Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Once again the holidays have gone way too fast! Happy that I taped my favorite Christmas movies on Hallmark so that I can watch them when I please. Glad that most of the cookies are gone now so I don't eat any more! It was a great Christmas and a lovely New Year's. We even had a party in between. Today I plan to take it all down and leave up the snow people and any Winter related stuff. Thinking of Valentine's Day!

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Before Christmas I got a few bargains on some old fashioned Christmas decorations from the thrift shop and just had a great holiday all the way around!

 Our party table for our mid Christmas Week party! Some wonderful friends and family.

A couple of gifts I received was this awesome reindeer from my niece Donna:

The scarf and runner were made for me by my son's girlfriend's Mom.

Some other gifts I got was a lot of country stuff for my house. Some great books. A basket of crafting supplies with a Michaels gift card. Candles! ...gosh I was really spoiled!

We had a nice dinner for New Year's at one of our favorite restaurants and guess what? I'll be eating the leftovers while I take down the Christmas stuff!

Here's a great set from Home Depot in case you didn't see it. It's a fairy garden for Winter! I chose gingerbread! I bought Santa Claus's village for a friend. I think they're adorable. I went back to get more and they were gone!

Thinking of Valentine's Day! Gonna set up my Valentine's tree after all this is packed up! Happy New Year everybody!

Merry Christmas Friends!

I have Christmas songs in my head! Singing Noel! Noel!, you know the opening to Nat King Cole's the First Noel! Awesome song! My month of December has been wonderful and I know this weekend will be as well. Done with all the shopping and now it's just what is left to wrap. Then starts the food preparation. It's been cold but so nice outside. I enjoy the cold weather. I know some of you might think I'm a little crazy! I love the feeling of cold air in my lungs. Breathing it in and breathing it out!

Here's my Caitlin making our first recipe of Christmas cookies. We did nine different kinds this year!!! We couldn't stop! But I need them for several occasions coming up and for our own Christmas gatherings so needless to say I have a mountain of cookie tins piled up all ready for me to make cookie trays  for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and some of the parties my kids are going to. Plus my husband does a few drop offs too!

The kids have had a great month too. My son and his gal have been having fun going to hockey games and concerts and Christmas parties at his job. They did an awesome gift exchange and have another tonight.

Caitlin had our church's youth group Christmas party and two holiday parties to attend from friends at school. She and her friends also made a village out of those kits you buy from Michaels. It was so fun. AND this year I think I have the most incredibly scented tree I ever had! My house smells so good! Smells like Christmas in the forest!

I'm still playing with all my Christmas decorations. I'm still adding as I find things and putting it here and there. And then I think enough is enough but I can't! I keep going! Putting things in this corner and that corner and up on the shelf and over the fridge.....Happy stuff! I'm obsessed. Gonna get myself out to the thrift store after Christmas to see what people disposed of from their Christmas collections because their trash is my vintage treasure!

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year and I will be back shortly! Grateful to celebrate with my friends and family and my Mom, who at 86 years old and not always doing so well, is able to be with us. Peace on Earth!

It's Almost Here!

One week till Christmas! And it feels like Christmas too at 16 degrees and a bit of snow outside; more is supposed to fall between tonight and tomorrow. I am so enjoying this season this year. I have accomplished a lot and have even found time for some little things I enjoy but don't normally get to with all I have to do preparing for Christmas. One thing I did this year was manage my time better. Between my son's tutors and the care for my Mom, I still managed to get things done without stress! Not really sure how that happened though quite honestly. As I sit in various doctor's offices for Mom, I've become quite the list maker and that sure helps. I've become addicted tot he Hallmark Christmas movies and I even found time to read two Christmas Amish fiction books!

Here's our tree in the family room:

This is our gingerbread tree in the foyer and all my gingerbread collectibles.

Some of my break front:

And just some odds and ends. I have Christmas everywhere!

The Elf on the Shelf left Caitlin a gingerbread house to make and she did an awesome job!

We went to see the play production of Frosty the Snowman with my Godmother as a special surprise. That was awesome. Who has done their baking? I've done some but I have agreed to participate in a cookie exchange with a group and I'll be doing those this weekend! The exchange is Christmas Eve! I have about six to seven types to bake and bring! My stove had been on the blink but that seems to have worked itself out! Luckily!

Hope everyone is staying warm, enjoying the holiday season and eating some cookies!

Happy December!

Happy December! I feel like it was just October 1st...and I was starting to put up all the Halloween decorations! Silly me. Now the Thanksgiving items are safely packed up and little by little the Christmas décor is being removed from the shed and closets!

That's right Santa..I haven't been a good girl lately when it came to Thanksgiving and indulging in other good things! We went to our favorite restaurant on Saturday night again in Cold Spring Harbor!

 Delicious seafood over linguini. After packing up all those turkey and pilgrim decorations, it was well deserved (I keep telling myself).

I just love the cuteness of all the Christmas I have. I love seeing how everyone decorates their homes. I realized I need some more bulbs for my tree though. Over the years we have lost a few and I need to add some. Below is one of my favorite decorations that sits on a little pedestal. I actually got it from a thrift store last year.

Before Thanksgiving, Caitlin and I did a little road trip with my sister-in-laws and nieces. We had so much fun and I did some Christmas shopping. Here's Caitlin in the car with my nieces being sassy:

 Got these little items for my window sill and a bunch more other stuff. More rice lights and other stuff. We had a great time and it was snowing too. Six girls on the loose shopping and eating!

I made a turkey shepherds pie and a big turkey pot pie with our turkey leftovers:

 I get up really early and mad them both at like 5:30 am and my husband woke up and said "Thanksgiving is over....why do I smell turkey, stuffing & gravy all over again???" hahaha

Have an awesome day! I've got to get started on my housecleaning today!

Thanksgiving Decorating

The day after Election Day...I'm happy that the discussion and debate is over and just happy to continue on with my little life. For what it's worth I believe that whoever runs for the office of President will do his best for all. As for Thanksgiving, I look forward to such a beautiful holiday cause I have so much to be thankful for and I realize that EVERY day! So out with the turkeys--here are some adorning my breakfront. I love to decorate for Thanksgiving.

I have a fair amount of stuff after all these years but I don't overdue it because I usually start decorating for Christmas the day after turkey day.

Caitlin and I are making these as long as I can get more netting....

Pretty quiet here...just putting back all the Halloween boxes. Oh, we went to see another awesome show at a theatre here in Northport. 1776. What a terrific show! My husband and I have our little date night and it's been fun.

Looking forward to seeing everyone's Christmas decorations and crafts on all the blogs. Christmas trees are popping up everywhere.  Here's my son with his girlfriend Brianna. In front of a tree in Tanger Outlets.

have a great day!

An Awesome Halloween

I can't believe Halloween is gone...from the calendar but not from my heart. Till next year! Still my favorite holiday to decorate for although I love the others. I just love the colors and all. The decorating goes so well with my country decorating! We had two parties this year. One big one with the family and cousins. Another one smaller~~actually a haunted sleepover with Caitlin's friends. We had so much fun playing games and eating. And eating. And eating!

 This was an awesome spider web cupcake my daughter decorated!

We had so much fun making goofy food!

Did you get your Happy Meal buckets from McDonalds? We did. These truly made me happy. REALLY HAPPY!

As did this incredible gift from my awesome neighbor!

 My husband did his annual pumpkin carving. I'm still lighting it at night! I hate to see Halloween go!

It's just been a whole month of fun! On to the turkeys!