Computer is Kaput!

Just a quick post from work.  Our computer after struggling along for a couple weeks is finally kaput!  I will be computer shopping this weekend and hope to get pics from Christmas up!

Blessings

Linda

Our Christmas Trees!

How I love Christmas trees!  I remember when I was little, I loved to lay under the tree and look up through it at the lights.  Especially when we had the aluminum tree with the color wheel! 

Yngwie and his friends came over and put up our tree in the living room.  Our ceilings are tall so several years ago we found this 14' tree at an after Christmas sale!  It is quite a bear to put up, but 4 strong college men can get it up in no time and their pretty girlfriends can do a great job decorating!  I made Chili beans with all the toppings and some desserts and we had a wonderful tree decorating party!

This little Elf/Pixie tree is in my kitchen and I must say it is my favorite tree this year!  I love the face of the little elves on it and it makes working in the kitchen even more pleasant.  This past weekend I created a little scene with vintage toys under it but have yet to take a photo.  I'll put that on my ginormus list of things I need to do!

I am in the process of completing a few more handmade Christmas projects and will get them posted soon.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday!

Linda

Puppy Slippers

Good morning all.  It is a beautiful day today and unseasonably warm, which it has been all fall.  I'm not a fan of winter weather, so I am totally ok with that.

Last week while surfing around on the web I stumbled across the pattern for crocheted puppy slippers!  Fortunately I printed out the pattern right then and there because now I can't find the link!  I whipped these up in no time and have another pair that are pink almost finished.  I think they are just adorable!

Yngwie and his girlfriend are home from college for Thanksgiving and spent Sunday afternoon making hard candy.  YUM!  They made raspberry, spearmint, cinnamon, and grape.  The first batch they did was the grape and apparently they didn't get it quite to temperature because it would never harden.  They had thrown that over into a bowl and given up on it, but I wouldn't let them throw it away.  After they left to go fishing, I re-boiled the grape blog and it hardened up just fine.  Just so you know, if it ever happens to you, it can be re-boiled!

Spending the rest of the week getting ready for Thanksgiving!  I think we will be having around 10 people for lunch!  I love to cook for crowds!

Blessings

Linda

Christmas is coming.....

This weekend went by in a whirlwind!!  Yngwie and his friends came in Saturday to decorate the Christmas trees!  It was so much fun having all these teenagers in the house, laughing and having a good time!  While they were busy decorating I made some homemade chili, with all the fixin's, pigs in a blanket, chocolate chip cheeseball with graham crackers and a homemade pumpkin cheesecake!!  YUM!  All was devoured in a matter of minutes!

While the kids were decorating the big trees, I decorated my little aluminum tree in the kitchen.  This year the theme is ELVES!  I love elves and pixies and have been collecting them for years!  Here is my first ever elf tree:

I love this tree!  It truly makes me smile every single time I look at it!

And speaking of elves,

I saw an estate sale listed in the paper and yesterday was the last day and everything was half price, I had to go into work for a little while anyway, so decided to run by there on my way into work and am I ever glad that I did!  Look at the elves I found!

A cute and sexy little elf lady on an ashtray.  (Do they even make ashtrays anymore?)

An adorable little kneehugger who is already on my tree.

I also bought this little ornament

Isn't she a doll? and speaking of dolls

Too cute for words.

and these Easter chicks came home with me too!

Total cost of these adorable purchases??  $4.00!!!!!

Then on my way home, I swung by the antique store and snagged these cuties.

He is a music box that plays "Jingle Bells"  Isn't that the cutest face ever!

Yngwie says this elf looks like he's up to something!

an Annalee reindeer!

I love going to the antique mall, you never know what you'll find

With so much going on at home and work, I didn't have time to do too much crafting, but made some headway on the elf I am making from Elizabeth, a Bluebird Papercrafts pattern.  He should be finished tomorrow!

Hope everyone has a great week!!

Linda

Debbie Mumm Back Pack!

 Good Friday Morning to everyone!  This week I have been sewing in "snips and snatches" between cleaning and putting up my Christmas decorations!

I got the pattern for this adorable backpack from http://www.debbiemumm.com/Projects/Sewing/2009/08/

It  was super simple and I love how it turned out.  It will be the Christmas gift for my little great niece and will be filled with coloring books, activity books, and makers and probably some candy thrown in just to spoil her even more!

fully lined and quilted

Large enough to carry lots of books

Your's truly thinks she might like one too!

This weekend some of Yngwies friends are coming to decorate the large tree in the living room.  I am fixing chili, cornbread, and the fixin's.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Blessings

Linda

Happy Birthday Yngwie!!

19 years ago today I arrived at the hospital at exactly 1:00 p.m.  The nurse said "What are you here for"  I said "I'm here to have a baby!  Let's get this show on the road".

At 7:10 p.m. the most wonderful gift God has ever given me was born!

Happy Birthday Yngwie!  We love you so much and are so very proud of you!

Today is the day!!!!!

GO VOTE!!!!

Just think, no more political ads for awhile!!!  YAY!!!

Tags, Tags, and more Tags!

While surfing through Blogland, I have seen some of the cutest tags from some incredibly talented ladies!  I seem to be on a tag kick myself!  Michaels had their Halloween craft supplies 50-60 percent off last week and I definitely took advantage of the sale! 

 When I saw a big cannister of Peanuts cut outs I was thrilled!  Who doesn't love Good Old Charlie Brown?

Then I decided to make some tags for Christmas.  These will be attached to gifts, except for the bottom one with the Teaberry Ad.  Do you remember Teaberry gum?  I love that stuff.  It's sometimes a little hard to find now.  But what I really want is the vaseline glass Teaberry Gum stand.

I have really wanted one of these for a long time, so this year I have put it on my Christmas list.  It will give DH and DS something to look for!  Nothing like being hard to buy for!

So this tag is hanging on the tree, just so they don't forget!  What a Brat I am! 

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Blessings

Linda

More Vintage Cards

I am having so much fun looking at these cards!  Now I'm not a spring chicken, however, I have no idea who most of these comics are.  I remember Prince Valiant, and Flash Gordon but the rest, not so much.  The back of the cards are dated 1951, so that was a decade before I was born! (no fair doing the math!)

Anyway, here for your viewing pleasure are my Comics Christmas cards!

and just because I think this Birthday card is cute and it is close to Halloween here is the cutest little ghost!

I am taking tommorow off!  My sister neice and I are going to a very promising looking estate sale in the morning and then I'm headed to the hospital to see my MIL, she has been sick and has become dehydrated.  DH took her in to the hospital this morning and they said they would keep her a few days and give her fluids and some heavier antibiotics for this bug she has.  She will be home by Saturday or Sunday.  Then Friday night book club is meeting at my house, so I have a very busy day planned!

Blessings

Linda

More Halloween Fun

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! 

Yngwies girlfriend came in from college this weekend and they decided instead of going out to eat that they would fix themselves a "gourmet" dinner at home to save money.  They made Chicken Cordon Bleu, green bean casserole (which I think is vile, but Yngwie loves it!) corn, mashed potatoes, and pineapple upside down cake.  They even dressed up for the occasion. 

Then we all lended a hand in building a "haunted house".  They bought the kit from Wilton and it was very easy and fun to put together.  Yngwie and "Cute Girl" did all the decorating. 

(Yngwie wearing his "redneck" hat and shirt)

Didn't it turn out cute! 

Then it was on to some decorated sugar cookies!

And these are just as delicious as they look.  I use a Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies recipe from an old Southern Living Cookbook.

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

1 c. white sugar

1 cup butter

1 (3 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

1/2 tea salt

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (this is mandatory!)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg yolk

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, butter, cream cheese, salt, extracts, and egg yolk.  Mix until smooth.  Beat in flour until well blended.  Chill the dough for at least 4 hours

(I cheated and put it in the freezer for one hour)

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough, a small amount at a time, keeping the rest of the dough refrigerated so it doesn't get sticky.

Cut into desired shapes and place on lightly greased cookie sheet

( I put mine on parchment paper!  I love that stuff!)

Bake for 7-10 minutes until light and golden brown.  Cool and decorate with your favorite frosting.  I used my regular butter cream, but made it stiffer with the addition of more confectioners sugar.

Super busy this week, but I plan on scanning more of those vintage Christmas cards, so be on the lookout!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Blessings

Linda

(BTW- Yngwie is pronounced Eng-Vey" just so you know! and it's really his nickname)

The Cutest Christmas Cards Ever!

About a month ago I bought a big box of greeting cards at an auction and was thrilled beyound belief pleasantly surprised to these vintage Christmas cards!  I have scanned the front and the back for each one,  They have little tabs on them that create a 3-D card.  Hope you can use them for your paper crafts!  If you click on them it will magnify them.

Supposed to be a beautiful weekend here in SW Virginia and I am so looking forward to it!

Blessings  Linda