The Curtain Falls on 2018

Are you ready for the new year? Are you ready to look upon 2019 as a clean slate and a new beginning? I try to do that every year and approach it with a refreshed attitude. New adventures, new friends, new things to learn, new things to look forward to. It's also a time of reflection upon those we lost, or things we had planned to accomplish and never quite got there. Or thinking one thing would happen and another did instead! Remember God has a plan for us all. Its actually every exciting if you think about it! Every year we have a fresh start. Tomorrow I will tell you some of my plans and wishes for the new year. 

My tree had to come down on Friday. Sadly. It was dead; "dead as a doornail" as Charles Dickens says. Not the needle dropping kind of dead but the "you could snap off a branch very easily" type of dry. The gingerbread tree in the foyer will be up for a few more days but as much as I love (and I DO LOVE) to decorate for Christmas, I also don't mind removing it after it's over and, like the "new year" having a fresh start in the house too. 

So with cup of coffee in hand, I begin. As my husband works repainting some of our rooms and reorganizing our basement now that there is new carpet, it's a team effort of starting 2019 off to a fresh start! I find that when he is working on a project in our house, it become all encompassing.

 We'll finish in time for an early dinner out tonight and I'll be counting my blessings as we are enjoying our quiet evening. I hope your night is wonderful and your new year is wonderful!

Happy Holidays! Remember me?

Is anyone out there? Hello...I know its been a long time...is anyone  there to reconnect through blogging with me? :)  I have spent so much time working on my Facebook pages about Country Decorating, Amish and all the seasons that I sadly abandoned my blogging. If you'll have me, I'm here again....Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

So much has changed and so much has not! Life is interesting and fun and when I thought as my kids got older that the special times would be fewer because they are now "older" I was wrong! Life is joyful; my kids are my best friends. We are a happy foursome--Billy, me, our son Billy and our Caitlin. And more than two years ago we added another love to our bunch and that would be my son's girlfriend Brianna. She fits right in as does her wonderful family. 

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. I especially enjoyed them this year because I started earlier! I made it a point to get things accomplished and ENJOY accomplishing them instead of feeling rushed and stressed. It made all the difference. Shopping earlier was key! I started during the Summer for the many that we exchange with.

I decorated slowly. Some each day. Adding some, moving it around...I will tell you it was perfect and I will do the same next year. 

I'm just waiting for our first snowfall. I love snow! Usually we would have already had a storm but we haven't seen any snow since right after Thanksgiving. I'm crossing my fingers. 

For now I thank you for reading my post and I hope you will come back once again! We all have so much to share!

Winter Recess Week

Happy President's Day! I hope you have the day off. School is closed all week for Winter Recess. Actually, it feels like Spring! Two weeks ago we had 20 inches of snow and today it's 60 degrees! I think we can be fooled into thinking that Winter is over though and as much as I enjoy Winter and the snow, I start to get a little anxious for the flowers and sunshine around now...Down came all the snowmen, snowflakes and anything else Winter related in decoration around my house. I put away the mittens that were across my windows:

and up went the St. Patrick's Day tree! I love St. Patrick's Day! And I'm so happy Easter is in April so that each holiday gets its own fair share of attention. I hate when I was mixing St. Patrick's Day décor with Easter bunnies!

Last weekend CAitlin had a Valentine themed party/sleepover at our house with six friends.

The girls had fun making crafts and delivering Valentines to each other because each Valentine was either a craft or a game so they had so much fun. My punch was a big hit. I tell you it's amazing the fun kids can have at just a simple party with no bells & whistles just punch, desserts and crafts. Throw in a sleeping bag and they have a ball.

I'm waiting in the mail for a few things I've ordered and I was so happy to see these awesome crows:

This lady makes some great country/primitive things and I also ordered two little mice sticking out of a boot from her. Can't wait to get them!I don't think I'll put the crows outside; I'm thinking I will put them perched somewhere in the house! But here's a funny story! My son came home with a huge box of cow related items for me! Someone was getting rid of it all and he couldn't pass it by!

A huge set of cow canisters, hooks, creamers, toothpick holders, and other décor. Some of it was still in the packages. What a surprise. What I'm not using, I found some homes for! It was fun just going through everything. And lastly, my husband on one of his trips to South Carolina stopped in a Cracker Barrel and brought me home this awesome light!

I just love him!  I put it on my kitchen counter! Well, I think that's about it....time to let the chickens out for a walk in the yard! They are loving this weather too. Too bad we'll probably have a blizzard next week! HAHAHA

Saturday!

Happy Saturday! I am about to go make some breakfast this morning with eggs from my chicken coop, but I first wanted to update the ole blog! Finally getting the house back in shape from after Christmas and I certainly don't rush too much doing that cause I love all the stuff! Can't wait till Christmas comes again! For now, Caitlin and I are planning her Valentine themed sleepover so it's all about the hearts right now!

Did anyone happen to notice that Easter is in April this year? I am so happy! When Easter is in March, I feel like it's too crunched together with St. Patrick's Day. Plus I like when Easter is in April cause then the weather is a little nicer and it makes me long for Spring and planting and all the fun of Springtime.

I haven't had too much time for crafting lately but I do have some projects I plan to start very soon such as a redo of a wooden window I have as a decoration and I hope to do some Easter crafts. I had signed up on another blog of someone I adore to participate in her Valentine swap but I withdrew as I just don't have the time right now to create anything worth sending someone! Between appointments for my son and Mom, my down time has been spent shopping and cleaning! I am working on a cool Charles Wysocki cross stitch picture though!

I love my Valentine tree this year. It's bigger and better than ever! Each year I add to it. I should start thinking about transforming it into an Easter tree... For now I am enjoying the glorious red and white lights. I have heart decorations and red and white candy ornaments. Here's what it looked like when it snowed!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! but not too much.......

I don't know if I showed this already. I have several kerosene heaters and this one had a glass body that unfortunately cracked :(     So I had to remove the glass a while back and I found this awesome clear covered jar in the thrift store and put a timer/batter candle in it so it still lights and added my pip berries, etc....but it was still missing something. When I went o PA recently I found this great stamped burlap and bought it. What do you think? It looks adorable in person and I'm pretty pleased with the change.

Enjoy your weekend!

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!