Rocking in the New Year!!! With the family

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!


With all the teens in the house we will be having sparkling apple juice and grape juice so we can all enjoy.



This is the way we are beginning our New Years Eve...rock band...we borrowed from my sister. My whole family is having a blast but later more teens will be showing up and then the laughter will begin....what fun they are having.



There is so much you could say about the year we are leaving...bad and good...but I prefer to look at all the wonderful things that have happened this glorious year. Mostly I am thankful for all the time I spent with so many family members...we have worked and we have laughed...mostly we have enjoyed each other more than ever and that is saying so much.
Earlier this year I had surgery and I am feeling so much better so again I say rejoice....we have medical teams that can help us when our bodies fail.
Blessed are we to live in a great nation where we can worship freely...what a blessing that is for one and all.
May your new year be filled with love, joy and peace. Until we meet again, be blessed.

Nativity sets and lost pictures

I wanted share the pics of the two new nativity sets that I got this year. This one I reeived for Christmas from my sister. She surprised me with this adorable set. I don't have any that look like it or even similar so I was very happy with it.


I am planning on putting out my nativity sets this week. I have been walking around the house to see where they will actually fit. I think I will put away my Christmas village in the bathroom and place them on the shelf there. When I put them away I will have to decide whether to put out my Dept. 56 Dickens village or my Dept.56 Santa village that is there now...or...welll you get the picture. LOL

This nativity I found on the sale rack and it was so unusual that I decided to add it to my collection. I think this is the only after Christmas thing that I actually bought that was Christmas. I has a wonderful cinnamon smell too.

I November my camera batteries died and I starting using my daughters camera. Well, today I finally replaced my batteries and I found my lost pictures! My dad brought over his sprayer and decided we were going to clean the sideing on the side of our garage. You can see that he is wearing a heavy coat but he was determined to finsih this job before he went to Florida. So Dad, if you are reading, here are the pictures of the last job we did this year. It has been a busy and productive year.




I am still working on my blessings list so here are a few more. My sister gave me some unwanted carpeting they had in their basement for our rental...what a blessing that was.
We spent most of the day on Christmas with my other sister and her family. The drive was sunny but there were snowflakes just floating in the air, like a movie. It was easy travel and pleasant company.
I am thankful for my new buildings because without the help of my parents we could not have pulled down the old building and we couldn't have finished the new ones either. The buildings are wonderful and I am truly blessed for all the help.
I am also blessed to have my family with me on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Things are hectic and people are tired but together we were...what a great time we had.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas...may your days be filled with joy and your life filled with love. We am blessed to have our daughters still at home with us. I know that one day they will be with their own families but God has blessed us with another Christmas with our daughters and for that I am truly thankful. May your life be filled with love, peace and joy. Be blessed

Christmas blessings

This quilt wall hanging is in my living room to remind us all of the true meaning of Christmas. I quilted it with threads that have glitter..and when you look just right it really is beautiful.
I have been thinking about the week after Christmas and I guess I want to use that time as a reflection of all the blessings that I have... I am going to have a blessings week next week, I just want to share things that I am thankful for and things of the heart. If you want you can join me too.
So I wanted to say Merry Christmas to each of you and I am truly thankful for the one who is the true joy of the season. Jesus...once again we spend this time of year thinking of that wonderful night that the angels sang like never before and the shepherds trembled and were the first to hear!!! What a wonderful way for us to remember our family history...what a time of joy. May you truly be blessed this Christmas.

More Christmas pics and the ice storm

This morning we are in the middle of an ice storm. I tryed to get better pics but I was slipping everywhere but I think you can get the idea.

I have a collection of Nativity sets but for the last couple of years I have only had this one out. I just don't have the room to put them all out so this year I have decided that when I put my Christmas stuff away I am going to put the Nativity sets out on the mantle for the winter...ya know it did take two years for the kings to get to Jesus so I think a few months on the mantle will be okay!!


I meant to fill this collection box with bottlebrush trees but when I didn't have enough I added the little santa collection that I found at a garage sale about 3 years ago. I think they are so cute and I can't believe that she was selling them for next to nothing.

This is the window that hangs behind my sofa in the living room. My sister found three of them in a house she bought and generously gave me one of them. I try to hang something different each season but for now I have a large wreath with more vintage ornaments on it. It was difficult to get a close-up and still get the entire window.
I have stocking stuffers that I need to pick up but I have been waiting until next week when I figure the prices will be at the lowest before venturing out to the mall.
We are having my hubby's side of the family for Christmas (in our home) on Sunday so today I will have the girls sweep and dust and then I will get a few groceries. I am hoping all this ice is gone but after lunch...otherwise my plans will be moved to tomorrow.
Enjoy your holiday weekend and safe travel. Until then be blessed.

Christmas bathroom....

This is the rest of my Christmas bathroom decorations. This is my reindeer theme for this year. Hope you enjoy the pics!! You will probably remember the cross stitched Dash Away All...you can see it's final home...it looks pretty cool.
The Santa was a gift from my mother a few years ago...it is one of my favorites. The feather tree has all vintage ornaments that I found at an auction a few years ago...and of course my Santa village from dept. 56..it is probably about 10 years old now. So really not much new just stuff put in different places. Blessings

Reindeer

This is the theme for this years powder room. For many years I have placed my snowman collection in the powder room but last year after we repainted I had been thinking about changing out the bathroom for something else. After going through all my decorations and window shopping I decided that deer would be the theme....not hunting lol just cute deer. This one I placed on the back of the stool and I seriously almost spray painted him gold with glitter. I thought I would give him a year just as he is but after that I think that he will be gold... It has been fun to look through all my decoratins and to find deer that I didn't even remember I had stored away. But for today I will leave you with this one picture but more are to come tomorrow.
For now I must straighten my hair and fix my make-up because my daughter from the previous post is in a play at church tonight and I don't want to be late. Until then, be blessed.

Best Present ever!!!

When my parents went to Florida, our middle daughter sweet-talked her grandfather into driving his car while he was gone. She has not stopped smiling since he said yes. When she brought the car home she was so excited to drive it and show her friends but she was sick for a few weeks and it just set waiting on her to feel better. Yesterday while she was warming it up I thought that I would get a picture to show you the smile she has had on her face every since she brought the car home.
She is so funny....she said all her friends are jealous!!! And she wanted me to express her thanks to her Paw Paw.

Christmas sitting room decorations...come sit with me, will you?

In an old house this room would actually be the dining room but we use it as the computer room, sitting room, right now. It has built-in china cabinets that are original to the house. This large coca-cola santa my husband found as a display in our local drug store and got the manager to give it to him for me. I really love him. He is about life size. I have him nailed to the wall because he is cardboard and he kept falling over. LOL He is newly displayed this year.

Most of these santas were painted by my mother or myself. We used to paint all kinds of things but most of all holiday items. I have a santa collection as you can see.

This is the rest of the Santas that I put out this year. Honestly, many of our decorations are not out this year I guess I was going for a new look this year. These are sitting on the built-in china cabinet. Maybe I should share a picture of the entire thing so you could see how big it is.

I know that it is impossible to tell that all these plates are avon Christmas plates. My mother stared buying these in 1987 and so far we have them all the way till 2008. I leave these plates out all year. What better place to have them than in the dining room. I adore them and look forward to them each year. Thanks Mother.


This is a wreath made out of my daughters little hand prints. She made this in preschool and I took it and had it framed. She is now 20 and I so adore this little memory. Thank the Lord for wonderful preschool teachers.
I also have three pencil trees and wreaths on the windows but I just could not get a good picture of them....maybe I will try when it is light outside.
Later I will post a full picture of the chine cabinet so you can see how huge it is....it is really beautiful and full of old fashioned dishes.
Well, this ends the tour of my sitting room...but we are getting snow so maybe I can share a few snow pictures with you later. Until next time, be blessed.

Christmas kitchen tour! Gingerbread men

Merry Christmas!!! Here is a small tour of my kitchen but I must admit that my kitchen has gingerbread men in it 365 days a year. Get a cup of coffee and relax as you follow me around the kitchen for a little Christmas cheer.


This is a 3 foot tree in my kitchen...it has gingerbread ornaments and ribbon and all white lights...I know it is difficult to tell....

I have had this gingerbread garland for many years...it is one of my favorites. My mother bought it for me and it has hung in my kitchen since then...everyone seems to love it.


A little forest on the window sill...my mom bought these for me new this year!

These gingies set above the cabinets and the tea pot was a gift from my father in law...he found it at a garage sale and thought of me...how sweet.

A small white wire tree with candy canes and tiny gingerbread men.

These are measuring spoons that my sister gave me one year for Christmas. They hang on the side of my kitchen cabinet.

This is above my refridgerator...and you can kinda see above the cabinet too.

Buckeye recipe!!

Since some of you were interested in my buckeye recipe I thought I would go ahead and share it with you. Amanda, I wanted to show you what a real buckeye looked like so you would have an idea of what we were talking about. I put three on my mantle and tryed to get a close up for you!!!

Buckeye are a peanut butter type candy ( similar to a fudge tasting ) filling
covered in chocolate....Amanda, hope that helps!
Here is the recipe

Buckeyes

1 1/2 cups of peanut butter
1 cup of butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups of powered sugar (confectioners sugar)
4 cups of milk chocolate chocolate chips
small amount of wax

In a large bowl mix peanut butter, butter, vanilla and sugar. The dough will get kinda dry so you will have to mix it with your hands ( kinda like roll out cookies)
Once it is mixed will, roll dough into 1 inch ball. Place balls on wax paper ( with a cookie sheet under for support.) Now place balls in freezer for about 30 minutes or until firm but not frozen. Melt your choc. chips in a heavy pan or double boiler until melted and add a small amount of wax so it is not quite as thick. (shave the wax into small pieces so it won't take long to melt.) Now you are ready to dip the balls. Take a tooth pick and stab it into the middle of the ball( i use the same tooth pick for all the buckeyes)...dip until there is only a small amount of the peanut butter ball showing. Place it back on the cookie sheet but not so any of them are touching. I then place them back in the freezer and the next day I put them in ziplock bags and store in the freezer until I am ready to put them on the trays...they thaw very quickly.

If you look at my previous post you can kinda see each step. I hope you can understand my directions. I goes much faster if you have a couple of helpers when you are rolling the balls!! If you have any questions let me know.

Buckeyes anyone??

Before my parents left for Florida, my mother came over and we decided to make buckeyes for our Christmas trays. My youngest daughter got in on the fun too. We mixed and rolled and dipped but in the end we had a nice collection to share with family and friends. What Christmas treats are you making this year? This is just one of the many cookies we will bake to add to our holiday celebrations. Mom...don't they look good...thanks for coming over...we're making memories.

Turkey Day

I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! We had a cold day but a warm house as we celebraated together. This is (from the left) my fil Jim, my dad Bucky, and dh Dan. They were deep frying the two turkeys on Thanksgiving morning. We had 21 family member this year and that is actually down a few from usual. Our home was filled with laughter and it was nice to be together for the beginning of the Holiday season.
They did a great job with the turkeys, I couldn't get a good shot with both of them in the picture...so here is the first one!


After the first group went through the turkey is looking a little worse for wear...but that's okay we have another one!!! Hope you had a great day too.

Primitve Santa wallhanging

When you step into the kitchen from the back porch to the right you will see this primitive wall hanging that I made. This year I hung it very low so the three year old in our family could get a good look at it.. I thought she might enjoy something fun too. Tomorrow I will take you on the tour of my kitchen. I am a little disappointed with the pics because I can't get ones that I think really show the kitchen as it is...but I will snap a few more and just choose the best ones.
Since we are so close to Thanksgiving I wanted to post some of the things I am Thankful for!!
My Dad and Mom have worked so hard this summer at my home and I am so thankful they did because without them we could never have gotten the buildings put up and the old one ripped down...they will never know how much Dan and I appreciate their help.
I am thankful every day for my husband and the hours he works so I can stay home with the girls.
And I am thankful that I am blessed with three of the most adorable teenage girls..they keep me laughing and that is so important!!! Blessings to each of you.

More back porch Christmas

I did take a few more pics of my back porch even though I have a few more things to add. This santa I found at a garage sale a few years ago. He is made from a tomato cage. Many years I don't get him out but this year since I am changing things
this year I found a site for him on the porch.




The large santa is made from a straw wreath and my mom and I made him many years ago. He has hung is so many spots in my home. He is so cheerful and you just have to smile when you see him. So for this year he is haning on the closet door on the back porch right next to the wooden cabinet that I had in one of my last posts.
Hoped you enjoyed this small back porch tour! Blessings.

Vintage Christmas

This is one of the trees in the living room. I just love it for a change. 2 of the 3 kids love it too..now that's not bad!
My vintage Christmas theme is coming along. I have most of the decorations up and out of the boxes but I had too many quilt wall hangings...some of them were my very favorite ones but I just don't have the wall space to put them all up. Now where did I hang them last year?
Things here are eternally busy. I have a few boxes to carry to the basement and I need to sweep the back porch so I can put up a few new decorations but it is so cold back there....in the twenties and I just keep shivering and well....I will sweep later..LOL
I am going to make up a Thanksgiving menu today so everyone knows what to bring and then...I am meeting my sister for a hair cut. She is nervous but the beautician is good so she needs to calm down....it will look great.
Then I really do need to sweep....I like to sweep..did I say it is just too cold. I have to meet dh at his place of work so one of our cars can get worked on so I am feeling like a taxi and not getting much done.
Well, I am back from all that running around and meeting the dh and the hair appointment...now I am waiting for dd to get home so we can go visit my mom since it is her bday today and I want to stop over and wish her a happy day. I already gave her a present so I think I will pick up a little cake on my way.
Well, I think I will get ready for bed since tomorrow will be a long day. So until next time, be blessed.

Christmas on the back porch

I thought I would give you a glimpse at a few of my decorations on the back porch. Right inside the door you will see a simple stand with a light and greenery. I love the way it looks and smells. On top of the cabinet I have some of the treasures that some of my blog friends have sent to me over the years...and a snowman that my daughter made.
I havew a few more decorations on the porch but I didn't get a chance to take a snap of them yet...so I will see what I can do...until then be blessed.

A Silver Treasure

For a long time I have wanted a silver Christmas tree. My grandma had one that I just thought was the neatest thing ever. She had the color wheel that made it look so spectacular.
While cleaning out on of our rentals I found the most amazing treasure...when I saw the box I knew what it was but I was afraid that maybe all the pieces weren't there so carefully we took all the branches out of the sleeves and placed them in the little holes and low and behold...what a beauty she is...I was so thrilled. Now my children are not as thrilled as I am but have agreed to use this as our main tree this year. They do each have a tree in their own rooms so really it isn't that big of a problem. I think she is such a treasure and I am enjoying her each day....and smiling!






Kim at Simple Needs is so sweet!! I won her giveaway a little while back and when I found this package on my door step I knew who it was from.
My daughter was so excited that she went for the scissors and opened it giggling all the way.
The box was filled with treasures and good smells so we carefully placed them on the table, took a picture and promptly started finding homes for each and every item. Kim, how sweet you are...Thanks so much and I do hope that you are feeling better, it seems you have been sick way too long! If you have not stopped by to see her take the time to do so...and wish her a get well soon.
I have been so busy the last few days so this week I will start to show you some pics of some of the decorating that I have been working on. I wanted to hang the wreaths in the windows today but I didn't have everything I needed so I will have to wait until I make it to the store.