Thanks so much for stopping by.

CHRISTMAS "SNOW"

 Good morning dear friends. How are you? So sad to constantly wake up to no snow. We wish for just a little of the white stuff to no avail. It's been years since we've had any, not even a flurry! Always hopeful but now our temperatures are rising and looks like our chances are less and less. Well, as long as we are getting warmer, maybe I can do some nature crafts. Pretty skies and warm temperatures make for great outdoor doings. I have some nice red berries (Nandina) to work with.

 

I made myself a nice cup of hot chocolate and had my own little snow bank!

I have to get out early this morning to do childcare at church, then I really need to get some shopping done. I've got one present that I have to buy before Monday. I'll be through with childcare by 9:15 so I should be able to beat the crowds. I find that as long as I get out before 11:00 I do okay. Nobody wants to get up early.

I hope your day is stress-free. Thanks so much for stopping by.

 Christmas greetings! How are your  holiday plans going? We are sailing along on calm seas here. I found a box of the kids handmade Christmas ornaments from school. How precious they are! These two are a few of Sally's. My very favorite, the angel.  It's held up well for 30 years or so. The little reindeer made from her fingerprint is adorable. 

We've been inundated with squirrels. The little pirates are eating all the birdseed we put out. They just sit there and eat and eat and eat. We have two chipmunks visiting, but they are so adorable we don't mind them eating. You should see their little cheeks blown out with all the seeds tucked away. Well they are all getting their fill, guess I shouldn't begrudge the squirrels, they gotta live through the winter too.

Having lunch with my sister today, and had breakfast with my bff yesterday. Feeling very well fed! I've got a little shopping still to do. One of the presents that I still need to buy  is for my mentor girl who I will see Monday. Better get to it!

Christmas will be here before we know it. I hope your days are full of Christmas cheer! Thanks for stopping by!

ps: Regarding the poor Burro's tail , (In the squirrel picture). that got left out in the freezing temps, I over looked it when I brought in the other plants. So sad, it was such a cool plant. I wonder if it will come back in the Spring. I'm going to bring it in just in case.