christmas eve random

Have had a really low-key, relaxing Christmas Eve...

Slept in, stripped the beds and got all the sheets and blankets washed

and back on the beds. 

Read my email and some blogs.

Met my in-laws for lunch at Famous Dave's.

Got home and took a mile walk with the hubby.

Since then, we've just watched some TV, played Dominoes

and Backgammon while drinking wine and munching on 

some pretzels and chips.

Going to watch our favorite Christmas movie ~

A Christmas Story 

when it comes on TV in 1/2 hour.

In the meantime...

My "baby's" 21st birthday was on the 19th!

We took him out to dinner at Weber Grill.

You can see where he gets his wavy hair from. :-)

 

Tim is a drummer and he needed a new snare, so that was his

main birthday present.

And, of course...what's a 21st birthday without a six-pack

of different, cool beers?

Totally changing subjects (told you this was going to be random!),

I had to share this shot of Clementine and Zippo.

I thought it was so sweet how they were sleeping with just the

lower part of their bodies touching.

Monkey is very hard on scratching posts - he really tears them up.

(He likes my couches too, unfortunately.)

Here's the happy kitty with his new scratching post.

My movie is just about to start, so here's wishing you all a

happy, healthy, and joyous Christmas.

little bit of Christmas kitchen decorating

I don't do much in my kitchen as far as Christmas decorating.

Just little touches here and there.

I would love to set a beautiful holiday table, but two of my cats

seem to think that tablecloths are made for their napping space.

Cat hair on a table isn't exactly appetizing.

I seem to have a "thing" for red and white this season.

Hubby asked me what the pomegranates in the fruit bowl were for.

I told him they were for decoration. I thought they looked so pretty

with the green apples.

He said, "You're kidding, right?" 

Silly man.

Went with the red and white theme in my china cabinet, too.

Couple of little shelves on one of the kitchen walls...

I pinned the vintage Christmas cards to this birdcage that hangs 

in front of the kitchen window. 

Would probably look prettier and more festive with bittersweet

or some kind of garland wrapped around the top of the cage...

Might get to that later. Or never. ;-)

My snowmen shelf...

Just 8 more days...are you ready?!

decking the living room

I've actually been working on Christmas decorating for over a week,

but kept playing with and rearranging stuff.

We don't put up a tree anymore.

We stopped doing that after Phil (our firstborn son) passed away

a couple of years ago.

We would put up a tree if Tim (secondborn son) still wanted us to, but he doesn't.

Perhaps "someday" we'll feel like putting up a tree again.

Maybe when (hopefully!) we have a grandkid or two someday.

I still like to decorate in the living room and kitchen though,

since I do like the holiday decor and these two rooms are our

main living areas.

At first, I had these vintage Christmas cards hanging above the fireplace...

but, changed my mind and now have "current" Christmas cards hanging 

above the fireplace instead.

I found this cute, little wooden sled decoration at Goodwill.

It seems very well made (Germany?) though there's no label

of origin on the bottom.

I always have a hard time with vignettes on the console table

no matter what the season. I think it's because of the

vast amount of white space between the table and the picture

that hangs on the wall. I think it helped to use this 

cake stand for elevation to fill in that white space.

I've had this ceramic reindeer and sleigh forever.

My aunt made it for me when I was first married.

It always has a place of honor in my Christmas decor.

I found these two holiday pillows at Target last week.

I like how the red bird adds a pop of color to the beige sofa.

It's hard to tell in this picture, but the tree on the beige pillow has 

some sparkly sequins.

Hardrock, Coco, and Joe sure liked the pillow! ;-)

Another wishlist project...have a big "window" cut out in this

main living room wall. It's the main supporting wall of the house,

so we can't knock down the entire wall, unfortunately. 

The kitchen is on the other side. It would be so cool to have

one, big open space.

I don't think I ever showed you our new front door.

It's hard to get a good picture of it because of the light, 

but it looks so much better than the old, ugly white door 

that was there before.

My favorite part of the door is the leaded glass windows.

They let in some light, but it's diffused nicely in the summer,

so that the room doesn't get too hot.

I hope to show you my kitchen holiday decor later in the week!

my house must have a vacany sign - and more Goodwill finds

 I think animals know that I am a "sucker" and will take them in.

Zippo, my 12-year old cat, showed up on our doorstep when he was about four months old. 

Then, in August 2010, Clementine also showed up on my porch.

Pregnant. 

(Monkey - yes, that's his name - is her baby.)

Late last night, I looked out my front door, and there was a dog on my porch!

I was talking to him through the screen and he didn't run away.

Tim went outside to see the dog and the dog jumped on him and

started licking his face.

Oh. No.

I couldn't just leave the dog roam free, especially at night when he was more

likely to get hit by a car or attacked by a coyote.

And it was SO cold last night.

I also couldn't bring the dog into our house because of the cats.

So, I put the dog in the garage and gave him a fresh bowl of water

and Thanksgiving leftovers (turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, and green beans!)

I had a little doggie bed in the basement, so I put that in the garage,

along with some newspapers - so that hopefully, he'd use those for

his "business".

Doggie was certainly glad to see me this morning. Look at his sweet face!

I brought him inside and put him in one of the bathrooms,

as I felt sorry for him in the cold garage.

I had to take Monkey to the vet, so I inquired there as to what to do about the dog.

They advised bringing him in so they could scan him for a micro chip.

He did indeed have one and the vet called the owner and left a message.

They kept the dog there in a kennel and told me they'd let me know if the

owner called to claim him, otherwise they'd call Animal Control.

I was so happy to hear from the vet's office later, that the owner did indeed

call them. Yay!

On another note, I made a quick stop at a different Goodwill store today. 

I only found a few items this time, though I did get about six books.

I really don't need any more Christmas decorations, but I couldn't resist

this tin Santa.

I also have a thing for pottery and have started a small collection.

I liked this little pitcher because of the cheery yellow flowers.

My best find was this beautiful Paragon tea cup and saucer for only $1.99!

I don't think whomever priced it realized the value of Paragon.

My mom collects tea cups and saucers and one of her favorites

is Paragon, so I'm giving this to her. :-)

The only thing I couldn't figure out about the tea cup was this strange gold

lettering (ESOR) on the bottom of the cup.

Anyone have any idea what it could mean?

I did a Google search, but didn't come up with anything.

Have a lovely day ~ and please get your pets micro chipped if you haven't

already done so!

thanksgiving family dysFUNction

I feel like a lazy, beached whale today.

I ate too much food last night, along with a few glasses of wine...

then came home to have two of my aunt's amazing cream cheese brownies.

Today, I've had all kinds of leftovers (mostly carbs), two pieces of another aunt's

wonderful apple spice cake that went perfectly with morning coffee,

movie popcorn (I saw The Muppets!), and some M&M's.

Can you tell I've fallen off the Healthy Food Wagon?

 

So, yesterday we had Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's house.

She lives in a small townhouse and there were 17 people and 3 dogs.

One dog pooped in the floor because she was nervous.

Another dog bumped into the table and knocked over the red wine,

which landed on the cream-colored carpet.

My 91-year old great aunt, who has dementia started

freaking out and shaking and demanded she wanted to go home.

Just another family holiday.

 Cousin Greg opens a bottle of wine...

The 3 famous bad dogs

(the ones with four legs and fur).

OK, that was really bad. I think I've all the carbs have gone to my head.

L to R: my sister, Laura with her dog, Phobe; my Aunt Suzie

with her dog, Penny (Phoebe & Penny are sisters); and

my mom, with her dog, LuLu.

 

Niece, Hannah showing me her pumpkin dessert.

My mom has a knife and she knows how to use it!

Recipe for a happy family Thanksgiving:

Take unresolved issues and soak in alcohol.

(From the TV show, Modern Family)

 

what's new saturday - and a couple of great finds for the guest room

You all know me and my treasure hunting, especially at Goodwill...

So, how cool is this green pitcher? It's hand blown Blenko glass, which retails for

$44 - and even sells on eBay for $40. I paid a few dollars.

I think it looks really pretty on display in the living room...

I also found this TracyJoy bag. Love the colors. But, please tell me...

does this look like a purse? Because I looked online and found that this is really a camera bag! They are pretty pricey and I got this for $4.99, but I thought it was a purse! Can it pass for one?

Confession: I did pay too much for this pretty little butterfly tray.

This wasn't a Goodwill find. It was from a consignment shop.

Oh well, I really like it ~ and it can be used on top of this vintage suitcase,

or on a dresser top, or even propped up on a shelf.

Today, I went to the antique mall by my house in search of a nightstand for 

the guest-room-in-progress.

I got lucky and found this beauty...

I'm still playing around with the decor. I think I'll add a little dresser scarf 

to the top, and then a pair of red wooden candlesticks. 

The calendar is just there temporarily.

 Also, on my Goodwill expedition yesterday, I picked up 

this wicker chair for $15. Originally from Pier 1.

I'm going to put the bookcase downstairs and put the chair

in the corner instead. When I finally get the desk in this

room, the chair can then be pulled over by the desk when needed.

Otherwise, it'll be perfect for stacking some quilts

or simply to sit on and watch TV.

Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are coming up, I've

been keeping my eye out for a great deal on a 32" LCD or 1080p TV.

Yep, this guest room is starting to shape up!

 As always, thanks for visiting. :-)

some new finds - and a new vignette

 One of the many things I have a fancy for is vintage pictures, especially botanicals.

Found this latest framed beauty at my favorite shop (Goodwill).

This shelf arrangement is one of three above my fireplace, as I don't have a mantle.

Mama and baby canary figurine is Goebel, W. Germany.

I so wanted to make a lovely tablescape on my kitchen table today, 

but it just didn't happen. The first step would've been to iron a tablecloth.

First of all, ironing tablecloths isn't my idea of a good time. 

Secondly, the tablecloth only ends up looking good for a day or two,

as food or drink gets spilled on it, plus a couple of naughty kitties

love to jump on the table and lie down like they own the place. I'm forever
taking a lint roller to the tablecloth to pick up all the cat hair.
Ick.

All I managed to do is make a centerpiece. I found this glass piece at 

TJ Maxx for only $4.99. Filled it with a soup bean mixture (Trader Joe's)

and stuck a pillar candle in the middle. It's a start!

How do you like this cute bird? Another one of my obsessions "fancies".

Of course, it's also a Goodwill find.

I ordered this book, "Decorate" from Amazon, thanks to a birthday gift card

from my mom. Got it a few weeks ago and haven't even looked at it yet!

From what I've read from other bloggers and online reviews, it's fantastic.

Can't wait to delve in.

Found this unique glass and iron (?) house at _______ (guess where?!)

The back has a little door that opens up - I'm assuming you can put a tealight in there.

There's a sticker on the bottom of this house that says it's made in the Philippines.

Another gorgeous picture find at Goodwill. 

This one has the artist information on back that says it's black and white

photography that is hand colored.

I have it hanging in the main bathroom, as the purple walls

pick up the purple in the flower.

 Now for the new vignette. Previously, I had a bunch of framed pictures

on top of this table, leaning against the wall. 

I think it looks a bit "cleaner" with just three of the pictures and 

the candelabra. The two pottery bowls in front were made

by my son, Tim in his college ceramics class.

Thanks for visiting - and happy thrifting and decorating!