Family time

What fun I am having being with my family this weekend. It's so nice that we all can be together. Yesterday Jenny, Sean and I went to Knoxville shopping. It was so strange to hear Christmas carols piped throught the PA system and be walking around in the 71 degree weather without so much as a sweater on. At this shopping center there were so many stores, people, and cars that traffic getting in and out was gridlocked in places. We just did a little shopping and then came home.
Today Jenny is fixing a huge dinner. Her mom is coming over too. Ryan is off today and tomorrow so we can enjoy his company too.
Sean is so fun to be with and I'm having a ball with him.

Christmas Eve

Early Wednesdy morning we packed the van full of presents and started our journey to Boiling Springs to spend Christmas with Chris and the boys. Our first stop was in PEnfield where we met our brother in law, Don. Charlotte had sent presents, a large cookie tray, and a special chocolate melt-away cake for Chris. IT is his very favorite and a welcome surprise! She is so kind and generous. One of her gifts was a cake pan loaded with goodies and tied up with celophane and ribbon. Contained in the gift were all the ingredients and the recipe for making baked french toast for breakfast Christmas morning. HEre is the recipe:
cube a loaf of Pepperidge FArm raisen bread and put it in the cake pan, Add dried cranberries or raisens (1/4 cup). Mix 3 cups half and half with 6 beaten eggs and 2 t vanilla. Pour over. Let sit overnight. BAke in morning for 45 min at 3 50 degrees. Add cinnamon and butter. Serve with syrup.
Not only were all the above ingredients in the gift but also a spatula and two oven mitts. How thoughtful was that! What a clever girl!
We attended the Christmas eve service at Chris' church which was just wonderful and really gave the true meaning of Christmas. Then we came home and ate our Christmas dinner since the boys need to go to their mother's on Christmas day. NExt we watched Mamma Mia.
Dan played the new songs that he had learned on the piano for me. HE can play Scott Joplin's rags with a quick tempo and great enthusiasm. He also told me he received an award at the assembly for having high honors. He was the only senior boy to receive that award. I'm so proud of him.
Scott and I went shopping and picked out presents for his dad, mom and brother. He's a lot of fun to shop with.

have a merry Christmas

It's finally here...Christmas week. It's been a busy season full of shopping and baking and traveling. My wish for you and yours is to enjoy the holiday to its fullest and appreciate all the gifts you are given that you can't find under the tree....family, friends, love, generosity, warmth, contentment, happiness, fulfillment, and the knowledge that the relationships you have around you are a result of the kind of person that you are. To all my friends...merry Christmas!

Christmas Dinner with my friends

Kay sent me these lovely flowers with red carnations, white daisies, holly and juniper sprigs. This is my table centerpiece.

The table is set for dining.

Last night my friends, Yrsa, Kay, and Tom came for dinner. There is nothing I love more in the world than setting a pretty table and entertaining. When I was at Fredericksburg we went into the Goodwill where I spotted a large bag of black and white checked fabric. There was no price on it, but since it seemed like a lot of fabric I knew I could make a tablecloth out of it for my cherry table. When I checked out and the clerk said "The fabric is a dollar a bag," I could have shouted for joy. I must have been meant to have it since it was the exact, I repeat, exact size to cover my large table. I had been looking for new dishes because when I have ten people over I have to mix and match. So at the Dollar Tree I spied these wonderful white plates with black flowered rims. Just the thing for my table. I added the charger beneath and my Fitz and Floyd Christmas plates on the top. It made a beautiful table with the candles, crystal, and presents. I surprised Kay with a flameless candle since she had a small incident with a real one. For Yrsa there was marzipan, her very favorite confection. Each of the girls got bath salts, Cd of Christmas music and a chocolate covered pretzel that I made. for Tom it was cologne and a flashlight. As we ate I surprised them with a paper under their plate which had a toast written on it. Throughout the night each one of us toasted to friendship and good times. We began and ended the night with cocktails in front of the fire and good conversation. I am lucky to have good lifelong friends.

ikk

MORE HOUSE TOUR PICTURES

YES, IT WAS COLD THAT DAY. WE BUNDLED UP SO WE DIDN'T FREEZE. THE LINES WERE SHORTER SINCE WE GOT THERE RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TOUR. THIS PICTURES WAS IN THE BACK YARD OF ONE OF THE HOMES. I'M SURE IT IS GORGEOUS IN THE SUMMERTIME.

THIS HOME WAS SO NEAT IN THE BACK. THIS VIEW OVERLOOKS THE RIVER.

FREDERICKSBURG TOUR OF HOMES

On this screen door was the decoration that they used for the ornament this year. They always choose something specifically from the tour each year.

Only live greenery is used to decorate the houses indoors and out.

This chair reflected the decor of the beautiful home which added an Italian villa addition to the rear of their home.

This year the tour of homes was in a very historic part of Fredericksburg, Virginia, right along the river where the famous battle of Fredericksburg during the Civil War took place. Because the river is narrower at this point there was a floating bridge across the river to connect Ferry Farm, George Washington's boyhood home with the city of Fredericksburg. When those Damn Yankees invaded the city they came across the bridge. We toured a home that was just across the street and during that battle the Rebels fired their muskets from the upper story window. They even had a picture taken of the home after the battle with holes in the sides from the cannonballs.

On that street were seven homes that we toured. Three belonged to the same family the McDaniels. Each home was more beautiful than the last. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside, of course, so you can't experience the wonderful decorating, outstanding artwork, artful flower arrangements, antique furniture, and river views. Here are a few pictures of the outsides for you to enjoy.

INSPIRED

Inspired...that's what I was after seeing all the beautiful decorations on the house tour on Saturday. After a trip to Michael's and Joann Fabric I was ready to completely redo my kitchen's Christmas decor. I bought a small tree and tons of ornatmentation...balls, pinecone garland, beaded garland, birds, berries, feathers and ribbon. Today I decorated it and put it in the corner by my phone. I also brought a small tree into the corner by the window and added decoration to it too. I hung three large balls from my chandelier. I put garland across the window curtain rods and above my sink. I love the way everything looks with my new paint color. (the walls really aren't that orangy. I can't get a good photo of the color)

JUST ONCE...THE WHOLE HOUSE CLEANED!

I know, I know...a tiny space and way too much *stuff* but I love it all. It is, what I like to call, my *controlled clutter* . It is my version of an American style English cottage. I have decided to just embrace my inner *clutterer* and *cozyupper* and enjoy it. I am what I am. And, as to my space being small, to paraphrase designer Kitty Bartholomew, "It isn't what you have, it's what you DO with what you have." I chose small, I chose cozy, I chose clutter. Now, how about we choose some lovely chocolate chip scones....can I get you a cuppa?

I loved this quote..it is so me. My new year's resolution is to not be organized...because it will never happen. Sure, I can get one place organized (say the kitchen). Every drawer and cupboard can have everything in its place. It just won't stay that way. I'm resigned to knowing that I don't always put everything right back in the exact way it is supposed to be. I dash around quickly and things get approximately where they are to be..it gets in the right drawer, just not in a neat way. I read once where my problem is follow through. I don't take the extra effort to complete putting things away. The laundry basket gets to the bedroom, the clothes get hung on hangers but not put into the closet, the magazines get put in piles..you get the picture. So instead my new year's resolution is to follow through. ( OR JUST ACCEPT THAT I'M A CLUTTERBUG!)

BRRR....

It's nice to take a day to just relax. It was so cold outside this morning with the snow blowing and coming down like a blizzard. We were going to visit Don's stepmom but that involves traveling over a really steep hill. Instead we stayed home and did some things that needed done...like the freezer inventory. Am I the only one who buys too much? Our freezer over the fridge is full and the large one in the garage has waa-a-ay too much stuff. At least by inventoring it I know what's there and can plan my meals around what's in there. I think there is a place on the web where you put in your ingredients and they give you a recipe using it up. I bought really good ground beef at BJ's the other day so I made up a meatloaf, meatballs, and cooked some ground meat for goulash. That will take care of a few meals for Don while I am gone next weekend. I hope the roads are good Thursday when I leave. I'm looking forward to the Tour of homes in Fredericksburg.

y

THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD

I LOVED THIS PICTURE OF SEAN AS HE WAS LOOKING AT THE LARGE STUFFED MICKEY MOUSE THAT I BOUGHT HIM. THIS AGE IS AN AGE OF WONDERMENT. EVERYTHING IS NEW. IT MAKES YOU LOOK AT YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE WITH NEW EYES TOO.

A TIME FOR FAMILY

What a happy time. Don's sisters were here for a visit. Left to right are Bev, me, Mary, Ginny and Don.
Chris was absolutely excellent with the baby. Here he got the keyboard out which absolutely fascinated Sean.

Dan is at the age, 17, where he spends a lot of time on the computer and cell phone texting his friends.

Scott's discovery of records just mesmerized him. We got out an old turntable and played them for him.

This isn't a good shot of Sean...he was so tired when they left on Monday. He made the trip pretty well considering he was in the car seat for 12 hours.

All together....nothing made me happier than this past Thanksgiving! All of my family was together. My family ties are very strong thanks to my dear mother who always insisted on keeping the family together. She was the one who made the annual trip to her southern family in Georgia each year in July to visit with all her sisters and brothers. I remember going to all my different aunts and uncles to play with my cousins while my mom and dad visited. She was the one who kept in touch with all my father's family by always calling when she was in town and making it a point to see everyone. By example she taught me the importance of family. I missed her and my father at our gathering but they were in my thoughts.

THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

Isn't it funny how the Christmas spirit just wells up and smacks you in the face? One day you are all bah-humbug, oh, here it comes again..blah, blah, blah. And then this overwhelming feeling of generosity and love sneaks right into your psyche and you find yourself making Christmas lists and shopping like there's no tomorrow. You search for just the right presents that will give someone a real surprise on Christmas morn and find yourself humming Christmas carols and smiling when you see the colored lights. The decorations come out from the attic and your old rooms take on a brand new look. And then you are smiling for no reason. Yep, the spirit has got me good! I'm off to Buffalo shopping.

ALL TOGETHER

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Whew! What a holiday!

It was a time for Thanks giving. These past few days have seen such wonderful things happen. I always love it when family is together and love abounds. I was able to have both my sons and their families home for Thanksgiving. Besides that my husband's sisters came for dinner on Sunday..what a blessing for a family that has been torn apart. We built a bridge to make things better. And my husband's stepmothers family resolved some of their family issues in a good way. all the way around I was so pleased with everyone.
Today I took a day off. We got up at five when the baby woke up and Ryan and Jenny started packing for home. They got on the road at seven and luckily the temperature was 36 and the roads were just wet instead of slippery. It was a long road home for them I'm sure...12 hours with a baby in the car seat.
I sure enjoyed entertaining ...besides the turkey dinner Thursday I had company on Saturday for coffee and lunch for the family on sunday. THe house sure seems quiet now. I'll post some pictures tomorrow. Too tired today.