Happy vintage New Year!!!!

The season continues....

I just love the look, the feel and the smell of Christmas. I found the picture on the internet and it is such a perfect Christmas picture. I do hope that you had a wonderful Christmas and since the 12 days of Christmas are just now beginning I am not one to move on just yet. I am enjoying having my girls home and not quite as busy are usual. I am enjoying the decorations of the season and a time to relax and just feel the joy.
Today we are getting a fresh snowfall and it just seems so wonderful. I know that the world will be bursting in with sales and a push toward spring but really winter has just started and I am going to try to enjoy it while it is here. I am dreaming of a light winter without too many storms!!
I have been thinking about making a to-do list. My dd is graduation in June and I want to begin getting each room ready for the celebration. I do better when I work off of a list so I might begin making the list this week as I have time but no new projects this week other than stitching, of course.
I am going to spend a week in Florida with my parents so I will have to allow a little distraction on my list...but that is ok. Once the weather starts to get better this spring I will have lots to do there too so I must finish the inside early.
You will be able to follow all my projects as I will keep you posted about my list and what I am working on. Some of you are so creative with make overs on gw finds but I am not sure I will have time for that...but I am going to clean the basement....we live in an old house and we have an old basement...it is kinda scary...lol but I am determined to work on it...I will keep you post on that!
Hope you are still enjoying the season...for it is not closing as of yet...we are not basking in the after glow...enjoy.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE!!!!!

A special message at Christmas!

We are getting so close to Christmas and I am so excited to spend the day with my family. We are baking a few things tomorrow and gathering all the supplies for Christmas brunch. We have a full day planned for Christmas day...such a wonderful time of the year.
There are so many wonderful things that have happened this year. My children are turning into young women, each with such special gifts...they are my treasures.
My parents have spent a lot of time with us again this summer and for that I am so thankful. I am truly blessed with a sister who would give me the world if only she could and a husband that works without complaint even when it isn't that much fun!!
I look forward to a day of celebration for the grace and mercy that we have been given and even when I don't make all the right choices I know that I am forgiven even before I ask. I know there was a child in a manger that knew why He was here and never strayed from that task..and we are so loved!!!
May you Christmas be the most joyous, the most love filled and the most wonderous day of the year....Merry Christmas from my home to yours!!! Be blessed dear friends.

Embarrasing Christmas moment..

Well, we have been rather busy with Christmas stuff this past week. I am almost done and everything is wrapped and ready.
Sunday our Christmas choir performed at our third service and I must say it was rather embarrassing. For some reason our director was distracted and he just kept making terrible mistakes as he lead the choir. We were singing with a track so it he music went on even when he started singing the wrong things....he even missed a large section of the Christmas story which was his solo.
At one point the choir wasn't even singing at the right spot on the track....oh I was so embarrassed. We have been practicing this for months and it is so disappointing...and to make matters worse I saw a comment on a facebook page saying they had wasted that entire hour (they were in the audience) on Sunday Morning...oh...I am sad. I know it was bad but I felt like crying after I read this...I joined it for fun..for Christmas and now I am regretting it. We are to perform at the Christmas eve service but I don't think I can show my face in the choir again...In all the practices we had we have never had any of these problems and it was just...well....terrible.
This is not the way I wanted to feel after performing for the church...I will not be a part of the Christmas choir next year...
I wish people would be more generous when something like this happens and try to encourage each other...Merry Christmas??? Well...it didn't feel like it yesterday.
(not sure where I got the graphic or I would give credit for it...sorry)
Blessings...until next time.

Our Winter Wonderland.....

This is our winter wonderland.


This is at the back door.

I opened my back door to take this picture. You can see my little building out in the barnyard.



all of these pictures are taken from outside my back door...the fence runs along our parking and towards our garage. It does looks quite delightful!!



I am still standing in the driveway but this time facing the new building...It looks warm and toasty but really there is no heat in there...YET...I hope to heat for next year.



Looking up the driveway towards our home.



It looks like a winter wonderland from the front. I am standing on the driveway...i didn't want footprints in the front yard but there were little rabbit tracks everywhere!!!


This is the north side of our house...you drive along the driveway on this side...just a little view of our trees and the snow.

These little trees are in front yard just to the left of the driveway when you pull in.
The large tree is the one I want to put Christmas lights on. We would have to use my Dad's bucket truck....he thinks it is a dumb ideas hence no lights again this year. lol

This urn at the base of our sidewalk that leads to our front door. there is one on each side but I only snapped one!


This is at the back walkway....

Warm and Cozy!!!!

I don't know about you but I can not sleep if I am too cold. I am cold all the time but when I sleep I get so cold and when dh gets up to go to work I think our bedroom loses about 10 degrees!!!
Anyways, a few years ago my sister bought us an electric blanket. It has dual controls because dh is always hot. Anyways, last week it was cold and windy and I had been cold all day when I remembered the electric blanket. We had never used it because dh thought he would be too hot but I was sooo cold that I put in on the bed.
What a delight...what utter, fabulous coziness....this might be the best present I have ever received!!! I have my side turned up and I am enjoying getting into a nice warm bed..it even has an auto shut off so no worries there either.
This is a picture of our nice warm cozy bed and to tell you the truth I am having a hard time getting out of the warm coziness each morning...lol
What a great gift this is and each day I am so thankful...do enjoy the season...it is so short!!! Blessings to each of you.

A few added decorations!

Just a couple more pictures of random decorations in our computer room. There is always room for change...and really this Christmas is so much about change.
This year has been full of ups and downs but we are all together, we are all warm and safe and relatively happy. That is such a blessing.
I am so happy that we are celebrating Christmas next week. We will have an opportunity to tell those that are close to us that we love and care about them. We have a chance to celebrate together. My family always drives around and looks at the Christmas lights together. I am not sure how much longer we will have this tradition since the girls are almost grown but we will cherish the time we have had and then we will start making new memories and new traditions.
I pray for peace and joy for each of you. That you will find that place where you are content and peaceful. May your days be merry and bright and may all your Christmases be white!! (if only in your dreams) Blessings!

Look what I found in my mailbox!!

I was so excited to find this package in my mailbox. I won a give away at Amanda's site at Jacaranda Cottage. She is in the side bar if you want to visit her site.
Amanda has a wonderful blog and she is a generous and wonderful friend here in blog land!!



The inside of the box has a card and the wonderful Christmas bulbs that were in Amanda's give away. i am so excited, Amanda knows I love vintage decorations and I will find a special spot for them. I will think of you and your family often and I will remind me to send a little prayer your way!



Isn't this the most wonderful Christmas card??? I adore this Christmas card.



Aren't they just beautiful???
Thank you so much, Amanda



Recently I was contacted by front-porch-ideas-and-more.com/old-fashioned-christmas-in-ohio.html They wanted to post a picture of our home on their web page. I have been so excited and honored that they chose my porch. If you want to see the picture and comments just follow the link.


I hope you are all enjoying the season of giving..the days are going by so quickly. Blessings, Dianntha

Pictures of our front porch..and back...

This is our front porch. It faces the west so it takes all the wind and snow and rain. But when the weather is nice you will find our youngest sitting on our porch swing and we usually have a set of comfy chairs off to the side so I can read some magazines and enjoy chatting with her.
We searched for over 2 years to find a home that we loved. I really wanted an older home with lots of character and so that is what we search for. We are so blessed to have found the perfect home for our family...and now we even have our two new buildings that I posted about back in June of 08. We are blessed

It is almost dusk here...the days are getting much shorter. We are approaching the shortest day of the year so it gets dark very close to 4:30 but it does make for cozy evenings with the family. We are nice and toasty tonight but it is really cold...in the 20's now.

This is just a little Christmas cheer by our garage.

This old suitcase sits beside the back door ..what a greeting...lol


I think it might have been too dark for this picture but I liked the way the sky is so dark blue. You can't see it but it was snowing alittle when I snapped that picture.


This is the back porch where we actually spend more time than out front. Our grill sits out year around even when it is zero outside I grill most days..we just like the taste so much better and I don't mind putting my coat on to cook. lol



Our front porch from a little different angle...

This is Santas close up...he has weathered many a storm on our porch...but we still like him. I actually found him at a garage sale many years ago...what a steal he was.

Now you have seen the outside and the inside. I still have a few random pictures but after that I will have to move on to something more productive that just my decorating....now what will that be???? lol
I do hope you are taking the time to enjoy this season of giving. Please don't forget about those that are struggling in this season. If you can, lend a hand and a prayer. Be blessed dear friends.

And then there was the kitchen...

My Mother made this Gingie too...she is my fav.


An ornament that belonged to my Aunt Essie!!



My Mother painted these Santa's.


This is one of the small walls in my kitchen...


Above the sink there are three windows..curtain my mom made out of old feed sacks and my santa's are added to my gingies that stay out all year.


I know this is not a great picture of the items on my fridge and on top of some of my cabinets but I am short and they are tall and well ...that's the best I could get!!


My measuring spoons that hang on the side of the cupboard but really they are there all year...the string of bells go around the door way and they are there only for Christmas.


This is just a cute little reminder that we do want a white Christmas. Most years we travel on Christmas day but since we will be at home this year I don't care if it wants to snow a little...

Two forgotten pictures from yesterday..

Yesterday when I posted the bathroom pictures there were two that I forgot to post so I am adding them to the post today because...I wanted to...lol
The first one is a picture of Santa that my sister gave to me about 2 years ago. This is what you see as you enter the bathroom. If you look closely you will see children in his beard. He is always one of my first decorations to go up and one of the last to come down. You can view him from the kitchen, that is where I am standing to take the picture.
The little reindeer are Hallmark ornaments. I purchased them this year when I was given a little extra money for a good deed I had done for someone. So when I see these little ornaments I think of them and smile.
I know it seems funny to decorate the bathroom but it just seem bare if I don't and really my family would think there was something wrong with me if I didn't. lol
I took more pictures of my kitchen today during to day light. I do think they are better but that might be the best I can get so tomorrow I will post the kitchen pictures and then I only have a few misc. pictures of a few additions I have made. I am stitching on a Christmas pattern and I might even share a few doodles that I drew this summer when I was dreaming of Christmas.
I went shopping today and I ran into some wonderful sales. I really was not Christmas shopping but sometimes you have to pick things up as you see them sooo two of my teens are going to be pretty happy that I have finished my shopping for them and the third one was with me so she will have to wait. I do hope you are enjoying the season, it goes so quickly and there are so many things that we should be saying to those we care about and things we should be doing for those we care about...please take the time to do them. I am wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and no...it's not too early...to enjoy the season of giving. Blessings to each of you.
.

Christmas comes to the bathroom....lol

I stitched this last year...they are the reindeer with their names under them...it was fun and easy and each one had a bell on their neck...just for fun!






The new shower curtain which just happens to match the towels I had from last year..how cool is that?






Wow...that is a lot of pictures just of the bathroom!!!! lol I thought I would try to give you a complete glimpse of that room without going too far!!
This year has been a tough one and I am so thankful that my dh started his new job today and when I started to decorate this year I just could not go drab and primitive I wanted it sparkly because we have already had drab around here and I am wanting to celebrate this Christmas with new beginnings and cheer. I do hope you are enjoying these little snippets into our home...believe it or not we aren't done yet....we will be visiting the kitchen next! Be blessed, we are.