Friday, December 18, 2015

christmas prep ~ and my version of a bar cart

I'm mostly ready for Christmas. You might notice from the photo below that I added some sparkly garland and faux pine branches to the window to jazz it up a little. I still have to wrap every single present. I hate wrapping, so I procrastinate until the last moment. You'd think that after all these years I'd have learned my lesson by now. But nooo, the torture continues year after year. My saving grace is gift bags. Put the present in the bag with some tissue paper and it's done. If I do have to wrap a present with actual wrapping paper, it ends up looking like a five-year old had free reign with the scissors and paper. Don't even talk to me about any kind of fancy ribbons or bows. Give me a to/from sticker and I'm good to go. But hey, it's all about what's inside the package, right? No, I didn't wrap those boxes with the pretty blue bows in front of the window. That was done by a talented clerk at a local shop.


I did most of my shopping online ahead of time, so that gave us a chance to leisurely pick up a couple of gifts in a nearby town that has some beautiful independent shops. I've mentioned the Woodstock Square on my blog in the past. Woodstock is the town where they filmed the movie, Groundhog Day. Last week, our weather had been unseasonably warm and rainy. On this particular day when I stepped outside of a store and saw the trees and the Opera House in the background shrouded in fog, I had to snap a pic. I thought it was breathtakingly beautiful.


One of the stores we stopped in had a display of humorous cards. Do you like to read random greeting cards when you see a display? I do. This one made me laugh out loud.


Speaking of drinks...I see everywhere that bar carts are the new thing. I'm assuming this was brought on by Mad Men. We're not big drinkers (heck, we're barely small drinkers) nor do I entertain a lot, so I'm not about to go out and buy a bar cart. However, I did have bottles of accumulated booze from over the years sitting in a cabinet in the basement, plus I had my grandma's cocktail pitcher and a couple of glasses in the cabinet, which are really too pretty to be stored away. So, I brought everything out and arranged it on the console table in the basement family room. The wine rack had already been on the console table. 


Here's the cocktail pitcher (at least that's what I think it is - if I'm incorrect or it has some kind of official name, let me know) and glasses that belonged to my grandma. I don't think she ever used them. She had a lot of pretty stuff that accumulated in her china cabinet. And before you think we drink crappy liquor like Wild Turkey (see the bottle in the background?) ~ that was left here by one of Tim's friends last year. I told Tim he needs to take it back to his place next time he comes here. I asked him if anyone would drink it when he has a party. He said, "Are you kidding, Mom? College kids will drink anything." Sadly true.



The one drink we do like is Moscow Mules. It's our traditional family drink when Tim comes home for a visit. You're supposed to drink Moscow Mules from a copper mug, but we only have one. So we had our MMs out of our regular water glasses last time Tim was here. We keep it classy. ;-)  Well, lo and behold, I was in Goodwill the other day and found these three pretty glasses that I thought would be perfect for our Moscow Mules - at least until I can find two more copper mugs at a decent price. In the meantime, can't beat it for 50 cents each for pretty cocktail glasses.


Happy weekend! I hope that you're done with all your Christmas prep so that you can finally relax (with a drink?) ~ or perhaps you need one. Feel free to stop by...Wild Turkey is up for grabs.



14 comments:

  1. love the bar ... love the glasses ... love the comment "heck, we're barely small drinkers".

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  2. I'm not much of a drinker either, but I do have a glass or 2 of wine during the holidays to "chill" and just relax with all the chaos around me. Your grandmother's pitcher and glasses are beautiful and you've found a nice way to display them on your table/bar cart. Your photo of Woodstock Square is gorgeous!

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  3. Cute!! I'm all about a nice bar for entertaining and yours looks great! By the way, Wild Turkey American Honey (which is what you have) is an excellent after dinner drink, just over ice. It's also fantastic in eggnog, with a good sprinkle of nutmeg!

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  4. Love your bar! I wouldn't have a clue what Wild Turkey is, so you could have given me a glass!! Happy Christmas! xx

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    1. Melanie,
      I would like to be there when you give Amy a glass of Wild Turkey!
      Ginene

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  5. Your bar turned out nice and I love the set that was your grandmother's.

    I do NOT need a drink right now. Friends took me to a fantastic Mexican restaurant for lunch where I had not one but two margaritas. Need I say more.

    Happy Christmas to you and yours ~ FlowerLady

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  6. LOL. I think I have a bottle of that same Wild Turkey in my cupboard. Greg's brother didn't like it and gave it to us. We've never touched it.
    I like your bar cart anyway. :) The glasses and pitcher are gorgeous. I'd like to have a bar cart, but really can't with the little ones living here.
    I have not wrapped anything yet, either, except for the couple of things Bradley took to school. Tomorrow perhaps? I'm good at wrapping, but use a lot of tape. Apparently I'm famous (infamous?) for that in my family.

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  7. I saw that fog photo on IG and loved it. :) You look like you know what you are doing -- the bar area looks nice. Ha! I don't drink anything but beer or wine but definitely could use a drink right about now. Remember, I'm in dry country, so only drink when we travel. Boo! Happy holidays!

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  8. This looks just perfect, Mel. I wish I had the room. My SIL has a small cabinet that she uses like this with wine and ice buckets. We are wine and beer drinkers, I simply hate the taste of liquor but I've heard those Moscow Mules are good. I see the copper mugs everywhere. Maybe check online if you want to pick up two more. I think the copper keeps it chilled so you can't taste the whiskey...lol!

    Yes, we have had the second bath forever. Since it has always been Abby's bathroom, as the other bathroom is just down the hall from our bedroom, we barely use it at all. The plank wood walls were always here and I had them painted white (as opposed to a light stain) about 5 years ago. I really wish this was out main bath--I love it. Yet when we have outdoor backyard parties, this is the one our guests use for it's proximity to that area as well as our family room.

    Thank you for the Christmas card! I hope you received ours!

    Jane x

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  9. Ha! We're barely small drinkers, too! I don't think I have had a drink since my babies were born. I was either having babies, nursing babies or driving babies...no alcohol for me. Since then my tummy has not reacted favorably to it. Oh well, there's still chocolate right? ;) Your cart is pretty!!

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  10. The card made me laug! What a great way to start my day! Merry Christmas to you!

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  11. Yes, I always must read the funny greeting cards in stores. I love that one! I've never seen it, because I would've had to buy it if I had! thanks

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  12. Your grandmother's pitcher and the glasses are beautiful, as are the GW cocktail glasses! I love the old window by the little Christmas tree too. I'm not much of any kind of drinker either but I have to admit to enjoying the Bloody Mary my son-in-law fixed me yesterday for lunch.

    A blessed Christmas to you, Melanie,
    Dewena

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  13. I like your vignette with the window, I don't remember seeing a window before, and looks really nice. At the Charmer there just isn't a place to put a bar cart. Since I don't drink very much anymore it would be a waste of space for me. for parties I do set up a "bar" on a counter in our kitchen for those to make their own. Wishing you and your family a very blessed Christmas and New Year. Taking a week off is the best gift I can give myself.

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